The IN THE AIR,
[Copyright, 1907, 1908, by the Macmlllan Company.]
PROLOGUE OF THE STORY.
Germany, hating the Monroe doctrine and ambitious for world's suprem
acy, secretly builds a vast fleet of airships and plans to surprise the United
States by means of a sudden attack. Her airship fleet consists of great dirigi
bles of the Von Zeppelin type and small aeroplanes called Drachenllieger.
Prince Karl Albert commands the German airships. Germany and Eng
land have both been endeavoring to buy an extraordinary flying machine in
vented by Alfred Butteridge, who arrives at a British seaside resort in a
runaway balloon, accompanied by a lady in whom he is interested.
Bert Smallways, a motorcycle dealer in hard luck, who is In love with
MIES Edna Bunthorne, aud his partner, Grubb, are impersonating a pair of
"desert dervishes" at the seashore. Bert catches hold of the basket of the
balloon and falls into it just as Buttericlge and the lady fall out.
The balloon carries Bert across the North sea. He finds drawings of But
teridge's airship in some of Butteridge's clothing and hides the plans in his
chest protector. Ills balloon drifts over Germany's immense aeronautic park.
German soldiers shoot holes in it and capture Bert. They think he is But
teridge. Soldiers carry him to the cabin of the Vaterland, flagship of the air
fleet. Lieutenant Kurt guards him. The vast fleet starts across the ocean
to attack New York. Bert considers selling Butteridge's airship plans.
An Offer For the Plans.
WHAT should he ask for the
things? Somehow £20,000
struck him as about the sum
Indicated.
Memories of pretty Edna clustered
round that Impression. They led
Bert's mind step by step to an
agreeable state that found expres
sion in, "I'll marry 'er if she don't
look out." And then in a flash it fol
lowed in his mind that if he sold the
Butteridge secret he could! Suppose,
after all, he did get £20,000. Such
sums have been paid! Of course risks
were Involved. "I'll 'ave old But
teridge on my track, I expect!"
He meditated upon that. Tie de
clined again to despondency. As yet
he was only in the beginning of the
adventure. He had still to deliver the
goods and draw the cash. And be
fore that— Just now he was by no
means on his way home. He was fly
ing off to America to fight there. "Not
much fighting," he considered; "all our
own way." Still, if a shell did happen
to hit the Vaterland on the underside!
He got up presently and wrapped
himself about with Mr. Butteridge's
overcoat and all the blankets, for the
air was very keen. Then he peeped
out of the window to see a gray dawn
breaking over clouds, then turned up
his light and bolted his door, sat down
to the table and produced his chest
protector.
He smoothed the crumpled plans
with his hand and contemplated them.
Then he referred to the other draw
tugs In the portfolio. Twenty thou
sand pounds if he worked it right! It
was worth trying anyhow.
Presently he opened the drawer In
which Kurt had put paper and writ
ing materials.
Bert Smaiiways was by no means a
Btupld person, and up to a certain lim
it he had not been badly educated.
His board school had taught him to
draw np to certain limits, taught him
to calculate and understand a specifi
cation. He was not incapable of grasp
ing the Idea of the Butteridge flying
machine. But he found it stiff and
perplexing. He copied sketches, ho
made notes, he made a quite toler
able and Intelligent copy of the essen
tial drawings and sketches of the oth
ers. Then he fell into a meditation
upon them.
At he rose, with a sigh, folded
np the originals that had formerly
been in his chest protector nnd put
them Into the breast pocket of his
Jacket and then very carefully depos
ited the copies he had made in the
place of the originals. Ho had no
very clear plan In his mind in doing
this, except that he hated the Idea of
altogether parting with the secret.
For a long time he meditated profound
ly—nodding. Then he turned out his
light and went to bed again and
schemed himself to sleep.
The hochgeboren Graf von Wlnter
feld was also a light sleeper that
night, but then he was one of those
people who sleep little and play chess
problems In their heads to while away
the time, and that night ho had a par
ticularly difficult problem to solve.
He came in upon Bert while he was
still in bed in the glow of the sunlight
reflected from the North sen, below,
consuming the rolls and coffee a sol
dier had brought him. He had a port
folio under his arm, and in the clear
early morning light his dingy gray
hair and heavy silver rimmed spec
tacles made him look almost benevo
lent. He spoke English fluently, but
with n strong German flavor. "You
came to us, Herr Pooterage, against
your will," he said.
'"Ow d'you make that out?" asked
Bert after a pause of astonishment.
"I chuge by ze maps in your car.
They were all English. And your pro
visions—they were all picnic. Also
your cords were entangled. You haf
been tugging, but no good. Also—
Where is ze laty?"
"'Ere, what lady?"
"You started with a laty. That is
evident. You shtarted for nu after
noon excursion—a picnic. A man of
your temperament, he would take a
laty. She was not wlz you In your
balloon when you came down at l>orn
hof. No! Only her chacket! it is
your affair. Still 1 am curious."
Bert reflected. " 'Oiv d'you know
that?"
"I chuge by ze nature of your fari
ous provisions. Well, let us get to busi
ness. A higher power"—his voice
changed its emotional quality; bis
magnified eyes seemed to dilate—"has
prought you and your secret straight
to us. So"—he bowed his head—"so
pe it! It is ze destiny of Chermany
and my prince. I can uudershtamlt
you always carry zat secret. You are
afraidt of roppers and spies. So it
comes wiz you to us. Mr. Pooterage,
Chermany will puy it."
"Will she?"
"She will," said the secretary, look
ing hard at Bert's abandoned sandals
In the corner of the locker, lie roused
himself, consulted a paper of notes for
a moment, and Bert eyed his brown
and wrinkled face with expectation
and terror. "Chermany, I am instruct
ed to say," said the secretary, with his
eyes on the table and his notes spread
out, "has always been willing to puy
your secret. We haf indeed peon eager
to acquire it—fery eager, and It was
only ze fear that you might be on
patriotic groundts, acting in collusion
with your Pritish war office, zat has
made us discreet in offering for your
marvelous invention through inter
mediaries. We haf no hesitation what
efer now, I am instructed, in agree
ing to your proposal of a hundert tou
sand poundts."
"Crickey!" said Bert, overwhelmed.
"I peg your pardon?"
"Jest a twinge," said Bert, raising
his hand to his bandaged head.
"I haf performt my instructions.
And ze title of paron, zat also can
po done. It can all pe done, Ilerr
Pooterage." He drummed on the ta
ble for a second or so and resumed:
"I haf to tell you, sir, zat you come
to us at a crisis in—Welt-Politik. There
can be no harm now for me to put
our plans before you. Pefore you leafe
this ship again they will be manifest
to all ee worklt. War is perhaps al
ready declared. We go—to America.
Our fleet will descend out of ze air
upon ze Pnited States—it is a country
quite unprepared for war eferywhere—
eferywhere. Zey have always relied
on ze Atlantic and their navy. We
have selected a certain point—lt is at
present ze secret of our commanders—
which we shall seize and zen we shall
establish a depot—a sort of inland
Gibraltar. It will be—what will it be?
—an eagle's nest. Zero our airships
will gazzer and repair, and thence they
will fly to and fro ofer ze United
States terrorizing cities, dominating
Washington, levying what is necessary
until terms we dictate are accepted."
"Goon!" said Bert.
