Air pilots -- Fiction; Criminals -- Fiction; Short stories
A deadly hush fell on the crowd below as they pictured the aeroplane being
tossed and pitched about in one of the mighty air currents that are found
miles above the earth. They could see the two men fighting to keep their
machine right side up, as they fought through the eddies and whirls at the
edge of the current and into the steady but fast moving air of the center.
When Kidwell announced that they had made it, a mighty cheer went up.
Several minutes passed and no sound came from the men miles
above--then----
“Hurrah for the Liberty Motor--we just had another fight to get out of the
big current and are now in still air above it. We were pitched and flung
about, upside down and every which way, just as when we entered it. Our
Motor did not miss a lick. Old “Dex” got sick. I saw him gulping and raise
his helmet and lean over, but nothing happened. Now we are riding
smoothly. We are heading straight west instead of circling so as to gain
the distance we were carried backwards in the big air current. It is
getting cold. We are using oxygen from our tanks as the air is mighty thin
here--Dex has just called my attention to our instrument--what do you
reckon she reads?--whoop--she has touched it. She’s reached thirty
thousand feet. We’ll make it. We’ll break that old world’s altitude
record.”
A roar that shook the Grand Stand went up from the listening crowd below.
For ten minutes they cheered and flung things in the air in their
excitement. A few more minutes and the world’s highest altitude record
would belong to America once more. The cheering died down and then broke
out afresh.
“What is the world’s record?” Pemberton leaned over and shouted above the
din into the president’s ear.
“A little less than thirty-five thousand feet,” the President answered in
one of the partly quiet spells of the crowd.
“Thirty-one thousand” came from the horns,--only those right against them
could hear, but they began to relay the news. “Thirty-one thousand.”
Another deafening cheer rang out. The crowd became silent as the President
raised his hand for silence and pointed to the horns.
“Thirty-two thousand and Old Dex grinning like a frog.”
This time only a laugh from the crowd greeted the announcement. They would
hold their cheers for the last as they wanted to hear all now.
“It’s just about there--now it’s closer--just a little
more--near--nearer---- Gee, it moves slowly--just ready to touch--now it
touches--whoopee--it’s over--we have reached the world’s altitude
record--now we have passed it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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