Chapter IX
THE RACES
"He flies through the air with the greatest of ease," sang Carol lustilyas she and her friends watched the take-off of a stunt pilot.
Phyllis sat on the running board of David's car and looked around.
"But I don't see anything of Gale or Brent Stockton," she observed.
"They must be here somewhere," Valerie declared. "Where's Bruce?"
"In the hangar probably," Janet answered. "There is what's hisname--Stubby."
"Hi, there," David called. "Where is Mr. Stockton?"
Stubby approached them, a worried frown on his face.
"You don't look very happy. Has someone smashed the Silver Arrow?" PeterArnold inquired.
"The plane is all right, I hope," Stubby said gloomily.
"You hope!" the others echoed.
"Brent hasn't brought it back yet," Stubby informed them. "He went offlast night with Miss Howard and her father and hasn't come back yet."
"But it is almost time for the races," Valerie breathed. "Where arethey?"
Stubby shook his head. "I wish I knew."
"Will you fly the yellow plane if he doesn't come back?" Peter askedanxiously.
"Can you fly it, Stubby?" David put in.
Stubby regarded him seriously. "I can fly it--license and everything,but it is Brent's ship and his motor."
"But he would want you to take his place if he couldn't be here," Davidassured him. "Come along, we'll help you roll the ship out onto thefield--just in case Brent doesn't get back in time."
The boys and Stubby walked to the hangar while the girls moved leisurelyout to the field where a crowd had already gathered about the planesthat would in a little while be vying with one another in the clouds.
"I'm going over to see the other plane Stubby is going to fly," Phyllissaid after a while and departed.
A few minutes later Janet slipped away from Carol, Madge and Valerie.The three girls were at first unaware of her absence but even when theydiscovered it they thought nothing of it. Janet often wandered away byherself--in search of something else to hold her interest. They supposedshe had gone after Phyllis.
Over in the central hangar a huge passenger plane was slowly beingwheeled out into the open. It was the plane that was to take the womenparachute jumpers up the required number of feet. From there they wouldjump out and the first one on the ground receive a cash prize. Theentrants were slipping into the white, jumper-like suits and parachutesprovided by the airport.
Janet, her parachute bumping her legs as she walked from the hangar intothe sunlight, bumped ignominiously into another girl similarlystruggling with her equipment.
"Having----" Janet began and stopped to emit a shout of surprise."Phyllis! What are you doing in that parachute?"
"I might ask the same thing of you," Phyllis laughed. "How come?"
"Well, I'll tell you," Janet said, slipping her arm within her friend'sas they walked to the waiting plane. "It has always been a suppresseddesire of mine to jump out of an airplane." She grinned engagingly atPhyllis. Secretly she was glad of her friend's presence. It lent hersupport in the last minutes when she felt her courage weakening. "Do yousuppose they will give us a new parachute if this one doesn't work?"
Phyllis laughed. "If this one doesn't work you won't need another one!Come along, we have to get in."
They let most of the other jumpers precede them, getting into the plane.Just before Janet disappeared within she looked out over the crowd.Squarely she caught Valerie's eye and waved to the girls. She could seethe amazement plainly written on their features.
"Are they surprised," she laughed nervously to Phyllis. "I'll bet theynever suspected us of doing this!"
When the door to the plane was closed and the pilot was sending theplane skimming across the ground Janet began to get a reversion offeelings. It had seemed a great idea when she thought of it--thisparachute jump. It had been a new and frightfully brave adventure. Butnow that the jump was only minutes away she began to wish she was withher friends down on the ground looking up.
She looked at Phyllis who was interestedly peering at the ground below.Phyllis, too, seemed a little paler than usual. Janet touched herfriend's hand. Phyllis' fingers were like ice.
Janet swallowed with difficulty and placed her lips close to Phyllis'ear. "I'm getting scared," she acknowledged.
Phyllis agreed with a grin. She could sympathize with Janet mostheartily for if she felt as shaky as Phyllis herself did----
The pilot raised his hand, the signal to his assistant to open the doorto the plane. Phyllis pushed Janet into place in the line of jumpers.They had received their instructions on the ground and now anxiouslyreviewed them in their minds.
Janet came to the edge and looked out. She shut her eyes and held herbreath. The ground was so awf'ly far away, but there were others behindher. She couldn't stop now. Holding firmly to all the courage shepossessed Janet stepped off into space.
Phyllis was next. As her friend disappeared she stepped quickly to takeJanet's place. She knew if she hesitated she was lost, so immediatelystepped out into the clouds. But she had been too soon. She yanked onthe ring of her parachute, and the white folds streamed out behind her.
Phyllis, in her fall, a good distance before she pulled the ripcord, hadcaught up with Janet and now her parachute became tangled in the foldsof her friend's. The strings wound around each other as each girl triedvainly to pull her respective silken umbrella loose.
