Skyrider

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE FIRE THAT MADE THE SMOKE

  Mary V, watching from that convenient ridge which commanded the Sinkholemail box and the faint trail leading from it to the camp, saw thehome-coming stage stop there. Through her glasses she saw the horsesstretching their sweaty necks away from their burdensome collars, andthen stand hipshot, thankful for the brief rest. She saw the driverdescend stiffly from the seat, walk around to the back of the vehicleand, with some straining, draw out what appeared to be a box the size andshape of a case of tinned kerosene. He carried it with some labor to themail box, tilted it on end behind the post, and returned to the rig fortwo other boxes exactly like the first one. He fumbled for Johnny'scanvas mail sack--a new luxury of Johnny's--and stuffed it into the mailbox. Then, climbing wearily back to the driver's seat, he picked up thelines, released the brake, and started on.

  Mary V gave the stage no further attention. She was wondering what in theworld Johnny Jewel wanted with three whole cases of coal oil--if that waswhat the boxes contained. Mary V was not, of course, disposed to standlong on a hill and wonder. The stage was not out of sight before she wasriding down the ridge.

  "Gasoline!" she ejaculated, kicking a box tentatively with a booted foot."For gracious sake, what does that boy want with five--ten--with _thirty_gallons of gas? Why that's enough to drive a car from here to Yuma, justabout. Surely to goodness Johnny hasn't--"

  Tango lifted his head, pointed both ears forward and nickered a languidhowdy to another horse. Mary V turned quickly, a bit guiltily, andconfronted Johnny himself, riding up with something dragging rigidly fromthe saddle to the ground behind Sandy's heels. The confusion in Johnny'sface served to restore somewhat the poise which Mary V had felt slipping.

  "Hello, Skyrider," she greeted him chirpily. "Unless Venus has a fillingstation, you'll need more gas than this, won't you, for the round trip?Or--isn't it to be a round trip?"

  Johnny's eyes flew wide open. Then he laughed to cover his embarrassment."You're not up on sky-riding, are you, Mary V? I'll have to train you alittle. I expect to 'vollup, bank and la-and,' coming back."

  "Poor Bud isn't singing to-day. A bronk slammed him against the fence andhurt his leg so he's going around with a limp. What is that contraption,for gracious sake?"

  "That? Why, that's a travois. You ask Sandy what it is, though, and he'llgive you a different name, I reckon. Sandy's beginning to think life isjust one thing after another. But he's getting educated."

  Surreptitiously they eyed each other.

  "Why do you buy your gas that way?" Mary V inquired with extremecasualness. "It's a lot cheaper if you get a drum, the way we do."

  "I know; but it's a lot harder to handle a drum too. Besides--" Johnnybroke his speech abruptly, hiding his confusion by straining to carry acase over to the travois.

  Mary V studied his reply carefully, keeping silence until Johnny hadloaded the other cases and was roping them to the travois frame.

  "Is that Bland Halliday with you yet?" she asked him suddenly.

  "Yeh--er--how do _you_ know anything about Bl--" Johnny was plainly sweptoff his guard.

  "Why, why shouldn't I know about BL?" Mary V's smile was exasperating."I've seen Bland Halliday fly--and fall, too, once. Because he was drunk,they said. I've seen him drunk, and trying to do figure eights with a caron Wilshire Boulevard. He almost put me in the ditch, trying to dodgehim. He was arrested for that, and his car was taken away from him. AndI've heard--oh, all kinds of scandal about him. I was awfully surprisedat your taking up with him. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, JohnnyJewel."

  "He sure knows airplanes," Johnny blurted unwisely.

  "Yours must be ready to fly--the amount of gas you're taking to camp."

  "She goes in the air--say, good golly, Mary V! How do _you_ know anythingabout my--er--"

  "I hope," said Mary V very mildly, "that I have _some_ brains. At anyrate, I have brains enough to wonder how in the world you can afford tobuild yourself an aeroplane; I haven't heard a word about any rich uncledying and leaving you a fortune. And I know it takes a tremendous lot ofmoney to build and fly aeroplanes."

  "Didn't set me back so much," Johnny bragged. "I didn't have to buildone, you see."

  Mary V needed time enough to study that statement also. She mounted Tangoand waited until Johnny was ready to start with his queer load. "How didyou get it--if I may ask?" she began then. "Did Bland Halliday happenalong and have a wreck, and sell you the pieces? You want to be careful,because I know he's an awful grafter, and he'll cheat you, just as sureas you live, Skyrider."

  "He can't," Johnny declared with confidence. "He's working for hispassage--er--"

  "Er--yes?" Mary V smiled demurely. "You may just as well tell me thewhole thing, now. _Have_ you got an aeroplane? Really truly? I mean,where did you get it? I know, of course, you must have one, or youwouldn't buy all that gas."

  "Some deductionist," grinned Johnny, tickled with the very human interesthe had roused in himself and his doings. "Where I got it is a secret--butI've got it, all right!"

