Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-08-02
Of Flying
| AN|=S !
Copyright. 1909. BY the Bobbs-
Merrill Company

ship was swelled to impressive bulk
now. Her rudder stood aslant. a
stripe Of brown against the silver foil
OF her bilge. On the seaward side ran
the darker lire Of a toy aeroplane-a
matter Of appearance more than use
and slung beneath by gossamer ma
celle, steady as the deck of liner.
hung her roomy car. the engine room
astern. the three great screws half in
visible, like the vibrant wings Of bees.
She veered to the north and stood in
land as II to cross the Little lagoon.
that beautiful salt lake which for ten
miles lies within sound Of the gulf
surf. but separated from 1t by little
wilderness Of dunes. then by majes-
tic swooping movement she threw her
whole vast sweep Of broadside open to
their gaze The captains DINNER eye
now made out the woman and the two
men on her deck. while Theodore Car
sons, keen for such sight and armed
with the glass. observed that the wo-
man wore a. broad hat of vivid red.
scarf of the same color and-a woman
would have told him-a pique gown.
"They bette moor" said the fisher
man. "They's a norther comm out.
What they dom now. Miste' Theodo'"
"Why," said Carson. studying the
aeronat with the glass and clipping
off his sentences as the astounding
evolution Of the incident far up there
in the blue rendered every utterance
obsolete before it was finished. why.
they have thrown on package Of
it's mechanism-of some sort-in op.
Grafton. and They're making a tow
of it. They're reversing and rounding
to. See them drift off. They're ex-
cited and all aback about something.
Heavens. See that thing shoot up!
It's some sort of helicopter. believe
and the girls alone in 1t, captain!
Alone. l say! Why did they She's
lost control-shes lost, It's shooting
over this way and coming down! 1t
Wilt will My God. My God"
The thing parted from the great
aeronat was little speck topped with
broader. mushroom shaped simmer
which Carson knew for the revolving
blades Of helicopter. that insidious
toy that promised SO much for the con-
quest of the air. Then. as though re-.
leased from the pull Of gravity. 1t shot
skyward. leaving the silver airship far
below. as a fly might speed from
floating bubble. The two spectators
drew their breaths. sharply In. their
hearts frozen in fascinated apprehen-
sion
They saw 1t rise skyward like
boys dart until they shuddered at the
abyss that yawned between 1t and the
earth: saw it struck by the far advanc-
ed loftier vanguard of the north wind
predicted by the fisher captain: saw 1t
hurled southward before the blast like
a feather.
The Condor had name. She was
the Roc, owned by Mr.. Finley Shayne.
and her home port was Shayne's Hold.
in the Catskills. Those who are ia
miliar with the scope, power and spec
tacular success Of Mr.. shayne's opera
lions in aerostatic power stocks in the
latter part of the first quarter of the
present century will surmise that the
Roc -%vas the finest product of the art
of aviational construction up to that
time
This fateful morning she had moor
ed in the aerial harbor at Mobile. in
her berth hard by the lift near the
Bienville statue. Mrs. Shayne. ma
tive Mobilian. pleaded indisposition.
hut went out to see some old houses
dear to her youth. Mr.. Shayne and
their guest. Mr.. Max Silberberg. had
insisted upon the presence of Virginia
Suarez. Mrs. Shayne's niece. on a trip
down the bay in the Roc to witness
the demonstration Of new flying ma
chine. and she had yielded. The in
ventor, Wilmer. suspicious, foxy.
middle aged man. proved Objectionable
to Miss Suarez because his thumbs
turned back so far that the sight Of
Them made her feel creepy. and as he
gesticulated freely while denouncing
all devices for aerial navigation except
his his thumbs were much in evidence.
Virginia wished Wilmer at her side.
crooked thumbs and all. for no thumbs
or voice could be so offensive as the
unrelieved presence Of Mr.. Silberberg.
the head Of the Federated Metals con-
Germ, controlling the copper. gold and
silver output Of continent.
She felt herself thrown ut his head
by her aunt.
$50 you think. Aunt Marie" she had
said, "that Mr.. Silberberg is one Of the
great ones Of the earth?"
"NIost certainly" rejoined Mrs.
Shayne 'Ee Is retaining and increas-
ing the enormous wealth and power
he inherited. TO do what he is do
ing takes great man. Your uncle
will tell you So"
Silberberg made the hay Of court
ship in the sun Of opportunity. vtr-
ginia pondered on her aunt's standard
of greatness.
"Where's Uncle Finley?" she asked.
"We are getting long way SOUTH"
"Giving the heIicopter a private ex-
animation" replied Silberberg. ut is
a happiness to me that he is. But the
inventor would 60 wild II he knew the
sort of expert his precious machine is
alone with"
"wildm repeated Virginia. listen