Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-24
t h e Daily
Short Story
A TRUE FoRECASTER.
By Ethel EoImes.

ago when / had Just finished my edn-
cation my father said to me one day,
Louise, I am going 10 bring homa
a guest TO dinner today"
/ was the housekeeper and this
Imeant that the meal should be served
/ for an extra person
who is it?' | asked.
'Langford is his name; he Is %
years old, and-well, you can Judge
i for yourself he is either a fool or .
Igenius. | am not certain which: you
may give me your opinion after you,
have seen him.
When Mr.. i.angford came / saw
nothing unusual in his appearance.
Indeed, he was rather plain. He was
certainly not up to the ways OF society.
for instead of appearing In evening
Idres3 he wore business suit. He
took very little notice of me. address,
ing his remarks to father, They were
chatting when dinner was announced
land when the guest was introduced to
me he gave me a nod without pausine
In what he WIS saying, evidently more
interested in 1t than In me The sub
Ijeet on his mind was engines, about
(which I was absolutely ignorant.
| During the dinner he hoped about
from one subject to another like
bird IN a tree At one moment IL was
heavier than air. the next some
thing that would so a hundred miles
; an hour, and the next-heaTen knows
what. I think it was about gas bags
don't believe father understood half
OF what he said and I didn't take IN
word of It I certainly was very much
i, bored and glad when the dinner was
over. As father rose he said to me:
, Louise, I shall have to ask you 10
: entertain Mr.. Langford for a while, I
have some letters to write that can't
be put off
Great heavensi entertain Mr..
Langfords~ with his ''gas bags" and
heavier than air" talk. I gave father
an annihilating look, but 1t produced
no effect He went upstairs to his den
: and | led MIR. Langford into the draw
! ing rooms He came down from his gas
| bags and became for a fewminutes a
very different person.
! Il must apologize" he said. "for
: talking about matters that you cannot
Z be expected to understand
What In the world were you talk
J ing about anyway" I asked
= Navigating the afr: expect 10 see
: the day when man will fly like a
bird
I made up my mind at once that If
he was either fool or a genius, he
was a fool.
e II am looking forward" he CON
tinued, TO the day when a man viii
fly from New York to Chicago in much
) less time than would be required By
a railroad train. He would soar over
: mountains In war there will be no
Z need for scouts 10 report on the posi-
ton and strength Of an enemy. Men
2 will go up in flying machines and take
I photographs Of a whole battlefield. Of
I course, there will be men on both
y sides, and they will fight TO drive each
q other away"
5. There was a far-away look IN hi:
j eye when he said this and / began t.
IS suspect that he was insane.
II can see," he went on, thousand;
of these flying machines pitted agains
e thousands on the other side firing a
; one another. now and again one drop
/ ping TO the earth, some of them max
L. ing gradual descents either on a sian
: or in circles. These battles above tbs
clouds"
y VIII you excuse me a moment, Mr.
) Langford," I interrupted, II wish II
i speak with my father"
81 I fed from hisa upstairs TO father
= Papa" I said, out Of breath, =
+ dare not stay one moment Longer
re alone with that man. He is a lunatic
10 why do you think that?" asket
lie father.
1 told papa what the man had sait
about men fighting up in the air
G, "He is an enthusiast, my dear:
s. don't think his mind is affected
Ut Il am not going back without you
r papa; when he was talking abou
Id those battles in the clouds he fright
D ened me"
s. Dell, go down again; when finisl
70 this letter I'll Join you
Of I returned to the drawing room.
Ifaneied Mr. Langford had surmise'
Of that he had gone too far with his non
ae sense about going up in the air. A
e, any rate he talked to me delightful.
+, lon other subjects. I forgot his veal
he spot and enjoyed the rest Of The tim
/. spent with him immensely. Tina
night I went to bed with my brain i
ne a whirl and dreamed that I vas fit
It. ting about up in the sky.
rs All this happened, as I have SAID
an years ago. l was recently invited I
elk an aeronautic exhibition and was II
he troduced 10 a man who had bee
We prominent in sirplane inventions an
a had fought IN the air on the Belgia
us battle front. / did not hear his nam
lie. when he was presented to me, bu
sc there was something about him tina
ed was familiar to me He was very Ell
thusiastic about airplanes and ha
brought down many Germans.
Id Before the navigation of the al
n-+had become an accomplished fact, 4
ity said looking at me quizzically, Il me
he a young lady to whom I impaired n
.es expectations, and I am quite sure
nd convinced her that was lunatic
hej you are"
m George Langford"
ed He doesn't bring down any MOI
lar Germans. / won't let him. We 81
re- engaged.