Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-02-10
THE FLYER
BY T. B. ANDERSON

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Copyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Union)
No one in the village could under
stand why pretty Althea Dorrance
favored Gale Marston as a sweetheart,
least of all her cross-grained, parsi-
monious. yet wealthy grandfather. He
allowed her no visitors, and when he
found that she was meeting Gale
clandestinely at the rear garden gate.
he surprised the romantic duo and
gave Gale severe dressing down.
IF find you skulking about my
premises again." declared the drastic
old tyro. "I'll get out my shotgunl
You'd better do something in the
world before you think of getting mar
ried.n
The taunt cut deep. To his own
way of thinking, Gale averaged pref
ty well for a young man of twenty
two. He had worked up from entry
clerk TO bOokkeeper, was receiving
quite liberal salary, lived respect.
ably, dressed well and loved Althea,
which was the crux of the situation.
that was the joy that drove away the
despair caused by the cruel and cheer
less opposition of a crusty, mean
souled old man.
do something in the world, Ell"
communosl Gale with himself, as he
saw Althea driven, rather than led.
into the house by her tyrannical rela-
| tive. In teSrs. "What does he mean?
| I'm headed right in a business way
| and they elected me president of the
Merchants club last week. They gave
me a great sendoff in the papers, too
Maybe the old curmudgeon Is think
ing of Darcy Moore, who invented
new collar button and made lot out
| of it. Or that favorite of his, Ben
| Junkin I'll bet that's it Junkin
| has become a professional aviator.
! Mr.. Marston tried to interest -Althea
| In Junkin, but she won't have it. Yes,
| he's limiting at what a superior fell
| low Junkin is His stunts down at
| the aviation training field make the
old man think he's won fame and Is
worthy of winning Althea! Well, it's
| given me an idea"
The young mans idea was soon put
| into execution. He decided to cater
| to the belief that to amount to any
| thing in the world a fellow must be-
/ come a hero, or money success, at
| tain notoriety and get to be looked
| upon as Somebody" The aviation
field seemed sensational and popular.
| They were offering to teach aspIrants
| the way to fly at the field, ten miles
| distant, with q view to training re-
| cruits for the army and postal service
! in the future Gale got q leave of
| absence of two days and went down
1 to ArdmOre.
Ben Junkin was there, the king Of
the roost. so to speak. He was so
| filed with a sense of his own impor-
lance, that he feigned great interest
in Dale's frankly expressed aspiration
| to become an "ace." He flattered the
hopes of the novice and then took one
/ of the expert aviatorS aside.
| "See here, Jim," he said confiden-
| tally, 81 want you to put that fellow
| through the PAGES. He's got the fly
| ing bug. Encourage him. Wear him
| out with the tests
"All right" acceded the other.
Gale Marston never forgot the day
| he put in with these practical jokers.
| They took him to a building where a
| tub-like contrivance wheeled him
/ around on his feet at lightning speed.
| This he was told was done to test any
| tendency towards dizziness. Then he
was swung al0ft on one foot to dis
cover any tendency towards rush Of
| blood TO the head.
| When Jim took him up in the air
| he gave the propellers a tip which
sent the victim rolling to the bottom
| of the pit. Then he made sharp
dive with the machine. yelling out,
cough! I've lost controlr' He al
| lowed the airship to strike the ground
| nose first, and Gale was sent whirling
| twenty feet across the field. BY this
| time Gale began to suspect hOrseplay.
| He righted himself pluckily, sat On
| the ground lit a cigarette and coolly
| remarked:
"F'ine exercise, eh?"
|. He was bruised, he had been fright
| fully scared, he was through with
| aeronautics, but Gale displayed sheer
| pluck TO the last and. limping from
| the field. decided that he would there
after devote his energies distinctly to
| winning Althea exclusively. Nc more
trucking to the prejudices or favOrit-
| ism of the whimsical Josiah Dor
| rance He got word to Althea and
| had stolen interview with her.
A few evenings later Ben Junkin
| was, chuckling over 1.-The course of
sprouts" they had put Gale through.
He narrated it's incidents to Mr.. Dor
| rance.
1.-The fellow showed pluck and nerve.
will admit" he observed, but he
will never be flyer"
whats that, nOw!" exclaimed the
old man, as the chugging of an auto
mobile sounded in the lane behind the
| house.
He looked into the next room where
| he had left Althea quietly sewing
few minutes previous. She was not
there He dashed out through the
garden. An auto was just speeding
| down the lane and he caught sight of
two figures in its seat as it flashed
around lighted street corner. White
and gasping, he dashed into the pres
ence of Ben Junkin..
you Dragged that Gale Marston
was no fiyerw he blurted out. well.
he's stolen a march on me- He has
fed fast enough with Althea !"