refreshing to seek the coolness of the upper air in the late afternoon
and Jane spent as much extra time aloft as she could afford. Then came
the afternoon for her solo flight. The government inspector arrived and
took his place in the rear cockpit.
Charlie Fischer looked up and grinned.
"Just forget the guy back there," he said, "and you'll get along fine."
Jane's throat tightened. Going up with a government inspector was quite
different from going up with Charlie.
She opened the throttle and the biplane shot across the sun-baked
field. Jane was glad the other girls were out on the line, for it would
be embarrassing to come down and face them if the inspector should turn
her down.
She lifted the biplane into the air and got altitude in easy circles
over the airport. Then she started through the routine. As the thrill
of the flight got into her blood, she forgot the inspector in the rear
cockpit and gave her every energy to piloting the plane. With grace and
skill, she directed the maneuvers until the inspector reached ahead,
tapped her on the shoulder, and nodded toward the ground.
Jane cut the motor and they drifted down. Charlie Fischer was the first
to reach the plane.
"How about it?" he asked the inspector.
"Just about perfect," smiled the government official.
"Then I'll get my license?" Jane asked breathlessly.
"There's no question about that. I'm giving you an exceptionally high
rating. Your license will be through shortly."
It was another ten days, before the precious card with her license
arrived from Washington and Jane showed it proudly to her roommates.
"It's nice," admitted Sue, "but what on earth will you do with it? You
haven't a plane and you can't afford to rent Charlie Fischer's."
"I honestly don't know," confessed Jane, "but I wanted it. Some day
I'll be glad that I have the license and the ability to fly a plane."
Mattie Clark was still causing trouble. Any other girl who so rankly
showed her insubordination would have been fired within a week, but the
fact that Mattie's uncle was a company official saved her time and
again. She knew she was treading on thin ice, but she seemed to take
whole-hearted enjoyment in making Miss Comstock and the other girls
miserable. Jane was her special hate.
Jane was still on the _Coast to Coast_, the crack run of the line, and
summer had slipped over into August. A burning wind swept down out of
the mountains and it was hot that morning when the eastbound _Coast to
Coast_ drifted in.
Mattie had been assigned to a westbound plane for the day, and was in
the commissary while Jane checked over her supplies. As usual, Mattie
made as many caustic remarks as possible, but Jane refused to answer.
Jane finished preparing the supplies to place aboard the plane and went
out to call a field boy to help her carry the large hamper. When she
returned with the boy, Mattie was still in the commissary and Jane
looked at her sharply. Mattie flushed, but Jane thought nothing more of
the incident.
The _Coast to Coast_ was loaded and Jane sat on the jump seat at the
rear of the plane. It was the usual crowd--a second-rate movie actress,
several New York traveling men with flashy clothes, an elderly lady
called east by a death in the family and the rest business men and
women who had taken the plane to save time on their trip east.
Jane made sure that everyone had traveling kits, answered several
questions about the weather ahead, and checked over her passenger list
to see that everyone was in the proper seat.
The ship rolled out of the hangar and swept away into the east. Jane
picked up the magazines and went along the aisle, offering them to
passengers who cared to read. Most of them preferred to gaze at the
landscape below.
They were east of Grand Island when Jane prepared lunch, serving
sandwiches, a cool salad and an iced drink she had brought in a large
thermos jug.
It was early afternoon when they cleared Omaha, with a stop scheduled
ahead at Des Moines, the last one until Chicago. Council Bluffs had
barely dropped out of sight when Jane began to feel ill. Just then a
woman called her. She was feeling uneasy and Jane gave her a soda
tablet.
She had hardly returned to her seat when everyone appeared stricken at
the same moment. Her passengers became deathly ill and Jane herself was
so sick she could hardly move. She managed to stagger ahead to the
pilots' cockpit and told them of what had happened. The big ship was
turned about at once, roaring back for Omaha, while the co-pilot sent
out a rush call for ambulances and doctors to meet it at the field.
By the time the tri-motor reached the Omaha field, Jane was too ill to
move and everyone in the cabin was carried out and taken to the
hospital for treatment.
Just before she left the field, Jane spoke to the chief pilot.
"Save the lunch," she whispered. "It must have been that."
He nodded and hurried away to see what he could find in the pantry.
