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diff --git a/old/53386-0.txt b/old/53386-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 15213ac..0000000 --- a/old/53386-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6378 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Girl, by Edith Van Dyne - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Flying Girl - -Author: Edith Van Dyne - -Illustrator: Joseph Pierre Nuyttens - -Release Date: October 28, 2016 [EBook #53386] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLYING GIRL *** - - - - -Produced by Mary Glenn Krause, Chris Curnow, ellinora and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images -made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - - Transcriber’s Note - - Obvious typos and punctuation errors corrected, otherwise, variations - in spelling retained. - Italic text is represented by underscores surrounding the _italic - text_. - Bold text is represented by equals signs surrounding the =bold text=. - Small capitals have been converted to ALL CAPS. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Flying Girl - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: “ORISSA—THE FLYING GIRL.”] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Flying Girl - - BY - - EDITH VAN DYNE - - Author of - - Aunt Jane’s Nieces, Aunt Jane’s Nieces Abroad, Aunt Jane’s Nieces at - Millville, Aunt Jane’s Nieces at Work, Aunt Jane’s Nieces - in Society, Aunt Jane’s Nieces and Uncle John - - Illustrated by Joseph Pierre Nuyttens - - [Illustration] - - Publishers - The Reilly & Britton Co. - Chicago - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Copyright 1911 - by - The Reilly & Britton Co. - - _The Flying Girl_ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I ORISSA 13 - II A DISCIPLE OF AVIATION 20 - III THE KANE AIRCRAFT 32 - IV MR. BURTHON IS CONFIDENTIAL 38 - V BETWEEN MAN AND MAN—AND A GIRL 47 - VI A BUCKING BIPLANE 55 - VII SOMETHING WRONG 62 - VIII MR. BURTHON’S PROPOSITION 71 - IX THE OTHER FELLOW 78 - X A FRESH START 83 - XI ORISSA RESIGNS 89 - XII THE SPYING OF TOT TYLER 96 - XIII SYBIL IS CRITICAL 105 - XIV THE FLYING FEVER 113 - XV A FINAL TEST 122 - XVI THE OPENING GUN 132 - XVII A CURIOUS ACCIDENT 139 - XVIII THE ONE TO BLAME 144 - XIX PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 155 - XX UNCLE AND NIECE 164 - XXI MR. H. CHESTERTON RADLEY-TODD 174 - XXII THE FLYING GIRL 184 - XXIII A BATTLE IN THE AIR 192 - XXIV THE CRIMINAL 202 - XXV THE REAL HEROINE 215 - XXVI OF COURSE 222 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - “Orissa—The Flying Girl” _Frontispiece_ - Orissa stood with hands clasped 64 - “It—interests me” 124 - The rescue 197 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FOREWORD - - -The author wishes to acknowledge her indebtedness to Mr. Glenn H. -Curtiss and Mr. Wilbur Wright for courtesies extended during the -preparation of this manuscript. These skillful and clever aviators, -pioneers to whom the Art of Flying owes a colossal debt, do not laugh at -any suggestion concerning the future of the aëroplane, for they -recognize the fact that the discoveries and inventions of the next year -may surpass all that have gone before. The world is agog with wonder at -what has been accomplished; even now it is anticipating the time when -vehicles of the air will be more numerous than are automobiles to-day. - -The American youth has been no more interested in the development of the -science of aviation than the American girl; she is in evidence at every -meet where aëroplanes congregate, and already recognizes her competence -to operate successfully any aircraft that a man can manage. So the story -of Orissa Kane’s feats has little exaggeration except in actual -accomplishment, and it is possible her ventures may be emulated even -before this book is out of press. There are twenty women aviators in -Europe; in America are thousands of girls ambitious to become aviators. - -An apology may be due those gentlemen who performed so many brilliant -feats at the 1911 meet at Dominguez, for having thrust them somewhat -into the shade to allow the story to exalt its heroine; but they will -understand the exigencies that required this seeming discourtesy and -will, the author is sure, generously pardon her. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Flying Girl - - - - - CHAPTER I - - ORISSA - - -“May I go now, Mr. Burthon?” asked Orissa. - -He looked up from his desk, stared a moment and nodded. It is doubtful -if he saw the girl, for his eyes had an introspective expression. - -Orissa went to a cabinet wardrobe and took down her coat and hat. -Turning around to put them on she moved a chair, which squeaked on the -polished floor. The sound made Mr. Burthon shudder, and aroused him as -her speech had not done. - -“Why, Miss Kane!” he exclaimed, regarding her with surprise, “it is only -four o’clock.” - -“I know, sir,” said Orissa uneasily, “but the mail is ready and all the -deeds and transfers have been made out for you to sign. I—I wanted an -extra hour, to-night, so I worked during lunch time.” - -“Oh; very well,” he said, stiffly. “But I do not approve this -irregularity, Miss Kane, and you may as well understand it. I engage -your services by the week, and expect you to keep regular hours.” - -“I won’t go, then,” she replied, turning to hang up her coat. - -“Yes, you will. For this afternoon I excuse you,” he said, turning again -to his papers. - -Orissa did not wish to offend her employer. Indeed, she could not afford -to. This was her first position, and because she was young and girlish -in appearance she had found it difficult to secure a place. Perhaps it -was because she had applied to Mr. Burthon during one of his fits of -abstraction that she obtained the position at all; but she was competent -to do her work and performed it so much better than any “secretary” the -real estate agent had before had that he would have been as loth to lose -her as she was to be dismissed. But Orissa did not know that, and -hesitated what to do. - -“Run along, Miss Kane,” said her employer, impatiently; “I insist upon -it—for to-night.” - -So, being very anxious to get home early, the girl accepted the -permission and left the office, feeling however a little guilty for -having abridged her time there. - -She had a long ride before her. Leaving the office at four o’clock meant -reaching home forty minutes later; so she hurried across the street and -boarded a car marked “Beverly.” Los Angeles is a big city, because it is -spread from the Pacific Ocean to the mountains—an extreme distance of -more than thirty miles. Yet it is of larger extent than that would -indicate, as country villages for many miles in every direction are -really suburbs of the metropolis of Southern California and the -inhabitants ride daily into the city for business or shopping. - -It was toward one of these outlying districts that Orissa Kane was now -bound. They have rapid transit in the Southwest, and the car, headed -toward the north but ultimately destined to reach the sea by way of -several villages, fairly flew along the tracks. It was August and a -glaring sun held possession of a cloudless sky; but the ocean breeze, -which always arrives punctually the middle of the afternoon, rendered -the air balmy and invigorating. - -It was seldom that this young girl appeared anywhere in public without -attracting the attention of any who chanced to glance into her sweet -face. Its contour was almost perfect and the coloring exquisite. In -addition she had a slender form which she carried with exceeding grace -and a modest, winning demeanor that was more demure and unconscious than -shy. - -Such a charming personality should have been clothed in handsome -raiment; but, alas, poor Orissa’s gown was the simplest of cheap lawns, -and of the ready-made variety the department stores sell in their -basements. It was not unbecoming, nor was the coarse straw hat with its -yard of cotton-back ribbon; yet the case was stated to-day very -succinctly by a middle-aged gentleman who sat with his wife in the car -seat just behind Orissa: - -“If that girl was our daughter,” said he, “I’d dress her nicely if it -took half my income to do it. Great Cæsar! hasn’t she anyone to love -her, or care for her? She seems to me like a beautiful piece of -bric-a-brac; something to set on a pedestal and deck with jewels and -laces, for all to admire.” - -“Pshaw!” returned the lady; “a girl like that will be admired, whatever -she wears.” - -Orissa had plenty of love, bestowed by those nearest and dearest to her, -but circumstances had reduced the family fortunes to a minimum and the -girl was herself to blame for a share of the poverty the Kanes now -endured. - -The car let her off at a wayside station between two villages. It was in -a depression that might properly be termed a valley, though of small -extent, and as the car rushed on and left her standing beside a group of -tall palms it at first appeared there were no houses at all in the -neighborhood. - -But that was not so; a well defined path led into a thicket of -evergreens and then wound through a large orange orchard. Beyond this -was a vine covered bungalow of the type so universal in California; -artistic to view but quite inexpensive in construction. - -High hedges of privet surrounded the place, but above this, in the space -back of the house, rose the canvas covered top of a huge shed—something -so unusual and inappropriate in a place of this character that it would -have caused a stranger to pause and gape with astonishment. - -Orissa, however, merely glanced at the tent-like structure as she -hurried along the path. She turned in at the open door of the bungalow, -tossed hat and jacket into a chair and then went to where a sweet-faced -woman sat in a morris chair knitting. In a moment you would guess she -was Orissa’s mother, for although the features were worn and thin there -was a striking resemblance between them and those of the fresh young -girl stooping to kiss her. Mrs. Kane’s eyes were the same turquoise blue -as her daughter’s; but, although bright and wide open they lacked any -expression, for they saw nothing at all in our big, beautiful world. - -“Aren’t you early, dear?” she asked. - -“A whole hour,” said Orissa. “But I promised Steve I’d try to get home -at this time, for he wants me to help him. Can I do anything for you -first, mamma?” - -“No,” was the reply; “I am quite comfortable. Run along, if Steve wants -you.” Then she added, in a playful tone: “Will there be any supper -to-night?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed! I’ll break away in good season, never fear. Last night -I got into the crush of the ‘rush hour,’ and the car was detained, so -both Steve and I forgot all about supper. I’ll run and change my dress -now.” - -“I’m afraid the boy is working too hard,” said Mrs. Kane, sighing. “The -days are not half long enough for him, and he keeps in his workshop, or -hangar, or whatever you call it, half the night.” - -“True,” returned Orissa, with a laugh; “but it is not work for Steve, -you know; it’s play. He’s like a child with a new toy.” - -“I hope it will not prove a toy, in the end,” remarked Mrs. Kane, -gravely. “So much depends upon his success.” - -“Don’t worry, dear,” said the girl, brightly. “Steve is making our -fortune, I’m sure.” - -But as she discarded the lawn for a dark gingham in her little chamber, -Orissa’s face was more serious than her words and she wondered—as she -had wondered hundreds of times—whether her brother’s great venture would -bring them ruin or fortune. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II - - A DISCIPLE OF AVIATION - - -The Kanes had come to California some three years previous because of -Mr. Kane’s impaired health. He had been the manager of an important -manufacturing company in the East, on a large salary for many years, and -his family had lived royally and his children been given the best -education that money could procure. Orissa attended a famous girls’ -school and Stephen went to college. But suddenly the father’s health -broke and his physicians offered no hope for his life unless he at once -migrated to a sunny clime where he might be always in the open air. He -came to California and invested all his savings—not a great deal—in the -orange ranch. Three months later he died, leaving his blind wife and two -children without any financial resources except what might be gleaned -from the ranch. Fortunately the boy, Stephen, had just finished his -engineering course at Cornell and was equipped—theoretically, at -least—to begin a career with one of the best paying professions known to -modern times. Mechanical to his finger tips, Stephen Kane had eagerly -absorbed every bit of information placed before him and had been -graduated so well that a fine position was offered him in New York, with -opportunity for rapid advancement. - -Mr. Kane’s death prevented the young man from accepting this desirable -offer. He was obliged to go to Los Angeles to care for his mother and -sister. It was a difficult situation for an inexperienced boy to face, -but he attacked the problem with the same manly courage that had enabled -him to conquer Euclid and Calculus at school, and in the end arranged -his father’s affairs fairly well. - -The oranges from the ranch would give them a net income of about two -thousand dollars a year, which was far from meaning poverty, although -much less than the family expenditures had previously been. There were -other fruits on the place, an ample vegetable garden and a flock of -chickens, so the Kanes believed they would live very comfortably on -their income. In addition to this, Steve could earn a salary as a -mechanical engineer, or at least he believed he could. - -He found, however, after many unsuccessful attempts, that his -professional field was amply covered by experienced men, and as a -temporary makeshift he was finally driven to accept a position in an -automobile repair shop. - -“It’s an awful comedown, Ris,” he said to Orissa, his confidant, “but I -can’t afford to loaf any longer, you know, and the pay is almost as much -as a young engineer gets to start with. So I’ll tackle it and keep my -eye open for something better.” - -While Stephen was employed in this repair shop a famous aviator named -Willard came to town with his aëroplane and met with an accident that -badly disabled his machine. Although aviators have marked Southern -California as their chosen field from the beginning, because one may fly -there all winter, there was not a place in the city where a specialty -was made of repairing airships. Naturally Mr. Willard sought an -automobile repair shop as the one place most liable to supply his needs. - -The manager shook his head. - -“We know nothing about biplanes,” he confessed. - -“Pardon me, sir,” said Stephen Kane, who was present, “I know something -about airships, and I am sure I can repair Mr. Willard’s, if you will -take the job.” - -The aviator turned to him gratefully. - -“Thank you,” he said; “I’ll put my machine in your hands. What -experience have you had with biplanes of this type?” - -“None at all,” was the answer; “but I am sure you will not find an -experienced airship man in this city. I’ve studied the devices, though, -ever since Montgomery made his first flights, and as we have all the -requisite tools and machinery here I am sure, with your assistance and -direction, I can readily put your machine into perfect condition.” - -He did, performing the work excellently. Before long another biplane -needed repairs, and Stephen was recommended by Mr. Willard. Later a -Curtiss machine came under Steve’s hands, and then an Antoinette -monoplane. The manager raised the young fellow’s salary, proud that he -had a man competent to repair these new-fangled inventions which were -creating such a stir throughout the country. - -Stephen Kane might have continued to follow the calling of an expert -aëroplane doctor with marked success, had he been an ordinary young -mechanic. But the air castles he had built at college were not all -dissipated, as yet, and aside from possessing decided talent as a -workman Steve had an inventive genius that promised great things for his -future. By the time he had taken a half dozen different aëroplanes apart -and repaired them he had a thorough knowledge of their construction and -requirements, and the best of them seemed to him wholly inadequate for -the purpose for which they were planned. - -“The fact is, Ris,” he said to Orissa one evening, after he had been -poring over a book on air currents, “the airships of to-day are all -experimental, and chock full of mistakes. No two are anywhere near -alike, and each man thinks he has the only correct mechanism.” - -“But they fly,” answered the girl, who was keenly interested in the -subject of aviation and had twice been down to the shop to examine the -aëroplanes Steve was repairing. - -“So they do; they fly, after a fashion,” admitted the young man, “which -fully proves the thing can be accomplished. But present machines are all -too complicated, and the planes seem to have been shaped by guesswork, -rather than common sense. They fuss with motors and propellers and -ignore the sustaining mechanism, which is the most vital principle of -all. Some day we shall see the sky full of successful aviators, and -flying will be as common as automobiling now is; but when that time -comes we shall laugh at the crude devices they brag of to-day.” - -“That may be true,” returned the girl, thoughtfully; “but isn’t it true -of every great invention, that the first models are imperfect?” - -“Quite true,” said he. “I can make a better biplane than any I have -seen, but I admit that had I not had the advantage of seeing any I might -have blundered as all the rest seem to have done.” - -“Why don’t you make one, Steve?” asked Orissa impulsively. “If aviation -is going to become general the man who builds the best aëroplane will -make his fortune.” - -Steve flushed and rose to tramp up and down the room before he answered. -Then he stopped before his sister and said in low, intense accents: - -“I long to make one, Orissa! The idea has taken possession of my -thoughts until it has almost driven me crazy. I can make a machine that -will fly better and be more safe and practical than either the Wright or -Curtiss machines. But the thing is impossible. I—I haven’t the money.” - -Orissa sat staring at the rug for a long time. Finally she asked: - -“How much money would it take, Steve?” - -He hesitated. - -“I don’t know. I’ve never figured it out. What’s the use?” - -“There is use in everything,” declared his sister, calmly. “Get to work -and figure. Find out how much you need, and then we’ll see if we can -manage it.” - -He gazed at her as if bewildered. Then he turned and left the room -without a word. - -A few evenings later he handed her an estimate. - -“I think it could be done for three thousand dollars,” he remarked. -“Which means, of course, it can’t be done at all.” - -Orissa took the paper without replying and pondered over it for several -days. She was only seventeen, but had inherited her father’s clear, -business-grasping mind, and would have been an essentially practical -girl had not her youth and inexperience lent her some illusions that -time would dissipate. - -Stephen posed as the “head of the family;” but Orissa really directed -its finances, poor Mrs. Kane being so helpless that her children never -depended upon her for counsel but on the contrary kept all business -matters from her, lest she worry over them. The one maid employed in the -bungalow served Mrs. Kane almost exclusively, while Orissa always had -devoted much time to her mother, who had been stricken blind at the time -of her daughter’s birth. - -One evening, when brother and sister were in the garden together, the -girl said: - -“I believe I have discovered a plan that will permit you to build your -airship. What is it to be, Steve; a biplane or a monoplane?” - -“Let me hear your plan,” was the eager reply. - -“Well, I’ve been to see Mr. Wentworth, and he will advance us fifteen -hundred on our orange crop, by discounting the price ten per cent. He -came and looked at the trees and said they were safe to pay us at least -twenty-three hundred dollars next February.” - -“But—Orissa!—how could we live, with our income cut down that way—to a -mere seven or eight hundred dollars?” - -“I’m going to work,” she said quietly. “I’m tired of doing nothing but -dig around the garden and cook. Mamma doesn’t need me, at least during -the day, so I’m going into business.” - -Steve smiled. - -“_You_ work, Orissa? What on earth could you do?” - -“I’ll find something to do. And my salary, added to yours, will make up -for the loss of the orange money. We must economize, of course; but when -we’ve such a big deal on hand—one that will make our fortune—we can put -up with a few temporary discomforts.” - -“But fifteen hundred won’t build the thing, that is certain,” he said, -with a sigh. “I’ve got to construct an entirely new motor—engine and -all—and some original propellers and elevators, and the patterns and -castings for these will be rather expensive.” - -“Well, by the time the fifteen hundred are gone,” she replied, “you will -know exactly how much more money is needed, and we will mortgage the -place for that amount.” - -“Rubbish!” cried Stephen, impatiently. “I won’t listen an instant to -such a wild plan. Suppose I fail?” - -“Oh, if you’re going to fail we won’t undertake it,” said his sister. -“You claimed you could make a better airship than the Curtiss or the -Wright—either one of which is worth a fortune—and I believed you. If you -were only joking, Steve, we won’t talk of it any more.” - -“I wasn’t joking; or bragging, either; you know that, Orissa. I’m pretty -sure of my idea; but it’s untried. I’ve bought all the books on aviation -I can find and I’ve been reading of Professor Montgomery’s discovery of -the laws of air currents and his theories concerning them. They’re only -primers, dear, for the science of aviation is as yet unwritten. That is -why I cannot speak with perfect assurance; but the more I look into the -thing the more positive I am that I’ve hit upon the right idea of aërial -navigation.” - -“What is your idea?” she asked. - -“To simplify the construction of the craft. The present devices are all -too complicated and keep the aviator too busy while he’s in the air.” - -“In other words, he’s all up in the air while he’s up in the air,” she -remarked. - -“Precisely. Most of his time is required to maintain a lateral balance, -so as not to tip over or lose control. I’m to have a simpler -construction, an automatic balance, and a plane only large enough to -support the machinery and the aviator.” - -“If you can manage that,” said Orissa, “we’re not taking any chances.” - -He sat with furrowed brow, thinking deeply. Finally he said in a -decisive way: - -“Nothing is certain until it is accomplished. I won’t take the risk of -making you and mother paupers. Please don’t speak of the thing again, -Ris.” - -Orissa didn’t; but Steve did, about a month later. A great aviation meet -had been arranged at Dominguez Field, near Los Angeles and only a few -miles from their own home. The event, which was destined to be an epoch -in the history of aviation, brought many famous aviators to the city -with their machines, among them a Frenchman named Paulhan, with whom -Stephen soon became acquainted. An examination of Paulhan’s machine, a -Farman of the latest type, which had already performed marvels, served -to convince the boy that his own ideas were not only practical but -destined soon to be discovered and applied by someone else if he himself -failed to take advantage of the time and opportunity to utilize them. -With that argument to calm any misgivings that he might perhaps fail, -coupled with an eagerness to build his invention that drove him to -forsake caution, Steve went to Orissa one day and said: - -“All right, dear; I’m going to undertake the thing. Can you still get -Mr. Wentworth to advance the money?” - -“I think so,” she replied. - -“Then get it, and I’ll start work at once. The drawings are already -complete,” and he showed them to her, neatly traced in comprehensive -detail. - -Most girls would have been bewildered by the technicalities and passed -the drawings with a glance; but Orissa understood how important to them -all this venture was destined to be, so she sat down and studied the -designs minutely, making her brother explain anything she found the -least puzzling. By this time the girl had made herself familiar with the -latest modern improvements in aëroplanes and had personally examined -several of the best devices, so she was able to catch the true value of -Stephen’s idea and immediately became as enthusiastic as he was. - -The money was raised and placed by Stephen in a bank where he could draw -upon it as he needed it. Mrs. Kane concurred mildly in the plans when -they were explained to her, being accustomed to lean upon Orissa and -Stephen and to accept their judgment without protest. Aviation was all -Greek to the poor woman and she did not bother her head trying to -understand why people wanted to fly, or how they might accomplish their -desire. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE KANE AIRCRAFT - - -Stephen set up his workshop at home, devoting his evenings to the new -aëroplane. Progress was necessarily slow, as four or five hours out of -each twenty-four were all he could devote to his enterprise. - -The boy was still employed in this manner when the Aviation Meet was -held at Dominguez Field and Paulhan accomplished the wonderful flights -that made him world famous. Of course, Orissa and Stephen were present -and did not miss a single event. On the grand stand beside them sat a -young fellow Stephen had often met at the automobile shop, a chauffeur -named Arch Hoxsey. It was the first time Hoxsey had ever seen an -aëroplane, and neither he nor Stephen could guess that within one year -this novice would become the greatest aviator in all the world. These -are days when, comet-like, a heretofore unknown aviator appears, -accomplishes marvels and disappears, eclipsed by some new master of the -art of flying. It is the same way with aëroplanes; the leading one -to-day is within a brief period destined to be surpassed by a greatly -improved machine. - -The enthusiasm of the Kanes rose to fever heat in witnessing this -exhibition, at the time the most remarkable ever held in the annals of -aviation. Afterward they counseled together very seriously and agreed -that it would be better for Steve to resign his position at the shop and -devote his whole time to his aëroplane, in which he had now more -confidence than ever. - -He applied for patents on his various devices and the complete machine, -being fearful that someone else might adopt his ideas before he could -finish his first aëroplane; yet at the same time he observed the utmost -secrecy as to the work on which he was engaged and admitted no person -except Orissa to the garden, where he had set up his hangar and shop. - -The girl had been for some time persistently seeking employment, for now -that Steve had ceased to be a breadwinner it was more important than -ever for her to earn money. By good fortune she was engaged by Mr. -Burthon as his secretary the very week following her brother’s -retirement. - -Steve’s expenses were growing greater, however, and Orissa began -figuring on “ways and means.” Their life in this retired place was so -simple that she believed her mother could do without the maid and -questioned her on the subject. Mrs. Kane declared she preferred to be -alone, if Orissa felt she could prepare the breakfasts and dinners -unaided. Luncheons at home were very plain affairs and Steve readily -agreed to come into the house at noon and get a bite for himself and his -mother. So the maid was dismissed and a considerable expense eliminated. - -During the summer construction of the airship progressed more rapidly -and, after the motors were completed and tested and found to be nearly -perfect, Steve began to model the planes and perfect his automatic -balance. - -It was hard work sometimes for Orissa to sit in the office and keep her -mind on her work when she knew her brother was completing or testing -some important detail of the aëroplane, but she held herself in rigid -restraint and succeeded in giving satisfaction to her employer. - -On the August afternoon on which our story opens Stephen Kane was to -begin the final assembling of the parts of his machine, after which he -could test it in real flight. He needed Orissa’s assistance to help him -handle some of the huge ribbed planes, and so she had promised to come -home early. - -It was not long before she entered the hangar, arrayed in her old -gingham, which allowed her to move freely. The two became so interested -that Mrs. Kane almost missed her dinner in spite of the girl’s promise; -but Orissa did manage to tear herself away from the fascinating task -long enough to prepare the meal and serve it. Steve came in and tried to -eat, for he was at a point where he could do nothing without his -sister’s help; but neither of them was able to swallow more than a -morsel, and as quickly as possible hurried back to their work. - -Mrs. Kane, although totally blind, knew her way about the house -perfectly and was able to take care of herself in nearly all ways; so -when bedtime came she abandoned her monotonous knitting, played a few -pieces on the pianoforte—one of her few amusements—and then calmly -retired for the night. She never worried over the “children,” believing -they were competent to care for themselves. - -It was long past midnight before Steve got to a point where he could -continue without Orissa. “In about three days more,” he said, as they -washed up and prepared to adjourn to the house, “I will be able to make -my first flight. Shall we wait till Sunday, Ris, or will you take a day -off?” - -“Oh, not Sunday,” she replied. However eager her brother might be she -had never yet allowed him to work a moment on a Sunday, and Steve -deferred to her wishes in this regard. “We’re pretty busy at the office -and Mr. Burthon was inclined to be a little cranky to-day; but I’ll -manage it somehow, just as soon as you are ready.” - -“What sort of a fellow is Burthon?” asked her brother, somewhat -curiously. - -“Why, he stands well in the business world, I’m told, and is very -successful in handling large tracts of real estate,” she replied. “Also, -he seems a gentleman by birth and breeding, yet a queerer man I never -met. His chief peculiarity is in being very absent-minded, but he does -other odd things. Yesterday he refused to sell a piece of land to a -customer because he did not like him, and he told the man so with rude -frankness. One day I discovered he had cheated another man out of six -hundred dollars. I called his attention to what I described as a -‘mistake,’ and he said he robbed the man on purpose, because he had been -snobbish and overbearing. He gave the six hundred dollars to a poor -woman to build her a house with, saying to me that he had once committed -a serious crime for which this was in part penance, and soon after he -platted a lot of swamp land down near San Pedro and advertised it as -‘desirable residence property.’ Really, Steve, I can’t quite make out -Mr. Burthon.” - -“He seems to have good and bad points, from what you say,” observed her -brother, “and I judge the two qualities are about evenly mixed. Is he -nice to you, Ris?” - -“He is always polite and respectful, but most of the time he doesn’t -know I’m in existence. When he gets one of his absorbed fits his eyes -look right through me, as if I wasn’t there.” - -“Perhaps he is thinking out some big schemes. Is he a rich man?” - -“He is said to be quite wealthy. But he is an old bachelor, and the girl -across the hall says he lives at a club, goes to the theater every night -and drinks more than is good for him. I hardly believe that last, Steve, -for Mr. Burthon doesn’t look a bit like a drinking man.” - -“Perhaps he’s a morphine fiend. That would make him absent-minded, you -know.” - -“No; when he’s aroused his head is clear as a bell and he drives a -shrewd bargain. Do you know, Steve, I’m inclined to think that speech of -his was in earnest, although he laughed harshly at the time, and -that—that—” - -“That what?” - -“That at some time or other he has committed some crime that worries -him.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - MR. BURTHON IS CONFIDENTIAL - - -Orissa was tired next day and she blundered several times in copying -deeds and attending to the routine of the private office, where she -alone was closeted with the proprietor. But Mr. Burthon would not have -noticed had she set fire to the place, so intent was he upon a bundle of -papers he had brought in with him and to which he devoted his exclusive -attention. - -The girl left him at his desk when she went to lunch and found him -there, still occupied with the papers, when she returned. Several people -wanted to see him personally, but he told Orissa to state he was engaged -and could admit no one. She gave the message to the young man in charge -of the outer office, where several clerks were employed, and they knew -better than to allow anyone to invade Mr. Burthon’s private sanctum. - -At about three o’clock, while she was busy at her desk, the secretary -heard her name spoken and looked up. From his chair Mr. Burthon was -eyeing her observantly. His gaze was clear and intelligent; the -abstracted mood had passed. - -“Come here, please, Miss Kane,” he said. - -She brought her writing pad and sat down beside his desk, as she did -when he dictated his letters; but he shook his head. - -“We’ll not mind the mail to-day,” he said. “I want to talk with you; to -advise with you. Queerly enough, Miss Kane, there isn’t a soul on earth -in whom I can confide when occasion arises. In other words, I haven’t an -intimate friend I can trust, or one who is sincerely interested in me.” - -That embarrassed Orissa a little. Since she had been working at the -office this was the first time he had addressed a remark to her not -connected with the business. Indeed, the man was now regarding her much -as he would a curiosity, as if he had just discovered her. She was -amazed to hear him speak so confidentially and made no reply because she -had nothing to say. - -After a pause he continued: - -“You haven’t much business experience, my child, but you have a keen -intellect and decided opinions.” Orissa wondered how he knew that. -“Therefore I am going to ask your advice in a matter where business is -blended with sentiment. Will you be good enough to give me your candid -opinion?” - -“If you wish me to, sir,” she said, after some hesitation. - -“Thank you, Miss Kane. The case is this: With four others I purchased -some time ago a gold mine in Arizona known as the ‘Queen of Hearts.’ It -cost me about all I am worth—some two hundred thousand dollars.” - -Orissa gasped. It seemed an enormous sum. But he continued, speaking -calmly and clearly: - -“I thought at the time the mine was surely worth a million. I went to -see it and found the ore exceedingly rich. The others, who purchased the -Queen of Hearts with me, were equally deceived, for just recently we -have discovered that the rich vein was either very narrow or was placed -there by those we purchased from, with the intention of defrauding us. -In either case, please understand that the mine is not worth a cotton -hat. We are a stock company, and our stock is listed on the exchange and -commands a high premium, for no one except the owners knows the truth -about it. The general idea is that the mine is still producing -largely—and it is—for, to protect ourselves until we can unload it on to -others, we have secretly purchased rich ore elsewhere, dumped it into -the mine, and then taken it out again.” - -He paused, drumming absently on the desk with his fingers, and Orissa -asked: - -“What is the object of that deception, sir?” - -“To maintain the public delusion until we can sell out. And now I come -to the point of my story, Miss Kane. Gold mines, even as rich as the -Queen of Hearts is reputed to be, are not easy to sell. I have exhausted -all my resources in keeping up this deception and the time has come when -I must sell or become bankrupt. The other stockholders have smaller -interests and are wealthier men, but each one is striving hard to secure -a customer. I have found one.” - -He looked up and smiled at her; then he frowned. - -“The man is my brother-in-law,” he added. - -Orissa was getting nervous, but waited for him to continue. - -“This brother-in-law is a man I detest. He married my only sister and -did not treat her well. He is a notorious gambler and confidence man, -although perhaps he would not admit that is his profession. At all -events he had the assurance to sneer at me and abuse my sister, and I -was powerless at the time to interfere. Fortunately the poor woman died -several years ago. Since then I have not seen much of Cumberford, for he -lives in the East. He came out here last month on some small business -matter and has gone crazy over the Queen of Hearts mine. He hunted me up -and asked if I’d sell part of my stock. I told him I would sell all or -none. So he has been getting his money together and has raised two -hundred and fifty thousand dollars—the sum I demanded.” - -Orissa was looking at him wonderingly. The story seemed incredible. -Perhaps Mr. Burthon saw the dismay and reproach in her eyes, for he -asked: - -“What do you think of this deal, Miss Kane? Am I not fortunate?” - -“But—would you _really_ sell a worthless property to this man—your own -brother-in-law—and—and steal a fortune from him?” she inquired. - -The man flushed and shifted uneasily in his seat. - -“He abused my sister,” he said, as if defending himself. - -“The property is worthless,” she persisted. - -“He can hustle around and sell it again, as I am doing.” - -“Suppose he fails? Suppose he refuses to do such a wicked thing?” - -Mr. Burthon stared at her a moment. Then he laughed harshly. - -“Cumberford would delight in such a ‘wicked’ game,” he replied. “And, if -he failed to sell, the scoundrel would be ruined, for I believe this two -hundred and fifty thousand is about all he’s worth.” - -“It’s dreadful!” exclaimed the girl, really shocked. - -“It is done every day in a business way,” he rejoined. - -“Then why did you ask my advice?” demanded the girl, quickly. Before -answering he waited to drum on the desk with his fingers again. - -“Because,” said he, speaking slowly, “I dislike this man so passionately -that I have wondered if the hatred blinds my judgment. He may be -dangerous, too, yet I think he is too much of a fool to be able to -injure me in retaliation. I don’t know him very well. I’ve not seen him -before for years.” He paused, taking note of the horror spreading over -the girl’s face. Then he smiled and added in a gentler voice: “Perhaps -my chief reason, however, for seeking your advice is that I find I have -still a conscience. Yes, yes; a troublesome conscience. I have been -suppressing it for years, yet like Banquo’s ghost it will not down. My -business judgment determines me to unload this worthless stock and save -myself from the loss of my entire fortune. I must do it. It is like a -man taking unawares a counterfeit coin, and then, discovering it is -spurious, passing it on to some innocent victim. You might do that -yourself, Miss Kane.” - -“I do not believe I would.” - -“Well, most people would, and think it no crime. In this case I’m -merely passing a counterfeit, that I received innocently, on to -another innocent. If the fact is ever known my business friends will -applaud me. But that obstinate conscience of mine keeps asking the -question: ‘Is it safe?’ It asserts that I am filled with glee because -I am selling to a man I hate—a man who has indirectly injured me. I am -to get revenge as well as save my money. Safe? Of course it’s safe. -Yet my—er—conscience—the still small voice—keeps digging at me to be -careful. It doesn’t seem to like the idea of dealing with Cumberford, -and has been annoying me for several days. So I thought I would put -the case to a young, pure-minded girl who has a clear head and is -honest. I imagined you would tell me to go ahead. Then I could afford -to laugh at cautious Mr. Conscience.” - -“No,” said Orissa, gravely, “the conscience is right. But you -misunderstand its warning. It doesn’t mean that the act is not safe from -a worldly point of view, but from a moral standpoint. You could not -respect yourself, Mr. Burthon, if you did this thing.” - -He sighed and turned to his papers. Orissa hesitated. Then, impulsively, -she asked: - -“You won’t do it, sir; will you?” - -“Yes, Miss Kane; I think I shall.” - -His tone had changed. It was now hard and cold. - -“Mr. Cumberford will call here to-morrow morning at nine, to consummate -the deal,” he continued. “See that we are not disturbed, Miss Kane.” - -“But, sir—” - -He turned upon her almost fiercely, but at sight of her distressed, -downcast face a kindlier look came to his eyes. - -“Remember that the alternative would be ruin,” he said gently. “I would -be obliged to give up my business—these offices—and begin life anew. You -would lose your position, and—” - -“Oh, I won’t mind that!” she exclaimed. - -“Don’t you care for it, then?” - -“Yes; for I need the money I earn. But to do right will not ruin either -of us, sir.” - -“Perhaps not; but I’m not going to do right—as you see it. I shall -follow my business judgment.” - -Orissa was indignant. - -“I shall save you from yourself, then,” she cried, standing before him -like an accusing angel. “I warn you now, Mr. Burthon, that when Mr. -Cumberford calls I shall tell him the truth about your mine, and then he -will not buy it.” - -He looked at her curiously, reflectively, for a long time, as if he -beheld for the first time some rare and admirable thing. The man was not -angered. He seemed not even annoyed by her threat. But after that period -of disconcerting study he turned again to his desk. - -“Thank you, Miss Kane. That is all.” - -She went back to her post, trembling nervously from the excitement of -the interview, and tried to put her mind on her work. Mr. Burthon was -wholly unemotional and seemed to have forgotten her presence. But, a -half hour later, when he thrust the papers into his pocket, locked his -desk and took his hat to go, he paused beside his secretary, gazed -earnestly into her face a moment and then abruptly turned away. - -“Good night, Miss Kane,” he said, and his voice seemed to dwell tenderly -on her name. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V - - BETWEEN MAN AND MAN—AND A GIRL - - -That night Orissa confided the whole story to Steve. Her brother -listened thoughtfully and then inquired: - -“Will you really warn Mr. Cumberford, Ris?” - -“I—I ought to,” she faltered. - -“Then do,” he returned. “To my notion Burthon is playing a mean trick on -the fellow, and no good business man would either applaud or respect him -for it. Your employer is shifty, Orissa; I’m sure of it; if I were you -I’d put a stop to his game no matter what came of it.” - -“Very well, Steve; I’ll do it. But I don’t believe Mr. Burthon means to -be a bad man. His plea about his conscience proves that. But—but—” - -“It’s worse for a man to realize he’s doing wrong, and then do it, than -if he were too hardened to have any conscience at all,” asserted Steve -oracularly. - -“And if I let him do this wrong act I would be as guilty as he,” she -added. - -“That’s true, Ris. You’ll lose your job, sure enough, but there will be -another somewhere just as good.” - -So, when Mr. Burthon’s secretary went to the office next morning she was -keyed up to do the most heroic deed that had ever come to her hand. -Whatever the consequences might be, the girl was determined to waylay -Mr. Cumberford when he arrived and tell him the truth about the Queen of -Hearts. - -But he did not come to the office at nine o’clock. Neither had Mr. -Burthon arrived at that time. Orissa, her heart beating with trepidation -but strong in resolve, watched the clock nearing the hour, passing it, -and steadily ticking on in the silence of the office. The outer room was -busy this morning, and in the broker’s absence his secretary was called -upon to perform many minor tasks; but her mind was more upon the clock -than upon her work. - -Ten o’clock came. Eleven. At half past eleven the door swung open and -Mr. Burthon ushered in a strange gentleman whom Orissa at once decided -was Mr. Cumberford. He was extremely tall and thin and stooped somewhat -as he walked. He had a long, grizzled mustache, wore gold-rimmed -eyeglasses and carried a gold-headed cane. From his patent leather shoes -to his chamois gloves he was as neat and sleek as if about to attend a -reception. - -Observing the presence of a young lady the stranger at once removed his -hat, showing his head to be perfectly bald. - -“Sit down, Cumberford,” said Mr. Burthon, carelessly. - -As he obeyed, Orissa, her face flaming red, advanced to a position -before him and exclaimed in a pleading voice: - -“Oh, sir, do not buy Mr. Burthon’s mine, I beg of you!” - -The man stared at her with faded gray eyes which were enlarged by the -lenses of his spectacles. Mr. Burthon smiled, seemed interested, and -watched the scene with evident amusement. - -“Why not, my child?” asked Mr. Cumberford. - -“Because it is worthless—absolutely worthless!” she declared. - -He turned to the other man. - -“Eh, Burthon?” he muttered, inquiringly. - -“Miss Kane believes she is speaking the truth,” said the broker -jauntily. - -“Oh, she does. And you, Burthon?” - -“I? Why, I’m of the same opinion.” - -Mr. Cumberford took out his handkerchief, removed his glasses and -polished the lenses with a thoughtful air. Orissa was trembling with -nervousness. - -“Don’t buy the Queen of Hearts, sir; it would ruin you,” she repeated -earnestly. - -He breathed upon the glasses and wiped them carefully. - -“You interest me,” he remarked. “But, the fact is, I—er—I’ve bought it.” - -“Already!” - -“At nine o’clock, according to agreement. Burthon sent word he’d come to -my hotel instead of meeting me at his office, as first planned.” - -“Oh, I see!” cried Orissa, much disappointed. “He knew I would prevent -the crime.” - -“Crime, miss?” - -“Is it not a crime to rob you of two hundred and fifty thousand -dollars?” - -“It would be, of course. I should dislike to lose so much money.” - -“You have lost it!” declared the girl. “That mine has no gold in it at -all—except what has been bought elsewhere and placed in it to deceive a -purchaser.” - -Mr. Cumberford replaced his glasses, adjusting them carefully upon his -nose. Then he stared at Orissa again. - -“You’re an honest young woman,” he said calmly. “I’m much obliged. You -interest me. But—ahem!—Burthon has my money, you see.” - -Mr. Burthon’s expression had changed. He was now regarding his -brother-in-law with a curious and puzzled gaze. - -“You’re not angry, Cumberford?” he asked. - -“No, Burthon.” - -“You’re not even annoyed, I take it?” This with something of a sneer. - -“No, Burthon.” - -Both Orissa and her employer were amazed. Looking from one to another, -Mr. Cumberford’s waxen features relaxed into a smile. - -“I’ve placed my Queen of Hearts stock in a safety deposit vault,” he -remarked blandly. - -“I have deposited your money in my bank,” retorted Mr. Burthon, -triumphantly. - -“Excellent!” said the other. “The thing interests me—indeed it does. You -couldn’t purchase that stock from me at this moment, Burthon, for twice -the sum I paid you.” - -“No? And why not?” - -“I’ll tell you. I had not intended to refer to the matter just yet, but -this young woman’s exposé of your attempted trickery induces me to -explain matters. You have always taken me for a fool, Burthon.” - -“I’ve tried to place a proper value on your intellect, Cumberford.” - -“You have little talent in that line, believe me. Before I came out here -I had heard such glowing reports of the Queen of Hearts that I stopped -off in Arizona to see the wonderful mine. The manager was very polite -and showed me about, but somehow I got a notion that all was not square -and aboveboard. I’ve always been interested in mines; they fascinate me; -and if this mine was as rich as reported I wanted some of the stock. But -I imagined things looked a little queer, so I sent a confidential -agent—fellow named Brewster, who has been with me for years—to hire out -as a miner and keep his eyes open. He soon discovered the truth—that the -mine was being ‘salted’ or fed with outside gold ore in precisely the -way this girl has stated.” - -He turned to Orissa with a profound bow, then looked toward Burthon -again. “The thing interested me. I wondered why, and wired my man to -stay on a little longer, till I had time to think it over. I—er—think -very slowly. Very. In a few days Brewster telegraphed me the startling -intelligence that the mine had actually struck a new lead, with ore far -richer than the first showing, although that had made the Queen of -Hearts famous. My man had been sent to the telegraph office with -messages from the manager to Mr. Burthon and the four other -stockholders; but poor Brewster’s memory is bad, and he forgot to send a -telegram to anyone but me. Of course the great strike—er—interested me. -I instructed Brewster over the telegraph wire. At a cost of five -thousand dollars we bribed the manager to keep the valuable strike -secret for ten days. He’s an honest man, and I shall retain him in the -office. The ten days expire to-night. Meantime, I’ve purchased the -stock.” - -Mr. Burthon sprang to his feet, white with anger. - -“You scoundrel!” he shouted. - -“Don’t get excited, Burthon. This is a mere business incident, between -man and man—and a girl.” Another bow toward Orissa. “You tried to rob -me, sir, and sneered when you thought you had succeeded. I haven’t -robbed you, for I paid your price; but I’ve made a very neat investment. -My stock is worth a million at this moment. Interesting, isn’t it?” - -Mr. Burthon recovered himself with an effort and sat down again. - -“Very well,” he said a little thickly. “As you say, it’s all in the way -of business. Good day, Cumberford.” - -The other man arose and faced Orissa, who stood by wholly bewildered by -this unexpected development. - -“Thank you again, my child. Your name? Orissa Kane. I’ll remember it. -You tried to do me a kindness. Interesting—very!” - -Without another glance at Mr. Burthon he put on his hat, walked out and -closed the door softly behind him. - -Orissa looked up and found the broker’s eyes regarding her intently. - -“I—I’m sorry, sir,” she stammered; “but I had to do it, to satisfy my -conscience. I suppose I am dismissed?” - -“No, indeed, Miss Kane,” he returned in kindly tones. “An honest -secretary is too rare an acquisition to be dismissed without just cause. -Having told you what I did, I could expect you to act in no other way.” - -“And, after all, sir,” she said, brightening at the thought, “you did -not rob him! Yet you saved your fortune.” - -He made a slight grimace, and then laughed frankly. - -“Had I taken your advice,” he rejoined, “I should now be worth a -million.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - A BUCKING BIPLANE - - -Stephen Kane had scarcely slept a wink for three nights. When Orissa -came home Thursday evening he met her at the car with the news that his -aëroplane was complete. - -“I’ve been adjusting it and testing the working parts all the -afternoon,” he said, his voice tense with effort to restrain his -excitement, “and I’m ready for the trial whenever you say.” - -“All right, Steve,” she replied briskly; “it begins to be daylight at -about half past four, this time of year; shall we make the trial at that -hour to-morrow morning?” - -“I couldn’t wait _longer_ than that,” he admitted, pressing her arm as -they walked along. “My idea is to take it into old Marston’s pasture.” - -“Isn’t the bull there?” she inquired. - -“Not now. Marston has kept the bull shut up the past few days. And it’s -the best place for the trial, for there’s lots of room.” - -“Let’s take a look at it, Steve!” she said, hastening her steps. - -In the big, canvas covered shed reposed the aëroplane, its spreading -white sails filling the place almost to the very edges. It was neither a -monoplane nor a biplane, according to accepted ideas of such machines, -but was what Steve called “a story-and-a-half flyer.” - -“That is, I hope it’s a flyer,” he amended, while Orissa stared with -admiring eyes, although she already knew every stick and stitch by -heart. - -“Of course it’s a flyer!” she exclaimed. “I wouldn’t be afraid to mount -to the moon in that airship.” - -“All that witches need is a broomstick,” he said playfully. “But perhaps -you’re not that sort of a witch, little sister.” - -“What shall we call it, Steve?” she asked, seriously. “Of course it’s a -biplane, because there are really two planes, one being above the other; -but it is not in the same class with other biplanes. We must have a -distinctive name for it.” - -“I’ve thought of calling it the ‘Kane Aircraft,’” he answered. “How does -that strike you?” - -“It has an original sound,” Orissa said. “Oh, Steve! couldn’t we try it -to-night? It’s moonlight.” - -He shook his head quickly, smiling at her enthusiasm. - -“I’m afraid not. You’re tired, and have the dinner to get and the day’s -dishes to wash and put away. As for me, I’m so dead for sleep I can -hardly keep my eyes open. I must rest, so as to have a clear head for -to-morrow’s flight.” - -“Shall we say anything to mother about it?” - -“Why need we? It would only worry the dear woman unnecessarily. Whether -I succeed or fail in this trial, it will be time enough to break the -news to her afterward.” - -Orissa agreed with this. Mrs. Kane knew the airship was nearing -completion but was not especially interested in the venture. It seemed -wonderful to her that mankind had at last learned how to fly, and still -more wonderful that her own son was inventing and building an improved -appliance for this purpose; but so many marvelous things had happened -since she became blind that her mind was to an extent inured to -astonishment and she had learned to accept with calm complacency -anything she could not comprehend. - -Brother and sister at last tore themselves away from the fascinating -creation and returned to the house, where Steve, thoroughly exhausted, -fell asleep in his chair while Orissa was preparing dinner. He went to -bed almost immediately after he had eaten and his sister also retired -when her mother did, which was at an early hour. - -But Orissa could not sleep. She lay and dreamed of the great triumph -before them; of the plaudits of enraptured spectators; of Stephen’s name -on every tongue in the civilized world; and, not least by any means, of -the money that would come to them. No longer would the Kanes have to -worry over debts and duebills; the good things of the world would be -theirs, all won by her brother’s cleverness. - -If she slept at all before the gray dawn stole into the sky the girl was -not aware of it. By half past four she had smoking hot coffee ready for -Steve and herself and after hastily drinking it they rushed to the -hangar. - -Steve was bright and alert this morning and declared he had “slept like -a log.” He slid the curtains away from the front of the shed and -solemnly the boy and girl wheeled the big aëroplane out into the garden. -By careful manipulation they steered it between the trees and away to -the fence of Marston’s pasture, which adjoined their own premises at the -rear. To get it past the fence had been Steve’s problem, and he had -arranged to take out a section of the fencing big enough to admit his -machine. This was now but a few minutes’ work, and presently the -aëroplane was on the smooth turf of the pasture. - -They were all alone. There were no near neighbors, and it was early for -any to be astir. - -“One of the most important improvements I have made is my starting -device,” said Steve, as he began a last careful examination of his -aircraft. “All others have a lot of trouble in getting started. The -Wright people erect a tower and windlass, and nearly every other machine -uses a track.” - -“I know,” replied Orissa. “I have seen several men holding the thing -back until the motors got well started and the propellers were whirling -at full speed.” - -“That always struck me as a crude arrangement,” observed her brother. -“Now, in this machine I start the motor whirling an eccentric of the -same resisting power as the propeller, yet it doesn’t affect the -stability of the aëroplane. When I’m ready to start I throw in a clutch -that instantly transfers the power from the eccentric to the -propeller—and away I go like a rocket.” - -As he spoke he kissed his sister and climbed to the seat. - -“Are you afraid, Steve?” she whispered, her beautiful face flushed and -her eyes bright with excitement. - -“Afraid! Of my own machine? Of course not.” - -“Don’t go very high, dear.” - -“We’ll see. I want to give it a thorough test. All right, Ris; I’m off!” - -The motors whirred, steadily accelerating speed while the aëroplane -trembled as if eager to dart away. Steve threw in the clutch; the -machine leaped forward and ran on its wheels across the pasture like a -deer, but did not rise. - -He managed to stop at the opposite fence and when Orissa came running -up, panting, her brother sat in his place staring stupidly ahead. - -“What’s wrong, Steve?” - -He rubbed his head and woke up. - -“The forward elevator, I guess. But I’m sure I had it adjusted -properly.” - -He got down and examined the rudder, giving it another upward tilt. - -“Now I’ll try again,” he said cheerfully. - -They turned the aircraft around and he made another start. This time -Orissa was really terrified, for the thing acted just like a bucking -broncho. It rose to a height of six feet, dove to the ground, rose again -to plunge its nose into the turf and performed such absurd, unexpected -antics that Steve had to cling on for dear life. When he finally managed -to bring it to a halt the rudder was smashed and two ribs of the lower -plane splintered. - -They looked at the invention with dismay, both silent for a time. - -“Of course,” said Steve, struggling to restrain his disappointment, “we -couldn’t expect it to be perfect at the first trial.” - -“No,” agreed Orissa, faintly. - -“But it ought to fly, you know.” - -“Being a flying machine, it ought to,” she said. “Can you mend it, -Steve?” - -“To be sure; but it will take me a little time. To-morrow morning we -will try again.” - -With grave faces they wheeled it back into the garden and the boy -replaced the fence. Then back to the hangar, where Steve put the Kane -Aircraft in its old place and drew the curtains—much as one does at a -funeral. - -“I’m sure to discover what’s wrong,” he told Orissa, regaining courage -as they walked toward the house. “And, if I’ve made a blunder, this is -the time to rectify it. To-morrow it will be sure to fly. Have faith in -me, Ris.” - -“I have,” she replied simply. “I’ll go in and get breakfast now.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - SOMETHING WRONG - - -All that day Orissa was in a state of great depression. Even Mr. Burthon -noticed her woebegone face and inquired if she were ill. The girl had -staked everything on Steve’s success and until now had not permitted a -doubt to creep into her mind. But the behavior of the aircraft was -certainly not reassuring and for the first time she faced the problem of -what would happen if it proved a failure. They would be ruined -financially; the place would have to be sold; worst of all, her -brother’s chagrin and disappointment might destroy his youthful ambition -and leave him a wreck. - -Somehow the girl managed to accomplish her work that day and at evening, -weary and despondent, returned to her home. When she left the car her -step was slow and dragging until Steve came running to meet her. His -face was beaming as he exclaimed: - -“I’ve found the trouble, Ris! It was all my stupidity. I put a pin in -the front elevator while I was working at it, and forgot to take it out -again. No wonder it wouldn’t rise—it just couldn’t!” - -Orissa felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. - -“Are you sure it will work now?” she asked breathlessly. - -“It’s bound to work. I’ve planned all right; that I know; and having -built the aircraft to do certain things it can’t fail to do them. -Provided,” he added, more soberly, “I haven’t overlooked something -else.” - -“Are the repairs completed, Steve?” - -“All is in apple-pie order for to-morrow morning’s test.” - -It was a dreadfully long evening for them both, but after going to bed -Orissa was so tired and relieved in spirit that she fell into a deep -sleep that lasted until Steve knocked at her door at early dawn. - -“Saturday morning,” he remarked, as together they went out to the -hangar. “Do you suppose yesterday being Friday had anything to do with -our hard luck?” - -“No; it was only that forgotten pin,” she declared. - -Again they wheeled the aircraft out to Marston’s pasture, and once more -the girl’s heart beat high with hope and excitement. - -Steve took a final look at every part, although he had already inspected -his work with great care. Then he sprang into the seat and said: - -“All right, little sister. Wish me luck!” - -The motor whirred—faster and faster—the clutch gripped the propeller, -and away darted the aircraft. It rolled half way across the pasture, -then lifted and began mounting into the air. Orissa stood with her hands -clasped over her bosom, straining her eyes to watch every detail of the -flight. - -Straight away soared the aircraft, swift as a bird, until it was a mere -speck in the gray sky. The girl could not see the turn, for the circle -made was scarcely noticeable at that distance, but suddenly she was -aware that Steve was returning. The speck became larger, the sails -visible. The young aviator passed over the pasture at a height of a -hundred feet from the ground, circled over their own garden and then -began to descend. As he did so the aircraft assumed a rocking motion, -side to side, which increased so dangerously that Orissa screamed -without knowing that she did so. - -Down came the aëroplane, reaching the earth on a side tilt that crushed -the light planes into kindling wood and a mass of crumpled canvas. Steve -rolled out, stretched his length upon the ground, and lay still. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: ORISSA STOOD WITH HANDS CLASPED.