Air pilots -- Juvenile fiction; Mystery and detective stories; Reporters and reporting -- Juvenile fiction
Jimmy directed the taxi driver to take him to the nearest big newspaper.
They drove off at speed. Jimmy found the city editor, told him who he
was, and asked if he could buy a few rescue pictures for use in the
_Morning Press_ in New York. He showed his _Press_ credentials. The city
editor turned him over to the photograph staff and Jimmy got several
good prints that showed firemen carrying unconscious victims down
ladders at the wrecked hospital. He thanked the newspaper men for their
help, ran out to his taxi, and was rushed back to his comrade. Handley
was still pounding away on his typewriter, utterly oblivious to all that
went on about him. He hardly even looked up when Jimmy sat down beside
him and started to read the story Handley had written. Jimmy marveled as
he watched his colleague dash off the tale. He wondered if he would ever
be able to write like that. He was amazed at the gripping quality of the
story Handley had written. At last the latter tore the final sheet from
his typewriter. He had made carbon copies as he wrote. Jimmy had already
sorted out the two sets of sheets. He stuffed one copy of the story into
his own pocket and handed the other copy to Handley.
“We’ve certainly played in luck,” he said. “Let us hope I have as good
luck getting back to the office.”
Jimmy glanced up at the sky. So intent had he been upon his work that he
had forgotten about the weather. What he saw now brought a deep frown to
his face. “We’ll have to be stepping,” he said. “It’s already
six-thirty. I should have been off before this.”
“I’ll stay here and get more stuff,” said Handley. “Good luck to you.”
He turned to the driver of the taxi. “To the airport as fast as you can
make it,” he said. “This man has to be in New York by eleven o’clock.”
They dashed off at speed. At the airport Jimmy hurried to the office of
the weather forecaster. There he found Mr. Beverly Graham, who was in
charge of the entire eastern section of the Airways Weather Bureau, and
who had been the forecaster at Hadley Field in the days when Jimmy was
in the U. S. mail service.
“Well, where in the world did you come from, Jimmy?” asked Mr. Graham,
as he jumped to his feet and held out his hand. “I’m glad to see you.”
“Not half as much as I am to see you,” replied Jimmy, shaking Mr.
Graham’s hand heartily. “You know I’m flying for the New York _Press_,
and I’ve got the story of the hospital disaster in my pocket and a
camera full of pictures. I’ve got to reach New York as quick as I can
get there. What’s the weather like along the line?”
Mr. Graham frowned and looked at Jimmy intently. “I’m sorry you have to
fly to-night,” he said. “The weather couldn’t be worse. There’s the
densest kind of a fog from one end of Pennsylvania to the other.”
“I’m sorry, too,” said Jimmy, looking glum. “But it has to be done. The
_Press_ simply _must_ get these pictures.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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