W. Crispin Sheppard

“ Ogden frequently glanced at his passenger, and judged from his expression that he felt no fear or nervousness.
The biplane gradually turned in a wide circle—the planes tipped slightly, just enough, it seemed, to add a spice of danger—and they were headed back in the direction of Lone Pine.
To the aviator the flight was one of the lowest he had ever taken, yet to Bob the altitude appeared unpleasantly high, causing him more than once to clutch the stout leather strap which held him securely to his seat.
Speed such as an aeroplane makes seems to simply annihilate distance. ”

“ A strong cross-current of wind suddenly wobbled the planes, causing the aillerons to flop anew. The broad prairie had been left behind; they were flying over a chain of rugged [237] foot-hills. The aviator could see, far below, deep gorges, masses of reddish rock, and green forests passing by in kaleidoscopic fashion.
The mountain ahead, forming a stern and forbidding-looking barrier, rose high above them; and it was now apparent that the snow-capped peak, which glistened strangely white in the darkening atmosphere, reared itself immediately beyond.
“Ah ha!” muttered Bob. ”

“ Then thoughts of Tom Clifton, and what Tom Clifton might say, if he could see him perched so ridiculously high in the air, flashed into his mind. They did him more good than almost anything else could have done.
“I’ll just make old Dr. Thomas Cliffy open his eyes,” he decided. “He’ll think I’m a bird, all right. I’d like to be a bird for about five minutes.”
As he started to lower himself from rung to rung, the ladder began to sway, while gusts of wind blew against him with a force that made his heart flutter. ”

“ The balloon answered to the slightest movement of the helm, forcing its way against the wind, or rising and descending when the levers which controlled the balancing device were operated.
“It’s simply stunning!” cried Willie. “Please don’t sail back just yet, Major Carroll.”
“We’ll take a short trip across the prairie,” replied the aeronaut, with a smile.
As they rose still higher a stronger current of air was encountered. The engine pounding away at full speed, and the steady wind, now at its back, sent the “Border City” through the air with a rapid but easy gliding motion. ”

“ The pounding of horses’ hoofs, together with the whoops of six lusty-voiced boys, quickly roused the ranch-house. The heavy oaken [94] door began to creak on its hinges, and before the bronchos had cantered up three men appeared on the steps.
“Hooray for the Lone Piners!” yelled Cranny, taking off his sombrero and waving it vigorously. “Good-morning! Whoop! Here we are again!”
“So I see, and just as lively as ever,” responded the youngest of the trio, smiling with pleasure. “Boys, we extend a most hearty welcome. The plains have seemed mighty dull since you left.” ”

“ The Sloan-Clifton feud was at an end.
“Well, it certainly beats the dickens how things have turned out,” remarked Cranny. “Why, here is Willie, who was just sent out here to get livened up, an’——”
It wasn’t in the big lad’s nature to speak in a whisper. Major Carroll overheard.
“Yes,” he said, “Willie has livened up. I predict that some day he will surprise us.”
The boy glanced proudly toward Mr. Sharswood.
“I believe that if every young fellow could find out just what he is especially fitted for in life the percentage of failures would be much less,” said Major Carroll. ”

“ Cranny snorted with disgust.
“Why, you’d have the grandest time you ever had in your life,” he said, “and——”
“I mightn’t like the crowd,” declared Willie, calmly. “And say: don’t those chaps sleep out on the grass; and cook by moonlight?—I mean by the light of the moon. And ride bronchos? And shoot grizzlies? and all that sort of thing? You told me they did, Cran. Well, that’s not my style. A nice little room and three square meals a day is good enough for me.”
“Then you don’t care to go?” asked Mr. Beaumont.
“Oh, I’m not sure,” answered Willie, indifferently. ”

“ Occasionally a bellowing came over the air. Several times he saw great steers pawing the ground and eying the approaching vehicle with an air of defiance.
“Ginger! Wouldn’t it be awful if some o’ those ugly brutes should happen to bump into us,” he thought. “Humph! Cran and the others are getting away ahead.”
The sunlight was now enveloping the prairie [120] in a golden glow, while the cattle sent long purplish shadows over the ground.
“Have they lost you, Jed?” spoke up Willie, suddenly.
Crack! The whip snapped and the buckboard increased its speed, until Willie fairly held his breath. ”

