nd finished the demitasse at a gulp. "Let's see. Suppose we say a
thousand dollars a week for you and your machine. It will be worth
that to me if you make good and take me across where I want to go,
whenever I want to go, and fetch me back without bringing all the
border patrols buzzing around, asking why and how. That, frankly, is
one point that must be taken care of. It is no crime to cross the
border without a passport--if you can get across. Technically it is
unlawful at the present time, but in reality it is all right, if you
can get away with it. We could not walk up boldly and say, 'Listen, we
want permission to fly across the line on business of our own.' They'd
have to say no. That's their orders, issued to stop a lot of smuggling
and that sort of thing. But we are not smugglers--at least," he
qualified with a faint smile, "I am not. What I shall bring back will
be legitimate news of international importance, gleaned in a legitimate
way. In fact it will be of some use to the government, though the
government could scarcely authorize me to gather it.

"Now as to credentials, you will do me a favor if you look me up. As
to yourself, I know all about you, thanks to that adventurous spirit
which brought you into the limelight and is really of tremendous value
to me. Seriously now, as a sporting proposition and a chance to make
money, how does it strike you?"

"Why--it looks all right, on the face of it." Johnny was trying to be
extremely cautious. "I'll have to think it over, though. For one
thing, I'll want to do some figuring before I can say whether the price
is right. It costs money to keep an airplane in the air, Mr. Lowell.
You'd be surprised to see just how much a fellow has to pay out to keep
a motor in good mechanical shape. And, of course, I wouldn't look at
it at any price unless I was dead sure it was straight. If you'll
excuse my saying so, I ain't after dirty money. It's got to be clean."

"That's the stuff! I'm glad to hear you come right out and say so,
because that's where I stand. I want you to look me up. Here's the
card of the International News Syndicate--they handle nothing but big
political stuff, you understand. A sort of secret service of
newspaperdom. Ask them about me and about the proposition. They'll be
paying you the money--not me. Ask any one else you like, only don't
mention this particular matter we've been discussing. As the lawyers
say, secrecy is th