The Brighton Boys with the Flying Corps | Page 3

of the home folks, yet
felt that they wanted to have as much of the spirit of dear old Brighton
outside the Academy as inside.
Jimmy caught sight of Archie Fox---another of the out-boarding squad

of Brighton boys, and a special friend of Jimmy's---hurrying to the
Academy.
"Great news for you, Arch!" shouted Jimmy as he joined his chum.
"Shoot!" directed Archie.
And Jimmy told the great news to the astonished and delighted boy.
"Gosh whillikens!" yelled Archie. "A real live hangar in staid old
Brighton! Can you beat it? My vote says the 'buddies' should get
together and become fliers. Eh, what? The Brighton Escadrille! Oh,
boy!"
Further down the street Dicky Mann and Joe Little, both in Jimmy's
class at the Academy, and then Henry Benson, known to all and sundry
as "Fat" Benson from his unusual size, joined the boys and heard for
the first time the stirring news.
It was truly an exciting morning at the Academy. The tidings of great
things in store at no far distant future spread like wildfire. Of all the
boys, only two of those who lived in the town, Jimmy Hill and Bob
Haines, had heard of the project, and none of the regular boarders at the
school had heard the slightest suggestion of it. Bob Haines lived with
his uncle in the largest residence in the town. What Bob's uncle did not
know of what was going on was little. Beside, Bob was the envied
recipient of a letter now and again from his father, the senator, which
frequently contained some real news of prospective happenings.
Bob held forth at length that memorable morning, and at noon time was
still the center of an admiring group, who listened to his comments on
all subjects with great respect and invariable attention. Bob was tall and
well built; taller than any of the rest of his fellows except two or three.
He had a way of standing with his head thrown back and his shoulders
squared as he talked which gave him a commanding air. Few boys in
the school ever thought of questioning his statements. But that day Bob
was so carried away with his subject that he strayed from familiar
ground.

"What sort of fellows are they going to train to fly?" asked Joe Little, a
shy boy who rarely contributed to the conversation. Joe's mother was a
widow who had lived but few years in the town, having moved there to
give her only boy such education as he could obtain before her small
income was exhausted. Joe was never loud or boisterous, and while he
took his part in games and sports, he was ever the first one to start for
his home. Being alone with his mother to such an extent, for they lived
by themselves in a little cottage near the Academy grounds, Joe had
aged beyond his boy friends in many ways. No sign did he ever show,
however, of self-assertiveness. His part in discussions was seldom great,
and usually consisted of a well-placed query that voiced what each boy
present had thought of asking, but had been a moment too late.
Now Bob had no very clear idea just where the new flying material was
to come from. A habit of rarely showing himself at a loss for an answer
prompted him to reply: "From the men in the army."
"You're wrong, Bob," said Jimmy Hill. "Most of the flying men that
will see actual service at the front will be boys like us. I have read a
dozen times that it is a boy's game---flying. Most of us are almost old
enough. One article I read said that lots of boys of seventeen got into
the flying corps in England. One writer said that he thought the fellows
from eighteen to twenty were much the best fliers. If that is so, and it
takes some time to train fliers, some of us might be flying in France
before the end of the war."
Bob was frankly skeptical. "I see you flying, Jimmy!" was his comment.
"You will have to grow some first.
"Wrong again," said Jimmy in all seriousness. "It's those of us that
don't weigh a ton that are going to be the best sort for the flying
business, and don't you forget it."
"Jimmy knows a lot about flying," volunteered Archie Fox. "He bones
it up all the time."
"I don't pretend to know much about it, but I am going to know more
before that airdrome gets started," said Jimmy.

"That's right," said Joe Little quietly. "It won't hurt any of us to get a bit
wiser as to what an aeroplane really is nowadays. Where do you get the
stuff to read, Jimmy?"
"Everywhere I can," answered Jimmy. "The weeklies and