Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-14
DAILY SHORT STORIES
My bones held. and presently was
afoot again after lying long enough 70

afoot again after lying long enough 70
get my breath. There was weakness
I'm my knees. aud my head swan. but
the sense OF responsibility tended To
restore me. for the girl under the
beech tree was my patient, requiring
my immediate attention.
1t may have been the cold rain upon
her face that had revived her. AT any
rate. she had regained sort Of con-
seriousness ana had raised herself upon
one arm. Az I carried her into this
shelter Of the tree she uttered some
incoherent words. but her first intelli-
gible utterance was this. In tone OF
awe stricken surprise. childish and
charming
Did come DOWN."
Wasn't that your intentionY' said
l. "fou can't have meant TO stay
up"
Am I In Stockholm Where are all
the people? oh. it's night. They've
oil gone homo"
With that she began TO cry.
Her mind was not yet clear. and FOR
some minVtes she favored mo with
ODDS and ds Of comment upon multi
tudes OF eople. all OF whom wero
hooking at" her. And they didn't
know'-that was the recurrent phrase
upon her lips. All those people hooked
at her. ana there was something that
they didn't know. I could not make
out what. She seemed to conceal II
Intentionally, rs II It were IA secret.
VI
IN Stockton. which was fifty miles
from Garrison's field, where we two
strangers, so miraculously met. sat un-
der the beech tree In the wild storm.
but Ifarned little else about the mat
tef except that she had sailed the air
alone. This was n relief. for she had
said father" several times, and I had
at arst feared that her father had as
cended with her and had met with
some accident.
There was an anchor I'm the car"
said !. "Why didn't you throw Il
outf"
Il didn't know how" she answered.
and then fainted-oh. don't re-
member how many times-whenever I
looked down"
but why were you 80 frightenedY'
| asked. What went wrongr
couldn't do anything" she said.
Il thought 1 knew something about Il.
and didn't. II all went out of my
head"
Had You had much experiencey
"ExperienceT she repeated.
HAD You been up often beforer'
Il never was up before" she answer
ed, and by the fare OF lightning / saw
the childish terror I'm her big blue
eyes.
In heavens NAME" / cried aghast,
"who let you gof''
They didn't know" said she.
/ was silent, thinking. but the pic
ture OF the balloon dashed TO pieces.
as 1t must have been by that time.
and the wreck OF 1t hanging to a prec-
lpice or drifting down the river some
what overpowcred my reasoning fac
ulties.
You mean" said Mt last, "that the
people In Stockton thought that you
had had experience-that you were Il
Skilled aeronaut. You made them
think so?f
Yes. knew enough for that"
But why did you do such an insane
thingp "Ta
She did not answer.
rs your father baIloonistr' -
Yes"
1T was he that was no have made
the ascentT
Yes" she answered, with evident
reluctunce
IL had seemed TO me that she was
rather shabbily clad. i mean that her
attire as 1 saw It IN the glare OF the
lightning somehow gave me the i'm
preston OF best dress, which had
seen too much service.
You were obliged to have the mon.
ey," said I. "Your father had engaged