THE NORTH PLATTE SEMIAVEEKLY TRIBUNE.
pmmmmmm I i i I ' '"" ' i n . . n. i i i. -
"V-.-? t5? ?2 Copyright, 1912, by Harry Irving Crcono v i'"t2assa - "
a
SYNOPSIS.
Professor Desmond of tho Peak observa
tory causes ji preat sensation throughout
the country by announcing tliat wliut ap
pears to bo a satellite Is approaching at
terrific Bpecd Destrurtlon of tlio earth Is
faared. Panic prevails everywhere The
tmtelllto barely misses the oartli. Tlio ut
mospherlc disturbance knocks people un
conscious, but doea no damage. A leaf
lienrlnf? a caballstlr design Mutter down
nmotiB' tlio guests at a lawn party, It Is
Identical In doultm with a curious orna
ment worn by Doris Fulton. A hideous
manlike bclnff with Iiuko wlw;i dusrfnds
In tha midst of the guests, He notices
DorlB" ornament and starts toward her.
The men fear ho Intends somo harm to
Doris and a tierce Wattlo ensues. In which
Tolllver and March, suitors of Doris, and
Professor Desmond nre Injured, Tlio tly
Inff man Is wounded by a shot from Tol
llver, but escapes by flylnB away, A far
mer reports that the Jlylnir rnun carried
0(1 Ms ouns daughter.
CHAPTER V. Continued.
"I yelled for my wifo to get down In
tlio collar nnd alio wont down thero
qulcker'n n rat and closed tlio Imp
tloon and yelled for mo to keep an eyo
open for Sarah that It was about
(iRio for her to bo coming homo from
nchool. Well, I hadn't thought of that
before and you hot It made mo bristle.
Hair on tho bnck of my neck seemed
to Btnnd up llko on a dog when ho
Amelia a wolf. I wasn't afraid any
more I was Just brlstlln' all over and
ready to go out and fight the devil
lilmncK If he went fooling around my
girl. Then I saw Sarah coming around
n bend In tho road a couplo of hun
dred yards away and I opened tho
door quick and stepped out with the
gun ready. That old Bky devil was
Just coming down for another rock, I
reckon anyway ho was coming down
whon ho aeon her, too, nnd made n
nwoep for her. I lot out a yell nnd
took after him, trying to shoot, but
tho gun wouldn't go off, bo I threw It
down nnd just wont after him naked
banded. Didn't hurdly know what I
waa doing or I'd havo kept tho gun
for a club. She hadn't aeon him nnd
wns standing atJU thero and wonderln'
What mndo mo act ho when ho
dropped down upon hor llko a hawk
on, a sparrow and Bwopt up ngaln
without Blackening 1i1b ftpcod, dang
ling her by tho arm. My God, if you
could hnvo heard tho acreara sho
gnvo! It will haunt mo to my dying
duy. It who awful, men, awful. I just
raved nnd raced about nnd beat my
cheat ulitll they wore but a Bpock in
tho Bky nnd hcadln' for tho mountains,
then I toro back to tho houso. I just
hollored to my wifo to stay whore
alio was until Bomobody called her by
name and not to pay any attention to
tiny nolscB alio might hear nbove on
tho floor not darln' to toll hor what
had happened and then run out to
tho barn nnd snddlod up tho horse
and run hor nil tho way In. That's all."
Ho foil upon his knees at this point
nnd becamo incoherent again in his
appcalB and prayers. Sympathetic
and oven horrified though tho police
wore, they wore uunblo to think of
anything to do savo notify tho presB,
call up Buch farmers In tho vicinity as
had telephones nnd sond out mosscn
gcra to tho others tolling them of the
horror and advising them to be watch-
m,fc4m
3 m v "J
"Swept Up Again, Without Slacken
ing His Speed."
ful and be sure nnd go about well
armed. After that thoy managed to
braco Jones up n little and aeut him
homo accompanied by n apodal officer
armed with n rlllo to caro for him and
guard tho house. Tho man had bo
coma absolutely Irresponsible and
threatened sulcldo.
