Humorous stories; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Private secretaries -- Fiction
In no time at all we've made a circle around the yacht and are comin' up
behind her once more. We could see the people pilin' out on deck to
rubber at us. In a minute more we'd be even with 'em. And how was I
goin' to deliver that message to Vee? Just then I looks in my lap, where
I was grippin' my straw lid between my knees, and discovers that I've
lugged along one of them muskmelons in a paper bag. That gives me my
hunch.
Fishin' out the note I'd written, I slits the melon with my knife and
jabs it in. Then I shows the breakfast bomb to my friend and points to
the yacht. He nods. Some bean, that guy had!
"I'll sail over her," he howls in my ear. "You can drop it on the deck."
There was no time for gettin' ready or takin' practice shots. Up we
glides into the air right over the white wake she was leavin'. The folks
on her was wavin' to us. First I made out Vee, standin' on the little
bridge amidships, lookin' cute and classy in white serge. Then I spots
Aunty, who's tumbled out in her boudoir cap and kimono. I leans over and
waves enthusiastic.
"Hey, Vee!" I shouts. "Watch this!"
I'd picked out the widest part of the deck forward, where there's no
awnin' up, and when it was exactly underneath I lets the melon go, hard
as I could shoot it. Some shot that was too! I saw it smash on the deck,
watched one of the sailors stare at it stupid, and then caught a glimpse
of Vee rushin' towards the spot. Course I wa'n't sure she knew me at
that distance, or had heard what I said; but trust her for doin' the
right thing at the right time!
"There's Mother!" I hears my sporty friend roar out. "I say! Mother!
It's Billy, you know."
No doubt about Mother's catchin' on. Maybe she'd suspicioned, anyway;
but the last I saw of her she was slumpin' into the arms of a
white-haired old gent behind her.
Another minute and we'd left the Katrina behind like she had seven
anchors out. On we went and up once more, turnin' with a dizzy swoop and
skimmin' past her, back towards where we started from. And just as I was
wishin' he'd go faster and higher we settles down on the water, dashes
in behind the dock, the motor slows up, the plane floats drag in the
mud, and it's all over.
Took the yacht near an hour to get back to us. Mother had insisted, and
when she found Billy all safe and sound she fell on his neck and forgave
him.
As for me? Well, maybe I didn't have some swell report to turn in to Mr.
Robert! I had him listenin' with his mouth open before I got through
too.
"Aunty was mighty suspicious first off," says I; "but after she'd used
the long distance and got a line on how Tractions was waverin', she
warms up quite a lot, for her. Uh-huh! Gives me a vote of thanks, and
says she'll call off the deal."
"Torchy," says Mr. Robert, "I am speechless with admiration. Your
business methods are certainly advanced. I had not thought of flying as
a modern requisite for a commercial career."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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