Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-01
ATrue
FOrecaSter
By ETHEL HOLMES
Copyright. 1917. western Newspaper Union

education my father said to m n
day:
Louise, l am going to bring home a
guest to dinner today"
l was the housekeeper and this
meant that the meal should be served
for IN 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, l am not certain which; you
may give me your opinion after you
have seen him."
When Mr.. Langford came I saw
nothing unusual in his appearance. In
deed Ne 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 took
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 1t than in me. The subject
on his mind was engines, about which
I was absolutely ignorant.
During the dinner he hoped about
from one subject to another like a bird
in a tree. At one moment 1t was
.'heavier than air." the next something
that would go a hundred miles an
hour, and the next-heaven knows
what. l think 1t was about gas bags.
I 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, l shall have to ask you to
entertain Mr.. Langford for awhile; I
have some letters to write that can't
be put Off"
Great heavensi I entertain Mr..
Langford, with his "gas bags" and
heavier then air. talk. l gave father
an annihilating look, but 1t produced no.
effect. He went upstairs to his den
and I led Mr.. Langford into the draw
ing room. He came down from his gas
bags and became for a few minutes a
very different person.
II must apologize" he said, "for talk
LIE aDOo AAot JOo NAAhOS ~
expected to understand"
"What In the world were you talk
ing about anyway?' I asked.
"Navigating the air; I expect to see
the day when a man will fly like a
bird"
I made up my mind at one that If
ne was either a fool or a genius, he
was a fool.
II am looking forward" he on
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 soar over
mountains. In war there will be no
need for scouts to report on the posi-
ton and strength of an enemy. Men
will go up in flying machines and take
photographs of a whole battlefield. OF
course, there will be men oil both
sides, and they will fight to drive each
other away"
There was q far-away look in his
eye when he said this and l began to
suspect that he was insane.
81 can see," he went on, thousands
of these flying machines pitted against
thousands on the other side firing at
one another, now and again n drop
ping to the earth. some of them max
ing gradual descents either on a slant
or in circles. These battles above the
clouds
"Wil you c me a moment, Mr..
Langford," I interrupted, 81 wish to
speak with my father"
I Aa1 from him uncfairc IN father
"Papa,' 1 said, put of breath, II dare
not stay one moment longer alone with
that man. He is a lunatic."
"Why do you think that?' asked
father.
l told papa what the man had said
about men fighting up In the air.
Tile is an enthusiast, my dear; l
don't think his mind is affected"
ST AM not going back without you,
papa when he was talking about
those battles in the clouds he fright
ened me-"
'Dell, go down again; when I finish
this letter I'll join you"
I returned to the drawing room. /
fancied Mr.. Langford had surmised
that he had gone too far with his non
sense about going up in the air. AT
any rate he talked to me delightfully."-
on other subjects. I forgot his weak
spot and enjoyed the rest of the time
I spent with him immensely. That
night / went to bed with my brain In
a whirl and dreamed that l was fitting
about up in the sky.
All this happened, as I have said,
years ago. / was recently invited to
an a%eronautic exhibition and was in
troduced to a man who had been prom
inent in airplane inventions and had
fought in the air on the Belgian battle
front. l did not hear his name when
he wa presented to me, but there was