COPYRIGHT. 1009. BY THE
BOBB5-MERR1LL
CHAPTER I.
WHI5 MAIDE.NS JELL JROM THE SKY.
IOlt twenty shimmering miles the
gulf beach lay in the sun, a
white straight edge against
blue. Mistily through the surf
haze glimmered the tower of Sand is
land light save when obscured by the
smoke plume of a fruiter standing in
past Fort Morgan for Mobile. It was
early forenoon. The yellow globe of
tke mooring balloon at the fort ahoue
in the sua like a dome of some auda
cious new architecture flung high Into
the pulsating air. Two men far down
the coast toward Tensacola caught the
faroff apleudor and noted In the very
act of casting off from it a long, cigar
shaped aeronat an immeuse, elongat
ed bubble of quicksilver. It floated
seaward, rounded to, stood a moment
end on, llbratlng like a balancing top.
"She's boun' fo' N'Yawllns. Ah reck
on, sun."
The speaker was a typical gulf fish
erman, long bearded, soft of speech,
courteous as a diplomat, barefooted,
weathered In garments and skin. Over
his cheeks and nose were scattered
broad brown blotches which had it
not been for their size might have
been called freckles. He rolled a ciga
rette, lighted It, turned his eyes on
his more youthful companion, repeat
ing, "She's sho boun' fo' N'Yawllns."
In the mleu of the younger man there
was something of kinship to the elder,
as there might be in a New England
chemist or engineer something that is
like bis forty-second cousin fishing on
the Newfoundland banks. The soft
ness of speech was Diodjfled to a sub
tle firmness and a subdued decision.
The slight, tall frame whs arrowy and
erect, as if the youth had imbibed
from some winler air a luteut self
esteem expressed in the hint of in
cisiveness In speech. The boy also had
the areas of mottled freckling, overlay
ing a pink glow. He wore a blue flan
nel shirt with a bright silk cravat.
His shoes were scoured gray by the
beach sand, and his well shaped bat
was powdered with it. His trousers
were of cadet gray and were striped
down the side; seemingly they were a
part of some obsolete uniform. He sat
on a great square timber half buried
in the sand and had been studying a
blue green Portuguese man-of-war cast
ashore and rolled up before the breeze,
dragging Its yard long tentacles. On
the beam lay a steel square, a brace
and bit, a roll of blueprints, some steel
drills and a book of logarithms., The
speech of the old fisbertnau made
him look up. He picked up a pair of
binoculars from a cast-up crate and
studied the distant airship.
"Mo' likely bound for Pensacola, cap
tain," he said. "She's coming this
way a Condor with bow rudder."
The aeronat. drawing uearer, swell
id like a great silver moon, The men
admired her as they walked lushore
through soft, trodden sand dowu to a
lower level of yellowed palmettoes
and scaled a steep dune slope thlcket
ed with curious scrub oaks. Here was
hidden a cabin of rough boards with a
wide veranda or gallery, on the col
umns of which were to be seen
bleached barnacles, telling of the
storm tossed voyage which had
brought them hither. Abutting on the
cabin by one end was a spacious shed
without visible door or window. So
thoroughly was the edifice concealed
by the oak scrub and the low growing
stunted 'spruce that one might have
passed a dozen times within a stono's
throw of it without seeing It. and even
from the airships its drab roof powder
ed with blown sand was well nigh In
visible. Under the gnllery was per
fect safety from observation from
aloft.
Ai seen through the glass, the ilr-
hip was swelled to impressive bulk
now. Her rudder stood aslant, a
stripe of brown against the silver foil
of her bilge. On the seaward side ran
the darker line of a toy aeroplane a
matter of appearance more than use
and slung beneath by a gossamer na
celle, steady as the deck of a liner,
bung her roomy car, the engine room
astern, the three great screws half in
visible, like the vibrant wings of bees.
She veered to the north and stood in
land as if to cross the Little lagoon,
that beautiful salt luke which for ten
miles lies wlthlu souud of the gulf
surf, but separated from it by a little
wilderness of dunes, then by a majes
tic swooping movemout she threw her
whole vast sweep of broodslde open to
their gaze. The captain's dimmer eye
now made out the woman and the two
men on her deck, while Theodore Car
son's, keen for such u sight and armed
with the glass, observed that the wo
man wore a broad hat of vivid red. a
scarf of the same color and a woman
would have told him a pique gown.
