The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-07-22
A New Method OF
Rescue
By ROCKFORD KING
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association

teTest Id aelOplaneS. why ! Contin-
ualiy practiced at driving them. why
/ studied different makes. Then. when
l had taken 4 flight into diStanr
land. no one knew where. and after
my return all my interest in air uavi-
cation had vanished. they wondered
still more.
l have been great traveller though
| am not yet thirty years old. Some
years ago while in Russia 1 made the
acquaintance. followed by the friend
ship. of a member of the American en-
bassy OF ST Petersburg In this way
| saw something of court life there
One night at function at the Winter
palace l was introduced TO the dau-h-
ter of a general In the Russian service
Not for an earldom would give her
name. SO | shall call her Sophia. In
my travels ! have picked up u number
of foreign languages. Russian | speak
toierably. and Sophia spoke some Eng
lish There usually comes in a mans
life. If II comes when he Is young.
some woman W 30 apreHiS TO him as no
other woman has ever appealed To him.
From the Clolnent | met Sophia
knew that one had risen up In tiny path
whom | must possess, else the vitality
had passed out OF my life.
went to my hotel after my first
meeting with her to lie awake half
the night with the comfort one feels
in having found Il mate. and the other
half dreamed of her. From that
time for several months | was with
her as often as Russian etiquette
allows. l danced with her. | Skated
with her. met her at the opera and
unmistakable signs that in me she had
found what l had found in her. But
when ! came to tell her my story her
whole manner changed
"No. no. no." she moancd. II have
permitted myself to sink into dream
You have awakened me. l have done
very wrong Go away from me. For
get me-"
What there was between her ard ne
that led her to talk thus could not
induce her to tell. left Russia and
tried to forget her. | continued my
travels. but the interest for me had
gone out of the curiOsities OF travel.
The pyramids. the Coliseum. the
works of art that had before fascinat-
ed me, were now unable to move me.
One day took up newspaper and
saw by telegraph from Russia that Il
conspiracy against the life of the car
had been discovered and that the
daughter of prominent general had
been implicated. Something told me
that she was Sophia. returned to
st. Petersburg to learn that my antici-
patton was correct. The girl | loved
had already been sent to Siberia. Now
l understood her action toward me
l felt that a great work had sprung
up before me-the work of liberatinG
Sophia. A famous traveller was in st.
Petersburg at the time and was about
to start. with the permission OF the
Russian government. to write UP the
condition of Siberian eXiles. Site
ceeded in inducing him to appoint me
his secretary. or amanuenSiS. In this
way | would be able to locate the girl
! had made up my mind to free, On
arriving in the prison region l learned
that Sophia father had been enabled
to secure for her simply exile. not i'm
prisonment She was living in a hut
close by Il prison. Escape for her was
as impossible as if she had been with
in stone walls. But her position was
encOura cement for me. whose nft
work was to take her out of Siberia.
saw her. talked with her and told
her that during the same month eau
gust, the following year to expect me
with means by which to give her her
freedom.
That autumn and winter WAS
known to be one of the principal devo-
tees to the navigation Of the mir.
tried every kind of aeroplane that had
been invented. l made long flights
both by day and by nishr. | flew to
the Land of the Midnight Sun in the
dead Of winter. that l might become
used to flying in the cold. | tried for
no prizes. entered no contests. work
ed with one purpose in view. That
was to make Il flight to Russia. swuop
down by the hut in which lived my
love and bear her away to freedom.
l pass over the details of study by
which | found Il machine especially
adapted for my purpose. transport
ed 1t by sea to Sweden From there
to my destination WAS not far but
must make the journey ut one tligh,
with one supply of fuel. One inornin.
l rose to Il height of 500 feet and
drove my machine eastward. pur
pOsely kept at Il considerable height
till | stood directly over the Sophyar
hut that | might attract the least pos
sible attention. From where was
poised was Il slanting course down tC
the hut | hoped that she might be
outside. but she WAS not. descended
| to her door. All was Sileut | was
about to leave the machine to enter
the hut when saw her face at III,
window. and In another moment sht
| was sitting beside me on the machine
l had provided for starting by fitting
WY machine with apparatus especially
adapted 10 the purpose. and. though
keepers were by this time running
| toward us from every direction. we
rose above them and the shots they
sent up in time to save ourselves.
After ride high In the air we came
down in Sweden. nearly frozen. From
| there we Travelled southwark. not stop
| bing till We reached MarsaiIle>. whcr.
he took Al steamer.
We are now both i'm America nd ar.