An hour lntor and tho heart of the
groat electric uyatom thut from its
contor of tho wob pulsates tho wlroB
nnd cables that span tho world, us the
human henrt pulsates tho veins and
artoricfl of tho body, woro aguln
.throb with vibrant llfo, and this time
Icsb laughter nroso In responBo to tho
"Yankee news." Tho British press
modlllod Ita first comment to tho
Btntement that "It certainly beglnB to
look as though thero was a vein of
truth after all In tho wild west story
of tho American Plying Man." Ono
French paper remarked In parenthesis
that "Should Amorlca announce a fly
ing submarine, Franco should not be
Btirprlsed to bco tho announcement
fulfilled, as ono must bo prepared to
expect anything from America." From
Latin Europe came tho hope that
their first comment wbb correct, while
the stoic Gorman said "We are Btlll
unconvinced. Tho whole thing la
absolutely unscientific." Hut mean
whllo throughout tho civilized world
thoro ran nn undercurrent of horror
and sympathy resulting from the trag
edy which was alleged to havo tnken
placo upon tho great western plateau.
Ab for tho father of tho mlBsIng child,
he raved night nnd dny In tho obses
sion that sho would bo dropped
through tho roof as tho stono had
beon, whllo tho bereft mothei wnn
dorod about speechless and dumb and
to all IntentB practically thoughtless.
Hut that nn uncanny menace hung
heavily over their heads those at
least those who abodo near the sceno
of tho tragedy no longer doubted
Their normal reasoning faculties onco
more controlled them nnd man to
man, family to family nnd concourso
to concourso thoy talked tho matter
over gravely. Tho probity of tho eyo
witnessed of tho first appearance of
the apparition waa not to bo ques
tioned nor their snnoneBS disputed.
AIbo, Farmer Jones was an Intelligent,
truthful man, his wifo a Christian
woman nnd tho disappearance of their
dnughtor Inexplicable except ono be
lieved tho Btory of tho now practically
lnsnno fathor. Tho mayor and city
council deemed-It a matter of suffi
cient Importance to uummen all wit
nesses into their chamber, nnd beforo
them there uppenred in answer to tho
summons tho personB who had soon
him with tholr own oyea One by ono
thoy corroborated each other with on
curncstnrss and fldollty of detail that
convinced all hearers that no halluci
nation tho only posalblo explanation
of their Btory heretofore If ono did not
believe It lay behind their Btcndy
oycB and voices. Cross-questioned by
skilled lawyors both separately and in
oach other's prosenco, tholr answors
woro Invariably tho same, Tho Fly
ing Mnn'K winga had n spread of from
twonty-flvo to thirty-five ft'ot, tho best
judges of distance among tho wit
nesses agreeing on about thirty feet.
They were dark colored, fllray bat
llko and folded up eomowhnt similar
to a fan. Tho man himself was slon
dor of body nnd slnowy of Umba rath
er than muscular. Ho was from six
to eight foot tall probably about
sovon nt any rnto much taller than
any of thoao who had fought him on
tho lawn. Ills oyes woro twico tho
aizo of a human's and protruding,
sometimes glowing llko dim currlago
lights In n mist and more or less
chnngotul in hue. Ho was of a brown
or reddish color, his features half
manlike, but his lips nnd canine teeth
were moro those of a gorilla. And
then whon thoy were through with
tholr questions, on top of all this
mass of corroborativo evidence Des
mond quietly laid tho blood aunlysls
of tho two experts who had mndo It
beforo othors of their profession. Thoy
remained unshaken In tholr conviction
of its accuracy.
lloyond nil question, not only was
tho pnrtlcular community over which
tho Flying Man now hovered monncod
tiB no city ever had beon beforo, but
tho Btato Itself, In fact the whole na
tion was threatened, since he could
extend his operations us far as he
cIiobo In any direction. Nor could tho
oxtont of his capabilities to Inflict
dnmngo bo easily calculated, Inasmuch
as they did not know tho power of IiIb
mentality beyond tho fact that ho cer
tainly posBossed an Intelligence equal
at least to tho lower ordor of human
beings his dropping tho stono proved
that. Not only could ho Btenl children,
murder men and womon and destroy
property and llfo by bombardmont
from nhovo, but far groator possibili
ties for destruction were within his
power, should ho avail himself of
them. Scnttorod all ovor tho land in
mining camps, upon railroad construc
tion, upon canal work, upon Bower
work In fact, In n thousand places
throughout tho country whoro oxen
vatlng and blasting woio going on,
woro groat quantities of dynamite and
othor high oxploslveu enough to
blow cities from the face of tho earth
and warHhlps to tho bottom of tho
sea. All he hnd to do wns to soar
about until ho camo upon such a scone
of operations, watch his chance to
pounce down upon u quantity of some
explosive nnd thon from on high ho
gin his work ot (loath nnd destruction.