"They bette' moor." said the fisher
man. "Tbey's a norther comln' out.
What they doln' now. Mlste' TheodoT
"Why," snld Carson, studying the
aeronat with the glass and clipping
off his sentences as the astounding
evolution of the Incident far up there
In the blue rendered every utterance
obsolete before it was finished, "why,
they have thrown off a package of
It's mechanism of some sort In op
eration, and They're making a tow
of it They're reversing and rounding
to. See them drift off: They're ex-
COMPANY
LIWW Mil - I
cltedand all aback about something.
Heavens: See that thing shoot up!
It's some sort of helicopter. I believe
and the girl's alone In It. captain!
Alone. I say! Why did they She's
lost control she's lost: It's shooting
over this way and coming down! It
will-It will- My God: My God:"
The thing purted from the great
aerouut was n little speck topped with
a broader, mushroom shaped shimmer
which Carbon knew for the revolving
blades of a helicopter, tbnt Insidious
toy that promised so much for the con
quest of the air. Then, as though re
leased from the pull of gravity. It shot
skyward, leaving the silver airship far
below, as a fly might speed from a
floating bubble. The two spectators
drew their breaths sharply In. their
hearts frozen In fascinated apprehen
sion. They saw It rise skyward like a
boy's dart until they shuddered at the
abyss that yawned between It and the
eorth: saw it struck by the far advanc
ed loftier vanguard of the north wind
predicted by the fisher captain: saw It
burled southward before the blast like
a feather.
The Condor had a name. She was
the Roc, owned by Mr. Flnley Sbayne,
and her home port was Shayne's Hold,
in the Catskllls. Those who are fa
miliar wtth the scope, power and spec
tacular success of Mr. Shayne's opera
tions in aerostatic power stocks in the
latter part of the first quarter of the
present century will surmise that the
Roc was the finest product of the art
of avlatlonnt construction np to that
time.
This fateful morning she had moor
ed in the aerial harbor at Mobile, in
her berth hard by the lift near the
Bienville statue. Mrs. Shayne, a na
tive Moblllan. pleaded Indisposition,
but went out to see some old houses
dear to her youth. Mr. Shayne and
their guest. Mr. Max SUberberg. had
insisted upon the presence of Virginia
Suarez. Mrs. Shayne's niece, on a trip
down the bay in the Roc to witness
the demonstration of a new flying ma
chine, and she had yielded. The in
ventor. Wlzner. a suspicious, foxy,
middle aged man. proved objectionable
to Miss Suarez because bis thumbs
turned back so far that the sight of
them made her feel creepy, and as he
gesticulated freely while denouncing
all devices for aerial navigation except
his his thumbs were much In evidence
Virginia wished Wlzner at her side,
crooked thumbs and all. for no thumbs
or voice could be : offensive as the
unrelieved presence of Mr. Slllyrberg.
the head of the Federated Metals con
cern, controlling the copper, gold ami
silver output of a continent.
She felt herself thrown at bis heart
by her aunt.
"So you think. Aunt Mnrle." she hud
ald, "that Mr. SUberberg is oue of the
great ones of the earth?"
"Most certainly." rejoined Mrs.
Shayne. "He Is retaining and increas
ing the enormous wealth and power
he inherited. To do what he Is do
ing takes a great man. Your uncle
will tell you so."
SUberberg made the buy of court
ship in the sun of opportunity. Vir
ginia pondered on ber aunt's standard
of greatness. .
"Where's Uncle Flnley?" she asked
"We are getting a long way south."
"Giving the helicopter a private ex
amination." replied SUberberg. "It la
a happiness to me that he Is. Hut the
Inventor would go wild If he knew the
sort of expert his precious machine is
alone with."
"Wild:" repented Virginia. "Listen
even now."
Above the purr of the screws came.
the angry a(ce of the. inventor in the
engine room abusing the Roc's second
engineer for some remark derogatory
to helicopters. Already he was quite
wild enough, Virginia thought
"Why don't we try bis machine?"
she asked. "Must we go out over the
gulf? Isn't the bay big enough?"
"Mr. Shayne wants to pick up a spe
cialist at the fort" replied SUberberg.
