American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-04-18

caught the gllmmer Of the einna-
Coventry studs.
Then Ashcroft pushed swiftly ty ME
and | followed him into the light.
We terrorized them for u moment
to tell the truth. we were a strange
sight, in our long rubber %cloalls, and
vizor caps and the masks across our
faces.
The butler near the door must have
made some movement, for Ashcroft's
revolver barked sharply and the fell
low coughed and clawed and crnmpled
across a little table full of empty
dishes.
MY lord rose slowly to his feet and
his horid face worked in fury. He
was no coward. if he did have other
defects.
..What do you wantf' he said.
Ashcroft waited until the little
wreath of acrid smoke had lifted and
then stepped forward.
We had no time to lose now. 1t
was unfortunate that we had to Kill
the butler. No doubt the sharp report
had reused the curiosity of some In
auisitive citizens, and 1t was only a
matter of time when help might appear
on the roof.
"You will unfasten your shirt-studs
and drop them on the table in front
of YOU" he said CURLY.
He waved his pistol and the rest
skunk back. And then while | covered
them, he went swiftly to Mrs. Calen-
dar and undid the necklace, holding 1t
up for a moment in the light In a sort
Of glOating satisfaction, n then
slipped. it into his pocket.
I swept the studs into the palm Of
my hand.
There were six Of them, large and
blue-white, and they clinked together
unsteady as l took them. ! could see
the lord of Coventry quivering in i'm
potent rage with his hands above his
head then Ashcroft whistled and we
backed through the s%hrubbery.
How we half-ran, half-stumblee
across the black darkness of the rooft
| do not remember.
| recollect Ashcroft working with
sobbing curses at the propellers, the.
sudden roar of the Gnome as she spun
in a shrieking circle, we rolled for
ward, shot over the edge, dipped with
Il sickening sensation to what seemed
certain destructiOn-caught the wind
on our forward planes and mounted
steadily.
For a moment there was a splendid
sensation in it all, a sense of power
and disdain for the impotent little
things that ran and shouted In the
streets a thousand feet below us and
turned up white faces in the yellow
lights, g~esticulating ~comically.
| think they shot at us.
When we had got up 1000 feet we
turned a little, and / could just maks
out the dark outline of Staten Island
in the bay below.
Then the Will-o'the-Wisp qulvered
swerved and shot upward in an odd
manner.
| turned to Ashcroft.
He had slumped in a grOtesque man
ned to the back of the seat, and there
was a trickle of blood running down
the shoulder of his coat. A sudden
gust of wind rocked the aeroplane to
one side and we dropped and shot for
ward with frightful speed down an
invisible tobOggan.
With a desperate effort I righted
the planes, and for an instant we sang
along steadily.
: Then l lost control.
Two thousand feet in the air I lost
control of the %aeroplane. Another de.
scent and another upward lurch az
recovered. We were rocking f%urlOusly
: low.
| dared to glance down. What
/. saw was that Ashcroft had fallen sc
that the engine connection was be
yond my reach. l could not stop 1t
: A sudden glare blinded my eyes.
: The Will-o'the-Wisp had dropped
into the path of the searchlight, anC
! for an instant l looked down into th'
, heart of the dazzling radiance.
v must have raised the planes again
= for we shot upward, the searchllSh
III w. alih L htu llllO lue hHtHoc
helpless on the back of the throbbfnI
u monster with n dead man for a pas
Senger.
! Then there came a crack from some
where in the. maze of wires that nette,
q and crossed behind me.
y In the white glare as the searchligh
caught us again, Ashcroft's eyes locke,
p up at me in an unseeing manner.
m | think 1t was the left wing tina
n gave way the Will-o'-the-Wi rice
" chetted from side to side In a drunke
~ fashion-collapsed in mid-air, aud the
turned over and over and hurtIe
downward.
W ! don't know how l managed It.
5. The shock of the water revived me
re- bit was more dazed than hurt-an
d there were one or two bits of wreckag
W floating about after | managed to div