[Jumping Meridiansll
By LINTON WELLS and NELS LF.ROY JORGENSEN l
IMIMIli1—1 III! Ill I Hlilllllll.MniT"'™'™"*
11
Jimmy stood for a moment
bewildered. The mysterious
right flight was one of the odd
est in his long list of odd ex
periences. He was desperately
anxious to see his rescuer face
to face and to know who it was.
Why had the fellow—who ob
viously knew what he was
about—thus chosen to disguise
himself and hurry away with
out even receiving thanks for
what he had done! He ques
tioned a score of employes
about the field, but none of
them hafl seen his benefactor.
At last, the field superinten
dent admitted some small
knowledge.
“That CX? Yeah—I didn’t
Bee him myself, hut somebody
said he was looking for a pilot.
That’s all I know. He’s not
here now, anyhow'.”
Which Jimmy accepted as be
ing fairly evident. So his res
cuer was going on. He had
asked for a relief pilot. In
which direction would he fly
now, he wondered ?
At last he shrugged his
shoulders, and digging out liis
bag from under the seat, turned
back toward his own plane. In
any event, he had been the re
cipient of a great service. He
was here in Chicago ahead of
his rival, taking off before the
other landed, when, without
the opportune rescue by the
more powerful ship, he might
still he groaning in the open
Pennsylvania field, 'if his
benefactor chose to remain
anonymous—though Jimmy
promised himself that he would
check up on Crane and pin
Hardmuth down if they both
6ailed on the Adrienne.
. .He jumped into the rear seat
of the Homing Pidgeon, and
Lincoln, his relief pilot, slipped
into place. The motor roared
as the throttle was advanced.
The blocks were kicked away.
Jimmy found himself nodding
slightly as the plane arose from
the field in a graceful take-off
and soared easily into the night
eky.
At eight hundred feet, while
his pilot was finding equili
brium, he turned to look back
at the field, stil .
at the field, still illuminated
by the white glow of the flood
lights. His eyes narrowed
swiftly.
The plane which had picked
him up east of the Alleghanies
and carried him into Chicago
was roaring over the ground in
its take-off. With a long rush
of sparks from under its fuse
lage, it headed straight up into
the sky and then bore on west
ward. For a moment the two
ships were almost together.
Jimmy found himself leaning
over the side in a mad endeav
your to glimpse the occupants
of the other plane. Gradually,
however, it bore on ahead, un
til, a little later, even the red
and green lights of its wing
tips had disappeared into the
far darkness.
CHAPTER TX ..
A mystery had entered into
Jimmy's race around the world
—a mystery which even the
gruelling hardship of the hours
following the take-off from tin*
Chicago field could not dispell.
His chief speculation was as to
whether he would see his bene
factor again. The CX-9 bad
disappeared over a route which
was slightly different from bis.
Would it cross his trail again?
lit* wondered.
After thirty hours in the air,
Jimmy slumped low in the rear
seat of the Homing Pidgeon,
worn and tired, while it tore
Its way over the state of Wash
ington toward Seattle, with
the pilot Lincoln at the stick.
They had refuelled last at Pas
co and were nearing the end of
the long flight.
He was going to make his
ship, with time to spare. The
realization brought on all the
- ; r I
I
weariness lie felt. lie was
grateful for the approaching
voyage across the Pacific and
the opportunity for rest it
would afford. The thought was
comforting—almost an opiate,
and he twisted about in the
seat to stretch his cramped
muscles.
Loafing there, his eyes open,
he went over the weary hours
that were ending. The hel
met^d head of his pilot stuck
up stonily in front of him. He
dismissed with a frown further
speculation on the identity of
the mysterious person who had
rescued him when it seemed
that his entire adventure was
ignominously lost—who had
sped him through the night to
Maywood at a hundred and
seventy miles an hour; and
who then, without waiting to
be thanked, had disappeared.
The though annoyed him.
“Damn’ good egg, anyhow,
whoever he was,” he agreed,
and thus put the matter from
his mind. It was ended.
He stared with unseeing eyes
into the distant haze on the
far horizon, warning of ap
proaching darkness. The motor
was droning with rhythmic
regularity, and the speed indi
cator revealed that they were
nearing their destination at
better than one hundred and
five miles an hour.
During the day and the
night just passed, he and Lin
coln had alternated at the stick,
finding their path over the
broad expanses of Illinois,
Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming
during the night—then on.
