TheWARINTHEAIR, - * [Copyright, 1907, 1908, by the Macmillan Company.] CHAPTER I. Bsrt Smallways Arises. "t I * HIS here progress," said Mr. J Toui Smallways, "it keeps I ou. JL "You'd hardly think it could keep on," said Tom Smallways. It was long before the war in the air begun that Mr. Smallways made this remark. He was silting on the fence at the end of his garden and surveying (he great Bun hill gas works with an eye that neither praised nor blamed. Above the clustering gasometers three unfamiliar shapes ap peared. thin, wallowing bladders that flapped and rolled about and grew big ger and bigger and rounder and round er—balloons in course of inflation fur the South of England Aero club's Sat urday afternoon ascent. Young Bert Smallways possessed a motor bicycle. Ho was six years younger than Tom and had touched the fringe of a number of trades in succession—draper's porter, chemist's boy, doctor's page, junior assistant gasfltier. envelope addresser, milk cart assistant, golf caddie, and at last helper in a bicycle shop. Here ap parently he found the progressive quality his nature had craved. Ilis employer was a pirate souled young man named Orubb. Then Hie most astounding incident in !he whole of that dramatic chapter of human history, the coming of fly ing. occurred. People talk glibly enough of epoch making events; this ivas an epoch making event, it was the unanticipated and entirely success ful flight of Mr. Alfred Butteridge from the Crystal palace to Glasgow and back in a small businesslike look ing machine, heavier than air—an en tirely manageable and controllable ma chine that could fly as well as a pi geon. It wasn't, one felt, a fresh step forward in the matter so much as a giant stride, a leap. Mr. Butteridge remained in (he air altogether for about nine hours and during that time be flew with the ease and assurance of a bird. lie was one of those gentlemen from nowhere Kate still succeeds in pro ducing for the stimulation of mankind. He came, it was variously said, from Australia and America and the south of France. His return to London was an occasion of unparalleled excite ment. Tom and Bert Small ways both saw that return from the crest of Bun bill. Bert knew enough of things mid the problem of aeronautics to realize th:it this gigantic imitation of a bee would, to use liis own idiom, "give the news papers tits." The next day it was ••tear the fits had been given even as he said; their magazine pages were black with hasty photographs; their prose was convulsive; they foamed at the headline. The next day they were worse. Before the week was out they were not so much published as carried screaming into the street. The domi nant fact in the uproar was the ex ceptional personality of Mr. llutteridge and the extraordinary terms he de manded for the secret of his machine. lie faced the British public now with the question whether they wanted Ills secret or not. lie was, he said perpet ually, an "imperial Englishman," and his first wish and his last was to see his invention the privilege and mo nopoly of the empire. Only- It was there the difficulty began. Mr. Butteridge, it became evident, was a man singularly five from any false modesty. llis published portraits insisted primarily upon an immense black mustache and secondarily upon a fierceness behind tlie uiustache. lie had a height of six feet two inches and a weight altogether proportionate to that. Moreover, he had a love affair of large and unusual dimensions and irregular circumstances, and the still largely decorous British public learned with reluctance and alarm that a sym pathetic treatment of tliis affair was inseparable from the exclusive acquisi tion of (lie priceless secret of aena! stability by the British empire. One fact, however, remained perma nent throughout all the developments of this affair behind Bulteridge's pre posterous love interest, his politics and personality and all his shouting and boasting, and that was that, so far as the untss of people know, lie was in Siole 'ios!-esslon of the secret of the practicable aeroplane in which, for all one could tell to the contrary. the key "112 the future empire of the world re sided. And presently, to the great con sternation of innumerable people, in cluding among others Mr. Bert Small ways. it became apparent that what ever negotiations were in progress for the acquisition of this precious secret by the British government were in danger of falling through. The Eon-1 don Dally Requiem first voiced the uni-j versa! alarm and published an inter view under the territlc caption of "Mr. Butteridge Speaks His Mind." Therein the inventor poured out his heart. I "I came," he said, "bringing me | motherland the secret that would give' her the empire of the world. And j what do 1 get?" Ho paused. "1 am ' sniffed at by eiderly mandarins. And i the woman I love is treated like a leper! There are nations that will not tiing away the empire of