ne-mile oval and great empty sheds, at one time had been the county's boasted fair-grounds, but two years prior to the opening of our story it had been sold to Mr. Giddings, whose r

model airplanes, to hold impromptu bicycle and foot races, and to play tag and

There was not a soul to be seen. Paul, who had carried his precious Sky-Bird, freed it from the wrapper and held it up for Mr. Giddings to see. The night before he

dings made no effort to restrain his admiration. "What a little beauty!" h

, dad?" put in Bob

lly more of a bird t

," decla

these bones with a very light gas, which is formed by an action of its lungs in drawing in air. We have adapted this principle in the wings and fuselage of this

-34 came across the Atlantic last summer she was filled with hydrogen, and that her commander and crew all wore felt-soled shoes,

aching any of that stored hydrogen would have torn that

s new gas, helium; but I must confess I am in the dark regarding

an airplane and giving it the best properties of a dirigible without any of the dirigible's handicap of clumsiness

ears later an element was found on earth in natural-gas in Kansas, which gave the same bright, yellow light viewed through the spectrum. The people, finding it would not burn, disgustedly let millions of barrels of this valuable element escape into the air, before a scientist told them that it was of untold value for balloon and airship purposes. It is thought the gas comes from radiu

Giddings had been busy jotting somet

t, my old-time reportorial instinct had gotten the best of me, and I found my pencil at work. If you have no

at all, sir,

e. "What do you use for power to turn this propeller?" he asked, after admiring its perfect proportions

d a very small four-cylindered rotary pneumatic engine of bewitching simp

out of aluminum and brass and ste

on the part of my elde

a

le," admitted John, "more

ing?" questioned

y air which has been pumped into it through a valve, using the bicycle pump John is carrying, until it is under strong pressure. When I turn this little valve an outlet is opened for the air to escape by a tube into branches communicatin

xclaimed. "Wonderfully ingenious, to

somewhat similar pneumatic motor for model airplanes, but John and I have made

fun of it," suggested Bob. "It won't do any harm

there's a terrific pull to the little rascal. Paul and I trie

the little Sky-Bird, one on each side,

ked Paul, w

me the answ

gust of air began to blow in the faces of the Giddingses, while they had to hang on grimly in order to keep their little charge from jumping out of their arms and

ped their hot brows as they hand

t little mule has got

his father. "What sort of m

ood," sa

of that. Is it

which it is particularly well adapted. The tree looks much like our southern cottonwood, and the wood apparently has no grain. It has a surprising toughnes

in constructing full-sized a

it plain on this machine. On a large airplane it ought to be reinforced with transverse sections of very thin spru

his is very interesting, I am sure. Now let us see

e airplane, explaining that machines without a pilot would keep a better keel under such conditions. John then carefully attached the bicycl

d: "Practically all rubber-band motors require starting the model airplane off by picking it up and tossing it away from you up into the air; but I

e Sky-Bird in a flight, Paul was nervous as he turned the valve, re

a few feet over the smooth ground, then gracefully arose in the air and started away toward the opposite corner of the field. As

John uneasily. "I hope she weathers it. If t

sailed onward, the noise of her whirring propeller now lost to her fliers, but her little pale-yellow silk wings against the blue sky plainly tracing her course for

either himself or John at the start, for all of their great confidence in the flying powers of the new model. Now, as he kep

high board fence shut it from Paul's view as he came up to it. With a jump he caught the top boards, and scrambled up, springing down on the oppos

ting jubilantly at the splendid results of the flight. He hugged the small airplane to hi

t the Sky-Bird had passed over the lower fence in just one minute and three seconds, which was certainly good speed for such a diminutive contrivance. Se

I'd give anything in the world if I could own a big fellow buil

or a moment. Then, turning to

features could be successfully a

hard time getting enough money to meet the expense of materials. Of course we shall have the regular type of gasoline engine in place of this pneumatic a

e resumed: "John, I hear that you have been la

is,

one apparatus, and has made some sets of the latter which it seems to me are an improvement over anything now on the market, particularly a set for airplane use, which he has no means of properly testing out on account of the lack of the airplane. Now my proposition is just this: I will meet every expense of making a first-class full-sized

airplane in which to install his wireless apparatus that he actually hugged his father. They repaired to the Giddings home, an

rried home, after having dinner with the Giddings