maybe it won't be so
hard to hold a conversation. It will be more like this," and he shut
off the motor and began to glide gently down. The quiet succeeding the
terrific noise of the motor exhaust was almost startling, and Tom and
Mary could converse easily without using the tube.

Then followed the landing on the soft, springy turf, a little glide
over the ground, and the machine came to a halt, while mechanics ran
out of the hangar to take charge of it.

"I'll just go in and change these togs," said Mary, as she alighted and
looked at her leather costume.

"No, don't," advised Tom. "You look swell in em. Keep 'em on. They're
yours, and you'll need 'em when we go up again. Here comes the auto.
I'll take you right home in it. Keep the aviation suit on.

"I wonder what Mr. Damon could have wanted," remarked Tom, as he drove
Mary along the country road.

"He seemed very much excited," she replied.

"Oh, he almost always is that way--blessing everything he can think of.
You know that. But this time it was different, I'll admit. I hope
nothing is the matter. I might have stopped and spoken to him, but I
was afraid if I did you'd back out and wouldn't come for a sky ride."

"Well, I might have. But now that I've had one, even with an accident
thrown in, I'll go any time you ask me, Tom," and Mary smiled at the
young inventor.

"Shucks, that wasn't a real accident!" he laughed. "But I do wonder
what Mr. Damon wanted."

"Better go back and find out, Tom," advised Mary, as they stopped in
front of her house.

"Oh, I want to come in and talk to you. Haven't had a chance for a good
talk today, that motor made such a racket."

"No, go along now, but come back and see me this afternoon if you like."

"I do like, all right! And I suppose Mr. Damon will be fussing until he
sees me. Well, glad you liked your first ride in the air, Mary--that
is, the first one of any account," for Mary had been in an aeroplane
before, though only up a little way--a sort of "grass-cutting stunt,"
Tom called it.

Waving farewell to the pretty girl, the young aviator turned the auto
about and speeded for his home and the shops adjoining it. His father
had not been well, of late, and Tom was a bit anxious about him.

"Mr. Damon may bother him, though he wouldn't mean to," thought Tom.
"He seemed to have his mind filled with some new idea. I wonder if it
is anything like mine? No, it couldn't be. Well, I'll soon find out,"
and, putting hi