Somehow the Omaha papers got hold of the story, and printed it on their
front pages. As a result Hubert Speidel, the personnel chief, hurried
out from Chicago on the first plane to make an investigation, and it
was at Jane's request that he had the food analyzed. Shortly after that
he ordered an investigation to be held at Cheyenne and Jane, still weak
from her sudden illness, wondered what he had learned.
Chapter Eighteen
Sue Plays Detective
Jane, who had been the most seriously ill of those aboard the _Coast to
Coast Limited_, was in the Omaha hospital three days. She was far from
well when she boarded a westbound plane for the inquiry at Cheyenne.
The incident had brought unfavorable publicity to the line, and the
personnel director was determined to get at the bottom of it.
The investigation was held in the administration building of the
Cheyenne airport. In addition to Mr. Speidel, Miss Comstock was there,
the pilots who had been on the plane, and Sue.
Jane was questioned first.
"Did you prepare the food which was placed aboard the plane that day?"
the personnel chief asked her.
"Not all of it," she replied. "The salad was supplied by the caterer,
but I made the sandwiches and prepared the iced tea."
"Did anyone else touch the food?"
"Not that I know of."
"Was anyone else in the commissary while you were working?" continued
the personnel director.
Jane was about to reply that she was alone when she remembered that
Mattie had been there.
"Mattie Clark was there," she said, wondering just what Mr. Speidel was
attempting to learn from her.
"You know what caused the illness aboard the plane?" he went on.
"It was a strong irritant of some kind," she replied, "but I wasn't
told at the hospital just what it was."
The personnel director switched to another track.
"You wouldn't have had any reason to place anything in the food, would
you?"
Jane's face flushed, and it was a struggle to keep from showing her
intense anger, but she finally managed to reply "no," in a calm voice.
"Do you know anyone who would do it as a grudge against you?"
"That question is hardly fair," retorted Jane. "If I mention any names
I might unjustly throw suspicion on someone who is not guilty."
Through her mind, though, raced thoughts of Mattie and her promise of
revenge. Mattie had been alone in the commissary long enough to dope
the sandwiches or the salad, and she was capable of stooping to such a
low trick. No matter what happened, as a result of the investigation,
Jane resolved to see Mattie and have a talk with her.
"What do you know about this, Miss Comstock?" asked the personnel
director, turning to the chief of the stewardess service.
"Very little, but I am sure that Miss Cameron is being treated very
unfairly if anyone thinks she deliberately planned such a distressing
incident as the one which took place aboard the _Coast to Coast_ the
other day."
"But isn't it true that Miss Cameron is one of your favorites?"
"I am no more partial to her than to the other girls. It happens that
she is a most efficient and personable stewardess. I only wish that all
of the girls were as capable as she."
The pilots also spoke a good word for Jane, but she knew she was in a
tight spot. Someone had prejudiced the personnel director against her
and she strongly suspected the fine hand of Mattie Clark, working
through her uncle.
Then Sue took a hand in the proceedings.
"I've been doing a little investigating on my own account," she said.
"It may interest you to know that a member of the stewardess staff
bought the drug which was used to cause the illness aboard the plane."
"What do you know about this?" demanded Mr. Speidel.
"Enough to clear Jane of any part in it," replied Sue. "I have a sworn
statement from the druggist who made the sale. He knows the stewardess
who made the purchase and named her in the affidavit."
Sue waved the paper and the personnel chief seized it eagerly.
"I think this investigation is over," he said as he finished reading
the affidavit. "I am sorry, Miss Cameron, to have caused you any
embarrassment."
Once outside, Jane hugged Sue enthusiastically.
"You were a peach to do that piece of sleuthing," she said. "For a
while it looked like I was in a tight place."
"But you haven't asked me who bought the drug," said Sue.
"I don't need to. It was Mattie. I remembered seeing her in the
commissary the other day. Honestly, I hardly thought Mattie would stoop
to such a trick. Why, think what would have happened if the pilots had
eaten any of that lunch."
"I did," replied Sue, "which is one reason why I went sneaking around
the drug stores in Cheyenne. Mattie was pretty sure of herself for she
bought it in the store where we usually go for our sodas. The druggist
didn't want to give me an affidavit, but when I threatened to swing all
of the stewardess trade to the store across the street he decided to
sign."
They were having dinner that night at Mrs. Murphy's when Alice, just
off a run from the east, came in.
