Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

514 mail to its destination on time. And then he’s gone with the Sheldon outfit. I’m worried about him. Sheldon’s been having bad luck with his planes and pilots these last few months. His own son was almost killed. Yes, {’m worried about Kerry.” But Glenn Kerry himself was far from worried, although as test pilot for the Shel- don outfit he had one or two narrow es- capes. Once his landing wheel had been slashed, unknown to him. It was not until he was already in the air that the field notified him that his inner tube had come through the shoe. It would mean a crash when his ship landed. But Glenn Kerry, with the resourceful- ness of the trained aviator, had managed to land with a ground loop by holding one wing up. He recalled that occasion mainly on account of one personal incident. Betty Sheldon had been at the field that day, and after he had landed had come run- ning up and had said: “Oh, Glenn! You’re safe! I was so worried.” In the excitement she had used his given name for the first time. After that, Glenn took extra precautions and went over every square inch of his plane before taking off, and saw to it that an extra guard of trustworthy men was placed about the hangar. As the date of the race grew nearer and the weather mild- er, he slept in the hangar. Made wary by the treachery that had been afoot for months, Sheldon was taking no chances this time. He allowed it to be assumed by all but the few in his inner circle of confidants that the plane Glenn Kerry was testing out would be the one entered by him in the coming transconti- nental non-stop race. But meanwhile work was going on night and day to build a new ship which, Sheldon hoped, would outfly the former one. The elderly inventor spent day after day superintending the construction of the new ship from the building of its fuselage frames to the shrinking and chemical treatment of the linen which would cover the wooden framework of the wings. Kelso, one of the, most trusted of the Sheldon mechanics, came to Glenn one day, and told him that a stranger had ap- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. proached him, offering him a sizable sum for information on the new plane. Glenn looked up grimly from his work. He had been oiling a rocker arm of his plane. “And what did you say?” he asked, severely. ‘““T said,” replied Kelso, “a good punch on the nose, that’s what I said! He snooped away before I could get one of the guards after him.” “Good for you, Kelso! You’d know him again, of course?”’ Kelso grinned. “ He can be identified,” he said grimly, “ by a big, swollen nose where my old right swing landed, but I can’t think who’s back of him. Somebody’s been getting to our men all right. That wheel that was slashed—raw work, that was. Done to make the accident look as if the plane hadn’t been tampered with. It would just be a natural-looking crash. Put you in wrong, too—make you look as if you couldn’t handle a plane like this big new type. You know, Dick Sheldon’s smoking you up to the old man as the pilot he needs for the race. Probably some spies have found that out.” “* Have you the slightest suspicion, Kelso, who might be back of it all?” “Not the slightest, I’m sorry to say. Sure beats me.” Kerry lowered his voice. ‘“ This is strict- ly between you and me, old man. Maybe I’m doing him an injustice, but Kelso, could you possibly think it was this sleek-looking Hatton that I see around here entirely too much?” “Hatton? Nah! He’d have no object. He’s got no planes entered in the race. And besides, he’s crazy about old man Sheldon’s » daughter. And she is about him, too, if I can trust my eyes.” “Oh!” said Glenn, a little weakly. He covered up his surprise and chagrin by some forced technical question. But Kelso, honest and efficient, but obtuse in the ways of the heart, continued: “‘ He’s a favorite with the old man, too. Between you an’ me, I wouldn’t be sur- prised if that was a match. Hatton’s do- ing well in the commercial aircraft line, . and he’s got the dough. And the old man COPNICGLOOKS (E@)