The Girl Aviators Motor Butterfly | Page 2

closely written in an
old-fashioned handwriting. It was as follows:

"My Dear Niece and Nephew: No doubt you will be surprised to hear
from your Uncle Jack. Possibly you will hardly recall him. This has, in
a great measure, been his own fault as, since your poor father's death, I
have not paid the attention I should to my correspondence.
"This letter, then, is to offer what compensation lies in my power for
my neglect. Having read in the papers of your wonderful flying feats in
Nevada it struck me that you and your young friends might like to pay
me a 'flying trip,' making the excursion via aëroplane.
"We are to have some flying contests in Marysville during the latter
part of the month, and you might care to participate in them. Of course
I expect your Aunt Sallie to accompany you. Hoping sincerely to see
you, I am
"Your affectionate uncle, "James Parker. "Marysville, North Carolina."
As Roy concluded the reading the quartet of merry youngsters
exchanged delighted glances. As if by magic here was an objective
point descried for their projected motor flight.
"Well, that's what I call modern magic," declared Jimsy glowingly;
"consider me as having accepted the invitation."
"Accepting likewise for me, of course," said Jess, shaking her black
locks and blinking round, expectant eyes.
"Of course," struck in Peggy affectionately, "the Girl Aviators cannot
be parted."
Just at this moment came a whirring sound from high in the air above
them. Looking up, they saw a dainty green monoplane, with
widespread wings and whirring propeller, descending to earth. An
instant later the machine had come to a halt on the lawn, alighting as
lightly as wind-blown gossamer. In the machine was seated a pretty girl
of about Peggy's age, though rather stouter. In harmony with the color
of the machine she drove, the newly arrived girl aviator wore a green
aviation costume, with a close-fitting motor bonnet. From the beruffled

edge of this some golden strands of hair had escaped, and waved above
two laughing blue eyes.
"Hello, people!" she hailed, as the porch party hastily adjourned and
ran to welcome her, "how's that for a novice only recently out of the
Mineola School?"
"Bess Marshall, you're a wonder!" cried Peggy, embracing her; "the
Dart is the prettiest little machine I've seen for a long time."
"Isn't it a darling," agreed Bess warmly, "but, my! how I had to beg and
pray dad before he would buy it for me. He said that no daughter of his
should ever go up in an aëroplane, much less drive one. It wasn't till I
got him down at Mineola and persuaded him to take a ride himself that
he consented to buying me my dear little Dart."
She laid one daintily gloved hand on the steering wheel of the little
monoplane and patted it affectionately.
"It's pretty enough, but it wouldn't fly very far," commented Roy
teasingly, "sort of aërial taxicab, I'd call it."
"Is that so, Mr. Roy Prescott? Well, I'd like you to know that the Dart
could fly just as far and as fast as the Red Dragon or the Golden
Butterfly."
"Well, if you wanted to take a trip to North Carolina with us you'd have
an opportunity to test that idea out," laughed Peggy.
"A trip to North Carolina? What do you mean? Are you dreaming?"
"No, not even day-dreaming."
Just then Miss Prescott, her gentle face wreathed in smiles, appeared at
the door.
"Children! children!" she exclaimed, "what is all this? Adjourn your
discussion for a while and come in and have tea."

While the happy group of young fliers are entering the pretty,
old-fashioned house with its clustering roses and green-shuttered
casements, let us relate a little more about the young personages to
whose enthusiastic talk the reader has just listened.
Roy and Peggy Prescott were orphans living in the care of their aunt,
Miss Prescott, the location of whose home on Long Island has already
been described. At school Roy had imbibed the aërial fever, and after
many vicissitudes had built a fine monoplane, the Golden Butterfly,
with which he had won a big money prize, besides encountering a
series of extraordinary aërial adventures. In these Peggy participated,
and on more than one occasion was the means of materially aiding her
brother out of difficulties. All this part of their experiences was related
in the first volume of this series, "The Girl Aviators and the Phantom
Airship."
In the second volume, "The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings," a
combination of strange circumstances took our friends out to the Great
Alkali of the Nevada desert. Here intrigues concerning a hidden gold
mine provided much excitement and peril, and the girls proved that,
after all, a fellow's sisters can be splendid companions in