text: the crowds and camels lumber past. Fairgoers wander amid the astounding sights in delight, passing into first one shop and then the next. The street continues to the north, and ends at the midway directly to the south.
  
  Streets of Cairo.
  
  > go north
  You stand in the quadrangular courtyard of the Okala, an
  elaborately ornate, two story building which contains apartments above and a bazaar below. On all sides, through pointed arches, under draped rugs, are small antique shops, rug shops, and teahouses, some no larger than niches in the walls. A gallery runs the length of the square, where brightly attired Sudanese merchants and Egyptian entertainers share their tea and watch the people jostling and shouting in the square below.
  
  The Okala.
  
  > go south
  inside, and more like a wax museum. Over sixty groups in wax represent European rulers and historic Americans. Prominent among the displays is one featuring the beheading of Marie Antoinette, her executioner standing behind her, at the ready, while all around a painting depicts the shouting, gloating mob. She has rested her neck in the guillotine, whose blade is rusted with blood. Other wax groups are to the east, west, and south, while the Midway is to the north.
  
  Guillotine.
  
  > examine marie
  She is kneeling in front of the guillotine, her neck extended and locked in the guillotine, waiting for death.
  
  > Go south
  You wander past other groups of wax figures, but quickly lose interest.
  
  > examine the blade
  The guillotine is a large rectangular device. Stocks at the bottom clamp the victim's head into the proper position. A lever nearby releases the deadly blade hanging from above.
  
  > pull the lever
  You try moving the lever but it won't budge. Considering that this is a tableaux of wax figures, the guillotine probably doesn't have working parts.
  
  > Go west
  You are on the Midway Plaisance. To the east is the Ferris Wheel,
  and past the Wheel, the fairgrounds proper. To the west, the Midway continues past exotic concessions and theaters. To the north is the Captive Balloon Ride, for those who wish to fly in a hot-air balloon without the fear of drifting away, while to the south stands a beautiful Viennese cafe where fairgoers can stop for coffee or a light meal and watch the people go by.
  
  Viennese Cafe.
  
  > go to the north
  A large hot-air balloon has been tethered to the ground here. A
  line of people are waiting eagerly for their chance to board the balloon and float suspended above the Midway.
  
  Captive Balloon Ride.
  
  > Go south
  The Viennese cafe looks delightful. If you would like to eat there, just say so.
  
  > Time
  The time is now 1:16 p.m. on Monday.
  
  > go west
  The Midway ends here, where dozens of turnstiles turn onto the
  street. Crowds of people are entering and leaving, about half a dozen Columbian guards stand near the ticket booths maintaining order. From here, it is a mile walk through the crowded exotics of the Midway before the visitor will at last stand in the White City proper, far to the east. Camps from distant corners of the world are clustered here, at the far end of the Midway. To the north, the warlike Bedouin tribesmen give horse and camel racing demonstrations. To the south stands the Dahomey Village.
  
  Near the fairground exit is a small kiosk where a vendor is selling some snacks.
  
  Looking East, towards Ferris Wheel.
  
  > Go north
  as well as open ground for demonstrations, camel racing, horse racing, and other contests of skill. A cluster of tents stand on one end of this open, grassy area, where the Bedouin live with their families, women and children can be seen inside, preparing meals and otherwise living as they ordinarily would in the desert. The men, for the most part, are performing for the audience, dressed in traditional costume and riding their camels.
  
  Bedouin Camp.
  
  > Go north
  Going any further into the encampment means running the risk of getting trampled by a camel. The Midway is back to the south.
  
  > go south
  The Dahomey Village is a group of low, crude huts. In and around
  them are several families of Dahomeyans, chatting and visiting amongst themselves, while spectators crowd around and comment on their shocking features.
  
  Dahomey Villagers.
  
  > examine Dahomey
  The Dahomey villagers relax in their native dress, and look back at you with disinterest. You recall that they were formerly cannibals, and wonder at what they are thinking when they set eyes upon you.
  
