Oh, boy! She was askin’ the impossible. There she was, with her implorin’ blue eyes close to mine, eyes shinin’ with hope and fire, and beggin’ me, beggin’ me. No, sir, I couldn’t let her do that--but there she was, a girl I just couldn’t refuse if she’d asked for my life. Lettin’ her go up in my place would be a crazy thing to do, but she kept beggin’ me with little pleases and won’t-yous, and Bennies, spoken soft like, and--Lord! “If you let me get into your coveralls, and helmet and goggles, nobody’ll ever know the diff’rence!” she said. “Jane, please don’t go beggin’ me!” I begged her. “It ain’t fair to me. I can’t resist you any more ’n the tail of a plane can resist the prop. You know Ned would blow up if he heard of it, and your Dad--and Lord!” “Benny, it’s the only thing I’ve ever asked of you; and it means more to me than anything else in the world right now. I’ve _got_ to fly in that race--_got_ to. Benny--Benny--please!” “Oh, Lord!” “All you’d have to do is slip into that private locker and take off those overalls, and then stay out of sight. I’d just get in ’em, and climb into the plane, and stay there. Benny--please?” “You can’t do any good up there--” “Don’t you know that Ned will fly worlds better if I’m along with him? And you want us to win, don’t you?” “Oh, Lord!” I said. “Well--here goes!” Right then she flung her arms around my neck, hugged me close, and kissed me one, two, three times right on the lips, and said, “Oh, Benny!” And after that I wasn’t nearly in my right mind. I dived into the locker, shed my overalls, and eased out again. With one last look at her, I dived into the crowd and lost myself. Jane hurried into the locker, and in a minute she was out, in my coveralls and helmet and goggles. I could hardly believe my eyes, she looked so much like me! It was sure astonishin’. She eased back toward the planes, just when a guy in a megaphone was shoutin’ the last warnin’. Jane walked right past Ned and Mr. Alton and made for the plane. “I’ve got to get into the ship!” Ned said. “Say, where’s Jane? Ain’t she goin’ to wish me good luck?” They looked around for her, while she was within ten feet of ’em. “Say, Benny, have you seen Jane?” Ned hollered at her; and she wags her head: no! The last minute is gone; and Ned is forced to his plane. Jane was already in when he got there; he climbs in, not givin’ her any special notice. There is a poppin’ and roarin’ of motors all around, up and down the line. Greaseballs turn the Alton over, and she sings a sweet tune. The whole line-up is stirrin’ up a tornado when _bang!_ a shot-gun goes off--which means the race is started! The Stormbird tears off like a maniac, lifts, climbs steady, and then deadheads on. Thirty seconds pass, forty, fifty, sixty. Then, _bango!_ the gun goes off again, and the Imp plane stretches itself out across the sand. It lifts, roars, pulls on, and flies in the wake of the Stormbird.