XV
THE HAND OF FATE
It was a surprising discovery that Jack had just made, but after all notso very wonderful. In these modern days a multitude of daring girls andyoung women were becoming air minded and filled with the ambition tobecome pilots. The fascination of such a life appealed to them withirresistible force so that already some of them had made a mostcreditable showing in the annals of aviation.
For one thing the fact that the one he had offered to help had turnedout to be a girl gave Jack a twinge--he realized that more than ever heand Perk would be obliged to "stick around," and endeavor to overcomeher difficulties, if the disabilities of the wrecked plane could in anyway be remedied.
That was apt to mean a further delay in their work, a serious handicap,since already too much time had passed if there remained any furtherhope of finding poor Buddy Warner.
"Tell me, did you come through this crash without being seriously hurtyourself?" he asked her.
Perk must have made the same sudden discovery as Jack for he wasstanding near by, staring hard at the novice pilot and with his mouthopen. Possibly Perk also deplored the fact that their meeting with awoman flyer was bound to interfere more or less with those plans of hispal's which above all things concerned the need of speedy action,unhampered liberty of going where they willed and staying on the jobsteadily, come storm, fog, riotous wind or fair weather.
"A few little bruises seems to be the extent of my injuries--next tonothing, I assure you, but if they were ten times as serious it wouldnot keep me from going up again, if my ship were workable--indeed, it isabsolutely necessary for me to do so!"
Jack looked at her again. Most assuredly she did have the necessarystamina required of a successful air pilot. He did not believe anyordinary peril could deter such a girl from attempting what she hadplanned.
"I am glad to know that you were not badly hurt, he told her, but it'splain to be seen you must have handled your stick cleverly or your shipwould have crashed ten times as hard as it did. The first thing to bedone is for us to check the craft over and learn the extent of thedamage. If, luckily, it happens to be but a broken wing, possibly we canfix it up well enough to get the boat out of this fearful hole. Howeverdid it happen you picked out this place to come down in, or was it justby a rare chance? You could not have found as good a landing-fieldinside of a hundred miles I reckon, miss."
She smiled at hearing him address her by that title, since it was thefirst real evidence that he understood the situation.
"I suppose it was partly luck," she told him simply, "although I didhave an idea it would be a hundred per cent better to fall on whatlooked like a sandy shore down here, than take chances with thoseterrible rocks up above. Just what I did and how I landed so easily, I'mnot at all certain about, but Heaven was kind and yet I hope never tofind myself in the same bad fix again. Did you say you would take a lookat my ship and find out what's wrong? It's kind of you to go to all thattrouble, but I must get out of this as soon as possible--oh! I surelymust!"
Jack could not help being struck with the way she said this, with herpretty sun and wind-tanned face taking on a determined, resoluteexpression. He would not have been human to thus hear and see withoutbeginning to wonder what is could be that influenced her to speak so.Why should she show such a yearning for a chance to continue her flight?What genuine reason could a girl have for such an overwhelming desirefor action? Was there any sort of endurance race on the books for womenpilots who had recently obtained their necessary flying licenses--or wasit some sort of a private wager that caused her to betray so muchsolicitude?
Would he and Perk be justified in holding over so as to get her started,granting that her ship could be put in condition again by means of theircombined knowledge and ability along those lines?
Somehow, when he looked keenly into her face, he failed to discover thefaintest trace of guile thereon. Once convinced of this fact, Jack threwevery suspicion to the four winds and came to the conclusion that bothduty and the natural chivalry in his nature compelled him to do all thatwas possible to aid a fellow pilot in distress.
"Perk, suppose you tote that painter up to the ship here and fasten it.We've got a little job on our hands for I've promised this young lady tocheck up and learn how badly her boat has been wrecked. By the way miss,you haven't so far told us your name--mine happens to be Jack Ralstonand this is my partner, Perk--Gabe Perkiser in full."
"And mine is Suzanne Cramer--one of the newcomers in the ranks of womenair pilots. It hasn't been so long since they gave me my license, afterI'd done my full allowance of solo flying. This is my own ship--I boughtit secondhand, but in perfect condition. Until today I have never hadany trouble but the engine started to miss and I knew I must land orcrash dreadfully. Please see if there's any hope for my getting out ofthis place soon, for it means everything in the world to me."
Jack saw that suspicious old bachelor, Perk give him a solemn look andwink his left eye, just as though he distrusted the wisdom of theirwasting precious minutes trying to help a flighty little girl pilot,evidently on some sort of a silly lark and making out that it was a mostimportant matter indeed--as most girls always do, according to hislimited knowledge.
Thereupon Jack shook his head at scoffing Perk, knowing as he did howthe other was inclined to be a woman-hater.
"Come on Perk, now that you've made our ferry secure let's get busy andsee what's what here. You take the off wing and I'll look over the nearone, then we can double-up on the engine and reach a conclusion. Itwon't take us long, Perk and it's a duty every decent pilot owes to hisclass, remember."
"Okay Boss, jest as you say, I'm willin'; but all the same it looks tome like it'd turn out to be a bum job. That old bus has been given somehard knocks an' won't tune up worth a red cent."
The girl thereupon uttered a little pitiable moan that influenced Jackto turn a bit sternly upon his pal and say quickly:
"No snap judgment Perk! You never can tell how badly things are untilyou give them the first over. Come on now, partner I know you wellenough to be sure you'll give an honest verdict, no matter what comes."
"Sure thing, Jack--my dad taught me to 'hew straight to the line, letthe chips fall where they will'--that's been the Perkiser motto rightalong, an' see where it carried us as a family. Got one uncle sheriff o'a county in Kansas an' another at the head o' a hot dog emporium, whichis goin' some, I want you to know."
The girl looked as though amused at Perk's quaint way of saying thingsbut that anxious, eager expression quickly came upon her face again.
For some little time the pair rummaged around and seemed to act asthough they both knew their business, as well as the makeup of any planeever conceived by the human mind. Perk knocked on this and that, madeall manner of little tests where he believed were necessary, and inother ways carried himself as befitted by education and calling to be ajudge of an airship's anatomy.
She followed them about, always intently watching and squeezing herhands in a way to show how wrought up she must be with the suspense.Then, when they were through with the inspection and checking up, Jackand Perk "went into a huddle," as the latter would have termed it,nodding their heads and talking in low tones. Finally Jack was shovedforward by the other as the one who ought to bring the sad tidings tothe distressed girl pilot.
"Oh! you have something dreadful to tell me," she cried out, wringingher hands. "Is it too badly wrecked for you to fix up so I can pull outof this awful hole and take off again?"
"I'm sorry to say, Miss Cramer," Jack told her, "your boat is so badlyknocked out that it can never be taken out of this place by its ownpower. It will, I fear, have to be dismantled and carried up piece-meal,to be shipped to the company's works for rebuilding."
She put up her quivering hands to her face and started crying.
"Oh! it is terrible--just _terrible_, when he needs me so! Three dayshave passed already, and I felt that if any one could find
him surelylove would show me the way. What will poor Mother Warner say when shefails to hear from me as I promised? Poor Mother, and poor Buddy. Whatwill happen to us all?"
Wings Over the Rockies; Or, Jack Ralston's New Cloud Chaser Page 15
