Page:Bedford-Jones--Boy Scouts of the Air at Cape Peril.djvu/15

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At Cape Peril
13

"Shoot!" directed Jimmy, who began to be interested despite his incredulity.

Legs cocked his head on one side and screwed up his eyes as if to hear a Munchausen fable.

"Know that guy that flew people over town for fifteen bucks a fly? Well, every afternoon I used to trot out to his field and hang around watching him. After a while, I got to talking planes and, when he found I wasn't any bonehead on flyers, he gave me a lot of new dope. I'd spent 'bout ten afternoons hanging around when he said day before yesterday, 'Look here, young fellow, how'd you like to take a little sky ride? Business seems to be slack, so I might as well make you happy.' My heart turned a somerset, but I looked kind of shy and said, 'Haven't got the price, but I'd give my head to go up.' 'How much have you in your jeans?' he asked me. Then I said, 'Two bits and a jit.' All right,' he said, 'I'll take that. Come along.' Course he was just fooling about the dough. Then he remembered and wanted to know if I could get permission from home right quick. Quick as lightning, I reached down in my pants and fished out a note from the