“ Beyond the furthermost crags, a broad gray expanse of plain, looking like the sea, stretched off, to finally merge imperceptibly into the gloomy sky.
“Ah ha; that’s it!” muttered Cranny. “Foxy chap, that; won’t give up—expects to get his engine going. Knows he’ll clear the mountains, and be able to descend on the other side.”
He looked toward the “Border City,” now sweeping majestically above the first summit.
[247] Bob Somers shut off as much power as he dared. Already the biplane had begun to rock, tremble, or wobble in the grip of deflected currents of wind. ”

“ Tim Lovell had made a special effort to be friendly, only to find himself rebuffed.
“I won’t go back to that old farmhouse,” declared Willie, one evening, to Cranny.
The big lad pleaded and coaxed.
“Think of the fun you’ll have in that machine shop,” he remarked.
“So I might—if those air-ship duffers weren’t there,” said Willie, calmly. “Didn’t I see ’em with a don’t-touch look in their eyes all the time? Say, Cran, why couldn’t a fellow fly to the moon in an air-ship—a balloon, I mean?”
“Ask Major Carroll, when you make his acquaintance.”
“My! Your ignorance is something awful.” ”

“ The stout boy paused.
“Think what?” asked Bob.
“That from the way Cranny and his father talked Willie knew well enough they considered him stupid.”
“And upon certain natures——”
“Such a course has a bad effect,” interrupted Dave. “Encouragement does wonders; tell a chap he’s doing well, and it often spurs him on to greater efforts.”
“A little boost puts him on top of the fence,” grinned Dick.
“Now, as Mr. Beaumont was good enough to think we could liven up Willie Sloan, it’s about time that something was done.” ”

“ When the “Border City” came to an even keel again the hangar was far below.
“We have reached an altitude of about a thousand feet,” explained Major Carroll, who was at the wheel.
“If the balloon goes much higher it’ll be cloud-scrapin’,” murmured Willie. Then he added, to himself: “After this, those dubs at Lone Pine won’t think I’m afraid of everything.”
Entranced by the view, he gazed earnestly out of the mica-covered window. The town [258] lay off to one side, a scattered group of houses on the dark, loam-covered prairie. ”

“ The big hull assumed a spectral look, and the gloom was like that of approaching night.
The shadowy figures were presently standing by his side, peering over the rail.
“It’s gettin’ thicker, Major,” said Kindale.
“I think this cloud will soon pass by.” Major Carroll laid his hand upon Willie’s shoulder. “Don’t be frightened, my lad,” he said.
“I am, though. Are we going to stay up here all day?”
“I hope not. Let’s get busy, Kindale.”
The men walked to the windlass around which the cable was wound. ”

“ With his forehead knit into a tremendous frown, the boy presently rose to his feet.
“Want to take a walk, Willie?” he inquired.
“Say, did you ever hear of a chap gettin’ moonstruck?” asked Willie. “It’s shining something awful to-night.”
“That’s more’n you are,” retorted Cranny. “Coming? Good-bye, dad! We won’t be long.”
[39] Once safely outside of hearing distance the big lad began to talk earnestly. He painted the most alluring pictures of life at Circle T Ranch; and poured into Willie’s ears a most glowing account of the Ramblers and their exploits. ”

“ Cranny gazed fixedly at the diminutive figure. “All right for you!” he snapped. Then, fearful that Willie might say something which would set the crowd to laughing at him, he stalked away in disgust.
All too soon came the time for the Rambler boys to go.
As Bob turned toward the door, Willie’s voice rose above the others.
“I say, Ramblers,” he remarked, “don’t you want to stay in the hay-loft? Nice place up there.” He jerked his finger in the direction of the stable and garage. “Ought to seem natural. I guess your bunch sleeps on the grass most of the time, doesn’t it?” ”

