CHAPTER XII FLYING THROUGH THE NIGHT
Just twenty-four hours after she had stood disconsolate before theairport depot, watching giant man-made birds sail away into the bluesky, Florence stood, traveling bag in hand, all radiant, waiting for hersilver ship to wheel into position for flight. Beside her stood DanbyForce and the little French girl. Danby too was going. It was to be anight flight. "All the more thrilling!" had been Jeanne's instantprediction. "Flying by night! Seeming to play among the stars! Ah, whatcould be more delightful!"
Rosemary Sample, whose plane did not go out until the following morning,was there to see them off. So too, quite dried out from the previousnight's adventure, was Willie VanGeldt.
Florence found herself thrilled to the very tips of her toes. As a blueand gold plane with three motors thundering glided away, then with aroar of thunder rose in air, as a small yellow one followed it into thesky, she counted the moments that remained before the number of her ownplane should be called and she, walking with all the care-freeindifference of the much air-traveled lady (which she was not at all),should march to the three iron steps leading to the plane and climb onboard.
"You may think it strange," Danby was saying to Jeanne, "that we shouldgo to so much trouble to catch one industrial spy, and a lady at that."
"But no!" Jeanne exclaimed. "Lady spies, they are the most clever andmost difficult of all. The great and terrible war proved that."
"Yes," Danby agreed. "And in this peace-time war of industry, when greatsecrets are being guarded, secrets that might win or lose another greatwar--which, please God, there may never be--the ladies bear watching, Iassure you.
"And there _are_ secrets,--" his tone became animated. "Chemical secretsthat have made work for thousands, secret processes for heat-treatingsteel that have revolutionized an entire industry."
"And secrets that give us better and more beautiful dresses. Ah!" Jeannelaughed a merry laugh. "This is the most wonderful secret of all. Forwhere there is color there is beauty. Beauty brings happiness. Life mustbe beautiful. So--o, my good friend--" She put forth a slender hand--"Iwish you luck! May you and my good friend Florence catch those so verywicked spies and may they be shot at sunrise!
"And now," her tone changed, "I must say adieu, for see! There is yoursilver ship wheeling into position. Do not be surprised if some day yousee my own little dragon fly coming to light on the top of your flagpole or the landing field nearby.
"And now, Florence!" She gave her good pal a merry poke. "Shoulders up,eyes smiling, the good and jaunty air. Tell the world that this isnothing new. And _bon voyage_ to you both. I shall be seeing you. And Ishall be watching, always watching for that dark lady, the most terriblespy."
Smiling, Florence touched her lips to Jeanne's fair brow, then puttingon her very best air of indifference, which was very good indeed,marched to her plane, climbed the steps, then sank into a soft low seatto let forth a sigh that was half relief and half deep abiding joy.
Having seen them off, Jeanne went in search of her flying gypsies. Theyhad planned to join in a reunion of their tribe a hundred miles away.Jeanne was to fly them there.
"Now," said Willie VanGeldt when he and Rosemary were alone, "You saidlast night you would not fly with me. Why not?"
"Because--" an intent look overspread Rosemary's usually smiling face."Because you are grown up, and yet you insist on playing about, onmaking life a joke and because flying with you is not safe."
"Not safe!" He stared. "I've a pilot's license. Didn't get it with apull either. Earned it, I did."
"I'm not questioning that," she went on soberly. "All the same, it'sflyers like you who are spoiling this whole aviation business. Look atme--I'm a worker. Being a flying stewardess is my job. I work at itevery month in the year. The pilots and their helpers, the mechanics inour shops, the radio men on duty all day, every day, depend on it fortheir living and the support of their families. Together we hope to makeour transportation safe, comfortable and inexpensive for all. We--"
"Well, I--"
"No! Let me finish," she insisted. "Look at our planes. Sixty of them,cost seventy thousand dollars apiece. Multiply that and see what itcomes to. Shows that men with money believe in us.
"See how those planes are cared for. Looked over in every port. Leastthing wrong, out they go. Motors taken off and overhauled every threehundred hours. Always in perfect condition.
"And you--" there was a rising inflection in her voice. "You go roundthe world proclaiming to all the world that life is a joke and thatairplanes are grand, good playthings. You flirt with death. And in theend death will get you. Then thousands will say, 'See! Flying is _not_safe!' See what I mean?"
"Well, I--"
"Tell you what!" she exclaimed. "It's a safe guess you don't even knowwhen your motor was last overhauled and cleaned."
"No, I--" the play-boy was not smiling now. "Well now, Miss Sample, yousee this crack-up has cost a lot of money. So I--"
"So you ask me to risk my life flying with you. And I say 'No!'
"I--I'll have to be going." Her tone changed. "Got a report to make out.I'll be seeing you. And I only hope it won't be under a high bank of cutflowers."
She was gone, leaving Willie staring.
"Queer sort of girl!" he grumbled after a time. "But I--she sure is agood one!
"She might be right at that," he murmured as he left the building.
For Florence, speeding away through space with the stars above and theearth below, that was a never-to-be-forgotten night. First the broadexpanse of the city's gleaming lights and after that, in sharp contrast,deep, sullen blue below that suggested eternity of space.
"We're over the lake," Danby Force smiled. "Way over there is the lightof a ship."
"And still farther there is another," Florence replied. "How rapidly weleave those lights behind! How strange to be speeding along through thenight."
Soon the deep blue below changed to varying shadows. They were over landonce more. The panorama that passed beneath them never lost its charm.Here, faintly glowing, were the lights of a tiny village. Were theyasleep, those people? Probably not. Too early for that. Some werereading, some studying, some playing games, those simple kindly peoplewho live in small villages.
The village vanished and only a single light, here and there, likereflections of the stars, told where farm houses stood. A city loomedinto sight, then passed on into the unknown.
"It's like life," Florence said soberly. "We are always passing from oneunknown to another.
"And speaking of unknowns--" her voice changed. "Do you think theindustrial spy who is still in your employ is a man or a woman?"
"We have no means of knowing." Danby spoke soberly. "To find this out ifyou can, this is to be part of your task."
"If I can," Florence whispered to herself, after a time.
So they rode on through the night. Danby Force seldom spoke. This ridingin an airplane appeared to cast a spell of silence over him. Perhaps, attimes, he slept. Florence could not tell. She did not sleep. Theexperience was too novel for that. Twice she caught the gleam of coloredlights and knew they were meeting another plane. She tried to imaginewhat it would be like when everyone traveled by air. But would that timecome? Who could tell?
It was still dark when Danby Force, after looking at his watch, said:
"We'll be there in ten minutes. You shall go to my house for ten winksof sleep."
True to his prediction, the plane went roaring down to a small landingfield. They disembarked, were met by a small man in a green uniform andwere led to a powerful car. Having taken their places in the back seat,they were whirled away to at last mount a hill by a winding road andstop before a tall gray stone house surrounded by very tall trees.
"My mother and I live here," Danby said. "I should prefer greatersimplicity, but a beautiful old lady you call 'mother' must always behumored." Florence could have loved him for that speech.
She unders
tood more clearly what he meant when, once inside the widereception room, they were met by a butler and a white-capped maidwhisked her away to a spacious bedroom all fitted up with massivefurniture.
Sleep came at once. Before she realized it a rosy dawn ushered inanother day. "What shall this day bring forth?" she murmured as, with achill and a thrill, she leaped from her bed to do a dozen setting-upexercises, and at last to dress herself in her most business-likecostume.
"Mademoiselle the detective," she laughed as she looked in the mirror."I surely don't look the part."