"Guess who I saw leaving the field?" she said.
"Mattie Clark," replied Jane.
"You're a mind-reader. It was Mattie and she was going as a passenger.
What's up?"
Sue told Alice briefly what had taken place during the afternoon.
"Serves Mattie right," said Alice. "Everything will be smoother now
that she's gone. But I've got some news none of you will guess."
"Don't keep us waiting too long," smiled Jane.
"Roscoe James, the famous film director, came out on the plane from
Chicago."
"That's nothing. Frederic March flew east with me the other day and
never even looked at me," said Sue.
"Yes, but Roscoe James stopped here."
"Which means what?" asked Jane.
"His company, the Mammoth, is going to film an air story with the
Cheyenne field for the background."
Chapter Nineteen
Needed--One Pilot
Jane and Sue looked at Alice incredulously.
"Do you mean to stand there and tell me that Roscoe James and the
Mammoth Film Company are going to make a motion picture here at the
Cheyenne field?" demanded Sue.
"I'm not going to stand and tell you," sighed Alice, dropping into a
chair. "I'm going to ease my weary legs, but at the same time, I'll
repeat that the local field is going to be used for the background of
the next Roscoe James feature production."
"Maybe we'll get a chance to work as extras," gasped Sue.
"About all we can hope to do is to be on the sidelines looking on,"
said Alice. "Mr. James was talking to the operations manager when I
left the field. The company will be here next week to start work on the
outdoor scenes, all of which will be filmed here."
"What luck for me," put in Jane. "I've only one round trip to Chicago
scheduled. That means I'll have most of the week here, where I can
watch the company at work."
"And if they need a cook, maybe it will be my chance to get in the
movies," added Mrs. Murphy as she hurried in from the kitchen. Little
of the girls' conversation escaped Mrs. Murphy and she had kept an ear
finely tuned to their talk about the coming of the film company.
Jane was scheduled east the next morning on the _Coast to Coast_. Just
before the ship came in from Salt Lake City, she saw the famous film
director in conference with the operations manager. With them was
Charlie Fischer. After a time he ambled over to talk with Jane.
"Going to be great doings here," grinned Charlie. "I'm in the movies
already."
"What are you going to do?"
"They've got to have some stunt flying and they can't afford to have
the leading man risk his neck. I'm elected to pilot the ship. Means a
lot of fun and quite a few extra shekels."
"Try and get me a job as an extra," urged Jane.
"I'll do my best, but the star might object."
When Jane returned from Chicago a part of the technical crew had
arrived and equipment was being set up at the field. Every girl in the
stewardess corps was hopeful that she might be selected for some extra
role for all of them secretly cherished the desire to be a film star.
Grace, coming in from the west on a late plane, rushed in and woke
them.
"Who do you suppose came in with me?" she gasped.
"Probably Gary Macklin," said Sue, naming the latest Hollywood
favorite.
"Good guess," said Grace.
"Do you mean Gary Macklin is going to have the leading role in the
picture here?" demanded Alice, now thoroughly awake.
"That's just what I mean, and his leading lady is going to be Claudette
Barrett. She came in on the same plane."
"My favorite combination," breathed Sue. "I think I'll ask for a leave
of absence."
"Not much chance of your getting that, for business on the line is
picking up every day," said Jane.
"You should comment, with only one trip scheduled next week. How about
trading schedules?"
"I should say not. I'm just as anxious as you are to see how a film is
made," smiled Jane.
"Does anyone know what the story is about?" Alice asked.
"I heard Mr. Macklin and Miss Barrett talking about it when we stopped
at Rock Springs. Miss Barrett is going to have the role of a stewardess
and Mr. Macklin plays the part of the ace pilot of the line."
"Charlie Fischer should have that role," put in Sue.
"Charlie's going to do the stunt flying," said Jane.
"If Miss Barrett's going to be a stewardess, we ought to see quite a
bit of her," Alice said hopefully. "If there's anything dangerous to be
done, we might even get a chance to double for her."
More members of the cast of "The Sky Riders," as the film was
tentatively titled, arrived over the week-end and on Monday morning the
company was ready to start shooting the scenes.
The Cheyenne airport had been given a thorough cleaning and everything
from fences and lights around the border to the wind sock on the beacon
tower had been touched up.
Jane, due out on the _Coast to Coast_, watched the company assembling.
