Show ST T GA ZY by RUTH COMFORT MITCHELS MITCHELL copyright D APPLETON CENTURY CO INC SERVICE VICE CHAPTER XI NI continued 12 ed dana put a hand on her der you wanted me to know weil well dont you want me to come to your r wedding dd dad dearl dear well be there all your brothers and I 1 and old penny of course if I 1 I 1 doubt ou if your mother all 1 I know your mother is pretty set in her ideas for all ashes so gentle this thing about duncan I 1 mean goes pretty deep but I 1 want you to know the rest of us the boys and I 1 are satisfied sarah lynn she speak it was a corn com fort to have him go on talking were pretty pret ty proud of you sarah lynn and we like gunnar its fine what the old lady has done for you just now when things are pretty lean with me of course we al ways knew she would remember you substantially and it any surprise to find ashes left everything to you and sally ann well wel make it nice for the boy H hell ell be free to keep right on with wl th the things hes interested in I 1 id d hate h ate to think of his having to keep his nose to the grindstone h he e ss said d he gave her a hard hug and got quickly into his car sarah lynn went for a last walk with miss pennington glon out to their meadow she dreaded it a little but the old governess was briskly corn com mon place 1 I wonder at you really I 1 do she said severely marry ing without a new stitch to bour name it t would have given me pleasure to mark your things I 1 cannot help but feel this haste is unseemly sarah lynn drove herself out to the airport to say good by to her plane and her friends young bills adoring presence beside her he gee sis some ome genole have all the luck he moaned gosh I 1 wish I 1 was going with vou and gun nar bill tins this is a secret ecret cross youl heart well you pet get through I 1 h high school and ill send for you to come over to and learn to fly uee gee he gasped golly hoi zi gotta no boolin fo olin no tooling fooling she pledged him her heart warm arm she did have all the luck all the love she tell felt a great of happa gratitude an ar dent longing to give something away to do something for some body the ladybug was to turl her wings for the present they ex to send her a while vance le roy was to keep her as the apple of his eye old pete on guard as well A group gathered about her vance le roy old pete the mechanics chani cs a few fliers and students to tell her goodby good by to wish her happy landings kitty medill was standing alone by her shabby ship kit poor kit she abe remembered had been grounded three months for discipline and had just been permitted to fly again sarah lynn waved and kit answered sullenly boy gasped a student flier are they going to hop the ocean the two of em not doing any broadcast ing g vance le roy rov g le roy rov growled sarah lynn walked over to the stunt woman hello kitty im so glad to see you cool dark slim immaculate offering her hand the hand kit gave in return was smeared wit with h grease and ha had d a look of chronic as well as temporary sol soil bw but the he nails were a gleaming pink well im glad glad lm im pretty darn sick of being in the we doghouse want what do they me to do fly this old crate like I 1 was s pushing round a baby buggy the we park and now I 1 can have my blue lue dishes again if I 1 promise to be 66 a good little girl and play gen clyl the heels look at those guys over ver there now watching us thin think kIwas 1 was poison ivy dont want th their ir abig angel ea child to catch anything on off me everybody high hatting me and oh not everyone kitty I 1 im glad t to see you im glad I 1 can say goodby good by to you I 1 were flying past east 1 veah h big swede in a fireman s li atit sarah lynn laughed he wear it any more kit and its noray way not all 11 right all at t right let it go that lal but ut for all your soft line you daiil hot hoo with me on a bet would you sure you there was authentic bitterness in the high voice why yes I 1 would kitty sarah 1 lynn said her voice warm 1 I must be home in a little while but id love to go up for a spin with you ive never flown with you have I 1 but ive seen your stunts in pic buies and I 1 think youre wonderfully wonder full bill she called to her hovering brother you wait for me IU ill be down in a jiffy well lets make it fast ast then the stunt flier said she taxied down the field and took off smartly sarah lynn thought the inside of the ship looked a good deal like its pilot shabby hectic not quite clean kitty is your husband she began conscientiously chatty husband listen all men are dogs she was circling the field she looked down 1 I bet this burns em up that bunch down there you flying with poison ivy she began a sudden and reckless climb