The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-05-05


that De Nigne had possibly overloaded
it-and had glanced back more than once
during our earlier flight Yet in the
darkness. and the great deceptive
dawn, l had perceived nothing. Living
as he did, Outstretched between the
frames, he might easiIy have passed
unnoticed, All these considerations
flashed instantly across my mind,
yet L possessed Just then brief space
for thought, as even his slight movement
IA the effort to upIift his head, so affected
the equIpOise of the plane as to send
US eareening in perilous fashion Had
We been equipped with varying gear
instead OF the more quickly manipulated
ailerons, I doubt if could have righted
the fraii craft, but as it was with q
shudder, the great wings settled into
stability, and we eireled ike a huge
bird seeking to alight.
Lie down, you fool" / roared back
over my shoulder. Don't move again,
if you value your IHel"
L do not even know If he heard me,
but Mademoiselle did, and 1 caught
the thread of her voice calling to him
also, and saw the motion of her hands.
As for me l was far too busiiy occupied
with levers and wheels to pay heed to
anything else. We had already swept
past the open field l had chosen for
landing place, yet l was obseSsed now
with an eagerness to attain solid earth
The very knowledge that the fellow
half mad with fright from the express
sion OF his faee-was cHnging to the
precarlous support of that open frame
work gave me a feeling OF terror.
What he might do, or attempt, in his
desperation, could not be guessed at,
yet any effort on his part to change
his position, to even rise to his knees.
might hurl us headIong. The very
secret of the plane, its stability in the
air, Its power of balancing, and swift
response to the rudder, depended on
the equal distribution of weight. the
absence of any conflicting element.
During the two hours of flight the man
must have remained motionless and
inert, perhaps uneOnSeious-but nowl
Aroused, frightened, possibly insane
at sudden discovery of his perilous
position, there was no knowing what
he might attempt. Our very lives
hung In the balance, and the beads
of perspiration chung to nv forehead,
and the blood seemed to stagnate In
my veins
For Gods sake keep him quieti"
| cried out to her, until I can find a
landing place You hear?"
Yes"
knew she answered; knew dimly
that she unfastened the strap holding
hCA Ii Ii III SLtC oCdI- anu IuTueu
body so as to face him. 1t was In nv
mind to protest, to festrap her; l
even reached out one hand for the
buckle, but sudden dip Of the machine
brought it instantly back to the steer
ing wheel. l glanced down, desperate
enough to accept any chance, my eyes
surveying the scene below We were
above a country of woods and hills,
iRterspersed by small lakes, connected
by narrow streams, scarcely visible.
l saw but one town, a mere hamlet
PARKWAY to the right, nestled beside q
body of shimmering water Here and
there amid the forest growth appeared
small clesrings, many of them covered
by stumPs of trees, but, a mile away,
was an open field, an oasis IN the wide
stretch of forest, green with some veg
etable growth 1t beckoned me ike
some mystic hand l was cool now,
determined, my nerves Ike steel; every
instinct alert
Hold tight, MademoiseIIe; we're