Roscoe James, the director, was a giant of a man, well over six feet in
height and broad of shoulder.
A taxi rolled up and Claudette Barrett, the leading woman, stepped out.
She was a trifle taller than Jane, with brown hair and brown eyes, and
Jane was surprised to see the film star wearing the uniform of a
Federated Airways stewardess. It was perfectly tailored and Miss
Barrett even had the jaunty little beret fitted snugly over her
carefully marcelled hair. She had a pleasant smile and spoke to several
members of the company.
Another cab arrived and Gary Macklin, tall, dark and strikingly
handsome, jumped out. He gave Jane the impression of always being in a
hurry and of having an abundance of energy.
A camera crew had its equipment ready and when the _Coast to Coast_
came into view, started grinding away. The big plane landed smoothly
and rolled into the hangar.
Jane forced herself to turn to her duties and she went forward to
relieve the stewardess who had come in from Salt Lake City, taking over
the passenger list and making sure that her own supplies were placed
aboard the plane. She was stowing the lunch away in the pantry when
someone spoke to her and she turned to face Claudette Barrett.
"I hope I won't bother you," said the film star, "but since I'm
supposed to be a stewardess, I've got to learn something about the
business." She had a pleasant smile and Jane felt an instant liking for
this attractive girl of the films.
"I'll be glad to show you whatever I can. I'm Jane Cameron."
"Why, I've read lots about you. You were the stewardess who was with
Mrs. Van Verity Vanness when bandits tried to abduct her. I was in New
York at the time and read all about it in the _Globe_. What a thrilling
experience that must have been."
"I wouldn't want very many of them," confessed Jane.
"Go ahead with your work. I'll just watch and ask questions." Jane
stowed the contents of the large hamper away in the pantry and looked
at her watch.
"We've only three more minutes here. It's time now to get the
passengers back into the plane."
Jane led the way outside. Over in front of the commissary Sue, Alice
and Grace were watching the proceedings enviously.
"My roommates are all anxious to meet you," Jane said, "and they'll be
glad to give you any assistance possible."
"I'm going to need it," smiled the film star.
The girls were almost overwhelmed when Jane brought Miss Barrett to
meet them, but they found her so natural and interested in their work
that they were soon conversing with her freely.
The last Jane saw of them as the _Coast to Coast_ roared away, they
were taking Miss Barrett into the stewardess headquarters.
When Jane returned on Wednesday, the film company was in the midst of
active shooting. Two of the big tri-motored transports had been
chartered for use and were landing and taking off for special shots of
the field while camera crews on the ground photographed them.
At dinner that night, the girls told Jane how they had been drafted as
extras for a crowd scene in the hangar.
"It was thrilling," said Alice. "Just think, actually in the movies."
"We even got paid just for standing around. I'd almost have been
willing to pay them," put in Grace.
"The worst of it is," mourned Sue, "more crowd scenes are scheduled for
shooting tomorrow and we're all scheduled out."
"All except lucky Jane, who's in for the rest of the week," said Grace.
"I'll try and skip around in the crowd scenes and take the places of
all of you," Jane consoled them.
"Mrs. Murphy's going to be the Cheyenne star in the picture," chuckled
Sue. "The director saw her at the field and he drafted her for a comedy
role. It was taken this morning and was as funny as could be. They
dressed Mrs. Murphy up in an old-fashioned outfit with a bonnet and a
parrot in a cage. She was taking her first trip by plane and all she
had to do was to look flustered and talk about her fear."
"Yes, and Mrs. Murphy's never been up," added Grace. "When she started
toward the plane she forgot all about being in a movie and began to get
scared. By the time she reached the steps, she wasn't acting and Miss
Barrett and Mr. Macklin had to almost force her into the ship. Mrs.
Murphy's brogue was so thick you could cut it and the whole film crew
laughed until they were just about worn out. Mrs. Murphy got a hundred
dollars for the scene and she's tickled to death."
All the girls were scheduled out on early ships the next morning and
Jane went to the field with them. Even at that hour, Director James was
on hand making plans for the day's schedule.
After the early planes had cleared the field, Jane saw him talking to
Charlie Fischer, who had been given a leave of absence to do the stunt
flying. A few minutes later Charlie came over and joined her.
"This is my big day," he said. "If I do all of the tricks they want me
to, I'll go crazy."
"What do you have to do?"
