New-York tribune., 1911-04-02


A Nm remembered now; but now 1t was
n she who felt ashamed She had not
cared flo that Nav day on the Chesapeake
for the guls and their habits one na't f,od D.
oblivious of everything save hcr new iou',,'
mower TO bcguile 1t had intoxicated iier 10
discover that she could make the nall'lso'no
Young Lieutenant of Engineers foiio" eyer!
turn of her head, every hit OF her iaShcS,
every glance of her eyes, and through sheer
oy in the knowledge, sheer coquetry' oL nee,i,
less as birds, she had posed and preencu
and chattered of she knew not what 10 pro-
long the absorbing play. e.,
@You bring it all back, she SAID m i re-
member. and tit humblcs me. nose
were idle questions of mine. / could llo'
dream that they would reach beyond the
moment. | never looked beyond the mo
mcnt then. feel that ought to ask your
pardon. a,. -
"NIv pardon!" he exclaimed. st is my
gratitude you should ask. Don t you APP
prcciatc what you did for me- 1t was DC
cause had no answer for one OF your qucS-
tions that set to work to find it. My study
of flight dates from that hour.
Ann drew a long breath. ut makes me
afraid of lifc," she said. Suppose sup
pose that. instead of good | had done you
harm?"
81 can't suppose that.
But there must have been times when
YOU doubted''
"Not one. 1t has been long pull but
the game has always seemed worth the
candle even though the candle has some
times come high. You see, | hadn't much
to live on after threw up the service.
Did YOU need to leave the service!'
"Yes. | had to give up that or my ex-
pcrimcnts. couldn't manage both.
And YOU did not heStatc!'
40. | knew | was on the right track
had followed up all the theories from Leo
narco da Vincis down. knew what Lllien-
thai and Chanute and Langley had done,
and could see Just where and why they fell
short. | did not know what the Wrights were
about. There were rumorS; but nothing dcil-
Mite | went to the same sources that they
did: but | got my results by myself. II |
had had more money for experiment, might
have been first; but | did not have suitl-
ccnt funds myself, and people weren't sink
ing money in that kind Of investment then.
Il was the motor, always the motor, that
swallowed my savings But hard luck sto-
rics aren't interesting" he broke off.
"Your story is" she assured him quickly.
81 should like to hear it all. How did you
contrivc to livc?"
Page laughed, but without bitterness
Mainly on hog and hominy, he said. with
pruncS for holidays.
"ScriouSly:'
Yes. seriously. saw that my ncighbors
could live on such fare, and adopted II.
"Your ncighborS. Where were you'
an the foothills of the Cumberland Noun
tainS. | was living" he laughed again, ION
my ancestral acres. Poor father, He hadn t
ANYTHING else to leave me. He was Just
about as much of business man as the
average soldier This farm was one OF his
speculations. He was sure II would yield
coal or oil. | wonder what he'd have said
to see il hatch an aeroplanc? But it wasn't
a bad place to experiment Nobody both
cred me. The people roundabout were ilit-
crate poor whites. who took me for harm
less crank.
"How could YOU see it through she cried.
DAGE stared into the past for silent
L moment and then waved II away. 1T
wasn't precisely Como: but it served. 1t
was there | got TO the root Of things. |
found out what | could do.