Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

tions about them. You seemed SO absorbed
in watching them, so eager to learn their
ways! l told you all | knew, and was
ashamed that 1 knew no more"
A Nm remembered now; but now it was
\ she who felt ashamed. She had not
cared fig that May day on the Chesapeake
for the grlls and their habits. She had been
oblivious of everything save her new found
power to beg,1ile. 1t had intoxicated her to
discover that she could make the handsome
young Lieutenant of Engineers follow every
turn of her head, every lift of her lashes,
every glance of her eyes, and through sheer
JOY in the knowledge, sheer coquetry, heed
less as birds, she had posed and preened
and chartered of she knew not what to pro-
long the absorbing play.
"You bring it all back" she said. u re-
member, and tit hurnbles me. Those
were idle questions of mine. | could not
dream that they would reach beyond the
moment. l never looked beyond the mo-
ment then. l feel that l ought to ask your
pardon
@My pardon!" he exclaimed. at is my
gratitude you should ask. Don't you ap-
preciate what you did for me? 1t was be-
cause l had no answer for one of your ques-
of flight dates from that hour"
Ann drew long breath. at makes me
afraid of life she said. Suppose sup
pose that, instead of good, | had done you
harm?"
Il can't suppose that"
"But there must have been times when
you doubted?n
"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, l hadn't much
to live on after l threw up the service"
"Did you need to leave the service?'
eyes. l had to give up that or my ex-
periments. l couldn't manage BOTH"
"And you did not hesitate?"
@No. l knew l was on the right track. 1
had followed up all the theories from Leo
nardo da Vinci's down. l knew what Lilien-
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 def
mite. | went to the same sources that they
did; but | got my results by myself. If l
have been first; but l did not have suffi-
Gent funds myself, and people weren't sink
ing money in that kind of investment then.
1t was the motor, always the motor, that
swallowed my savings. But hard luck sto-
ries aren't interesting" he broke off.
"Your story is she assured him quickly.
Il should like to hear it all. How did you
contrive to live?"
Page laughed, but without bitterness.
"Mainly on hog and hominy," he said, with
prunes for holidays"
"Seriously?"
ayes, seriously. saw that my neighbors
could live on such fare, and adopted it."
"Your neighbors! Where were your"
"1n the foothills of the Cumberland Noun
tains. was living" he laughed again, @on
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 it would yield
coal or oil. l wonder what he'd have said
to see it hatch an aeroplane? But it wasnt
bad place to experiment. Nobody both
cred me. The people roundabout were illit-
crate poor whites, who took me for HARM
less crank"
"How could you see it through" she cried.
DAGE stared into the past for a silent
moment and then waved it away at
wasn't precisely Como; but it served. 1t
was there l got to the root of things. l
found out what I could do