Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-01-12

formation of an objective point or an
enemy's movements had been greatly
developed by the aeroplane. It seemed
a long process for him to apply for
admission into the United States army
aeroplane corps and practice flying, but
the only plan of operations that ap-
pealed to him rendered this course es-
%sential, m he s%traightway became a
military aerial cavalryman. The an
clients assembled into the upper air on
a winged horse for fun. Why should
not Whitehead ascend in a modern
aeroplane for love?
1t was autumn before the young off,
Ger became an aeronaut n made his
first fight over Idlewild. It was a
sunny afternoon. and Sadie was walk
ing in the grounds without head COW
ering save her hair, on which the
sun shone with a warm glow. She
was plucking flowers from a chrysan-
themum plant. A girl plucking a flow
er Is at any time a thing of beauty,
but a girl on a soft October afternoon,
ROBBED in corresponding colors, viewed
by a man from an aerial height above
her, especially If that man is a lover,
is especially enhancing. Whitehead.
not thinking of the distance between
them and that sound rises rather than
falls, coughed. Miss Ludlow, not hear
ing the sound. paid no attention to it
and, after dawdling about among some
late plants that were In bloom, went
into the house.
Whitehead saw another sight, an au-
tomobile standing at the gate, the por-
ter holding a caro- in one hand and a
list of Mrs. Ludlow's forbidden visitors
in the other. The officer sailed about
till he saw the occupant of the car
drive away, then turned and swooped
down like a bird toward the point
from which he had started.
The wooer regretted that he had not
provided himself with means of com
municating with the object of his love.
He might fly over Idlewild a dozen
times without again meeting with so
favorable IN opportunity. The season
when a young girl would likely be
strolling about in the open air was
passing. and winter was not far away.
Before he made his next trip over Idle
wild he wrote a note to Sadie an
%nouncing his entrance into the army
aviation corps and inviting her to an
aerial ride with him. This note he
attached to a continuance designed to
carry 1t to earth not too swiftly and
in the direction he wished it to fall.
He also provided himself with a small
hOmh with n tinan f17co that would ~
plode before reaching the earth. This
was intended to attract the young
lady's attention.
He chose for his next fight over
Idlewild a day after a cold storm,
when the sun came out bright and
warm, thinking it likely that the pris-
oner might go out for an airing. New
ertheless he spent a whole morning
fitting over the place high in the air
before seeing her. Then she came out
on the porch and, reclining in a couch
hammock, began to read a book. This
was unfortunate, for, Whitehead had
hoped IS fnd fer af a distance rom
the house. where he might more safely
communicate with her. He dared not
drop her note to her where she was;
but, making a virtue of necessity. he
dropped it at a distance from her. but
where he expected it would fall within
the grounds.
Suddenly Sadie heard an explosion
in the air and. looking up. saw a tiny
parachute descending from the sky;
but, not dreaming that 1t supported a
letter for her. on seeing it dron Of
some distance from her she turned
again to her book.
Whitehead's failure only sp"r-eG :, m
on to new devices. FEARING that win
ter would come on before he could at
tract Sadie's attention from the air.
he considered how he could communal
cate with her by mail. He was by
this time familiar with the rocket
camera used in war to photograph an
enemy's position. and, taking one of
these ingenious devices to a point near
Idlewild, he sent it Up. He had the
satisfaction to see the camera it con-
tanned detached from it by an explo-
sion and sail down under a parachute
to a point near his feet. After devel-
oping the plate he obtained a photo
graph of Idlewild taken from a point
several hundred yards above it. On
the print be wrote in minute charac-
ters a day and hour and mailed it to
Miss Sarah Ludlow, with an adver-
tisement of a camera manufacturing
firm in the same envelope.
Mrs. Ludlow received the letter and,
supposing it to be merely an adj, per-
mitted her daughter to have it. Sadie
recognized in the address on the envel-
ope the handwriting of Lieutenant
Whitehead. Naturally she suspected
the contents to contain a hidden mean
ing. Bringing a hand glass to bear on
the date written on the Photographic
print, she knew that something would
happen at that time. The print she