He saw her clamp her white teeth together as if forcing herself to brush aside that sinking feeling, and show the old dauntless spirit that had thus far carried her safely through a sea of doubts and fears.
When she spoke again it was with a ring in her voice that thrilled him to the core—he only wished he could take on a measure of that indomitable nature that would not give up.
“But we’ll find him,” she was saying, slowly but fiercely; “I just know we will, that’s all—his mother needs him, his only girl needs him, and we’ve got to bring him back to his old home—alive, or—dead!”
XXI
COMBING THE MOUNTAIN-TOPS
Jack admitted to feeling a trifle disappointed when his talk with Suzanne afforded no signs of a clue upon which to build a structure; although truth to tell he realized how almost absurd that hope had been.
Surely Buddy’s disappearance could hardly hinge upon anything that had ever taken place in his old home town—such a cheery, companionable lad could not have any enemies—Suzanne had not hinted at such a thing as a jealous rival in the field, who might give way to wicked thoughts.
No, the whole occurrence must be what everybody believed—a sheer accident, such as was liable to happen to any air pilot braving the elements day and night in the pursuit of his regular vocation. He had gone down, so now the only trouble was to locate the scene of his mishap and, as Perk at another time had been heard to say “pick up the pieces,” meaning no offense by such a remark.
“If you don’t mind,” the girl was saying shortly afterwards, “I’d like very much to be allowed to use your glasses. I possess good vision, and perhaps the great stake I have in this search might make me argus-eyed indeed.”
“Certainly you may make use of them,” Jack told her, reaching out to secure the binoculars, showing her how to work them to meet with the best results. “If you do happen to see something that excites your interest, just call our attention to it—sometimes two pair of eyes are better than one, you know, Miss Cramer.”
So she sat there, staring down as they moved swiftly through the realms of space; but not too swiftly. She seemed to be trying to cover all the ground possible, ever and anon lifting her gaze to sweep a look at more distant objects.