“ Cranny ran a close second to Willie Sloan in his lack of attention to business that afternoon. He found it almost impossible to keep his mind on the dry details of office work, for entrancing pictures of Circle T Ranch and the cow-punchers would persist in passing before his mental vision.
“Think of the great sport that bunch is going to have,” he murmured. “Gee! It’s enough to make a chap——”
A quick step in the corridor, the rattle of the knob as the door flew open, and the appearance [23] of a stout, florid-faced man brought his wandering thoughts back with startling abruptness. ”

“ Gee! I don’t believe that careless driver’ll ever let us reach the farmhouse alive.”
Presently the prairie opened out before them, hemmed in by a line of hills. Over its broad, flat surface the buckboard traveled at a rattling pace. The boys on the bronchos rode far in advance, their shouts of glee often flung to the air. By the time the vehicle had crossed a rocky pass in the hills the riders were no longer in sight.
Within a short time Jed was driving close to great herds of cattle, some browsing amidst the buffalo grass, while others ambled slowly through fields of tumbleweed. ”

“ The towering pinnacle of old Eagles’ Peak loomed up nearer; the snowy surface began to reveal its bald, rugged forms, its precipitous slopes and glittering rocks.
But even the wonderful panorama and the [286] thrills of flying at a tremendous speed could not relieve the intense feeling of anxiety which the aviator and his companion experienced. Their eyes continually roved over the landscape for any signs of the “Border City.”
“We’re likely to learn something mighty soon,” murmured Bob. “Whew, but it’s getting cold.” ”

“ One afternoon the mechanics, and several assistants requisitioned from a crowd which usually lounged about the hangar, began to haul forth the great balloon.
A cheer came from the crowd when the cigar-shaped air-ship, weighted with bags of sand, and held captive by means of ropes, rested outside the building.
Willie pleaded earnestly to be allowed to ascend.
“But won’t you be afraid?” asked the Major.
“No indeed! It isn’t like an air-skimmer; there’s a solid floor to stand on.”
“There is only a moderate breeze blowing,” explained the Major. ”

“ In another direction, however, the prairie was covered with a growth of buffalo grass and occasional clumps of trees. Over this rich feeding ground Mr. Follett’s immense herds of longhorns roamed for miles and miles, even beyond Lone Pine Ranch. Standing isolated on the broad plain, the appearance of the solid ranch-house was strongly suggestive of the early pioneer days and Indian warfare. Close by stood a long, low building formerly used as a stable, and encircling both was a high stockade. ”

“ After an hour’s [296] steady march, the rugged heights still looked discouragingly distant.
“Oh, for the ‘Ogden II’ again, Cranny!” sang out Bob.
“It certainly does spoil a chap for traveling like a snail,” grumbled the big lad, wiping his perspiring face.
The scenery was wild and impressive. Lofty peaks and gigantic crags loomed up on every hand. Fallen tree trunks and other obstructions seemed to challenge their efforts to advance. But the cowboys always found a way to master all difficulties, and by noon the bronchos clattered upon a slope which rose to a dizzy height above them. ”

“ He was getting stale in Tacoma. Did you speak, Mr. Clifton?”
“Not to you, William,” returned Tommy, freezingly. “Bob, I can see the Black Bear Hotel now.”
“And the Cattlemen’s Retreat, too,” shouted Cranny. “Whoop! Don’t let the cow-punchers scare you, Willie. There’s always some loafing around.”
Another rasping whistle came over the air as the train began to slacken its speed. Straight ahead, the boys could see the shining steel rails disappear beneath a train shed, while above the roof rose a slender tower. The platform was crowded.
“My goodness, how different from the Border City we knew!” ”

“ Cranny Beaumont explained.
“If I ever cross that blooming prairie again, I’ll know it; and so will every one else,” grumbled Willie Sloan, hopping out of the buckboard before it had stopped. “Goodness gracious, Warren, you don’t know how to drive. Say, Cran, I don’t wonder, now, that they punch the cattle, if the beasts are all as ugly as those we passed. Mr. Ogden? Glad to meet you, sir; and you too, sirs. Haven’t they got the longest horns? Oh, my, I mean the cattle, of course. Anyone injured yet, Mr. Clifton? Going in the old farmhouse, eh? ”