Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-28
CmNrrEn NNI-Lcnnllnnrdl

CtTERN blessed her mentally with special
- pride and confidence In her mercury
cpualiEing balances. Proud uf his machine
and of his skllI. superb like phneton whlrl-
ing the sun chariot across the heavens, ne
gave her more and Htlll more speed.
Below nothing nothing save yRpors with
here and there an open space whore showed
the strange duh purple of the abyss. Above.
to right. To left, nOthlng--ubSolute vacant
space,
Gone now was all sight Of tho land that
they had left Unlike balloonists, VINO
always sec dense clouds or else tho earth.
they now saw nothing All alone with the
sun that rushed behind them In their skim
ming night. they fled like wraiths across the
emptiness OF the great void
Stern glanced at tho barometer and
grunted with surprise.
HIM Twelve thousand four hundred
and atty feet-and I've been jockeyiug to
come down at least nvo hundred feet
already thought he, How tho devil can
that be7'
The explanation came to him. But II sur
prised him almost as much as the noted
fact
Must be one devil OF wind blowing
up out ot that place" he pOndered. ITO carry
us up nearly four thousand feet, when I've
been trying to descend Well it's all right,
anyhow-it all helps
lilo looked at the spinning thermometer II
registered n speed of nlnety-Eoven miles an
hour. Yet now that they were out OF sight
of any land. only the rush OF the wind AMI
the enormous vibration ofa the plane con-
veyed an idea OF motion. They might as
well have been hung In midspace, Ike
Mohammed'A tomb as have been rushing
forward. there was visible means OF
judging what their motion really might be
unique experience In the history OF man
kind :" shouted Stern 20 the girl The
worlds invisible to us"
She nodded and smiled back az him. her
white teeth cleaning Ia the strange blush
]. .ght that now envelOped them.
Stern keenly attentive TO the engine. nd-
vanced the spark another notch and now
the needle crept 20 1914.
Wen be across before We know IT,"
thought he. at this rate l shouldn't be sur
prlsed TO sight land any minute now"
quarter hour more the Pauillac
swooped along, grading In her swlf, flight
TO westward
But all at once the man started violently
Forward he bent, staring with wldened
eyes at the tube OF the fuel gage
lie blluked as though 10 convince him
self he had not seen Alright then stared
again: and as he looked sudden gTaypess
1verspread his face
what" he exclaimed, then raised his
head and for moment smiled as though
10 catch some odor elusive yet ominous
paid no heed TO-
Then suddenly he knew the truth. and |
yith cry OF fear bent. pocring at the /
'uel tank
There. qulyerlng suspended from the
METAL edge OF the aluminium tank. hung a
iingle clear white drop-alcohol
Even aH Stern looked Il FELL and al once
mother took its place. and was shaken of
'nly TO be succeeded BY a third, fourth
nth
Tho man understood The ancient metal
7rrnded almost through from the inside
lad been eaten away That very morning a
lole had formed lu the tank And now a
eak-existing since what moment he could
Iot tell-waa draining the very life-blood
4 the machine
'-rhe alcohol" cried Stern IN hoarse
errihle voice his wide eyes denoting his
citation with quiverinB hand he
ointed.
"Aly Cad It's all leaked ouu-thsrs's
Oh quart left IN the tank Were lost
'st IN the bottomess abyss :"