Middletown transcript., 1905-08-19


interest in flyers would hasten the acqua
intance he already desired, he would have
told the truth but as it was, he replied
"Kites have given me a vast deal OIL
pleasure, Miss Finn. There is incalcul
able promise in them never so much, il
seems to me, as there is this morning"
81 am pleased to hear you say so,' she
went on, with alluring candor, tand am
as much pleased that you came as father
seems to be-
"1hen you are also deeply interested in
kites ~ he said.
II am nothing of the sort, and do not
wish anyone to think | am for mo-
ment," she answered, with sprightIy
laugh. 81 am SO tired Of kite, kite, kite,
morning, noon and evening, that often
wish robust typhoon or other capable
breeze would blow them all into-well,
wherever the hurricane or tornado might
be going, and take father'a interest along
with them. You don't understand, do
your"
No, Miss Finn, confess do not"
VERY well, then, | will try to explain.
| know it is rather difficult to make you
scientific men understand ordinary at
fairs, so will try hard to make you see
that it is just because l am not interested
in kites that | am SO glad you came. To
start with, | pity father very much be-
| cause he has no one to talk to who is as
much interested in the subject as he is.
have often thought that, for his sake, |
would pretend to be interested, but / SO
healthy dislike pretenses Of all sorts that
if | should put myself to the nervous
strain and punish my sense of right by
making pretense, it would be OF some
thing very great deal more important
than kites. You have made very great
many Of them, suppose, Mr.. Starlamb."
"Well, now" Whitney answered, with
some bewilderment, 81 can't boast that /
have made very great many"
"But | do hope, for fathers sake that
you are especially Interested in their
scientific possibilities
ooh, yes, that is just what I am" he
answered, seeing that if he wished, as he
certainly did, to pursue an acquaintance
with this young woman who appeared so
well worth it, but who SO heartily dis
liked pretenses, be would have to act his
role to the best of bis ability. II am far
better at that than the mechanical part"
Il cannot tell you how that pleases me,
but | will try to make you see why"
Elizabeth went on. "My cousin, Dorothy
Finn, lives with US, and she is enough in
terested in kites to give father a certain |
amount Of pleasure and companionship, |
but she is not one bit scientific-women |
seldom are, as YOU may or may not have |
observed-so that if you are interested |
principally in the science OF kite-fying
you will be Of great assistance to father,
if"
At that moment lively hail came to |
them, and, impatiently expecting to see
Christopher, Whitney turned but he saw
instead young man Of attractive appear
ance hurrying toward them across the
lawn. When he arrived, Elizabeth intro
duced him as Alton Latshaw /; but she did
not explain who or what he was, Whit
ney inferred that he was to consider the
omission as notice to him that Latshaw
had an interest in herself that had en-
joyed privileged growth.
Mr.. Starlamb and father we're dis
cussing kites when they were interrupted
by cal" she explained, with haste
that confirmed Whitney's inference II
am doing my best, but my experience with
men like father is that they think there
is no satifactory substitute for kite"
"Ah, you fly kites, do you ~ Latshaw
asked with an admirable balance of .po-
Likeness and contempt.
There is an exhilaration in the tug Of
kite on the cord that is indescribable.
Whitney declared, with spirit that lie
thought that a kiteman would show.
THE pull Of a bass on split bamboo is
nothing to it."
Just then door opened near them and
young woman, prettier in some respects
IMAM Elizabeth, came out. In one hand
she held tiny glue-pot, an airy kite-eell
made OF pine sticks and white cheese
cloth. Elizabeth introduced her as her
cousin Dorothy, explaining that Mr. Star
lamb was strenuous kiteman whom her
father had accidently met on the street
that morning.
y am certainly pleased to see you
here" Dorothy Finn said. "You will be
godsend to Uncle Christopher. He has
run against serious difficulty in the con-
struction Of his new kite, and If you could
suggest solution Of it, you would help
him very much"
Whitney was replying that he would
De glad to do his best, when Christopher
hurried from the house and conducted
him and Dorothy to the second floor Of
the workshop, where a monster kite of
white cloth and pine frame, Of cell upon
cell, and wide-spreading wings lay unfin-
ished
Il mean to test the power Of kite to
fly at an angle against the wind" Chris
TOPPER explained, land want to put
rudder-tail to this one, but do not vet
see how to do it 50 that it can be manipu-
lated by second cord from the ground. |
| hope very much Mr. Starlamb. that
you can give me some valuable sugges-
tions."
The Old kiteman eagerly scanned. Whit
ney's face as if he hoped that his guest
would be struck by an instant inspiration,
while near by Dorothy gave him scrut-
my that made the moment critical for his
future acquaintance with Elizabeth. But
Whitney had never done anything more
scientific or mechanical than spinning a
top, and he had done that unskillfullv. 20
that ne felt very much like a badly
equipped flying muachine trying to beat