ays looked to Jane
for the final decision and now she turned to her for comfort and
protection.

The plane lurched heavily and something ripped against the
undercarriage. The lights in the cabin went out and Jane felt Miss
Comstock pitched into her lap. In a flash she wrapped her arms around
the chief stewardess and held her as tightly as possible.

There was the sensation of falling blindly into a great abyss and then
came a jarring crash that seemed to split the cabin apart. After that
there was a silence, broken only by the sobbing of the wind.

Jane felt the chief stewardess struggling to free herself from her
arms.

"Let me go," gasped Miss Comstock. "We've got to get out of here."

Jane released her hold and spoke to Sue.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Except for still being scared half to death."

Other girls were moving about, unfastening their safety belts and
trying to get to their feet.

"The cabin's on a sharp angle," Miss Comstock told them. "Take off your
belts, get down in the aisle on your hands and knees, and follow me to
the rear."

Jane and Sue obeyed, with Sue directly behind Miss Comstock. Then came
Jane with Grace Huston and Alice Blair following and the other girls
behind them. No one appeared to be hurt except for minor bruises and
bumps.

When they reached the door, which had been torn from its hinges by the
impact, Miss Comstock cautioned them again.

"It's about six feet to the ground. Slide over the edge and hang by
your hands until your feet are on the ground. Then each girl wait until
the next is down and we'll form a chain of hands so that no one is
lost. Count as you come and we'll know when everyone is out."

Jane was the first one out and she cried, "No. 1 out," in a loud voice.
Girl after girl called out their number as they scrambled down out of
the wreckage until every one was outside.

Still holding hands, Miss Comstock led them away from the plane as Jane
wondered about the pilots. The wreckage was at least fifty yards behind
when Miss Comstock paused.

"You girls wait here. I'm going back and find the pilots."

She started back alone, but Jane slipped out of the group and joined her.

"You can't go alone," she said. "If they're trapped, maybe I can be of
some help."

"Go back, Jane," ordered the chief stewardess. "There's the gasoline.
Smell it? The wreckage may catch on fire at any moment."

"That's just why you need me," insisted Jane.

Miss Comsto