Show oDy 4 j ARTHUR By STRINGER w r I land TIIE onY so FAR FAIL To save Nor has hAl rom 2 T bankruptcy a ogre L re Slade t have bare hIs Ul Partner Alan 9 Hy y a fr called so-called scientist named the Fray rane iT l to the tte e tt In search careb of b Dr e Ung g ground onne of the trumpeter r swan 7 SUde des de's application for overseas service ce with the army air corps has bas been n rejected but he Is less disappointed e wh when en he ben learns that th the thc c company c canh can an tta stay b y 7 la to I business thanks to their client who h has paid ale enough h to en enable ble Cruger r to buy D y a new plane a Lockheed And Ancl he c M is s pleased when Cruger Cruder tells hImin him himIn In th that T Lynn daughter of the ayn fly ay lag Padre is not going abroad with her ber n fled eel Cross unit Slade meets Lynn In Jn town and ane toes goes oes with her to help belp a man who has hu been wounded In a fight fight- The wounded man turns tarns out to be Slim SUm Turn Turn- stead ad a a. flyer who ha has bas lost hIs Us license for lor drinking and ane who Is little littie better than thann an n outlaw Now continue with the story CHAPTER HI m Slade pressed closer as the yel low faced man wiping his hands on his Ws apron hurried out The pock marked man righted the table end and d chairs as Lynn busied herself loading a hypodermic I How is he asked Slade Hes tHes all aU right was the cool not cool noted not not- ed response But theres there's a three- three Inch skull ull cut well we'll have to close up How did you get it Slims Slim's lips Ups twitched But he remained remained re re- silent How about a drink first he suggested as Lynn turned back to him Youve had enough already she said quietly impersonal Who gave you that jab persisted persisted per per- silted Slade The look of ot the room clearly proclaimed that the fight had been a regal one Slim sUm still declined to speak It was the pockmarked pock man in the doorway doorway doorway door door- way who broke the silence He got it from Wolf Winston croaked the indignant landlord And its it's another free-for-all free chalked up against this place o 0 omine omine mine Quiet please was Lynns Lynn's cool cool- noted admonition Wolf Winston Slade remembered was a whisky-runner whisky who'd repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly repeat repeat- edly proved his adroitness at evading evading evad evade ing the outstretched arm of the law He also recalled that Slim once the crack flyer for Colonial had been twice grounded for drinking on duty Still later he had been linked up with Edmonton Scottys Scotty's activities as asa asa asa a high grader And there'd been a rumor or two that of late hed he'd been running contraband liquor in from the coast ports Slade felt sorry for just justas as he would feel sorry for any manof man manof of ot promise who threw away his chances Among flyers he knew there was a freemasonry masonry that madel made l you f forget a confreres confrere's passing faults But for a year now Slim had seemed stubbornly headed for trouble This is going to hurt a little Lynn was saying as she sterilized a bullet probe bullet probe but weve we've got to tomake tomake tomake make sure theres there's no glass in that J cut before we close it up A drink would help a little i Slim once more suggested You can have a cigarette she conceded when I 1 put the stitches in Slade produced the cigarette and held out his bis lighter Slim looked up at him with an eye that was still indifferently de So the big boys took it away from rom you he observed Took what away asked Slade resenting the note of mockery That little tinhorn tin outfit of ot yours I 1 hear bear youre you're folding up Not on your life countered Slade Weve got a new ship and were we're going stronger than ever 1 The went out of Turn Turn- stead's eye So youve you've got a new ship That's certainly worth remembering Why challenged Slade shrugged Oh Ob I 1 kind o of thought Bought the big fight had bad brought a famine in ships over here Does that mean youre you're going tp weep c on n to flying B thE e Ice e r routes I 1 am arrU am proclaimed Slade YOu change your tune Slim said said when you get the same dirty deal deal I 1 go got from ColoniaL Slade backed away way a little He had bad the natural pride of the flyer Oyer in flying A And d the tho thought Bought that one of th the best in the service could swing BO so far off off center center gave him a sinking feeling I q 1 thought it was the other r way he be observed round und r ro roSli Slims Shins Sli S 'S eye flash of hostility did not the younger pilot cs escape cape Oh Ob I g go my own way th the e man manthe the the couch announced with a laught laugh without bitterness But not t was that thata a at t note ote of desolation in the voice brought a a surge of pity through b r Slade Slade- who spoke n It was Lynn next you ought to have a week of she De observed as she encircled rest rf res A her patients patient's head with with a white coed cled cle ae bandage that gave him him the theair theof e g gaUZ wearing a crown slightly of f air a til echoed hoed His Hish B Best st v h w was s thin yet scornful I cant can't laug ai d t tto to o rest lady Ive I've got things do do doto to toL glanced a about bout at the blood blood- L Lynn stained fined furniture lure YOuve lost a good deal of ot blood And d you'll need a new newa ember rem or two What in a n day rg I r l t li I Nf I v f fl T l Youve had enough already she said quietly Impersonal you'd better do Is see Sister Nadeau over at St. St Gabriels When asked the man with the bandaged head Tomorrow or next day said Lynn as she closed her bag and stood upI upI up I 1 wont won't be be- be But for some reason left that sentence unfinished He shrugged and glanced at Slade Then his half mocking half mocking gaze went back to Lynn Id Td rather have you do my dressing dressing dressing dress dress- ing tomorrow he said as he reached for her hand Slade was I nettled at the open insolence In that gesture she done enough for you ou he demanded lifted a languid eye to his fellow Is she letting you make her decisions decisions de de- de he inquired The derisive note in that inquiry brought Slades Slade's gaze about to the girls girl's face But Butin Butin Butin in that face he found nothing to help him aim frame an answer Lets go goLynn Lynn said said- with her first sign of impatience stretched out full full- length on his couch looked after them as they moved toward the door Since youre