  "Johnny Jewel! You didn't let that Bland Halliday sell you--"

  "I picked Bland Halliday up at the station in Agua Dulce," Johnnyexplained tolerantly. "He'd wrecked his plane back East somewhere. Hewas beating his way to the Coast, and was waiting to hit a freight.They'd dumped him off there. It was just pure luck. I had some stuff forrepairing mine, and he saw me undo it and started talking. I saw he knewthe game" (Johnny's tone would have amused the birdman!) "and when heshowed me his pilot's license, I got him to help me. That's where BlandHalliday comes in--just helping me get 'er ready to fly. And he's goingto teach me. You say you've seen him fly, so--"

  "Oh, he can fly," Mary V admitted slightingly. "But he's so tricky,so--so absolutely impossible! A girl friend of mine has a brother thatgoes in for that sort of thing. I think he invented something that goeson a motor, or something. And I know he was terribly cheated by BlandHalliday. I think Bland borrowed a lot of money, or used a lot that wasintended for something else--anyway, Jerry just hates the _name_ of BlandHalliday. I didn't know him that day I met him with you, because theylook so different all togged up to fly. But I remembered him afterwards,and I was going to warn you, only," she looked at Johnny sidelong,"you're a very difficult person to warn, or to do anything with. You arealways so--so pugnacious!"

  "I like that," said Johnny, in a tone that meant he did not like it atall.

  "Well, you always argue and disagree with a person. Besides," she addedvaguely, "you weren't there. And I can't be riding every day toSinkhole."

  "You could have seen me when I took those last horses back the otherday," Johnny reminded her. "You did see me, only you pretended to beblind. Deaf, too, for I hollered hello when I passed, and you neverlooked around!"

  "Did you?" Mary V smiled innocently. "Well, I'm here now; and I came juston purpose to warn you about that fellow. And you haven't told me thestingiest little bit about your aeroplane yet, or where you got it, orwhat you're going to do with it, or anything."

  Johnny's lips twitched humorously. "I got it where it was setting like ahawk--a broken-winged hawk--on the burning sands of Mexico. I hauled itover here with four of the orneriest mules that ever flapped an ear atwhite men. It cost me just sixty dollars, all told--not counting repairs.And I'm going to ride the sky, and part the clouds like foam--"

  "'And brand each star with the Rolling R, An-d lead the Great Bear ho-ome,'"

  Mary V chanted promptly. "Oh, Skyrider, won't you take me along too? I'vealways been just _dying_ to fly!"

  "You'll have to stave off death till I learn how--and then maybe you'llwish you hadn't."

  "Oh, won't the boys be just _wild_! Where have you got it, Johnny?I've looked every place I could think of, the last two weeks, and Icouldn't--"

  "Oh--_hoh!_" cried Johnny. "So it was you I've been trailing, was it? Iwondered who was doing so much riding down this way. You had me guessing,and that's a fact."

  "Well,
you've had me; now 'fess up the whole mystery of it, Johnny. You_know_ that wasn't you, telephoning with a cold, that night. You knowvery well you weren't at camp at all; not for a couple of days, anyway.Probably that was while you went to the burning sands of Mexico. I don'tunderstand that part, either; how you found out, and all. But who was it'phoned for you? There were things he said--"

  "Huh? What things? On the square, I don't know, Mary V. I never toldanybody to 'phone--nobody knew I was going, except a greaser that toldme about the plane, and went with me to see it."

  "Well, I don't understand it at all. He certainly pretended he was you,and he must have 'phoned from Sinkhole, because there's no other 'phoneon that wire. And the way he talked--"

  "Oh, I think I know who it could have been," Johnny interposed hastily,thinking of Tomaso. "He--"

  Just then the travois hung itself on a lava out-cropping which Sandyhimself had dodged with his feet, and Johnny had a few busy minutes. Bythe time they were again moving forward, Mary V's curiosity had seizedupon something else. She wanted to know if Johnny wasn't afraid BlandHalliday might steal his aeroplane and fly off with it in the night.

  "Well, he might, at that--if he got a chance," Johnny admitted. "Which hewon't--take it from me."

  "Which he will--take it from you, if you don't keep an eye on him. Fromall Jerry said about him, he couldn't be honest to save his life. And I'msure Jerry--"

  "Good golly! You sure do seem to bank a lot on this Jerry person. Atthat, he may be wrong. Bland Halliday is all right if you treat himright. I ought to know; I've worked right alongside him for over twoweeks now. And I'll say, he has _worked_! I'd have been all summer doingwhat he's done in a couple of weeks; and then it wouldn't have been doneright. This said Jerry is welcome to his opinions, and you're welcome toswallow them whole, but me, I've got to hand it to Bland Halliday forsticking right on the job and doing his level best. Why, he couldn't havegone after the job any harder if it was his own plane."

  "Which he probably intends that it shall be," Mary V retorted. "Before hedoes fly off with it, I might like to take a look at it--and a picture.May I, if you please, Mr. Jewel?"

