Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-09

@Have We come out for nothing9" cried
Ann. wont anybody f1y?"
"You won't find an amateur who'll give
his elevating rudder twist. Bleriot wouldn't
mind going up; but he's busy teaching"
She looked round for her escort. "Come,
Price. You must take me back where you
found me. People do stare SO when l walk
about alonei"
Punctilious Mrs. Blair bethought herself
of the absent. 3And Mr.. Truscott1" she
queried.
"Still fishing"
"You don't mean at Como?"
ooh, no, right here. He has discovered
something with fins in the Gave de Pau, and
is perfectly happy. Come, Price"
CHE left conversational hiatus which
~ Page was the first to bridge. "She is
right about one thing" he remarked in
tone that implied her complete lunacy in all
others. "This is no weather for amateurs
Almost with his words they saw another
monoplane wheeled from its shelter and a
pilot, wearing a close fitting helmet of
leather, climb to his seat just behind the
wings. The roar of powerful motor
reached them, the propellers became a
whirling disk of gray, and the machine, Gid
ing forward, gained speed, lifted free its
shores and tailpiece, balanced an instant on
its skate as a bird might balance, and then,
with a bird grace, at a bold aspiring angle
sought the heights.
~Some professional, of course" said Mrs.
Blair. as it B,eriot?"
@That's not a Bleriot machine" in
strlcted her husband.
"V1ue Rodoslav!" called a knowing spec
tator, and the aviator's identity was made
clear.
But the cheer of welcome which the crowd
instantly took up suddenly died away. The
newcomer was not to triumph without a
struggle. Buffeted by contrary currents,
swerved from his course, tilted repeatedly at
a perilous angle, Rodoslav fought his way
to the calrner upper air and bore away in
splendid circle down the field.
3Well, III be hanged" calculated Justin.
Superb" exclaimed Page. "He scars
over those chaps below like hawk above a '
henyard.'
mo; it's the dragon fly" said Mrs. Blair,
as the monoplane, still curving, imprinted
its full profile on the glowing west. "It's the
dragon fly we saw at Rheims"
But to Ann-thrilled, not a little proud,
and yet witha1 vaguely fearful there came
unbidden another image. Black against the
blood red sky, Rodoslav evoked a dread
was the vampire!
Chapter XIV.
CHE witnessed that night at the Palais
- oliver play that continually brought
Rodoslav to mind. 1t was characteristic
French comedy, acted with characteristic
French verve, and handling what are COM
monty called French situations with an airy
freedom thatignoranceo of French idioms per-
mitted the decorous Anglo-Saxon audience
to applaud. Ann also happily had her diff
culties with the idioms; but the plot was
lucidity itself. 1t dealt with the fortunes of
royal visitor to Paris, and set forth the
satirica1 thesis that democratic France still
loved Kings and that Kings still loved the
women of France. Its relevance to Rodo-
slav lay in the fact that the visiting monarch
hailed from his special corner of Europe, and
exemplifed rakish set of morals which Ann
was appalled, to realize might not be greatly
different from Rodoslav's own.
Extended as had been their wandering
the tone of the Blair household had remained
fundamentally simple. Their American
friends having been unimpeachably respect
able it did not occur, even to Justin, to
question the moral credentials of the &C
quaintances who came their way abroad.
To Ann social irregularity was merely some
thing abnormal, like drunkenness or crime,