Guided by the friendly beacons
of the air mail service, they had
pursued an unswerving course
to Omaha in the dark, where
the task of refuelling had
gained them a few minutes’ re
spite from the strain.
Cheyenne, another refuelling
point, had come and gone in
the early dawn; and a short
time later they had crossed the
“hump” at an altitude which
caused a ringing in their al
most deafened ears, and a
quickening of the pulses. Fol
lowing the tracks of the Union
Pacific, they had come upon
Rock Springs and agin availed
themselves of the hospitality
arrived at the air mail field,
Then off to the westward
again. But it had grown stead
ily warmer as they pursued
their way; and before they
landed on the outskirts of Salt
Lake City they had been forced
to seek a higher altitude to
escape the heat waves arising
from the desert. They had
seen the mercury ascend until
it passed the hundred mark,
and it had gone even farther
as the sun approached the
zenith and they were far into
the desert separating Salt Lake
City from Elko, Nevada, the
next landing place.
Into Idaho they had foreed
their way across the Oregon
boundary, and thence into
Washington, skimming over
mountains where a forced land
ing would have spelled dis
aster. Now with the close of
the day and a cooler atmos
phere, the fresh tang of salt
water was like perfume to the
dust-clogged nostrils of the
two flyers.
A hundred miles more. All
ot her hour and they would he
safe on the Seattle landing
field. Stil another hour,
and Jimmy Brandon would
he safely aboard the Ad
rienne, with three hours to
spare before the ship sailed.
The hour of departure was mid
night.
He mused on Rogers’ where
abouts. The latter had not
arrived at the air mal field,
certainly, prior to the Homing
Pidgeon’s departure. Jimmy
had not seen his rival, in fact,
since the afternoon previous
when the millionare’s plane had
taken the lead sh'ortly after '
crossing into New Jersey.
Had lie suffered au accident, ’
or was he somewhere in the
haze to tiie eastward, speeding
with every ounce of mechani
cal energy to reach Seattle by
sailing timet
One thing was certain, Jim
my reflected comfortably: Ro
gers was not ahead. The time
he had gained through the as
sistance of the mysterious flyer
had made it possible for him to
gain a lead which he knew he
had maintained.
A slight signal, when his pi
lot turned, made Jimmy lean
over the side. He gave a smile
of relief when he saw, through
the haze ahead, the glimmering
early lights at the edge of Seat
tle, twinkling through the
rapidly growing dusk. It was
a pretty sight. Seattle 1 The
first hop of the long journey
was finished. In a few minutes
more, the landing field was in
sight and the plane was circling
over it.
Banking twice, they came
down at last on the field in a
graceful, circling glide. Night
had set in by the time the
wheels bumped just lightly in
the dust and the Homing l’id
geon rolled easily to a stop.
The motor of the plane snapped
off, and Lincoln dropped hack
in his seat with a sigh. Jimmy
grabbed his bag and leapt
lightly from the cockpit.
“Good work, old man," he
told bis companion. “Here’s to
another flight together."
Lincoln scanned the skies be
hind them. “We did it, all
right. It’s certain they’re not
here. And here's to many
flights together!" He grinned
as he shook his passenger’s
hand. “I’ll be following your
course. If you can go like you
can fly a plane, there’s no need
of what I’m wishing you—good
luck!
With a swift pressure of his
hand, Jimmy turned away smil
ing. He had taken two quick
steps across the field when he
brought up with a gasp of
amazement on his lips. The
smile vanished; incredulity
stamped his features as he
stared.
There, not twenty yards
away from where he stood, at
rest with covers over its pro
pellers and engine cowling,
stood the CX-9—the mysterious
plane which had picked him up
and carried him into Chicago
the night before.
For a moment hr stood utter
ly still with atonishment. Then
he collected himself and his
eyes narrowed. Jimmy did not
like mysteries. And this par
ticular mystery was getting to
be almost uncomfortable. The
very fact that someone knew
him and his business without
being known in turn, was dis
concerting.
He turned back to Linclon.
“See it?”
The pilot, sleepy though he
was, had already discovered
the cause of his passenger’s ab
rupt halt. He nodded slowly.
“Couldn’t be your rival could
it?”
“Not in a million years. Not
Rogers—he never had stopped
pod.” Jimmy hesitated. “Lin
coln, that bird picked up a re
lief pilot from Maywood Field
and hopped here. There’s no
doubt now that it’s Hardmuth.
