ay beckoned imperiously, and Johnny went up to
where he could hear.

"I'm going to try her out on a straightaway first, before I take you in,"
Bland leaned to shout. "Tell the girl she can be ready to snap me when I
come back. I've got to test out the controls, and I want you ready to
grab 'er if she don't stop right along here somewhere. All right--outa
the way!"

Johnny ran back, away from the wing, and stood beside Mary V. He saw
Bland turn his head and glance out along the right wing, then to the
left. He caught a sense of Bland's tightening nerves, a mental and
muscular poising for the flight. The thrumming jumped to a throbbing
roar. The plane ran forward like a plover, gathering speed as it went.
Fifty yards--a hundred--the little wheels left the sand, the tail sagged,
the nose pointed slightly upward. The throb accelerated as distance
dimmed the roar, until once more the droning thrum dominated.

"Oh-h-h!" gasped Mary V, and caught Johnny's arm and gripped it.

Johnny did not hear, did not feel her fingers pressing hard upon his
biceps. Johnny stood like a man hypnotized; wide-eyed, the white line
around his mouth, all his young soul straining after the airplane that
went sailing away like a hawk balancing on outstretched wings.

"Oh-h-h-h!" gasped Mary V again, and squeezed his arm without
knowing that she did so. "O-h--he's coming back! See--see how he
circles--oh-h--he's doing an S, Johnny! Oh, Johnny, you lucky, lucky boy!
Oh, and it's yours! Johnny Jewel, you've simply _got_ to let me fly!
Oh-h, I'm going to learn too! Oh-h-Skyrider! You wooden image, you, why
don't you _say_ something?"

Johnny looked at her, and there were tears pushing up to the edge of his
eyelids. He looked away quickly and blinked them back.

Mary V bit her lip, abashed at the revelation of what this meant to
Johnny. And then the drone was a roar again, and the airplane was
skimming down to them. A _pop-pop-pop--pop_, and the motor stilled
suddenly. The little wheels touched the ground, spurned it, touched again
and came spinning toward them, reminding Johnny again of a lighting
plover. The propeller revolved slower and slower, stopped at a rakish
angle. Mary V felt the trembling of Johnny's arm as he pulled loose from
her and went up to steady the machine to its final stand.

Bland Halliday pushed up his goggles. "She's runnin' like a new watch,"
he announced. "Juh get a picture?" This last to Mary V.

She shook her head, r