  > examine the spectators
  You scan the crowd for suspicious characters.
  
  > go west
  That way leaves the Fairgrounds altogether.
  
  > go east
  You are on the Midway Plaisance. To the east is the Ferris Wheel,
  and past the Wheel, the fairgrounds proper. To the west, the Midway continues past exotic concessions and theaters. To the north is the Captive Balloon Ride, for those who wish to fly in a hot-air balloon without the fear of drifting away, while to the south stands a beautiful Viennese cafe where fairgoers can stop for coffee or a light meal and watch the people go by.
  
  Viennese Cafe.
  
  > go east
  Midway, by the Ferris Wheel
  You stand in the center of the Midway, before Ferris' gigantic
  Wheel. A long line has formed, in a zigzag pattern, beside the wheel. The line goes up a short flight of stairs to the boarding platform. The Ferris Wheel is absolutely swarming with people. The sheer size of the structure is almost overwhelming. Its great cars are filled with dozens of people each. You can just make out the excited faces of the people in the lower cars, before they disappear into the sky.
  
  To the north you can enter into the winding and narrow Streets of Cairo, while to the south a Moorish Palace invites entry. The midway continues to the east or west.
  
  Moorish palace and Ferris Wheel.
  
  > Up
  The only way you're getting up there is by waiting in line to ride, and the line looks too long to bother.
  
  > go to the north
  You are in the Javanese Village. The village is comprised of over forty separate buildings, each set on blocks of wood and raised a few feet above the ground. The buildings are made of bamboo, with rooftops of bundled grass. The largest of the buildings appears to be a theater, the others each displaying some sort of manufacture or Javanese craft. Near the entrance to the village is a cage.
  Sitting in the cage is the most ornery ourang-outang you have ever seen.
  
  Javanese Village. 
  
  The ourang-outang tries to carefully peel one of the umbrellas in its collection, but soon discards it in frustration.
  
  A well dressed young salesman says something jokingly to his companion, then approaches the ourang-outang cage and pokes the ape with his umbrella. The ourang-outang immediately snatches the umbrella from him and beats him about the face and neck with it. The young man, more subdued now, slinks away, to the general amusement of the Javanese guards.
  
  > look athe ourang-outang
  The ourang-outang is a fantastic looking creature transported here from the Dutch East Indes. He is a short, thick-legged ape with great, long, grasping arms, covered in bright orange fur. He doesn't look particularly happy to be here, at the fair, seeming to be in a mostly irritable disposition. However, as this is in actuality the only ourang-outang you have ever seen, you cannot compare his temperament to the norm.
  
  The ourang-outang shrieks loudly.
  
  > Go south
  As you are leaving the Javanese village, the ourang-outang reaches out and grabs the case dossier right out of your hands. The ourang-outang jumps up and down in pleasure and adds the case dossier to its collection.
  
  The Midway continues to the east and west. The roadway is filled
  with noise and energy of a kind you have never seen. Not even the most metropolitan of cities could ever boast the great mix of peoples, games, and attractions that can be witnessed along this single avenue. To the west, the great Ferris Wheel slowly spins, easily the match of Eiffel's tower.
  
  To the north a rustic bamboo archway leads curious spectators into the Javanese Village.
  
  To the south is the Turkish Village.
  
  Entrance to the Javanese Village.
  
  > Go north
  You are in the Javanese Village. The village is comprised of over forty separate buildings, each set on blocks of wood and raised a few feet above the ground. The buildings are made of bamboo, with rooftops of bundled grass. The largest of the buildings appears to be a theater, the others each displaying some sort of manufacture or Javanese craft. Near the entrance to the village is a cage.
  The cage seems to contain a case dossier.
  Sitting in the cage is the most ornery ourang-outang you have ever seen.
  
  Javanese Village.
  