He’s heading for the Orient,
and I’ll bet he’s on the Adri
enne.”
The airman nodded. During
the halt at Omaha he had heard
the story of the crash in Penn
sylvania, and its d’enouement,.
“He’s a friend of yours, who
ever he is. If it were I, I don’t
think I’d get peeved. There's
just one more guess,” he added
slowly. “It might be some
horse who’s heard about what
you’re doing and has entered
the race on his own account.
Some fellow who’s real sports
man.”
“He'd have to be a real
sportsman, to do this much,”
Jimmy grunted. “Neverthe
less, I’m going to find out!”
The theory was plausible, he
recognized. A few moments
later, he repeated his good-bye
to his pilot and walked across
the field. A quick survey of
the men on duty revealed noth
ing. It was the superintendent
who summed it up:
“She just eaiue here, that
ship, and that’s all,” he de
clared- “The pilot’s from Chi
cago, and he’s got orders to
take her back in the morning.
The passenger—whoever he
was, hopped right out o’ the
cockpit and beat it.”
Jimmy frowned with per
plexity. The mystery was
deepening. Of course, the pas
senger might be simply a man
who had business in Seattle;
but he could not accept that
theory. Why, if it were the
case, all this mystery! Unless
—there were many reasons why
men under certain circum
stances might want to avoid re
cognition. It would be like
Billy, too, to remain incognito,
might be any one of a number
of people and for a number of
reasons.
Speculation availed nothing.
He had gone over the matter
too many times before. He
tried in vain to discover the
whereabouts of the relief pilot;
but he, too, had disappeared
and was not due to be at the
field until noon of the followin
day. He might be anywhere in
the city of Seattle, either en
joying a well earned rest or
an equally well earned moment
of recreation. Jimmy turned
away at last in disgust, and
finding a taxi, headed for the
Adrienne’s pier
A little later, after a bath
and a shave, and all the'othpr
details which contribute to a
yrev tired man’s peace of mind,
Jimmy was looking upon the
world with new eyes. He ap
peared on deck in fresh cloth
ing and stood leaning against
the rail to watch the oncoming
passengers.
The Adrienne was not railing
with an extremely large pas
esnger list, he found. The
ship, one of the speediest on
the Pacific, was making a run
I to Yokohama with very little
schedule, but bound to pick
up a full load for the regular
rtip.
“The Adrienne!” .Timmy
smiled. Of course, it would
have been strange had he not
travelled on this boat before.
Who was the master? he won
dered. There were few Paci
fic skippers whom he did not
know and he resolved to settle
the question later.
Tt, was nearing midnight.
Prom overhead came the first
pipe of the warning whistle.
Bells had been ringing for half
an hour previous. The last of
the passengers’ friends were
leaving.
“All ashore that’s going
ashore! piped from aft- Jim
my mused languidly, relaxed,
his eyes on the excited faces of
passengers and friends. Bon
voyage! How often had he
sailed, and how seldom he had
been bidden god-bye. To
these people, most of them, the
coming venture was to be one
of the biggest in life. To him
it was an oceurrance of the
moment. Tie envied the t-hrill
they were geeting out of it.
TTe even wished for a second,
that something might thrill
him that way.
What was it—what had he
lost in the life he led? Were
his friends right, he wondered?
He had seen too much and done
too much? But there was one
thing he had never learned—
women. He thought of Pran
ces, and with the thought came
a recurrence of Billy Crane’s
words. He had circled the far
corners of the earth for years,
questing—he knew he had been
questing, but for what?
Love; he knew that now.
And Billy had told him that
he would find that, when it
was ready to come, without
seeking.
He shook his head and
frowned. He didn’t know:
that was all, and Billy’s words
woidd probably remain mean
ingless until he did.
(TO BB CONTINUED)
“ t he Marrying Parson'7
From the Hastings Democrat.
There is in Omaha a minister of
the gospel, without any particular
church affiliations although for
merly a Methodist preacher, who is
known as "the marrying parson.”
He manages to get his name into the
papers with great regularity. He
marries couples at any old hour ot
the day or night, and presumably
under any conditions. A properly
attested marriage license is seem
ingly all that he needs. He boasts
that he has married more than 6.
