The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-08-06


place. have not seen it these ten
years"
He sat for a 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 old he said.
you must know that MentZ was for
many years the chosen place for all
the early eXperimenters III ayiolOgy
TO congregate and try out and compete
with each other in their crude and
deadly devices which marked mans
primary conceptions of heayierthan-
air machines.
"They came from all lands, and the
Americans, theytell me, were 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
airmcn, loved one of the daughters OF
the village who was herself an enthu-
sastic experimenter and had made II
number of fights alone.
The girl, liking and admiring them
both. could not find it in her heart to
choose. At length she hit upon
way of choosing which was at once
unique and appropriate. She put it
before her suitors, who agreed
Both were to fly into the air upon
a 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 a great
crowd.
"They rose. They circled They
mounted higher, higher until they
were 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, IA year, a decade The
girl waited a few years, then married
another man, grew old and had grand
children
He hesitated and regarded the
chessboa1d fiXedly.
THAT is 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 yoyagers in
the upper reaches.
81 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
it damned. My craft shot swiftly up
ward. I worked frantically with the
lever several moments.
when at last il was releas q the
earth was a smear below. was
higher than | had ever been. Yet
there was no uneasincss,
Suddenly the throb Of my engine
ceased ! inspected II. There was
apparently nothing wrong. coaXed
1t, humored It, cursed it. Nothing
availed Then it came to me as
strange that without power the ma.
chine retained its comparative posi-
ton and swept on at the same mag
niflcent, gigantically imperious speed.
The thing was awesome
"Out OF the void came a strange
sound, a Tapping and creaking and
groaning as Of a long.tortured, long
rusted, long enduring antiquated
windmill
THE sound grew, and indistinctly
l made out before me the outlines of
some object, taking the same course
that | was following. but seemingly
progressing at much slower speed
al 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
seletons, warped, Creaking, uncanny.
"And Is came alongside, what was
my horror to find sitting rigid In the
eriyers' seats, bony fingers clasping
TIA wheels, two skeletons, their eye
less sockets fixed sightlessly ahead
grinning ghoulisbly into the void, In
an hour they were lost behind me. A
horror possessed me. was no longer
obsessed with the strange urge of
these high attitudes ! hated the
heights. They We're clammy with
mems bones"
But you" | said, you are here
He smiled. the youth again in his
eyes. He slipped his hand quickly
into his pocket
Il am here, he said briskly thanks
TO the wonderful little instrument
known as tho grayitator, manufac
tured solely by Huntz & Co.. Berlin.
Now, you. monsieur. are q practical"
| left him He had almost spoiled
q pretty story