tin; earth In order to slight an unknown man and insult a noble woman, whose boots i they are not fitted to unlatch. In short, mark my words—there are other nations!" • »»»»**■ The linn of Orubb & Smnliways, formerly Orubb, had indeed been sin gularly unlucky in the last year or so. i The motorcycle business was very dull, j But it is a poor heart that never iv joices, and Whitsuntide had an air <>f ! coming as an agreeable break in the J business complications of Orubb & ; Smallways. They decided to ignore | I the hiring trade on Sunday and devote; j that day to much needed relaxation, i | It happened that they made the ac- j I quaintance of two young ladies in em-j i ployment in Clapham, Miss Flossie ( j Bright and Miss Edna Bunthorne, and I it was resolved, therefore, to make a ' cheerful little cyclist party of four | into the heart of Kent. Miss Bright could ride a bicycle, and I a machine was found for her. Miss Bunthorne, whom Bert particularly af fected. could not ride, and so with * some difficulty lie hired a basketwork ! trailer from the big business of \Yray's, j j in the Clapham road, j In the evening about T the party I turned homeward, expecting no disas ter. and it was only on the crest of | Itlie downs between \V rotliam and] j Kingsdown that disaster came. They I had scorched past a number of cyclists j and by a four wheeled motorcar of j the old style lamed by a deflated tire. Some dust had penetrated Bert's horn. | and the result was a curious, amusing, wheezing sound had got into his "honk. I honk." I'or the sake of merriment and i glory lie was making this sound as much as possible, and Edna was In' tits of laughter in the trailer. She did! notice a good lot of bluish, evil smell-1 ing smoke coming from about the bear- j ings between his feet, but she thought | this was one of the natural concomi- \ tants of motor traction and troubled no more about it until abruptly it burst into a little yellow tipped flaine. "Bert!" she screamed. But Bert had put oil the brakes with such suddenness that >Jie found her self involved with his leg as he dis mounted. She got to the side of the road and hastily readjusted her hat, which had suffered. "(Jaw!" said Bert. He stood for some fatal seconds watching the petrol drip and catch, and the flame, which was now begin ning to smell of enamel as well as oil. spread and grew. The lame motorcar arrived and stop ped in consternation. A tall, goggled, gray haired man who was driving in quired with an Oxford intonation and a clear, careful enunciation, "Can we help at all?" An earnest looking man in a very light gray cycling suit had suddenly appeared at the side of the lame motor car and addressed the owner. "Have you a tarpaulinV" lie said. The gentlemanly man, with feeble and deprecatory gestures and in the | manner of a hypnotized person, pro duced an excellent large tarpaulin. "Here!" cried the earnest looking man to Orubb. "Ketch hold!" The tarpaulin was held over the burning bicycle like a canopy and then smothered down upon it. There was a moment of triumph, but in the end the flames conquered. "Save the trailer!" cried some one. and that was the last round in the battle. But the trailer could not be! detached: its wickerwork had caught.l and it was the last tliiug to burn. A sort of hush fell upon the (fathering. The petrol burnt low; the wickerwork! trailer banged and crackled. "I'm afraid." said tiie gentleman of the motorcar, "my tarpaulin's a lilt done for." Bert was roused to action. "Book • here." lie said. "There's my young! lady. If she ain't 'onie by 10 they j lock her out. See? Well, all my I money was in my jacket pocket, and ■ it's all mixed up with the burnt stufT. j and that's too 'of to touch. Is Clap-1 ham out of your way?" "All in the day's work." said the! gentleman with the motorcar an! turned to Edna. "Yery pleased In I deed," he said, "if you'll come with ! us." "But what's Bert going to do:" said I Edna. I "I'll have to stick 'ere for a bit," I said Bert. "I got to see the tiling j through. You goon, Edna." "Don't like leavin' you. Ilert." 1 "See you tomorrer," said Bert, though he was destined as a matter of fact to see much of the habitable globe j before he saw her again. The next morning found the firm of Grubb & Smallways in a state of pro found despondency. It seemed a small matter to them that the newspaper land cigarette shop opposite displayed i such a placard as this: REPORTED AMERICAN ULTI MATUM. BRITAIN MUST FIGHT. Ol'R INFATUATED WAR OF j FICE STII-E REFUSES TO LIS TEN TO MR. BUTTE RIDGE. i | GREAT MONORAIL DISASTER AT TIMBUKTU. ! Or (his: WILL AMERICA FIGHT? ANTI-GERMAN RIOT IN BAG DA D. TIIE MUNICIPAL SCANDALS AT DAMASCUS. MR. BUTTERIDC.ES INVEN TION FOR AMERICA. —'—~~ | "Grubb. o" man." said Bert. "I'm fair ! sick of this shop." ! "There's that trailer." said Grubb: i after a pause. I "Blow t lie trailer!" said Bert. "Any how, I didn't leave a deposit on if. ' Look 'ere. We been losing money hand over tist; we aren't gettin' on here." I "What can we do?" said Grubb. | "Clear out. Sell what we can for | what it will fetch and quit. See? It's • 110 good "anging onto a losing eon ! corn. No sort of good, .lest foolish- I uess." Gruhh looked round the shop. It cer tainly had become distasteful. "Where i d'you think of going, llerti" he asked. Bert turned round and regarded liini. |"I thought it out as I was walking | 'onie and in bed. I couldn't sleep a Everybody now was looking at the bal loon. wink. You made the girls laugh yes ' tiday. 