CW) couples His claim may be well
founded. As to that we shall not
argue, out merely admit It. What
we do know is that he has on num
erous occasions made a mockery of
that sacred institution. He has per
formed marriage ceremonies on the
stage of burlesque theaters in the
presence of w ildly hilarious crowds.
He has performed marriage cere
monies that were staged as 9treet
carnival attractions. Doubtless he
has performed the marriage cere
mony when one or both of the con
tracting parties were tanked up to
the Plimsoll line with hootch. Re
cently he was advertised to offi
ciate at the marriage of a couple of
“marathon dancers” on the floor of
a dance hall in Omaha, the prin
cipals to keep up their dancing while
| this professed minister prondunced
I the word3 that united them.
The form of the ceremony was
carried out, and the next day this
"marrying parson" admitted that it
was a fake; that he deceived the
spectators who had paid to witness
the ceremony by purposely so word
ing the ceremony that it was not a
marriage. He explained by saying
that the girl’s father objected be
cause she WB3 under age. but it was
agreea that the hoax should be per
petrated in order to prevent trouble
with the spectators.
And this la the sort of thing that
a professed minister of the gospel
do buck or acnng: mmng a mower y
of one of the most sacred rites
known to church or state. Making
a burlesque show of marriage. Mar
rying a boy and girl while they are
sleepily jiggling on the floor of a
dance hall.
Is it any wonder that the divorce \
evil is growing? Is It any wonder
that there Is a growing disrespect
for the church and for the sacred
calling of the ministry? It is the
opinion of this newspaper that the
“marrying parson’s” 3tunts should
be banned by public opinion. They
may make good reading for sen
sation seekers, but they have be
come a stench in the nostrils of
clean-mindad Peooie
Ancients Got Copper
From Arabian Mines
Detective work by chemists recent
ly trailed the copper used In ancient
Mesopotamian weapons to the mines
where It was obtained. Archeologists
wanted to know where the men of
Sumner, oldest of Mesopotamian king
doms, got their copper. Inscriptions
on bricks failed to tell them. So they
sought help from metallurgical chem
ists. These men examined the copper
of the old weapons, comparing It with
specimens from Persia, the Itlack Sea
region, Cyprus, Egypt and other neigh
boring countries to see If they could
And the same Impurities. At last In
copper from mines on the Arnblun
peninsula, near the Perslnn gulf, a
similar amount of nickel In the metal
was discovered, indicating that these
were the mines from which the metal
for the ancient weupons had come.—
Popular Science Monthly,
Drug of Croat Power
A drug obtained from an East In
dian nlant called the gusubasu which
has been used as a remedy for tooth
ache for many years, has now been
examined by a London pharmacologist,
Dr. E. Hesse, who has found that It
Is one of the most powerful surface
anesthetics known, about 30 times
stronger than cocaine. It has a most
violent action on the heart, and strong
ly resembles the African arrow poison.
Doctor Hesse regards such a powerful
poison as probably much too danger
ous to be used generally as a locul
anesthetic.
Artificial Silk Teats
The Immeuse increase In the arti
ficial silk trade has led to the nse of
many new methods lu the process of
manufacture. Two Japanese workers,
¥. Kami and S. Nakashlma, have In
troduced the use of micro-photographs
(that Is, photographs taken through
the microscope) for observing the ml
I nute structure of tiie filament In artl
fleial silk. In this way they can
quickly discover whether alterations
In the conditions of spinning have auy
effect on the texture.
— ■ ■ ..—
I
Automatically
“Do you always thluk before you
speak?”
“No, answered Senator Sorghum.
“By the time I have delivered an opin
iou two or three times I can turn It
Into the microphone automatically."
Sad
“Tommy, why did you stay away
from school yesterday?”
“I wur. sick.”
“Too bad, 1 wanted to let you ouf
for football practice.”
Then he was sick.
Somawhara tha Sun Shinn*
Cannibals In the Island of I'aqua
sat the Dutch tax collectors. There
seems to be some Justice In the world
after all.—Springfield Sun.
Nowhere Far From Sea
In the Shetland Islands, the most
northerly British possession In Eu
rope, no spot Is more than three miles
^rom the sea.
At Palm Beach
“You live-savers have a good time
i here, don’t you?” “Oh, yes. we go In
j for anything."—Florida Times-Uulon.
Thought* on Other Thing*
lie (enthusiastically)—Some score
•-36 to nothing!” She—“What's par
for this stadium?”—Stray Stories.
