The Girl Aviators Sky Cruise

The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

Project Gutenberg's The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise, by Margaret Burnham This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise
Author: Margaret Burnham
Release Date: February 6, 2004 [EBook #10954]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: AT THE CORRECT MOMENT PEGGY DROPPED THE WEIGHTED BUNDLE OVERBOARD.--Page 103.]
THE GIRL AVIATORS' SKY CRUISE
BY
MARGARET BURNHAM
AUTHOR OF "THE GIRL AVIATORS AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP," "THE GIRL AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS," ETC.
NEW YORK
HURST & COMPANY
1911
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
A NEW VENTURE IN SANDY BEACH II. MR. HARDING DECLARES HIMSELF III. A NAVAL VISITOR IV. ALOFT IN A STORM V. PEGGY A HEROINE VI. FARMER GALLOWAY'S "SAFE DEPOSIT" VII. A CASE FOR THE AUTHORITIES VIII. MR. MORTLAKE LOSES SOME DRAWINGS IX. THE FLIGHT OF THE "SILVER COBWEB" X. AN AERIAL POST OFFICE XI. THE MARKED BILL XII. WHAT HAPPENED TO ROY XIII. PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT XIV. HOW THEY WORKED OUT XV. WHAT MORTLAKE DID XVI. THE MISSING SIDE-COMB XVII. JIMSY'S SUSPICIONS ARE ROUSED XVIII. A BOLT FROM THE BLUE XIX. THE GATHERING OF THE MAN-BIRDS XX. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING XXI. THE START OF THE SKY CRUISE XXII. THE WHITE PERIL XXIII. OUT OF THE CLOUDS XXIV. FRIENDS AND FOES--CONCLUSION
CHAPTER I.
A NEW VENTURE IN SANDY BEACH.
"It isn't to be a barn; that's one thing certain. Who ever saw a barn with skylights on it?"
Peggy Prescott, in a pretty, fluffy morning dress of pale green, which set off her blonde beauty to perfection, laid down her racket, and, leaving the tennis-court, joined her brother Roy at the picket fence. The lad, bronzed and toughened by his trip to the Nevada desert, was leaning upon the paling, gazing down the dusty road.
About a quarter of a mile away was the object of his contemplation--a big, new structure, painted a staring red. It had no windows, but in front were great sliding doors. On its flat roof the forms of a dozen or more glazed skylights upreared themselves jauntily.
"No, it's a work-shop of some sort. But what? Old man Harding is interested in it, that's one thing sure. I heard, too, that while we were away, cases of machinery had arrived and been delivered there, and that active work of some sort had been going forward ever since," rejoined Roy, who was clad in white tennis flannels, with white shoes and an outing shirt, set off by a dark-red necktie.
"See Roy," cried Peggy suddenly, "they're putting up some sort of sign on it, or else I'm very much mistaken."
"So they are. I see men on some ladders, and now, look Peg, they are carrying up a big board with something painted on it. Perhaps at last the mystery will be solved, as they say in the dime novels."
"Can you read the printing on that sign?" inquired Peggy.
"Not a word. I can see the letters to know that they are printed characters, but that's all. Tell you what, Peg, just run and get those glasses we used on the desert--there's a good fellow--and we'll soon find out."
"Isn't that just like a brother? Always sending his long-suffering sister on his errands."
"Why, you know you are dying with curiosity yourself, to know what's on that signboard," parried Roy.
"And I suppose you're not," pouted Peggy in mock indignation. "However, I'll get the field glasses to oblige you--just once."
"As if you won't try to secure the first peek through them!" laughed Roy, as sunny Peggy tripped off across the lawn to a big shed in the rear of the Prescott home, where the aeroplanes and their appurtenances were kept.
She soon was back with the field glasses, and, as Roy had prophesied, raised them to her eyes first. Having adjusted the focus, she scrutinized the sign carefully. By this time the big board had been raised horizontally above the doors and was being fixed in position.
Suddenly Peggy gave a little squeal of astonishment and lowered the magnifiers.
"Well, what is it?" chaffed Roy; "an anarchist bomb factory or an establishment for raising goats, or something that will "butt in" just as much on our peace and quiet, or----"
"Roy Prescott," enunciated Peggy, severely shaking one pink-tipped finger under Roy's freckled nose, "this is not a subject for jesting."
"Never more serious in my life, Sis. If you could have seen your own face as you peeked through those glasses----"
Peggy stuffed the binoculars into her brother's brown hands.
"Here, look for yourself," she ordered. Her voice was so imperious that Roy obeyed immediately.
An instant later his sister's expression of dumfounded amazement was mirrored on his own straightforward,