I 1 no kit why should it but sarah lynn had an uneasy conviction that gunnar and conrad jordan would sternly disapprove she kne knew w their feeling about the kitty medill medil type Y R of flier why had she come el sla they h e y say ey ive lost my nerve say im all washed up well im not im aust as good as I 1 ever was ill k aya t rn an 1 Y if W lit 1 I ak high hatting rne and show em the small smal face seemed wholly composed of sulky MO mouth uth and stubborn jaw ill show em right t now hang on kid were going t to 0 the circus she allowed her plane to stall in level flight held her joy stick back and her rudder on and went into a violent tailspin sarah lynns heart turned over and over she clutched and clung thanking her stars that gunnar was not watching could the madcap mad cap recover what were the men thinking down on the field her friends kit closed her throttle pulled back on her stick regained her flying speed straightened out smoothly smooth y a brilliant performance she gr grinned ned at her passenger all washed up am 1 I of course not youre marvelous thrill kit bt but it that was a gorgeous I 1 believe wed better go down now oh lets take a little ride they were shooting skyward again why dont you come up sometime she leveled off and headed for the hills sarah lynn took pains to speak pleasantly casually kit this has been great fun and ill bear witness that youre a wonder but I 1 really must be getting back my brothers waiting and I 1 have a hundred things to do before we leave she held the ship doggedly to Us its say listen id be doing course a big favor favor if I 1 never flow you you you take it fireman back to your irom from me a all 11 heels I 1 could book bout about em babe all write a alike from that ace of yours to the lirty deuce I 1 drew I 1 sarah lynn achieved a lau laugh gh rut but lust just the same I 1 must n iusi be oe ge get gei t rut but lust just the same n iusi burjust kit she was f fighting a tj ting rig honne me anxiety her eyes on swiftly growing the instrument panel her ears lis earnestly to the motor there bening she was something about it like an alien sound tow low over the they were flying mountains now 1 remember that night in fres baled you out no when the fireman like a sack ck of mail 1 I do kitty and how kind you were to me ill never forget it ive never stopped being grateful and ive always hoped I 1 could do something for you sometime she forced herself to speak steadily well you squared it all right when you hopped with me just now showing those bums you had confidence she broke off frowning stark terror laid hold of sarah lynn kit the matter let me fly herl her here let met me kit wrong just everything all the stunt flier said her voice rasped and shrill just every everything thin 9 in the world well what do we care babel stand by for a crash CHAPTER XII kitty medill crawled slowly and painfully out of the wreckage her clothing was grotesquely torn and blood ran brightly from cuts on her face and body she limped ily to a large flat rock at a little distance and sat down her hands over her eyes shaking whimpering cursing she kept herself resolutely blindfolded its just a lousy dream she told herself just a nightmare like when you eat something awful pretty soon ill wake up she S pressed her hands tighter over her eyes 1 I wont look im not going to look till til im sure im awake just a lousy dream I 1 nev ei took her up I 1 never she was on her feet reeling back to the remnants of her plane she screamed when she saw what she was looking for sarah lynn was pinned to the ground face downward one hand flung clear an olive skinned suntanned sun tanned hand delicately muscular and thin with faintly pink nails in the midst of breakage and tragedy that hand looked normal and comfortable and unworried youre not dead the flier addressed her harshly youre not dead I 1 wont let you be dead do you hear sarah lynn did not hear kitty medill began to weep wildly she got down to he her r knees and touched the hand 1 I 1 told you you dead she triumphed now all I 1 got to do is drag you out she began a slow and thorough investigation the weight rest ing on sarah lynns back was utterly impossible for her to move even the fraction of an inch an and d it held her like a vise from her shoulders to her hips one arm was under her the other her legs her head were free of encumbrance well all to the good kit continued to talk to her all I 1 got to do is find something I 1 can use to pry that junk loose so you can wriggle out she stood erect and walked unsteadily away they were on a ledge in a canyon with mountain crests rising all about them one higher than the rest she thought must be mount named in the ind indian ian days there were no trees she stood on a rock to look there was absolutely hothir nothing ig which she could use as a lever to pry the load off sarah lynn she walked back to the smashed ship and to took ok stock exploration discovered her flask half full of whiskey matches four sandwiches sandi in a tin box she set her treasures together on a flat stone and turned at a sound sarah lynn was moan ing K kitty iffy medill ran to her hello babe okeh kit a faint whisper came kits right here my back could you lift kit swallowed hard well you see kid its pretty prett Y heavy I 1 cant qubie quite cut the mustard alone but be along now most any time and well have you out be tore fore you know it all right another sighing whisper answered sure we will they we were re watch ing us all those birds at the field they know the course I 1 took and when we dont show up be she thought sarah out after us lynn was asleep the whisper came again kit right here my back you lift it a little she would try she told her she did try frantically futilely tuti lely strain ing until she was crimson and gasp ing see cant make the grade but just as soon as the boys get gel here and bring tools and ev grything ery thing her passenger did not appear to be listening after an interval she said water 1 ie the stunt flier managed a very good laugh well the joker have any on board and I 1 cl assent go barging around looking for a spring and get lost in the dark but ill tell you what I 1 have got she retrieved the flask no more water round here than find in a speak but a lil ell swig of do you more good anyway 1 she crawled as close as possible to sarah lynn slid an arm beneath her head managed to lift it a few inches and held the liquor flask to her lips but she coughed and choked well for petes sake dont waste well anyway im going to put my handkerchief under your face keep it off the dirt she smoothed the square of soiled pink linen and spread it beneath the bruised cheek 1 I betcher that feels better belter she stood up and lookia looked down at her for a long moment its just your back caught babe arms and legs okeh might be a good idea to move your legs once in a while you know exercise em try it will you sarah lynn was motionless go on kid just to please me move your legs sarah lynn said are you sure my are there I 1 dont think I 1 have any legs all right kit said after a pause let it go grobly better to just lay still and rest anyhow till til they come for you why ill bet tumbling out to hunt already planes and people on horseback and boy scouts and everything dont you fret I 1 got you into this jam and ill get you out of it sure the posses out now ill bet to rescue you and to string me up well see if I 1 care she sat down as near to her as ais she could get and took hold of the one free hand dusk tilled the canyon gee it gets dark fast up here like dropping a curtain or switching off a light well all right sooner its night the sooner be morning just dont you fret yourself babe you hear me 7 dont you worry 1 I 1 wont the whisper answered A bird somewhere above them began a plaintive call which consisted ot of small sad notes dropped down in groups of four over and over oh cut that out will you kitt kitty Y medill demanded we heard you the first time when it was completely dark a cold wind came up and there began to be countless queer and disturbing night noises she could identify the howling of coyotes but they seemed to be a comfortable distance away it was the fluttering the creeping and crawling close by which filled her with ack terror owls called eerily to each other occasionally she struck a precious match to look at sarah lynn and twice she was able to break off bits of a sandwich and get her to swallow but what she wanted was water kit wanted it herself that slay you she thought me craving water water when she found it was useless to try to make sarah lynn talk she put her head down on her knees and slept in broken snatches good idea for both of them to get their test lest the big swede would be after them by daybreak and after them was right two ways the world was bright with morning light long before the sun made its way into their canyon kit yawned dawned and stretched and got cot stiffly to her teet feet it was crisp and cold and quiet and the sky was serenely blue sarah lynn seemed to be talking to herself well good morning kit said raggedly it if what you call it but its got the night beat a million miles anyhow and li listen steril listen Liste rif planes she began to dance up and down to cry and to laugh babe dont you hear em 7 gee there they are planes flying over asil us she waved and screamed wildly but the ships passed over and were gone though they could still hear thern them TO ITO HE BE |