Warships would bo futile ugnliiBt him,
slnco ho could either keep nway from
them or attack them In the darkness
o.f midnight. Armies would bo of no
avail, for ho could bo hero today nnd
hundreds of miles away tomorrow,
and inasmuch as ho had tha whole
broad land with Its countless herds
and Hocks to prey upon his food sup
ply was unlimited. Nor was dynn
mlto the most formidable weapon ho
could ubo against them. Flro wbb still
moro to bo dreaded, and should ho
uso that hi his war against them prac
tically the wholo nation would bo at
his mercy. And thero would absolute
ly be no wny of protecting themselves
against tho red scourge If he used
caution nnd judgment He could pick
out nny place of operations ho chose
and any night ho chose Sweeping
down with a galo from tho blacknoss
nbove, he could atart blazes that
would wlpo out a wholo city, soar on
to tho next placo north, south, cast
or west, repeat, and so on and on, leav
ing ruins and death behind him until
the wholo nation would bo In u frenzy.
Ills possibilities for property destruc
tion were greater than those of a hos
tile army, nnd no city wan so groat
and no fortrcsB bo strong that he
could not humble it. As long as he
remained free a million men under
arms could do not more than make
him cautious, and If his powers of
flight wero sufficient for him to cross
tho sen Europe would bo as helpless
aa Amorlca. Unquestionably there
was but ono thing to do. Some way
and somehow ho must bo either cap
tured or killed regardless of cost to
Individual llfo or tho expenditure of
money. So greatly wns Mayor Elklns
Impressed with tho gravity of tho situ
ation that the examination ot tho wit
nesses was scarcely completed than
he waB on n fast train bound for tho
capital of tho stato. An hour after
arriving thero he wna closely closeted
with the governor
Governor McNeill, Spanish war offi
cer nnd veteran of moio than ono
fight, was not a man to bo frightened
at a shadow, but his face was very
grave when Mayor Elklns had finished
his recital. "All that you say Is un
doubtedly true, sir. Wo aro In aB great
dn'ngcr ns though n hostllo army had
landed upon our Bhores. This Flying
Man, if man ho really Is and he cer
tainly must bo either that or an al
most equally dangerous apo thing
must bo rendered powerless to threat
en us. Ho has already tasted our
blood, observed our impotence, and
no ono can toll when ho will tako It
into his head to commit wholesale
crime. I think ho Is proceeding with
cunning and seeking to draw out our
full powers against him by commit
ting slnglo crimes first tho compara
tively minor offonso of dropping n
stono through n roof nnd then under
sudden impulse, child stealing. Ho
will probably reason that if we havo
not tho power to nvengo such n crlmo
aa tho latter ho is safe in assuming
that wo aro completely at his mercy,
and having waited a little whllo to
see what wo will do, and finding that
we can do nothing, ho will glvo full
vent to his desires. Now, ho Is already
nn outlaw by reason of what ho has
done and If tho girl dies in his pos
session ho may bo made to suffer tho
iloath ponalty If caught. Already wo
have enough ovldeiico against him to
warrant nny citizen in killing him
upon sight, and I will so stato in a
proclamation to tha people. But we
must do moro than roiy upon Individ
uals. Wo must put tho machinery of
tho wholo state In motion nnd run
him down if we hnvo to follow him
to tho polo and spend a million dol
lars In doing It. Now you have
thought nbout this mutter moro than
I havo, nnd what do you think wo
should do first, Mr. Mayor?"
Mayor Elklns pnssod his hnnd
ncross hla lorehctid. "So far I have.
Doen nbio to think of out ono wny
which promises any hope ot Immodl
ato success. Wo must run him down
and meet him upon his own battle
flold in tho nlr,"
"You mean tho flying machines."