"the man who wrote up the Chinese
war aerostats, ne's here on some
ueronautlcal business for the army."
The Hoc circled to the west to avoid
the Inhibited passage over the bat
teries and stood east along the bench.
Wlzner abandoned his quarrel and
came forward to make the test. He
set the helicopter ou the deck, where
it stood unsteadily on Its slender bam
boo legs. Its puiuter hanging over the
rail. Its top crowned by the screw
wings, slanted a little outboard for the
launching.
"How will you get her off, Wlzner?"
asked Mr. Shayne.
"Easy enough." answered Wlzner
tartly.
"Maybe we'd better make a descent
for you," suggested SUberberg. "It
may be one of these terrestrial hell
copters." "I'll ask when I want you to go
down." replied Wlzner, glaring. "You
will see whether It's a ground machine
or not May I take dowu a section of
that rail?"
"Certainly," answered Mr. 8hayne.
"But don't let the helicopter topple off.
It might fall on a fisherman. What
are you doing, Virginia?"
The girl had stepped forward as If
to take a seat In the little cane car of
the helicopter.
"Let r.ie sii In It." said she. "I want
to imagine how you teel when you get
out Into space."
"I wish ,vn would." said Wlzner.
"It will hold her still. It's perfectly
safe."
Virginia, lauvhlnt: ut playing pu(er
weight, eutored the car.
"Which Is the clutch lever?" she
asked.
"This." s:ild the Inventor, pointing.
"I'm going to the engine room. When
I come back I'll show you bow it
works."
Mr. Shayne went aft with Wlzner in
animated conversation, leaving Vir
ginia In the throbbing car. The rail
bad been removed, and a little push
would have been quite sufficient to
shove the girl and the machine over
board Into the empty air. The thrill
of the vibration, the sense of risk or
the Inteuse gaze of SUberberg made
her face flush. He had never seen her
so charming. She laid tier hand ou the
clutch lever.
"I could move this lever a little,"
said she. "and By away. I feel as If
I should fly:"
"I shall not let yon," said- be. "I
shall hold you!" -
"Mr. SUberberg!" . .
The rebuke was evoked by his put
ting his arm about ber. One white,
Jeweled hand was slipped behind her,
the other laid on her arm, the oily
perfumed curls stooping until the red
lips approached hers. Perfectly aware
of what she was doing, but quite reck
less of consequences, Virginia pushed
the lever, threw in the clutch and the
wings started. The pull of the vivified
mechanism drawing him Out to death
made Sllberberg'a very fingers tingle
with terror, and he let go girl and car
and leaped backward. Under the lift
of the wings the car dragged to the
edge, slipped off with a grating sound
l J
THKIIK FELL OCT OF THB CAK A MASS OF
KKD HAT AMD OUIUHON SCARF.
and swung there In midair, the puiuter
dangling almost within reach 300 fath
oms In the air, supported only by the
spinning helices driven by an engine
that oue man only knew bow to man
age, and he as far removed from it
potentially as If he bad been In Mars!
The girl's hand trembled so that she
could not bold to anything, no matter
how she tried. At last It was over in
a moment more by accident thun de
sign, she moved something. With ap
palling velocity the thing shot upward:
the aeronnf fell away toward the earth;
the fisherman's bouse fur beneath
whs w blsked down to the littleness of
a toy. The air struck her face, blow
ing downward more and more chill.
Overhead the screws hummed Impla
cably, the only souud she heard.
She studied the machinery, trying to
apply her pbked up knowledge of en
gines. Here was the thing with which
to stop It. she felt sure of tint, but to
stop It suddenly was mete sulfide, a
wift fall to death.
She was growing calmer now. It
would surely slow down of itself, she
reasoned, and If it did not-well, she
had escaped from SUberberg anyhow.
And then the north wind struck.
The puff smote ber cheek. The hell
copter yielded to It and swept south
ward like a feather before a fan. She
was blowing out to sea. She reached
out to stop the engine, but the vision
passed through her mind of falling
fulling like the stick or a rocket, be
ing dashed to pieces on the earth.
Then a voice seemed to speak in her
ear from the chill solitude, senseless
words, as of one stammering, like the
phantasms of voices ueurd In the de
lirium of fever, finally growing dis
tinct and repeating over and over a
command. "Retard the spark!" it said.
