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Show to fly in a tailwind. So he decided that every student he ot was going to qualify-- or else. "It became almost an obsession with hilh. - Each new student was an enemy he had to beat. He .took it for granted they were all It . .against him. all trying to spoil his record.. was about that time he got this ground-sh- y youngster. Everybody else had given up on Kim. He was a perfectly good flyer except for this instructor figured, that one thing-an- d them all up."that here was a chance (Well, here it comes, I thought, and found myself hoping that it would work, whatever it was he was trying to get across. The Colonel leaned back. "As I remember it. he was prettv loud about saying that he was him trying-anath- at wa&4ut about the way he felt about it. He did one other thing.He told a'few people Just how he planned to do it. It was pretty drastic treatment. In those days a trainer had dual controls front and back. This fpllow intpnripd tn diseneaee his stick and throw it overboard. The student would then have to land the plane- or, 'if. the treatment failed -- bail out. Of course, not wishing to take too much of a chance, the instructor planned in to hide an extra stick in his cockpit-ju- st case." The Colonel got .out his cigarettes and of- fered them around. Tayloe took one and accepted theColonel's light. Matthewson refused with a gesture and resumed his vigil at the . . to-sho- " - . . - window. the-fiel- - "I moy bo a dirty frying Mattfivwtoa said bitterly, "but I'm not a psychiatrist. For my monoy, h just can't fly!" wot-nuno- ," i. ( 1 Illustrated by'Wm. Von Roigon going to say something, more. He didn't, but' itwas perfectly plain to see what he was think4ng..He stuck his head out the door and yelled to the orderly in the next room. The three of us waited there. The Colonel had gone back to his papers. Matthewson was and staring out of the window, his asface dark the minutes sulky, getting more impatient dragged past. When Tayloe came in I realized that I knew him. He was an engaging kid that I'd noticed half a dozen times around the field. "Hello, Tayloe. Matthewson tells me you're having a little trouble getting onth ground." The kid didn't say anything, but his eyes swiveled to Matthewson. It was a strange look, full of anger-a- nd yet a queer sort of hurt. too. Matthewson kept his back turned. I could see his face from where I sat and I could tell that he wasn't enjoying It any more than I was. "Sit down, won't you? What seems Xo be the matter?" Tayloe waited a moment before he spoke and even then his voice wasn't quite steady. "I have nothing to say, sir." "Humm. I see. Nothing at all." TheColonel that your instructor paused. "You're satisjled . was adequate?" This time Matthewson Wouldn't help himself. He swung around abruptly. His eyes met "Tayloe's for a second. "I'm satisfied, sir," Tayloe said slowly. " -- . . the Colonel said, mildly, "suppose we have him in and see what the boy has to say for himself?" I thought for a minute that Matthewson was "Well," "Texas boy, aren't you?" the Colonel asked. All of us looked at him. He was leaning back in his chair, his eyesjon the ceiling. "Why, yes sir. Lam." "This ground-shyneis af unny thing. I an old story ahout it that came out of Texas, It's.been told a thousand times. Stop me if you've heard it." Matthewson moved impatiently and sighed ' , audibly. : "Am I keeping you, Matthewson?"! I knew that tone and so did Matthewson. Even at that I thought, he was going to make some excuse to get away. He started to say something, stopped, and then said; "No, sir, f not at. all." Colonel looked as at if the The ceiling again . he were trying to remember'. "It was Just after the First World War. There ' was a man down there who'd been quite a lad on the other side. When the show was over there wasn't much for a regular Army flyer to do-s-o they made him an instructor." The Colonel chuckled. "It was quite a comedown for him, at that-fro- m hero to practically overnight-t- o use your phrase, Matthewson." "At first ne. took it out on his students," the Colonel went on. "He'd wash them out for breathing hard. Everybody thought he'd chuck .out of the it after a while-g- et around the country as so many' of them did in those days. And he would have, too, if it hadn't been for one thing. Somebody got him mad. Somebody told him that the Job was too big for him, that he couldnt teach a buzzard ; - ; ; ss : i se " - . i Army-barnsto- rm - U w A..- . - ( J .', : wet-nur- d 1 L ' '. . , was there to watch "Everybody at it. They got up there and the instructor eave a few riand'Sipnals to get. the boy warmed up. Then he leaned down, disengaged his stick, threw it over the side and gave- the signal to land. Then he turned around to see how the . youngster wasHaking it. "Well, he had failed to consider one thing. Those boys were taught to follow every movement an instructor made, no matter what. So he really shouldn't have been surprised when c ctnHont tho I , r con (tut fH inn ML lanf. W(. OtllUV Kitll'.LrU IIU, hi ct irV and tossed it out. Of course, he grattbed for the extra stick he brought along and he was really surprised when he found it wasn't there. The shock must have, rattled him because he bailed out without ..even waiting for his student." ' I started t4 laugh and caught myself: No one else seemed tojhink it was funny. "This story never would have been told if that student hadn't been a very exceptional young man. You see. someone had tipped him off. So he took the instructor's extra stick and put it in his own cockpit. Believe it or not he broueht that plane down in as pretty a three- point landing as you'd ever hope to see." No one .said anythrR:The Colonel made a cathedral of his hands and devoted all his interest to placing his fingers precisely tip to tip. Young Tayloe cleared his. throat twice before he spoke. "Sir, I'd like to ask a favor."" "Go right ahead." VI'd like to solo. Now. Right away- - as soon as I can get a ship ready, sir." "Hummm." the Colonel said. "That's entirely up to your instructor, you know." He looked at Matthewson, waiting for him to say something. Matthewson's eyes went from ofie to the other. I could see the spot he was in. I won-- ? dered what I would do in his place. Suddenly he grinned. "Sure," he said. "Go ahead. What do I care no skin oS rr.y if you break your neck? It's nose." , It took Tayloe a second, buLh did it. He . grinned back at Matthewson before he headed for the door. Matthewson followed him, and I got up too. I figured that maybe 1 could slip out unnoticed!.! was right behind him when he stopped and turned, so I stumbled all over him. He complicated my exit a bit, but I managed it all right, finally. Behind me Matthewson said to the Colonel, "Texas boy, arent you?" I could hear him chuckling all the way down the hall. ( - - m. - |