1 hat song you sang. And old j Edna nearly cried over that bit of; | mine." j "She got a fly in her e,vt\" said ! ! Grubb; "I saw if. But what's this got j to do with your plan?" "Don't you see':" "Not singing in (lie streets?" "Streets! No fear! But 'ow about j thi- tour of the watering places of Eng ; land. Grubl»? Singing! Youn;; men j lof family doing it for a lark? You j ain't got a bad voice, you know, and i ■ mine's all right." | "I'm on. Bert." said Gruhh. 1 j "Right O!" said Bert. and. "Now we j ; shan't lie long." Before the day was out the whole I enterprise was plinned. They enter-) tallied tiie notion of selecting two mu chines from the hiring stock, painting them over with crimson enamel paint, replacing the bells by the loudest sort of motor horn an<l doing a ride about to begin and end the entertainment. Tlie.v decided their costumes should be brown stockings and sandals and cheap unbleached sheets with a hole cut in the middle nnd wigs and beards of tow—the rest their normal selves! "The Desert Dervishes" tlie.v would call themselves, and their chief songs would be those popular ditties "In My Trailer" and "What Trice Hairpins Now?" They decided to begin with small seaside places and gradually, as they gained confidence, attack larger centers. To begin with they selected Littlestone, in Kent, chiefly because of its unassuming name. So you will understand the sudden apparition that surprised, rather de lighted, tlie quiet Informality of Dym church sands. "Ladies and gentlemen," they snid, "we beg to present ourselves, the Des ert Dervishes." They bowed profound ly and struck into the cheerful strain of "What l'rico Hairpins Now?" As Bert and Grubb bawled their chorus for the third time they became aware of a very big golden brown bal loon low in tiie sky to the northwest and coming rapidly toward them. They finished their dance and then j stood frankly staring. Everybody now was looking at the ; balloon, drawing rapidly nearer before a brisk north westerly breeze. The song and dance were a "dead frost." No body thought ftny more about it. Even Hert and Grubb forgot it and Ignored the next Item on t lie program alto gether. The balloon was bumping as though lis occupants were trying to land. It would approach, sinking glow- I ly, touch the ground and instaiftly Jump fifty feet or so in the air and i immediately begin to fall again. Its car touched a clump of trees, and the black figure that had been struggling in the I ropes fell back, or jumped back, into tiie car. lu another moment it was < piitc close. It seemed a huge affair, •is big as a house, audit floated down j swiftly toward the sands. A long rope trailed behind it.and enormous shouts came from the man in the car. lie | seemed to be taking off his clothes; I then his head came over the side of the car. "Catch hold of the rope!" they heard quite plain. "Salvage, Bert!" cried Grubb and started to head off the rope. Hert followed him, went down on all fours and achieved a grip. In half a dozen seconds the whole diffused popu lation of the beach had, as it were, C rystallized on the rope and was pull ing against tiie balloon. "Pull her in." said the man in the car. "She's falntel!" The balloon ceased to struggle and sank downward. Hert dropped the rope and ran forward to catch it in a new place. In another moment he had his hand on the car. "Lay* hold of it." said the man in the car. and his face appeared close to Bert's—a strangely familiar face, fierce eye brows. a flatfish nose, a huge black mustache. He had discarded coat and waistcoat—perhaps with some idea of presently having to swim for li's life— and his black hair was extraordinarily disordered. "Will all you people get hold round the car?" he said. "There's a lady here fainted or got failure of the heart—heaven alone knows which. My name is Bnttcridge. Now, please all onto the edge. This is the last time I trust myself to one of these paleolithic contrivances. The ripping cord failed, and the valve wouldn't act." In (lie I'.ir, sprawling upon a sort of bed bench. in nn attitude of elaborate self abandonment, was a largo blond lady, wearing a fur coat and a big floriferous liat. Iler head lolled back against tlie padded corner of the car. and lier eyes were sliur and her mouth open. "Me dear!" said Mr. Butteridge in a common, loud voice, "We arc safe!" She gave no sign. He