"Retard the spark!"
The Roc was fur below and to the
north now. The gulf breakers f on mod
nenrer and nearer and still rang in her
ears the ghostly command. "Retard the
spark!" She tried to remember about
engines, but this one was so different!
Aimlessly she put her hand out. touch
ed a little sliding thing aliS paused.
She moved the sliding thing and
thought the buzz of the helices less
strenuous. The roar of the breakers
swelled In her ears like the crescendo
of some tremendous, uprushlng music,
and she realized that she was falling
in a great parabola that might carry
her Into the sea or might dash her
upon the driftwood and wreckage of
the beach.
Suddenly the machine careened, and
he thought she bad struck, to be dush
ed broken on the ground, lost She
had not seen Theodore Carson on that
highest dune, but he had grasped the
painter as It dragged over hi in. and it
was he who had thrown the flying ma
chine from its level swoop, even as It
Jerked him down the dune, with Cap
tain Harrod clinging to bis legs, drag
ging them almost to the water's edge.
The car swung horribly, and finally,
spilled from It by Its careening, there
fell out of It a mass of red hat. crim
son scurf, pique and silken fallals.
The helicopter tore loose and fled out
to sea before the gale.
CHAPTER II.
A HOSPITABLE BANDIT.
THEODORE CARSON stared for
a moment In amazement at the
prostrate girl, then took her
tenderly In bis arms, carrying
ber toward the bidden cabin. At the
teepeBt spot Captain Harrod overtook
him. But' the young man paid no
heed to offers of aid, wading steudlly
on to the door, which the captain un
locked and opened, standing aside for
Carson and his Interesting burden.
Theodore took her Into the large sin
gle room and laid ber softly on a clean
looking bed.
"She Is dead!" said Theodore In a
hushed voice.
"Is her heart beatln'?" the captain
inquired.
"1 don't know!" cried Carson.
Carson laid bis ear lightly to the
white blouse. Some fluttering be
seemed to feel, but he could not be
certain. Harrod brought water In a
watering pot. which he seemed to have
planned to use us upon a Illy or rose.
"lo It beat?" be asked.
"I can't tell." said Carson, "nor
whether It's my pulse or hers that
beats. Oh, I wish what do they gen
erally do. captain?"
"Tbey's some punt o they frock that
always has to be unrove, ain't they?"
Inquired the captuin anxiously,
"Captain," sold Carson, the perspira
tion standing on bis brow, "I'm going
out on the gallery for air. You do
what has to be done, captain or she
may ule!"
"Put some watab ou huh fuce, suli,"
said the cuptniu. In Judicious avoid
ance of extreme measures. "Ah don't
reckon this byah's a cuse fo' vl'lent o'
onconse'vatlve remedies. I'll oncork
that bu'tsho'u bottle!"
Carson pressed a wet towel to the
girl's face. The captain held a bottle
labeled "ammonia" to ber nostrils.
She gasied. drew a (inh ering sigh aud
opened her eyes.' The older man was
looking at her In a futherly way. and
the young one was sponging her fore
head, his face near hers. She sat op
suddenly. ' '
"You have had a fall, madam," said
Csrsou. "and are shaken up a little.
But you an safe and among friends."
"Oh. thank you," she said. In tone
of the most correct formality. "It'a
ever so kind of you, sir. I I I Oh,
I thought 1 was lost! I thought I
oh: oh: oh: Oh: o-o-o-h:"
Suddenly, from the polite common
places of speech, she broke Into hys
terical screaming. Captain Harrod
poured a stiff glass of red liquid from
a bottle, diluted it and took It to the
shuddering girl, who looked pathetical
ly up into bis fnce for a moment, swal
lowed it obediently and coughed as if
strangled by it.
"And now." said Mr. Carson, "we
will leave you, if you will excuse ns.
Please feel at ease. You are quite
safe, and the cabin Is yours. We are
In all ways at yo' service. The cap
tain hcrt Is my friend, and we belong
to a race that sees a sister In every
helpless lady. I think you will desire
to sleep, and I hope you may awake
refreshed, after which we shall place
ourselves mo' definitely under your
command'
She looked at him questioning!;.
The softness of his voice, his little
Inconsistent lapses Into dialect as be
uttered the old fashioned cblvalrlc'sen
tlments, won her trust.
