“For the sake of that little girl, I sure do hope you find him alive, partner,” he said feelingly as became one airman toward another.
“She came straight out here from his old mother,” continued Jack, “who gave her blessing to the mad scheme; but now that she is in our charge, my pal and I will see that she comes to no harm. I am greatly obliged to you, Mr. Hicks, for your kindness in sheltering our ship. You can understand what it means to us now, while on this sad errand of mercy, to know that no harm will happen to the crate.”
“Don’t mention it partner!” hastily exclaimed the other. “Why, I’ve been just itching right along to get busy and look over that territory you’ve been speaking about, but my duties here kept me pinned down, though I took it out in doing a heap of growling and swearing too. Tell the little girl for me, will you, that we’ve all been wishing her Buddy would turn up safe and sound. I have a daughter about her age, I reckon, and I just know how she must feel. See you in the morning at daybreak, Mr. Ralston.”
“Thank you again many times, sir.”
Jack felt that he had made a warm friend in honest Bart Hicks. He saw the respectful way in which the field superintendent shook hands with Suzanne, after all of them had entered the gentleman’s car and were ready to start for the hotel and how pleased the girl looked as he murmured a few words of sincere sympathy. Things at least seemed to be working along the line he had laid out. Of course, no one could say this early in the game whether anything worth while would develop from the circumstances springing out of their decision to spend the night in the valley town.
XXIV
ONE CHANCE IN A THOUSAND
The little hotel to which they were taken by the kind owner of the five-passenger car proved to be all they could wish for. It looked scrupulously clean and the rooms to which they were shown seemed to give promise of a comfortable night’s sleep, though Jack doubted whether the excited girl would obtain the rest she needed so much.
He promised to knock on her door at daybreak so that they might secure the early breakfast he had ordered and be off to the flying field to make a start.
He and Perk had a double room with twin beds and were not long in turning in, both of them being more or less tired after a gruelling day aloft. Jack had no idea they would be disturbed during the night, for they were utter strangers in the town and such things as robberies were absolutely unknown, or so the hotel proprietor had assured him in answer to an incidental question.
He was up at the first peep of dawn and had Perk on his feet without any unusual racket. Later on Jack kept his promise about tapping on the door of Suzanne’s room and was a bit surprised when she opened it, disclosing the fact that she was fully dressed as though she had been up for some time, which indeed was a fact.