Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-12-23
CHAPTER /

CHAPTER i
The strong all pervasive sunlight typ
ical of the tropics suddenly paled to
a sickly ominous yellow, instantly
changing the hue of the waters far be-
low the Curtiss' bottom from a rich
sapphire blue to lifeless olive drab.
eve never shoulda started" shout
ed the flying boats mechanic, his
heavy wind-reddened features taut
with alarm. Don't like the look of
that cloud, and us half way to Cuba"
The pilot, a tall solidly built young
man with a clean, almost Indian-like
cast of feature, nodded his helmeted
head as he bent over the controls, and
for an instant his steel gray eyes flick
cred back over his shoulder to glance
at the mail planes single passenger.
His inspection lasted but moment,
for blast of air, as sudden and vio-
lent as the back draft of a passing
express train, struck the Curtiss from
the right, heeling her over on her side
with wild plunge that all but threw
the pilot and his mechanic from their
seats.
1--WE never shoulda started" repeat
cd the mechanic nervously. eve
shoulda stayed in Miami" and cast
somber glance at the passenger-a
slender young woman who sat appre-
hensively gripping the arms of her
wicker chair and gazing through the
windows at the awesome spectacle
swiftly gathering to the southwest.
The pilot noted with appreciation
the quiet elegance of the cut of her
dark tailored suit to the lapel of which
was attached a strange snowy orchid
such as he, Hugh Struthers, had
never before seen. Evidently, no COM
mon Galanthus orchs would do for
Miss Liette Lincoln-it would have
been as inappropriate with her fragile
and almost ethereal beauty as q dol
lar hat from a Third avenue bargain
basement would have been with her
Goupy blouse Of spotless white silk.
Struthers decided, as he sought to
steady the laundering Curtiss, that
there was something about Liette Lin
coin which made men want to steal a
second, and even a third or fourth
glance; SO, with the menace of at least
= gale bearing down upon the flying
boat, he looked back over the we'll
known leather of his shoulder once
more. In the fading light he had an
impression of small, beautifully
formed mouth which seemed to suffer
in expression from a suggestion of
petulance and i'll temper.
Otherwise the dark, heavily dashed
eyes dominated the fashionable pallor
of the passengers gently oval face.
AS a fresh blast whirled the Curtiss
skywards, the girls eyes flickered to-
ward the cockpit and for the first
time their glances met. Instantly her
small chin shot up and with a shade
of ostentation she returned to her in
spection of the waves, which, momen-
tarily gathering force, now broke into
angry foam-flecked pillows far below.
cts a real hurricane all right"
shouted the mechanic over the roar of
the laboring motors. eve got any
chance o. getting to Havana?"
Through the deepening gloom,
Struthers peered fixedly to windward
q moment to see the ominous black
clouds piling up like a vast and over
whelming mountain on the horizon. He
banked the struggling Curtiss to the
right straight into the rising storm.
well be lucky if we get to Key
West, he cred. Hope the motors
don't conk!" With earh passing in
slant and while the flying boat tossed
like newspaper in the wind, Struth-
ers felt sense of guilt increase. Why
had he against his own judgment al
lowed the big mechanic by his side to
talk him into accepting the enormous
fee offered by their passenger for a
flight to Havana in the face of falling
glass and other ominous signs? Poor,
homely Bill Carnforth, he did need
money so badly. Still, Struthers wish
ed he hadn't given in.
There came a tap on his shoulder.
He risked a quick look sideways and
was vastly surprised to behold the
passenger swaying unsteadily at his
elbow with her dark eyes ablaze with
emotion of some sort and her mouth
set in an angry line. Pointing out of