"Ah'd He down, ma'am." suggested
the captain, "ontll that medicine gits a
chance to wuk. Goodby, ma'am."
Virginia lay back and closed her
eyes, but the potion brought no drow
siness. Her face grew hot. and she
knew her eyes would shine If she
opened them with a brilliancy quite
fasclnutlng to the young man with the
little black mustache. The fact that
she thought of this startled ber. Was
sho growing flighty with fever? Why
this abnormal hilarity of spirits, in the
exaltation of which all anxiety depart
ed? She rose and walked out unsteadily
upon the veranda and saw Mr. Carson
and the captain sitting Idly Just be
yond earshot of the cabin. They came
to her respectfully.
"I came out to thank you, sir," said
Vlrglula flight Uy. "'for your' heroic be
havior heroic, romantic, mediaeval
behavior!"
"I beg of you not to mention it.
madam," urged Mr. Carson, with in
finite solicitude. "But may I not in
sist upon your allowing me to escort
you buck to your room?"
The girl assented, and Bhe was soon
asleep.
Theodore made broth of one quail,
peeped In to see If his guest were
awake, served the broth to the captain
BHI BOSI AND WALKED OUT UNSTEADILY
UPON THB VKHANDA.
and mado more. The sun wore to the
west, the lust quail wus cooked, the
captain wus providently gorged with
alternate courses of bird and broth,
when Vlrglula. very stately and very
reserved, opened the door and walked
out upon the gallery. Carson shrank
back Into the kitchen and shoved the
cuptniu Into the breach.
"How do you do, ma'am?" be in
quired solicitously. "Ah sho' hope yo'
bette' aftah yo' sleep."
"Much better, thank you." she re
plied. "We bnve some pahtrldge broth,
ma'am." be weut on, "with rice, and
a baked yum, and a planked green
trout from the lake back byah, and
some coffee. Sit down, ma'am, and
Ah'll suhve It"
The little table was spread on the
gallery, its top made of the bead of a
derelict cask, Its legs of barnacled
sections of a boom. Virginia's bead
ached in dreadful similitude to the
traditional feeling of the morning after,
but the coffee fragrance was pleasant.
"You ure too good." said she, accept
ing the chair. "I shall be glnd to eat
a little. Where Is your your friend?"
"He's soiu'eres about," replied the
captain. "Ah really don't know, ma'am.
Won't you pleuse take yo' coffee?"
The coffee was black and strong.
The broth was a temptation, and she
Ipped with increasing appetite. But
tered yam and planked trout brought
the meal to a triumphant end. Yet
where was she, and bow should abe
depurt? Where was the Roc? Who
were these men? The guns, the brass
Instruments that looked as if they per
tained to navigation, the big window
less shed, all suggested things nautical,
bold and nefarious. The kindness and
courtesy of the rough looking fellows
reassured her as to her personal safe
ty. Yet If they were atnugglers or
freebooters how could they safely re
turn her to the civilization of coast
guards and constables? It was dell
clously romantic but how creepy;
Bhe turned to Captain Harrod with
an expression so agitated that be was
somewhat startled.
"I wish you would say to the lieu
tenant" Bald she, "that 1 must see
him at once If possible."
The fisherman analyzed this speech
for perhaps a minute In absolute si
lence, then be said. "Yes. ma'am," aud
instantly produced Carson, who, so
far as Vlrglula could Judge, bad been
within the captain's sight when she
hnd been assured that his whereabouts
were unknown,
"You are," said the young man,
avoiding any reference to her recovery,
"doubtless wondering where your
companions may be and thinking It
strange that they have not returned?"
"It la strange," said she. "Some
thing must have happened to the en
gines "
"ro," said Theodore, "not that.
Tbey all but blow out to sea. Tbey
Imply had to tight their way off to
ward Pensacola, where they must have
mnde harbor. It was almost half a
gale."
"And so they went-and loft me?"
"They really couldn't help It," urged
the young man.
"It shows the sort of man SUberberg
Is," she cried hotly. "And now per
haps you will be so good as to help
me to some conveyance to Mobile?"
"I have a boat on the lake," said
Carson, "half a mile Inland. There Is
a cJiajTnelto Palmetto. Bench,. The
ooat and crew are at your service."
"I should prefer to wa'.k, if you
please." said she.