swept the lady together by a powerful movement of his arms and lifted her. "Keep the car from jump ing." he said to those who clustered about him. "Keep your weight oil it. She is no light woman, and when she Is out of it it will be relieved." Itert leaped lightly Into a sitting po sition on the edge of the car. The others took a firmer grip upon the ropes and ring. "Are you ready?" said Mr. Butteridge. He stood upon the bed bench and lifted the lady carefully. Then he sat down on the wicker edge opposite to Bert and put one leg over to dangle outside. It was just at this moment, with Mr Butteridge and the lady bal anced finely on the basket brim, that she came to with a loud, heartrend ing cry of "Alfred, save me!" And she waved her arms searchingly and then clasped Mr. Butteridge about. It seemed to Bert that the car sway ed for a moment and then buekjump ed and kicked liiin. Also he saw the lioots of the lady and the right leg of the gentleman describing arcs through the air preparatory to vanishing over the side of the car. Ilis impressions were complex, but they also compre hended the fact that he had lost his balance and was going to stand on his head inside this creaking basket. His nose burled itself iu a bag of sand The ear gave a violent lurch and be came still. "Confound it!" he said. He found it a little difficult to get on his feet. Ills limbs were mixed up with the garments Mr. Butteridge had discarded when that gentleman had thought ho must needs plung" into the sea. Bert bawUd out half angry, half rueful. "You might have said you were going to tip the basket." Then he stood up and clutched the ropes of the car convulsively. [To be continued.] A GLANCE AT WORLD AFFAIRS ORATOKICAL effort in the house | of representatives will show the result of a mending proc ess when tiie Sixty-second congress convenes on Dec. 4. For years the members had protested that it was difficult to make themselves heard because of faulty acoustic prop erties of the national capitol hall, and this protest eventuated in a readust ment of the scheme of tilings which obviates the cause of complaint. While the new house will be only a little larger than the senate chamber, which accommodates ninety-two mem bers, it will have seats for more than 400. The President's Turkey. Several million turkeys w ill be eaten by the people of the United States <lll Nov. no. President Taft and the other members of the White House family will enjoy a prize bird sent with the compliments of Horace Vose of Wes terly, 1t.1.. ,vho has been supplying presidents with turkeys since 1*7:5, when he shipped one to President Grant that weighed thirty-two pounds when it was dressed for the oven, lthode Island is famous for her tur keys. Epicures say the birds raised In the state possess the most delicate flavor and for that reason are in a class by themselves. The turkey was discovered almost 400 years ago in tiie heart of Mexico. The Spaniards under Cortes found there a wild and domesticated speci men that they called the "pavo." or peacock. Tlie.v took a number of these I birds back with them to their own | country. They soon were Introduced in France and Germany, each country giving them a different name. It was In I.VJO that the turkey was so eliris ' toned. That was when it reached Eng land, and it lias borne that name ever since. Religion Forward Movement. Clergymen of all denominations are discussing the practical methods tried by the men and religion forward movement to "take religion toman." New York city just now is the center of a unique campaign of evangelism, churches, theaters, factories, depart ment stores and public highways be ing utilized to further the aims of this organization. The Road Builders. "Bond building is the nation's most profitable asset," says President Taft. who addresses the American Associa tion For Highway Improvement con vention in Richmond. Ya. All road as sociations in this country and Canada I affiliated with the association have sent representatives. The Bankers' Junket. Several hundred bankers of the American Bankers' association are pre paring to ;• '''' 1 Jacob McGavock Dickinson, govern ment's special counsel in steel trust suit. ventlon city, for a trip to the Panama canal. Their visit is inspired by a de sire for first hand knowledge regarding the great ditch for which bonds recent ly w ere sold. Milady at the Horse Show. Fashionable women from ail parts of the world are giving a public ex hibit of clothes at the international horse show in Madison Square Gar den, New York. It Is the most won derful exhibit of the kind that lias ever been seen. A tremendous quan tity of furs are being worn, and they look like the last word in luxury. The furs are very much like last year's. Long scarfs of furs and fab rics are the vogue. A good deal of moleskin is seen, and sable is holding her place as the queen of the expen sive skins. Hat, scarf and muff match. Purple is the