Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1910-07-29

sons. Keen for such u sight and armed
with the glass. observed that the wo-
man wore n broad hat Of vivid red. a
scorf of the same color and-a woman
would have told him-a pique gown. =
"They bette moor" said the fisher
man "Thcy's Il norther comm out.
What they dom now. Miste' TheodoT
why" said Carson. studying the
aeronat with the glass and clipping
Off his sentences as the astounding
evolution of the incident far up there
I'm the blue rendered every utterance
obsolete before 1t was finished. why.
they have thrown Off package Of
It's mechanism of some sort-in Op'
GRAFTON. and They're making tow
of II. 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 heicOpter. believe
and the girls alone in 1t. captain.
Alone. | 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 a little speck topped with
n broader. mushroom shaped simmer
which Carson knew for the revolving
blades of a hpicOpter. that insidious
toy that promised so much for the con-
nts Nhnn ftNnlIOh
leased from the pull of gravity. 1t shot
skyward leaving the silver airship far
below. ms fly might speed from
floating bubble. The two spectators
drew their breaths sharply In. their
hearts frozen In fascinated apprehen'
sion.
They saw It rise skyward like
boys dart until they shuddered at the
abyss that yawned between 1t and the
earth: saw 1t struck by the far advanc-
ed Iofticr vanguard Of the north wind
predicted by the fisher captain; saw IT
hurled southwark before the blast like
a feather.
The Condor had a 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.. Shaynes opera
tons in aerostatic power stocks In the
latter part of the first quarter Of the
present century will surmise that the
Roc was the finest product OF the art
Of aviationa 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.
but 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 trip
down the bay In the Roc to witness
the demonstration Of n 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 he 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 II continent.
She felt herself thrown at his head
by her aunt.
$50 you think. Aunt Marie" she had
said. that Mr.. Silberberg is one OF the
great ones of the earthY
"Most certainly" rejoined Mrs.
Shayne He is retaining aud 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"
ship in the sun Of opportunity. Vir'
ginia pondered on her aunt's standard
Of greatness.
where's Uncle Finley!" she asked.
I'VE are getting Il long way south"
Giving the hclicopter a private ex-
animation" replied Silberberg. 1T Is
a happiness to me that he Is. But the
inventor would go wild If he knew the
sort of expert his precious machine Is
alone with"
wild" repeated Virginia. listen
even now"
Above the purr Of the screws came
the angry voice Of the inventor in the
engine room abusing the Rocs second
engineer for some remark derogatory
to helicopters. Already he was quite
wild enough. Virginia thought.
why don't we try his machine|
she asked. Must We go out over the
gulf: Isn't the bay big enough?"
Mr.. Shayne wants to pick up spe-
ciaHst ut the fort" replied Silberberg,
1.-THE man who wrote up the Chinese
war aerostats. He's here on some
teronautical business for the army"
The Roc circled to the west to avoid
the inhibited passage over the bat
teries and stood east along the beach.
Wilmer abandoned his quarrel and
came forward to make the test. He
set the helicopter OH the deck. where
1t stood unsteadily on its slender bam-
boo legs. its painter hanging over the
rail. its top crowned by the screw
wings, slanted little cupboard for the