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The sun was just beginning to rise over the orange grove. The deathly -silence that succeeded the wreck of the aircraft was only broken by the -irregular, spasmodic whirr of the motors, which were still going. -Orissa, white and cold, crept in among the debris and shut down the -engines. Then, slowly and reluctantly, she approached the motionless -form of her brother. - -To be alone at such a time and place was dreadful. A few steps from -Steve she halted; then turned and fled toward the garden in sudden -panic. Away from the horrid scene her courage and presence of mind -speedily returned. She caught up a bucket of water that stood in the -shed and lugged it back to the pasture. - -Was Steve dead? She leaned over him, dreading to place her hand upon his -heart, gazing piteously into his set, unresponsive face. - -Pat—pat—patter! - -A rush across the springing turf. - -What was it? - -Orissa straightened up, yelled like an Indian and made a run for the -fence that did full credit to her athletic training. - -For Marston’s big bull was coming—a huge, tawny creature with a temper -that would shame tobasco. He swerved as if to follow the fleeing girl, -but then the draggled planes of the aircraft defied him and he changed -his mind to charge this new and unknown enemy—perhaps with the same -disposition that Don Quixote attacked the windmill. - -Orissa shrieked again, for the enormous beast bounded directly over -Steve’s prostrate body and with bowed head and tail straight as a -pointer dog’s rushed at the aëroplane. The sails shivered, collapsed, -rolled in billows like the waves of the ocean, and amid them the -struggling bull went down, tangled himself in the wires and became a -helpless prisoner. - -The girl, who was sobbing hysterically, heard herself laugh aloud and -was inexpressibly shocked. The bull bellowed with rage but was so wound -around with guy-wires that this was the extent of his power. Turning her -eyes from the beast to Steve she gave a shout of joy, for her brother -was sitting up and rubbing his leg with one hand and his head with the -other, while he stared bewildered at the wreck of his aëroplane, from -which the head of the bull protruded. - -Orissa ran up, wringing her hands, and asked: - -“Are you much hurt, dear?” - -“I—I’ve gone crazy!” he answered, despairingly. “Seems as if the -aircraft was transformed into the mummy of a—a—brute beast! Don’t laugh, -Ris. Wh—what’s wrong with me—with my eyes? Tell me!” - -She threw herself down upon the grass and laughed until she cried, -Steve’s reproachful glances having no particle of effect in restraining -her. When at last she could control herself she sat up and wiped her -eyes, saying: - -“Forgive me, dear, it’s—it’s so funny! But,” suddenly grave and anxious, -“are you badly hurt? Is anything—broken?” - -“Nothing but my heart,” he replied dolefully. - -“Oh; that!” she said, relieved. - -“Just look at that mess!” he wailed, pointing to the aircraft. “What has -happened to it?” - -“The bull,” she answered. “But don’t be discouraged, dear; the thing -flew beautifully.” - -“The bull?” - -“No; the aircraft. But as for the bull, I’m bound to say he did his -best. How in the world shall we get him out of there, Steve?” - -“I—I think I’m dazed, Ris,” he murmured, feeling his head again. “Can’t -you help me to—understand?” - -So she told him the whole story, Stephen sighing and shaking his head as -he glared at the bull and the bull glared at him. Afterward the boy made -an effort to rise, and Orissa leaned down and assisted him. When he got -to his feet she held him until he grew stronger and could stand alone. - -“I’m so grateful you were not killed,” his sister whispered. “Nothing -else matters since you have so miraculously escaped.” - -“Killed?” said Steve; “why, it was only a tumble, Ris. But the bull is a -more serious complication. I suppose the aircraft was badly damaged, -from what you say, before the bull got it; but now it’s a hopeless -mess.” - -“Oh, no,” she returned, encouragingly. “If he hasn’t smashed the motor -we won’t mind the rest of the damage. Do you think we can untangle him?” - -They approached the animal, who by this time was fully subdued and -whined apologetically to be released. Steve got his nippers and cut wire -after wire until suddenly the animal staggered to his feet, gave a -terrified bellow and dashed down the field with a dozen yards of plane -cloth wound around his neck. - -“Good riddance!” cried Orissa. “I don’t think he’ll ever bother us -again.” - -Steve was examining the wreck. He tested the motors and found that -neither the fall nor the bull had damaged them in the least. But there -was breakage enough, aside from this, to make him groan disconsolately. - -“The flight was wonderful,” commented his sister, watching his face -anxiously. “Nothing could work more perfectly than the Kane Aircraft did -until—until—the final descent. What caused the rocking, Steve?” - -“A fault of the lateral balance. My automatic device refused to work, -and before I knew it I had lost control.” - -She stood gazing thoughtfully down at the wreck. Her brother had really -invented a flying machine, of that there was no doubt. She had seen it -fly—seen it soar miles through the air—and knew that a certain degree of -success had been obtained. There was something wrong, to be sure; there -usually is with new inventions; but wrongs can be righted. - -“I’ve succeeded in a lot of things,” her brother was saying, -reflectively. “The engines, the propeller and elevator are all good, and -decided improvements on the old kinds. The starting device works -beautifully and will soon be applied to every airship made. Only the -automatic balance failed me, and I believe I know how to remedy that -fault.” - -“Do you suppose the machine can be rebuilt?” she asked. - -“Assuredly. And the automatic balance perfected. The trouble is, Orissa, -it will take a lot more money to do it, and we’ve already spent the last -cent we could raise. It’s hard luck. Here is a certain fortune within -our grasp, if we could perfect the thing, and our only stumbling block -is the lack of a few dollars.” - -Having reviewed in her mind all the circumstances of Steve’s successful -flight the girl knew that he spoke truly. Comparing the aircraft with -other machines she had seen and studied at the aviation meet she -believed her brother’s invention was many strides in advance of them -all. - -“The question of securing the money is something we must seriously -consider,” she said. “In some way it will be raised, of course. But just -now our chief problem is how to get this ruin back to the hangar.” - -“That will be my job,” declared Steve, his courage returning. “There are -few very big pieces left to remove, and by taking things apart I shall -be able to get it all into the shed. The day’s doings are over, Ris. Get -breakfast and then go to your work. After I’ve stored this rubbish I’ll -take a run into town myself, and look for a job. The aviation jig is -up—for the present, at least.” - -“Don’t do anything hurriedly, Steve,” protested the girl. “Work on the -aircraft for a day or two, just as if we had money to go ahead with. -That will give me time to think. To-night, when I come home, we will -talk of this again.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - MR. BURTHON’S PROPOSITION - - -Saturday was a busy day at the office. They did not close early, but -rather later than on other days, and Orissa found plenty of work to -occupy her. But always there remained in her thoughts the problem of how -to obtain money for Steve, and she racked her brain to find some -practical solution. - -Mr. Burthon was in a mellow mood to-day. Since the sale of his mining -stock he had been less abstracted and moody than before, and during the -afternoon, having just handed Orissa several deeds of land to copy, he -noticed her pale, drawn face and said: - -“You look tired, Miss Kane.” - -She gave him one of her sweet, bright smiles in payment for the kindly -tone. - -“I _am_ tired,” she returned. “For two mornings I have been up at four -o’clock.” - -“Anyone ill at home?” he asked quickly. - -“No, sir.” - -Suddenly it occurred to her that he might assist in unraveling the -problem. She turned to him and said: - -“Can you spare me a few minutes, Mr. Burthon? I—I want to ask your -advice.” - -He glanced at her curiously and sat down in a chair facing her. - -“Tell me all about it,” he said encouragingly. “Not long ago it was I -asking for advice, and you were good enough to favor me. Now it is -logically your turn.” - -“My brother,” said she, “has invented an airship.” - -He gave a little start of surprise and an eager look spread over his -face. Then he smiled at her tolerantly. - -“All the world has gone crazy over aviation,” he remarked. “I, myself, -witnessed the flights at Dominguez Field and became strongly impressed -with the desire to fly. I suppose your brother contracted the fever, -too, and has made a model he thinks will float in the air.” - -“Oh, it is not a model,” she gravely replied. “Stephen is an expert -mechanic and has worked on many of the most famous aëroplanes in the -country. He has recently built a complete airship of his own, and this -morning I watched him make a very successful flight in it.” - -“Indeed?” he exclaimed, the eager look returning. “There is money in a -good airship, Miss Kane. This is the psychological moment to forge ahead -in aviation, which will soon become the world’s popular mode of transit. -It is easy to build an airship; yes. Perhaps I could build one myself. -But where many will try, many will fail.” - -“And some will succeed,” she added, smiling. - -He examined her expressive face with interest. - -“Please tell me all about it,” said he. - -So Orissa gave him the history of the aircraft, from its conception to -the final triumph and wreckage and its conquest by the bull. -Incidentally she told how they had mortgaged their home and the orange -crop to get the needed money, and finally explained the condition they -were now in—success within their grasp, but no means of taking advantage -of it. - -Mr. Burthon was very attentive throughout, his eyes fixed upon Orissa’s -lovely face and watching its shades of anxiety and exaltation as the -story progressed. While she enthusiastically described Steve’s aircraft, -her eyes sparkling and a soft flush mantling her cheeks, the man -scarcely heard what she said, so intent was he in admiring her. He did -not permit his fair secretary to notice his mood, however, and the girl -was too earnestly engaged to heed her employer’s intent gaze. At the -conclusion of her story she asked: - -“Tell me, sir, is there any way in which we can raise the money -required?” - -Mr. Burthon roused himself and the hard business expression settled upon -his features again. - -“I think so,” he returned, slowly. “What your brother needs is a -backer—what is called an ‘angel,’ you know—who will furnish the -necessary funds for the perfection of the invention and to place it upon -the market and properly exhibit it.” - -“Would anyone do that?” she inquired. - -“For a consideration, yes. Such a party would demand an interest in the -invention, and a share of the profits.” - -“How much, sir?” - -“Perhaps a half interest.” - -She considered this statement. - -“That is too much to give away, Mr. Burthon. The aircraft is already -built and tested. It is a proved success, and the best aëroplane in all -the world. Why should we give a half interest in return for a little -money?” - -He hesitated; then replied coldly: - -“Because the invention is useless without the means to publicly -demonstrate it, and establish it on a paying basis. At present your -airship is without the slightest commercial value. Once exploited, the -half interest you retain would make your fortune.” - -Her brow wrinkled with a puzzled look. - -“I’ll talk to Steve about it,” she said. “But, if he consents, where -could I find such an—an ‘angel’?” - -“In me,” he answered coolly. “If, on investigation, I find your -brother’s airship to be one half as practical as you represent it, and -doubtless believe it to be, I will deposit ten thousand dollars in the -bank to exploit it—in return for a half interest—and agree to furnish -more money whenever it is required.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Orissa, doubtfully. “I—I’ll talk with my -brother.” - -“Very well,” he replied. “But beware of confiding in strangers. I am -your friend, and will guard your interests faithfully. Talk with your -brother, but with no one else.” - -Orissa did talk with Steve, that very evening, and the boy frowned at -the suggestion just as his sister had done. - -“I know that is the way business men do things,” he said, “and it’s a -good deal like robbery. Burthon sees that we must have money, and he’s -driving a shrewd bargain. Besides that, I’m not sure he’s honest.” - -“I don’t see how he could defraud us, though,” mused Orissa. “There are -two things for us to consider. One is, whether we can raise the money in -any other way; and then, whether a half interest in a business with -plenty of money behind it would not pay better than the whole thing, -with a constant struggle to make both ends meet.” - -“Perhaps it might,” he replied, hesitatingly. “But I’ve done all this -alone, so far, and I hate to let anyone else reap the benefit of my -ideas. I suppose if I had not proved the thing, but merely begun work on -it, Burthon wouldn’t have invested a dollar in it.” - -“I suppose not,” she agreed. “But think it over, dear. We have all day -to-morrow to talk of it and consider what is best to be done. Then, when -I go to the office Monday morning, I can tell Mr. Burthon our decision.” - -They talked considerably more on this subject after dinner, and worried -over it during a sleepless night. After breakfast on Sunday morning they -went quietly to church, Mrs. Kane accompanying them, as was her custom. -But Orissa had hard work to keep her mind on the service and Steve found -the attempt impossible. The return home, including a long car ride, was -passed in silence, and then Orissa had to busy herself over the dinner. - -It was the middle of the afternoon before brother and sister found time -to meet in the hangar, which was now strewn with parts of the aircraft. -Steve looked around him gloomily and then seated himself beside Orissa -upon a bench. - -“I suppose we must settle this thing,” he said; “and there’s no doubt we -must have money, or we shall face ruin. The thing has cost too much for -us to withdraw from it without a heavy loss that would mean privation -and suffering for you and mother. If we go to anyone but Burthon we may -not get as good an offer as he makes, for men with money are eager to -take advantage of a poor fellow in need. I can’t blame Burthon much. I -don’t suppose there’s a rich man living who wouldn’t hold us up in the -same selfish way. And so—” - -He paused, shrugging his shoulders. - -“So you think we’d better accept Mr. Burthon’s proposition and give him -a half interest?” she asked. - -“Beg pardon,” said a cold voice; “am I intruding?” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE OTHER FELLOW - - -Stephen and Orissa both sprang to their feet, startled by the -interruption. A tall man, having a stoop to his shoulders, had parted -the entrance curtains and stood looking at them. He wore blue goggles, -an automobile cap and duster, and heavy shoes; but Orissa recognized him -at once. - -“Mr. Cumberford!” she exclaimed. - -“Dear me!” said the man; “it’s the young lady from Burthon’s office—and -my friend.” He laughed, lightly, as if amused by the recollection; then -added: “I’ve run out of gasoline and my car is stranded a quarter of a -mile off. Think you could furnish me enough of the elusive fluid to run -me into town?” - -Steve walked silently to his gasoline tank. He was excessively annoyed -to have a stranger spy upon his workshop and resolved to get rid of the -man in short order. Orissa also was silent, fearing Mr. Cumberford might -linger if she entered into conversation with him. The spot was so -retired that until now no one but themselves had ever entered the -hangar, and the secret had been well kept. - -“Here’s a two-gallon can,” said Stephen, surlily. “Will that do you?” - -Mr. Cumberford nodded, set the can upon the ground and walked over to -the bench, where he calmly seated himself beside the girl. - -“What are you up to, here?” he asked. - -“Our own especial business,” retorted Steve. “You will pardon me, sir, -if I ask you to take your gasoline and go. This is private property.” - -“I see,” said Cumberford. “I’m intruding. Never mind that. Let’s talk a -bit; I’m in no hurry.” - -“We are very much occupied, sir,” urged Orissa, earnestly. - -“No doubt,” said the man. “I overheard a remark as I entered. You were -wondering whether to accept Burthon’s offer and give him a half -interest. Eh? That interests me; I’m Burthon’s brother-in-law.” - -He glanced around him, then calmly took a cigarette from his pocket and -offered one to Steve. - -“I can’t allow smoking here, sir; there’s too much gasoline about,” said -the boy, almost rudely. - -“True. I forgot.” He put the case in his pocket. “You’re building some -sort of a—er—er—flying machine, I see. That interests me. I’m a crank on -aviation. Is this the thing Burthon wants a half interest in?” - -Steve scowled. When Cumberford turned to Orissa she slightly nodded, -embarrassed how to escape this impertinent questioning. - -“I thought so. Then you’ve really got something?” - -Steve laughed. His annoyance was passing. The man had already seen -whatever there was to see, for his eyes had been busy from the moment he -entered. And Steve remembered that this was the person who had outwitted -Mr. Burthon in the mine deal. - -“I have something that will fly, if that is what you mean,” he replied. - -“Yes; that is what I mean. Tried the thing yet?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Orissa eagerly. “It flew splendidly yesterday morning, -but—but Steve had an accident with his aëroplane, and a bull demolished -what was left of it.” - -“Ah; that interests me; it really does,” said Cumberford. He looked at -Stephen more attentively. “Your brother, Miss Kane?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“And you need money?” - -“To rebuild the machine, and perfect it; yes, sir.” - -“And Burthon will furnish the money, for a half interest?” - -“Yes, sir,” repeated the girl, uneasy at his tone. - -“Too much,” asserted Mr. Cumberford, positively. “Burthon’s a rascal, -too. You know that, Miss Kane. Tried to rob me; and you tried to prevent -him. I haven’t forgotten that; it was a kindness. I’ve had to fight a -cold, hard, selfish world, and fight it alone. I’ve won; but it has made -me as cold, as hard and selfish as the others. You’re different, Miss -Kane; the world hasn’t spoiled you yet. I can’t recollect when anyone -ever took the trouble to do me a kindness before. So I, your direct -opposite, admire you for your originality. I’m a scoundrel and you’re -a—an honest girl.” - -There wasn’t a particle of emotion in his voice, but somehow both Orissa -and Stephen knew he was in earnest. It was difficult to say anything -fitting in reply, and after a brief pause the man continued: - -“I can see that your airship is at present something of a wreck. How -much money do you need?” - -“I ought to have at least a thousand dollars,” answered Steve, -reflectively glancing around the shop. Cumberford’s eyes followed his. - -“Will two thousand do it?” - -“Of course, sir.” - -“I’ll lend you three,” said the man. “I don’t want a half interest. I -won’t rob you.” - -Both boy and girl stared at him in amazement. - -“What security do you require?” asked Stephen, suspiciously. - -“Eh? None at all. The thing interests me. If you make a lot of money, -I’ll let you pay me back some day. That’s fair. If you fail, you’ll have -worries enough without having to repay me. But I attach two conditions -to my offer. One is that you have nothing to do with Burthon. The other -is that I have permission to come here and watch your work; to advise -with you at times; to help you map out your future career and to attend -all the flying exhibitions in which you take part. Agree to that, and -I’ll back you through thick and thin, because I’m interested in aviation -and—because your sister was good to me.” - -“I’ll do it, sir!” cried Steve, excitedly. - -“Oh, thank you! Thank you, Mr. Cumberford,” added Orissa, in joyful -tones. - -“It’s a bargain,” said Cumberford, smiling at them both. He took out a -fountain pen and wrote a check on a Los Angeles bank for three thousand -dollars in favor of Stephen Kane. But he handed it to Orissa. - -“Now then,” said he, “tell me something about it.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X - - A FRESH START - - -When Orissa appeared at the office Monday morning she went quietly about -her work, feeling very happy indeed. The astonishing generosity of Mr. -Cumberford had relieved all her worries and brought sunshine into her -heart. - -Mr. Burthon came at his usual time and on taking his place at the desk -looked inquiringly at Orissa, but said nothing. Neither did she mention -the subject of the aircraft. Her employer, watching her stealthily from -behind his desk, could not fail to note the joy in her face and was -undoubtedly puzzled to account for it—unless, indeed, she and her -brother had decided to accept his proposition. He had an idea that they -would accept; that they must accept; it was the only way they could -carry on their experiment. But he waited for her to refer to the -subject. - -Orissa managed to escape that night while a customer was engaging Mr. -Burthon’s attention. She disliked, for some unexplained reason, to tell -him they had decided not to take him for a partner. Arriving home she -found Steve busily at work rebuilding his airship, and it pleased her to -hear his cheery whistle as she approached the hangar. The young fellow -was in capital spirits. - -“You see, Ris,” said he, “with all this money to use I shall be able to -make an entirely new automatic balance. I’ve come to the conclusion the -first one doesn’t work smoothly enough to be entirely satisfactory. I -shall also provide a store of extra ribs and such parts as are liable to -get damaged, so that the repair work will be a matter of hours instead -of days. How lucky it was Mr. Cumberford ran out of gasoline yesterday.” - -“He’s a queer man,” replied Orissa, thoughtfully. “I can’t make up my -mind yet whether I like him or not.” - -“I like his money, anyhow,” laughed Steve; “and we didn’t have to give -him a half interest to get it, either. I imagine the man was really -touched by your endeavor to save him from what you thought was a bad -bargain, and certainly his magnanimous act could have been prompted by -nothing but kindness.” - -“It saved our half interest, at least,” she said, evasively. “Has he -been here to-day, Steve?” - -“Haven’t seen even his shadow,” was the reply. “I don’t imagine he’ll -bother us much, although he has reserved the right to look around all he -wants to. He must be a busy man, with all his wealth.” - -The next morning, however, after Orissa had gone to her work, Mr. -Cumberford’s car spun up the lane and he came into the hangar, nodded to -Steve and sat down quietly on the bench. - -For a time he silently watched the young man shave a Cyprus rib into -shape; then got up and carefully examined the motor, which was in good -order. Steve knew, when first Mr. Cumberford began asking questions, -that he understood machinery, and the man was quick to perceive the -value of young Kane’s improvements. - -“It interests me,” he drawled, after starting the engines and watching -them work. “As a boy I longed to be a mechanic. Got sidetracked, though, -and became a speculator. Needs almost as much ingenuity to succeed in -that as in mechanics. Pays better, but ruins one’s self-respect. Stick -to mechanics, Kane.” - -“I will,” promised Steve, laughing. - -“This new profession,” continued Cumberford, “will throw you in with a -lot of ‘queer’ people—same sort that used to follow the races and now -bet on automobile contests. Keep your sister away from them.” - -“I’ll try to,” returned Steve, more soberly. “But Orissa is crazy over -aviation, and she’ll have to go everywhere that I do.” - -“That’s all right; I like the idea. But don’t introduce her to every -fellow you are forced to associate with. Girls are queer, and your -sister is—beautiful. I’ve a daughter myself.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Steve, not knowing just how to take this remark. - -“My daughter is not—beautiful. No. And she’s a demon. I’ll bring her -here to see you and your sister, some day.” - -“Thank you,” said Steve, turning red. Certainly this new acquaintance -was odd and unaccountable in some ways. Steve wondered why he should -bring a “demon” to the hangar, and why he described his own daughter in -such uncomplimentary language. - -Mr. Cumberford smoked a cigarette thoughtfully. - -“Your sister,” he said, “interests me. She’s a good girl. Must have a -good mother.” - -“The best in the world,” asserted Steve, proudly. - -“My daughter,” resumed Cumberford, “takes after her mother. Girls -usually do. Her mother was—well, she was Burthon’s sister. Catch the -idea? It was all my fault, and Sybil—that’s my daughter—blames me for -her parentage. With apparent justice. Not a joke, Kane. Don’t laugh.” - -“I’m not laughing, sir.” - -“Speaking of Burthon reminds me of something. I don’t like the idea of -your sister working there—in his office.” - -“He has always treated her very nicely, I believe,” said Steve, “and -Orissa feels she must earn some money.” - -“Not necessary. You’ve a fortune in your airship. Take the girl away -from Burthon. Keep her at home.” - -Steve did not reply to this, but he decided it was not a bad suggestion. - -“How old is she?” inquired Cumberford, presently. - -“Just seventeen.” - -“Too young to work in an office. Finished her education?” - -“All we are able to give her, sir.” - -“H-m-m. Take my advice. Burthon’s unreliable. I know him. Gorilla -inside, man outside. I—I married a Burthon.” - -These brief sentences were spoken between puffs of his cigarette. -Sometimes there would be a very definite pause between them, while the -man smoked and reflected upon his subject. Steve continued his work and -answered when required to do so. - -Cumberford stayed at the hangar until nearly noon, watching the boy -work, bearing a hand now and then when a plane rib was awkward to handle -alone, always interested in everything pertaining to the aëroplane. He -made Steve explain the changes he proposed to apply to the lateral -balance and offered one or two rather clever suggestions, showing his -grasp of the subject. But he did not refer to Orissa again and finally -slipped away without saying good-bye. - -Steve thought him queerer than during their first interview, but liked -him better. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - ORISSA RESIGNS - - -Meantime Orissa was having a hard time at the office endeavoring to -avoid a personal conversation with Mr. Burthon. When he came in at nine -o’clock he smiled upon her and asked: - -“Anything to tell me, Miss Kane?” - -She shook her head, flushing a little, and he went to his desk without -another word. He seemed abstracted and moody during the forenoon—a -return of his old puzzling manner—and Orissa regretted she had not been -brave enough to tell him of their decision to reject his offer when he -gave her the opportunity. - -Nothing more passed between them until after luncheon, but when she -reëntered the office Mr. Burthon, who had not gone out, suddenly roused -himself and said: - -“Come here, please, Miss Kane.” - -She obeyed, meekly seating herself in the chair beside his desk. - -The man looked at her a long time; not impudently, with direct gaze, but -rather speculatively and with an expression that seemed to penetrate far -beyond her and to consider many things beside her fair face. Finally he -asked: - -“What conclusion have you reached in regard to your financial matters, -of which we spoke Saturday?” - -“I’ve talked with my brother, sir, and he dislikes to give up a half -interest in his invention.” - -“Did you tell him I would furnish all the money that might be required?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“And he refused?” - -“This aëroplane is very dear to my brother, Mr. Burthon. He cannot bear -to transfer a part ownership to another, who would have the right to -dictate its future.” - -“Pshaw!” exclaimed the broker, impatiently; “the boy’s a fool. There’s -scarcely an inventor in the world who hasn’t had to sacrifice an -interest in his creation in order to raise money.” - -“Stephen won’t do it,” declared Orissa, positively, for she resented the -speech. - -Mr. Burthon fell silent, drumming on the desk with his fingers, as he -always did when in deep thought. Orissa started to rise, thinking the -interview closed. - -“Wait a moment, please,” he said. “How old are you, Miss Kane?—your name -is Orissa, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, sir. I am seventeen.” - -“So young! Why, you ought to be in school, instead of at work.” - -She made no reply. He watched her awhile, as she sat before him with -bent head, and then continued, in the kindly tone he so often used when -addressing her: - -“Miss Kane—Orissa—I will give your brother all the money he needs, and -he may retain the entire interest in his airship. The payment may come -from you alone.” - -She started and became alert at once, raising her head to look at him -inquiringly. - -“In other words,” he added, “I’m not especially interested in your -brother or his invention; but I am greatly interested in you.” - -“Mr. Burthon, I—” - -“Listen to me, Orissa, and let me explain. I’m a lonely man, for I have -never married—or cared to. You are the only member of the fair sex who -has ever attracted me except my sister, whom I regarded with warm -affection. When she married that scoundrel Cumberford we became -separated forever, and in a few years she died. Since then I have -thought of nothing but business. I am now thirty-eight years of age, and -in my prime. I have amassed a fortune—something more than a quarter of a -million, as you know—and have no one to leave it to when I pass away. I -should like to leave it to you, Orissa.” - -“To me, sir!” she exclaimed, amazed. - -“Yes. Your presence here in the office has transformed the place from a -barren den to a cozy, homelike apartment. I like to see your sweet face -near me, gravely bending over your work. Your personality has charmed -me; your lack of affectation, your sincerity and honesty, have won my -admiration. I cannot say to you, as a younger man would, that I love -you, for I will not take an unfair advantage of one who is as yet a -child. But you will become a woman soon, and I want to make you a -splendid woman—and a happy one. This is my proposition: place yourself -in my hands unreservedly, and let me direct your future. I will send you -to a famous finishing school in the East and supply you with a liberal -allowance. In two years you will return to me, old enough to become my -wife.” - -“Oh, Mr. Burthon!” - -“Meantime I’ll finance your brother’s airship proposition until it -either fails or finally succeeds.” - -Orissa was greatly distressed. She felt at the moment like giving way to -a flood of tears, for she realized that this absurd, astonishing -proposal would deprive her of her position. He saw her agitation and -felt intuitively she would not consider his offer. So he said, with grim -insistence: - -“You may answer me with one word, my child; yes or no.” - -“Oh, Mr. Burthon, it is impossible! I have a home, a mother and brother, -and—I—I could not think of such a thing.” - -“Not to save those relatives from disaster—from misery—from ruin, -perhaps?” - -The implied threat hardened her heart, which had begun to pity the man. - -“Not even to save them from death!” she replied firmly. - -“Am I so distasteful to you, then? Is my money of so little account?” - -With cold dignity Orissa rose from her chair. He saw the look on her -face and became a little alarmed. - -“Please forget all I have said,” he added, hastily. “I—I am not myself -to-day. You may get the mail ready, Miss Kane, and I will sign the -letters before I go.” - -She went to the wardrobe and took down her things. He sat silently -watching her as she put them on, a slight frown upon his face. The girl -hesitated a moment, then walked straight to his desk and said: - -“Of course I cannot stay here a moment after what you have said. But I -think you—you meant to be good to me—in your way. Good-bye, Mr. -Burthon.” - -“Good-bye, Miss Kane.” - -His voice was cold and hard. She did not look at him again, but walked -out of the office and quietly left the building, so she did not see that -the frown had deepened to a scowl, nor hear him mutter: - -“Both lost—the girl and the aëroplane! But I’ll have them yet, for the -Kanes are too simple to oppose me successfully.” - -At three o’clock Orissa surprised Steve by coming into the hangar in her -working dress. - -“Why, what’s the matter, Ris?” he demanded. - -“I’ve left Mr. Burthon,” she said quietly. - -“What’s up?” - -Orissa thought it unwise to tell her brother all that had transpired. - -“He was angry because we refused to give him a half interest in the -aircraft,” she explained. “So I simply quit and came home.” - -Steve sat down and stared at her a moment. He had been thinking of Mr. -Cumberford’s warning ever since that strange individual had gone away, -and Orissa’s “resignation” afforded him distinct relief. - -“I’m glad of it, Ris,” he said, earnestly. “There’s no necessity for you -to work now, for we have plenty of money to see us through. Besides, I -need you here to assist me.” - -“Really, Steve?” - -“It’s a fact. I don’t like to employ outside assistance at this stage of -the game; it might be fatal. But you are nearly as well posted on -aëroplanes as I am, Orissa, and you’re clever enough to be of real help -to me. I don’t need brute strength, you know.” - -“Why, I’m terribly strong!” she said with a gay laugh, baring her round -arm and bending her elbow to show how the muscle bunched up. “I can lift -as much as you can, Steve, if it is necessary.” - -“It won’t be necessary,” replied her brother, delighted to find how -easily she adopted his suggestion. “Just grab the end of that bow and -hold it steady while I shave a point to it. That’s it. Don’t you see how -awkward it is for me to handle these things alone?” - -She nodded. - -“You’re right, Steve. I’ll stay at home and help you finish the -aircraft,” said she. