The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-04-07

cOVery that Legdr niInSeu was III tHe
neighborhood Nor was it hard for
him to guess the reason for that mas
ter-criminaPs invasion of those seques-
tered grounds. And Manley, promptly
deciding to stalk the stalker himself,
was rewarded by overhearing enough
of Legar's plans, as the latter hurried
ly issued his instructions to two of his
confederates near the roadside, to
realize the necessity of at once get
ting in touch with Enoch Golden.
Whatever happened, he felt, it was his
duty to warm Margery's father that
Legar himself had acknowledged his
ignorance of the girls whereabouts
and had expressed his intention of
trucking the chart out OF its present
owners hands.
Ten minutes of frantic efforts at a
telephone booth in the nearby village,
however, convinced Manley of the i'm
possibility of getting in touch with
Golden by wire.
Manley's first thought, in his diem
| ma, was to commander some nearby
car. Yet nothing but racer, he re-
| membered as he snatched out his
watch, could get him to the Central
| Tower building in time.
| His next thought, however, took him
| tearing down the village street like
mailman. For the name of "Cedarton"
had brought into his mind yet another
name, the name of Bobby Evart." And
Bobby Evart, who had his workshop
and hangar on the southerly outskirts
of that village, had been the first of
the Racquet club members to fOrsake
automobiles for aviation, and startle
Long Island by his early morning
hydroplane maneuvers over suburban
golf courses and country homes. He
had been the first civilian volunteer
for the federal air scouts and at San
! Diego had twice broken his own alti-
tude record established at Pensacola,
and was now immured in the mysteri-
| Gus task of fashioning a stabilizer for
monoplanes, a stabilizer Manley re-
membered, which was receiving SYM
pathetic attention from certain navy
officials in Washington.
Instead of finding this same in
trepid Bobby porting over blue prints
of stabilizer parts, however, the breath
! less Manley found his old-time friend
! in rattan club chair TRANQUILITY play
ing chess with his maiden aunt. In
two minutes the breathless newcomer
had explained to the somewhat as
ed young chess player a situation
which brought brighter light into
the latters boyish eyes.
"The point u.s." cried Manley, could
you get me there. Could you make
landing at night?"
They were already on their feet
again, running for the hangar.
Eyes, can get you there! But what
have we got to make landing on?"
"The main building of the Central
tower stops at the eighteenth story.
That gives us a fiat roof of several
hundred yards. Cou.s you make it on
that? fe,s!>t
mot unless 1t was lighted" ex
planned Evart, shouting for his
mechanician as he rounded the gloomy
corner of the hangar itself.
"But it is lighted" Manley told him.
ct gets the light from the tower itself,
and the whole cornice line is strung
with electrics, the same as the Singer
building!"
Evarts finger, touching a button,
threw a white flood across the vaultec
roof of the building. A touch on an
other button sent the great doors
swinging open. Manley looked at his
watch. Then he shook his head.
ITS too late," he proclaimed. But
Evart and his mechanician were al
ready at work on the wide-wlnged
monstrosity nestled under its metal
roof like pterodactyl in cave.
"Get aboard commanded Evart.
Were going to try for it anyway!
He turned to mis- helper. Hey, Brown,
throw my friend up that fur coat OF
yours!"
but what speed can you get out OF
this machine?" asked Manley as ne
clambered aboard the chassis and
struggled with his seat-straps.
Evart, who had been STOPPING over
his engines, looked up.
ST got one hundred and four an hour
out of her this morning" he off-hand
eddy announced. But l think l can
push her up to one hundred and ten.
Manley's heart beat faster
"Then there's a chance!" he cried
I "A fighting chance"
, A sudden sense of chill caused Man
ley to clutch for the fur coat thrown
in at his feet, and struggle into it
AS he did so the earth seemed sud
denly to fall away from him. Villages
became spangled checker-boards Of
, j lights. Highways became winding
/ strings of pearls.
Manley forgot the chilliness striking
into his bones. He forgot Margery
, Golden and Legar. He forgot the orl
gin of his mission that brought hin
winging through the midnight heav
ems. He forgot the fact of his owl
| x,,,cx, ov;c+ onca opd fha trivial ends II