The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-02-27
CHAPTER I.

tSsAA pNtsSn ANy hAE SAhO quay q w uAtO
traight-edge against blue. Mistily
trough the. surf haze glimmered
Re tower of Sand Island light save
hen obscured by the smoke-plume
a fruiter standing in past Fort
Iorgan for Mobile. 1t. was early
)renoon. The yellow globe of the
looring- balloon at the fort shone
the sun like dome of some au-
acious new architecture, flung
Ugh into the pulsating air. Two
len, far down the coast toward
'ensacola, caught the far-off splen-
or and noted, In the very act of
oasting off from it, long, cigar
~Aayed aeronat--an immense, elon-
u "a bubble of quicksilver. 1t
Mated seward, round to, stood a
moment end on, vibrating like a
balancing top.
She's boun' TO- N'Yawlins, All
'eckon, sub" "5c..
The speaker was typical Gulf
s fisherman, long-beared, soft of
peech, courteous as diplomat,
Garefooted, weathered in garments
" nd skin. Over his cheeks and nose
yere scattered broad brown blotch-
, which, had it not been for their
ize, might have been called freck-
IS. He rolled cigarette, lighted
{, turned his almost colorless eyes
n his companion, repeating, shes
ho' boun' fo' N'Yawlins."
In the mien of the young man
here was something of kinship to
he elder, as there might be in a
lew England chemist or engineer
;omething that is like his forty
" econd cousin fishing on the New
.oundland Banks. The softness of
speech was modified to a subtle
firmness and a subdued decision.
The slight, tall frame was arrowy
md erect; as If the youth had i'm
Sibed from some winter air a latent
self.esteem expressed in the hint
Of incisivoness which was still soft
md almost caressing. The boy also
lad the areas of notified freckling,
overlaying pink glow. He wore
= blue flannel shirt with a bright
silk cravat; his shoes were secured
yray by the beach sand, and his
well-shapcd hat was powdered with
t: his trousers were of cadet gray
md were striped down the side;
1eemingly they were part of some
obsolete uniform. :, He sat on a
Great square timber half buried In
The sand. and had been studying a
t.I,,< oroop Dort,,or,oco mon Of uar
cast ashore and rolled up before
the breeze, dragging it's yard-long
tentacles. On the beam lay a
steelnsquare. a brace and bit. roll
of blue prints some steel drills and
4 book of logarithms. He had re-
turned to the sea bladder, investi-
eating 1t with the tip of slim oil
can, and had mentally formulated a
parallel between this helpless
thing, beaten about by every
breeze, and the, dirigible balloon
up the coast, when the speech of
the old fisherman made him look
up.
IIis face was small for mans,
his eyes dark, his lip blackened by
a tiny mustache of jet. In the
manner of one who does not feel
obliged to reply to the speech Of a
constant companion, he picked up
a pair of binoculars from a cast-up
crate and studied the distant air.
ship.
MO likely bound for Pensacola,
Captain. he said. "She's coming
this way--a Condor with bow rud-
der. Winter resorters. l reckon y
"Then she don't keer whar she
goes" replied the fisherman. Its
thisaway O. thataway, jist as some
lady says"
81 don't know that 1t matters"
said the younger man, whether
they see us or not; but I reckon
we'lI go under the she'd"
"All raight. Miste' Theodo'," an
swered the captain. "Hyah's doin'
the gohphah act ag'in."
The aeronat. drawing nearer,
swelled like great silver moon.
The men admired her as they walk
ed inshore through soft, trodden
sand, down to a lower level of
yellowed palmettoes, and scaled a
steep dune-slope thicketed with
curious scrub oaks only few feet
high, but hoary with age, their an
cient and stunted limbs contorted
Enthusiastically by the rheumatism of
age. and covered with moss. Be-
yond was deeper hollow. quite
out Of sight of the sea, but lulled
continually by its road. Here was
hidden a cabin of rough boards
with a wide veranda or gallery, on
the columns of which were to be
seen bleached barnacles telling of
the storm.tossed voyage which
had brought them thither. Adult
ting on the cabin by one end was
a spacious shed, without visible
door or window. So thoroughly
was the edifice concealed by the
oak scrub and the low-growing bas-
tard-spruce. that one might have
passed a dozen times within a
81 e's throw of It without seeing
Il, and even from the airships, its
drab roof powdered with blown
sand was well nigh invisible. I'm.
der the gallery was perfect safety
from observation from aloft.
As seen through the glass, the
airship was swelled to impressive
bulk now. Her rudder stood
aslant. q stripe of brown against
the silver foil Of her hilge. On the