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE SPYING OF TOT TYLER - - -Mr. Burthon was like many other men accustomed to modern business -methods: he believed there was always an indirect way to accomplish -whatever he desired. Also, like many others who have little or no use -for such a contrivance, he owned a motor car. His chauffeur was a -little, wizen featured man named Totham Tyler, familiarly called “Tot” -by his chums, a chauffeur who knew automobiles backward and forward and -might have progressed beyond his present station had he not been -recognized as so “tricky” that no one had any confidence in him. - -About two weeks after Orissa had left the office Mr. Burthon said to his -man one morning: - -“Tyler, would you like to do a little detective work?” - -“Anything to oblige, sir,” answered Totham, pricking up his ears. - -“Have you ever met a fellow around town named Kane?” - -“Steve Kane, sir? Oh, yes. He used to be foreman of Cunningham’s repair -shop. Quit there some time ago, I believe. Clever fellow, sir, this -Kane.” - -“Yes; he has invented a new sort of aëroplane.” - -Tyler whistled, reflectively. All motor car people have a penchant for -flying. As Mr. Cumberford would have said: it “interests them.” - -“Kane is keeping the matter a secret,” continued Mr. Burthon, “and I’m -curious to know what he’s up to. Find out, Tyler, and let me know.” - -“Very good, sir. Where is he working?” - -“At home. He lives out Beverly way. Take a Beverly car and get off at -Sandringham avenue. Walk north up the lane to the first bungalow.” - -“Ever been there, sir?” - -“No; but Kane’s sister has described the place to me. When you get -there, try to hire out as an assistant, but in any case keep your eyes -open and observe everything in sight. I’ll pay you extra for this work, -according to the value of the information you obtain.” - -“I understand, sir,” answered Tyler, wrinkling his leathery face into a -shrewd smile; “I know how to work a game of that sort, believe me.” - -In pursuance of this mission the little chauffeur came to the Kane -residence that very afternoon. As he approached the bungalow he heard -the sound of pounding upon metal coming from the canvas covered hangar; -otherwise the country lay peacefully sunning itself. An automobile stood -in the lane. On the front porch a woman sat knitting, but raised her -head at the sound of footsteps. Tyler touched his cap, but there was no -response. Looking at her closely he saw the woman was blind, so he -passed her stealthily and tiptoed up the narrow path toward the hangar. -The top canvas had been drawn back on wires to admit the air, but the -entrance was closed by curtains. Tyler listened to the hammering a -moment, and summoning his native audacity to his aid boldly parted the -curtains and entered. - -“Hello, Kane!” he called; then paused and took in the scene before him -at a glance. - -Stephen was at the bench pounding into shape an aluminum -propeller-blade; a tall man with a drooping mustache stood near, -watching him. A young girl was busily sewing strips of canvas. On its -rack lay a huge flying machine—its planes spread, the motors in place, -the running gear complete—seemingly almost ready for action. - -But Tyler was not the only one with eyes. Kane paused with uplifted -hammer and regarded the intruder with a frown of annoyance; Orissa -stared in startled surprise; the tall man’s spectacles glittered -maliciously. - -“Burthon’s chauffeur!” he muttered; “I remember him.” Swiftly his long -arm shot out, seized Tyler’s shoulder and whirled him around. The square -toe of a heavy shoe caught the little man unprepared and sent him flying -through the entrance, where he sprawled full length upon the ground. - -In an instant he was up, snarling with rage. The curtains were closed -and before them stood his assailant calmly lighting a cigarette. - -“Mr. Cumberford, sir,” gasped Tyler, “you shall smart for this! It’s -actionable, sir. It’s—it’s—assault ’n’ battery; that’s what it is!” - -“Want any more?” asked the man coolly. - -“Not to-day, thank you. This’ll cost you plenty.” - -“Then go back to Burthon and tell him we know his game. You’re -trespassing, sir. I could wring your neck—perhaps I will—and the law -would uphold me. If you want to escape alive, make tracks.” - -Totham Tyler took the hint. He walked away with as much dignity as he -could muster, considering his anatomy had so recently been jarred; but -he did not take the car home. Oh, no. There was much more to discover -inside that hangar. He would wait until night, and then take his time to -explore the place fully. - -With this end in view the chauffeur secreted himself in the outskirts of -the orange grove, creeping underneath a tree with thick branches that -nearly touched the ground. He could pick ripe fruit from where he lay, -and was well content to rest himself until night came. - -An hour later Mr. Cumberford whirled by in his motor car, headed for the -city. Tyler shook his fist at his enemy and swore effectively to relieve -his feelings. Then he sank into a doze. - -The approaching chug of an engine aroused him. He found it was nearly -dark, so he must have slept for some hours. Here was Cumberford, back -with his car and speeding up the lane so swiftly that Tot could only see -a cage-like affair occupying the rear section of the automobile. - -The chauffeur wondered what this could be, puzzling his brain for a -solution of the problem. Even while considering the matter Cumberford -passed him again, smoking his eternal cigarette and running the car more -deliberately, now, toward the city. - -“All right,” mumbled the chauffeur; “he’s out of the way for the night, -anyhow. But he left the cage somewhere. What the blazes could he have -had in it?” - -He ate a few more oranges for his supper, smoked his pipe, snoozed again -and awoke to find it was nearly midnight. - -“Good!” said he; “now’s my time. I don’t mind a bit of a wait if I get -the goods in the end; and here’s where I get ’em. It takes a pretty good -man to outwit Tot Tyler. They’ll agree to that, by’m’by.” - -He crept down the lane and kept on the south side of the hedge until he -came opposite the hangar, thus avoiding the house and grounds. The -canvas top of the shed showed white in the moonlight, not twenty feet -from where he stood, and the chauffeur was pressing aside the thick -hedge to find an opening when a deep bay, followed by a growl, smote his -ears. He paused, his head thrust half through the foliage, his blood -chilled with terror as there bounded from the hangar a huge bloodhound, -its eyes glaring red in the dim light, its teeth bared menacingly. - -Tot thought he was “done for,” as he afterward told Mr. Burthon, when -with a jerk the great beast stopped—a yard from the hedge—and the clank -of a chain showed it could come no farther. - -Tyler caught his breath, broke from the hedge and sprinted down the lane -at his best gait, followed by a succession of angry bays from the hound. - -“Confound Cumberford!” he muttered. “The brute was in that cage, and he -went to town to get it, so’s to keep me out of the hangar. That’s two I -owe this guy, an’ I’ll get even with him in time, sure’s fate.” - -There was no car at this hour, so the discomfited chauffeur had to -trudge seven miles to the city, where he arrived at early dawn. - -The man was not in an amiable frame of mind when he brought Mr. -Burthon’s automobile to the club, where his master lived, at nine -o’clock. As he drove the broker to the office he related his news. - -“Cumberford!” cried Mr. Burthon. “Are you sure it was Cumberford?” - -“Yes, sir; I remember him well. Took him to your office and the bank, -you know, the time you had some deal with him; and he tried to tell me -how to run the car. Me! I spotted him right away for a fresh guy from -the East, an’ now he’s kicked me out of Kane’s hangar an’ set a dog on -me. Oh, yes; I know Cumberford.” - -“So do I,” said Burthon, grimly. - -Tyler caught the tone. - -“I’ll do him yet, sir. Leave it to me. I couldn’t get much of a pointer -on Kane’s aëroplane; hadn’t time, you know; but it looked like a rosebud -an’ I guess he’s got something good. I’m going to find out. I’ll take -out a dose for the dog that’ll put him to sleep in a wink, and then I’ll -go all over the thing careful.” - -“Never mind the airship,” said Mr. Burthon. “I’ve found out what I -wanted to know.” - -“What! you have, sir?” exclaimed the chauffeur, amazed. - -“Yes,” was the quiet reply. “That is, if you’re positive the man at the -Kanes was Cumberford.” - -“Sure? Why, I’d stake my life on it, sir.” - -“Then I’ll follow the clue in my own way,” said Mr. Burthon, alighting -from the car. - -The discovery made by Tyler necessitated a change in the proposed -campaign. The broker entered his office, sat down at his desk and fell -into one of his fits of deep abstraction. The new “secretary,” noting -this, chewed her gum reflectively a moment and then began to read a -novel, keeping the volume concealed behind her desk. - -“If Cumberford was in the hangar,” Mr. Burthon mused, “he has undertaken -to back Kane’s aëroplane, and I’m too late to get hold of the machine in -the way I planned. I suppose the fool offered better terms than I did, -to blind those simple children, and so the Kanes turned me down. Never -mind. Cumberford has beaten me on two deals, but the third trick shall -be mine. I must get hold of the designs of Kane’s aëroplane in some way; -perhaps I may find them at the patent office. Then I’ll regulate things -so the boy’s invention will prove a failure. The result ought to satisfy -me: it would cause Cumberford serious loss, ruin young Kane, and—bring -Orissa to me for assistance. But Tyler can’t manage the job; I must have -a man more clever than he is, and direct the intrigue in person.” - -The secretary read and chewed most of the day. When she quit “work” at -five o’clock, Mr. Burthon was still thinking. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - SYBIL IS CRITICAL - - -Steve was now progressing finely with the work on the Kane Aircraft and -believed he would be able to overcome all the imperfections that had -disclosed themselves during the first trial. Mr. Cumberford came to the -hangar nearly every day, now, and Steve and Orissa began to wonder how -he found time to attend to other business—provided he had any. On the -day of Tyler’s visit he had announced it was his last trip to see the -Kanes, as he had been summoned to Chicago to attend a directors’ meeting -and from there would go on to New York. But having discovered that -Burthon was intent upon some secret intrigue, which could bode no good -to his protégés—the Kanes—he promptly changed his mind and informed -Steve on a subsequent visit that he had arranged affairs at home and was -now free to spend the entire winter in Southern California. - -“My daughter likes it here,” he added, “and kicks up fewer rows than she -does at home; so that’s a strong point in favor of this location. -Aviation interests me. I’ve joined the Aëro Club out here and subscribed -for the big meet to be held in January, at Dominguez Field. That’s when -we are to show the world the Kane invention, my lad, and I think it will -be an eye opener to most of the crowd present.” - -“How does your mine, the Queen of Hearts, get along?” asked Orissa. - -“It continues to pay big—even better than I had hoped. Burthon must be -pretty sore over that deal by this time. Speaking of my sainted -brother-in-law, I’ve just made a discovery. He owns the mortgage on your -place.” - -“Why, we got the money from the Security Bank!” exclaimed Orissa. - -“I know. I went there. Thought I’d take up the mortgage myself, but -found Burthon had bought it. Now, the question is, why?” - -Neither brother nor sister could imagine; but Cumberford knew. - -“He hopes you won’t be able to meet it, and then he’ll foreclose and -turn you out,” he said. “But you’re not the principal game he’s after; -he’s shooting me over your heads. Burthon is miffed because I let you -have the money, but believes I haven’t any financial or personal -interest in you beyond that. If he can prevent your aircraft from flying -he’ll make me lose my money and also ruin you two youngsters. That’s -doubtless his game. That’s why he sent his man here to spy upon you.” - -“But that is absurd! Burthon can’t prevent our success,” declared Steve. -“Even if some minor parts go wrong, the aircraft will fly as strongly -and as well as anything now in existence.” - -“Don’t be too sure,” cautioned Mr. Cumberford. “You and your machine may -be all right, but that’s no reason why Burthon can’t push failure at -you, or even prevent you from flying. We must watch him.” - -“I do not believe the man hates us,” observed Orissa, thoughtfully. “Mr. -Burthon is a little queer and—and unscrupulous, at times; but I don’t -consider him a bad man, by any means.” - -“I know him better than you do, and he hates me desperately,” replied -Cumberford. - -“He says that—that you abused his sister,” doubtfully remarked the girl. - -“Well, I did,” said Cumberford, calmly. “I pounded her two or three -times. Once I choked her until it’s a wonder she ever revived.” - -“Oh, how dreadful!” exclaimed Orissa, shrinking back. - -“Isn’t it?” he agreed, lighting a cigarette. “Only a brute would lift -his hand against a woman. But Burthon’s sister—my wife—had a fiendish -temper, and her tantrums aroused all the evil in my nature—there’s -plenty there, I assure you. It was the time I choked her that Burthon -had me arrested for cruelty. She had put poison in my coffee and I took -the fluid into court with me. Burthon said I was lying and I asked him -to drink the coffee to establish his sister’s innocence. But he -wouldn’t. Pity, wasn’t it? The judge begged my pardon and said I ought -to have choked her a moment longer. But no; I’m glad I didn’t, for she -died naturally in the end. My dear daughter, whom I sincerely love, is -like her lamented mother, except that I can trust her not to poison me.” - -“Doesn’t she love you in return?” asked Orissa. - -“Sybil? Why, she’s tremendously fond of me. My daughter,” and his voice -grew suddenly tender, “has been for years—is now—the only person I live -for. We’re chums, we two. The poor child can’t help her inherited -tendencies, you know, and I rather enjoy the fact that she keeps me -guessing what she’s going to do next. It—er—interests me, so to speak. I -like Sybil.” - -Sybil interested Orissa, too. Her father’s reports of her were so -startlingly condemnatory, and his affection for her so evident, that -Orissa’s curiosity was aroused concerning her. Mr. Cumberford, in spite -of his peculiarities and deprecating remarks concerning himself had won -the friendship of both Stephen and Orissa by this time; for whatever he -might be to others he had certainly proved himself a friend in need to -them. It was evident he liked the Kanes and sought their companionship, -for the aircraft could scarcely account for his constant attendance at -the hangar. - -“I would like to meet your daughter,” said the girl, thoughtfully. - -“Would you, really?” he asked, eagerly. “Well, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt -Sybil to know you. I’ll bring her out here to-morrow, if she’ll come. -Never can tell what she will do or won’t do, you know. Interesting, -isn’t it?” - -“Quite so,” she concurred, laughing at his whimsical tone. - -Because of this conversation the Kanes awaited Mr. Cumberford’s arrival -next day with keen curiosity. Steve advanced the opinion that the girl -wouldn’t come, but Orissa thought she would. And she did. When the motor -car stopped in front of the bungalow there was a girl in the back seat -and Orissa ran down the path to welcome her. - -A pale, composed face looked out from beneath a big black hat with -immense black plumes. A black lace waist with black silk bolero and -skirt furnished a somber costume scarcely suited to so young a girl, for -Sybil Cumberford could not have been much older than Orissa, if any. Her -father was right when he claimed that Sybil was not beautiful. She had -high, prominent cheek bones, a square chin and a nose with a decided -uplift to the point. But her brown hair was profuse and exquisitely -silky; her dark eyes large, well opened and far seeing; her slight form -carried with unconscious grace. - -Orissa’s critical glance took in these points at once, and intuitively -she decided that Sybil Cumberford was not unattractive and ought to win -friends. That she had a strong personality was evident; also the girl -whom her father had affectionately called a “demon” was quiet, reserved -and undemonstrative—at least during this first interview. - -She acknowledged the introduction to Orissa with a rather haughty bow, -alighting from the car without noticing Miss Kane’s outstretched hand. - -“Which way is the aëroplane, Daddy?” she asked, speaking not flippantly, -but in low, quiet tones. - -“I’ll lead the way; you girls may follow,” he said. - -As they went up the path Orissa, anxious to be sociable and to put the -stranger at her ease, said brightly: - -“Don’t you think the ride out here is beautiful?” - -“Yes,” responded Sybil. - -“The orange groves are so attractive, just now,” continued Orissa. - -There was no response. - -“I hope you enjoyed it, so you will be tempted to come again,” resumed -the little hostess. - -Miss Cumberford said nothing. Her father, a step in advance, remarked -over his shoulder: “My daughter seldom wastes words. If you wish her to -speak you must address to her a direct question; then she will answer it -or not, as she pleases. It’s her way, and you’ll have to overlook it.” - -Orissa flushed and glanced sidewise to get a peep at Sybil’s face, that -she might note how the girl received this personal criticism. But the -features were as unemotional as wax and the dark, mysterious eyes were -directed toward the hangar, the roof of which now showed plainly. It was -hard to continue a conversation under such adverse conditions and Orissa -did not try. In silence they traversed the short distance to the shed, -where Steve met them, a little abashed at receiving a young lady in his -workshop. - -But Mr. Cumberford’s daughter never turned her eyes upon him. She gave a -graceful little nod when presented to the inventor, but ignored him to -stare at the aircraft, which riveted her attention at once. - -“This, Sybil,” said her father, enthusiastically, “is the famous -aëroplane to be known in history as the Kane Aircraft. It’s as far ahead -of the ordinary biplane as a sewing machine is ahead of a needle and -thimble. It will do things, you know. So it—er—interests me.” - -It seemed to interest her, also. Examining the details of construction -with considerable minuteness she began asking questions that rather -puzzled Mr. Cumberford, who retreated in favor of Steve. The inventor -explained, and as all his heart and soul were in the aëroplane he -explained so simply and comprehensively that Sybil’s dark eyes suddenly -flashed upon his face, and clung there until the young fellow paused, -hesitated, and broke down embarrassed. - -Orissa, smiling at Steve’s shyness, picked up the subject and dilated -upon it at length, for the girl had every detail at her tongue’s end and -understood the mechanism fully as well as her brother did. The visitor -listened to her with interest, and when she had no more questions to ask -stood in absorbed meditation before the aëroplane, as if in a dream, and -wholly disregarded the others present. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE FLYING FEVER - - -Mr. Cumberford said frankly to Steve and Orissa: - -“Don’t expect too much of Sybil, or you’ll be disappointed. She’s -peculiar, and the things that interest her are often those the world -cares nothing for. Anything odd or unusual is sure to strike her fancy; -that’s why she’s so enraptured with the aircraft.” - -The word enraptured did not seem, to Steve, to describe Sybil’s attitude -at all; but Orissa, watching the girl’s face, decided it was especially -appropriate. They left her standing before the machine and went on with -their work, while Mr. Cumberford ignored his daughter and smoked -cigarettes while he watched, as usual, every movement of the young -mechanic. - -“Saw Burthon this morning,” he remarked, presently. - -“Did he say anything?” asked Steve. - -“No. Just smiled. That shows he’s up to something. Wonder what it is.” - -Steve shook his head. - -“I don’t see how that man can possibly injure me,” he said, musingly. -“I’ve gone straight ahead, in an honest fashion, and minded my own -business. As for the machine, that’s honest, too, and all my -improvements are patented.” - -“They’re what?” - -“Patented, sir; registered in the patent office at Washington.” - -“Oho!” - -Steve looked at him, surprised. - -“Well, sir?” - -“You’re an irresponsible idiot, Stephen Kane.” - -“Because I patented my inventions?” - -“Yes, sir; for placing full descriptions and drawings of them before the -public until you’ve startled the aviation world and are ready to -advertise what you’ve done.” - -Steve stared, a perception of Cumberford’s meaning gradually coming to -him. - -“Why, as for that,” he said a little uneasily, “no one ever takes the -trouble to read up new patents, there are so many of them. And, after -all, it’s a protection.” - -“Is it? I can put another brace in that new elevator of yours and get a -patent on it as an improvement. The brace won’t help it any, but it will -give me the right to use it. I’m not positive I couldn’t prevent you -from using yours, if I got mine publicly exhibited and on the market -first.” - -Steve was bewildered, and Orissa looked very grave. But Mr. Cumberford -lighted another cigarette and added: - -“Nevertheless, I wouldn’t worry. As you say, the patent office is a -rubbish heap which few people ever care to examine. Is everything -covered by patent?” - -“Everything but the new automatic balance. I haven’t had time to send -that on.” - -“Then don’t.” - -“The old one is patented, but it proved a failure and nearly killed me. -The one I am now completing is entirely different.” - -“Good. Don’t patent it until after the aviation meet. It’s your -strongest point. Keep that one surprise, at least, up your sleeve.” - -As Steve was considering this advice Sybil Cumberford came softly to her -father’s side and said: - -“Daddy, I want to fly.” - -“To flee or to flew?” he asked, banteringly, at the same time looking at -her intently. - -“To fly in the air.” - -Mr. Cumberford sighed. - -“Kane, what will a duplicate of your aircraft cost?” - -“I can’t say exactly, sir,” replied the boy, smiling. - -“Shall we order one, Sybil?” - -She stood staring straight ahead, with that impenetrable, mysterious -look in her dark eyes which was so typical of the girl. Cumberford threw -away his cigarette and coughed. - -“We’ll consider that proposition some time, Steve,” he continued, rather -hastily. “Meantime, perhaps my daughter could make a trial flight in -your machine.” - -“Perhaps,” said Steve, doubtfully. - -“Will it carry two?” - -“It would support the weight of two easily,” replied the young man; “but -I would be obliged to rig up a second seat.” - -“Do so, please,” requested Miss Cumberford, in her even, subdued voice. -“When will it be ready?” - -“The aircraft will be complete in about ten days from now; but before I -attempt to carry a passenger I must give it a thorough personal test,” -said Steve, with decision. “You may watch my flights, Miss Cumberford, -if you wish, and after I’ve proved the thing to be correct and safe I’ll -do what I can to favor you—if you’re not afraid, and still want to make -the trial.” - -“Thank you,” she said, and turned away. - -“I’ll go myself, some time,” observed Mr. Cumberford, after a pause. -“Flying interests me.” - -Orissa was much amused. She had not known many girls of her own age, but -such as she had met were all commonplace creatures compared with this -strange girl, who at present seemed unable to tear herself away from the -airship. Sybil did not convey the impression of being ill-bred or -forward, however unconventional she might be; yet it seemed to Orissa -that she constantly held herself firmly repressed, yet alert and -watchful, much like a tiger crouched ready to spring upon an -unsuspecting prey. In spite of this uncanny attribute, Orissa found -herself powerfully drawn toward the peculiar girl, and resolved to make -an attempt to win her confidence and friendship. - -With this thought in mind she joined Sybil, who was again examining the -aëroplane with rapt attention. While she stood at her side the girl -asked, without glancing up: - -“Have you ever made a flight?” - -“No,” replied Orissa. - -“Why not?” - -“I haven’t had an opportunity.” - -“Don’t you like it?” - -“I imagine I would enjoy a trip through the air,” answered Orissa; “that -is, after I became accustomed to being suspended in such a thin -element.” - -“You seem to understand your brother’s invention perfectly.” - -“Oh, I do, in its construction and use. You see, I’ve been with Steve -from the beginning; also I’ve examined several other modern aëroplanes -and watched the flights at Dominguez Field. Naturally I’m enthusiastic -over aviation, but I haven’t yet considered the idea of personally -attempting a flight. To manage a machine in the air requires a quick -eye, a clear brain and a lot of confidence and courage.” - -“Is it so dangerous?” asked Miss Cumberford quietly. - -“Not if you have the qualities I mention and a bit of experience or -training to help you in emergencies. I’m sure an aëroplane is as safe as -a steam car, and a little safer than an automobile; but a certain amount -of skill is required to manage even those.” - -The girl’s lips curled scornfully, as if she impugned this statement; -but she remained silent for a while before continuing her catechism. -Then she asked: - -“Do you mean to try flying?” - -“Perhaps so, some day,” said Orissa, smiling; “when aëroplanes have -become so common that my fears are dissipated. But, really, I haven’t -given the matter a thought. That is Steve’s business, just now. All I’m -trying to do is help him get ready.” - -“You believe his device to be practical?” - -“It’s the best I have ever seen, and I’ve examined all the famous -aëroplanes.” - -“What has my father to do with this invention?” - -Orissa was surprised. - -“Hasn’t he told you?” she asked. - -“Only that it ‘interests him;’ but many things do that.” - -“We needed money to complete the aircraft, and Mr. Cumberford kindly let -us have it,” explained the girl. - -“What did he demand in return?” - -“Nothing but our promise to repay him in case we succeed.” - -Sybil shot a swift glance toward her father. - -“Look out for him,” she murmured. “He’s a dangerous man—in business -deals.” - -“But this isn’t business,” protested Orissa, earnestly; “indeed, his act -was wholly irregular from a business standpoint. As a matter of fact, -Mr. Cumberford has been very generous and unselfish in his attitude -toward us. We like your father, Miss Cumberford, and—we trust him.” - -The girl stood silent a moment; then she slowly turned her face to -Orissa with a rare and lovely smile which quite redeemed its plainness. -From that moment she lost her reserve, toward Orissa at least, and it -was evident the praise of her father had fully won her heart. - -Day by day, thereafter, Sybil came with Mr. Cumberford to the hangar, -until the important time arrived when Steve was to test the -reconstructed aircraft. By Cumberford’s advice the trial was made in the -early morning, and in order to be present both father and daughter -accepted the hospitality of the Kanes for the previous night, Sybil -sharing Orissa’s bed while Steve gave up his room to Mr. Cumberford and -stretched himself upon a bench in the hangar. - -Mrs. Kane knew that her son was to make an attempt to fly at daybreak, -but was quite undisturbed. The description of the Kane Aircraft, which -Orissa had minutely given her, seemed to inspire her with full -confidence, and if she had a thought of danger she never mentioned it to -anyone. The Cumberfords were very nice to Mrs. Kane, while she, in -return, accepted their friendship unreservedly. Orissa knew her mother -to be an excellent judge of character, for while her affliction -prevented her from reading a face her ear was trained to catch every -inflection of a voice, and by that she judged with rare accuracy. Once -she said to her daughter: “Mr. Cumberford is a man with a fine nature -who has in some way become embittered; perhaps through unpleasant -experiences. He does not know his real self, and mistrusts it; for which -reason his actions may at times be eccentric, or even erratic. But under -good influences he will be found reliable and a safe friend. His -daughter, on the contrary, knows her own character perfectly and abhors -it. As circumstances direct she will become very bad or very good, for -she has a strong, imperious nature and may only be influenced through -her affections. I think it is good for her to have you for a friend.” - -This verdict coincided well with Orissa’s own observations and she -accepted it as veritable. Yet Sybil was a constant enigma to her and -seldom could she understand the impulses that dominated her. The girl -was mysterious in many ways. She saw everything and everyone without -looking directly at them; she found hidden meanings in the most simple -and innocent phrases; always she seemed suspecting an underlying motive -in each careless action, and Orissa was often uneasy at Sybil’s implied -suggestion that she was not sincere. The girl would be cold and silent -for days together; then suddenly become animated and voluble—a mood that -suited her much better than the first. Steve said to his sister: “You -may always expect the unexpected of Sybil.” Which proved he had also -been studying this peculiar girl. