Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-02-26

atrocity being p%erpetrated. Shoot him,
stab him, blow him to flinders, choke
him, drown him, but poison him to q
copiously at the idea. Better by far
let him continue his career Of murder
and child stealing. And in their cabi.
nets and offices statesmen, military
men, scientists and inventors gathered
together and held long discussions
upon means whereby he might be
rendered harmless as various intricate
schemes were proposed, all eventually
to be discarded as impracticable. The
more they schemed and talked, the
more evident it became that the gun
and the aeroplane were the only weap.
ons which promised any effectiveness
against him.
In the common belief that the pest
had at last deserted them for good,
the people of the city Of his first ap.
pearance once more gradually resumed
their normal lives. One could not go
about forever with his eyes up In the
air without falling into the holes that
lay beneath his feet. In fact, the or
binary dangers Of life that. beset n
on every side were manifold, whereas
there was but one Flying Man, and
after some score Of sky gazers had
fallen into coal holes people began
to pay more attention to the ground
once more. OF course the air prowler
might now and then swoop down and
destroy someone, but so did the light.
nings for that matter, yet no n
thought 1t worth while to go about
carrying a lightning rod. In other
words, the people were growing used
to him and many commenced to use
his name as a pet bugaboo-thought-
less mothers to brighten their children
into good behavior, and silly youths
to scare their girl companions into
scurrying amidst creams for shelter.
OF course should he ever begin a work
Of general destruction by explosives
or the firebrand it would become q
very different matter and then they
would arise UP in their might, but un-
til he showed a disposition 30 to do
there was no necessity Of becoming
so unduly alarmed. So argued the
more philosophic people Of the place,
and they even sometimes smiled a lit.
tie after the supercilious manner of
the experienced when they read the
hysterical reports from other places
that imagined because somebody had
mysteriously lost a chicken that the
Flying Man was lowering over them.
But it will be borne in mind that the
pest was supposed to be far away from
them at this time of smiling.
Doris, who had been virtually a pris
oner in her home since the night Of
the first appearance of the visitor from
space, began to resent the confinement
and fret almost constantly. An en-
thusiastic out of doors girl, an ardent
golf player and splendid horsewoman,
she had prior to the night of the pass
ing of the unknown body almost daily
taken her exercise upon the links or in
long rides throughout the surrounding
district. Often upon these latter jour
neys she had gone alone, but usually
upon Sundays when they were free
from the duties of their offices either
Clay or Alan, and not in%frequently
both of them, had ridden with her.
Now she was consumed by a desire to
ride again, and after resisting for a
day or two she decided to do so. The
Flying Man had not been heard Of for
a week, he was undoubtedly hundreds
of miles away, and besides she would
take an escort with her who would
be well armed against anything which
might attempt to modest them. Clay
had called her up the day before
she had written him her nswer as
she had promised-and informed her
that he expected to leave the city at
any moment. and as she had not heard
from him since she assumed that he
had gone. Alan she had not heard from
for several days, so she now decided
to call up his number. He answered
the ring In person. This was Satur-
day.
(To BE CoNTINUED)