"They're practically re-enacting the scene of the bandit plane
attacking us, and I've got to fly the bandit ship. They had a chap from
Denver slated to come up and do that while I flew the army plane which
arrived just in time. Now I'll have to fly the bandit plane through a
lot of maneuvers and then come down, get another ship which will be
painted like an army plane, and do some more stunts all around one of
the tri-motors."
"But that won't seem like an aerial battle."
"The director says they can cut the film in the laboratory so it will
look all right. Of course he'd like to have both the bandit and the
army ships up at the same time, but he's short a pilot and the scene
must be filmed this morning. Hiring these big tri-motors is cutting
heavily into his expense budget."
"Why not let me fly one of the ships?" suggested Jane. "If you were in
the other one, I know I'd get along all right."
Charlie looked at her sharply.
"Golly, Jane, I never thought of that. Say, my ship is the one that's
been painted up as the bandit plane. You could fly that with your eyes
shut and I could take the army plane."
"I know we could do it," said Jane.
"Then here goes. We're on our way to see the director right now."
Chapter Twenty
Down in Flames
Director James was giving orders to the camera crew which was to go
aloft in one of the tri-motors. He appeared tired and worried and his
greeting to Charlie Fischer was short.
"I'm not looking for any more extras," he growled as he saw Jane with
the flyer.
"Sure, sure," agreed Charlie, who had a soothing and persuasive way,
"but you do need an extra pilot and you need one in a hurry. This girl
can handle one of the planes. I know, I trained her to fly."
The director stared at Charlie.
"Tell me another one," he snorted.
"Listen," said Charlie, "I'm not kidding. This is straight from the
shoulder. You let this girl go up in my plane and she'll do all of the
tricks your cameras can catch and a few more thrown in. She's a natural
flyer, knows the feel of a plane, becomes a part of it from the second
she gets into the cockpit."
Director James looked thoughtful. "We do need another pilot," he
admitted, "but I hate to think of a girl trying all of those stunts."
Jane decided it was time to say a word.
"If I fly Charlie's plane, I know I can handle the assignment," she
said eagerly. "With Charlie in the other ship there'll be little chance
of anything going wrong. I'd like to have the opportunity to try it."
The director looked at his watch.
"We start shooting in half an hour," he decided. "We'll take a chance."
"Come on, Jane. We've got to work fast," said Charlie, seizing her arm
and almost pulling her after him. "Get into boots and breeches. You're
going to wear a chute. If anything should happen you'll be ready for it."
"But, Charlie, I've never used a chute," protested Jane.
"There's always a first time," said Charlie darkly. "Now mind what I
tell you."
Jane hurried into the stewardess quarters where she kept her flying
clothes in a locker. Miss Comstock came in while she was changing.
"What's this I hear about you piloting one of the planes for the movie
people?" she asked.
"I'm going to be a bold, bad bandit," smiled Jane. "They're short a
flyer and can't wait for another man to come up from Denver."
"But don't you think it's rather dangerous? I don't want to lose my
star stewardess."
"Nothing will happen," promised Jane. "I'll be flying Charlie's ship
and I could do that blindfolded."
She pulled her boots on and tied a scarlet scarf around her bobbed
hair. In brown boots, white breeches, a soft white silk shirt open at
the neck and the flaming scarf around her hair, Jane was a striking
picture.
"Look out," cautioned Miss Comstock, "or the film people will be
offering you a contract."
"No chance. You've got to be able to act." Jane dabbed a bit of fresh
powder on her cheeks and hurried out to greet Charlie Fischer. The tall
pilot was wearing one chute pack and he carried another in his arms.
"Just about time to start," he said. "The ships are over on the ramp
warming up."
Jane looked at Charlie's plane. The speedy old biplane had been
repainted and now was shining black. Just beyond it was a smaller and
faster biplane painted to represent an army pursuit craft. It was this
ship that Charlie was to handle.
Director James was waiting between the planes. He eyed Jane approvingly
as she approached for she looked cool and business-like.
"You're to fly as though attacking the No. 1 transport," he told Jane.
"Keep away from the second ship with the camera crew. Make it look
good. We've got a machine gun mounted on your plane and when you dash
in, pull the trigger and send bursts of blanks at the transport."
While he was giving his instructions, the first transport roared into
the air. As soon as the drone of the motors faded, he continued.