"Unless you hsve a day r two to
spend In the Journey I should not rec
ommend the attempt."
"1 know some people." said she, "at
the Yupon Hedge inn at Palmetto
Beach. Can you"
"If we go at once." he replied, "yon
may be there for dinner." '
"I am ready." said she. rising. "Let
ns go, please. Immediately."
Captain Harrod led the way easterly
longshore to a spot where the shrub
grew well down toward the beaten
beach. They walked back between
clumps of dark green rosemary, over a
low place In the dunes, down to the
dry, burd bottom of a former pooL
Tbey emerged upon a little lrregu
lur hillock and looked forth upon a
strange tarn of inky water, Its black
waves crested with foam, like white
plumes on funeral crape. The shores
of this sinister lake were densely
wooded by sullen ranks of pines and
cypresses. Virginia gasped at alght of
the somber mere. It accmed such an
eery spot In which to be cast away
with these strange men who lived be
hind .closed doors and walked the
ands as to leave no footprints!
"Haul out the launch, captain."
Why was the trim, speedy looking
launch so completely hidden in the tall
cane? The puldooa puddling In the
reeds made sounds like prowling ac
complices. , ,
Miss Sunres awept haughtily to her
place In the boat Carson, with his
eye steadfastly fixed on bla engine,
quickly shoved off.
"Evenln to yet)." said the captain,
till with one foot In the water, like a
heron.
"Good evening," responded the younf
man.
Virginia said nothing. Carson, steal
ing a look at her, saw the flush dying
out upon her face and a smile taking
Its place a dimpling, spasmodic smile,
accompanied by little quick dilation
of the nostrils, as If Miss Suarea was
desirous of Indulging In a laugh, but
aw do citable renson for so doing
She waved ber handkerchief at toe
captain.
"Do you see," said Carson, pointing
to the receding shore, "that the little
bill at the landing Is Just a mass of
shells r
"Why. so It Is, I believe." she ex
claimed "How came so many there?"
"It's a prehistoric kitchen midden,"
aid this most extraordinary yonng
pirate. "So many people lived there
that tbey literally made a hill of the
bells of the molluska tbey ate."
"Indeed!" ejaculated Virginia, and
after a long pause she added. "How
odd!"
Mentally her speech was, "How odd
that this young outcast should know
about archaeology, or Is It paleontol
ogy r
It waa easy to study him because
he looked bo religiously away from
her. . He was rather Interesting.
He threw over the tiller to round
Into i little reedy cove, but instead (
running ashore he entered a narrow
creek, which he followed through
Bucb amazing tortuosities that the sua,
low In the west; waa now on the right,
now on the teft. sometimes astern ane
again dead ahead
Their talk was verging upon the per
onal and therefore fo be discouraged.
How keenly observing he must be la
detect In ber cosmopolitan English the
old home accent! She bad supposed
herself to be quite rid of It She waa
quite recovered from ber alarm tad
looked bewitching as tbey emerged
from the narrows and shot out Into
the lagoon, the blue waves of which
bad aubslded Into round rolling short
wells.
"Goodly," cried Virginia, looking
back Into the enchanted marsh. "Good
by! This is the world again!"
Carson was looking the other way
with less persistence now. There was
something mysterious In the charm ol
tbla girl's manner. Her goodby to the
narrows Beemed a subtle rapproche
ment to bini. They were in the world,
and therefore, figuratively, she let him
come closer.
The lights of the hotels and villas
along the north shore swept by them
In a panorama of fulry Illuminations.
"We have been very impersonal,"
aid be. "May 1 Introduce myself?
My name Is"
"Oh, please don't!" she exclaimed.
"Forgive me, but I'd rather not
know."
"It Is mo' Interesting," said he, with,
a slow smile, "not to know, I shall
always think of you as"
"As the girl from Mars," Bhe sug
gested. "1 came tumbling down to
you In a beup out of the sky."
"Isu't there an asteroid named
Psyche?" be inquired. ""I'm going to
assume that there Is and name you
after that."
"A purely telescopic tar"
"Because of Its dlstauce only.
Psyche."
The boat quietly passed out across
the woven threuds of light that web
bed the water from a thousand points
about Strong's bayou and gently came
to at the dock of the Yupon Hedgx
(Continued to Page 8). ,
