Part 14 (1/2)

”Don't let them start the motors until I give the signal,” she said.

”It may take quite a while to get her calm, but once she's back in the plane I think I'll be able to manage.”

Miss Comstock nodded and hurried away while Jane guided her elderly pa.s.senger toward the stewardess' quarters. There, well away from the rush and confusion of the hangar, she made her comfortable while she put a pot of tea on the electric grill in the commissary. Within five minutes Jane had tea and wafers ready on a silver tray. She talked gaily about everything except flying and Mrs. Van Verity Vanness began to show a new interest in living. The tea was delicious and the wafers were appetizing. The wealthy pa.s.senger of the special drank two cups of tea and ate five of the wafers.

Jane heard a tap on the window and looked up to see Charlie Fischer making horrible faces at her and pointing toward his watch. The tri-motor was at least seven minutes late now. Jane must do something at once.

She picked up the tea tray and started for the commissary.

”If you could go with me, I might attempt to continue the journey,”

said Mrs. Van Verity Vanness. ”I can't bear the thought of going on alone.”

”But I am going with you,” replied Jane. ”Didn't they tell you?”

”No. Those pilots only flew faster and faster and I got sicker and sicker.”

”We'll let them fly as fast as they want to,” smiled Jane, ”just as long as they have smooth weather. There's a delicious lunch, late papers and some magazines aboard the plane now. We'll return to the hangar, make ourselves comfortable in the plane, and tell them to go ahead. We'll be almost ten minutes late leaving here.”

”I'll go on,” agreed the woman of millions, ”but only because you are going with me.”

Without showing too much haste, Jane shepherded her pa.s.senger into the tri-motor. Charlie Fischer, still looking at his watch, gave her a black look as he climbed into the c.o.c.kpit.

Jane made Mrs. Van Verity Vanness comfortable in chair No. 6, and then stepped back to the door where Miss Comstock was peering in.

”Everything all right?” asked the chief stewardess.

”She's perfectly calm now,” replied Jane. ”I'm sure we'll make Chicago all right.”

”The general manager is fairly burning up the radio trying to find out about the delay here.”

”You can tell him that it took us the extra time to persuade Mrs. Van Verity Vanness to continue the trip,” said Jane.

”Good-bye and good luck,” said Miss Comstock as she closed the door.

Jane made sure that the door was latched securely, stowed the hamper of food away in the pantry, and then hastened up to take a seat beside her pa.s.senger.

The motors roared and the plane quivered to the pulse of their power.

Mrs. Van Verity Vanness paled as the plane rolled forward, but Jane took the hands of the elderly woman and held them in her own. Almost before they knew it the plane was in the air, streaking away into the east in the race to make up the lost time.

Chapter Twelve

Alarming News

The lights of Cheyenne faded rapidly as Charlie Fischer gunned the big transport hard. Jane, watching the air speed indicator, saw it climb from 110 to 130. It hovered there for several minutes and then started climbing again. In less than fifteen minutes they were up 7,000 feet and with a good tail wind boomed along at better than 150 miles an hour.

Jane looked at her elderly companion. Mrs. Van Verity Vanness had her eyes closed tightly and Jane spoke to her rea.s.suringly.

”It's a long ride to Chicago,” she said. ”Suppose we look through some magazines. Then we'll have a cup of bouillon and sandwiches just before midnight and after that I'll tuck you in for the night.”