  > take the dossier
  The ourang-outang playfully grabs your arm and pulls it as hard as it can. Your face presses up against the bars of the cage and your arm is practically wrenched out of its socket. The orange beast bares his teeth at you making a sort of dangerous grin, and howls, making a most unnatural sound.
  
  As a gentleman attempts to leave the Javanese village, the ourang-outang reaches out and steals his hat.
  
  > look at Guards
  You can't decide if the guards are there to protect the guests or to protect the ourang-outang. You suspect the latter.
  
  As a gentleman attempts to leave the Javanese village, the ourang-outang reaches out and steals his hat.
  
  > ask Guards
  What do you want to ask it about?
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a guidebook and a small daily stipend.
  
  > look
  Javanese Village. 
  
  You are in the Javanese Village. The village is comprised of over forty separate buildings, each set on blocks of wood and raised a few feet above the ground. The buildings are made of bamboo, with rooftops of bundled grass. The largest of the buildings appears to be a theater, the others each displaying some sort of manufacture or Javanese craft. Near the entrance to the village is a cage.
  The cage seems to contain a case dossier and a guidebook.
  Sitting in the cage is the most ornery ourang-outang you have ever seen.
  
  > go south
  Luxurious pavilions and bazaars surround you in the elaborately and fancifully designed Turkish Village. In one corner of the village stands a mosque, smaller in size than ones in Turkey but still large enough to hold over a hundred people in prayer. Nearby stands a refreshment pavilion, where a handsome, mustachioed man in a fez serves drinks and fruit to patrons.
  
  Refreshment Pavilion, Turkish Village.
  
  > look at the mosque
  The mosque is the first Mohammedan temple that has been consecrated outside the limits of the Muslim world. It has a gilded dome, some sixty feet high, and a slender minaret rising to the same height.
  
  > enter the mosque
  You remove your shoes and enter the mosque. The floors are covered with woven mats, the walls with rich tapestries. Incense braziers fill the air with a heavy, perfumed scent. You wander around for a moment, then soon make your way back outside, finding nothing suspicious.
  
  > go east
  the world for the next two years, visiting each exotic port of call, you would still not see the variety of cultures and people as are here on the Midway Plaisance, and looking around you now, you can well believe that this may be the truth. The Midway is a hive of activity. Among great crowds of fairgoers are merchants, hawkers, musicians, barkers, and palanquin bearers; some shouting, some singing, some lounging in indifference. The midway continues to the west, toward the Ferris Wheel, or east, where it spills into the exhibition proper.
  
  To the north stands the Libbey Glass Company Pavilion, a solid structure with a domed central roof and corner towers. A gravelly walkway leads into the pavilion, along which delicate glass works are displayed in cases.
  
  To the south is Hagenbeck's Animal Auditorium. In front of the Auditorium is a sign, declaring showtimes to be every hour on the hour. A barker stands in front of the Auditorium, collecting tickets.
  
  Hagenbeck's Animal Auditorium. 
  
  A large crowd of people are slowly making their way into the Auditorium to see the show.
  
  > Go south
  Now isn't the time to take in a show.
  
  The barker shouts, "See Carl Hagenbeck's amazing menagerie of animals!"
  
  > go to the north
  of the Libbey Glass Company, but is also a complete working factory.
  A great melting furnace is in the center of the pavilion. Melting pots sit in the furnace, which contain molten masses of liquid glass.
  
  Libbey Glass Furnace.
  
  > examine pots
  The melting pots contain molten masses of liquid glass.
  
  > look at the glass
  In the glass cases arranged throughout the exhibit are beautiful examples of the Libbey Glass Company works. There are punch jugs of Roman design, delicate decanters of the Venetian type, graceful celery trays, ice tubs, lamps, and more.
  
  > examine the dossier
  It's a packet of papers that pertain to the case at hand. The case dossier is open. In the case dossier you see a crime scene note, a description of Greenback Bob, a description of Delbras, a list of stolen diamonds, and a detailed crime report.
  
