minute to worry over doing a thing like that. I don’t know—”

“There’s no time like the present,” Bob teased her, and she smiled.

“I might’s well get it over with and it will be a real experience. I can think of it all winter. All right.” They both had a hunch that she was eager for the adventure, but she was mighty nervous about it, just the same. “It’s kind of like going to have an operation or a tooth pulled,” she told them and they laughed.

“You won’t feel that way about it when you come back.”

“Coming back will be a relief, like when the tooth or the appendix has been taken out. I suppose I’ll be kind of shaky and queer, but the agony will be over. Now, you sit right down and help yourselves. Norman told me to be sure to wrap up warm.” She hurried away and the boys grinned, then obeyed orders. By the time they had finished, Mrs. Fenton appeared, wrapped from head to foot almost like an Eskimo. Her lips were set grimly and her fists were clenched for the ordeal.

“Now, don’t you be afraid, Aunt Belle. It isn’t any worse than sitting in a rocking chair, and it’s much more exciting.”

“I expect you’re right. It was exciting watching you drop out of the sky on a streak of lightning yesterday,” she gave a nervous giggle.

“We won’t stay up very long, and if we see the tiniest cloud, we’ll bring you right back,” Jim promised.

Fifteen minutes later they were ready for the start. Aunt Belle had been given advice and instructions, strapped fast and parachuted in case of an emergency, her head encased in one of her nephew’s helmets and goggles adjusted so she could pull them down. The speaking tube and field glasses were close at hand. This trip Jim was in the back seat while his step-brother was beside the passenger. Not a word did the lady utter during the preliminaries, but when young Austin called that all was as it should be in the rear, she braced herself stiffly, her frightened eyes searching the velvety-blue heavens for a sign of a cloud which might possibly spell danger.

“All set!” Bob shouted as he opened her for an easy take-off.

Her Highness seemed to realize the importance of behaving like a member of the royal family and did her part like a charm. She skimmed over the lake, circled widely, nosed up speculatively, lifted slowly on a long gradual climb, the 

 Prev. P 29/105 next