AN UNFORTUNATE AVIATOR
It was an unusual entertainment that David had provided for his little
circle of intimate friends in the old orchard surrounding the Omnibus
House. There was a look of intense excitement in his eyes, as he stood
awaiting his guests, the following afternoon. Mrs. Gray had already
arrived, and, leaving her carriage to wait for her near the entrance, now
stood by David and helped him receive.
"It's good to see all my children together again," she exclaimed, giving
Anne a gentle hug; for ever since her Christmas house party she had
acquired a sort of proprietary feeling toward these young people. "I only
wish Tom Gray were to be with us to-day. I should like him to have a share
in the surprise; for you may be sure there is to be a surprise. David
would never have asked us to this lonely place for nothing."
"David is a good old reliable, Mrs. Gray," cried Hippy. "Certainly if I
had imagined for a moment that he would disappoint us, I never should have
dragged my slight frame all this distance."
"Good, loyal old Hippy," replied David. "The surprise is ready, but even
if it had not been, there is no exercise so beneficial to stout people as
walking."
"Well, bring it on, bring it on," exclaimed Reddy. "We are waiting
patiently."
"Curb your impatience, Sorrel Top," said David. "Just follow me, and see
what I have to show you."
They helped little Mrs. Gray, who was nimble in spite of her years,
through a broken gap in the wall of the Omnibus House. The old ruin was
more picturesque than, ever in its cloak of five-leafed ivy which the
autumn had touched with red and gold. A lean-to had been built against the
back wall of the building, fitted with a stout door on the inside and a
pair of doors on the outside.
"I rented this plot of land from the farmer who owns the orchard,"
explained David, taking a key from his pocket and opening the door in the
stone wall. "This was about the best place I could think of for
experiments, partly because it's such a lonesome place, and partly because
there is a clear open space of several hundred yards back here without a
tree or bush on it."
It was dark inside until he had opened the double doors in the opposite
wall, when the slanting light showed them an aëroplane; not a little
gymnasium model this time, but a full-fledged flying machine, a trim and
graceful object, even at close view.
"David," cried Anne joyously, "you don't mean to say you've gone and done
it at last?"
"I have," answered David gravely; "and I've made two trips with pretty
good success each time."
Then everyone talked at once. David was the hero of the hour.
"David, my dear boy," cried Mrs. Gray. "To think that I should live to see
you an aviator!"
"I'm a long way from being one, yet, Mrs. Gray," answered David. "My bird
doesn't always care to fly. There are times when she'd rather stay in her
nest with her wings folded. Of course, I haven't nearly perfected her yet,
so I don't want it mentioned in town until I get things in shape. But I
couldn't wait until then to show it to you, my dear friends, because you
were all interested in it last year."
"Well, well, come on and fly," cried Hippy. "My heart is palpitating so
with excitement that I am afraid it will beat once too often if something
doesn't happen."
"I was waiting for my helper," answered David, "but he appears to be late.
You boys will do as well."
"Who is your helper, David?" asked Anne.
"You could never guess," he replied smiling, "so I'll have to tell you.
It's old Jean, the hunter."
"Why, the dear old thing!" cried Grace. "To think of him leaving his
uncivilized state to do anything so utterly civilized and modern as to
help with a flying machine."
"And he does it well, too," went on David. "He is not only thoroughly
interested but he keeps guard out here in case any one should try to break
in. There are his cot and things in the corner. He sleeps in the open
unless it rains. Then he sleeps inside."
As the old hunter did not put in an appearance David decided to wait no
longer.
"Why can't we all help?" asked Grace. "What must we do? Please tell us."
"All right," answered David, "just give it a shove into the open space,
and you'll see how she gradually rises for a flight."
After making a careful examination of all the parts of the aëroplane, and
starting the engine, David took his seat in the machine.
Then the two boys, assisted by Grace and Nora, pushed it swiftly out into
the broad open space back of the ruin.
Suddenly the machine began to rise. Slowly, at first, then seeming to
gather strength and confidence like a young bird that has learned to fly
at last, it soared over the apple trees. David, white, but very calm,
quietly worked the levers that operated the little engine. When he had
risen about a hundred feet, he began to dip and soar around the orchard in
circles. He appeared to have forgotten his friends, watching anxiously
below. He did not notice that little Mrs. Gray's knees had suddenly
refused to support her, nor that she had sat flat on the ground in a state
of utter bewilderment at the sight of his sudden flight. David looked far
across at the beautiful rolling meadows, and fields dotted with farmhouses
and cottages. How he loved the fertile valley, with its little river
winding in and out between green banks! It was all so beautiful, but it
was time to descend. He must not give his pet too much liberty, or he
might rue his indiscretion. He headed his machine for the open space back
of the Omnibus House, and began the descent. Then, something snapped, and
he fell. He remembered as he fell the look of horror on the up-raised
faces of his friends, and then everything became a blank.
It all happened in a flash, much too quickly to do anything but stand and
wait until the aëroplane had crashed to the ground, but it seemed much
longer, and Anne remembered later that she had felt a curious impulse to
run away and hide. If David were to meet his death through this new toy,
she could not endure to stay and see it happen.
But David was far from dead. He was only stunned and dizzy from the swift
descent. He had not been high enough from the ground when the accident
occurred to sustain serious injuries. They lifted him from the machine and
laid him upon the grass, while Reddy ran to the brook and brought back his
cap filled with water.
