New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-08-24
Virginia
of the
Air Lanes
A ROMANCE OF
FLYING
-. By -.
Herbert Quick
Copyright, 1909. by the Bobbs-
Merrill Company

"We can overhaul the Term" said
Craighead, with judicial air, Eat, say,
Jackson and take on our friends for
Alaska. I do hope the president can
join US at Omaha. Gentlemen" ad-
dressing the crowd. there you see a
new aeronef invented by me. By
reaching Alaska before nightfall we
win a million dollars. This is a sure
thing, as the sun will not set there for
three months. The bet is with Bra
ing quarterly at Nome. But we shall
be honorable and pay him the million
on the nail if we fail to make it before
sunset in Rio, the real locus. Tomor-
row we shall win five hundred thou
sand from Rothschild by leaving
Greenwich observatory at sunrise 60
ing west and returning at sunrise next
day from the east, circling the world
in twentyfour hours Of continued sun
rise. Wish us we'll, gentlemen! Good
by, honest peasantry, your country's
pride, goodbye
The majestic rise of the Virginia,
with no preliminary run, drew round
of applause. Craighead waved his
cap, but Carson, paying no attention,
laid the Virginia dead for New York.
They flew high, and the constant pick
ing up and dropping Of railway trains
and steamers and the swift succession
Of villages and towns spoke Of the
f1erceness with which the Virginia was
hurled against the leagues between
Mobile and New York. They left
Montgomery to port and Atlanta to
starboard. Carson had assigned him.
self and Craighead their duties, and
both were busy, Craighead at the TILL
er, with his eye on the compass, Car
son looking at every working part, oil
ing, feeling for hot bearings, watching
for the slightest culver or jar, greedy
of every mile. Finally they we're
speeding along over the great national
Appalachian forest when he relieved
Craighead.
In the little locker were found the
elements from which Craighead pre-
pared the luncheon Of bacon, eggs and
coffee, cooked on the methanose stove
"We shall get into the upper Allan
tic regions" said Carson, "just in time
to hit the area Of local storms to-
night"
He looked from the tiller to the CON-
pass and hesitated about leaving it to
eat. He had never tried letting the
Virginia follow her nose with the tiller
dashed.
"Of course" said he, shell fall Off
But if she turns I can put her back
on her course. believe I'll try her."
Whereupon Craighead recited a
poem:
II go away this blessed day
To sail across the state, Matilda.
My airship starts for various parts
At twenty after eight, Matilda.
do not know where we may go
Or whether near or far, Matilda,
For Captain Carson don't make parson
OF any foremost tar, Matilda.
That mystic man beneath my ban
Shall suffer. coute quill coute, Matilda.
What right has he to keep from me
The airy, scary route, Matilda?
Although, in sooth, l am a youth
OF common sailor lot, Matilda.
Am l a man on human plan
Devised, or am l not, Matilda?
sand echo, if there were any place
to echo from, would answer, Not Ma
tilday Have some of the milk while
the Virginia chases her tail above Mr..
Pinchot's forest"
"She doesn't chase her tail much,'
replied Carson, $50 far, at least.'
She did not. The horoscopes held
her on an even keel, and the altimeter
statoscope delivered the verdict that
the Virginia was following course as
level as battleship's. Carson ate,
watched the triumphant test and for
got to frown, and he little knew to-
ward what danger he was hurting him.
self.
Peak after peak, village after village
and occasionally big smokeless town
about the national power plants Of the
Leighton reservoirs came hurrying to-
ward them, passed beneath like vi
sions and fell behind.
''See that big stratus cloud?" asked
Carson. "Shall we go over or under
it?"
Personally" replied Craighead, eve
been under a cloud long enough"
The stratus was an immense yapor
sheet half a mile above the earth. IN
derneath were the gloom and dullness
Of cloudy weather, but above it the
sun shone with brightness augment
ed by the brilliancy reflected from the
upper surface Of the cloud as from a
great glittering plain of snow. The
sun was past the meridian and shining
warm, but on the wing over that
great expanse of pearl the air felt, not
cold, but caller" and they put on
their topcoats. The shadow of the
Virginia ran with her across the cloud
like black bat haloed in the I'M
speakable glory Of triple rainbow
] which ringed the scudding shadow
about in concentric circles, so bright,
so ref11lpent in dive. so glorious in their