The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-02-02
By Henry c. Rowland

ger buzzed. There on the doorstep
stood Hunny in a big fur coat, and the
night was mild. Such a call at nearly
midnight was not explained in the sy-
nopsis of our preceding chapters.
I'm A. w. o. L., jack she said.
tits out of my authority" I said.
'Dinkel lost or chewed UP or any
thing?"
mo, he's in the taxi. Could you fly
me down to San Diego and get me
back by nine o'clock tomorrow morn
ing?"..
Matter Of life or death?" I asked.
mo, papa's sailing tomorrow, and I'd
like to see him. He's all I've got that
really counts"
Anything the matter with the skip
per?" I asked. She had told me once
that his heart was not SO good, and
she'd been trying to get him to stop
bombing whales and take it easy.
That's what I want to ascertain" she
said. Hunny spoke like that. HE has
signed a new mate and the man called
on me this evening and said that papa's
heart wa acting badly and he thought
and take some treatment"
Maybe this bird wants to be cap
tain," I suggested.
Tive thought the same," she said.
Hes out in the taxi. Dinkel doesn't
like him."
"Dinkel has his lunches" I said.
We went out to the cab and before
I'd heard what the sailor had to say
I felt like Dinkel about him. Still, he
put up a straight enough line. Capt.
Kerodec was a bad color, he said, and
had dizzy spells and trouble with his
breathing. This mate whose name was
Casey but looked more Mex than Mick
was plainly worried.
Don't tell the skipper I butted in,"
he said, "or he'd shove me on the beach.
Let the lady see for herself. He amt
so good"
It was all irregular, but the ship was
mine and Hunny, free white and twen-
ty-one, if all hogtied to Miracle Pic
lures. Bill Yates would shoot me down
in flames if he knew, but Bill was some
where else. It was a short hop and the
ship all tuned up and the night as per-
feet as you get them out there, which
is plenty. If the skipper showed off and
kicked in Hunny would never speak to
me again.
"All right" I said, "let's go. You want
to come too, Mister Mate?"
If you got room," he said.
"Can do" I told him. I'd bought a
nifty little cabin cruiser on spec and
had just finished tuning her up.
The cab was the ordinary sort and I
looked at the chauffeur without think
ing much about him; the way you
might look at a tire. He was a clean
cut handsome guy with a hard face.
Anybody might be driving a taxi now
adays, but there was something about
the cut Of his jib that belonged to my
crowd. Flyers are different somehow.
They get something up off the ground.
That was just a feeling I had without
giving it any special thought; the way
you might glance at anybody and say:
Looks like a porch climber or card
sharp or soldier or sailor"
We wedged in, Dink purring a little,
but not with pleasure. He didn't care
for the company, but there was nothing
new about that. An actor got chum-
my n evening and laid his hands on
Hunny's shoulder off stage and before
his hand came to rest Dink was hang
ing from his sleeve. As a chaperon
the dachs was thorough. He didn't
argue, but just took hold. He would
bend his long body and do a catapult
take off.
We started out for the field. The
was up, but old, lying on its
back like a slice of melon. No wind
to speak Of. My little ship was all ready
to 60 as I had serviced her that after
noon and fueled up with the idea of
hopping over to Santa Barbara next
morning to show her to a rich, air
minded sport I thought might take a
fancy to her.
There was nobody out at the field
but the Waterman and a couple of
punks that stood in case they were
needed by anybody, and they were max
and hauled out my yacht. The taxi
driver hung round waiting to see us
off, and without giving him any
thought I had a feeling that I'd seen
him before somewhere.
Then, all set to go, Casey close UP in
the seat behind me said: Feel any
thing between your shoulders, guy?"
Air men learn to crowd a lot of
thinking into a second or two, and my
mental speed was as quick on the up
take as most. eyes," I said, land it
don't seem to be in the act"
NO." he said, "and any noise from
you or the lady amt in the sound
track. All you've got to do is what's
directed.
I looked round and saw the shine of
about as big a cannon as a man can
stow on his person, without making
him looked deformed. Hunny was in
her seat, and here was the taxi driver
crowding aboard. He wasn't so hand
some as he'd looked in profile. All that
kept his eyes from making contact was
a noise like a knife blade. He was hid
ing behind a heavy automatic howitzer,
too.
$50 it's like that" I said, land me a
dumb dupe."