, 1911-02-16

NhC W pullQ Nuy n0D6 OBJ
thc incident.
Vt last she let the glass fall from
her iistless hand and turned to them
her face haggard with the torture of
impossible hope. 81 wish nv sky-
man would come"-she said forlornly.
come whirling down out Of the air.
with news of them"
Your sky-man?" said Tom Fanshav
questioningly.
Here was something to talk about
at last, and the old gentleman seized
the chance II afforded.
Yes. we've another mystery" he
said. See what you can do toward
solving it," With that for an introduo-
tion, he plunged into a humorous ae-
count of Jeanne's report of her ad-
venture Of the night before, of the man
who a dropped down from the sky. in
the middle Of the night, and talked to
her awhile, and then flown away again,
she was really out ON the Toe fioe,"
he said; so much I ooncsde; but
when | assure her that she dreamed
the rest, she is skeptical about nv AZ.
PLANTATION"
But v 9 you can't EXPLAIN she
protested, how I could dream about
an Eskimo throwing-stick, and then
bring 1t back to the yacht with me
when | was wide-awake, and show It
to o at the breakfast table this
morning"
IN have to admit" said the old
gentleman. that my explanation
doesn't adequately o for that
The expression Of the
mans face was perplsIed rather than
incredulous.
But. my boy" cried the elder man,
think OF Ill He comes down u of
the sky and says he Just dropped in
from Point Barrow; and that's 700
miles away. That's Just as impossible
as 1t would be to ma~tsrialize an Eski-
mo throwing-stick out of a dream.
very bit"
No, hardly that" said Tom judici-
ally. What was his aeroplane like?
What was 1t made Off Did you notice
1T particularly"
Yes" she said: Il helped him fold
1t up. 1t was made Of bladders and
bamboo and caesuk he said"
And his motor?" cried Tom What
was his motor like?"
There was no motor at ALL" she
said; Just wings"
There you see. Tom" interrupted
his father, absolute moonshine."
But still the younger man shook a
doubtful head. No" he said, The
things not impossible-not inconceiv-
able, at least. The big birds can fly
that far, and think nothing of it,"
The old man snorted: They're
built that way. Think of the immense
strength of their wing muscles"
Not SO enormous" said The young
er man. Il dissected the wing Of an
albatross once to see. It's not by
main strength they keep aioat in the
air; it's by catching the trick Of it."
That's what he said" the girl cried
eagerly. He told me he could fly
across the north pole, from Dawson
City to st. Petersburg, and when |
asked him If he could keep flying, ny
ing all the time like that, he said the
biggest birds didn't fly; they sailed.
LIZ Lt Sdiu ne sdlltu, LOO, anu Iud
force of gravity was his keel"
Her story was making its impress
sion on the younger man, at least,
ven If his father was as impsrvious
to it as he still seemed.
Well, II you dreamed that" said
Ton. 1T was a mighty intelligent
dream, I'll say hat for IT."
But 1t wasn't a dream at ALL" she
cried. Didn't / help him take the
thing apart and fold 1t up into a bun-
die? And didn't he say that he was
a tax payer, and that his name was
Philip Cayley?"
She was addressing the elder man
as she spoke. and 8 she mentioned
the name-it was the first time she
had mentioned 1t to any one-she
saw him shoot q startled, inquiring
glance at his son. Following 1t, she
met Tom Fanshaw's eyes staring at
her In utter amazement.
"Cayley," he said, half under his
breath; Philip Cayley-"
That was the name" she an
swered-
And YET, I'd be willing to swear"
he said, I've never mentioned that
name to you in my life"
NO" she said. Why should your
l know you didn't. l knew l had never
heard 1t before when he told me 1t
vas his" She hesitated a moment;
then: Did you ever know q man
named Philip Cayley. Tom9"
He let the question go by. UNDECIDED.
and. for a long time, gazed silently
out over the land. II suppose" he
said at last. that q coincidence like
this, any coincidence. II only 1t be
strange enough. will bring q touch Of
supersitous fear to anybody. I never
had ever a touch Of II before, In all
my life; and l always had q little feel
ing Of contempt for the men who
showed 1t. But now-wsll. well. I
wish poor old Hunter hadn't strayed
away last night. wasn't alarmed
about him before. and I've no rational