predominating color for costumes, and a French fad has been taken up. It is white kid boots worn with dark walking suits. The smart new boot is the gaiter effect, with tops of white or elephant gray kid or cloth. The new triangular muff is conspicuously iu evidence. Fabric hand bags match tiie frocks. Milady at the horse show, which now is the overshadowing event in society, wears the small, close fitting "skyscraper" hat in the morning, the large, fiat cre ation in picture style in the afternoon and the latter hat and theater bonnet in the evening. Governors on Tour. The city of Chicago is waiting to re ceive ten western governors, who leave St. Paul. Minn., on Nov. 1!7 for a .">.OOO mile tour, taking to twenty-two cities exhibits showing the products of their respective states, it is the idea of ex- Governor James 11. Brady of Idaho, who heads the party, to make Chicago its first stop. The executives who aro preparing to start out on this unique itinerary are Kberhart of Minnesota, Hurke of North Dakota, Vessey of South Dakota, Carey of Wyoming, Sliafrotli of Colorado, Norris of Mon tana, Hawley of Idaho, West of Ore gon, Ilay of Washington and Johnson of California. Army and Navy on Gridiron. Philadelphia is all eagerness for Hie annual football clash between tho West I'oint cadets and Uncle Sam's naval students at Annapolis. The con test takes place on Franklin field, and already a good sized advance guard of the thousands of football en thusiasts who witness these stirring contests on the gridiron have arrived In the Quaker City. The Steil Trust Suit. In the titanic struggle now being waged by the government on one hand and Ihe United States Steel corpora tion on the other lies the crystulllza nfwStHr George Gray, one of the judges who will hear steel trust suit. tion of federal prosecution of so called trusts, as united steel interests con stitute the world's largest single cor poration. Obvious, therefore, is the fact that the result of this particular tight to crush such a huge combine will be of incalculable importance. The government in its petition to dissolve the United States Steel corporation, which petition was filed in the circuit court at Trenton. X. J., several weeks ago, contends that only by a monopoly of its field could the defendant's bil lion dollar capitalization be justified. The petition also names thirty-six sub sidiary corporations and individuals, the latter'including John I>. Rockefel ler, Andrew Carnegie. J. Pierpont Mor gan and Charles M. Schwab. The lat ter four are 110 longer directors of tho Steel corporation. Attorney (Jeneral Wickersham en gaged ex-Secretary of War Jacob Mc (iavock Dickinson to prepare the gov ernment petition, and for this reason it is the general assumption that Mr. Dickinson will be the chief figure rep resenting the government in handling the case in the courts. The former sec retary of war was the Democratic member of President Tuft's cabinet, lie is called a lighter by his friends and scored one of his biggest legal vic tories in the Alaskan boundary dis pute. Francis Lynde Stetson, who heads the Steel corporation's Imposing array of counsel, officiated in a like capacity when the combination was organized in 1!«u and consolidated, tinder the financial management of J. Pierpont Morgan & Co., the principal steelmak ing companies in the country, many of which were in themselves corpora tions. . Daughters of the Confederacy. It was announced at the general con vention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which met in Rich mond, Va., that its membership now exceeds 80,000. Organization of this body was effected in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 10, 1894. Labor at Atlanta. The eyes of labor are focused upon Atlanta, Ga„ where the American Fed eration of Labor, is holding its thirty first annual convention. Tuning Up. The musical world is also tuning up, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and Oscar Ilammersteiu's new opera house in London both having opened on Nov. li!. Tippecanoe Centennial. The centennial of the battle of Tip pecanoe was held in Lafayette, lnd., on Nov. t> and 7. This was not only a glorious victory, but led to important developments in the hard cider cam paign. The Beattie Murder. Tins month writes the final chapter in the lteattie wife murder case, which aroused the state of Virginia. Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., on Friday. Sept. S last, was found guilty by a Jury in the Chesterfield county (Va.) courthouse of killing his wife, and he was quickly sentenced to be electrocuted on Nov. 'J4 in the state penitentiary on Oregon hill, Richmond. lteattie, whose coun sel filed an appeal and whose father endeavored to enlist the intervention of Governor Mann of Virginia, has de clared that if he had to die he would goto his doom without evidence of cow ardice or fear.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers