Page:Dick Hamilton's Fortune.djvu/269

Rh, and the crowd of men, women, boys and girls strained their eyes to see what was happening. The airship was certainly coming down.

"Oh, he'll be killed! Isn't it terrible!" exclaimed Birdy Lee, who, with some of her girl friends, had come to watch the test.

"I'm going to faint!" declared Nettie Henderson, covering her eyes with her hands.

"No, he isn't falling; he's steering it down!" declared Dick. "He's all right!"

This announcement relived the feelings of all. Herr Doodlebrod was indeed coming down. But he had his ship under perfect control, as shown by the manner in which he steered it in a half circle so as to return to the place from which he had started. In a few minutes he allowed it to come to a stop on the ground, in the midst of the throng, where it alighted as gently as a bird.

"Vot I tell you?" he asked of Dick, triumphantly. "I could haf stayed longer, but my engine he vill not stand it. Ven ve gets der new motor—den ve two vill sail in der clouds."

"I guess you'll have to excuse me from the first trip," objected Dick, with a smile. "I want to see it tried first."

"It iss as safe as on der ground. Vait, I vill show you. But now, are you satisfied?"

"Yes," replied Dick. "I'm willing to invest five hundred dollars in a new motor. Then we'll see how she works."

"Und den ve vin der grand prize," announced