As he turned to his right, his eyes met those of Steve Graham’s. The ostentatious Graham, decidedly pleased with himself, purposely polished off his silver wings with the palm of his hand for no other reason than to make Lefty conscious once more of his failure to pass the solo test. “Wish you had a pair?” he yelled over to Phelps, mockingly. “Though if you got them, you’d probably put them on backward!” Lefty made a quick move in the direction toward Steve, determined to close this obnoxious pilot’s mouth for once and for all, but Panama intervened by stepping in front of him. “Keep your shirt on! Do you want to be sent to the brig?” he whispered, then looking over his shoulder, called aloud to the annoying Marine: “Better not polish them wings too often, Graham. You’re liable to wear off the design!” This final retort was precisely the thing necessary to end the oral barrage of hostilities. Steve’s face flushed and he scowled menacingly, attempting to think of something mean to say, but as a clever answer failed him, he turned his back to the two men, consoling himself in the philosophy that arguing with a flight sergeant might prove a foolish thing to attempt under present circumstances. Lefty made no attempt to refrain from laughing boisterously. He cast a grateful glance in Panama’s direction, and then busied himself about the plane, making certain that everything was in tiptop shape, ready for the long hop without a flaw. Near the great hangar, just to the rear of where the waiting planes were lined, the wind was playing havoc with the thick, dark hair of a hatless girl and the blue regulation nurse’s cape she wore, showing a spick-and-span white uniform beneath every time a gust of wind lifted the blue serge. Elinor’s eyes were searching the field for a glimpse of two familiar figures as she ran in and out in a zigzag fashion, between men and planes until she spied Lefty and Panama far down in the line, near the ship of the flight commander. She hurried down the field, struggling to brush back her hair and keep her cape closed with one hand, while in the other, she held two packages neatly wrapped in white paper. Reaching the fuselage of a plane a little away from where Panama and Lefty were standing, she stopped and attempted to catch the boy’s eyes without Panama becoming cognizant of her presence. Her efforts were without avail, for just as she waved her hand, Williams turned about and caught sight of her instantly. Seeing the girl at that early hour thrilled the sergeant to the tips of his toes and his face lighted up with a look of joy and surprise over this unexpected pleasure. He waved back to her, believing that her salutation was meant for him, and then turning, slapped Lefty upon the back and yelled, “Look! There’s Elinor! Jumpin’ cats, she got up in the middle of the night to say good-by to me!”