"I do. We must call upon tho aero
planes and hound him as wolves do n
door until wo corner him nnd either
force him to Burrcndor or kill him
outright ns thoso present nt tho time
think expedient always hearing In
mind that captured ullvo ho would bo
of Incalculable value to us from a
scientific standpoint. Mllltlnmcn nnd
cavalry will only bo useful nB guards
nnd scouts, jet nil our troops should
at onco bo called to arms and distrib
uted ub you think host. But If wo
can gut a squadron of aoroplnncs after
him wo will havo htm upon tho defen
sive at onco," Governor McNeill
smoto the table with his fist.
"Ahd by the Groat Horn Spoon wo
shall hnvo tho best nvlators of the
nation horo as quick as an Immonso
reward can got thorn. Within n wook
we will havo n pcoro of thorn bcourlng
tho mountain peaks for leagues about,
with othorB arriving ovory day. I
will at onco Issue a roward of two
hundred thousand dollars for his dead
body and two hundred nnd fifty thou
sand If ho bo brought In nllvo and not
mortally wounded. I will go further.
I will call upon tho surrounding stutoa
to mid to tho pilzo nnd will also nsk
tho United States govornmont to
grnnt us wlmtovor assistance wo may
require. I will tako tho matter up
this very hour nnd never loavo it out
of my mind until this sky scourge is
rendered powerless. I will order out
the militia at onco nnd lssuo a gon
eral warning nnd Instruction to tho
people to be-plucardcd throughout tho
territory within my jurisdiction. Ev
ery person in this state should bo
fully advised nB to our peril aa quick
ly as tho telephone, the telegraph and
the printing press can do it. If nec
essary I will call n special session of
the legislature to consult upon further
measures. Keep mo fully ndvlsed aa
to your local Eltuaflon. Good day, Mr.
Mayor."
Tho next day tho following procla
mation nppoarcd not only In every
dully paper that was published in his
stato but universally throughout tho
union ub well.
Proclamation by the Governor.
To All tho People:
Whereas, it has come officially to
my notlco that thero Is abroad in our
land a heretofore unknown flying
creature of malicious mind and criml-
tfsscr
i. If"
His
Face Was Grave When
Elklns Had Finished.
Mayor
nal tendencies who has already com
mitted such crimes against certain
citizens as to warrant my proclaiming
him a menace to tho wholo People
and an outlaw who must bo rendered
powerless to commit further ovll, nnd
who by reaso'n of his power to Inflict
incalculable loss of life and money
upon nny community by means of
fires, explosives and In other ways Is
n sourco of grave public danger; I
hereby warn nil cltlzons to bo upon
their guard and prepared to enpture
or if necessary kill tlio so-called Fly
ing Man upon ( tho first opportunity,
horoby projplBlng nil men within this
state that I aa Governor will grant
immunity from punishment to anyone
so doing as a public benefactor.
I hereby further order all tho mi
litiamen of this Btuto to Immediately
report at tholr reapeetlvo quartors for
duty under arms, and I shnll expect
that all stato firearms, cannon and
mortars ho Immediately put in condi
tion for In3tnnt uso.
I further call to the attention of tho
aviators of thin country tho fact that
outside of the groat roward below of
forod it Is their duty aB cltlzons ' to
join In this war against a national
mennco.
THEREFORE, by reason ot tho
nbove montloned fnctB nnd by virtuo
ot my authority ns Govornor of this
State, as well ns by virtuo of tho au
thority conferred upon mo by tho Gov
ernors of othor and Burroundlng
Stntes, I do hereby offer and promlso
a reward of FIVE HUNDRED THOU
SAND DOLLARS for tho capture,
dead or nllve.'of the above named
Flying Man, with nn additional ro
ward of ONE HUNDRED THOU
SAND DOLLARS if ho be eapturod
alive and without mortul Injury.
(Signed)
ALEXANDER M'NEILL. Govornor.
War had boon declared.
CHAPTER VI.
The Duel In the Air.
