E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 16871-h.htm or 16871-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/8/7/16871/16871-h/16871-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/8/7/16871/16871-h.zip) SKYRIDER by B. M. BOWER with frontispiece by Anton Otto Fischer 1919 [Illustration: Johnny dared a volplane, slanting steeply down at the herd.] Boston Little, Brown, and Company CONTENTS Chapter I A Poet without Honor II One Fight, Two Quarrels, and a Riddle III Johnny Goes Gaily Enough to Sinkhole IV A Thing that Sets like a Hawk V Desert Glimpses VI Salvage VII Finder, Keeper VIII Over the Telephone IX A Midnight Ride X Signs, and No One to Read Them XI Thieves Ride Boldly XII Johnny's Amazing Run of Luck Still Holds its Pace XIII Mary V Confronts Johnny XIV Johnny Would Serve Two Masters XV The Fire that Made the Smoke XVI Let's Go XVII A Rider of the Sky XVIII Flying Comes High XIX "We Fly South" XX Men Are Stupid XXI Mary V Will not be Bluffed XXII Luck Turns Traitor XXIII Dreams and Darkness XXIV Johnny's Dilemma XXV Skyrider "Has Flew"! SKYRIDER CHAPTER ONE A POET WITHOUT HONOR Before I die, I'll ride the sky; I'll part the clouds like foam. I'll brand each star with the Rolling R, And lead the Great Bear home. I'll circle Mars to beat the cars, On Venus I will call. If she greets me fair as I ride the air, To meet her I will stall. I'll circle high--as if passing by-- Then volplane, bank, and land. Then if she'll smile I'll stop awhile, And kiss her snow-white hand. To toast her health and wish her wealth I'll drink the Dipper dry. Then say, "Hop in, and we'll take a spin, For I'm a rider of the sky." Through the clouds we'll float in my airplane boat--