"We could haf done all zls wiz such
Luftschiffe and Prachenflieger as we
possess, but ze accession of your ma
chine renders our project complete. It
not only gifs us a better Drachen
flleger, but it remofes our last uneasi
ness as to Great Britain. Wlzout you,
sir, Great Pritaiu, ze land you lofed
so well and zat. has requited you so
111, zat land of Pharisees and reptiles,
can do nozzing—nozzing! You see, I
am perfectly frank wlz you. Well, 1
am instructed that Chermany recog
nizes all this. We want you to place
yourself at our disposal. We want
you to become our chief head flight
engineer. We want you to manufac
ture. We want to equip a swarm of
hornets under your direction. We
want you to direct this force. And it
is at our depot in America we want
you. So we offer you simply and
without haggling ze full terms you de
manded weeks ago—one hundert tou-
sand poundts in cash, a salary of three
tousand poundts a year, a pension of
one tousand pouudts a year and ze
title of paron, as you desired. These
are my instructions."
"That's all right, of course," said
Bert, a little short of breath, but oth
erwise resolute and calm.
The secretary contemplated Bert's
collar with sustained attention. Only
for one moment did his gaze move to
the sandals and back.
"Jos' lnnime think a bit," said Bert,
finding the stare debilitating. "Look
'ere," he said at last, with an air of
great explicitness, "1 got the secret."
"Yes."
"But I don't want the name of P.ut
teridge to appear. See? I been think
ing that over."
"A little delicacy?"
"Exactly! You buy the secret-least
ways, I give it you—from bearer.
See?"
His voice failed hint a little, and
the stare continued. "I want to do
the thing enonymously. See?"
Still staring. Bert drifted on like a
swimmer caught by a current; "Fact
is. I'm going to edop' the name of
Smallways. I don't want no title of
baron. I've altered my mind. And I
want the money quiet like. I want
the hundred thousand pounds paid into
benks—thirty thousand into the Lon
don and county benk branch at Bun
Hill, In Kent, directly I 'and over the
plans, twenty thousand into the Renk
of England, \arf the rest into a good
French banlf, x the other 'arf the Ger
man National bank. See? I want it
put there right away. I don't want it
putin tlie name of Butteridge. I want
it putin the name of Albert refer
Smallways. That's the name I'm go
ing to edop'. That's condition one."
"Goon," said the secretary.
"The next condition," said Bert, "is
that you don't make any inquiries as
to title. I mean what English gen
"We want you to become our chief
head flight engineer."
tlemen do when they sell or let you
land. You don't arst 'ow I got It.
See? 'Ere I am— l deliver you the
goods; that's all right. Some people
'ave the cheek to say this Isn't my in
vention. See? It is, you know—that's
all right. But I don't want that gofce
into. I want a fair and square agree
ment saying that's all right. See?"
His "see" faded into a profound si
lence.
When at last the Graf von Winter
feld left Bert Smallways he left him
in nn extremely deflated condition,
with nil Ills little story told.
He had, as people say. made a clean
breast of it. He had been pursued
into details. He had had to explain
the blue suit, the sandals, the Desert
Dervishes—everything.
"It Is fery curious and amusing,
yes, but I am afraid the prince may
be annoyt. He acted wiz his usual de
cision—always he acts wiz wonterfui
decision, like Napoleon. Directly he
was tolt of« your descent into the
camp at Dornhof he said, 'Bring him!
I'ring him! It is my sclitar!' His
schtar of destiny! You see? He will
be dthwarted. He directed you to
come as Herr Booterage. and you liaf
not done so. You hnf trlet, of course,
but It has peen a poor try. His chug
ments of men are fery just and right,
and it is better for men to act up to
them—gompletely. Especially now.
Particularly now."
[To be continued.]
A GLANCE AT WORLD AFFAIRS
MAYOR STANLEY K. SHANK
of Indianapolis, who came
into national prominence re
cently by selling potatoes and
apples in the open market at less than
half tlie price dealers were charging,
Is still trying to cut the cost of living
by means of a municipal purchasing
agent. He has appointed a man togo
to the city markets and see that a
shortage of all commodities is pre
vented. The reason Mayor Shank be
gan his crusade against high prices is
Mayor Shank of Indianapolis, Who Is
Trying to Reduce Cost of Living.
told best in a letter he sent an Indian
apolis citizen soon after his first ven
ture in selling produce at greatly re
duced prices. He wrote:
The law of supply and demand. It scorns,
no longer controls the price of commodi
j tics. Tills Is now largely the prerogative
of the commission and cold storage men.