Two days later a fireman stationed
upon tho top of n tall building in tho
contral pntt of tho city, whoro a look
out fatatlon had boon temporarily erect
ed, nicked up his field glasses and
once more swopt tho mountains and
tho sky. Around tho horizon his
glass Blowly swung until ho fnced tho
southeast, whon of n sudden bo bo
camo aB rigid aB n softer who points
hlB covoy. Far away, miles distant
and na yot Invisible to tho unassisted
eye, a moto Hoatod, a speck which rap
Idly grow larger until thoro could ho
no mlstnko as to Us charactor. With
an exclamation of relief tho watcher
dropped his lenses and hurried to the
telephone within tho little nearby
shelter that had been constructed for
his protection in caBo of atorm. Ho
picked up tho receiver, "Main COO,"
ho called into it. For a moment ho
waited his reply, then began speak
ing rather hurriedly.
"Is this tho chief? Well, this Is
Johnson, stationed on tho Commerce
building lookout. Thero la an aero
plane off to tho Eouthcaat and coming
llko the wind. It Is several miles
away as yot, but ought to bo hero In
fivo minutes. That is all, sir. No, Blr,
no algtiB of tho Flyiug Man. Goodby,
sir." Ho hung up tho receiver.
And five minutes Inter, speeding like
an expresB train, hla propeller clack
ing loudly Putnam, aviator nearest
to the scene when the proclamation
was made nnd first of the squadron
of aerial craft which, attracted by the
huge reward, waa already rushing at
tho rate of a mllo a minute toward
tho field, arrived. Putnam was an
aviator with an International reputa
tion for two things, first, great skill
In tho management of his machine,
nnd, second, a recklessness that often
bordered close upon If not actually
reaching the limit of foolhaidlness
Ho nlready held several world's rec
ords and never let an opportunity slip
by to try and capture others. He had
flown higher than any other man by a
thousand feet, had broken all records
for heavy-weather flying, and his
plunges and spirals never failed to
bring chills to the backs and cheers
from tho throats of his audiences. H1b
Bklll wus marvolous, his nerves ot
chilled steel and hla recklessness ever
a matter of joy and horror to tho on
lookers. Night or day, blow high or
blow low, fair weather or foul were
all the same to him, and of all tho
hundreds ot airmen In tho land thero
was none better qualified for tho des
perate feat upon which ho had em
barked than "Little Put of the
Charmed Life." And for a chance
at a roward such as tho ono now in
Bight he would havo guaranteed to fly
straight into the mouth of hades and
engage tho Evil Ono himself 8tngle
handed and alone If nny ono would
havo agreed to show him the opening.
He circled the contral part of the
city at a height of several hundred
feet as he peered down in search of
an alighting place. Below him, nnd
notified of his coming by tho shrilling
blades of his great propeller, people
by the thousands were staring upward
and pointing or running in solid
streams to tho large squaro that lay
near tho center of tho business dis
trict. Putnam had never been at this
placo before, but he knew that a crowd
In one city was very llko a crowd In
another, and knowing crowds as he
aid ho followed them, satisfied that
they were leading him to the placo
whore he waB expected to alight.
Onco above it, he awept it In n Bwift
circle as ho mado his calculations,
balanced, pirouetted and dipped out of
a sheer good natured desire to glvo
thoso "bolow a thrill, skimmed the top
of a high building perilously close and
then dovo unexpectedly. Down tho
blpluno shot like a hawk and a sharp
cry of fear arose from thoso below
accompanied by a riotous scuttling for
safety, ns It aeemed to them that he
must come hurtling upon their very
heads, but within n score of feet of
tho ground ho elevated his planes and
the machine shooting forward dropped
lightly upon tho earth and wont skim
ming over it like a gull that barely
touches tho surface of tho water. A
little way further on, tired of fright
ening them In this manner, ho sudden
ly stopped and stepped carelessly
jipon tho ground.
Ho answered the boisterously ad
miring throng which immediately
closed in upon him with cool boast
fulness for Putnam was ono ot tho
few absolutely fearless men who do
light in extolling theniBelves. "Got
him! You hot I will if I once set
eyeB on him. Tho 'Pot' can make
eighty miles nn hour aud ho will have
to go some to throw any stnr dust
in hor eyes. If I can't go as high nnd
ub far and as fast with her as any
plntoathered hobo, who Ib trying to
boat his wny around tho universe by
flipping worlds can flap on wings
well, I'll glvo up aviating and go to
pushing a wheelbarrow. See that?"
