Air pilots -- Juvenile fiction; Mystery and detective stories; Reporters and reporting -- Juvenile fiction
Jimmy managed to get the proper topographic map from his map case.
Folding it in small compass he studied it as he flew along. The only
place where there seemed to be even the possibility of making a safe
landing was in the tiny bottom along Lost Creek, southwest of the town.
But the more Jimmy studied the map, the more impossible this place
seemed for his purpose. Jimmy finally decided that he would not take a
chance. He would land at Ringtown, get a motor car, and drive to
Shenandoah.
“If Johnnie Lee is home,” thought Jimmy, “there won’t be a bit of
trouble about that. Johnnie will take me over there in his car. That
will be just the thing, too. Then he can help me cover the story. I can
tell him what to do and he can do it readily enough. It will give him a
start toward reporting. Johnnie will know the country round about, too,
and that may be a very great advantage. For I see now that it is going
to hustle me to get back on time. I’m sure glad this has turned out this
way.”
A load seemed to drop from Jimmy’s mind. He had come to a decision as to
his course. Now he had only to drive ahead as fast as possible along the
way he had chosen. He felt his confidence growing.
Suddenly he heard his own name sounding in his head phones. “The New
York _Press_ speaking to Jimmy Donnelly,” said the voice. “We have been
in touch with Handley at Phillipsburg. He will go with you to
Shenandoah. Land at Easton and wait for him. He is on the watch for
you.”
Jimmy hardly knew whether to be pleased or sorry. He would be glad
enough of Handley’s help. Even the two of them could not clean up the
story in the short time Jimmy would have at the scene of the disaster.
But now that Jimmy saw an opportunity to help his friend Johnnie Lee, he
rather regretted that Handley was to join him. They could hardly bother
with Johnnie now.
These thoughts went through Jimmy’s mind in an instant. They did not
prevent him from answering promptly the _Morning Press_ message. He put
his mouthpiece to his lips and said: “Jimmy Donnelly talking to the New
York _Press_. I have your message about Handley and will wait for him at
Easton.”
When Jimmy reached that city, it looked for a little time as though he
would not be able to keep his word. It hardly seemed possible to make a
landing. But west of the city Jimmy found some fields and got down
safety, though he had a scare when he saw a fence loom up suddenly
before him. His plane struck sand and came to a stop within ten feet of
the fence.
Jimmy hopped out of the ship and looked about him. Handley was nowhere
in sight. “He’ll have to come along pretty soon if we are to get the
stuff back to New York in time,” thought Jimmy. “I wonder if there is
anything I could do to help matters.”
He thought of Johnnie Lee. “If I could talk to him,” muttered Jimmy, “I
could put him right to work.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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