! Commission men said the market was
glutted. It was. Cold storage houses con
! tallied millions of bushels. Only n limited
| supply was permitted to reach the con
j sinner; hence the high prices.
1 became, interested in potatoes when I
noticed such a wide difference In prices.
In Michigan they could be bought at
| about "0 cents a bushel. At the same time
| Indianapolis people were paying about J
| a bushel. This convinced me somebody
| was Retting an unreasonable profit. 1 sent
! a man into the growers' territory with in
structions to buy if prices were right.
; Two days later lie wired that ho had pur
chased one carload at 69 cents free on
board Indianapolis. These potatoes I sold
on the city market at 75 cents a bushel.
Where delivery was required I charged 8S
cents. This just about paid the expenses
of the venture. The tirst car was soon
followed by another, and up to the pres
ent I have disposed of about ten carloads.
Of course, I do not expect to keep this up
indefinitely. The coming of the potatoes
had the effect 1 desired. It convinced the
people there was a holdup somewhere.
I believe a municipal purchasing agent
will go a long way toward solving this
problem. Place a man In the city mar
kets to see that a shortage of any com
| modify is prevented and it is my belief
that prices will lemain pretty close to their
j normal level
"
Helping the Negro Race.
i Much good work for the negro race
1 has been accomplished by the national
! Christian congress, which meets in
! Washington on Dec. 20. The associa
j tion was organized in 190G for the pur
i pose of helping in the education of
j negroes. for home mission work, teach
ing Christianity, morality, cleanliness
| and sobriety to the African people.
The Work For World Peace.
Advocates of the abolition of wars
\ are having a busy month. On Dec. It
i the executive committee of the Carne
| gie endowment for international peace
I met in Washington to report to the
j board of trustees at the annual meet
! ing. The report contaiued an outline
! of the work for 1912.
On Dec. 150 there will be a great
peace banquet in New York city, in
charge of a committee, among whose
members are J. I'ierpont Morgan, John
Hays Hammond, Samuel Hell Thomas
and ex-Senator Charles A. Towne.
Former President Roosevelt, Andrew
Carnegie, William Jennings Bryan,
Ambassador Bryce and Speaker Champ
Clark have been invited to deliver ad
dresses.
New impetus has been given the
peace movement as a result of the
noteworthy conference which has just
been terminated in Cincinnati.
The Fur Seal Treaty.
The American-British-Russian-Japa-
I nese fur seal treaty, having been act
ed upon in this country, and having re
ceived ratification at the hands of the
signatory powers has become effective.
The treaty absolutely forbids the kill
ing of seals in the open seas, known
as pelagic sealing, north of the thir
tieth degree of north latitude for fif
teen years, and empowers the various
governments to regulate and even dis
continue seal killing on seal Islands
that are within their jurisdiction.
Style Decrees Sloping Shoulders.
Representatives of the leading cloak
and suit manufacturers of the United
States have announced the following
spring styles for women:
Suit jackets will be cut on straight
lines, slightly fitted, the predominating
lengths to be twenty-six inches and
shorter, with a tendency toward round
ed front effects.
Skirts will be cut with few gores anil
on straight lines, with some panel and
tunic effect, the slightly raised waist
line (with inside belting) to continue in
favor: one sided effects to be strongly
featured.
Separate skirts to be cut on the lines
of suit skirts; trimmings to*be so ap
plied as to give the appearance of more
fullness.
Separate coats to be full length and
less fitted, with a tendency toward !
loose enveloping effects.
Novelty features in suit and separate
coats will include the sloping shoulder. 1
The suits of 1911 will be worn by
many husbnnds when the coming
year's fashions for women are In ef
fect. As to sloping shoulders, a whole
lot of men have 'em now, for capri
cious Dame Fashion hasn't been easy
on them In the matter of femininity's
fine raiment for winter.