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - A FINAL TEST - - -It was the morning of the tenth of December that the eager little group -assembled at dawn on Marston’s pasture to witness the test of the Kane -Aircraft. - -Steve was so occupied with his final adjustments and anxiety lest he -should overlook some important point, that he never thought of danger. -He would not have remembered even his goggles had not Orissa handed them -to him and told him to put them on. - -This was the first time Mr. Cumberford had witnessed a performance of -the aëroplane, yet he was much less excited than his daughter, who could -not withdraw her gaze from the device and was nervously attentive to -every move that the young aviator made. Orissa, confident of the result, -was most composed of all. - -When all was ready Steve took his seat, started the motors, and when -they had acquired full speed threw in the clutch. The aëroplane ran less -than fifty feet on its wheels before it began to rise, when it steadily -soared into the air and mounted to an elevation of several hundred feet. -By this time the aviator, who had kept a straight course, was half a -dozen miles from the starting point; but now he made a wide circle and, -returning, passed over Marston’s pasture at the same high altitude. - -The speed of the aircraft was marvelous. Mr. Cumberford declared it was -making a mile a minute, which estimate was probably correct. After -circling for a while Steve descended to a hundred feet in a straight -dive, holding the device in perfect control and maintaining at all times -an exact balance. At a hundred feet he tested the rudders thoroughly, -proving he could alter his course at will, make sharp turns and circle -in a remarkably small space. Then, having been in the air twenty-seven -minutes by the watch, he descended to the ground, rolled a hundred feet -on his running gear and came to a halt a few paces away from the silent, -fascinated group of watchers. - -Not a hitch had occurred. The Kane Aircraft was as perfect a creation as -its inventor had planned it to be. - -Orissa gave Steve a kiss when he alighted, but said not a word. Sybil -impulsively seized the aviator’s hands and pressed them until he flushed -red. Mr. Cumberford lighted a fresh cigarette, nodded approvingly and -said: - -“All right, Steve. It—interests me.” - -“It almost seemed alive,” remarked Steve, with pardonable exuberance. -“Why, I believe it would fly bottom-side-up, if I asked it to!” - -“Any changes necessary?” inquired Mr. Cumberford. - -“Only one or two, and those unimportant. The steering-wheel is too loose -and needs tightening. The left guy-wires are a bit too taut and need to -be relieved. Half an hour’s tinkering and the aircraft will be as -perfect as I know how to make it.” - -As they were wheeling it back to the hangar, Sybil asked: - -“Weren’t you frightened, Mr. Kane, when you were so high above the -earth?” - -“Oh, no; it is far safer a mile up than it is fifty or a hundred feet. -There are no dangerous air currents to contend with and the machine -glides more smoothly the more air it has underneath it. When I am near -the earth I sometimes get a little nervous, but never when I’m far up.” - -“But suppose you should fall from that distance?” - -“Fall? Oh, but you can’t fall very easily with this sort of a biplane. -At any angle it’s a kind of a parachute, you know, for the hinged ends -automatically spread themselves against the air pressure. And as for a -tumble, you know that a fall of fifty feet would kill one as surely as a -fall of several hundred feet. If a fellow can manage to stick to his -aëroplane he’s pretty safe.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: “IT—INTERESTS ME.”] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -“It seems such a frail thing,” observed Sybil, musingly. - -“Just wooden ribs and canvas,” laughed Steve; “but anything stronger -would be unnecessary, and therefore foolish.” - -“Now, then,” said Mr. Cumberford, when the aircraft rested once more -upon its rack, “I’ve something to tell you, Kane. I’ve known it for -several days, but refrained from speaking until you had made your -trial.” - -There was an ominous suggestion in the words. Steve turned and looked at -him questioningly. - -“Any bad news, sir?” - -“Time will determine if it’s bad or good. Anyhow, it’s news. Burthon is -building an aircraft.” - -“An aëroplane?” - -“I said an aircraft.” - -“But that word designates only my own machine.” - -“Burthon is building your machine.” - -Steve stared at him, doubtful if he heard aright. Orissa stood -motionless, growing white and red by turns. Sybil’s lips curled in a -sneer as she said: - -“My clever uncle! What a resourceful man he is.” - -“I—I don’t believe I understand,” stammered Steve. - -“It’s simple enough,” replied Cumberford. “Burthon sent to Washington -for copies of your plans and specifications, has built a hangar and -workshop over South Pasadena way, and employed a clever mechanic from -Cleveland to superintend the construction—already well under way.” - -“How do you know this, sir?” inquired Steve, breathless. - -“The clever mechanic from Cleveland is my own man, who has been my -confidential agent for years.” - -“And you permit him to do this work!” cried the young man, indignantly. - -“To be sure. If Brewster loses the job, some one will get it who is -_not_ my agent. It is the only way I can keep accurate account of what -Burthon is up to.” - -They were all silent for a time while they considered this startling -information. By and by Cumberford said: - -“Burthon has joined the Aëro Club, has donated a handsome cup for the -best endurance flight during the coming meet at Dominguez, and in some -way has made himself so popular with the officials that he has been -appointed a member of the committee on arrangements. I dropped in at the -Club yesterday, for I’m a member, and made this discovery. My scheming -brother-in-law has some dusky, deep laid plan, and is carrying it out -with particular attention to detail.” - -“Do you think it concerns us, sir?” asked Orissa, anxiously. - -“Yes. It isn’t extraordinary that Burthon should take a fancy to -aviation. He is full of fads and fancies, and such a thing is liable to -interest him. It interests me. But the meat in the nut is the fact that -he is building a copy of the Kane Aircraft, merely adding a few details -which he will declare are improvements.” - -“Can’t we issue an injunction and stop him?” asked Steve. - -“I’ve seen a lawyer about that. We can’t prove infringement at this -stage of the game and it would be folly to attempt it. Burthon’s plan is -to exhibit his machine first, then keep yours off the field during the -meet and afterward claim that you are infringing upon his rights. He has -organized a stock company, keeping most of the stock himself, has -entered his device in all the aviation tournaments throughout the -country, and is issuing a circular offering the machines for sale. I -have a hand proof, fresh from the printer, of this circular.” - -“Who will be his aviator?” asked Steve, with puckered brows. - -“His former chauffeur, Mr. Totham Tyler, is one. He is now looking for -another, also.” - -Steve drew a long breath. - -“What can we do?” he asked in a bewildered tone. - -“Checkmate him,” was the composed reply. - -“How, sir?” - -“Well, we know pretty well all Burthon’s plans. He doesn’t suspect we -know a thing; believes he will be able to keep his secret until his -aëroplane is ready and he can announce it in the newspapers and create a -sensation. He has concocted a very pretty trick. Until this date no one -has ever heard of the Kane Aircraft. After the Burthon Improved Biplane -is exploited and its praise on every tongue, you won’t be able to get -even a hearing with your invention, much less a chance to fly it.” - -Steve sat down and covered his face with his hands. His attitude was one -of despair. - -“When will Mr. Burthon’s machine be finished?” asked Orissa, -thoughtfully. - -“He expects to make the first trial a week from to-morrow. He has kept a -force of expert men at work, and they haven’t attempted to make the Kane -engines, but are using a type that has worked successfully in many -biplanes. So his machine has grown into existence very quickly.” - -“A week from to-morrow,” repeated Orissa, softly. “And Steve is ready -to-day.” - -Steve looked up quickly. Sybil laughed at him. - -“You silly boy,” said she. “Can’t you understand what Daddy means by a -checkmate?” - -Steve turned to Mr. Cumberford, who was lighting a fresh cigarette. - -“If you will place the matter in my hands,” said that gentleman, “I will -proceed to put a spoke in Burthon’s wheel, so to speak. Heretofore, -Steve, I have been a mere onlooker, a—an interested friend, I may say. -At this juncture you’d better make me your manager.” - -“Would you accept the position?” asked the boy. - -“Yes; there isn’t much else to interest me just now, and—I hate -Burthon.” - -“Poor uncle!” sighed Sybil. - -“On what terms will you undertake this, sir?” Steve inquired, with -anxiety. - -“Why, I may have to spend a lot of money; probably will; and my time’s -valuable; when I’m not here I’m moping at the Alexandria Hotel; so I -propose you give me ten per cent of your profits for the first three -years.” - -“That is absurd, sir,” declared Steve. “There will be little profit at -first, and ten per cent of it wouldn’t amount to anything.” - -Mr. Cumberford smiled—a grim smile that was one of his peculiarities. - -“It’ll do, Steve. I’ll make it pay me well, see if I don’t. But you may -add to the demand, if you like, by promising to present my daughter the -fourth complete Kane Aircraft your factory turns out.” - -“The first!” cried Steve. - -“No, the fourth. We want the first three to go where they’ll advertise -us. Is it a bargain, Mr. Kane?” - -Steve grasped his hand. - -“Of course, sir,” he replied gratefully. “I’m not sure we can defeat Mr. -Burthon’s conspiracy, but I know you will do all that is possible. And -thank you, sir,” he added, again pressing the elder man’s hand. - -Orissa took Mr. Cumberford’s hand next. She did not express her -gratitude in words, but the man understood her and to hide his -embarrassment began to search for his cigarette case. As for Sybil, she -regarded the scene with an amused smile, and there was a queer look in -her dark eyes. - -“Now,” said Orissa, “let us go in to breakfast. You must all be nearly -famished.” - -“Yes; let us eat, so that I can get back to town,” agreed Mr. -Cumberford, cheerfully. “The campaign begins this very morning, and it -may take a few people by surprise. Remember, Steve, you’re to stand -ready to carry out any plans your manager makes.” - -“I understand, sir.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - THE OPENING GUN - - -Sybil rode with her father into town. On the way she said: - -“You puzzle me. One would imagine you are playing fair with the Kanes.” - -“Mere imagination,” he returned, gruffly. - -“Yes,” she agreed; “your nature is to plot and intrigue. The deeper, the -more stealthy and unsuspected the plot, the more characteristic is it of -my subtle parent.” - -“True,” he said. - -“But here is a condition that puzzles me, as I have remarked. I -understand how you won the confidence of the Kanes by posing as generous -and unselfish. That was quite like you. But to-day you had them in your -power. You might have demanded anything—everything—yet you accepted a -mere ten per cent. Now I’m really wondering what your game is.” - -It was evident he did not relish his daughter’s criticism, for his -usually placid brow bore a heavy frown. Still, he answered lightly: - -“You’re stirring too deep; you’re roiling the pot. Why don’t you look on -the surface?” - -“Oh! how stupid of me,” she said in a relieved voice. - -“To be a diverse scoundrel,” announced her father, “is the acme of -diabolic art. From complication to simplicity is but a step, yet -requires audacity. Most rascals fail to realize that an honest act, by -way of contrast, affords more satisfaction than persistent chicanery -will produce. We must have variety in our pleasures in order to get the -most from them.” - -“To be sure,” said Sybil. - -“Meantime, you are forgetting your Uncle Burthon.” - -They rode in silence for a time. Then the girl nestled a little closer -to her father’s side and murmured: - -“I’m mighty glad, Daddy. I like the Kanes.” - -“So do I,” he responded. - -“And isn’t Stephen’s aëroplane marvelous?” - -“I consider it,” said he, “the cleverest and most important invention of -the age.” - -By eight o’clock a skillful photographer was on his way to Stephen -Kane’s hangar to get pictures of the aircraft, while Mr. Cumberford sat -in the office of a noted advertising expert and bargained for an amount -of publicity that fairly made the man’s head swim. The city editors of -all the morning papers were next interviewed and interested in the -Cumberford campaign, so that half a dozen reporters who were noted for -their brilliant descriptive writing attended a luncheon given by Mr. -Cumberford at the Aëro Club and listened to his glowing accounts of the -Kane Aircraft and the wonderful flight made by its inventor that very -morning. - -For fear Mr. Burthon might drop into the Club during this session, the -cautious “manager” of the aircraft had taken the precaution to have -Brewster telephone him to come to the South Pasadena workshop, and to -keep him there by some pretext till late in the day. This was done. Mr. -Burthon spent the entire afternoon with his imitation aircraft, -returning to Los Angeles for a late dinner at his club. Then, being very -tired, he went early to bed. - -At breakfast next morning he picked up a newspaper, started as his eye -fell upon the lurid headlines, and nearly fainted with chagrin and -anger. - -Upon the first page was a large picture of the Kane Aircraft, with a -vignette of its inventor in an upper corner and columns of description -and enthusiastic comment regarding his creation, which was heralded as a -distinct forward stride in practical aviation. Stephen’s remarkable -flight was referred to and promise made of an exhibition soon to be held -at Dominguez Field where the public would be given an opportunity to see -the aircraft in action. - -Mr. Burthon, as soon as he could recover himself, read every word -carefully. Then he smoked his cigar and thought it over. Half an hour -later he was making the rounds of the evening papers, but found he was -unable to “kill” the articles prepared to exploit the Kane Aircraft. The -morning papers having devoted so much space to the subject, the -afternoon papers could not possibly ignore it, and finding he was -helpless in this attempt he followed another tack. - -Entering the office of the secretary of the Aëro Club he said: - -“I believe our contract with the owners of Dominguez Field provides that -the Aëro Club may have the use of the grounds whenever it so desires, -regardless of any other engagements by outsiders.” - -“Certainly,” replied the secretary. “I remember you yourself insisted -upon that condition, as chairman of the committee on arrangements.” - -“Please notify the manager that we require Dominguez Field, for Club -purposes, every day for the next two weeks.” - -“But—Mr. Burthon! Think of the expense.” - -“I shall personally pay all charges.” - -“Very well.” - -The secretary telephoned, and was informed that the Field had been -engaged that morning for the coming Saturday by a Mr. Cumberford, an -Aëro Club member. But Mr. Burthon insisted on the rights of the Club, as -an organization, and the manager agreed to cancel Cumberford’s -engagement. - -From there Mr. Burthon went to the managers of the Motordrome, the -baseball parks and Luna, engaging every open date for two weeks to come. -Then having practically tied up every available place where the Kane -Aircraft might be publicly exhibited, he sighed contentedly and went to -his South Pasadena workshop to hasten the completion of his own -aëroplane. - -Mr. Cumberford was annoyed when he received notice that he could not -have Dominguez Field for any day previous to the aviation meet. He was -further annoyed by the discovery that Burthon had engaged every public -amusement park in the vicinity of Los Angeles. But he was not the man to -despair in such an emergency; the contest between him and his hated -brother-in-law merely sharpened his wits and rendered him more alert. - -He found a broad vacant field on the Santa Monica car line; arranged -with the street railway company to carry the people there for a five -cent fare, and tied up his deals with contracts so that Burthon would be -unable to interfere. Then he ordered a large grand stand to be built and -instead of fencing in the grounds determined to make the exhibition -absolutely free to all who cared to attend. - -These arrangements completed, Mr. Cumberford announced in glaring -advertisements the date of the exhibition, and decided he had won the -game. - -Mr. Burthon tried to enjoin the exhibition, claiming that Stephen Kane’s -aircraft was an infringement on his own device; but Stephen personally -appeared before the judge and convinced him there was nothing in the -assertion. Of course Mr. Cumberford saw that the newspapers had full -accounts of these proceedings, and so public interest was keyed up to -the highest pitch when Saturday arrived. The cars on that day were taxed -to their fullest capacity to carry the crowds to Kane Park, as the new -aviation field was called. - -A large and attractive hangar had been constructed on the field, and -Stephen, on the morning of the exhibition, flew his aëroplane from -Marston’s pasture to Kane Park, alighting successfully just before the -hangar. Orissa, Sybil and Mr. Cumberford were there to receive him, and -after placing the aircraft safely in the new hangar they all motored to -town for breakfast at the Alexandria. - -It was no longer possible for Steve to take entire personal charge of -his invention, so Mr. Cumberford, having made a careful search, was -finally able to secure two men, who until that time had been strangers -to one another, as assistants. These men were skilled mechanics and -recommended as honest and reliable—which perhaps they were under -ordinary circumstances. Their names were Wilson and Reed. As they had -already been two days in Stephen’s workshop and were now thoroughly -conversant with their duties, these two men were left at the hangar in -charge of the aëroplane, with instructions to watch it carefully and -allow no one to enter or to examine it. - -Steve needed rest, for he had worked night and day preparing for this -important public test. The exhibition was to be held at two o’clock, so -he reluctantly acceded to Mr. Cumberford’s request that he lie down in a -quiet room at the hotel and sleep until he was called to lunch. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - A CURIOUS ACCIDENT - - -Orissa had not been at all nervous over the event at Kane Park until the -hour when she entered the field and noted the tremendous throng -assembled to witness her brother’s much heralded flight. The band was -playing vigorously and many gay banners waved over the grand stand and -the big hangar wherein the aircraft was hidden. Then, indeed, she began -to realize the importance of the occasion, and her heart throbbed with -pride to think that Steve was the hero all awaited and that his name -would be famous from this time forth. - -This was the 17th of December, and on January first the great -International Aviation Meet was to be held at Los Angeles, with such -famous aviators present as the Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, Hubert -Latham, Arch Hoxsey, their old friend Willard, Parmalee, Ely, Brookins, -Radley and many others. Mr. Cumberford had entered Stephen Kane for this -important meet and the young man was booked to take part in the -endurance and speed tests and to make an attempt to break the world’s -record for altitude—all in his own flyer, the Kane Aircraft. So swift a -transition from obscurity to popularity—or at least to the attention of -the civilized world—was enough to turn the head of anyone; but as yet -Steve seemed all unaware of his own importance. - -Disregarding the crowds, which were eagerly seeking a glimpse of the -young aviator but did not know him, he quietly made his way to the -hangar and was admitted by Wilson, who guarded the doorway from an -insistent group demanding a peep at the aëroplane. - -Steve took off his coat, made a thorough inspection of all the working -parts, and then put on his close-fitting cap and goggles, buttoned a -sweater over his chest and nodded to his men to throw back the entrance -curtains. - -Two policemen cleared the way and as the aviator drew back his lever the -aircraft rolled out of the hangar into full view of the multitude. A -shout went up; handkerchiefs were waved and the band played frantically. -On its big wheels, which were almost large enough for a motor car, the -aëroplane sped across the field, turned, passed the grand stand, and -with accelerating speed dashed away to the farther end of the field. - -A murmur arose, in which surprise and disappointment were intermingled. -One fat gentleman, who had been patiently waiting for two hours, -exclaimed: “Why, it’s only a sort of automobile, with crossed airplanes -set over it! I thought they claimed the thing could fly.” Those who knew -something of aviation, however, were the ones astonished at Steve’s -preliminary performance. They realized the advantage of being able to -drive an aëroplane on its own wheels, as an automobile goes, in case of -emergencies, and moreover the “crossed planes”—a distinct innovation in -construction—gave them considerable food for thought. Usually the two -surfaces, or floats, of a biplane are exactly parallel, one above the -other; but in Steve’s machine the upper plane ran fore and aft, while -the lower one extended sidewise. At a glance it was possible to see the -advantage of this arrangement as a duplex balance, which, with the -swinging wing-ends, comprised the safety device that the inventor -believed made his aëroplane superior to any other. - -From the far end of the field Steve swung around and started back, -straight for the grand stand. He had nearly reached it when he threw in -the clutch that started the propellers and at the same time slightly -elevated the front rudder. Up, like a bird taking wing, rose the -aircraft, soaring above the grand stand and then describing a series of -circles over the field. Gradually it ascended, as if the aviator was -ascending an aërial spiral staircase, until he had mounted so far among -the clouds that only a grayish speck was discernible. - -The spectators held their breaths in anxious suspense. The speck grew -larger. Swooping down at a sharp angle the aircraft came suddenly into -view and within a hundred feet of the ground resumed its normal position -and began to circle around the field again. - -Now a mighty cheer went up, and Orissa, who had been pressing Sybil’s -hand with a grip that made her wince, found herself sobbing with joy. -Her brother’s former flights had been almost as successful as this; but -only now, with the plaudits of a multitude ringing in her ears, did she -realize the wonderful thing he had accomplished. - -But on a sudden the shout was stilled. A startled, frightened moan ran -through the assemblage. Women screamed, men paled and more than one -onlooker turned sick and faint. - -For the Kane Aircraft, while gracefully gliding along, in full view of -all, was seen to suddenly collapse and crumple like a pricked toy -balloon. Aëroplane and aviator fell together in a shapeless mass toward -the earth, and the sight was enough to dismay the stoutest heart. - -But Steve’s salvation lay in his altitude at the time of the accident. -Fifty feet from the earth the automatic planes asserted their surfaces -against the air and arrested, to an appreciable extent, the plunge. Had -it been a hundred feet instead of fifty the young man might have escaped -without injury, but the damaged machine had acquired so great a momentum -that it landed with a shock that unseated young Kane and threw him -underneath the weight of the motor and gasoline tank. - -A dozen ready hands promptly released him from the wreck, but when they -tried to lift him to his feet he could not stand. His leg was broken. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - THE ONE TO BLAME - - -Mr. Cumberford locked the doors of the hangar and refused to admit -anyone but his own daughter. Even Reed and Wilson, having assisted to -drag the wreck to its shed, were ordered peremptorily to keep out. -Wilson obeyed without protest, but Reed was angry and said it was his -duty to put the aircraft into shape again. Cumberford listened to him -quietly; listened to his declaration that he had had nothing to do with -the construction of the aëroplane and therefore could in no way be held -responsible for the accident; and after the man had had his say his -employer asked him to come to his hotel in the evening to consider what -should be done. He also made an appointment with Wilson. Then he shut -himself up in the hangar with Sybil. - -Orissa had gone with Steve in the ambulance to the hospital, where she -remained by his side until the leg was set and the young man felt fairly -comfortable. The injury was not very painful, but Steve was in great -mental distress because his accident would prevent his taking part in -the aviation meet. All their carefully made plans for the successful -promotion of the Kane Aircraft were rendered futile by this sudden -reverse of fortune, and the youthful inventor constantly bewailed the -fact that Burthon would now have a clear field and his own career be -ignominiously ended. - -Orissa had little to say in reply, for her own heart was aching and she -saw no way to comfort her brother. When he was settled in his little -white room, with a skillful nurse in attendance, the girl went home to -break the sad news to their blind mother. - -Meantime Mr. Cumberford was busy at the hangar. In spite of his usual -nonchalance and obtuse manner—both carefully assumed—the man had a -thorough understanding of mechanics and by this time knew every detail -of young Kane’s aëroplane quite intimately. Also, he was a shrewd and -logical reasoner, and well knew the accident had been due to some cause -other than faulty parts or inherent weakness of the aircraft. So he took -off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves and began a careful -examination of the wreck. - -It was Sybil, however, who stood staring at the aëroplane, always -fascinating to her, who first discovered the cause of Steve’s -catastrophe. - -“See here, Daddy,” she exclaimed; “this guy-wire has been cut half -through, in some way, and others are broken entirely.” - -Mr. Cumberford came to her side and inspected the guy-wire. The girl was -right. It was certainly odd that several strands of the slender but -strong woven-wire cable had parted. Her father took a small magnifying -glass from his pocket and examined the cut with care. - -“It has been filed,” he announced. - -Sybil nodded, but she seemed absent-minded and to have lost interest in -the discovery. - -“From the first I suspected the guy-wires,” she said. “When the aircraft -collapsed I knew the wires had parted, and then—I thought of my clever -uncle.” - -Mr. Cumberford rolled down his sleeves and put on his coat. - -“Three of the wires gave way,” he observed, “and it’s a wonder young -Kane wasn’t killed. Come, ’Bil; we’ll go back to the hotel.” - -They found the field deserted, their motor car being the last on the -grounds. During the ride into town Sybil remarked: - -“This affair will cause you serious loss, Daddy.” - -“Why?” - -“Steve can’t exhibit his device at the meet, and Uncle Burthon will be -on hand to win all the laurels.” - -“Don’t worry over that,” he said grimly. “We’ve ten days in which to -outwit Burthon, and if I can’t manage to do it in that time I deserve to -lose my money.” - -Wilson came to the hotel promptly at eight o’clock for his interview -with Mr. Cumberford. Said that gentleman: - -“Tell me all that happened at the hangar after we left you and Reed -there this morning.” - -The man seemed reluctant at first, but finally decided to tell the -truth. He appeared to be an honest young fellow, but knew quite well -that his testimony would injure his fellow assistant. - -“It was quite early, sir, when an automobile came into the field and a -gentleman asked to see the aircraft. Mr. Reed was at the door, at the -time, and I heard him reply that no one could be admitted. Then the -gentleman said something to him in a low voice and Reed, after a little -hesitation, turned to me and told me to guard the door. I did so, and -the two walked away together. I saw them in close conversation for quite -a while, and then Reed came back to the hangar and said: ‘The gentleman -is having trouble with his motor car, Wilson, and one of his engines is -working badly. You understand such things; go and see if you can help -him, while I guard the door.’ - -“I thought that was queer, sir, for Reed is as good a mechanic as I am; -but I took a wrench and walked over to the automobile, which was not a -hundred yards distant. A little dried-up chauffeur was in the driver’s -seat. The gentleman asked me to test the engines, which I did, and found -there was nothing wrong with them at all. I hadn’t been a bit suspicious -until then, but this set me thinking and I hurried back to the hangar. I -hadn’t been away ten minutes, and I found Reed standing in the doorway -quietly smoking his pipe. Everything about the aircraft seemed all -right, so I said nothing to Reed except that his friend was a ringer and -up to some trick. He answered that the man was no friend of his; that he -had never seen him before and was not likely to see him again. That is -all, sir. I didn’t leave the hangar again until Mr. Kane returned and -took charge of it.” - -Mr. Cumberford had listened intently. - -“Do you know the name of the man with the automobile?” he asked. - -“No, sir.” - -“Describe him, please.” - -Wilson described Burthon with fair accuracy. - -“Thank you. You may go now, but I want you on hand to-morrow morning to -assist in getting the machine back to Kane’s old hangar.” - -“Very well, sir.” - -Reed came a half hour after Wilson had left. His attitude was swaggering -and defiant. Mr. Cumberford said to him: - -“Reed, your action in filing the guy-wires is a crime that will be -classed as attempted manslaughter. You are liable to imprisonment for -life.” - -The man grew pale, but recovering himself replied: - -“I didn’t file the wires. You can’t prove it.” - -“I’m going to try, anyway,” declared Cumberford. “That is, unless you -confess the truth, in which case I’ll prosecute Burthon instead of you.” - -Reed stared at him but, stubbornly made no reply. - -“How much did he pay you for the work?” continued Cumberford. - -No answer. - -Mr. Cumberford touched a bell and a detective entered. - -“Officer, I accuse this man of an attempt to murder Stephen Kane,” said -he. “You overheard the recent interview in this room and understand the -case perfectly and the evidence on which I base my charge. You will -arrest Mr. Reed, if you please.” - -The officer took the man in charge. Reed was nervous and evidently -terrified, but maintained a stubborn silence. - -“Confession may save you,” suggested Cumberford; but Reed was pursuing -some plan previously determined on, and would not speak. So the officer -led him away. - -Next morning the wrecked aëroplane was transferred to the workshop in -the Kane garden, where Wilson, under the supervision of Orissa and Mr. -Cumberford, began taking it apart that they might estimate the damage it -had sustained. Orissa’s face bore a serious but determined expression -and she directed the work as intelligently as Steve could have done. -Cumberford, who had brought a pair of overalls, worked beside Wilson and -in a few hours they were able to tell exactly what repairs were -necessary. - -“The motors are not much injured,” announced Orissa, “and that is indeed -fortunate. We need one new propeller blade, five bows and struts for the -lower plane, new wing ends and guy-wires and almost a complete new -running gear. It isn’t so very bad, sir. With the extra parts we have on -hand I believe the aircraft can be put in perfect condition before the -meet.” - -“Good!” exclaimed Mr. Cumberford. “Then our greatest need is to secure a -competent aviator.” - -“To operate Stephen’s machine?” - -“Of course. He’s out of commission, poor lad; but the machine must fly, -nevertheless.” - -Orissa’s blue eyes regarded him gravely. She had been considering this -proposition ever since the accident. - -“Our first task,” said she, “is to get my brother’s invention thoroughly -repaired.” - -“But the question of the aviator is fully as important,” persisted her -friend. “Wilson,” turning to the mechanic, “do you think you could -operate the aircraft?” - -“Me, sir?” replied the man, with a startled look; “I—I’m afraid not. I -understand it, of course; but I’ve had no experience.” - -“No one but Stephen Kane can claim to have had experience with this -device,” said Mr. Cumberford; “so someone must operate it who is, as -yet, wholly inexperienced.” - -“Can’t you find an aviator who has used other machines, sir?” asked -Wilson. “The city is full of them just now.” - -“I’ll try,” was the answer. - -Mr. Cumberford did try. After engaging another mechanic to assist Wilson -he interviewed every aviator he could find in Los Angeles. But all with -the slightest experience in aërial navigation were engaged by the -various aëroplane manufacturers to operate their devices, or had foreign -machines of their own which were entered for competition. He was -referred to several ambitious and fearless men who would willingly -undertake to fly the Kane invention, but he feared to trust them with so -important a duty. - -Returning one day in a rather discouraged mood to Orissa, who was busy -directing her men, he said: - -“I have always, until now, been able to find a man for any purpose I -required; but the art of flying is in its infancy and the few bold -spirits who have entered the game are all tied up and unavailable. It -looks very much as if we were going to have a winning aëroplane with no -one to develop its possibilities.” - -Orissa was tightening a turnbuckle. She looked up and said with a smile: - -“The aviator is already provided, sir.” - -“What! You have found him?” exclaimed Mr. Cumberford. - -“I ought to have said ‘aviatress,’ I suppose,” laughed the girl. - -“My daughter? Nonsense.” - -“Oh, Sybil would undertake it, if I’d let her,” replied Orissa. “But I -dare not trust anyone but—myself. There is too much at stake.” - -“You!” - -“Just Orissa Kane. I’ve been to the hospital this morning and talked -with Steve, and he quite approves my idea.” - -Mr. Cumberford looked at the slight, delicate form with an expression of -wonder. The girl seemed so dainty, so beautiful, so very feminine and -youthful, that her suggestion to risk her life in an airship was -positively absurd. - -“You’ve a fine nerve, my child,” he remarked, with a sigh, “and I’ve no -doubt you would undertake the thing if I’d give my consent. But of -course I can’t do that.” - -“Why not?” - -“You’re not fit.” - -“In what way?” - -“Why, er—strength, and—and experience. Girls don’t fly, my dear; they -simply encourage the men to risk their necks.” - -“Boo! there’s no danger,” asserted Orissa, scornfully. “One is as safe -in the Kane Aircraft as in a trundle-bed.” - -“Yet Steve—” - -“Oh, one may be murdered in bed, you know, as well as in an aëroplane. -Had those guy-wires not been tampered with an accident to my brother -would have been impossible. Have you stopped to consider, sir, that even -when the planes separated and crumpled under the air pressure Steve’s -device asserted its ability to float, and dropped gently to the ground? -Steve managed to get hurt because he fell under the weight of the -motors; that was all. Really, sir, I can’t imagine anything safer than -the aircraft. And as for brawn and muscle, you know very well that -little strength is required in an aviator. Skill is called for; a clear -head and a quick eye; and these qualities I possess.” - -“H-m. You think you can manage the thing?” - -“I know it—absolutely. I’ve talked over with Steve every detail from the -very beginning, and have personally tested all the working parts time -and again, except in actual flight.” - -“And you’re not afraid?” - -“Not in the least.” - -“You won’t faint when you find yourself among the clouds?” - -“Not a faint, sir. It isn’t in me.” - -Mr. Cumberford fell silent and solemn. He began to seriously consider -the proposition. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN - - -That evening the secretary of the Aëro Club telephoned Mr. Cumberford to -ask if he wished to withdraw his entry from contest in the coming -aviation meet. - -“By no means,” was the reply. - -“But you state that Kane is to be the aviator, and we are informed that -Kane has a broken leg.” - -“Leave the entry as it stands: ‘Kane, Aviator,’” said Cumberford, -positively. - -“Very well, sir,” returned the secretary, evidently puzzled. - -But his friend Burthon, who had suggested his telephoning, was highly -pleased when he learned Mr. Cumberford’s decision. - -“All right,” he observed, with satisfaction; “we’ll leave the Kane -Aircraft on the programme, for everyone is talking of the wonderful -device and the announcement of its competition will be the greatest -drawing card we have. But the entry of ‘Kane, Aviator’ will disqualify -anyone but Kane from operating the aircraft, and I happen to know his -leg is in a plaster cast and he cannot use it for months to come.” - -“Won’t it hurt us to disqualify the Kane Aircraft and have it withdrawn -at the last moment?” inquired the secretary, doubtfully. - -“No; for I’m going to spring on the crowd the biggest surprise of the -century—Burthon’s Biplane.” - -“Are you sure of its success, sir?” - -“Absolutely. Kane copied his machine from mine, as I have before -explained to you, and in addition to all the good points he has -exhibited I have the advantage of a perfect automatic balance. If Kane’s -device had been equipped with it he wouldn’t have fallen the other day.” - -Perhaps Mr. Burthon was sincere in saying this. He had had no -opportunity to examine Stephen’s latest creation at close quarters, but -on the day of the trial at Kane Park he had observed the fact that -Stephen had abandoned the automatic balance he had first patented, and -now had recourse to crossed planes. Both Burthon and his mechanics -considered the original device the best and most practical, and they -depended upon it for the biggest advertisement of Burthon’s Improved -Biplane, having of course no hint that Stephen had tested it and found -it sadly lacking. - -On the 26th the Burthon flyer was ready for trial, and Tot Tyler, after -several attempts, got it into the air and made a short flight that -filled the heart of Mr. Burthon with elation. - -“Curtiss and the Wrights will do better than that, though,” observed the -ex-chauffeur, “to say nothing of those daredevils Latham and Hoxsey. -I’ll improve after a few more trials, but I can’t promise ever to do -better than the other fellows do.” - -“That isn’t to be expected,” returned Burthon. “I’m not backing you to -excel the performances of the old aviators; that isn’t my point. The -improvements and novelties we have to show will take the wind out of the -sails of all other aëroplanes and result in a flood of orders. Comparing -machine for machine, we’re years in advance of the Wrights and -Curtiss—and centuries ahead of those foreign devices.” - -“Perhaps,” admitted Tot. “But Kane’s aëroplane is practically the same -as your own, and it is still on the programme.” - -“It won’t fly, though,” declared Burthon, with a laugh. “Don’t worry -about anything but your own work, Tyler. Leave all the rest to me.” - -The man knew his employer was playing a hazardous game and that he had -stolen outright the Kane Aircraft, and while the knowledge did not add -to Tot Tyler’s nerve or assurance he was gleeful over the prospect of -“doing” his enemy, Cumberford. The little fellow was bold enough—even to -the point of bravery—and fully as unprincipled as his employer. His -hatred of Cumberford was so acrid that he would have gone to any length, -even without pay, to defeat his plans, and Burthon found him an eager -and willing tool. Nevertheless, the little man scented danger ahead of -them and had an idea that trouble was brewing from some unknown source. - -By this time Burthon had begun a campaign of widespread publicity, and -in spite of the long list of famous aviators in the city the newspapers -were filled with pictures of the Burthon device and accounts of the -marvelous flights of Totham Tyler. Nothing more was heard of the Kane -Aircraft, but the public had not forgotten it and many were puzzled that -two local aëroplane makers should be exhibiting identically the same -improvements, each claiming to have originated them. As for the visiting -aviators, they were interested, but held their peace. The performances -at the coming competition would tell the story of supremacy, and -whatever good points were displayed by the local inventors could -doubtless be adapted to their own craft. They waited, therefore, for -proof of the glowing claims made in the newspapers. Many promising -inventions have turned out to be failures. - -The public was, to an extent, in the same doubting mood. Kane’s -magnificent public flight had ended with an accident, while Tyler’s -preliminary exhibitions were in no way remarkable as compared with -records already established. The meet would tell the story. - -Meantime Orissa completed her repairs. On the day that Steve came home -from the hospital in an ambulance she wheeled him in an invalid chair to -the hangar and allowed the boy to inspect a perfect aircraft. The young -man suffered no pain, and although he was physically helpless his eye -and brain were as keen as ever. Being wheeled around the device, so that -he could observe it from all sides and at all angles, he made a thorough -examination of his sister’s work and declared it excellent. - -“Think you can manage it, Ris?” he asked, referring to her proposed -venture. - -“I am sure I can,” she promptly replied. “You must understand—all of -you,” turning to confront Mr. Cumberford and Sybil, who were present, -“that I am not undertaking this flight from choice. Had Steve been able -to exhibit his own aëroplane I might never have tried to fly alone; but -it seems to me that our fortune, my brother’s future career, and our -friend Mr. Cumberford’s investment, all hinge upon our making a good -showing at Dominguez Field. No one but me is competent to properly -exhibit the aircraft, to show all its good points and prove what it is -capable of doing. Therefore I have undertaken to save our reputation and -our money, and I am sure that my decision is proper and right.” - -“I agree with you,” said Steve, eagerly. “You’re a brave little girl, -Ris.” - -“I have but one request to make, Mr. Cumberford,” she added. - -“What is it, Orissa?” he inquired. - -“Do not advertise me as ‘The Girl Aviator,’ or by any other such name. I -prefer people should remain ignorant of the fact that a girl is -operating the Kane Aircraft. Can’t you keep quiet about it?” - -“I can, and will,” he asserted. “Indeed, my dear, I much prefer that -course. It will be all the more interesting when—when—the discovery is -made.” - -“I do not wish to become a celebrity,” she said, seriously. “One in the -family is enough,” glancing proudly at Steve, “and I’m afraid nice -people would think me unmaidenly and bold to become a public aviator. -I’m not at all freakish—indeed, I’m not!—and only stern necessity -induces me to face this ordeal.” - -“My dear,” said Mr. Cumberford, looking at her admiringly, “your -feelings shall be considered in every possible way. But you must not -imagine you are the first female aviator. In Europe—especially in -France—a score of women have made successful flights, and not one is -considered unwomanly or has forfeited any claim to the world’s respect -and applause.” - -“The most successful aviators of the future,” remarked Stephen, -thoughtfully, “are bound to be women. As a rule they are lighter than -men, more supple and active, quick of perception and less liable to lose -their heads in emergencies. The operation of an aëroplane is, it seems -to me, especially fitted to women.” - -“Ah!” exclaimed Sybil, with a whimsical glance at the speaker, “I have -discovered my future vocation. I shall aviate parties of atmospheric -tourists. When the passenger airships are introduced I’ll become the -original sky motoress, and so win fame and fortune.” - -Steve laughed, but shook his head. - -“The airship of the future will not be a passenger affair,” he -predicted, “but an individual machine for personal use. They’ll be -cheaper than automobiles, and more useful, for they can go direct to -their destination in a straight ‘air-line.’ Men will use them to go to -business, women to visit town on shopping expeditions or to take an -airing for pleasure; but I’m sure they will be built for but one -person.” - -“Then I’ll have one and become a free lance in the sky, roaming where I -will,” declared Sybil. - -This unconventional girl had developed a decided fancy for the inventor, -and while in his presence it was noticed that she became less reserved -and mysterious than at other times. Steve liked Sybil, too, although she -was so strong a contrast to his own beautiful sister. When she cared to -be agreeable Miss Cumberford proved interesting and was, Steve thought, -“good company.” Orissa observed that Sybil invariably presented the best -side of her character to Steve. While he was in the hospital the girl -visited him daily, and now that he had come home again she passed most -of her time at the hangar. - -Mr. Cumberford was greatly annoyed to learn that the Kane headquarters -at Dominguez Field had been given a location in the rear of all the -others, where it would be practically unnoticed. Of course this slight -was attributed to Burthon’s influence with the committee of -arrangements, of which he was a member. Burthon’s own hangar, on the -contrary, had a very prominent position. From his man Brewster, as well -as from others, Mr. Cumberford also learned that Burthon had hinted he -would prevent the Kane Aircraft from taking any part in the contests. - -All these things worried the Kane party, whose anxieties would have been -sufficient had they not been forced to encounter the petty malice of -Burthon. Sybil, silently listening to all that was said, assumed a more -mysterious air than usual, and on the day previous to the opening of the -great aviation meet she informed her father that she would not accompany -him to Dominguez, where he was bound to attend to all final -preparations. The decision surprised him, but being accustomed to his -daughter’s sudden whims he made no reply and left her in their rooms at -the hotel. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - UNCLE AND NIECE - - -When her father had gone Sybil addressed a note to Mr. Burthon which -read: - -“I will call upon you, at your club, for a private interview at twelve -o’clock precisely. As all your future depends upon this meeting you will -not fail to keep the appointment.” - -She signed this message with the initials “S. C.” and Mr. Burthon, -receiving it as he was about to start for Dominguez in his motor car, -for the messenger had had a lively chase over town to catch him, read -and reread the epistle carefully, was thoughtful a moment, and then -ordered his man to drive him to the club. - -“‘S. C.,’” he mused; “who on earth can it be? A woman’s handwriting, of -course, crude and unformed. When women intrigue there is usually a -reason for it. Better find out what’s in the wind, even at the loss of a -little valuable time. That’s the safest plan.” - -He reached his club at exactly twelve o’clock and heard a woman -inquiring for him of the doorkeeper. He met her, bowed, and without a -word led her to his own private sitting room, on the third floor. The -woman—or was it a girl?—was, he observed, heavily veiled, but as soon as -they were alone she removed the veil and looked at him steadfastly from -a pair of dark, luminous eyes. - -Mr. Burthon shifted uneasily in his chair. He had never seen the girl -before, yet there was something singularly familiar in her features. - -“Be good enough to tell me who you are,” he said in the gentle tone he -invariably employed toward women. “I have granted this interview at your -request, but I am very busy to-day and have little time to spare you.” - -“I am your niece,” she replied, slowly and deliberately. - -“Oh!” he exclaimed; then paused to observe her curiously. “So, you are -my sister Marian’s daughter.” - -“Exactly.” - -“I knew she had a child, for often she wrote me about it; but her early -death and my estrangement with your father prevented me from seeing you, -until now. Your mother, my dear, was a—a noble woman.” - -“You are not telling the truth,” said Sybil, quietly. “She was quite the -contrary.” - -He started and flushed. Then he replied, somewhat confused by the girl’s -scornful regard: - -“At least, I loved her. She was my only sister.” - -“And your accomplice.” - -“Eh?” He stared, aghast. Then, quickly recovering himself, he remarked: - -“You were rather too young, when she died, to judge your mother’s -character correctly.” - -“It is true; but I remember her with abhorrence.” - -“Your father, on the other hand,” observed Mr. Burthon, his face -hardening, “might well deserve your hatred and aversion. He is a -scoundrel.” - -“I have heard him say so,” replied Sybil, smiling, “but I do not believe -it. In any event his iniquity could not equal that of the Burthons.” - -“We are complimentary,” said her uncle, returning the smile with seeming -amusement. “But I regret to say I have no time to further converse with -you to-day. Will you call again, if you have anything especial to say to -me?” - -“No,” replied Sybil. “You must listen to me to-day.” - -“To-morrow—” - -“To-morrow,” she interrupted, “you may be in prison. It is not easy to -interview criminals in jail, is it?” - -He looked at her now with more than curiosity; his gaze was searching, -half fearful, inquiring. - -“You speak foolishly,” said he. - -“Yet you understand me perfectly,” she returned. - -“I confess that I do not,” he coldly persisted. - -“Then I must explain,” said she. “When my mother died I was but eight -years of age. But I was old for my years, and on her deathbed your -sister placed in my hands a sealed envelope, directing me to guard it -carefully and secretly, and not to open it until I was eighteen years of -age—and not then unless I had in some way incurred the enmity and -persecution of my uncle, George Burthon. She said it was her -_confession_.” - -He sat perfectly still, as if turned to stone, his eyes fixed full upon -the girl’s face. With an effort he said, in a soft voice: - -“Have I persecuted you?” - -“Indirectly; yes.” - -“But you cannot be eighteen yet!” - -“No,” she admitted; “I am only seventeen.” - -He breathed a sigh of relief. - -“Then—” - -“But I am half a Burthon,” Sybil continued, “and therefore have little -respect for the wishes of others—especially when they interfere with my -own desires. I kept the letter my mother gave me, but had no interest in -opening it until the other day.” - -“And you read it then?” - -“Two or three times—perhaps half a dozen—with great care.” - -“Where is that letter now?” - -“Where you cannot find it, clever as you are. I may say I have great -respect for your cleverness, my dear uncle, since reading the letter. -How paltry the story of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde seems after knowing you!” - -He moved uneasily in his seat; but the man was on the defensive now, and -eyed his accuser steadily. - -“You seem much like your mother,” he suggested, reflectively. - -“But you are wrong; I am more like my father.” - -He shrugged his shoulders. - -“What matter, my child? You have a rare inheritance, on either side.” - -They sat in silence a moment. Then he said: - -“You have not yet confided to me your errand.” - -“True. I have a request to make which I am sure you will comply with. -You must stop annoying the Kanes.” - -He smiled at her. - -“You have marked them for your own prey—you and your precious father?” - -“Yes. Your persecution must cease, and at once.” - -He seemed thoughtful. - -“I have an end in view,” said he; “an important end.” - -“I know; you want to force Orissa to marry you. But that is absurd. She -is scarcely half your age, and—she despises you.” - -He flushed at this. - -“Nevertheless—” - -“I won’t have it!” cried Sybil, sternly. “And, another thing: you must -withdraw your aëroplane from the aviation meet to-morrow.” - -“Must?” - -“I used the word advisedly. I have the power to compel you to obey me, -and I intend to use it.” - -He sat watching her with his eyes slightly narrowed. Sybil was -absolutely composed. - -“Your mother, my dear,” he presently remarked, “was a—charming woman, -but inclined to be visionary and imaginative. I have no idea what she -wrote in that letter, but if it is anything that asperses my character, -my integrity or fairness, it is not true, and can only be accounted for -by the fact that the poor creature was driven insane by your father, and -did not know what she was doing.” - -“Oh, indeed!” the girl retorted. “Is it not true, then, that you were -convicted in Baltimore, twenty years ago, of a dastardly murder and -robbery, and sentenced by the court to life imprisonment? Is it not true -that my mother at that time contrived your escape and secreted you so -cleverly that the officers of the law could never find you?” - -“It is not true,” he declared, speaking with apparent effort. - -“The letter states that you were arrested and convicted under the name -of Harcliffe; that when active search for you was finally abandoned you -went with my mother to Chicago, and there began a new life under your -right name of Burthon; that there your sister met and married my father, -although you opposed the match bitterly, fearing she would betray your -secret to her husband. But she never did.” - -“It is not true,” he repeated. “The whole story is but a tissue of -lies.” - -“Then,” said Sybil, “I will telegraph to the police of Baltimore that -the escaped prisoner, Harcliffe, whom they have been seeking these -twenty years, is here in Los Angeles, and ask them to send at once -someone to identify him. You need not be afraid, for the story is false. -They will come, I will point you out to them, and they will declare you -are not the man. Then I will believe you—not before.” - -He sat a long time, his head upon his hand, looking at her reflectively. -At the same time her dark eyes were fixed upon him with equal -intentness. - -By and by she laughed aloud, but there was no mirth in the sound. - -“Not that, dear uncle,” she said, as if he had spoken. “Am I not my -mother’s daughter, and my clever uncle’s own niece? You cannot quiet me -by murder, for in that case my revenge is fully provided for. I know -you, and I did not venture upon this disagreeable errand unprepared. -There is a plain clothes man at the street door, who, if I do not emerge -from this club in—” she looked at her watch—“in fifteen minutes, will -summon assistance, guard every exit, and then search your rooms for my -body. The doorkeeper has my name and knows that I am here. Therefore, to -injure me now would be to thrust your head into the hangman’s noose. -Afterward you will be very considerate of my welfare, for from this day -any harm that befalls me will lead to your prompt arrest and the -disclosure of your secret.” - -He threw out his hands with a despairing, helpless gesture. - -“What a demon you are!” he cried. - -“I believe I am,” said Sybil, slowly. “I hate myself for being obliged -to act in this dramatic fashion—to threaten and bully like a coward—but -being blessed with so unscrupulous an uncle I cannot accomplish my -purpose in a more dignified way.” - -“State your demands, then,” said he. - -“I have stated them.” - -“To withdraw my aëroplane from the aviation meet would mean my ruin. I -have sold my real estate and brokerage business and invested my money in -aviation; I positively cannot withdraw now.” - -“You must. To whine of ruin is absurd. I know that my father paid you a -quarter of a million for your mine. You also obtained, without doubt, a -good sum for your business. So far you cannot have invested more than a -few thousand dollars in your attempt to steal Stephen Kane’s invention. -My advice, sir, is to get away from here as soon as you can. Go to -London or Paris, where there is more interest in aviation than here, and -make a business of flying, if you will. But the Kane device is fully -protected by foreign patents, and any infringement will be promptly -prosecuted.” - -“You are merciless,” he complained. - -“You will find me so.” - -“I am a member of the Aëro Club. I cannot, without arousing suspicion, -withdraw my aëroplane from the meet.” - -“If you do not I will telegraph to Baltimore.” - -The threat seemed to crush him and still any further remonstrances. - -“Very well,” he returned; “if you have finished your errand please leave -me. I must—consider—my—position.” - -She rose, cast one scornful glance at him and walked out of the room, -leaving him seated with bowed head, dejected and utterly defeated. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - MR. H. CHESTERTON RADLEY-TODD - - -There lived in Los Angeles at that time one of those unaccountable -individuals whom nature, in fashioning, endows with such contradictory -qualities that their fellow creatures are unable to judge them -correctly. - -He was a young man, fresh from college, whose name was engraved upon his -cards as H. Chesterton Radley-Todd, but whom his new acquaintances -promptly dubbed “Chesty Todd.” Having finished his collegiate course he -had been at a loss what to do next, so he drifted to the Pacific coast -and presently connected himself with the Los Angeles _Tribune_ as -literary critic, society reporter and general penistic roustabout. - -Mr. Radley-Todd had a round, baby face; expressionless and therefore -innocent blue eyes that bulged a little; charmingly perfect teeth; an -awkward demeanor; a stumbling, hesitating mode of speech and the -intellectual acumen of a Disraeli. He was six feet and three inches tall -and dressed like a dandy. People estimated him as a mollycoddle at first -acquaintance; wondered presently if he possessed hidden talents, and -finally gave him up as a problem not worth solving. No one believed in -his ability, even when he demonstrated it; because, as they truly said, -he “did not look as if he amounted to shucks.” - -That such a callow youth, predoomed to adverse judgment, should be able -to secure a position on a daily paper seemed remarkable. But the -_Tribune_ loves to employ green and budding “talent,” which can be had -at a nominal salary. The managing editor shrewdly contends that these -young fellows work with an enthusiasm and perseverance unknown to older -and more experienced journalists, because they have a notion that the -world is their oyster and a newspaper job the knife that opens it. When -they discover their mistake they are dismissed and other ambitious ones -take their places. Mr. H. Chesterton Radley-Todd was at present enjoying -this fleeting prominence, and occasionally the editor would read his -copy with genuine amazement and wonder from what source he had stolen -its brilliance and power. - -So, when the great aviation meet approached and every man, woman and -child in Southern California was eager for details concerning it and -demanded pages of description of the various participating aëroplanes -and aviators, in advance of their exhibition, and when Tom Dunbar, the -_Tribune’s_ expert on aviation, was suddenly stricken with pneumonia, -“Chesty” Todd was assigned to this important department. - -“Dig for every scrap of information that can possibly be unearthed,” -said the editor to him. “Spread it out as much as you can, for the dear -public wants a cyclone of aërial gossip and will devour every word of -it. When there isn’t any broth don’t fear to manufacture some; any -‘mistake’ in the preliminaries will be forgotten as soon as the big meet -is in full swing.” - -Chesty nodded; stumbled against a chair on his way out; stepped on the -toe of the private stenographer and slammed the door to muffle her -scream. Then he made his way to Dominguez Field; strolled among the -hangars with his hands in his pockets and imbibed unimportant -information by the column. - -Two things, however, really interested the reporter. One was the popular -interest in the Kane Aircraft, which was now in its hangar and invited -inspection. Wilson and Brewster, the latter now openly in the employ of -Mr. Cumberford, guarded the local aëroplane and explained its unique -features to an eager throng. For, although the Kane hangar was in a -retired location—“around the corner,” in fact—a bigger crowd besieged -it, on this last day preceding the official opening of the meet, than -visited the older and better known devices. Stephen Kane’s remarkable -flight at Kane Park, which was followed by his peculiar accident, was of -course responsible for much of the interest manifested in his machine; -and this interest was shared by the experienced aviators present, who -silently examined the novel improvements of the young inventor and -forbore to discuss them or their alleged merits. - -“What do you think of it?” Chesty Todd asked an aviator of national -prominence. - -“Looks good,” was the evasive reply. “Cumberford, who is managing the -Kane campaign, has been trying hard to get a man to fly it, but so far -without success. Pity the thing can’t be exhibited. Young Kane, who was -entered as the aviator, broke his leg and is now out of it.” - -The reporter made a mental note of this; he would find out the plans of -the Kane party and make a two column story of their hope or despair. - -Later in the afternoon another thing puzzled him. Burthon, the direct -competitor of Kane, suddenly and without explanation withdrew his -aëroplane from the meet and actually took it from the field, closing his -hangar. The officials and others interested were amazed, and the action -aroused considerable comment. - -Chesty Todd scented a story. He secured an automobile and followed -Burthon and Tot Tyler at a distance, until they placed the aëroplane in -the old workshop at South Pasadena. He crept up to the shed unobserved -and found half a dozen men busily putting the parts together again and -preparing the device for use. Why, since it had been