Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

522 from the Sheldon plant. If Carson himself took too big a chance, and should die in the crash—so much the better. It would be money saved for Hatton. That was the way Philip Hatton worked. He crossed back through the yard to the office, and found his private telephone still emitting buzzes from the disconnected re- ceiver. Probably central telling him to hang up. He took the receiver and banged it back on the hook. But then the telephone started to ring again, and with extreme impatience Hatton took it off and put it to his ear. “ Hello!” he yelled. ‘ Well, didn’t I say to shut up and get over here? You dubs can’t follow plain instructions. What?” He listened for a moment. His eyes were staring. He let the telephone instrument clatter to the desk. “Good God!” he ejaculated. In mo- ments of stress, even Philip Hattons call upon their Maker. He had absented himself from the flying field with design, believing that his pres- ence would have done no good. Every ar- rangement had been made, his chief lieuten- ant, Weimar, had been there, and both had thought it a wise plan for him to have been “ill.” Then if Runyon had carried out the pre- arranged plan satisfactorily, he, Hatton, could have been as surprised as any one else. He had laid all his plans craftily. And now Weimar had given him the almost unbelievable information that Betty Shel- don had accompanied Kerry in the race. He had the deep-down admiration for Betty Sheldon that a man of his stripe often has for a good woman. He rose from his chair so suddenly that he tipped it over, and raced back over the Trico yard and into the little office where his operator was at his key. “Stop that message, Rees!” he shouted. “ Stop it!” “ What message?” “ The one I just gave you, you damned fool!” “ But you told me to send it,” said Rees. “ And I did.” Glenn Kerry was scooting along. The ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. day was sunny, and residents of the towns along the Hudson River were out in force to look up at the silver wings of the great planes high in the air. The Sheldon plane was not in the lead, but Glenn Kerry was satisfied, and extreme- ly hopeful. Mere speed was a minor ele- ment at the present stage. He admitted that there might even be faster ships in the race, but it was a long, hard course; to keep going was the main thing, and he had every confidence that the Sheldon plane would do that. Everything was running as smoothly as he could wish. Far later on in the race when his great gasoline load was lighter, he could make better time. The roar of the pounding cylinders came musically to his ears. ‘There was excellent visibility. The Hudson River below him was a beautiful silver streak. So long as this visibility lasted he would follow the course of the river to a certain point, and then steer a compass course. He flew on through a low-hanging cloud, and as he emerged from it saw that another plane had been circling about there. Why was this plane circling about instead of get- ting on along the course? He recalled some experiences of his own during the war—how scouts used to “ lay ” for enemy planes by hiding behind a cloud. The plane came dangerously close. He failed to recognize the pilot, but he recog- nized the plane as a Trico product, and saw the rival pilot feeling for his parachute. For a moment the old thrill of battle blazed in Glenn Kerry’s eyes. His thoughts went back to the times when he had engaged Fritzy planes far above the lines, with his machine gun synchronized with the engine to shoot between the blades of the pro- peller. But that was war. Now he could hardly reconcile the idea of this peaceful, sunny day with the Hudson gleaming below, and the idea of a man in a rival plane who was not the airman of a rival army, but a lunatic or a plain murderer. The girl of his dreams was beside him, and the Sheldon fortunes were riding with him; and here was a time for discretion. ’ Glenn Kerry knew every trick of the air- CONMICLDOOKS (C@