Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-26

don't let the helicopter topple off. 1t
might fan on a fisherman. What are you
doing, Virgiuia9"
The girl had stepped forward as If to
take a seat in the little cany car of the
helicopter.
Let me sit in it," said she. IT want to
imagine how you feel when you get out
into space"
81 wish you would" said Wilmer. cit
will hold her still. It's perfectly safe"
Virginia, laughing at playing paper
weight, entered the car, where she sat
fascinated by the inventors turned back
thumbs as he went over the bearings, the
fabrication, the feed and the ignition, and,
with q word of reinsurance to the girl,
started the tiny engine. Softly, steadily,
the finely adjusted mechanism revolved,
setting the car into tinglng vibrations
which thrilled like electricity.
Which is the clutch lever?" she asked.
This" said the inventor. pointing. I'm
going to the engine room; when 1 come
back I'll show you how it works.
Mr.. Shayne went aft with Wiener. in
animated conversation, leaving Virginia in
the throhhing car The rail had been re-
moved, and a little push would have been
sufficient to shove the girl and the ma
chine overheard into the empty air. The
thrill of the vibration, the sense Of risk.
or the intense gaze OF Silberberg made her
face flush. He had never seen her SO
charming She laid her hand on the clutch
lever.
i could move this lever a little" said
she, "and fly away. / feel as II l should
flyi"
~ shall not let YOU" said he. II shall
bold you!"
'MT. silberberg!'
The rebuke was evoked by his putting
his arm about her One white, jeweled
hand was slipped behind her, the other
laid on her arm the oily perfumed curls
STOPPING until the red lips approached
hers. Perfectly aware of what she was
doing. but quite RECKLESS of consequences
Virginia pushed the lever, threw In the
clutch-and the wings started. The pull
of the vivifled mechanism, drawing him
out to death, made Snberberg's very fin
gers tingle with terror and he let go CIR
and car. and leaped backward, Under the
lift of the wings, the car dragged to the
edge slipped off with a grating sound, and
swung there in midair, the painter dang
ling almost within reach, 300 fathoms in
the air, supported only by the spinning
hefces driven by an engine that one man
only knew how to manage. and he as far
removed from it, potentially, as II he had
been in Mars.
The carmine tint that had stimulated the
aggression OF silberberE faded from Yir.
glnia's lips her mouth set in a white
linsi and her face turned deathly pale
Half rising, she stretched her hand TOWARD
the aerostat. whence there came to heI
ears the cries Of silberberg and her uncle
and the wild profanity OF Wilmer.
Listen 10 me, damn you." he yelled
'listenw
He was trying 20 tell her how TO use thu
levers-but she could not understand, FOL
the wild drumming In her ears. She fell
stified, her hand trembled so that she eoult
not hold 10 anything. no matter how she
tried. At last-it was over In q moment
more by accident than design. she moyeC
something. With appalling velocity tn,
thing shot upward, the aeronat fell away
toward the earth the fishermans hOus'
far beneath was whisked down to tn,
littleness OF a toy. The air struck he
face. blowing downward more and NOR,
chill Overhead the screws hummed i'm
placably the only sound she heard. shi
was In the midst Of the illimitable sllenees
now for the first time broken save fo
the eagles scream or the rustic OF tn
wide wings Of the osprey or the man-o' wa
hawk. Her heart felt sripped In an irol
hard. and throbbed smotherngly. She wa
climbing upward. drifting north toward tn
lagoon. II she could only descend in land