The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-06-19
An Emergency
Take-OH
By H. LOUIS RAYBoLD
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
(Copyright.)

|
the East, an official looking envelope
arrived through the mail for her IA
Their but not until he explained all
about it did Mary understand.
"While you were away" he told
her, "the COast-to-Coast Anyways cor
pOration sent a couple of men to see
me. 1t seems that our land lies di-
rectly on the route of the proposed
transcontinental airline. They were
thinking of using it for an emergency
landing field and refunling station, and
wished to sound me out on the prOpO-
sition. This letter states the accept
ance of my terms"
Mary's eyes shone. "And that
means we would go East to live?'
"No, Nary, 1 am afraid not. l am
to have charge here. See that the gas
and oil supply are kept up, beacons
! lighted, weather records made. 1t
means quite a little money and then,
too, it is something to become part of
pioneer industry Of this kind. In
cidentally, it will interfere very little
with the farming"
Ten years before Mary and her
father had left their comfortable
Eastern home to take up life in a
climate better suited to her fathers
health. The step had been of benefit
to him and the two had lived very
happily. Mary kept house, with but
tied her aunt.
The stay had not been long but it
had given Mary taste Of life in a
great city. 1t had thrown her mo-
mentarily with a rCup of gay young
people. And it had made her western
home seem desOlate and remote.
The establishment of an emergency
airport provided the lonesome girl
with something to think about.
For weeks Mary ran hopefully to
the door whenever the throb of a
plane motor came to her ears Then,
gradually, it was borne in upon her
that the airport was for emergencies.
She might live there all her life and
not have one Of the airships that
daily winged overhead actually float
to rest in her front yard.
One afternoon In accident occurred
which could have-so it seemed at
the time-ocly the most tragic of
endngs.
In an unguarded moment her father
stepped into a clump of bunch grass
edging the field. There was a quick,
terrifying sound from hidden, coiled
menace, and John Brent staggered
backwards, paling under the convic-
tion that he was as good as dead.
Somehow he got to the house, did
agonizing things to the deadly pune
lures which the rattler's fangs had
made an inch above his high boots
and bound on a tourniquet. Mary
watched, speeches..
Suddenly, she screamed and ran to
the door. Yes-a plane was actually
circling, was coming down!
1t seemed hours, however, before
the propeller stopped and she could
reach the young man rising from the
cockpit. Then, "Oh," she cried "could
you possibly go to-" she named the
nearest city, "at once?"
The stranger saw in Mnry'S face
her tremendous need. Certainly" he
said, "Fm-"
She grabbed his arm and urged him
towards the house, explaining between
little gasps what had happened.
They managed to get her father into
the plane. There was barely room for
Mary, and as she crouched beside the
pilot she forgot completely that she
had never flown before until quick
lift of the plane made her heart do
: strange things.
A brief spectacle Of the western
range far, far below-a distant line Of
| mountain peaks on the horiZon-an
entire city spread out below them in
one small patch
Then the plane vas dipping. curving
to the earth, taxing down the run
way, coming to stop.
They reached the hospital with no
time to spare. "Ten minutes MORE"
said the doctor who gave the serum to
John Brent, land there would have
been no chance"
Afterwards, Mary went straight up
to the tall young pilot.
Holding out both her hands which
were straightway gathered into his,
she tried to thank him. "If it hadn't
been for your emergency landing"
But the young man interrupted with
a smile. at was an emergency take
off, but not an emergency landing.
You don't remember me-"
Don't remember you?"
81 watched you all one evening at
the North Shore Country club dance.
1 found out who you were and know
ing your aunt, went to call on her
the very next afternoon. You had
left that morning. Shortly afterwards
she told me of the establishing of an
airport on your farm and ri hit away
l made up my mind to look you up.
l hope you don't mind?"
And now, l ask you, could any girl
object to 4 young mana very good
looking young man, tOo-fying more
than halfway across the United
States for the privilege of seeing her
once more?
There were times in later years
when Mary leased Alan Paige by say