The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-06-24

k.--lAEN y e. amant. ~ 80
little wistfully. "Ah. that is my birth
place. | have not seen it these ten
years"
He sat for while looking beyond
me, his face gone again into the OBJ
security of age. Then he suddenly
frightened.
Il WONDER" he said in his crisp way,
IF they told you the legend"
! assured him that they had not.
"The legend is very DID," he said.
'You must know that Mentz was for
many years the chosen place for all
the early experimenters in aviology
to congregate and try out and compete
with each other in their crude and
deadly devices which marked mans
primary conceptions of heavier-than-
air machines.
They came from all lands, and the
Americans, they tell me, we're the most
progressive and the most daring.
"Yet the Germans and French were
not far behind The legend goes that
two of the young sons of this village
of Mentz, both stalwart and fearless
airmen, loved one Of the daughters OF
the village, who was herself an enthu-
siastic experimenter and had made
number of flights alone.
The girl, liking and adrniring them
both, could not find 1t in her heart to
choose. At length she hit upon
way of choosing which was at once
unique and appropriate. She put 1t
before her suitors, who agreed.
Both we're to fly into the air upon
certain morning. and he who came
first to earth should be the loser.
"The morning came. All the village
knew of the wager. The ascension of
the rivals was witnessed by great
crowd.
"They rose. They circled. They
mounted higher, higher, until they
we're notes in the blue. Then they
disappeared entirely.
"The day passed. evening came.
night fell. Yet neither of the bold.
hearted contestants had descended.
Another day, another night. A
week went by No news from the sur
rounding country.
"A month year. decade. The
girl waited few years, then married
another man, grew old and had grand
children
He hesitated and regarded the
chessboard fixedly
"That Ia the legend" he took up the
thread which | thought had run its
course 1T is unsatisfactory. But
| will tell you what in reality did
become of the two young voyagers in
the upper reaches.
Il was flying once at Mentz when
on a peculiarly attractive and auspi |
cious day | was soaring high. testing |
the influence of the higher strata on
my new double Capitalization. threw |
the elevating lever over suddenly and !
1t jammed My craft shot swiftly up
ward ! worked frantically with the !
lever several moments.
when at last 1t was released the
earth was a smear below l was
higher than l had ever been. Yet
there was no uneasiness
Suddenly the throb of my engine
ceased / inspected 1t. There was
apparently nothing wrong. coaxed
It, humored It, cursed It, Nothing
availed Then 1t came to me as
strange that without power the ma.
chine retained its comparative posi-.
ton and swept on at the same mag
nificent, gigantically imperious speed.
The thing was awesome
"Out of the void came strange
sound, Tapping and creaking and
groaning as of long-tortured. long
rusted, long-enduring, antiquated
windmill.
"The sound grew, and indistinctly L
I made out before me the outlines of
some object, taking the same course
that / was following, but seemingly II
progressing at much slower speed
''At the end of an hour the object
was quite near, and had divided into
two parts, flying abreast. There were
two planes. or what had once been
planes, stripped Of all but the steel
xeletons. warped. breaking, uncanny.
"And e. came alongside, what was
my horror to find sitting rigid in the
drivers seats. bony fingers ciasping
tho wheels, two skeletons. their eye
less sockets fixed sightlessly ahead.
grinning ghoulishiy into the void. In
an hour they we're lost behind me. A
horror possessed me. l was no longer
obsessed with the strange urge of
these high attitudes. hated the
heights They were clammy with
mems bones-
But you" said. "you-are herel'
He smiled, the youth again in his
eyes. He slipped his hand quickly
into his pocket.
Il am here" he said briskiy. thanks
to the wonderful little instrument
known as the gravitator. manufac-
tured solely by Huntz & Co., Berlin.
Now. you, monsieur. are a practical"
! left him. He had almost spoiled
a pretty story.
(copyFfEht)