g to do with prohibition.
Bland had the supplies in a gunny sack and made haste to stow them away
to the best advantage.

Bland carried a guilty conscience. The hotel clerk had hailed him as
he passed and had inquired for Johnny. "Long distance" had a call for
him, and had insisted that Johnny be found at once and put in
connection with the "party" who wished to talk with him. Bland had
promised to find Johnny and tell him, and had hurried on. A block
farther down the street a messenger boy had hailed him and asked him if
he knew where Johnny Jewel was. "Long distance" was calling and had
orders to search the town and get Johnny on the 'phone at once. The
call had come in just after Johnny had left the jail, and no one seemed
to know where he had gone.

"It's his girl--the one he tried to elope with," the boy had informed
Bland with that uncanny knowledge of state secrets which messenger boys
are prone to display. "She'll tear the telephone out by the roots if
we don't get him. Is he over to the flying-machine shed?"

Bland lied, and promised again that he would try and find Johnny and
tell him to hurry to a telephone. Bland had shaved seconds off every
minute thereafter, getting through with his errand and back to the
hangar. He had expected to be followed out there, and he was in a
secret agony of haste which he betrayed in every move he made.

But Johnny was himself in a hurry to be gone, and excitement over the
adventure and a troubled sense of running away occupied his mind so
that he gave little heed to Bland. He climbed in, and Bland raised his
two arms to the propeller blade and waited with visible impatience for
the word. He had that word. And Bland, who had glanced over his
shoulder and glimpsed some one coming,--some one who much resembled a
messenger boy,--turned the motor over with one mighty pull, and made
the cockpit in two jumps and a straddle.

"We're off, bo! Give it to 'er!" he shouted, in a tone quite foreign
to his usual languid whine, and fastened his safety belt.

Johnny settled himself, felt out his controls, gave her more gas. A
uniformed young fellow, running toward them, shouted something, but
Johnny gave no heed. Uniforms did not appeal to him, anyway. He
scowled at this one and went taxieing down the field, spurned the
earth, and whirred off into the air.

"We want to climb to about ten thousand," Bland shouted over his
shoulder, "and f'r cat's sake, don't let's lose