Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-03-28
An Emergency
Take-Of
By H. LOUIS RAYBoLD


s La hat (Copyrishto D4
THREE weeks after Mary B.ent's
l. return from a visit to her aunt In
the East, an official looking envelope
arrived through the mall for her fa-
Their but not until he explained all
about 1t did Mary understand.
"While you were away" he told
her, "the Coast-to-Coast Always cor
poration sent couple of men to see
me. It seems that our land lies d.
rectly on the route Of the proposed
transcontinental airline. They were
thinking of using 1t for an emergency
landing field and refuellng station, and
wished to sound me out on the propo-
sltion. This letter states the accept
ance of my terms ua a
Mary's eyes shone. sand that
means we would 60 East to liver
mo, Mary, 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 little money and then,
. too. It is something to become part Of
a 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
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
one brief vacation when she had Wis.,
lted her aunt.
The stay had not been long but It
had given Mary taste of life in
great city. 1t had thrown her mo-
'mentarily with roup Of gay young
people. And 1t 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, 1t 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 an accident occurred
which could have--so 1t seemed at
the tlme-orly the most tragic Of
endings. 1H
In an unguarded moment her father
stepped into a elump Of bunch grass
edglng the field. There was a quick,
terrifying sound from hidden, colled
menace, and John Brent staggered
backwards, pallng under the convlc-
tion that he was as good as dead.
Somehow he got to the house, did
agonlzing things to the deadly pune
lures which the rattler's fangs had
made an inch above his high boots
and bound on tournlquet. 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
S0oGIFqp|6s sl5lBSe OBJ s9a cr asas could
nearest city, "at once?"
The stranger saw In Mary's face
her tremendous need. Certainly" he
said, "Tm--"
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 n 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 horzon-an
entire city spread out below them In
one small patch
Then the plane was dipping, curvlng
to the earth, taking 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, "and there would have
been no chance" @ M
Afterwards, Mary went straight up
to the tall young pilot.
Holding out both her hands which
we're straightway gathered into his,
she tried to thank him. "If II hadn't
been for your emergency landing"
But the young man interrupted with
smile. ut was an emergency take
of, but not an emergency landing
You don't remember me-"
Don't remember your"
II watched you all one evening at
the North Shore Country club dance.
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 .hi away
made up my mind to look you up
hope you don't mindT
And now, | ask you, could any girl
object to a young mana very good
looking young man, too--1ylng more
than halfway across the United
States for the privilege Of seeing her
once more2
There we're times in later years
when Mary teased Alan Paige by say
ing she married him out Of gratitude
for saving her fathers life, but Alan
n I'LL 10. a. 4