Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1910-09-30
Virginia
of the
Air Lanes
A ROMANCE Of
FLYING
:. By.
Herbert Quick
Copyright. 1850. by the Bobbs-
Merri Company

thought Of Tint. New York has al
ways reached out for me so lovingly
that the idea OF there being any diff
fculty In getting into her embrace
never entered my brain. We are lit
tie shy Of knowledge Of how to get in
from above. aren't WEI"
What are the harbor rulesT" asked
Carson
Hanged If l know" replied Craig
head
1t was quite dark now, save for the
moon. which. nearly full, was climbing
the eastern sky. still clear. TO 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 flight up the Hudson. which
Law shining lin the moonlight. laced
with the wakes of boats Far.ahrad,
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 a
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 a 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. cai
tiffr cried Craighead
'ThOse 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 carer protested
Craighead.
There's an opening yonder in the
rain" said Carson. IF 1t doesn't close
up we may slip through to the back of
the storm again."
AS II the wings of the advancing
army had extended its lines until they
pulled apart in the center. the rain
opened.
1--WE must go lower" said Carson
"and pass under. The rain Is closing
in, but | reckon we can slip through
pretty dry"
The oncoming black arch. lighted to
whiteness when the lightning blazed
swelled fearfully as they approached
it's rainless gap narrowing mOmently
1t was a race with the elements. The
penalty If they lost was. to be sure
nothing more than a drenching. but
it was none the less exciting for that
The curtains of water. drawn aside as
If to let the travellers through, swung
together as they approached.
'WhoOpr cried Craighead. 'The
Virginia winsr'
As he spoke they passed under the
rain cloud.
Carson was thinking of Shayne's
Hold and cOnjecturing as to its where
abouts. If he read his chart correct
ly the lights seen afar to the north
east indicated that they had left the
Kaaterskill behind and were nearing
Blank Head mountains. though he con
fessed to himself that the crags reveal
ed by the-iightning might be the Hun
ter peaks or even the SUBMITS OF Slid
mountain. All he really knew Wa
that he was above the Catskills ant
that unless he could Outmnneuver th
elements they faced an encounter witt
rain, wind and great possibilities IN
the way of lightning The dOmes OF
thunderclOud few miles TO their right
seemed almost low enough TO be over
passed, so he set the levers for an
ascent. and the Virginia rose like ali
osprey chased by an eagle.
Pm trying your suggestion" said
Carson. I'm scaling the front of th
shower"
Even Craighead's voice was hushe,i
I'm awe Like the fairy dOmes of SOM
city of oriental fable rose the clOu"
castles. their SUBMITS white in tn
moonlight their folds dark like a
doves wing. Suddenly the lightnini
blazed out in the heart Of the black
base on which the city Of enchantment
was reared, and instantly the whole
vast fabric grew white and palpitant
and terrible, while the blue sky be-
yond and above 1t turned black velvet
by contrast. The lightning ceased.
and there hung the billowy cloud. sib
yer white and drab on @ base Of dark.
ness, as before. The air had grown
chill as with frost. and still the clouds
were far above them The bite Of the
prOpellers on the air seemed TO fail,
for the cloud masses no longer appear
ed to fall as when the aerOnef was ris-
ing.
. I'VE can't make IT," said Carson.
"DOn't tryw exclaimed Craighead.
"It's effrontery" %.
straight toward the bosom Of the
cloud.
Carson sat with his hand on his
levers, pale as If dead: Craigbend
clutched hand rail. his eyes turned
aloft as IL In Invocation. A more re-
mote flash and darkness returned. but
not so densely. The space before them
grew softly light, and In a moment
they swan into the moonlight.
Through an Unreasonable chamber Of.
cloud darted the aeronef into second
smother Of rain and mist and out on
a lower level into the calm space be.
hind the storm. From this region Of
shadow they emerged into the moon
light again and began their search for
signs of human habitation. Finally,
iuSt nc Theodore was at the nOint of