r.

His dull apathy of despair received something in the nature of a shock
when he walked around the corner and almost butted into Bland, who had
just finished tightening a turnbuckle and stepped back to walk around
the end of a wing. Bland's pale, unpleasant eyes watered with
welcome--which was even more surprising to Johnny than his actual
presence there.

"Why, hello, old top! They told me you'd be let out t'day, but I
didn't know just when. You're looking peaked. Didn't they feed yuh
good?"

Johnny did not answer. He went up and ran his fingers caressingly
along the polished propeller blade that slanted toward him; he fingered
the cables and touched the smooth curve of the wing as if he needed
more evidence than his eyes could furnish that the Thunder Bird was
there, where he had not dared hope he would find it. Bland came up
with an eager, apologetic air and stood beside him. He was like a dog
that waits to be sure of his mastery mood before he makes any wild
demonstrations of joy at the end of a forced separation.

"I been overhauling the motor, bo, and I got her all tuned up and in
fine shape for you. She's ready to take the long trail any old time.
I flew her for a couple of days, bo; took up passengers fast as they
could climb in and out. I knew you said you was about broke, so I went
ahead and took in some coin. I'll say I did. Three hundred bones the
first day,--how's that? There was a gang around here all day. I
didn't get a chance to eat, even. Second day I made a hundred and
ninety, and got a flat tire, so I quit. Next day I took in a hundred
and thirty. Then I put her in here and went to work on the motor. I
figured, the way they had throwed it into you, you'd probably want to
beat it soon as you got out, and I was afraid to overwork the motor and
maybe have to wait while I sent to Los Angeles for new parts. It was
time to quit while the quittin' was good, bo. Here's your money--all
except what I spent for gas and oil and a few tools and one thing and
another. I kept out my share, and I ain't chargin' you for flying.
That goes in the bargain, that I'll fly in an emergency like that. So
this is yours." Then he had to add an I-told-you-so sentence. "Goes
to prove I was right, don't it? Didn't I say there was big money in
flyin'?"

He held out a roll of bills tied with a string; a roll big as Johnny's
wrist. Johnny looked at it, looked into Eland's lean, grimy face
queerly. "