Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01

Soon they stood under the wide wings
of the monoplane. Thane already had
gasoline from Won Reinhold's car. and
F., Winifred and Constance were hoisted
to the observers seat, Kent strapping
! them in place.
the necessity of sitting still and hold
ing tight should anything GO wrong.
1T will be all right up in the air. he
explained. "but starting and landing
in the dark is likely to give Things
a shaking.
Thane was to ride on the fusilage,
there not being enough room for
fourth person in side the car. but be-
propeller whirl to compress the gas
so the motor could be started with
final twist Of the crank in front Of the
driver.
! AS he grasped the great blade there
came hiss of warning from Kent. An
automobile had raced up the road in
front of the chateau, and as Thane
stood rigid it . swun n in a. half tha 6 6rh
mated the field, revealing the areoplane.
| Thane did not hesitate.
Let her CO." he cried. and. with a
prayer the engine would not miss,
Kent advanced the spark as the other
bore down on the propeller.
| A wheeze, a cough, a series OF STAG
cato explosions. then the motor broke
clamor was answered by startled
shouts.
| Dodging the great fan as the aero
plane got under way, Thane hurled him
| self toward the car, managing to get
grip on the fusilage, and pulled himself
up as the jolt and bounce of the wheels
! over the turf changed to a smooth
glide as the heavily loaded machine
| took the air.
| From the direction of the road a
miniature fountain of sparks marked
past, pinged against the monoplane's
wings, but no vital spot was hit, and
| in another instant they were lost In
the darkness.
Never before had Winifred been in
an aeroplane, and the swift rush of
the great craft, the clamor of powerful
engines, the acrid fumes of detonated
gasoline, the propeller's hurricane blast,
iron hard against her flesh, stirred her
blood, sent it tingling to the tips of
her fingers as they clutched the pad
ded sides of the torpedo-shaped car.
Strangely. she was not afraid. The
motors pulsing roar, the tense vibra-
lions of struts and rigid braces, the
stiffness of the air, impressed her with
| the tremendous power of the craft. She
felt 1t could not fall.
To the south the searchlights played
| back and forth like fingers reaching
| drove steadily upward. He had no de-
sire to risk discovery. Suddenly the
lights were gone, darkness, thick,
opaque, shut them in; then they shot
through the cloud bank into fairyland.
From above a serene moon, radiant,
wonderful, beamed down; below was a
| silvery ocean Of foam stretching away
to shadowy zone, where it blended
with the star-sprinkled dome Of the
sky. So startling was the transition
from the dank blackness below that
Winifred blinked like a mineworker
who steps from a pit mouth into the
full light of day, and she gave an ex-
clamation of delight that was snatched
4
Brief was the interval allowed to
drink in the splendors of the scene.
Kent tilted the nose Of the aeroplane
downward. the glistening sea of vapor
seemed to rush up to meet them; they
dived into its yeasty bosom, and again
there was only darkness, damp and i'm
penetrable.
What happened as the machine Glove
the cloud bank ever remained a blur
to Winifred-a blur as hard to visualize
as the shadowy area where the pro-
peller gagged the air ahead There
was a dazzling glare as a searchlieht
picked them up, lurch as the mono
plane swerved from it's course.
AT one side az peared an indistinctly
outlined, winged thing, from which
tongues of fame licked out; then sound
tomato. The monoplane had encoun-
tered taube cruising over the Eng
lish lines.
Very quickly did the skirmish in the
clouds begin and end. Kent pointed
the nose of the craft downward at
perilous angle and at terrific speed it
rushed toward where a triangle of
lights marked the landing place of the
Royal Flying Corps.
The air seemed filled with whizzing.
venomous things. tremors indicated
the ripping of bullets through the
planes The sound of Thames pistol
ceased, 1nstinctively Winifred knew
seat to see him gripping the fusilage.
swaying drunkenly. his face CHASTITY
white in the pitiless beam Of the
searchlight which followed inexorably
as the machine descended.
The roar of the motor ceased in a
series Of cratic explosions, and as
silent as the swoop of an owl the great
craft slid toward the ground. The
wheels touched, the smooth sweep of
flying changed to heaving, jolting
rush and the aeroplane stopped with
quivering wings.
Men swiftly surrounded the machine.
lanterns flashed. and young officer
whose surprise showed plainly on his
face helped Constance and Winifred to
descend. Thane. too. was lifted down,
nal1 conscious bundle, and a man
with a Red Cross band on his sleeve
bent over him.
He asked no questions as he unbut-
toned the wounded mans packet and
ran his hand inside. Winifred shud-
dered as his fingers came away stained
red. A knife cleaned. there was a dry
ripping of cloth and the physicians
thumb dug into hole in Thames
thumb dug into q hole in Thames
temporary bandages were adjusted.
All was done with bewildering speed.
Hardly was the emergency dressing in
place when a stretcher appeared to
bear the wounded man away. Serious,
but not necessarily fatal" was the
surgeons verdict as he arose to his
feet, and Kent's face cleared
Shaken, bewildered. surfeited with
sensations and emotions, Winifred
leaned heavily on Kent's arm as he
guided her across the field. The nurse
in charge of the emergency hospital
near by, plump, capable woman
whose face was kindly despite the lit
tie lines OF worry etched by weeks Of
the strain of caring for wounded men,
consented to provide eleeuif11 ana rtera