withdrawn from the -aviation meet? - -Todd and Burthon walked out and went to a near by restaurant, where the -reporter found them seated in a corner engaged in earnest conversation. -Chesty made signs to the waiter that he was deaf and dumb, secured a -seat at a table within hearing distance of Burthon and his chauffeur, -and overheard enough to give him a clew to their latest conspiracy. Then -he went away, regained his automobile and drove straight to the -Alexandria Hotel. - -Mr. Cumberford had insisted on the Kanes taking rooms at the hotel -during the meet, and all three were now established there, Mrs. Kane -having decided to go each day to Dominguez, where Stephen and Sybil -could tell her of the events as they occurred. In a way the blind woman -would thus be able to participate and avoid the anxiety and suspense of -remaining at the bungalow while her daughter undertook the hazardous -feat of operating Stephen’s aëroplane. The Cumberford automobile was -placed at the disposal of mother and son, and the young inventor could -watch the flight of his machine while propped among the cushions, Sybil -being at his side to attend him and his mother. - -The party had just finished dinner and assembled in the Cumberford -sitting room when Chesty Todd’s card was brought in. It was marked -“Tribune” and Mr. Cumberford decided to go down to the office and see -the reporter, as it was not his purpose to snub the press at this -critical juncture. However, the young man discouraged him at first -sight. His appearance was, as usual, against him. - -“Will the Kane Aircraft take part in the contests?” he inquired. - -“Certainly,” replied Mr. Cumberford. - -“You have secured a man to—er—run the thing?” - -“We have secured an operator.” - -Chesty stared at him, his comprehensive mind alert. Why did Cumberford -turn his reply to evade the “man” proposition? Could a woman operate an -aëroplane? Perhaps none but an inexperienced youth would have dreamed of -the possibility. - -“Has Stephen Kane any family?” he cautiously asked. - -“A mother and sister. He is unmarried.” - -“How old is the sister?” - -“Seventeen.” - -“Oh!” The age seemed to eliminate her. “And the mother?” - -It was Cumberford’s turn to stare. - -“The mother is blind,” he said. - -Mr. Radley-Todd’s thoughts took another turn. - -“Have you a family, sir?” - -“I have a daughter, an only child. Mrs. Cumberford is not living.” - -“And your daughter’s age, sir?” - -“Seventeen. She is the same age as Orissa Kane.” - -“Are the young ladies—er—interested in airships?” - -Mr. Cumberford did not like these questions. He knew that a reporter is -akin to a detective, and began to fear the youth was on the track of -their secret. So he answered rather stiffly: - -“Fairly so. Everyone seems interested in aviation these days. It -interests me.” - -Chesty saw he would not confess; so he tried another tack. - -“Mr. Burthon is your brother-in-law, I believe.” - -Mr. Cumberford nodded. - -“You are—eh—enemies?” - -“Mr. Radley-Todd, or whatever your name is,” angrily glancing at the -card, “I do not object to being interviewed on the subject of the Kane -Aircraft, or the coming aviation meet. But your questions are becoming -personal and are wide of the mark. You will please confine yourself to -legitimate topics.” - -The young man rose and bowed. - -“Excuse me,” he said in his halting way; “a reporter is often forced to -appear impertinent when he does not intend to be so. At present I -am—er—face to face with a curious—er—complication. I have -discovered—eh—unintentionally—that your er, er—aviator will be in great -danger to-morrow. If it’s a man, I don’t care. I don’t like you, Mr. -Cumberford, and I wouldn’t lift a finger to save the Kane Aircraft from -going to pot. Why should I—eh? It’s nothing to me. But if one of those -girls—your daughter or Kane’s sister, is to fly the thing, I feel it -my—er—duty to say: look out!” - -He started to go, but Cumberford grabbed his arm. - -“What do you mean?” he demanded sternly. - -“Is it a girl?” - -“You won’t betray us? You won’t publish it?” - -“Not at present.” - -“Orissa Kane will operate the aircraft.” - -Chesty looked at his boots reflectively. - -“Don’t let her undertake it, sir,” he said. “If you can’t find a man, -follow Burthon’s example and withdraw your—eh—airship from the meet. -Better withdraw it, anyhow—that’s the best move—if you don’t wish to -court disaster.” - -“Explain yourself, sir!” - -“I won’t. I’m not going to spoil a good story for my paper—and a scoop -in the bargain—to satisfy your curiosity. But Miss Kane—May I see her a -moment?” - -Mr. Cumberford reflected. - -“If you warn her of danger you will take away her nerve. She’s the only -person on earth competent to operate the Kane Aircraft, and to withdraw -the aëroplane would mean the ruin of her brother’s fortune and -ambitions.” - -“I don’t know her brother; I don’t care a fig for him. If I see the girl -I shall warn her,” said the reporter. - -“Then you shall not see her.” - -“Very good. But you will tell her to look out?” - -“What for?” - -“For danger.” - -“When?” - -“At all times; especially during her flight.” - -“There is always danger of accident, of course.” - -“This won’t be an accident—if it happens,” said Chesty Todd, decidedly. - -“But who would wish to injure Orissa?” asked Cumberford, wonderingly. - -“Think it over,” said the reporter. “If you’ve one deadly enemy—a person -who will stick at nothing, being desperate—that’s the man.” - -With this he coolly walked away, leaving Mr. Cumberford considerably -disturbed. But he thought it over and decided to say nothing to Orissa. -The warning might refer to Burthon, who was the only person they might -expect trouble from, although to Cumberford’s astonishment Burthon had -quit the field at the last moment and abandoned the contest. Knowing -nothing of Sybil’s interview with her uncle, that action seemed to -indicate, to Cumberford’s mind, that Burthon had weakened. - -Under no circumstances would he have permitted Orissa to face an unknown -danger, but it occurred to him, after thinking over the interview, that -Mr. H. Chesterton Radley-Todd was a fair example of a fool. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - THE FLYING GIRL - - -The morning of the first day of the long heralded aviation meet dawned -bright and sunny, as only a Southern California January morning can. By -seven o’clock vast throngs were hurrying southward to Dominguez—a broad -plain midway between Los Angeles and the ocean—where much important -aviation history has been made. - -By nine o’clock the grand stand was packed and “automobile row” occupied -by hundreds of motor cars, filled with ladies in gay apparel, their -escorts and imperturbable chauffeurs. The crowd was beginning to circle -the vast field, too, and nearly every face bore an excited, eager -expression. - -The events scheduled might well arouse the interest of a people just -awakened to the possibilities of aërial navigation. Important prizes had -been offered by wealthy men and corporations for the most daring flights -of the meet. Ten thousand dollars would go to the aviator showing the -most skillful and adroit handling of an aëroplane; five thousand for the -longest flight; another five thousand for an endurance test and a like -sum to the one attaining the greatest height. In addition to these -generous purses, two thousand dollars would be given for the best -starting and alighting device exhibited and two thousand for the best -safety device. For speed several huge purses were donated, and -altogether the aviators present would compete for more than fifty -thousand dollars in gold, besides various medals and cups and the -priceless prestige gained by excelling in a competition where the most -successful and famed airships and aviators of the world congregated. - -Therefore, it is little wonder public interest was excited and every -aviator determined to do his best. Many thronged the hangars, asking -innumerable questions of the good-natured attendants, who recognized the -popular ignorance of modern flying devices and were tolerant and -communicative to a degree. - -The morning events were of minor importance, although several clever -exhibitions of flying were given. But at two o’clock the competition for -skillful handling of an aëroplane in midair was scheduled, and at that -time the appetite of each spectator was whetted for the great spectacle. - -The day seemed ideal for aviation; the sky was flecked with fleecy -clouds and scarcely a breath of air could be felt at the earth’s -surface. - -Now came the first appearance of the Kane Aircraft. It had not been -brought from the hangar during the forenoon and, in watching such -celebrated aëroplanes as the Bleriot, Farman, Antoinette, Curtiss and -Wright, manned by the greatest living aëronauts, those assembled had -almost forgotten that a local inventor was to enter the lists with them. -The secretary of the Aëro Club and others interested had expected Mr. -Burthon to protest against allowing the Kane device to be operated, on -the ground that Kane was entered to operate it and was unable to do so; -but for some unaccountable reason Burthon remained silent, not even -appearing at the field, and Mr. Cumberford’s explanation that the “Kane” -in this instance meant the young man’s sister, satisfied the officials -perfectly. Naturally they were surprised and even startled at the idea -of a girl taking part in the great aviation meet, but hailed the -innovation with keenest interest. - -Suddenly, while the field was clear and half a dozen aëroplanes hovered -in the air above it, the Kane Aircraft rolled into the open space, -circled before the grand stand and then, gracefully and without effort, -mounted into the air. - -Those who had witnessed Stephen’s prior performance were not astonished -at this unassisted rise from earth to air, but all were delighted by the -grace and beauty of the ascent and a roar of applause burst -spontaneously from the crowd. The peculiar construction of the aircraft -so diverted attention from its aviator that few marked the slender form -of Orissa, or knew that a girl was making this daring flight. - -There were some, however, whose eyes were eagerly rivetted on the -indistinct figure of the flying girl and utterly disregarded the -machine. Stephen, comfortably propped among the cushions of the motor -car with his mother seated behind him and Sybil opposite, divided his -attention between his sister and his creation. Mr. Cumberford, knowing -what the machine would do, watched Orissa through a powerful glass and -decided from the first that she was cool and capable. Chesty Todd also -watched the girlish figure, with a more intense interest than he had -ever before displayed during his brief and uneventful lifetime. - -The reporter had been worried lest Mr. Cumberford neglect to warn the -girlish operator of the Kane Aircraft of danger; so he pushed through -the crowd about the hangar and just as Orissa passed the doorway, seated -in her aëroplane, he said in a low voice: “Look out—for a collision!” - -She started and cast an inquiring look at him, but there was no time to -reply. The machine had been drawn by the assistants to a clear space and -she must devote her attention to her work. As she threw in the lever Mr. -Cumberford, who stood beside the aircraft, hurriedly whispered: “Be -careful, Orissa—look out for danger!” Then she was off, facing the -thousands on the field, with nerve and brain resolutely bent upon the -task she had undertaken. - -It was no indifferent thing this brave girl attempted. Until now her -acquaintance with an aëroplane had been wholly theoretical; it was her -first flight; yet so thoroughly did she understand every part of her air -vehicle—what it was for and how to use it—that she had implicit -confidence in herself and in her machine. Naturally level-headed, alert -and quick to think and to act, Orissa was no more afraid of soaring in -the air than of riding in an automobile. Aside from her desire to -operate the aircraft so skillfully that her brother’s invention would be -fully appreciated she was determined to attempt the winning of the ten -thousand dollar prize, which would establish the Kane fortunes on a -secure basis. Enough for one untried, seventeen-year-old girl to think -of, was it not? And small wonder that she absolutely forgot the -impressive warnings she had received. - -The air is a mighty thoroughfare, free and untrammeled. The little group -of aëroplanes operating over Dominguez—darting here and there, up and -down—had little chance of colliding, for there was space enough and to -spare. Orissa knew all about air currents and their peculiarities and -she also knew that her greatest safety lay in high altitudes. With a -feeling of rapturous exhilaration she began to realize her control of -the craft and her dominance of the air. A masterful desire crept over -her to accomplish great deeds in aviation. - -Those who were watching from below—judges, friends and spectators—saw -her steadily mounting, higher and higher, until she seemed to fade out -of sight like the figure in a moving picture, with nothing but a little -iron-and-wood skeleton and the chugging of a tiny engine to ward off -death. Then she came into sight again, a little smudge of grayish white -against the shifting clouds. To see her up there, a mere speck dodging -among the storm clouds, reminded the observers, as nothing in aviation -has ever done before, of the awful audacity of man in building these -mechanical birds. As they watched they found themselves hoping—as a -child might—that in some way the brave little speck would manage to -escape those gigantic sky monsters. Then one seized the aircraft, and -just as the sun caught and flung back to earth a flash from one of the -busy propeller-blades a huge cloud swallowed up machine and aviator and -they vanished like mist. - -It was odd how the terror of the spectators increased at this sudden -disappearance; they knew that somewhere in that awesome, infinite -firmament a frail thing made by the hand of man was battling with -nature’s most mysterious forces for supremacy. And man won. In less than -a minute there was another flash of sunlight and the little gray speck -emerged saucily from behind the cloud and made a dive for another. - -Then the speck in the sky began to grow larger, and Orissa attempted an -amazing dive earthward that caused the throng to fall silent, -motionless, gazing with bated breaths and startled eyes at the thrilling -scene. It was a long swoop out of space and into being; a series of -dives half a mile long and each nearly straight down. - -The girl glided earthward until the aircraft nearly touched the ground; -then she adroitly tilted it up again and tore away around the course in -great circles, while the spectators, roused to life, thundered their -applause. - -Her control of the aëroplane was really wonderful. Again, encouraged by -her success, she shot up into the air, rising to the height of half a -mile and then performing the hazardous evolution known to aviators as -the “spiral dip.” She began by circling widely, at an even elevation, -and then dipping the nose of the aircraft and narrowing the circles as -she plunged swiftly downward with constantly accelerating speed. It was -a bewildering and hair-raising performance, and no one but Walter -Brookins had ever before undertaken it. - -A dozen feet from the ground Orissa reined in her Pegasus and glided -over the group of hangars on her inclined ascent—the third she had made -without alighting. There were other aëroplanes doing interesting -“stunts,” and each aviator seemed to be exercising his ingenuity to -excel all others, yet the eyes of the crowd followed the Kane Aircraft -with an absorbed fascination that relegated other contestants to the -rear. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - A BATTLE IN THE AIR - - -“What is she doing now?” asked Mrs. Kane, anxiously. - -“Soaring in the air about half a mile high and a half mile to the -northward,” replied Steve. - -“And performing wonders,” added Sybil, with enthusiasm. “I had no idea -the aircraft could be controlled so perfectly.” - -“Nor I,” admitted the young inventor, modestly. “It really seems like a -thing of life under her management, and I am sure I could not have -exhibited its good points half as well as little Ris is doing.” - -“Are any other aëroplanes flying?” Mrs. Kane inquired. - -“Oh, yes,” said Sybil. “There are several in the air, doing really -marvelous things; but all seem to keep away from Orissa and are more to -the south of us. There’s one, though!” she added suddenly. “Isn’t that -an aëroplane coming from the far north, Steve?” - -He looked carefully through the field glasses he held. - -“Why—yes! It surely is an aëroplane. But how did it get over there?” he -exclaimed. “I’ve been watching the other contestants, and they’re all -near by. Who can it be?” - -Sybil had glasses, too, and she focussed them on the approaching -airship. - -“It looks very much like Uncle Burthon’s imitation of the aircraft,” she -murmured. - -“By Jove! That’s what it is!” cried Steve. “How dare he fly it, after it -has been withdrawn?” - -“Uncle Burthon will dare anything,” she retorted, coldly. “But he is -making the mistake of his life to-day—if that is really his aëroplane.” - -“Why, he’s driving straight toward Orissa,” said Steve, indignantly. -“What is the fellow trying to do—bump the aircraft?” - -Sybil laid a warning hand on his arm and glanced into the blind woman’s -startled face. - -“Orissa is all right,” she announced in calm tones. - -But Orissa did not seem all right to Steve, who was growing excessively -nervous; nor even to Sybil, whose face was stern and set as she watched -the maneuvers of the two craft through her powerful glasses. - -“It’s Tyler,” she said softly, meaning that the little chauffeur was -operating Burthon’s device. Steve nodded, and thereafter they were -silent. - -Swift as a dart the Burthon aëroplane approached Orissa, who was -deliberately circling this way and that as she glided through the air. -She saw it coming, but at first paid little heed, thinking Tyler -intended to pass by. But he altered his course to keep his machine -headed directly for her and in gravely examining the approaching craft -the girl noticed two slender steel blades projecting from his front -elevator, like extended sword blades. They were slightly upcurved at the -points, and while Orissa marveled to see such things attached to an -aëroplane the thought occurred to her that if those blades struck her -planes they would rend the cloth to shreds and destroy their sustaining -surfaces. In that case one result was inevitable—a sudden drop to earth, -and death. - -Even as this thought crossed her mind the Burthon aëroplane came driving -toward her at full speed. Filled with dismay she could only stare -helplessly until the thing was so near that she could distinctly see the -scowling face and glaring eyes of Tyler, intent on mischief. Then, -without realizing her action, she caused the aircraft to duck, and the -other swept over her so closely that Tyler’s running gear almost scraped -her planes. - -Orissa’s machine rolled alarmingly a moment, but she quickly regained -control and then looked to see where Tyler was. He had turned and again -was swooping toward her, at a slight downward angle. Orissa ascended to -escape him, now realizing the man’s wicked determination to destroy the -aircraft, and Tyler, displaying unexpected skill, altered his course to -follow her. - -The girl, thoroughly alarmed, now turned to flee, scarcely realizing -what she did. Tyler followed like some huge bird of prey and, curiously -enough, gained upon the Kane Aircraft. The two sets of engines were -chugging away steadily, all the propellers revolving like clockwork, -while the two rival aëroplanes answered obediently the slightest -movements of their rudders. - -Finding a straight flight would not permit her to escape her enemy, the -girl swerved and began circling widely. After her came Tyler, the wicked -looking blades that protruded from his elevator gleaming menacingly in -the sunlight, his features distorted by hate and murderously determined. - -In the circles Orissa seemed able to keep her distance, but the poor -child was so bewildered by this pitiless attack that her head was in a -whirl and only by instinct could she handle the levers and wheel to -guide her flight. - -Tyler now observed several aëroplanes approaching at full speed, and -realized he must end the chase quickly or be driven from his prey and -prevented from carrying out his diabolical design. He made a quick turn -to head off Orissa’s circle and the dreadful blades almost touched her -lower plane as she dodged them. Tyler swept round again, but in his -eagerness forgot his balance. Perhaps the man relied too much on the -automatic device that had once brought Stephen to grief; anyway his -aëroplane developed a side motion that nearly shook him from his seat. -He tried in vain to restore the balance. The jar caused the motors to -slip; the engines stopped dead; with a rending sound the huge planes -collapsed and the wreck of Burthon’s biplane began to sink downward. -Tyler was pitched headlong from his seat, but caught a rail and clung to -it desperately as with ever increasing speed the fall to earth -continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: THE RESCUE.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -Orissa had witnessed the accident and with the sudden transition from -danger to safety the girl’s wits returned and she regained her coolness. -As she saw Tyler falling to his death, a quick conception of the -situation inspired her to action. The Kane Aircraft suddenly tipped and -began one of those tremendous dives through space which it had -accomplished earlier in the day. Orissa’s aëroplane was absolutely under -control, even at this thrilling moment, while the wreck to which Tyler -clung was somewhat restrained in its fall by the mass of fluttering -canvas and splintered bows. Although the weight of its engines and tanks -dragged it swiftly down, Orissa’s aircraft dove much more rapidly. Five -hundred feet above the earth she overtook Tyler, guided her aëroplane -dangerously close to the man, and cried out to him to seize it. He may -not have heard or understood her, but an instinct of self-preservation -such as leads a drowning man to grasp at a straw induced him to clutch -her footrail, and at the same moment Orissa turned the machine, so as -not to become entangled in the wreck, and began a more gradual descent, -the little chauffeur dangling from her footrail while, alert and -masterful, the girl controlled her overladen craft. - -Down, down they came, and thirty thousand pair of startled, wondering -eyes followed them as if entranced. Orissa had not looked to see where -she would land, for until this moment she had been so thoroughly -occupied with the chase and the rescue of her enemy that she never once -glanced toward the ground. But the hand of fate was guiding our brave -young aviator. Her aircraft, maintaining a safe angle, settled directly -upon Dominguez Field, where Tyler released his hold and rolled -unconscious upon the ground. Orissa’s machine sped forward on its -running gear and came to a stop just before the crowded grand stand. - -No one who witnessed that exciting event will ever forget the mad shouts -that rent the air when the Kane Aircraft, safe from its battle in the -clouds, came to rest just in front of the gasping throng that had -watched it with a fascination akin to horror. A hundred eager onlookers -surrounded the machine, plucked the aviator from her seat and held her -aloft for all to see, while the discovery that a young girl was the -heroine of the terrible adventure caused them to marvel anew. - -The applause redoubled; men shouted until they were hoarse; women wept, -laughed hysterically and waved their handkerchiefs; everyone stood up to -applaud; thousands crowded the field about Orissa, who by this time was -herself softly crying, until Stephen, white as a ghost, directed his man -to run the motor car through the crowd to his sister’s side and assist -her aboard. - -Mr. Cumberford took no part in this ovation. He was rushing about the -field, flinging everyone out of his way with mad excitement and asking -continually: “Where is he? Where is Tyler? What has become of him?” - -No one heeded him for a time, as every eye was on Orissa, every -individual striving to get near her, to touch her—as if she had been a -goddess whose hand could confer untold blessings and remedy the ills of -the world. But after a while Cumberford found a man who deigned to give -him the desired information. - -“The fellow who was rescued?” he said. “Oh, he fainted dead away the -minute he touched solid ground.” - -“And what became of him?” demanded Cumberford. - -“Why, the crowd wanted to mob him, it seemed, and I guess that faint was -the only thing that saved him from being torn to pieces.” - -“Well—well! What then?” - -“Then a tall young fellow grabbed him up, chucked him into an automobile -and got away with him.” - -“Where?” - -“How the blazes do _I_ know, stranger? I only saw them get away, that’s -all.” - -This information was later confirmed by several others, but Orissa’s -manager was unable to learn who had taken Tyler away or where they had -gone. Cumberford was in an ugly mood, his heart throbbing with a fierce -desire for vengeance. Tyler had escaped him for the moment but he vowed -he would never rest until both Burthon and his chauffeur were behind the -bars. - -He was still pursuing his futile inquiries when Brewster approached him -and said his daughter, with Stephen, Orissa and their mother, awaited -him at the hangar, which was besieged by an excited throng. Directing -the man to look after the aircraft and get it safely housed, he hurried -away and managed to squeeze through the mass of humanity surrounding the -hangar and gain admittance. - -Within he found Orissa the center of a group of aviators who were -earnestly congratulating the girl on her escape and flooding her with -compliments and praise for her skillful handling of the aëroplane. They -were noble fellows, these professional aviators, and unselfish enough to -be honestly enthusiastic over Miss Kane’s performances. The girl’s -beauty and modesty won them at once, and adding these charming qualities -to her cleverness and bravery, to-day fully proven, it is not difficult -to understand why Orissa Kane from this moment became a prime favorite -with every disciple of aviation. - -Just now, however, Orissa was embarrassed and a little distressed by all -this laudation, following the spirited ovation tendered her by the -public at large, so her nerves were beginning to fail her when by good -fortune Mr. Cumberford appeared. He saw at once her condition and -without stopping to add a word of praise or congratulation managed to -hurry her out of the back entrance, past the surging crowd that was even -here in evidence, and into their automobile. The others of the party -followed with less difficulty and soon they were all headed for town and -speeding swiftly along the roadway. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - THE CRIMINAL - - -As soon as Sybil reached her room at the hotel she wrote a line to her -uncle, Mr. Burthon, which said: “I have wired to Baltimore.” Summoning a -messenger she instructed him to search for Mr. Burthon until he found -him and then place the message in his hands. She delayed sending the -telegram just then, but was so angry and indignant that she was fully -resolved to do so during the evening. - -Meantime Orissa, who to an extent had recovered from her excitement, was -being petted by the family party in the sitting room that had been -reserved for them. Poor Mrs. Kane, having hugged and kissed her child -and wept over her terrible danger and miraculous escape, now held the -girl’s hand fast in her own and could not bear to let it go. Stephen was -full of eager praise and, ignoring for the time the final incident of -the flight, led Orissa to talk of her aërial exhibition and the -admirable behavior of the aircraft, together with its perfect adjustment -and obedience under all conditions. - -“You’ve won the prize, dear,” he asserted confidently. “No one else did -half as much or did it as well, to say nothing of your skillful dodging -of that scoundrel Tyler. But I can’t let you make another flight, little -sister. You are too precious to us all for us to let you risk your life -in this way. The aircraft will have to stand by its record for that one -flight—at least for this meet.” - -“Oh, no,” protested Orissa; “I’ll go again to-morrow, Steve. I want to. -The sensation is glorious, and I’m sure that monster, Tyler—or his -master, Burthon—will be unable to get another aëroplane to chase me. I -shall be perfectly safe, for your aircraft was from first to last like a -thing with life and intelligence. I understand it, and it understands -me.” - -“I wonder if Burthon really sent Tyler on that murderous errand,” said -Steve, thoughtfully. - -“Of course he did!” declared Mr. Cumberford, entering the room in time -to hear the remark. “Here’s a letter for you, Orissa, just left at the -office, and I’m pretty sure it’s Burthon’s handwriting.” - -Orissa took the letter, opened it, and read aloud: - - “_Do not, I beg of you, my dear Orissa, accuse me of inciting - that fool Tyler’s mad attack upon your aëroplane. The man stole - the machine from its hangar and, crazed by my withdrawal from - the meet, which deprived him of the chance of becoming famous, - and inspired by anger toward Cumberford, who had at one time - maliciously assaulted him and whom he thought responsible for my - withdrawal, he made a desperate attempt to wreck your aëroplane - without knowing who was operating it. As soon as I found my - machine gone I hurried to Dominguez and arrived in time to see - the terrible result of Tyler’s madness and your noble rescue of - him. I am leaving the city to-night and may never see your sweet - face again, but I do not wish you to misjudge me and have, - therefore, made this explanation, which is honest and sincere. I - trust you will remember me only as a true and loyal friend who - would willingly sacrifice his unhappy life to save you from - harm. Now and always faithfully yours_, - - “GEORGE BURTHON.” - -During the reading Sybil had entered and quietly seated herself, -listening with lip scornfully curled to her uncle’s protestations of -innocence. For a moment after Orissa finished the letter all were -silent. Then said Orissa, gently: - -“I’m so glad Mr. Burthon had no hand in it!” - -“Bah!” sneered Cumberford; “Burthon is a liar. I don’t believe a word of -his lame excuse.” - -“Nor I,” added Stephen, gravely. “Tyler is a hired assassin, that’s all. -I think Burthon is frightened, and wishes to throw us off the track and -put the blame on his tool, before running away.” - -“I hope that is a lie, too—about his running away,” said Mr. Cumberford. -“If Burthon escapes scot-free I shall be greatly disappointed. But the -fellow is so tricky that if he says he is going you may rest assured he -means to stay.” - -“I think not, Daddy,” remarked Sybil, in her cold, even tones. “My uncle -is in earnest this time and I doubt if you ever see or hear of George -Burthon again.” - -A knock at the door startled the little group. Mr. Cumberford stepped -forward and opened it to find a tall, blue-eyed young man standing in -the hall. He recognized Mr. Radley-Todd—the _Tribune_ reporter—at once, -and said stiffly: - -“You are intruding, sir. I left word at the office that Miss Kane and I -would see the newspaper men at eight o’clock, but not before.” - -He started to close the door, but Chesty Todd inserted one long leg into -the opening, smiling pleasantly as he said: - -“This isn’t a newspaper errand; let me in.” - -Mr. Cumberford let him in, throwing wide the door, for there was an -earnest ring in the young fellow’s voice that could not be denied. - -After Chesty Todd had entered, stumbling over the rug and bowing low to -the ladies, another form shuffled silently through the doorway in his -wake—a little, dried-up, withered man with tousled hair, his cap under -his arm, a woebegone and hopeless expression on his leathery face. - -“Tyler!” cried a surprised chorus. - -The ex-chauffeur did not acknowledge the greeting. Chesty, extending one -arm toward the man as if he were exhibiting a trained animal, said -sternly: - -“Down on your knees!” - -Tyler bumped his kneecaps upon the floor in an attitude of meek -humiliation. - -“Now, then!” - -“M-m-m—pardon,” gurgled the little chauffeur, not with contrition but -rather as an enforced plea for mercy. - -Chesty kicked his shins. - -“Get up,” he commanded. - -Tyler slowly rose, surveyed the group stealthily from beneath his brows -and then dropped his eyes again, standing with bowed shoulders before -them and nervously twirling his cap in his hands. - -“Here,” announced Chesty, pointing impressively to the culprit, “stands -the murderous ruffian known to infamy as Totham Tyler. He is at your -mercy, prepared to endure any amount of torture or to die ignominiously -at the hands of those he has wronged.” - -All but Mrs. Kane were staring in amazement first at Tyler, then at his -captor. Said Stephen to the latter, curiously: - -“You are a detective, I suppose!” - -“Merely as a side line,” was the cheerful rejoinder. “Primarily I’m a -newspaper reporter, and whenever I strike for a higher salary they tell -me I’m a mighty poor journalist. Let me introduce myself. My name is -Havely Chesterton Radley-Todd, quite a burden to carry but it all -belongs to me. This is my first experience as an imitator of the late -lamented Sherlock Holmes, and I may point with pride to the fact that -I’ve unraveled the supposed plot to murder Miss Orissa Kane.” - -Tyler growled incoherently. - -“True,” said Chesty, looking at the man thoughtfully; “the plot was not -to murder Miss Kane, but Mr. Cumberford, whom his loving brother-in-law -supposed would operate the Kane aeroplane. Incidentally it was planned -to so wreck the aircraft—is that what you call it?