Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-02-26
:" Come one. come all. This rock sha

From it's firm base as soon as T..

ny
From it's firm base as soon as T..
Il guess that scared him, for he
screeched back, took a skim over me,
saw that he could not get at me ex.
cept from In front and then tapped
across the valley and roasted on the
edge OF a rock about a quarter Of a
mile away where he could watch me.
l was pretty tired and sat down, but
OF course did not dare 60 to sleep.
he would drop rocks on my machine
and smash it, but for some reason he
didn't. Maybe he did not happen to
think Of it just then, and maybe he
was too tired to go carting boulders
around and concluded to wait until
morning when he was rested. Any
way, he certainly must have been
pretty well played out, for l could see
his head sink until 1t rested on his
chest. He made me think of a condor
roosting. did not sleep a wink all
night, but l guess he was snoozing
most Of the time; anyway when the
u came up l could tell that he was
in a sound doze. l got my machine
ready as quietly as l could and then
took another look at him. He had
not moved and / decided to risk a
shot. OF course he was so far away
that 1t was a thousand to one that |
would miss, but it was a chance all
the same, so l steadied myself against
a boulder and let drive. l did not
hit him, but l made some shot at that,
for I could see a chip of lock fly up
from between his very feet. You
ought to have seer him jump-straight
up in the air, and his wings out as
quick as you could snap a fan open.
Then l started up the machine and
managed to get afloat. He started In
to try the rock game now and got hold
Of one as big as my head and com
menced trying to get above me, but
l gained on him SO fast that he had
to let drop and light out. had barely
enough gasoline left to carry me back.
so there was nothing for me to do but
give 1t up for that time. l made
pretty fair time and arrived here
about an hour after sun up. He did
not follow me. The last l saw Of him
he was nothing but a speck in the
southwest and still going. That is
about all"
The luncheon had been finished for
some little time and now North be-
gan to evidence signs Of uneasiness.
Sorry to leave you SO soon, but you
will understand how necessary it is
that l stick close to my machine. Most
of US are going to roll up in our
blankets and sleep beside our planes
they have furnished us with mat
tresses ard we will be quite comfort
able in the open. And now / had bet
ter be getting back to the field sc
as to be on hand in case he shows up
again Unexpectedly, as he seems to
have a habit Of doing. Thanks ex-
ceedingly for the luncheon, and I'll
tell you about Clare some other time.
She is a wonder. March, passing
down the hall with him and the girl.
was hoping that Doris by some sign
might signify that he should remain
but at the door she babe them both
goodby with no sign given, 30 there
was nothing for him to do but bid
her good afternoon also. Somewhat
disappointed, he strobe away by the
side of the actively moving hero OF
the lone moonlight chase.
The week which followed was one
of fruitless activity. From the mo.
ment when North had caught his last
fieeting glimpse Of the Flying Man dis
appearing into the southwest in the
rays Of the early morning sun, moth
ing had been heard or seen of him.
Day by day the scouting air fleets
ranged the mountain tops, whirled
past precipitous cliffs, swooped down
into valleys and gulches. alighted
upon points of vantage that they
might scan other heights with their
powerful glasses, but all their efforts
remained unrewarded. Either he was
in close hiding somewhere amongst
the recesses of those vast Businesses.
had met with some disaster remote
from the abode of man or had taken
himself far afield to haunts where his
life was in less jeopardy than so close
to the swift air crafts of his relentless
hunters. Day by day the impotence
of the eager aviators grew more and
more chatting, and nothing but the CO.
lossal size OF the reward prevented
many from returning to fields which
offered more certain II less dazzling
prizes. But the immensely Of the for
tune that dangled before their eyes
still held them and they remained to
scour the country day after day In
wide flights that each time grew
more and more perfunctory. Then n
morning, when some Of them we're
actually preparing to leave for good,
news came that caused them to prick
UP their ears a bit and decide to loi-
ter a while longer, for from Quartz
Vile, two hundred miles away, came
the report that a citizen had seen
roosting upon a far distant crag a
strange, winged figure, half manlike,
half birdlike, but whether 1t was the
Flying Man or not the observer was
no able to positively testify because
OF the great distance, although he was
strongly inclined to the belief that