The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-03-26
A True
Forecaster
By ETHEL HOLMES
'ght. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.I

education my father said to me one
day:
Louise. l am going to bring home a
guest to dinner today"
| was the housekeeper and this
meant that the meal should be served
for an extra person.
"who is it," l asked.
'Langford is his name he Is twenty
FIVE years old, and-well, you can judge
for yourself. He is either a fool or a
genius. | am not certain which; you
may give me your opinion after you
have seen him
When Mr.. Langford came l saw
nothing unusual in his appearance. In
deed he was rather plain. He was GER
tainly not up to the ways of society
for instead of appearing In evening
dress he wore a business suit. He o
very little notice of me, addressing his
remarks to father. They were chat
ting when dinner was announced and
when the guest was introduced to me
he gave me a nod without pausing In
what he was saying, evidently more In
terested in Ii thar in me. The subject
on his mind was engines, about which
l was absolutely ignorant.
During the dinner he hoped about
from one subject to another like a bird
In a tree. At one moment ii was
"heavier than air" the next something
that would go a hundred miles an
hour. and the next-heaven knows
what. | think 1t was about gas bags.
| don't believe father understood half
of what he said and | didn't take In a
word of it. / was certainly very much
bored and glad when the dinner was
over. AS father rose he said to me-:
Louise, | shall have to ask you to
entertain Mr.. Langford for awhile; l
have some letters to write that can't
be put Off"
Great heavensl l entertain Mr..
Langford, with his "gas bags" and
Heavier then air" talk. l gave father
an annihilating look, but it produced no
effect. He went upstairs to his den
and / led Mr.. Langford into the draw
ing room. He came down from his gas
jas III 1NaAA " u :"
very different person.
81 must apologize" he said, "for talk
ing about matters that you cannot be
expected to understand"
"What in the world were you talk
ing about anyway" l asked.
Navigating the air; l expect to see
the day when a man will fly like a
bird"
/ made up my mind at one that If
he was either a fool or a genius, he
was a fool.
81 am looking forward" he con-
tinued, ito the day when a man will
| fly from New York to Chicago in much
less time then would be required by
a railroad train. He will oar over
mountains. In war there will be nc
need for scouts to report on the posi-
ton and strength of an enemy. Mer
will go up in flying machines and take
photographs of a whole battlefield. o.
course. there will be men on boil
sides, and they will fight to drive eacf
other away"
There was a far-away look In hi
eye when he said this and l began Il
suspect that he was insane.
At can see," he went on, Thousand
of these flying machines pitted agains
thousands on the other side firing a
one another, now and again one drop
ping to the earth, some of them max
ing gradual descents either on a Sian
or in circles. These battles above thu
clouds"
"Will you excuse me a moment, MI
Langford," I interrupted, 81 wish Il
speak with my father"
/ fed from him upstairs to father
"Papa," / said, out of breath, 81 dar
not stay n moment longer alone witt
that man. He is a lunatic."
"Why do you think thati" aske,
father.
1 told papa what the man had sal,
about men fighting up In the air.
"He is an enthusiast, my dear;
don't think his mind is affected"
II am not going back without you
papa; when he was talking abou
those battles in the clouds he fright
ened me-"
"Dell, go down again: when I fnisl
this letter I'll join you"
/ returned to the drawing room.
fancied Mr.. Langford had surmise,
that he had gone too far with his non
n about going up In the air. A
any rate he talked to me delightful
on other subjects. l forgot his weal
spot and enjoyed the rest of the tim
I spent with him immensely. Tha
night l went to bed with my brain 4
a whirl and dreamed that / was fittin
about up In the sky.
All this happened, as I have saiC
years ago. / was recently invited I
an aeronautic exhibition and was In
troduced to a man who had been prom
inent In airplane inventions and ha
fought In the air on the Belgian battl
front. l did not hear his name whe
he was presented to me, but there wa
something about him that was familia
f0 ma He vyo MANN y aStn 49,.