Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-09-20
VIRGINIA
THE AIR
By
HERBERT Quick
CHAPTER XVI.
4 RACE WITH THE ELEMENrA

4 n \
4 RACE WITH THE ELEVENTH..
i WAIST Richmond. they left tn,
] - domed capitol at Washington
/ far to port. passed between
] Baltimore and Dover and d.
rectly over Philadelphia. where Car
son made wide circle above the
vast aerial harbor. scanning the berthi
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 II 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 q view of
the bottom Of one metropolitan canyon
after another. The boy was afraid.
The huge city roaring up at them like
q ravening beast struck him with ter.
ror.
"Why dost circle about like sand
bill crane?" said Craighead. "Why
don't you 'lightT'
Like the sand hill crane." replied
Carson. "I'm afraid. Where can we
alightY
Cad" said Craighead. II never
thought Of that! New York has al
ways reached out for me~s0 lovingly
that the idea Of there being any DIFF
ficulty 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 weT'
what are the harbor rulesY' asked
Carson.
Hanged II I Know replied Craig.
head
It 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 be entered upon
swift flight 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.
''1'm going to the Catskills." said
Theodore. Before I 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.
tifY7' 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 It 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 % they approached.
its rainless gap narrowing momently.
Il was race with the elements. The
penalty II 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
Il to let the travellers through. swung
together as they approached.
"Whoop!" cried Craighead 'The
Virginia wins!''
AS he spoke they passed under the
rain cloud.
Carson was thinking Of shayne's
Hold and conjecturing as to Its where
abouts. II he read his chart correct
y the lights seen afar to the north
east indicated that they had left the
behind and were nearing
Blank Head mountains. though he con-
.essed to himself that the crags reveal
ed by the lightning might be the Hun