The Flying Boys in the Sky

“Gave it to me.”

“And why didn’t you hand it to me?” asked Harvey.

“‘Cause I had to promise I wouldn’t till this evening after supper. The darkey explained that if you got it too soon, you’d butt in and upset things and he didn’t mean to have anything like that. Here’s the letter.”

And the landlord drew a missive from his inner coat pocket and handed it to Harvey, remarking as he did so:

“I had a mind to give it to you as soon as you and the detective got back, for I didn’t feel right about that outlandish scheme of the Professor, but I had made my promise and stuck to it.”

Excusing himself, Harvey Hamilton walked into the writing-room, and under the glare of the gaslight unfolded a sheet of paper which was not inclosed in an envelope. He recognized the scrawling hand that had written his name on the outside and read the following amazing communication. The only liberty I have taken with it is in the way of punctuation, in order to help make clear the meaning:

“Deer Harv:

“doan’ think ime mad at U, coz I aint, – its all right; I think a bully lot of U. Me and the purfesser start 2 day for Afriky to make a vizzit to my dad, the grate cheef Foozleum, when i cum back, ile bring U a nelefunt that we’ll hang in a nett under the masheen. I meen to fetch a graff 2 [several other spellings of this difficult word were crossed out], as we can cut a hole in the top of the dragging of the Skize and let his head stick thru; doan’ try to foller us, ’cause U can’t carry nuff ighl to keep the steem agoing no more, – with luv.

    Bunk.”

Harvey smiled at this phonetic system run mad. Then an expression of worriment clouded his countenance.

“Poor Bunk! You don’t know what you are doing. You have gone into a danger from which heaven alone can save you; but I shall do all I can without wasting an hour, though I fear it is too late.”

And what Harvey Hamilton did and all that befell Bohunkus Johnson in his aerial flight with Professor Morgan will be told in

“THE FLYING BOYS TO THE RESCUE.”

notes

1

It is well to bear the following distinctions in mind: aerostation is the art of flying in a balloon; when the balloon is equipped with motor and propellers so as to be navigable, it is dirigible; an aerocar is any kind of a flying machine; an aeronaut is any one who navigates the air in a balloon; an aeroplane is a flying machine which is heavier than air; a monoplane is a one-planed and a biplane a two-planed flying machine; a triplane consists of three superposed planes; a quadruplane of four planes; airmen are either aeronauts or aviators; aviation is the art of flying in an aeroplane and an aviator is one who so flies; aeronef is an aeroplane as defined by International Congress; a hangar corresponds to a garage for an automobile; ornithopter is a heavier-than-air machine, with wings upon which it depends for support and propulsion; petrol is the European name for gasoline.