  > look at the note
  The note is written in a cribbed, narrow hand. It reads:
  
  Four brothers, rough and ready,
  Three sisters, kind and fair,
  They left their home so eagerly,
  They left to see the Fair!
  
  Young Dennis likes spelunking,
  In darkness feared and great;
  Fair Ida likes to swim,
  And tempt the hands of fate.
  
  Bullish Adam stays outdoors,
  Free and strong and wild;
  Mary studies Egyptian script,
  And writes her name in style.
  
  And entered government,
  Elder Neal rides the rails
  With an artistic temperament.
  
  In the cabin of Uncle Tom,
  And Mother...where is mother?
  She watches over them all.
  
  > Go south
  the world for the next two years, visiting each exotic port of call, you would still not see the variety of cultures and people as are here on the Midway Plaisance, and looking around you now, you can well believe that this may be the truth. The Midway is a hive of activity. Among great crowds of fairgoers are merchants, hawkers, musicians, barkers, and palanquin bearers; some shouting, some singing, some lounging in indifference. The midway continues to the west, toward the Ferris Wheel, or east, where it spills into the exhibition proper.
  
  To the north stands the Libbey Glass Company Pavilion, a solid structure with a domed central roof and corner towers. A gravelly walkway leads into the pavilion, along which delicate glass works are displayed in cases.
  
  To the south is Hagenbeck's Animal Auditorium. In front of the Auditorium is a sign, declaring showtimes to be every hour on the hour. A barker stands in front of the Auditorium, collecting tickets.
  
  Hagenbeck's Animal Auditorium. 
  
  The barker shouts, "No one has domesticated and trained more animals than Hagenbeck!"
  
  > Go east
  You are standing at the entrance to the midway. To the east is the regal, formal fairgrounds. To the west, the wild and exotic midway beckons. The one side is planned and structured, the other haphazard and chaotic. It is hard to say which fairgoers appear to be enjoying more. On the threshold stands the Woman's Building, directly to the east. Roads wrap around it to the northeast and southeast. Another road heads south towards the Horticulture Building. Stairs lead up to an Intramural Railroad platform. To the west is the midway.
  
  Midway, Looking east towards Woman's Building.
  
  > Go east
  This is the grand hall of the Woman's Building. Unlike most of the other grand buildings of the fair, whose insides fairly resemble railway sheds, this building actually appears like a stately home on the inside, with elegantly appointed furniture, draperies, and decorations. The hall extends the width of the building, from the main entrance on the east side to the Midway entrance to the west. A massive marble staircase leads up to the second floor. Smaller halls extend from here to the north and south. High above your head, you can see two large murals. On the north wall is a mural entitled, 'Primitive Woman,' and on the south wall, 'Modern Woman.'
  
  Grand Hall, Looking East.
  
  > examine the Mural
  Which mural do you mean, the Modern Woman mural, or the Primitive Woman mural?
  
  > examine the modern Mural
  Modern Woman, by Mary Cassatt. 
  
  Although the mural is high above your head and somewhat difficult to see, it nevertheless is an interesting composition by the American painter Mary Cassat. A very thick, elaborate border of blue, green, and orange surrounds the three panels of the mural. In the first panel are three women, in pursuit of a flying figure. In the second, women dressed in modern fashion and children are gathered in an orchard, where they pick and eat bright red and gold fruit. In the last panel one woman dances in a flowing skirt, watched by two others. The bright blues, greens, and purples of this composition make it stand out quite dramatically from the other artwork in the building.
  
  > look at the primitive Mural
  Primitive Woman, by Mary MacMonnies. 
  
  This mural addresses the eye in a gentle manner, and is in the classical style. A thin border surrounds the mural, which depicts women draped in simple clothing, against a background of trees.
  