you're going he said still casually Insolent which way are you heading I 1 mean you Slade The younger flyer swung about and studied the blanched face under its swathing bandages Im flying into the country tomorrow he announced lips made a whistling sound So they hooked you for that a t flight Slade looking down could see seethe seethe seethe the older pilot smiling up at the ceiling What do you know about it he demanded continued to blink up at the ceiling Not a thing son not a thing he answered with a listless sort of indifference His movement as he turned to the wall was plainly one of dismissal Slade felt happier when he found himself in the open sunlight the scented balsam open sunlight of spring with Lynn walking along at athis athis his ais side She was close beside him yet he nursed an impression of her ber remoteness And that Impression took on an edging of pain as some inner voice told him she was the theone theone theone one thing in all the wide world he wanted So youre you're not going overseas he tie ventured as he noticed how the sunlight gave glints of gold to her mahogany brown hair No Im I'm going to meet Father at St. St Gabriels Gabriel's she answered casually casually casu ally having discerned a light In his eyes which she found a little dis dis- dis She was he knew evading the thereal thereal thereal real issue And after that he prompted Im flying north with Father inthe In Inthe inthe the morning she announced She found the courage as she said it it to meet his gaze What made you change your mind asked Slade puzzled by her loyalty to a life llie that was giving her so little of what other women clamored clamored clamored clam clam- ored for Father isn't young any more He cant can't keep on forever I was hoping hoping hop hop- ing hed he'd give up a sort of ot work that's too hard for him And too hard for you proclaimed pro claimed Slade He was remembering remember remember- ing at the thc moment how bow she and the Flying Padre had been grounded by bya a blizzard the winter before and had kept life in their bodies by dining din ing on their own mukluks of un un- tanned sealskin well boiled i That Slade told himself was no life for a girl She was of too fine a fiber for such frontier roughness It impressed him as too much like trying try ing to grow a flower in a stamping mill Did your father tather ask you to stay on Slade questioned question d. d Hed never do that was her prompt reply Hes too big and fine to let his own interests come first Of course said Slade wondering wondering wondering wonder wonder- ing i if there was a hidden reproof in that reply But I was hoping Lynn continued con that Father would give up flying and settle down Slades Slade's smile was brief and slightly slight ly bitter That he affirmed is something something some thing not easy t to get out of at your yoUl system have to some day sh she e reminded him He seemed to catch a faint glimmer glimmer glim mer of hope from that Theres only one thing he said could ever turn me into a chair chair- warmer What she asked You he answered with unexpected unexpected grimness She did not look up at him But she quickened her stride a little I thought we weren't going Into that again He knew it was useless to argue the point But that newer look ol of firmness in her face brought an answering answering an an- firmness to his own slightly rebellious lips For at the back of ol his mind lurked a suspicion that thai more and more refused to stay down Were you going to the front because because be be- cause Barrett Walden was there he asked It was his effort to keep all trace of bitterness out of his voice apparently that brought a 8 j small and womanly smile to Lynns Lynn's 3 lips Barrett Walden's not at the front she said Hes in an Instruction Instruction In In- camp at Aldershot But he wanted you to go overseas overseas over over- seas pursued her none too happy companion Barretts been a very good friend j to Father Hes He's never forgotten that Dad saved his life and and and- And you were his nurse at Fort St. St John for four weeks cut In Inthe Inthe 1 th the unhappy Slade Father Lynn was saying Is ls very fond of Barrett And Barrett feels the same way about the Padre She walked on in silence for fora r a moment moment- Hes been trying to get him a berth in the Department of Mines at Ottawa Where hed he'd mope like a caged eagle was Slades Slade's slightly embittered embittered comment Hes not the moping kind pro pro- protested protested tested the girl Slade made no comment on that He remembered the flash of fire from those same eyes when he had bad once spoken of ot the Flying Padres Padre's occupation as quixotic A flyer never wants to give up he observed Lynn came to a stop The face she turned to her companion was a clouded one i what frightens me Alan I she quietly acknowledged They dont don't always stop in time The Padre knows the ropes allright allright all allright right Slade protested But something happened last month the girl was saying when we were flying in fn to Coronation It 11 was good weather and everything was going nicely with Father at the controls Then I saw that something something something some some- thing was wrong I 1 had to jump in inand inand inand and straighten out the ship Father all of a sudden didn't know where he be was Everything went blank for a moment or two He said la lat later later lat lat- t. t er it was like a switch turned off oll olland and then turned on again But things like that mustn't happen to a flyer Slade shrugged and smiled mercifully mercifully merci fully Intent on easing casing the concern out of her eyes Theres many a bush flyer gets overtired tired he casually affirmed what Father said He claimed hed he'd been careless about his eating and had been going too hard But when I saw him with those g empty eyes and that cold sweat on his face I knew it went deeper than he pretended Slade forced a laugh Hes clipped many a cloud since then And hell he'll keep going until they ground him for old age The clouded hazel eyes searched his face But cant can't you see Alan what Im I'm fighting for Cant Can't you understand understand understand under under- stand how we all want security How when we love someone we have to think of his future Slade looked down Into the hazel eyes Their loveliness sent a wave of at recklessness through him Its your future Id I'd rather think of he asserted But the girl with the clouded eyes didn't seem to hear him Im all Father has now TO BE DE CONTINUED |