Standard Oil's Knell Close.
It is a matter of a very short time
when the Standard Oil company must
dissolve in conformity with court de
cree. The corporation, following the
judgment of the United States circuit
court, which was confirmed by the
United States supreme court, was al
lowed until Dec. 21 togo out of ex
istence, this date being an extension
of time, to which the additional privi
lege was allowed the corporation of
asking for even more margin if it was
found impossible to conclude Its affairs
at the expiration of the amended time
limit. The court's decision originally
gave the company thirty days to dis
solve and prohibited it from engaging
In interstate commerce during that
time.
Two New Stars In United States Flag.
I'ncle Sam now has forty-eight stars
in his national emblem, due to the ad
vent into the Union as states of Ari
zona and New Mexico. Arizona elect
ed her governor and other state offi
cers on Dec. 12. New Mexico still has
to elect her senators and will do so in
January.
A Curfew For Motorists.
Frank B. Sanborn, known as the
sage of Concord, Mass., and famous
as the biographer of Emerson, Thoreau
and Alcott, recently made a request
for a law sending every automobile in
Massachusetts to its barn at 11 p. m.
Professor Sanborn urged that a spe
cial license and a high fee be required
for night speeding. lie would grant
those licenses only to physicians or in
emergency cases. Eleven o'clock, Mr.
Sanborn said, used to be known as the
"time for honest folks to be abed and
for rogues to be running."
Florida's Gift to Battleship.
The people of Florida have present
ed a silver service to the battleship
named for that state. The ceremonies
attending the presentation occurred at
Pensacola. Governor Gilchrist making
the gift In the name of the donors.
The silver pieces, sixty-one in num
ber, bore designs typical of the penin
sular state.
South Pole Expedition.
The Japanese antarctic expedition
aboard the Kainan Maru. which was
forced to return to Sydney, Australia,
last spring. Is making its second at
tempt to reach the south pole. The
expedition Is In command of Lieuten
ant Sliirase and on the previous at
tempt got as far as 74 degrees south,
but was forced to return on account
of stormy weather and ice packs, the
vessel proving unfit to resist the ice
pressure.
Rear Admiral Vreeland.
It was understood at tlie time it was
announced that Rear Admiral Richard
Walnwright was to retire from the
United States navy this week that his
successor would be Rear Admiral
Charles E. Vreeland. The latter ofti-
Rear Admiral Charlee E. Vreeland,
Now Prominent Figure In Navy.
cer commanded thte battleship Dela
ware, which was sent to the corona
tion of King George V.of Great Brit
ain. He was naval aid to John Hays
Hammond, American special ambas
sador to the crowning ceremonies.
Rear Admiral Vreeland, who is a son
of New Jersey, entered the navy in
July, 1800.
National Civic Pride.
In line with the spirit of the times
is the object of the American Civic
association, which on Dec. 13, 14 and
15 held its seventh annual convention
In Washington. "A More Beautiful
America" is Its siogau, and its Influ
ence is rapidly making itself felt. A
feature of the convention was an ex
hibition of National park views un
der the auspices of the department of
the interior. [sl B1
I
YULETIDE IN MANY LANDS.
Christmas Day Oddly Celebrated In
Foreign Countries.
Christmas celebrations are drawn
from diverse sources and are by no
means all of Christian origin, in so
far as the ceremonies and fes, vltles
are concerned. In fact, there is more
of pagan than of Christian In them,
and many of them antedate the re
ligion of Christ.
In Scandinavia one has, It Is said,
the greatest veneration for Yuletide of
all countries. The courts are closed,
old quarrels forgotten, feuds adjusted.
A pretty symbol of the spirit that
reigns Is the practice of placing In a
row every pair of shoes in each house
hold, so that during the year the fam
ily will live in peace and harmony.
