Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1914-08-28
Il am q Canadian" answered cold


l said. relenting. And once more hap
piness beamed in his gray eyes.
Il knew you must be French" he
answered. Then you can have no
fear No. mademoiselle, l shall take
her higher" He pressed the lever and
felt the aeroplane rise upon a drift
ing gust of air, up, up, till the hum
ming sounded beneath US, and, glanc-
ing down, | saw that another aero
plane was fluttering under US like a
bird with a broken wing, desperately
and fruitlessly endeavoring to win to
the higher stratum which we had at
tanned.
Again he pressed the lever, and
again we shot upward. Now we were
above them all. Under us, from point
to point of the field, our opponents
struggled and tapped, but never won
to that world of silence in which we
moved SO easily. We seemed to ride
upon the air as a swan floats on the
water. Far, very far beneath, / could
make out the grand stand as tiny
patch of gray upon a field Of green,
and the spectators were smaller than
tiny ants in hillock. My companion
looked at his barometer.
Three thousand feet" he said; and
| saw his teeth chatter.
you are cold!" / cried, and began
to divest myself of the fur coat. Take
this, monsieur" l exclaimed. you
need your strength for the ascent. You
must not let your hands grow chilled"
"Sit tight, sit tight, mademoiselle,"
he answered. mo, do not need it.
Well, then l will take one corner-so."
And he suffered me to throw one edge
of the voluminous wrap around his
shoulders.
I'VE have outsoared them ALL" he
said. 1--WE shall descend now"
mo, you have a record to make"
answered.
But we have already won, mademoi-
selle. Never before has my monoplane
ridden so lightly. Assuredly you must
be a mascot"
My heart was beating unanimously.
1t was a dangerous proximity; and
then, too, the unconventionahty of the
situation had removed the bars of re-
straint which hundred generations of
women have learned to fasten across
their hearts. | am not usually con-
sidered susceptible. There was that
Mr.. Spratt, whom l have mentioned
who taught civil and international law,
and he had once presumed slightly
when riding home with me from the
theater. l think he pressed my hand.
Poor Mr.. Spratt! l had frozen him
with look and he had had to "make
abject apologies before he found for
giveness. But here, was conscious
Of a dangerous emotion which took
possession of me, and my companions
hand sought mine and was not dis
carded. We might have been primeval
man and woman riding triumphantly
alone there through the ether.
The sun, bursting from behind a
bank of clouds. shone into our faces.
These are the realms of the sun
| oONp o<hlu my WIN phhAoh. 61ho Jouy
he whispered, ARE my sun-goddess."
He bent toward me and looked into
my eyes. And what would have hap
pened next do not know. The morti-
ication, after l reached terra firma,
overwhelmed me with remorse and
shame. But just at that moment the
humming of the motor suddenly
ceased. 1t had stopped-and stopped
SO suddenly that my companion was
not prepared for it. The monoplane
trembled and swayed dangerously.
Instantly was forgotten. Afterward
| remembered with a little sense of
humiliation how wholly secondary
proved in his estimation to that ma
chine. But l had no thought then,
save for our safety. With what con-
summate skill he righted her and
guided her, never losing his head
| gliding downward swift as a stone /;
then, with an upward movement of the
planes, arresting that perilous descent;
now holding the machine tremblingly,
as it seemed, upon some air-wave
crest! | saw the ground spring up to
meet us; the grand stand broadened
and widened into its original form and
shape; slowly, and then more swiftly
the ant-like creatures changed into
turnip-tops once more. | closed my
eyes and chung to the stay, expecting
every moment to feel the deadly end
to our tumultuous descent And
then
She has tainted" said somebody.
l opened my eyes languidly. l rest.
ed upon the ground, supported by the
intrepid aviator; and near at hand
wholly uninjured, rested the mono
| plane.
Then somebody led Estelle through
the yelling crowd, and she was weep
ing upon my neck.
When at last they suffered me to
depart l looked round for my sun-god
He was not to be found. And it was
only after | reached home that l re
membered that l was wholly ignorant
of his name. 1t was not in the news
papers where he was entered simply
as Aviator No. g."