"I'll bet that is Phyllis and Janet," Madge said nervously. She couldnot see the identity of the girls up above the spectators, but somethingtold her that fatality hovered over her friends.
"Something like that would happen to them," Carol agreed with a sigh."Oh, why don't they do something!"
Phyllis and Janet were tugging frantically at the strings above them.Finally, when they had about decided there was nothing for them to dobut prepare to land with hope for as little injury as possible, Phyllis'parachute came free and straightened out with a jerk. Thereafter theyfloated down to the ground easily, with the lightness of birds.
Phyllis braced her legs to meet the ground rushing up at her. In anotherminute she was flat on her back and the parachute covering her like agiant blanket. Friendly hands came to her rescue and soon she wasupright, stepping from the harness of the parachute.
"All right, Janet?" Phyllis called anxiously, running to where herfriend's parachute covered a squirming, wriggling figure.
"I'll be all right if somebody will take this thing off me," Janet criedfretfully. "Never," she declared solemnly as she trudged along besidePhyllis back to the hangar where they divested themselves of theirsuits, "never will I try that again. Never!"
"Wasn't it thrilling?" Phyllis asked eagerly. "I was never so thrilledin my whole life!"
"I don't care to experience it again," Janet said flatly. "When Istepped from the plane out into nothing and went tumbling down towardthe ground----I hope I haven't shortened my life by ten years," sheadded.
"Of all the crazy stunts!" Carol greeted them when they were alltogether again.
"I know, I know," Janet said with a wave of the hand, "you don't have tosay a word."
"Whatever possessed you to do it?" Madge demanded.
"I wondered that myself when I was up there," Janet murmured. "Justsuppose the parachute hadn't opened!"
"A fine time to think of that!" Carol laughed. "You didn't really thinkyou would get the prize, did you?"
"Well, I considered it," Janet said diffidently. "By the way, who didget it?"
It seemed none of the girls knew and the interest in the award died outwhen Stubby appeared with the information that neither Brent Stocktonnor Gale had yet returned.
"I never thought Gale would miss all this," Valerie declared.
"Nor Mr. Stockton," added Phyllis. "I wonder where they are."
"Maybe they eloped," Carol said brightly hopeful.
; "Do you really think so?" Janet asked eagerly.
"Of course they didn't!" Phyllis said shortly. She turned to Stubby."What are you going to do about the race? It must be something terriblyimportant to keep Mr. Stockton away when this is so important to him."
Stubby squinted up at the sun, then at the other planes already warmingup on the field. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his greasyoveralls.
"I s'pose I'll have to fly her," he said slowly.
"Here it comes," Janet cried.
Bruce, David and Peter with the help of two other mechanics werebringing the yellow plane from the hangar out onto the field. The yellowplane gleamed in the sun like a canary waiting to take wing. Stubbystroked the nickel propeller with almost loving fingers.
"Warm her up, Stubby!" Bruce urged.
Stubby disappeared within the hangar and reappeared with helmet andgoggles. He climbed into the cockpit. Bruce turned the propeller as hehad learned to do for Brent. The engine broke into a roar, the propellerwas a silver streak. The wind sent up a cloud of dust as the ship swungabout and slowly taxied to the starting line where the other planes wereall ready and waiting.
"Good luck!" Bruce called, but it is doubtful if Stubby heard him eventhough he waved to the group.
The planes were off in a burst of noise and wind. Touching the groundever more lightly they ran the length of the field before rising intothe air on the first lap of the race. Around and around they went thelength of the field, circling the specially erected towers, soaring overthe heads of the people.
The Adventure Girls and the three boys watched with bated breath. Stubbyhad taken the lead easily enough after the take-off, but now a red,streamlined plane with a mighty engine and a determined pilot wasclosing the distance between them. Once Brent's engine sputteredfitfully, but resumed a smooth evenness after a moment.
"Stubby can't handle it like Brent can," Bruce sighed. "Brent would wineasily enough."
No one else said anything. They merely watched, not taking their eyesfor a minute from those man-made birds speeding beneath the clouds. Onlyonce did their interest and excitement turn into genuine concern. Ablack plane suddenly disclosed a spurt of smoke and flame from themotor. The pilot without more ado set his ship down on the ground,unhurt, but definitely out of the race. The other flyers had not evenslackened their pace. Such bits of hard luck were common to those in theflying business.
"Stubby is getting the feel of it now," David said confidently as slowlyand surely the yellow plane resumed the lead of the field.
No more did Stubby allow the red monoplane to creep up into achallenging position. He was sure of his plane now. The yellow ship wasnot to be outdone. It streaked away a good half lap in the lead when thecheckered flag brought the close of the contest.
Stubby silently received the congratulations accorded the winner. Themotor had proved to stand the test. The plane had come through anddefeated all Brent's enemies. Brent would probably sell his plans to thegovernment. His plane had won--but where was Brent?