  "On one condition only, Miss Selmer. You must promise that you won't showthe picture to a living soul till I give the word."

  "Well, for gracious sake! How is the photographer going to develop andprint it without seeing it?"

  "I mean--you know what I mean. Come on, we'll swing over this way. I'vegot it cached in a secret hangar, over in that ledge. I've got to haulthe gas over there, anyway, and you may go along if you like."

  With a surprising docility Mary V accepted the somewhat patronizinginvitation. Perhaps she really appreciated the fact that Johnny wasproving how much confidence he had in her. Presently she urged thatconfidence to further disclosures. What did he really and truly intend todo with his aeroplane, after he had learned to fly?

  "Well, I promised Bland I'd take him to the Coast. I intend to makeaviation my real profession, of course. You surely didn't think, Mary V,that I'd be satisfied to bog down in a job that just barely pays livingwages? It's all right for fellows like Bud and Curley and Bill, maybe;but I couldn't go on all my life riding bronks and mending fence and suchas that. I've just got to ride the sky, and that's all there is to it.Luck happened to come my way, so I can do it a little sooner than Iexpected; but I'd have done it anyway, soon as the way was clear.

  "Aviation is the coming game, Mary V, and it's my game. Why, look whatthey're doing over in France! And if this country should get let in fora fight, wouldn't they need flyers? I'm not like Bland: I don't just lookat it as furnishing thrills to a crowd that is watching to see you breakyour neck. Exhibition flying is all right, for a side line. But me, I'mgoing to go after something bigger than the amusement end. I--" his eyesgrew round and dreamy, his lips quivering with all the wonderful futurehe saw before him, "I've thought maybe France or England might want meand my plane--to help lick those Germans. Honest, Mary V, their workis awful raw--blowing up passenger ships and killing children andwomen--and, of course, we aren't doing anything much about it; but if mylittle old boat could maybe bring down just one of those raiders that flyover England and drop bombs on houses where there's kids and women, I'dbe willing to call it a day!"

  "B-but that's dangerous, Johnny! You--you'd be killed, and--and it's somuch finer to go on living and doing a little good right along every day.It would count up more--in the long run. And we're neutral. I--I don'tthink you ought to!"

  "Why not? That's the biggest thing the world has ever seen or will see.The men that are in it--look what they're doing! It's tremendous, Mary V!It would be hitting a wallop for civilization."

  "It would be getting yourself killed! And then what? What good iscivilization to you after you're all smashed to pieces? You--you wouldn'tbe a drop in the bucket, Johnny Jewel! If it was our war--but to go andbutt in on something away over there is absolutely foolish. What if yougot one? You couldn't get them all, and there'd be a dozen to take itsplace.

  "But that's the way it goes. You get a streak of perfectly unbelievablegood luck, and have an aeroplane just practically drop into your hands,and then you spoil it all by wanting to do some crazy thing that isabsolutely idiotic. I should think you'd be contented with what you'vegot; but no, you must take your aeroplane right straight over to Europeand let the Germans smash it all to pieces and kill you and everything.Why, I never _heard_ of anything so absolutely imbecile as that!"

  "Well, I haven't gone yet," Johnny reminded her. "Maybe the thing won'tfly at all, and maybe I'll break my neck learning to run it. So it'skinda early in the day to get excited about my going to France."

  "The idea! I'm not a bit excited. It really doesn't concern me at all,personally, whether you go or not. But it does look to me like a terriblysilly idea. Any person with fair reasoning faculties would argue againstsuch idiocy, just as a matter of--of--"

  "Of course. Let it ride that way. Would you think, just to look alongthis ledge, Mary V, that a real military tractor was cached away in it?Talk about luck! You wait till you see the place I've got for it."

  Mary V seemed unimpressed. "If I might venture to advise you on a subjectthat has no personal interest for me," she countered primly, "I wouldsuggest that you hide most of that gas in one of these niches, and takeonly one can at a time to wherever your aeroplane is. I tell you, BlandHalliday is _not_ to be trusted. You say he was broke and had lost hismachine in a wreck or something, and was beating his way to the Coast.The truth probably is that he lost it some other way--maybe borrowedmoney on it and couldn't pay it back. That's what he always does, andthen gets drunk and spends it all. But just as sure as you live, he'llsteal your machine if he gets a chance. And once he's in the air--youcan't chase him up there, you know. And you couldn't _prove_ it was youraeroplane afterwards, could you? You haven't any papers or anything;you said it was 'finders, keepers.' And he could claim that he found ithimself, couldn't he?"

  She looked at Johnny's sobering face, with the pursed lips and the creasebetween his eyes that told of worry. Bland Halliday, once he was in theair, would be master of the situation. Johnny saw that.

  "But you see, Skyrider, he can't fly without gas, and if you just have alittle bit--just enough to practice with--"

  "Mary V, when you aren't on the fight you're the best little pal in theworld!" cried Johnny impulsively, and leaned and caught her hand and heldit tight for a minute.