The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-12

admires that he loves her, adores her. that he wants her to be his and his only, found her desrous only of a more roman- tic setting. Her lover, Frank Chadwick, had proposed to her in the music room of the superb Winchell home, and while de- lighted, yet Eleanor had rebuffed him and longed to have him approach her again in way more to her ideal. Chadwick was fine young man, one of the rising lawyers of the great city.
 Eleanor therefore sat beside the window of her room and looked out and up into the great heavens idly wondering If there were other lives and other loves in that great beyond. Her own aeroplane was at the airdome, which was reached by a spiral stairway from her boudoir, and there came to her the inspiration to go to it and take short cruise up amongst the superbly glorious clouds, as a sedative before retiring. She was too excited to sleep
 Eleanor's machine was one of the new est types made, very light yet very dur able, resembling a great albatross in it's general makeup. The engine was one of the most powerful made, the efforts of a famous American firm which had long been noted for it's superiority. The thought was no sooner created in the brain than action took place with Eleanor. Rising
 
 donned her aerial costume, ascended to the airdrome and got into her monoplane. The engine was self starting one. Press ing the electric button the fans began to revolve and the propellers to whirl, and running along the skids for a short dIs- tance the monoplane swept upward mag nificently into the great beyond. For some reason which at the time Eleanor could not figure out she did not turn on the current of her powerful searchights. and she kept the muffler on her motor. for she wanted to be quiet, so she could reflect and think about her future.
 As she sailed along gracefully like the famous bird after which her machine was named, for the title of the monoplane was ''The Alabatross,' suddenly she became aware that another machine was ap- preaching her on a downward glide. Max ing quick evolution, she avoided it, and in the distance saw that the aeroplane was entering Birmingham without lights on, without number, and without pre- liminary signals, which were all strict rules of the Birmingham Aero club Her suspicious were aroused. She decided to follow him. so making circular detour. Eleanor started in a downward glide be- hind the stranger.
 To her surprise the other aeroplane glid- ed on in straight and unerring path for the big banking institution of which her father was the head. What could he be wanting there at that hour?
 l The strange sky pilot made a safe land | ing on the roof of the building, left his machine near the center of the roof and then began pouring some kind of liquod | over the surface. Eleanor could not see 1 all of his movements, but after few minutes he disappeared. The man had vanished into the stronghold of the great | bank!
 There could be but one explanation to this Her father and his friends were to be ruined by an aerial robber. She must act quickly, but what should she do? There was but one thing to do. She must in turn do some scouting and baffle the plans of the man who would bring disgrace and suffering upon the thousands of poor miners who had their lifetime sav- 1 ings in the great bank.
 | Gliding down, Eleanor came to a land | ing on the roof in another section of the large area of roof, and then taking out her automatic revolver, approached the hole in the roofing through which had de- l parted the stranger. low strange it seemed. It was more like some theatrical production or moving I picture story than reality. How absurd that she, the rich bankers daughter. should be up there at that time of night about to match wits with desperado. | Then she turned cold and trenbied Some one was coming up through the roof. It was no dream. It was the truth and trag- 1 edy instead of comedy She looked up toward the heavens and at that moment a pale glean of moonlight broke through the | scuddng clouds overhead and shed a soft I effulgent radiance upon the weird sur rourdings.
 Stop. sir." commanded Eleanor. step- ping forward and pointing the automatic