Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-12

DRESENTLY the longing to try this ire
mendous experience herself gripped her
The desire mastered her. 1t was an infatua-
ton, a divine madness. She felt that she could
barter ten years of her life for single flight.
Abruptly she turned on young Buckley.
"You know these men, the aviators?" she
asked eagerly.
"Most of them"
"Have they ever asked you to rider"
"No, he admitted, with reluctance. @You
see, they're not precisely friends of NINE"
@But they can carry passengers, of
course?"
ooh, yes. You'll see them do that yet.
There is passenger prize, you know. Far
man often takes another man with him, some
times two"
She futtered the leaves of her program an
instant. "But he uses biplane," she said.
Cant the other sort, the ones that really
look like birds, carry more than one?'
"Indeed they can. Bleriot has carried
two, and so has Latham. Why, Latham
took Fournier and Santos-Dumont for spin
when he was still greenhorn!"
Ann nodded her satisfaction. II prefer
the monoplane," she said.
Justin Blair chuckled. 3You talk as if
you intended to fly" he commented.
IL do"
aMy dear!" exclaimed her aunt. 3What
has come over your"
A tempest of applause forestalled an an
swer. Round the nearest pylon swept three
aeroplanes at once; Farman and Sommer
flying low, Latham, as always, soaring aloft.
Ann held her breath as they passed, watched
them to the turn, and then, as if she had
taken decision, again faced Price Buckley.
@Would they do something for you, these
man IN he n,,ariad
The diplomat became guarded. @Do
something?" he repeated. Il don't know,
Miss Milburn. AS l told you, they are
merely acquaintance. If you mean you
would like to meet one or two of them and
ask questions"
II want to be taken up she interrupted.
II want to fly"
@My dear!7 protested her aunt again.
"How preposterous!"
"Why is it preposterous, Aunt Helen!
I've golfed, swan, motored, tobogganed,
skeed-why shouldn't fly if can get the
chance? Everybody will fly in few years.
l want to be among the first
@But you re woman" said Justin.
@What of it? Wouldn't you be proud to
be the uncle of the only woman who flew at
Rheims?"
Buckley recovered his form. @You are not
the only woman who has wanted to fly at
Rheims, he said, and told them of the popu-
lar actress who all the week had importuned
the flying men to take her up. @But they
wouldn't" he ended, "and if she failed"
He spread his hands in eloquent inference.
Miss Milburn put him Jelly in his place.
whether she failed or not is nothing to me,
she retorted. Il am not looking for an adj
vertisement."
"But didn't for minute suggest"
Moreover, l shouldn't have you carry
away the idea that was begging you to in
tercede for me, Mr.. Buckley. You con-
veyed the impression that you knew these
men Intimately"
"My dear Miss Milburn-"
Intimately, and l had thought that per-
haps a private flight after dusk, say
might be arranged. But, since you don't
really know them at all, it would naturally
be an impertinence on your part to ask it.
I hope I've made myself clear?"
The unhappy diplomat turned in despera-
ton to the elder woman. "What have l
done, Mrs. Blair?" he appealed.
Justin burst out laughing. "Upon my
word Buckley" he said, @you are mere in
FAINT in their hands. "You diplomat, and
not know that a woman can box your ears
and then prove that you're brute! I'm
ashamed of your ignorance"
Buckley smiled wanly and fastened to
-1f