Ho tapped n heavy rovolver which
huiiK at his side. "Well, I've ahot
eaglOB upon tho wing with it whllo
going at full apeed, nnd 1 ought to
bo able to hit a man who they tell
mo 1b ns long as a telegraph polo.
And If I enn't hit his body I'll mnke
those flappers of his look llko tha top
of n popper box. I'm going to take a
scout around ns soon as I get u bite
to cat." Ho beckoned to a couplo of
policemen. "Here, Rooney nnd Ho
gnn, Watch this machlno whllo I'm
gono and when 1 como back I'll bring
you each a nice, rod apple. I am
going to start up inside ot nn hour."
Not moro than fivo foot tall, lltho as
a wildcat, sinewy ns one, ho wont
Bwaggorlng off through the crowd,
loavlng thorn to staro after him and
at his famous plana In ohuckllng admiration.
Promptly within tho hour he was
back and within his seat. With n
glauco nhead to sea that his path
was clear, he waved his hand at them.
"Anil now, good pcoplo," ho began,
"All you havo got to do 1b show mo
tho dragon nnd I'll do tho rest I'll
bring him back to you on n string
with a ribbon around his neck. Now
clear there, for I'm coming." Ho
threw on tho power and clutched tho
wheel.
Instantly tho light machlno leaped
forward llko a hare, tho big air fan
but a blur, firat humming, thon dron
ing and laatly whistling shrilly aa Its
apeed revolutions ran to a height in-,
comprehensible to tho mind of man.
Into tho nlr It leaped aa a swimmer
leaps from n springboard, and with a
spectacular sweep or two so close
ovor their heads tha. they ducked In
splto of themselves, straightened Itself
out and went speeding like a bird
for the rugged crest of tho mountains
beyond. They gazed after him with
admiration. Tho Flying Man had best
look out for himself now, for Llttlo
Put wns hot upon his trail. Envi
ously thoy thought of tho great ro
ward and Putnam's golden opportu
nity in being the first ot tho flyers
to arrive. And what would they not
glvo to seo tho duol when it occurred!
But thero could bo no such luck aa
that. In nil probability it would tako
placo in somo lono quarter and all
they would know about It would bo
Putnam's story In tho papers.
From ono of tho nearer cliffs but
a few miles away a black object arose
and mounted upward with beating
wings. The crowd gasped and strained
Ita eyes. "Only an eagle," ran from
lip to lip nnd they settled back to
watch the already distant aviator.
Then from a man who had raised a
pair of binoculars to his eyes thero
burst a cry which caused every heart
to leap llko a wounded wild thing and
set them to surging llko a sea.
"My God! It Is tho Flying Man
himself! Look! Look!"
In an Instant pandemonium wild
as n tornndo burst over them and a
vast roar boomed and reverberated
down tho streets In a rolling thunder.
"The Flyiug Man! The Flying ?' in!
Ho has accepted tho challenge. Ha
is coming." In a dozon seconds overy
window was black with heads, whllo
up to tho roof tops humanity camo
swarming llko ants, Bhoutlng, shov
ing, wild with excitement to wltnesB
n combat beside which the gladiatorial
battles of ancient Rome would havo
been puerile and tame. Cursing and
shrieking, lighting and pleading for
points of vantage, they Bwirled llko a
maelstrom in tho madness of tholr do
Biro to see. Then aa another roar rose
from tho street, deeper toned than tho
flrat and carrying a fierceness in it
that was almost leonino, thoy froze
themselves into a motionless solid,
craning and breathless. Then over all
a great silence foil heavily.
"My God!
It Is the Flying-Man Hlm-selfl"
For Putnam had seen tho enemy
now and his piano careened on Its
beam ends as it wheeled towards
where the other waB mounting with
tremendous leaps, darting through the
nlr as a fish darts through tho wator,
and up bhot Putnam In pursuit
straight as an arrow files. And tho
Fljlng Man now seeming to bo satis
fied with his altitude, hovered as a
king bird-hovers ovor his enemy tho
crow, his body practically motlonlesB,
his wings beating a light tattoo upon
the air as ho awaited tho ascent of
this new and strango foe,
(TO 111! CONTINUED.)
Why call a man a crank who has
positive convictions? A crank Is somo
thing that can bo turned. Judgo.
mi-Jii-ituwftiitr'mr