The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-04-27

inflated while we watched the fugi-
tive dwindle to a speck upon the
horizon, and had finished that and
was into another yarn Of a kite
which few all the way to Norway,
when the midshipman of the watch
came to announce that boat had
been sent to take me back to my
ship.
IN finish the yarn when l see
you again" said he genially as he
shook my hand at the gangwsy.
Then. as an afterthought, Wouldn't
you like ride in kite? I'm going
to take mine down to the C
tomorrow morning for some repairs.
It'll be just an easy tow with a
trawler-not more'n half An hour
and we'll have a better chance for
yarn without interruptions than
here at sea level
There had been little in the event
uation of few minutes before to
set me yearning for yarn in the
idyllic peacefulness of kite balloon,
whatever facilities it might offer in
the way of freedom from earthly in
terruptions. But the chance, for
more than one reason, was too good
TO let go by. however, so | accepted.
| must confess to feeling much bet
ter over the prospects after a signal
was intercepted late that night, say
ing that a destroyer had picked up,
and was returning to base with. the
two men whom | had seen disappear
over the horizon in the "X--'s'
fugitive.
Ny companion brought his story
down to date" in that neVer-to-b be-
forgotten forty minutes that we sat,
back to back, on the canvas thwarts
OF the basket of his kite, yawing la1-
lily in the gentle beam wind which
carried us off on a course almost
parallel with the towing trawler, way
up above the far-extending lines OF
the Grand Fleet. That story | can
set down here in just the barest out
line, reserying the fascinating anec-
dote with which it was punctuated
and enGvened to record another
time.
Failing 70 get into the cavalry on
account of his stiff legs, he had been
accepted by the Royal Naval Air
Service, in which, in spite OF that
disability, he WAS successful in be-
coming pilot in very few weeks.
Followed an eventful year. The
The slumbrous glow from the bank
ed furnace of battleship as we
passed directly over its yawning
tunnels reminded him OF the target
presented by a factory he had bomb
ed one night in Flanders; the hut-
tering "V" of a landing sea-plane
recalled the time his and German
machine with which he had been
duelling came down to the sea with
in hundred yards of each other,
both temporarily disabled and both
pilots out OF ammunition. His &C
count of how, in lieu OF bullets, they
had discharged impolite epithets at
each other the while they tinkered
their refractory engines was one OF
the funniest things l ever heard.
But soon after that a string OF
machine gun bullets sprayed his
right shoulder, and the jar from the
ragged" landing made as 4 eonSe-
quence, put an end TO his career As
flying man. With his left arm the
only undamsged member of his four
1t had evidently taken some "wrang-
ling to get them to give him a
chance with kite.
Luckily, my nerve don't seem
much shot to pieces yet he said
after he had brought me to com
Portable landing on the deck of the
C" "and so | manage to get on
fairly well. I'm only hoping III
hang together long enough to see
the show through"
Best go easy | cautioned. THE
kites about the last resort, isn't it ?
Not quite he replied with wan
smile. THE last time | was in Lon.
don | saw an ex-soldier with arti.
heial hands and legs Soling boots
Reckon | might have a shy at tha,
If something else gives way
A very fair sample, that, of the
spirit which imbues these young
Americans who have been showing
England what Yankee lighting
| stuff iS