The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-08-27


far to port. passed between
Baltimore and Dover and d.
rectly over Philadelphia, where Car
son made a wide circle above the
vast aerial harbor, scanning the berths
for huge silver aeronat of the Con-
dor type, but finding none. 1t was
growing dusk, and the west and north.
west were ramparted with towering
thunder heads, quivering with light.
ming. toward which Carson hurled the
Virginia like bullet. The town stud.
ded suburban region of New Jersey
swept under them as if drawn by
swift mechanism, and the harbor of
New York lay beneath, alive with
shipping. The lights were already
burning, and the far spread Babylon
of the modern world hung like fairy
dream from the foreground to the far
Their rim Of the concave cup of the
earth. Carson was amazed and stun
ned. He had never seen New York,
and his ideas were all inadequate to
the actualities before him. The streets
flashed into sight as the Virginia pass
ed into positions permitting view of
the bottom of one metropolitan canyon
after another. The boy was afraid.
The huge city roaring up at them like
ravening beast struck him with ter
ror.
"Why dost circle about like a sand
hill crane?" said Craighead. "Why
don't you 'light?"
Like the sand hill crane" replied
Carson, "I'm afraid. Where can we
alight?"
"Gad." said Craighead, 81 never
thought Of that! New York has al
ways reached out for me so lovingly
that the idea Of there being any diff
f1culty in getting into her embrace
never entered my brain. We are a lit
tie shy of knowledge of how to get in
from above, aren't veg"
what are the harbor rulesY asked
Carson.
Hanged If I know" replied Craig
head
" 1t was quite dark now, save for the
moon. which, nearly full, was climbing
the eastern sky, still clear. 10 the
northwest lowered the pearly clouds
palpitant with lightning. Craighead
expected Theodore to turn the Virginia
to some far New Jersey village and
was astonished when he entered upon
a swift fight up the Hudson. which
lay shining in the moonlight, laced
with the wakes Of boats. Far ahead.
on both sides. quivered the lightning
of the storm, and from afar came the
rumbling of thunder. Carson seemed
to be seeking night in the heart of
thunderstorm. Craighead seized his
arm and tried to CLEAN something of
his mood from scrutiny of his face.
I'm going to the Catskills." said
Theodore. Before sleep I'm going
to find Shayne's Hold"'
Carson crossed the Hudson in slow
drizzle at Kingston and stood north
west toward heavy dense masses Of
towering clouds screening the high
peaks Of the Catskills-and Shayne's
Hold.
why not hurdle the tempest. cal
tiff?' cried Craighead.
tThose highest towers" replied Car
son. pointing to the thunder heads now
again snowy in the moonlight. "are
thirty, forty, fifty thousand feet high"
well. what do we carey protested
Craighead.
There's an opening yonder in the
RAIN" said Carson. IF it doesn't close
up we may slip through to the back Of
the storm again."
Az if the wings of the advancing
army had extended its lines until they
pulled apart in the center, the rain
opened
"We must go lower" said Carson,
land pass under. The rain is closing
in. but I reckon we can slip through
pretty dry"
The oncoming black arch, lighted to
whiteness when the lightning blazed,
swelled fearfully as they approached,
its rainless gap narrowing momently.
1t was race with the elements. The
penalty if they lost was. to be sure,
nothing more than drenching, but
it was none the less exciting for that.
ne Cu1 ldAuS VI "dtCAS OAu WI doluC
if to let the travellers through, swung
together as they approached.
"Whoop" cried Craighead. "The
Virginia wins!'
As he spokeHthey passed under the
0Qin cloud.
Carson was thinking of Shayne's
Hold and conjecturing as to its where
abouts. If he read his chart correct
~ the lights seen afar to the north
east indicated that they had left the
Kaaterskill behind and We're nearing
Blank Head mountains. though he con-
fessed TO himself that the crags reveal
ed by the lightning might be the Hun
ter peaks or even the submits Of Slide
mountain. All he really knew was
that he was above the Catskills and
that unless be could outmaneuver the
elements they faced an encounter with
rain. wind and great possibilities in