Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-09-08
HENRYKITCHELL WEBSTER

The breeze was straight behind them
and just about strong enough to COM
pensate for the speed Of the vessel,
and the air on deck was quite still.
With the boys puzzled assistance
Philip spread his wings for the first
time since that night when he had
dived off the cliff to go In pursuit
of Roscoe. The recollection was all
most painfully vivid, and. as he looked
into Jeanne's face, he saw the same
memory mirrored there.
But young Caldwell soon brought
them back to the present. He was no
longer embarrassed. shy, deferential.
| Aerial navigation was, apparently, q
subject he knew all about He ortiz
cized the shape OF the planes, the ma
terial they were made Of, the curve OF
this, the dip of that-all in the tone Of
an expert-and by the way Of summing
up he said:
IT'S rather pitifuI. isn't Il? In q way
any primitive thing always affects me
like old locomotives they have In
museums. Somebody, probably, be-
lieved once that that would ny. hope
he didn't believe 1t seriously enough to
give It q real trial"
You don't think It would work,
them" asked Philip.
The young man laughed. Dear mo,
no." he said. "It couldn't work"
"At any rate" said Philip, ITS an
amusing curiosity"
"Oh, yes; indeed, yes." the young
man assented cordially. 'T wish It
were mine. Only I wouldn't try to
fly with it."
His duties called him away then,
rather suddenly. and Philip was left to
furl his wings alone. From the process
he looked up into Jeanne's face
why Jeanne"' Her eyes were
bright, bright with unshed tears, and
there was little flush Of bright color
in her cheeks.
"Oh, ! know" she said, with an un-
steady laugh, ITS absurd to be indig-
nant, but 1 wished-oh, how I wished
when he was so patronizing and so
sure, that you might have slipped your
arms into their places and gone curv.
ing, circling up, all gold and cleaning.
into the air. I knew you wouldn't, but
I hoped you would"
Jeanne, dear" he said, you'll re-
member that always-my flight.
mean, but sometimes you'll get to
wondering IL 1t isn't the memory Of
dream, and then you'll go and find
these old wings in an attic somewhere,
and stroke them with your hands, the
way you did that night when I furled
them first upon the ice-fioe beside
you"
She looked at him quickly. wide-
eyed
What do you mean, Philip? Not
that-not that I'm never to see you fly
again?"
He nodded
Somehow. up there with all tho
world below me, 1t never seemed real.
Even you never seemed real. who were
the only real thing In all the world.
The earth was only a spinning bali.
and there were no such things as men.
1 wasn't a man myself up there. not
even-even after you had brought me
back to life and given me a soul again.
Somehow, to be O man one has to wear
the shackles Of mankind I can't ex-
plain it better than that. but I know
it's true"
For long time she searched his
face in silence.
"You used to seem a spirit rather
than a man, to me-" she said. when
would lie watching you soaring there
above me, and now-now it's I who
brought you down"
"Do you remember how I told you
once that man like YOUR father was
worth a whole Paradise of angels?
Well. I want to be a man. Jeanne, as
near as possible such man as he was
and I want to walk beside you. al
ways"
A shift of wind from astern over
took them and the great ensign fiapped
forward. screening them for moment
where they stood. from the view or tho
rest of the deck With sudden pas
zion of understanding she clnsped him
close and kissed him.
(The end.) -