Wings Over the Rockies; Or, Jack Ralston's New Cloud Chaser

by Ambrose Newcomb

  XVI

  SUZANNE INSISTS

  What seemed to be the whole truth flashed into Jack's mind when he heardthe grieving girl pilot express the sentiments that influenced her intomaking this far-flung flight so soon after winning her new pilot'slicense.

  It staggered him, too--not so much that Suzanne should thus turn out tobe Buddy Warner's sweetheart, though in itself that was decidedlyinteresting; but to think how a strange and perverse Fate had so decreedthat she should meet up with the pair who had been deputized by theDepartment at Washington to start forth, and do everything in theirpower to solve the mystery of Buddy's strange disappearance, also, _ifpossible_, accomplish his finding.

  As for Perk, who apparently had seen a great light all of a sudden, justas Jack had done, almost "threw a fit." He declared later on, when hecould ponder, how many thousand chances there were against anything likethis lucky meeting coming to pass.

  Jack, chancing to let his gaze wander that way, could see Perk staringwith round eyes at the inspired face of the brave girl. He also feeblyscratched his head with slow movements, just as if his wits had goneastray under the shock.

  "Can it be possible, Suzanne," stammered Jack, grinning amiably thewhile, "that you happen to be----er, Buddy's _sweetheart_--what youmight call his 'best girl'?"

  She regarded him with an encouraging smile, and nodded her head,forgetting to cry, as though something in his way of saying this badeher hug fresh hope to her heart.

  "Why, yes, most certainly I am--we expected to be married in anotherthree months--Buddy's got the dear little cottage on the way, andeverything was planned--and then came that dreadful news telling how hewas lost somewhere among these awful mountains. My ship was beingrepaired, for I had had a slight accident in making too fast a landingon rough ground, and it took nearly two days for those slow pokemechanics to get it checked up again--two frightful days that I neverwant to live again. Then I hopped off, and came here, for the boys atthe flying field told me just where he must have gone down, you know.Perhaps it was a crazy thing to do--they tried to persuade me to give itup, but I had promised Mother Warner to find him--and what was the useof my being a full-fledged air pilot if I had to stay a _kiwi_--stick tothe ground, when my Buddy needed me so?"

  "Still, it was an unwise thing for you to have done, though nobody couldblame you, because Buddy was well worth taking chances for. But, youmust have realized there would be scores of skillful pilots on the job,every one bent on finding your boy, if it lay in human power. My pal andI are in the employ of Uncle Sam--taken off all other business, and setto making a wide search--we have come all the way from Cheyenne, throughthe worst fog bank that ever was known, just for that purpose, whichmakes it seem doubly strange how we should have been brought in contactwith you, Miss Cramer."

  She smiled through her tears, and then went on hastily to say:

  "I can only think it was Providence answering the prayers I have beensending up ever since the dreadful word came to us there in our littletown, that Buddy has put on the map. Oh! I am sure the way was opened upto me--that now you know who and what I am, you could not have the heartto leave me here while you took up the search I had dedicated myself tocarry out!"

  Jack evidently could give a pretty shrewd guess as to what lay back ofher words--she undoubtedly meant to implore them to let her accompanythem in their hunt.

  So he scratched his chin in a way he had when placed in a dilemma--Perk,saw him do that and understood how matters stood; for he grinnedshamelessly, as though it actually tickled him to see his best palplaced in such a hole, with no way out save in yielding.

  "Er--much as I--we, that is--would like to oblige you, Miss Cramer--I'mafraid it would be impossible. We belong to a Department of theGovernment that frowns on our mixing up what they call business withpleasure. They set us on this job, and that means we've got to take offwithout any more delay than we can possibly help--I'm sure you'llunderstand what I mean."

  Perk grinned some more, just as if he had an idea his usually dependablepal hardly knew himself what he was aiming at. The girl novice pilotlooked grieved, and then brightened up.

  "But--what's to become of _me_ then--you surely wouldn't be so mean asto leave me here in this dreadful hole all night--I'd go out of my mindwith thinking every little sound meant that some ferocious wild beastwas creeping up on my fire, ready to make a meal of me; which of coursewould be rough, after all those fierce lessons in the air, and actuallygetting my pilot's license after all. And besides, I did really andtruly promise Ma Warner I'd find Buddy, and fetch him back home withme."

  Jack looked at her entreating face, gave a glance at the grinning Perk,drew a long breath, shrugged his shoulders with the air of saying indesperation: "That's that then; and what are you going to do about it,when a young woman sets you on a red-hot gridiron like that."

  There seemed nothing to do but capitulate, and make the best of a badbargain. After all it was not as if they could find no room forSuzanne--she was such a little thing, and besides their new cloud-chaserwas capable of carrying a weight almost twice the amount of the presentcargo, gas and all.

  "All right, then, Miss Cramer, we'll take you with us when we start outof here," he told her, allowing himself to shut off his feeling of neardismay, and actually smiled again in his accustomed way.

  "Oh! thank you so much--Jack," she told him, with sincerity in bothvoice and manner. "I promise not to give you the least trouble, andperhaps I could make myself useful sooner or later, especially if we_do_ find my Buddy, and he--should be badly injured, so as to need anurse's care--for you see I was on my way to be a trained nurse when Igot air-minded, and set out to be a flyer, so sometimes I might go withBuddy."

  "But this will mean we must all of us remain here in the great canyonfor the night," he reminded her.

  "But that would be wasting many hours, and he needing me so much," shecomplained, with a pitiful look that made Jack regret his inability tostart right off and be doing.

  "Listen, please," he said, gently but firmly, "you can see by looking upthat the sun has set, and night is creeping out--already down in thisdeep hole it's next to impossible for any one to see what might lie inthe way; so that makes it too risky to try and pull out. I'd like as notwreck my ship by running up against a snag in the water, or a strayboulder on the shore. Whether we took you with us or not I'd made up mymind to stick it out here for the night."

  "Yes," here broke in Perk, who evidently thought he was due to "butt in"and have his little say, "and besides, even if we did manage to make theriffle without bustin', what could we do knockin' around in thedark--just a sheer waste o' good gas, an' gettin' nowhere a'tall."

  Since it was now two against one, and they both seemed so kind, Suzannewisely gave in.

  "You've convinced me, Jack, and I'll say no more," she told him sweetly;"but do you know I haven't had a bite to eat for ever so long; though Madid make me take aboard enough rations to feed a regiment, including teaand coffee, as well as an assortment of pots and pans."

  Perk immediately betrayed fresh interest in life, for it was wonderfulhow the fellow brightened up, as though just then realizing that hehimself must be perilously close to starvation.

  "We'll help you get them out o' the bus, lady," he hastened to say; "ifso be you'll kindly show us where they be--ain't that so, partner?"

  Jack did not seem at all averse to such a proceeding--why not makethings as pleasant as possible since a capricious Fate had thrown theirfortunes together in this mad way?

  "Suppose you attend to all that, Perk," he told the other, knowing howefficient his partner was along such lines; "while you're doing it underMiss Cramer's directions I'll take another look at her crate, and seejust how we can drag it further back from the river, so it will be safewhen we're gone."