  > Up
  library, a long, narrow room which ends at a great window from which you can see the fairgrounds and the lake. Soft blues predominate in the room, as if the waters of Lake Michigan had somehow flowed into the library and left its very nature. Thousands of books line the walls in dozens of bookcases. In the middle of the room is a display case featuring the works of Harriet Beecher Stowe, a bust of whom sits atop the case. Tables and chairs are scattered throughout the library so patrons can stop to read some of the materials. The grand staircase continues up to the rooftop level of the building, or back down to the grand hall.
  A librarian is here, cataloging the books.
  
  Library.
  
  > examine the bust
  Bust of Harriet Beecher Stowe. 
  
  It's an incredible representation of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
  
  > look at the books
  Which books do you mean, the women's library books, or the special collection books?
  
  > examine the special collection books
  This special collection contains dozens of different editions of Harriet Beecher Stowe's popular Uncle Tom's Cabin. In addition, the collection includes a few of her lesser known essays and novels. You notice one particularly new edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin which seems strangely out of place.
  
  The librarian pauses for a moment to read a few passages from the book she has just picked up.
  
  > examine the new edition
  You can't get a good look at it while its still inside the display case.
  
  The librarian takes another book off the shelf and catalogs it.
  
  > open the display case
  The librarian looks up. "Those books are for display only. No one opens the case or touches the books. Not while I'm here."
  
  > examine the librarian
  Edith Clark, librarian. 
  
  The librarian is a middle-aged woman, plainly dressed, who is clearly involved in her work, which she takes very seriously.
  
  The librarian takes another book off the shelf and catalogs it.
  
  > ask about Stowe
  (the librarian)
  "An amazing woman, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Still alive, but not in good health, you know. Her children donated her books for the special display. The bust was done by Anne Whitney. All in all, I think the women of Connecticut have made a fine display for the most famous woman writer to herald from their state.
  
  > ask about the books
  (the librarian)
  "Ah! Perhaps you want to know what contributions women have made to literature? More than you can imagine, I'll tell you that much."She pauses. Then: "Let me show you something." She walks over to one of the bookcases, and reaches up to the top shelf, pulling out a slim volume, which she promptly drops, accidentally. "Oh, dear," she says, bending down and picking it up. As she does, a small business card-sized paper drops from her pocket and under a bookcase, without her knowledge.
  
  She hands you the book. It's titled, "The Female Quixote," by Charlotte Lennox. "Here is one of my favorites. Please give it back to me before leaving, if you please."
  
  > read the book
  Which book do you mean, the guidebook, or the The Female Quixote?
  
  > read Quixote
  You don't really feel like reading a novel right now.
  
  The librarian reaches into her pocket; and freezes, perplexed.
  
  > look under the bookcase
  You find a business card sized paper, which you take.
  
  The librarian checks her other pockets.
  
  > read the card
  I don't know how to read the claim check.
  
  She's getting quite frantic now, checking her pockets, her purse, the floor, everything.
  
  > examine the claim check
  It looks like a claim check of some sort.
  
  The librarian goes around asking everyone in the library if they have seen a small claim check which she is very desperate to get back. It looks like she is on the verge of tears.
  
  > give the check to the librarian
  You hand the claim check over to the librarian. She almost sobs in relief. As it is, a tear runs down her face. "Oh, Thank you kindly, thank you...I am so happy you have found it." She reaches to take the claim check which you are generously holding out to her, but then she thinks better of it.
  
  "You are so kind," she says, "that I wonder if I could impose upon your good nature and ask you to complete a task which, because I must remain here, I cannot."
  
  You pause, considering your reply, which she somehow takes as an affirmative response. She smiles warmly and says, "Oh, Thank you ever so much for your kindness. That claim check that you have found. Could you go and turn it in for me at the Children's Building? They will exchange it for a package which is most precious to me. Bring it to me here, and I would be most grateful."
  
  > give the book to the librarian
  Which book do you mean, the guidebook, or the The Female Quixote?
  
  > give Quixote to librarian
  "Thank you," she says, taking the book from you.
  
  "I will never finish cataloging the books," the librarian mutters to herself.