Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-05-04

less than panic terror.
He was, in sober fact, quite rigid
with fright and horror. 1t were idle
to argue that only unlikely chance
would wing one of the bullets from
the Valkyr to a vital point-there
was the torn canvas overhead, there
was that hole through V~auquelin's
sleeve.
And then the Paragraph on the strut
beside Lanyard disappeared as if by
magic. He was aware of a slight jar;
the framework Of the biplane quiv-
cred as from a heavy blow; something
that resembled a handful of black
crumbs sprayed out into the air ahead
and vanished-and where the instru-
ment had been nothing remained but
an iron clamp gripping the strut.
And wen as any one of these bull
let's might have proved fatal, their first
successor might incapacitate the avia-
tor, if it did not Stay him outright
in either case inevitably the result
would be death following a fall from a
height, as recorded on the Paragraph
dial the instant before it's destruction,
of over four thousand feet.
And they were still climbing.
Now the pursuer was losing some of
the advantage of his superior speed;
the Parrot was ~perceptibly higher;
the Valkyr must needs mount in a
more sweeping curve.
None the less, Lanyard, peering
down, saw still another tongue of
fame spit out at him, and two bullet
holes appeared in the port wings of
the biplane, one in the lower, one in
the upper spread of canvas.
White-lipped and trembling, the ad-
Venturer began to work at the fasten-
ings Of his surtout. After a moment
he plucked off n of his gloves and
cast it impatiently from him. Asprawl,
it sailed down the wind like a wound
ed sparrow. He caught Vauquelin's
eye upon him, quick with a curiosity
which changed to a sudden CLEAN of
SOh1PA OhCLplOA MnOu lLdly dIu, IuTuSl-
ing his hand under the leather coat,
CROPPED for his side pocket and pro-
duced an automatic pistol which Du-
croy, learning that he was unarmed,
had pressed upon him.
They were now perhaps a hundred
feet higher than the Valkyr, which
was soaring a quarter of a mile off to
starboard. Under the guidance Of the
Frenchman the Parrot swooped roCnd
in a narrow circle until it hung almost
Immediately above the other-a ma
neuver requiring, first and last, m
thing more than five minutes to effect.
Meanwhile Lanyard rebuttoned his
surtout and, clutching the pistol, tried
hard not to think. But already his
imagination was sick with the thought
Of what would ensue when the time
came for him to carry out his inten-
ton.
Vauquelin touched his arm with ur-
gent pressure; but Lanyard only shook
his head, gulped, and without looking,
surrendered the weapon to the aviator.
Bearing heavily against the chest
band, he commanded the broad, white
spread of the Valkyr's back and wings.
Invisible beneath these hung the mo-
tor and the drivers seat.
An instant more and he was aware
that Vauquelin was bending forward
over the edge Of the plane.
Aiming with what elaboration was
possible, the aviator emptied the CLIP
Of its cartridges in less than a minute,
The reports rang out against the
drum Of the motor with an accent as
vicious as the cracking Of a black
snake whip.
Momentarily, Lanyard doubted IL 6
single bullet had taken effect. He
could not, with his swimming vision
detect any sign Of damage in the can
vas of the Valkyr.
He saw the empty automatic Sill
from V~auquelin's numb and n~ervelesi
fingers, and vanish.
A frightful fascination kept his gaz,
constant to the soaring Valkyr. Be
yond it, down, deep down, a mile o
emptiness, was that golden floor o
tumbled cloud, waiting.
He saw the monoplane halt abrupt
in its strong onward surge-as II !
had run, full tilt, head on against a
invisible obstacle - and for wha
seemed a round minute, 1t hung 81
veering and wabbling, muzzling tn
wind. Then, like a sounding whal,
1t turned and dived headlong, prope
Ter spinning like a top.
Down through an eighth OF a mil
Of space 1t plunged plummetlike; thel
perhaps caught in a flaw Of wind,
turned sidewise and began to revolv,
at first slowly, but with increasin
\ rapidity In It's fatally swift descent
4 Toward the beginning OF its revol'
/ tons something was thrown off, som
4 thing small, dark and sprawling-lil
Z that glove which Lanyard had discar
? ed. But this object dropped with
speed even greater than that Of II
Valkyr; in a brace Of seconds had d
9 minished to the proportions Of q gnaI
In another was ongulfed in that va
l. sea OF golden vapor.
The ~monoplane itself, scarcely lei
precipitate, spun down through Il
abyss and plunged to oblivion in Il
,r fog-wrack.
e And Lanyard was still hangir
against the chest-band, limp and spei
70 and trying not to give way to dead
8, sickness when. Of a sudden and wit
It out any warning whatever, the gte
torian chant OF the motor ceased al
% was blotted out by that immen