Mrs. Gray produced her smelling salts which she always carried with her.
"Not for my own use, my dears," she always said, "but for the benefit of
other people."
Reddy loosened David's collar and dashed the water into his face; while
Hippy chafed the unconscious boy's wrists.
Presently David opened his eyes, looking vaguely about. He had a confused
idea that something had happened to him, but just what it was he could not
think. He looked up into the anxious faces of his friends who stood around
him. Then he remembered.
"I'm not hurt," he said in a rather weak voice. Then he sat up and smiled
feebly at the company. "I just had the wind knocked out of me. I am sure
no bones are broken. How about my pet bird? Has she smashed her little
ribs?"
"No, old fellow," exclaimed Hippy in a reassuring tone, for Hippy had
never been able to endure the sight of suffering or disappointment. "Her
wings are a good deal battered, that's all. But are you all right, old
man?" he added, feeling David's arms and legs, and even putting an ear
over his heart.
"It's still beating, you foolish, old fat-head," said David, patting his
friend affectionately on the back.
In the meantime Anne had helped Mrs. Gray to her feet.
"I declare, I feel as though I had dropped from the clouds myself," said
the old lady, wiping her eyes. "I am so stunned and bewildered. David, my
dear boy, if you had been seriously hurt I should never have forgiven
myself for allowing you to fly off like that. What would your poor mother
say if she knew what had happened?"
"It won't be necessary to break the news to her, Mrs. Gray," said David.
"I shall be as good as new inside of a few minutes. It's my poor little
bird here who has received the injuries. Look at her poor battered wings!
I think I know just what caused my sudden descent though, and I'll take
care it doesn't happen again."
David then began a minute examination of his damaged pet, and soon located
the trouble. His friends listened, deeply interested, as he explained the
principles of aviation, and showed them how he had carried out his own
ideas in constructing his aëroplane. Grace, who had a taste for mechanics,
asked all sorts of questions, until Hippy asked her if she intended
building an aëroplane of her own.
"I may," replied Grace, laughing. "You know that girls have as much chance
at the big things of the world to-day, as boys."
"Well, if you do, let me know," responded Hippy, "and I'll write an epic
poem about you that will make the world sit up and take notice."
"Then I am assured of fame beforehand," laughed Grace.
"Look!" said Nora suddenly. "Who are those people coming across the
orchard? Doesn't that look like Julia Crosby and some of her crowd?"
"Yes," exclaimed Grace, "it is, and Miriam is with them."
"Then help me get my aëroplane into the shed quickly," exclaimed David.
"You know that the Crosby girl is not a favorite with me." Then he added
half to himself, "I don't see why Miriam insists on going around with her
so much."
The boys lost no time in getting the aëroplane into the house, David
slammed the doors, and triumphantly turned the key in the lock just as
Miriam and her party came up.
With a quick glance Miriam's eyes took in the situation. She bowed
courteously to Mrs. Gray, whom she dared not slight; included Grace, Nora
and Jessica in a cool little nod, and stared straight past Anne. Then
turning to her brother she said, "David, show Miss Crosby and her friends
your aëroplane, they wish to see it."
A look of grim determination settled about David's mouth. Looking his
sister squarely in the face, he said, "I am sorry to seem disobliging but
I cannot show your friends my aëroplane and I am surprised to find that
they know I have one."
Miriam reddened at this, but said insolently, "If you can invite other
people to see it, you can show it to us."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Mrs. Gray looked surprised and
annoyed. The peaceful old lady, disliked scenes of any kind. Grace and her
chums, knowing that Miriam was only making herself ridiculous, felt
embarrassed for her. Then Julia Crosby laughed in her tantalizing
irritating way.
That settled the matter as far as David was concerned.
"You are right," he said, "I could show my flying machine to you and your
friends if I cared to do so. However, I don't care to. Knowing that I
wished my experiment to be kept a secret, you came here with the one idea
of being disagreeable, and you have succeeded. I am sorry to be so rude to
my own sister, but occasionally the brutal truth is a good thing for you
to hear, Miriam."
Miriam was speechless with anger, but before she could frame a reply, Mrs.
Gray said soothingly "Children, children don't quarrel. David, it is
getting late. We had better go. I suppose it is of no use to ask any of
you athletic young folks to ride back to town." With a little bow to
Miriam and her discomfited party, Mrs. Gray turned toward where her
carriage awaited her, followed by David and his friends.
After bidding her good-bye, the young people took the road to town. For
David's sake all mention of the recent unpleasantness was tacitly avoided,
though it was uppermost in each one's mind.
"I have one thing to be thankful for," said Grace to Anne, as she turned
in at her own gate, "and that is that Miriam Nesbit isn't my sister."
As for Miriam, her feelings can be better imagined than described. She
sulked and pouted the whole way home, vowing to get even with David for
daring to cross her. Julia Crosby grew rather tired of Miriam's tirade,
and left her with the parting advice that she had better forget it.
When Miriam reached home she immediately asked if David had come in.
Receiving an affirmative reply, she went from room to room looking for
him, and finally found him in the library. He was busy with a book on
aviation. She snatched the book from him, threw it across the room and
expressed her opinion of himself and his friends in very plain terms.
Without a word David picked up his book and walked out of the library,
leaving her in full possession of the field.