Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-15

tiously. From it he was able to watch
the wonderful spectacle of the first air
fleet flying through the night. They
flew in wedge shaped formation. the
Naterland highest and leading, the
trail receding into the corners of the
sky. They flew in long, regular un-
dulations, great dark, tiShlike shapes,
showing hardly any light at all, the
engines making a throb, throb, throb-
bing sound that was very audible out
on the gallery. They were going at a
level of five or six thousand feet and
rising steadily.
"Jolly it must be to invent things"
said the lieutenant. How did you
come to think of your machine tirst?"
Worked it out" said Bert after
pause Jest ground away at it."
"Our people are frightfully keen on
you. They thought the British had got
you. Weren't the British keen?"
"In Il way" said Bert. Still, it's
long story"
Il think it's an immense thing-to
invent | couldn't invent thing to
save my life"
They both fell silent, watching the
darkened world and following their
thoughts until a bugle summoned
them to q belated dinner.
And so presently Bert found himself
sitting to eat in the presence of the
German Alexander that great and
puissant prince, Prince Karl Albert.
the war lord, the hero of two hemi-
spheres He was a handsome blond
man, with deep set eyes, snub nose,
upturned mustache and long white
hands, strange looking man. He sat
higher than the others under black
eagle with widespread wings and the
German imperial flags. He was, as it
were enthroned, and it struck Bert
greatly that as he ate he did not look
at people, but over their heads. like
one who sees visions. Twenty officers
of various ranks stood about the table
and Bert They all seemed extreme
ly curious TO see the famous Butter
idge. and their astonishment at his
appearance was i'll controlled. The
prince gave him n dignified salutation,
to which by an inspiration he bowed.
Standing next the prince was brown
faced, wrinkled man with silver spec
tacles and fluffy. dingy gray side
whiskers, who regarded Bert with Il
peculiar and disconcerting attention.
The company sat after ceremonies
Bert could not understand. At the
other end of the table was the bird
faced officer Bert had dispossessed
still looking hostile and whispering
about Bert to his neighbor Two sol!
diers waited. The dinner was plain
one-a soup. some fresh mutton and
cheese-and there was very little talk.
No smoking was permitted. but some
of the officers went down to the little
open gallery to chew tobacco No
lights whatever were safe amid that
bundle of infammable things. Bert
suddenly fell yawning and shivering,
He was overwhelmed by sense of
his own insigniticance amidst these
great rushing monsters of the air. He
felt life was too big for him-too much
for him altogether.
He said something to Kurt about his
head, went up the steep ladder from
the swaying little gallery into the air
ship again and so, as if it were Il
refuge, to bed.
Bert slept for time. and then his
sleep was broken by dreams. Mostly
he was fleeing from formless terrors
down an interminable passage in an
airship--a passage paved at first with
ravenous trapdoors and then with
openwork canvas of the most careless
description.
"Gaww said Bert, turning over after
his seventh fall through infinite space
that night.
| He sat up in the darkness and
nursed his knees. The progress Of the
airship was not nearly so smooth as a
balloon. He could feel a regular
swaying up, up, up, and then down.
down. down, and the throbbing and
tremulous quiver of the engines.
His mind began to TEEN with mem
ories-more memories and more.
Through them, like struggling
swimmer in broken water, came the
perplexing question. What am to dc
tomorrow? Tomorrow, Kurt had told
him, the princes secretary, the Graf
Won Winterfeld, would come to him
and discuss his flying machine and
then he would see the prince. He
would have to stick 1t out now that
he was Butteridge and sell his inven
ton. And then If they found him out
He had vision of infuriated Butter
idges. Suppose after all he owned up
pretended it was their misunderstood
ing He began to scheme devices for
selling the secret and circumventine
Butteridge.
| To be eontinusd.1