The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-14
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

got up Thursday morning with flying in my thoughts, for a letter had just come to MT. and Mrs. J. F. Leary, from their son Robert who is in France, tell ing them that recently he had to make a trip to a neighboring city 75 miles away, and it seemed to him that he got there in half hour, but that it took him 30 hours to return by train.
 I was thinking about this new mode of travel on my day downtown, and on arriving at my office, found that Arthur Crowder would call at quarter of 10 to take me to the fairgrounds to welcome tor in charge of the Payne Field. near West Point, Miss, who had telephoned that he would leave at 9 o'clock.
 Now Arthur is an up-to-date citizen and goes about quite good deal, but could see he was "flabergated' and so told him to tell me the cause Of his excitement .Frank,' said he, T confess that I am a bit creepy, for as president of the Chamber of Commerce l nave been writing to Lieutenant Colonel Heard about making Birmingham one of the regular landing places for his school at Payne Field.
 "well, yesterday he wrote me that he would fly over and see what l had to offer. Please remember he wrote about .v.a,.;,,a .ho +r;, fror, Niceisspri to Ala bama a distance of more than 200 miles,
 with as much nonchalance as if he had been a few floors above me in the Jef- ferson County Bank building, and had telephoned that he would stop on his way down. It almost seemed flippant to me- Thursday morning Mrs Heard, accom- panied by Mesdames Lawrence and
 Breckenridge, wives. of ground off cers" (this is the only way know how to distinguish them from 'air offi- cers," and freely confess that know mighty little about army titles and am
 short on army etiquette, but mean both to be polite and respectful were driven through the country by Sergt H. U. Miles, having very pleasant trip, ana
 striking good roads from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham
 On arriving at the grounds we found the party of charming army women awaiting the coming of the skillful ava tor, Mrs. Heard telling us that she had just had a message from her husband as she was leaving the Tutwiler, saying 1 to expect him within an hour. But, said I. ..how will he know where to llight?''s Easy enough" she laughingly 1 replied, flor I phoned him to come down I in fairgrounds about three miles west of the skyscrapers." And she seemed to | think that she had been explicit enough. and that he wouldn't be at all bothered
 bout coming down.
 1 ss
 l I just can't help it. but like to know
 about peoples kinfolks whom l meet and I was soon putting Mrs Heare through civil service examination as | to her own and her husbands relations It's a kind of joke among the news paper boys that "Doc." as they call me 1 has a way of knowing all the celebrities l wbo come to town thought for once
 was to meet perfect stranger but
 before many minutes I was pleased te ] find my luck was to hold.
 Now. who do you reckon Lieutenan l Colonel A. w. Heard, the man in charge I os Payne Field. the aviation camp whicl puts the finishing touches on the avia tors and sends them direct to France t ] f,y for Uncle Sam. is? Why, he is non' ] other than one of our own Birmingham fl tboys who graduated at the High school land whose father. a colonel in the regu lar army, was neighbor of mine ant
 < relative of very dear friend who hat written me to look him up when he cam lhere to take charge of the army recruit linz station. We used to walk to towi together frequently. and remembere'
 well his likeable young boys.
 I was glad to meet this fine lad, nov
 grown into the best type of our youn
 lighting manhood who, following in tn
 steps of his courageous father. chos