Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-03-26

all my little might. Then | la him
arise with a dark form In his arms
who it was l could not tell. He beat
his way upward until he was very
high. SO high that he looked nc larger
than my hand, and then" She choked
and could speak no more. staring
straight ahead with fixed eyes as IL
fascinated by something far distant
and then ! sank upon this spot and
have not left 1t since. dared not
90 and look-not even in the periods
OF his absence"
She paused and they stood silently,
the grewsomeness OF 1t all gripping
them as though they had Just awak.
ened from the spell of a nightmare.
Then North's voice arose quiet and
even as though he were speaking of
the most immaterial of things. Miss
Fulton, there Is no occasion for fur.
Their anxiety upon your part, for be-
tween Alan and myself here we will
guarantee you protection from all
flying things, man or devil, between
here and Jupiter. Yet we must all be
prepared for action and each be alert
to do his part-and that part Is going
to happen pretty quick" He made a
slight motion with his head. He is
coming now. Look to the south" In
stantly their eyes flew In that direc-
ton. Perhaps a mile away and almost
upon a level with the plateau the Fly
ing Man was bearing down upon them
with the speed Of a hawk. flying as he
had done during the long chase by
the planes, his body almost horizontal
with the earth, his wings cutting the
air with a rapidity Of movement that
they could not follow. That he had
Just discovered them was evidenced
by a sudden broad sweep aside, a halt
and a posing. followed by a slow Zig
gag course towards the edge Of the
plateau. Two hundred yards away
from them he alighted, and standing
upright and with wings half extended
stared at them unwinkingly with
great. opalesQue eyes. March, his left
arm thrown around Doris and his right
hand clasping his revolver, was debat-
ing as to whether he should risk one
Of his remaining three shots at that
improbable hitting distance. North
was already speeding upon him with
the rush Of a terrier.
For perhaps ten seconds March,
chatting under the impulse to charge
after North, yet not daring to leave
the n who was now clinging to him,
watched them in absolute fixity. Then
as the aviator. now half way across
the space, raised his arm for the first
shot, the flying one became a thing
OF energy once more, alert and cum
ming. The fury Of a jealous ape dis
torted his face. With a leap of In
credible quickness he sprang over the
ledge and disappeared, and when
North, darting up to the edge, peered
over 1t he saw his prey far below, his
wings half shut, falling as an autumn
leaf eddies downward from a bough.
Close above the surface Of the crater
lake he spread his pinions broad,
skinned over it like q gull and went
soaring upward from the momentum
Of his fall. A mile away he alighted
upon the side Of the opposite noun.
tain, went crawling over it upon all
fours with wings trailing, then pick.
ing up a large object mounted again.
Upon the table mountain the three
shot quick glances at each other. He
was about to lombard them from on
high with stones that If they struck
their mark would fell them as though
stricken by the lightnings. and March,
knowing that he and North would be
h objects Of the attack, thrust Doris
from him and stepped forth upon the
cleared space that lay before him.
High above them the flying one poised,
beating the air as an eagle hovers
above the basking fish as he achieves
a position of absolute perpendicular |
ity, then released the missile. |
Straight down upon North It shot, but |
the aviator darling aside with the
quickness Of a weasel, lodged it by |
a dozen feet, yet escaping being be.
headed in its changing rebound by the
breadth OF a hand. The next instant
both revolvers spoke.
Three hundred feet above them they
saw him flap convulsiv ly like a wild
fowl that feels the sudden sting OF
lead, wheel in a broad circle, and then
go lurching over the abyss with spas
modic beating of his wings. A grim
smile came creeping over the face OF
North. I'VE touched him up hard that
time. Now once again, before he gets
out Of range" Again the mountains
reverberated to the double roar, and
the Flying Man, ~collapsing in midair,
turned a complete summersault as he
had done that day when the mortars
were loosed against him. But this
time there was no recovery. Whirling,
spinning. turning dizzily, his great
wings now .fluttering impotently. he
struck the lake in q spout Of spray
that shot high upward. sank, arose.
foated for a moment borne up by his
wide plnions, then disappeared In the
depths OF the blue waters 10 a shadow
merges with the shade.
And Lake Talo is bottomless. The
scientists will never even get his body
to speculate over" muttered March.
North turned his tense face upon
them.
HAu-.. .h.ro ,ra tbrao ava uft. /