Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-06-25

"Mentz," he said,
little wistfuly. "Ah, that is my birth
place. l have not seen 1t these ten
years.
He sat for while looking beyond
me, his face gone again into the OBJ
scurity of age. Then he suddenly
frightened.
II wonder he said in his crisp way.
"if they told you the legend"
| assured him that they had not,
"The legend Is very DID," he said
"You must know that Mentz was for
many years the chosen place for al!
the early experlmenters in aviology
to consregate and try out and compete
with each other in their crude and
deadly devices which marked mans
primary conceptions Of heavicrthan-
air machines.
They came from all lands, and the
Americans, they tell 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
airmen, loved one Of the daughters OF
the village who was herself an enthu'
siastic experimenter and had made
number of flights alone.
~ he 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 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.
another day, another night
week went by. No news from the sur
rounding country.
"A month, year. a decade. The
girl waited a few years, then married
another man, grew old and had grand
children"
He hesitated and regarded the
chessboard fixedly.
THAT Is the legend" he took up the
thread which l thought had run its
course. ut is unsatisfactory But
| will tell you what in reality did
become of the two young voyagers 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
1t jammed. My craft shot swiftly up
ward worked frantically with the
lever several moments.
when at last 1t was released the
earth was a smear below. | was
higher than I had ever been. Yet
there was no uneasiness.
Suddenly the throb of my engine
ceased I inspected 1t. There was
apparently nothing wrong. ] coaxed
it, humored 1t, cursed it. Nothing
availed Then 1t came to me as
strange that without power the ma
chine retained Its comparative posi-
tion and swept on at the same mag
nificent, gigantically imperious speed.
The thing was awesome.
"Out of the void came a strange
sound, Tapping and creaking and
groaning as of a long-tortured, long
rusted, long enduring, antiquated
windmill
"The sound grew and indistinctly
! made out before me the outlines OF
some object, taking the same course
that | was following, but seemingly
progressing at much slower speed.
'At 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
ieletons, warped, creaking, uncanny.
"And 6 came alongside, what was
my horror to find sitting rigid In the
drivers seats, bony fingers clasping
tr9 wheels, two skeletons. their eye
less sockets fixed sightlessly ahead.
grinning ghoulishly 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 were clammy with
mems bones"
But YOU" l 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 bI1skly, thanks
to the wonderful little instrument
known as the graytator, manufac-
tured solely by Huntz 6 Co, Perrin.
Now, you, monsieur, are practical"
/ left him. He had almost spoiled
q pretty story.