—that it would be out -of commission during the rest of the meet.” - -“Why?” asked Stephen. - -“To satisfy his petty malice. If Burthon couldn’t fly he didn’t want you -to fly, and he hoped to obtain revenge for being driven into exile.” - -There was a murmur of surprise at this. - -“Who drove Burthon into exile?” asked Cumberford. - -“I did,” said Sybil, indifferently. - -“Have you seen him, then?” demanded her father. - -“Oh, yes; but my uncle is unreliable. Before he obeyed my command to -leave this country forever he decided on a final coup, which has -fortunately failed.” - -“Burthon,” announced Chesty Todd, “boarded an east-bound train an hour -ago. I tried to head him off, but he was too slick and escaped me. That -is the reason I am now here. I want you to listen to Totham Tyler’s -story and then decide whether to wire ahead and have Burthon arrested or -let the matter drop. It is really up to you, as the interested parties. -So far the police have not had a hand in the game.” - -“Please sit down, Mr. Todd,” requested Orissa, shyly. In the tall youth -she had recognized the man who had tried to warn her on Dominguez Field, -and was grateful to him. - -Chesty bowed and sat down. Then he turned to his prisoner and said: - -“Fire away, Tyler. Tell the whole story—the truth and nothing but the -truth so help you.” - -Tyler opened his mouth with effort, mumbled and gurgled a moment and -then looked at his captor appealingly. - -“Oh; very well. The criminal, ladies and gentlemen, seems to have lost, -in this crisis, the power of expressing himself. So I shall relate to -you the story, just as I extracted it—by slow and difficult -processes—from the prisoner in my room, a short time ago. If I make any -mistakes he will correct me.” - -Tyler seemed much relieved. - -“This creature,” began Chesty, “has previous to this eventful day been -known to mankind as a good chauffeur and a bad citizen. He was employed -by Burthon as an unscrupulous tool, his chief recommendation being a -deadly hatred of Mr. Cumberford, who at one time indelicately applied -the toe of his boot to a tender part of Mr. Tyler’s anatomy. Burthon -also hated Cumberford, for robbing him of a million or so in a mine -deal, and for other things of which I am not informed—or Tyler, either. -Cumberford owns a controlling interest in the Kane Aircraft, and—” - -“That’s wrong,” interrupted Stephen. - -“I imagine Mr. Tyler’s story is wrong in many ways,” returned Mr. -Radley-Todd, composedly. “I am merely relating it as I heard it.” - -“Go on, sir.” - -“Cumberford had also maligned Mr. Burthon to Miss Orissa Kane, a young -lady for whom Burthon entertained a fatherly interest and a—er—hum—a -platonic affection. Is that right, Tyler?” - -Tyler growled. - -“Therefore Burthon decided to get even with Cumberford, and Tyler -agreed to help him. The first plan was to steal the design of Stephen -Kane’s airship and by cleverly heading him off in some aëro-political -manner put the firm of Cumberford & Kane out of business. This scheme -was approaching successful fruition when a saucy, impudent -schoolgirl—Tyler’s description, not mine—appeared on the scene and -spiked Mr. Burthon’s guns. Burthon explained to Tyler that in bygone -days he had saved his sister, Cumberford’s wife, from going to prison -for a crime Cumberford had urged her to commit, but in doing this he -had been obliged to defy the law, and the officers are unfortunately -still on the generous man’s trail. Cumberford’s daughter, knowing the -situation, threatened to have Burthon arrested—to betray him to the -bloodhounds of the cruel law—unless he withdrew his machine from the -aviation meet and made tracks for pastures new.” - -The Kanes were now regarding Sybil with amazement and her father with -suspicion if not distrust. The girl stared back at them haughtily; -Cumberford shrugged his shoulders and stroked his drooping, grizzled -mustache. Chesty Todd, observing this pantomime, laughed pleasantly. - -“Tyler’s story—told to me—of Burthon’s story—told to Tyler,” he -observed, his eyes twinkling. “There’s pitch somewhere, and I’ve not -been favorably impressed by Mr. Burthon during my slight acquaintance -with him. I make it a rule,” speaking more slowly, “to judge people by -their actions; by what they do, rather than by what people say of them. -Judging Burthon by his actions I should have little confidence in what -he says.” - -“You are quite right,” declared Stephen, eagerly. “I’ll guarantee, if -necessary, that Burthon lied about both Mr. Cumberford and his daughter. -No man ever had a truer friend than Mr. Cumberford has been to me.” - -Cumberford scowled; Sybil gave Steve one of her rare smiles. - -“Anyhow,” continued the narrator, “Tyler was in despair because the -aëroplane he was booked to operate was withdrawn from the meet. Burthon -told him if they wanted revenge they must act quickly. Their sources of -information—erroneous, as the event proved—led them to believe their -enemy Cumberford would fly the rival aëroplane, and Tyler needed little -urging to induce him to undertake to wreck it. Burthon paid him a -thousand dollars in advance, to make the attempt, and promised him four -thousand more if he succeeded.” - -“Five more,” growled Tyler. - -“I stand corrected; but it won’t matter. Tyler made the attempt, as you -know. He had no idea Miss Kane was in the airship he was trying to -demolish until the last moment, when by a clever turn he intercepted her -aëroplane and was on the point of running it down. Just then, to his -horror and dismay, he saw the girl plainly and made a desperate effort -to check the speed of his machine—to avoid running her down. That was -the cause of his mishap, he claims, and his desire to save Miss Kane -nearly cost him his life. While he was descending a mile or so through -the air, clinging to the footrail, he fiercely repented his wicked act, -so that by the time he struck the ground he was a reformed criminal, -and, for the first time since he cut his eye teeth, an honest man. So he -says, and he expects us to believe it. - -“I happened to be near the spot where Tyler rolled and picked him up -unconscious—dazed by his repentance, I suppose. The mob wanted to -disjoint him and remove his skin, which was not a bad idea; but I -decided he could be of more use to Miss Kane alive—for the present, at -least—because he might untangle some threads of the mystery. So I threw -him into my car, got him to my room at Mrs. Skipp’s boarding house, -restored him to consciousness, applied the thumbscrews, got his -deposition, lugged him here to you, and now—please have the kindness to -take him off my hands, for I’m tired of him.” - -Orissa laughed, a little nervously. They were all regarding Chesty with -unfeigned admiration and Tyler with pronounced aversion. - -Mrs. Kane was the first to speak. Said the blind woman, softly: - -“Orissa, you alone can judge this man. You alone can tell whether from -the beginning he knew you were in the aëroplane or whether his claim is -true that he discovered your identity at the last moment—and tried to -save you. If he speaks truly, if he repented at the moment and risked -his life to save you, it will have a great influence upon his fate. -Speak, my child; you two were together in the air a mile above the -earth, a mile from any other human being. Does the man speak truly?” - -Orissa paled; suddenly she grew grave and a frightened look crept into -her clear eyes. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - THE REAL HEROINE - - -Chesty Todd had spoken so lightly, in a serio-comic vein, and had so -belittled the “reformed villain” and contemptuously made him appear -pitiful and weak, that he had somewhat disarmed his hearers and led them -to forget the seriousness of the contemplated crime. But Mrs. Kane, -listening intently to the story, found no humor in the situation, and -the blind woman’s gentle remark promptly recalled to every mind the full -horror of the dastardly attempt. - -She was quite right in declaring that Orissa alone could approve or -condemn Tyler’s statement. If he spoke truly he was entitled to a degree -of mercy at their hands; if, knowing that a girl was operating the Kane -Aircraft, he had still persisted in his frantic attempt to wreck it and -send her to her death, then no punishment could be too great for such a -cowardly deed. - -This was instantly appreciated by all present. Even Tyler, seeing that -his fate hinged on Orissa’s evidence, ventured to raise his head and -cast at her an imploring glance. Chesty Todd dropped his flippant air -and earnestly watched the girl’s face; the others with equal interest -awaited her decisive statement. - -As for Orissa, the gravity of the situation awed her. Recalling the -dreadful moments when she battled in the air for her life she saw before -her the scowling, vicious face of her enemy and remembered how his eyes -had glared wickedly into her own time and again as he attacked her -aëroplane, determined to destroy it at all hazards. There was no -question in her mind as to the truth of Tyler’s claim; she knew he had -recognized her and still persisted in his purpose. She knew the accident -to his machine was caused by his own carelessness and its faulty -construction, and not by any desire of his to arrest its speed. Tyler -had deliberately lied in order to condone his cowardly act, and she -experienced a feeling of indignation that he should resort to such an -infamous falsehood, knowing as he must that her evidence would render it -impotent. - -Orissa contemplated her erstwhile assailant with reflective -deliberation. She noted his miserable appearance, his abject manner, the -moods of alternate despair and hope that crossed his withered features. -An enemy so contemptible and mean was scarcely worthy of her vengeance. -It seemed dreadful that such a despicable creature had been made in -man’s image. Could he possess a soul, she wondered? Could such an one -own a conscience, or have any perception, however dim, of the brutal -inhumanity of his offense? Being in man’s image he must have such -things. Perhaps in his nature was still some element of good, dormant -and unrecognized as yet, which might develop in time and redeem him. To -send him to prison, she reflected, would not be likely to correct the -perversity of such a nature, while generous treatment and the -forbearance of those he had wronged might tend to awaken in him remorse -and a desire to retrieve his past. Without knowing it the girl was -arguing on the side of the world’s most expert criminologists, who hold -that to destroy an offender cannot benefit society so much as to redeem -him. - -Whether Tyler’s ultimate redemption was probable or not, Orissa did not -care to assume the responsibility of crushing him in order to avenge the -shameful attempt, made in a moment of frenzy, to destroy her life. While -those assembled hung breathless upon her words she said with assumed -composure: - -“The man knows better than I whether he speaks the truth. Could one be -so utterly vile as to try to murder a girl who had never injured him? I -think not. It is more reasonable to suppose that in his excitement he -forgot himself—his manhood and his sense of justice—and only at the last -moment realized what he was doing. I believe,” she added, simply, “I -shall give him the credit of the doubt and accept his statement.” - -Tyler stared at her as if he could scarcely believe his senses, while an -expression of joy slowly spread over his haggard face. Radley-Todd gave -Orissa a quiet smile of comprehension and approval. Cumberford said, -musingly: “Ah; this interests me; indeed it does.” But Stephen -exclaimed, in an impatient tone: - -“That does not clear Tyler of his attempt to murder Mr. Cumberford and -destroy the aircraft. He admits that such was his design and that -Burthon paid him to do it. He is not less a criminal because Orissa -happened to be in the aëroplane. Therefore it is Mr. Cumberford’s duty -to prosecute this scoundrel and put him in prison.” - -Tyler cast a frightened look at the speaker and began to tremble again. -Said Chesty Todd, leaning back in his chair with his hands thrust into -his pockets: - -“That’s the idea. The prisoner belongs to Mr. Cumberford.” - -Cumberford sat in his characteristic attitude, stooping forward and -thoughtfully stroking his grizzled mustache. - -“Did I hurt you very much when I kicked you, Tyler?” he meekly asked. - -“No, sir!” protested the man, eagerly. - -“Would you have thought of such a revenge had not Burthon suggested it, -and paid you to carry it out?” - -“No, sir!” - -“M—m. Would you like to murder me now?” - -“No, sir!” - -“What will you do if I set you at liberty?” - -“Clear out, sir,” said Tyler earnestly. - -“Ah; that interests me,” declared Mr. Cumberford. - -“It doesn’t interest me, though,” Stephen said angrily. “The brute tried -to wreck my aircraft.” - -“But he failed,” suggested Mr. Cumberford. “The aircraft is still in -apple-pie order.” - -“My son,” said the boy’s mother, in her gentle voice, “can you afford to -be less generous than Mr. Cumberford and—your sister?” - -Stephen flushed. Then he glanced toward Sybil and found the girl eyeing -him curiously, expectantly. - -“Oh, well,” he said, with reluctance, “let him go. Such a fiend, at -large, is a menace to society. That is why I wished to make an example -of him. If aëroplanes are to be attacked in mid-air, after this, the -dangers of aviation will be redoubled.” - -“I wouldn’t worry about that,” carelessly remarked Todd. “This fellow is -too abject a coward to continue a career of crime along those lines. -He’s had his lesson, and he’ll remember it. I don’t say he’ll turn -honest, for I imagine it isn’t in him; but he’ll be mighty careful -hereafter how he conducts himself.” - -“I—I’ll never step foot in an aëroplane again!” growled Tyler, hoarsely -but with great earnestness. - -“Suppose you meet Burthon again?” suggested Steve, distrustfully. - -“If I do,” said the man, scowling and clinching his fists, “I—I’ll -strangle him!” - -“A nice, reformed character, I must say,” observed Steve, with fine -contempt. - -“But he interests me—he interests me greatly,” asserted Cumberford. “Let -him go, Steve.” - -Radley-Todd looked round the circle of faces with an amused smile, which -grew tender as his eye rested upon the placid features of Mrs. Kane. The -boy loved to study human nature; it had possessed a fascination for him -ever since he could remember, and here was a fertile field for -observation. Reading accurately the desire of those assembled to be rid -of the abhorrent creature he had brought before them, the young man -slowly rose and opened the door. - -“Tyler,” said he, “you’ve saved your skin. Not by your whining -falsehoods and misrepresentations, but because these people are too -noble to be revenged upon one so ignoble and degraded. But I’m not built -that way myself. I’m longing to kick you till you can’t stand, and -there’s a mighty power to my hamstrings, I assure you. I refrain just -now, because ladies are present, but if I ever set eyes on your carcass -again you’ll think Cumberford’s kick was a mere love-pat. Get out!” - -Tyler cringed, turned without a word and shuffled through the doorway. - -Orissa came forward and took the young fellow’s hand in her own, -impulsively. - -“Thank you, Mr. Todd!” she said. - -He held the hand a moment and looked admiringly into her upturned face. - -“It is I who should give thanks, and I do,” he answered reverently. “I -thank God to-day, as I have had occasion to do before, for his noblest -creation—the American girl.” - -“Good!” cried Cumberford, with approval. “That interests me.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - OF COURSE - - -Orissa did fly the next day, as she had declared she would. The morning -papers were full of her achievement, with columns of enthusiastic praise -for her beauty, her daring, her modesty and skill. The attempt of a -rival aëroplane to interfere with her flight and her clever rescue of -her enemy when he came to grief made a popular heroine of the girl, yet -no one seemed to know the true history of the astonishing affair. The -_Tribune_ had glowing accounts of the day’s events from the pen of Mr. -H. Chesterton Radley-Todd, but this astute correspondent refrained from -making “a scoop,” as he might have done had he bared his knowledge of -the conspiracy that ended with Orissa Kane’s aërial adventure. - -One of the other papers suspected Burthon of being the instigator of the -wicked plot to wreck Miss Kane’s airship and, discovering the fact that -he had fled from the city, openly accused him. Tyler could not be found, -either, for the little ex-chauffeur had wisely “skipped the town” and -his former haunts knew him no more. - -The judges awarded the Kane Aircraft the ten thousand dollar prize, and -singularly enough not a word of protest came from the competing -aviators. Those who had attended the meet the day before, and thousands -who read of Orissa Kane in the newspapers, eagerly assembled at -Dominguez to witness her further exhibitions on the next day. It was -estimated that fully fifty thousand people were in attendance, and when -the Kane Aircraft appeared, decked with gay banners and ribbons, and -made a short flight above the field, the girl aviator met with a -reception such as has never before been equaled in the annals of -aviation. - -Later in the day Orissa took part in the contest for speed and although -she did not win this event the girl aëronaut managed her biplane so -gracefully and pressed the leader in the race so closely that she was -accorded the admiring plaudits of the spectators. - -Steve was a little disappointed in the result, but Mr. Cumberford -reminded him that his employment of crossed planes was sure to sacrifice -an element of speed for the sake of safety, and assured him it was not -at all necessary for his invention to excel in swiftness to win -universal approval. - -In other events that followed during the progress of the meet Orissa -captured several of the prizes, with the final result that the Kanes -were eighteen thousand dollars richer than they had been before. Crowds -constantly thronged the Kane hangar, inspecting the wonderful machine -and questioning the attendants as to its construction and management, -while so many orders for the aircraft were booked that Mr. Cumberford -assured Stephen they would be justified in at once building a factory to -supply the demand. - -Throughout the meet Orissa Kane remained the popular favorite and the -wonderful performances of the young girl were discussed in every place -where two or more people congregated. Had Stephen been able to operate -his own machine he would not have won a tithe of the enthusiastic praise -accorded “The Flying Girl,” and this was so evident that Orissa was -instantly recognized as the most important member of the firm. - -Naturally she was overjoyed by her success, yet she never once lost her -humble and unassuming manner or considered the applause in the light of -a personal eulogy. Devoting herself seriously and with care to every -detail of her work she strove to exhibit Steve’s aircraft in a manner to -prove its excellence, and considered that her important aim. - -There was nothing reckless about Orissa’s flights; her success, then and -afterward, may be attributed to her coolness of head, a thorough -understanding of her machine and a full appreciation of her own ability -to handle it. The flattery and adulation she received did not destroy -her self-poise or cause one flutter of her heart, but when anyone -praised the merits of the Kane Aircraft, she flushed with pleasure and -pride. For Orissa firmly believed she basked in the reflected glory of -her brother’s inventive genius, and considered herself no more than a -showman employed to exhibit his marvelous creation. - -“You see,” she said to Chesty Todd, who stood beside her in the hangar -on the last day of the meet while she watched Mr. Cumberford and his -assistants preparing the aircraft for its final flight, “Stephen has a -thorough education in aëronautics and knows the caprices and -requirements of the atmosphere as well as a gardener knows his earth. -The machine is adjusted to all those variations and demands, and that is -why it accomplishes with ease much that other aëroplanes find difficult. -A child might operate the Kane Aircraft, and I feel perfectly at ease in -my seat, no matter how high I am or how conflicting the air currents; -for Steve’s machine will do exactly what it is built to do.” - -“The machine is good,” observed Chesty, “but your sublime -self-confidence is better. You’re a conceited young lady—not over your -own skill, but over that of your brother.” - -She laughed. - -“Haven’t I a right to be?” she asked. “Hasn’t Steve proved his ability -to the world?” - -The boy nodded, a bit absently. He was thinking how good it was to find -a girl not wrapped up in herself, but unselfish enough to admire others -at her own expense. A pretty girl, too, Chesty concluded with a sigh, as -he watched her prepare to start. What a pity he had lived all of -twenty-one years and had not known Orissa Kane before! - -By some sleight-of-hand, perhaps characteristic of the fellow, Chesty -had attached himself to the “Kane-Cumberford Combination,” as he called -it, like a barnacle. At first both Steve and Cumberford frowned upon his -claim to intimacy, but the boy was so frankly attracted to their camp, -“where,” said he, “I can always find people of my own kind,” that they -soon became resigned to the situation and accepted his presence as a -matter of course. - -Sybil treated this new acquaintance with the same calm indifference she -displayed toward all but her father and, latterly, Stephen Kane. Chesty -found in her the most puzzling character he had ever met, but liked her -and studied the girl’s vagaries from behind a bulwark of levity and -badinage. Perhaps the reporter’s most loyal friend at this time was Mrs. -Kane, who had promptly endorsed the young man as a desirable acquisition -to their little circle. In return Chesty was devoted to the afflicted -woman and loved to pay her those little attentions she required because -of her helplessness. - -Mr. Cumberford celebrated the closing day of the meet by giving a little -dinner to the Kanes in his private rooms at the hotel that evening, and -Chesty Todd was included in the party. Stephen attended in a wheeled -chair and was placed at one end of the table, while Orissa occupied the -other. The central decoration was a floral model of the Kane Aircraft, -and before Orissa’s plate was laid a crown of laurel which her friends -tried to make her wear. But the girl positively refused, declaring that -Stephen ought to wear the crown, while she was entitled to no more -credit than a paid aviator might be. - -The next morning’s developments, however, proved that she had been too -modest in this assertion. A telegram arrived from the directors of the -San Francisco Aviation Club asking Orissa Kane’s price to attend their -forthcoming meet and exhibit her aëroplane. Accounts of her daring and -successful flights had been wired to newspapers all over the world and -public interest in the girl aviator was so aroused that managers of -aerial exhibitions throughout the country realized she would be the -greatest “drawing card” they could secure. - -Mr. Cumberford, as manager for Orissa as well as for Stephen and the -aircraft, telegraphed his terms, demanding so large a sum that the Kanes -declared it would never be considered. To their amazement the offer was -promptly accepted, and while they were yet bewildered by this evidence -of popularity, a representative of the New Orleans Aëro Club called at -the hotel to secure Miss Kane for their forthcoming meet. Mr. Cumberford -received him cordially, but said: - -“Unfortunately, sir, your dates conflict with those of the San Francisco -meet, where Miss Kane has already contracted to appear.” - -“Is there no way of securing her release?” asked the man, deeply -chagrined at being too late. “Our people will be glad to pay any price -to get her.” - -“No,” replied Mr. Cumberford; “we stand by our contracts, whatever they -may be. But possibly we shall be able to send you a duplicate of the -Kane Aircraft, with a competent aviator to operate it.” - -The man’s face fell. - -“We will, of course, be glad to have you enter the Kane machine, on the -same terms other aëroplanes are entered; but we will pay no bonus unless -‘The Flying Girl’ is herself present to exhibit it. To be quite frank -with you, the people are wild to see Orissa Kane, whose exploits are on -every tongue just now, but all aëroplanes look alike to them, as you can -readily understand.” - -When the emissary had departed, keenly disappointed, Mr. Cumberford -turned to Orissa and Stephen, who had both been present at the -interview, and said: - -“You see, Orissa should have worn the laurel crown, after all. ‘The -Flying Girl’ has caught the popular fancy and I predict our little -heroine will be in great demand wherever aviation is exploited. As a -matter of truth and justice I will admit that she could not have -acquired fame so readily without Steve’s superb invention to back her. -In coming years your principal source of income will be derived from the -Kane Aircraft; but just now, while aviation is in its infancy, Orissa -will be able to earn a great deal of money by giving exhibitions at -aviation meets. If she undertakes it there is, we all know, much hard -work ahead of her, coupled with a certain degree of danger.” He turned -to the girl. “It will be for you to decide, my dear.” - -Orissa did not hesitate in her reply. - -“I will do all in my power to exhibit Steve’s machine properly, until he -is well enough to operate it himself,” she said. “Then he will become -the popular hero in my place, and I’ll retire to the background, where I -belong.” - -Even Steve smiled at this prediction. - -“I’ll never be able to run the thing as you can, Ris,” he replied, “and -you mustn’t overlook the fact that your being a girl gives you as great -an advantage over me, as an aeronaut, as over all other aviators. I -think Mr. Cumberford is right in saying that the advertising and -prestige you have already received will enable you to win a fortune for -us—provided you are willing to assume the risk and exertion, and if -mother will consent.” - -“I love the moil and toil of it, as well as the pleasure,” exclaimed the -girl. “It will be joy and bliss to me to fly the aircraft on every -possible occasion, and if you’ll leave me to manage mother I’ll -guarantee to secure her consent.” - -At this juncture Chesty Todd came in. His face was solemn and dejected. - -“What’s up?” asked Steve. - -“Lost my job, that’s all,” said Chesty. “Our editor thinks I didn’t run -down that Burthon affair as well as the other fellows did and that I -neglected some of the famous aviators to gush over Miss Kane. That’s his -excuse, anyhow; but my private opinion, publicly expressed, is that I -was predoomed to be fired, whatever I did.” - -“Why so?” inquired Orissa. - -“I’m getting too good. They’re afraid if they kept me on I’d demand more -wages.” - -There was a shout of laughter at this. - -“Of course I didn’t expect sympathy,” observed Chesty, dolefully. “I see -starvation ahead of me, and as there’s a good deal of Mr. Radley-Todd to -starve it’s bound to be a tedious and trying experience.” - -“This interests me,” remarked Mr. Cumberford, musingly. - -“Me, also,” said Chesty. - -Cumberford related the engagement made that morning for Miss Kane’s San -Francisco exhibition and the demand of the New Orleans representative. - -“The promoters of every aviation meet, hereafter, will want to secure -Orissa,” he added, “and so we are about to organize a campaign to -advertise ‘The Flying Girl’ and the Kane Aircraft throughout the United -States. Possibly we may take her to Europe—” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Orissa, excitedly. “Don’t you think the people of Mars -would like me to visit them?” - -“I see,” said Chesty, nodding. “You need a press agent.” - -“It might not be a bad idea,” admitted Mr. Cumberford. - -“I’m engaged from this moment,” declared the young man. “I’ve had my -breakfast, thank you, but I shall require three square meals a day from -this time on. Any further emolument I leave to you. As for promoting -Miss Kane, you’ll find me thoroughly capable and willing—provided the -young lady proves flighty and goes up in the air occasionally, as young -ladies are prone to do. This may be a soar subject to discuss just now, -so I’ll end my aëroplaintive lay.” - -“If you put that bosh in the papers you’ll ruin us,” said Steve. - -“Trust me,” returned Chesty, earnestly. “I’ll stick to the most -dignified facts, merely relating that Miss Kane is to make an ascension -for the purpose of picking air currants to make jam of.” - -“All right,” announced Mr. Cumberford; “you’re engaged.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - A Novelty Every Girl Wants - - THE GIRL GRADUATE - - HER OWN BOOK - - Designed by - - Louise Perrett and Sarah K. Smith - - -[Illustration] - -In which to keep the happy record of school or college days. 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