Evidently
“Aw, he’s not such a good catch."
“Dropped you, did lie, girlie?”—
Louisville Courier-Journal.
No Sense to Thi*
“Dad, 1 can get my tan removed for
$20 a treatment.” “Huh? It cost you
$600 to get that tan.”
Anyone who does not enjoy seeing
how far a dollar will go gets no sat
isfaction out of economy.
MEDITERRANEAN SSS,
• • “Transylvania” sailing Jan. 30
Clark'S 25th cruise, «8 dny». including Madeira.
Canary Islands. Casablanca. Rabat. Capital at
Morocco, Spain. Algiers. Malta. Athena- Con
stantinople. 15 days Palestine and Egypt. Italy,
Riviera. Cherbourg, (Paris). Includes hotel*
guides, motors, etc.
Norw.y-Madltcrran.nn, luneXP. l«M|f«00>p
FRANK C. CLARK, Times Bids , N T.
For Piles, Corns
Bunions,Chilblains, etc.
Hanford’s
Balsam of Myrrh
AO d«alen ere either-tied to reined roar aeaey far the
6nt battle if net inked. j
J—~—-—l--1. LL-1"-1 ——--r^TL.
Past Fly Tima
Buddy, age five, and his mother
were on a street car recently when a
woman with a veil on her hat sat
down opposite them. Buddy looked
at the veil Intently for u short time
and then asked:
‘‘Mother, why doesn’t she Take that
off? The flies are almost gone, now.**
Thera You Aral
Teacher—Who can tell me the mean
ing of the word “transparent”?
Johnny—Something you can see
through.
Teacher—Well, can you give me an
example?
Johnny—A doughnut.
The Caller
Wlfey—Dear, please take off that
shabby suit. You don't know who
may call.
Hubby—Who’s likely to call this
morning, anyway?
Wlfey—Well—er—the truth Is.
there’s a man calling who offered mo
$3 for It.—Philadelphia Bullet.
Seme Use
Visitor—And do you tind pen-and
ink sketching a profitable occupation?
Comic Artist—Oh, It keeps the pot
boiling.
Visitor—Ah, I see; you light the Art
with them, eh?—Pearson’s.
Turned thn Tables
Friend—Bow did you come to marry
your employer?
Ex-Stenog—My dear, I couldn’t
stand his dictatorial manner any
longer.
Measuring Starlight
Dr. L. It. Roller of Schenectady liaa
developed a new daylight recorder. It
Is so sensitive that It can record the
light Intensities In the entire rango
between starlight and direct aunllglit,
One Thing Needful
“I suppose White Is what you would
call a ‘bright young man,’”
“Yes, but he could do with a little
polish.”
Human Weakness
There are times when most of ua
feel like consigning our good Inten
tions to the place that Is already paved
with them.
Amenities of War
"Sir, the enemy are as thick as
peas.” "Then shell them, Idiot 1”—*
Aussie Sydney,
That's the Point
Magnate—Every shilling I have wtt
made honestly.
Friend—By whom?
Life becomes almost automatic If
you tap the source of strength, of
love, of happiness upon which Ilfs
depends.—American Magazine.
How can you sny that you have
great will power If you have never
had occasion to test It?
The sick don’t half believe you
when you tell them they are look*
ing well.
The man who Itches for fame la
usually kept scratching.
You can say this for flaming youth :
It does not weep much.
SAY “BAYER ASPIRIN” and INSIST!
Proved safe by millions and prescribed by physicians for
Colds Headache Neuritis Lumbago
Pain Neuralgia Toothache Rheumatism
DOES NOT AFFECT THE HEART
Accept only “Bayer” package
which contains proven directions.
Handv “Bayer” boxes of 12 tablets
Also bottles of 24 and 100—Druggists.
Aniula in Lb* trade mark of Bayer Manufacture of Monoacetlcacldester Of Balia/ItcaclS
PpHEECTBffg
1 i l”rgaRLffTftJBs? 5*8, —
■HBar.«. a. *•> > co„ jara mcmbm *.».-r
Winter Joe Woldr.. Write f*#r Free bookjfct
•Il .w to Make lee on the JTAKM.” 10b*;
*fflel*i»t. Uarrfn f.nthum. Mfr., Winter lee
Mol«ts, I4ft£4 N. Monroe 81., Spokane, Wnth.
SIOUX CITY PTG. CO.. NO. iCm