Candles aro left burning to show tho
way to "Yule trumpte" (the Christmas
spirit), bringing the gifts. One sets a
cake of meal in the snow as a Christ
mas offering. For the birds a sheaf of
wheat la placed on a pole in front of
each house to provide them with food.
In Servia the Christmas customs aro
very curious. When tho father brings
home the Ynle log he says: "Good even
ing. Merry Christmas." All present
reply: "May God grant both to thee.
Mayest thou have riches and honor."
Then they throw over him grains of
wheat. Presently a young tree Is
placed upon the coals, where It re
mains until morning, which is saluted
by repeated pistol shots. Where a
neighbor pays a visit he first throws
grains of wheat through the open door,
crying, "Christ is born." Those upon
whom the grain has fallen answer,
"He is born indeed." The visitor then
enters and, striking the log with a
piece of iron, adds, "For as many
sparks as come out of you let there be
as many oxen, horses, sheep, goats,
pigs and beehives." At length the mis
tress of the house throws a veil over
the assembled guests, and the remains
of the log are carried out into the or
chard. The ashes are retained, as they
are believed to bring good luck.
In some places In Swabla it Is cus
tomary for a maiden inquisitive as to
her prospective lover to draw a stick
of wood out of a hqap of Christmas
fire logs to see whether he will be
long or short, crooked or straight.
In the Swiss and Austrian Alps the
peculiar belief obtains that animals
have the gift of language on Christmas
night.
0,,!..,,.,,. . ... ■ ,|Q
CHRISTMAS BELLS. ?
JJORNS blown in Elfland haunt J
my dreams, i
And softly through the doors 112
of Sleep ?
Some half remembered Music •
seems ?
Across the mists of Time to I
creep. •
sweeter than the call for- J
lorn •
" Of Faery voices comes the '
i chime ;
• Of early bells on Christmas morn t
' Across the widening gulfs of T
I Time.
i f
T J HEAR from ghostly tower to ?
j tower •
• The ghostly peal of sound take •
T flight, I
i And Music, like a passing shower, •
? Drifts, like a Memory, down the 112
J night. |
112 T HEAR the bells, like calling t
? birds, i
S Aloud, alone, ring out and fail •
And reawake and scatter words 112
i Of Hope and Joy, like silver hail, i
112 T HEAR them call, the Christmas ?
I 1 bells. i
I Past where the snows of Sor- *
row blew, '
J Where still the joy of childhood ;
I dwells t
? And all th« dreams of youth ?
i come true! i
t —Arthur Stringer in Designer. ?
A Last Minute Present.
At the eleventh hour last Christmas,
says a contributor to the Housekeeper,
I remembered that I did not have a
gift for a friend I wished to remember.
I knew that a gift of money would be
very acceptable, yet it would never do
to give her money In the ordinary way
or in any way that would suggest
charity. At last I hit upon this de
lightful way out of the difficulty, and
it proved so successful that I "pass it
on"this Christmas to others. I bought
a little ten cent basket from the ten
cent store and painted it a deep Indian
red. Then I bought some English wal
nuts, picked out the largest, split them
into halves and picked out the meats.
In one or two of them I placol n few
dimes, in one a bill, in another a num
ber of stamps, and in the others I
placed little jokes and slips of paper
bearing little Christmas verses or
thoughts. Then I glued the halves to
gether and put them in the basket, tied
a Christmas card and a spray of holly
to the handle and sent it to my friend.
She declared It was the most delightful
gift she had ever received.
An Attractive Gift.
As an inexpensive gift at Christmas
an attractive art calendar may be
made at home.
The actual labor consists In supply
ing a suitable photograph or a bit of
scenery or a picturesque homestead or
hut to which attaches historic interest,
to be inserted in the space on the
mounting boards, as these boards aro
being shown in tho shops in most ar
tistic colors, in various sizes and with
a suitable and harmonizing calendar
pad attached. Then, too, if one is
clever with wHter paints, and one can
soon learn to bo if one is not already,
the scene may be touched with color
and thus represent;. bit of thought and
handwork. •