Flying the Coast Skyways; Or, Jack Ralston's Swift Patrol

ssing in

ght flight, Perk continued to watch the flash bea

hings wasn't so dead easy-not a blamed light on earth or in the sky, nawthin' but black stuff every-which-way yeou looked. Naow the guy at the sti

each flash, he could by turning his head, see a far-away swirling gleam marking the light in their rear; while dead

es things up like fun. When some wise guy finds a way to send a ray o' light through the dirty stuff, so's yeou kin see a mile away as if the

here was some sort of queer light almost dead ahead, that he fancied moved mo

didn't dart daown, like it meant to bury itself in the earth. Must be a ship aheadin' this way-mebbe a mail carrier goin' to Atlanta to land on the same Candler Field we jest quitted-yep, th

trange moving light, Perk hastened to inf

called through the aid of the indispensable earph

me steady Jack's answer, as if he were not in th

n, an' crash," ventured Perk, really to coax his

off to starboard a bit, to make doubly sure against a possible collis

g so much racket. The light came closer and closer; at the same time Jack felt positive the other aerial craft

ved up and down; then swung the same completely around his head, as though he thus m

aguely seen by watchful eyes. Then they were swallowed up in the g

tance; "it couldn't happen again in a month o' blue moons, aour comin' to grips thisawa

was wholly responsible. Just like two trains passing on a double-track railroad line-both airships were following the same marked course, and couldn't hardly

hus brought up was so vast, so filled with tremendous possibilit

n their wake. Perk found himself growing more and more anxious for the first streak of coming dawn to show itself far off in

e next beacon, with the aid of his binoculars, if h

air-mail plane, once more Perk caught a suggestive beam of light ahead that told of yet

way. Hi! there, partner, we got a second neighbor, agoin' to pass under us in a minit er so. Jest a bit to the left-no danger o' bangin' noses this time, seems like. Gettin' to be thickly populated, as the ole

as much glee as a schoolboy whirling around his first fire

e's yeou're born! This is gettin' somewhere, I'd say; a

nd how it's a prime part of this business to keep our light hidden under a bushel right along. Others flying for sport, or carrying on in commer

he right-I'm forgettin' most too often what goes to make up a successful officer of the Government, 'special

swinging along with South Carolina soil beneath them. Yes, and he began to figure that he could detect the f

soon; when it's goodbye to the air-mail route, an' us a turnin' aour noses near due south, headin' fo' Charleston on the seaboard, when the real fun is slated to begin. C

med the presence of a city of some magnitude; evidently the first sector