Part 7 (1/2)

”It surely does,” agreed Roy, ”but look, sis--there's Doctor Mays' house off there. You'll have to make a landing in that field back of the barn.”

Peggy nodded and deftly touched a lever or two. The aeroplane began to descend.

”Want me to take the helm?” inquired Roy.

If Peggy had dared to turn her head she would have flashed an indignant glance at her brother. As it was she had to content herself with a very haughty, ”No, indeed.”

Roy laughed.

”You surely are the original Girl Aviator,” he exclaimed.

”Huh!” cried Peggy, ”by no means the original one, my dear. There are lots of them in Europe and there soon will be in this country, too.”

”I hope so,” responded Roy, ”riding with a pretty girl in an aeroplane just suits me.”

But Peggy did not reply, and for a good reason. They were now just above the pasture lot in which she meant to descend, and below them, as they dropped, an amusing scene was transpiring.

The Doctor's horse, old Dobbin, was das.h.i.+ng madly around in circles, faster than he had gone in twenty years of solid respectability; the two cows, and an old mother pig with her family, joined him as the strange whirring thing from the sky dropped lowering above them. As for the chickens, they flew wildly in every direction, clucking as if they had gone mad.

In the midst of the turmoil a rear door opened and a kindly-faced old man with white whiskers and a pair of big spectacles perched on his nose, emerged, to see what could be causing all the disturbance. He fairly dropped the big book he was holding, in his astonishment as he beheld a glistening object, like a huge yellow and spangled bird, dropping in his very back yard, so to speak. But the next instant he recovered himself.

”Bless my soul,” exclaimed Dr. Mays, for it was the retired physician himself, ”I thought for a moment that the fabled days of the gigantic Roc, with which Sinbad the sailor had his adventures, had returned.

”It must be those Prescott children. Ah!” he exclaimed, as the aeroplane alighted and came to a standstill, ”it is! Dear me, what a century we are living in! Boys and girls flying about like--like--my chickens!”

He ”clucked” rea.s.suringly to the terrified birds as he hastened toward the now stationary machine. Roy and his sister came forward to greet the venerable old doctor as he approached.

Roy hastily explained their errand, being interrupted constantly by the physician's exclamations of astonishment.

”Go back with you? Of course, I will, my children. Will one of you help me catch old Dobbin and harness him? My man Jake is in town to-day.”

”Oh, doctor,” cried Peggy, entreatingly, ”can't we persuade you to go back with us in the Golden b.u.t.terfly?”

”To fly! Good heavens!”

The aged physician threw up his hands at the idea.

”It is perfectly safe, sir,” put in Roy. ”Safer than old Dobbin in his present frame of mind, I should imagine.”

They all had to laugh as they looked at the hitherto staid and sober equine careening about the pasture with his tail held high, and from time to time emitting shrill whinnies of terror at the sight of the strange thing which had landed in his domain.

”I don't know, I really don't,” hesitated Dr. Mays. ”The very idea of an old man like me riding in an aeroplane. It's--it's----”

”Just splendid,” laughed Peggy, merrily, ”and, doctor, I've often heard you say to father that it was a physician's duty to keep pace with modern invention.”

”Quite right! Quite right! I often told your poor father so,” cried Dr.

Mays. ”Well, my dear, it may be revolutionary and unbecoming to a man of my years, but I actually believe I will brave a new element in that flying machine of yours. More especially as we can reach my young patient much quicker in that way.”

While Dr. Mays, who was a widower and childless, went to hunt up an old cap, as headgear for his novel journey, Roy obtained permission to use the doctor's telephone. He called up Jess's home and related briefly to Mrs. Bancroft what had occurred, and asked that an automobile be sent to the scene of the accident.

Mrs. Bancroft, who at first had been seriously alarmed, was rea.s.sured by Roy's quiet manner of breaking the news to her, and promised to come over herself at once. By this time Doctor Mays was ready, and the young people noted, not without amus.e.m.e.nt, that under his a.s.sumed air of confidence the benevolent old gentleman was not a little worried at the idea of braving what was to him a new element.