The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-08-04

Mary Dana Webster went to drink
tea with Lynn Dana, an anxious
pucker between her eyes.
"Ardine is perfectly poisonous
about Sarah Lynn"
He shrugged. 'Is it Important"
Probably not, but it disturbs me.
She's such an exceptionally good
hater."
Doubtless. What's the basis of
it,"
Partly disgust at having the ugly
duckling turn into skylark, and
at yielding first place as Danavale's
center of shocked interest, but chief
ly on account of Jim Allison. She
has worked it out in her nasty little
mind that Sarah Lynn, by being
the victim of her joke on Gunnar
Thorwald, is responsible for his
complete and final detection"
Sand that goes deep?"
Apparently. In her predatory
fashion," his young kinswoman said,
"she cares enormously. Did you
know he'd been grounded? Yes.
Drinking. Nice lad, to begin with,
and what mess she's made Of his
life!"
Lynn Dana nodded. "Of every
life she really touches. Poor old
Keaton!"
81 don't think he's ever come
fully out from the ether" his cousin
scorned him.
'But as to Sarah Lynn, I don't
see, Mary-After all, the only two
things in the world which matter to
her are flying and Gunnar Thor
wald. Ardine could no more en-
snare him than she could take an
ak to the plane, much as she would
enjoy both activities. I really don't
see what she can do"
"Well. I don't either, Uncle
Lynn" Her plain and pleasant face
lifted little. "But just the same,
she sort of worries me-"
The parachute jump now held the
limelight in Sarah Lynn's thoughts.
She read and studied and asked
questions and listened eagerly to
Conrad Jordan and the ace, and
Lynn Dana sat in his wheeled-chair
and approved.
Wont it be pretty bulky with two
chutes, one in front and one be-
hindu" she wanted to know.
81 have said I will remove the
door," Gunnar reminded her.
'Then you can dive out, forward,
and that's much handler than back
ing OUT" Conrad Jordan said, light
ing a cigarette. ''Then you'd have
to push your way, with your back
against the door, against the air.
pressure"
Lynn Dana's amused gaze, slight
ly grim, went from one calm speak
er to the other. eff you don't mind,
Sarah Lynn, I'd rather like you to
take whatever precautions suggest
themselves"
"Of course, Uncle Lynn! I want
to be sensible"
Sensible: the small, slight thing
with her clear olive-and-ivory face
and its crowding eyes, her fine, thin
hands relaxed in her lap, planning
this dazzling danger as casually as
her cousins made dates to 60 dane
ing.
''The mental reactions are very
different" her uncle's flying friend
said, Sin premeditated jump and
baling out in an emergency, to save
your life. All the breaks are with
you now. You're going at the thing
scientifically, you have no fear and
no nerves, and prophesy it's going
to be tremendous satisfaction to
you, at the moment and in your
memories. But I want to tell you
frankly that you'll have some bad
minutes before you 60 up" He
leaned forward to knock of, an ash.
Never knew it to fail. The most
hardened jumpers experience it,
though I dare say in most cases
it's purely physical and subcon-
scious. I know young chap at an
airport who does exhibition jumps,
but always before he goes up he
turns deathly pale and his face and
hands twitch. And the minute he
climbs into the ship he's fine"
Like a soldier in the trenches
waiting the command to go over
the top" Lynn Dana contributed.
"Or, remember before a big
game, the agony of waiting, of wish
ing you had elected to play tiddley-
winks instead of football, and the
departure of all doldrums when the
whistle blew"
Exactly. Tremendous relief in
definite action: setting the body into
directional motion toward a deter
mined objective. Physical action
replaces mental; fear evaporates.
My conviction is that with normal
mind danger brings a calm and
alertness and a cleverness far be-
yond ordinary experience"
"That I also believe" the Nor
wegian ace said.
Jordan went on. There's the
case of an English army officer,
years ago. His chute caught in
the ship and tore, leaving only the
harness on him. He didn't know
it, and the motion-pictures showed
him calmly feeling round the har-
ness and rip-cord, trying to figure
why his umbrella didn't open, al
most the whole way to the earth"