“I’ll tie the pants around your neck if you don’t start.”
“You recall that I brought the ‘Lark’ to the Lab. to have the new radio installed and to see the latest experiments in the horticultural laboratory. On the way up I happened to observe that I did not have the heavens all to myself. In fact, I shared them with two rather large planes that were decorated with right good-looking machine guns and ugly mugs behind them.”
“Wow.”
“Same here. Then, I couldn’t shake the babies, and suddenly I realized that the ‘Lark’ was flying all right, but she wasn’t doing a blooming thing I told her to. Then I waked up to the fact that she was being managed from the Lab. So I thumbed my nose to the high-command, and let her go. She came right home, like a good girl, leaving a stream of smoke in her trail and by way of the highest cloud bank.”
“They lost you.”
“They did. Then, of course the Lab. men, inquisitive guys as you know, watched to see what my escort was about, and they thought up the lovely little scheme of having me start home when I was ready, go my carefree way, retire again to a cloud bank, and then return here to watch my demise. The bandits chased me, in the cloud they picked up another plane, with a charming dummy of myself at the controls, they filled the thing full of lead, and you know the rest. I got a big kick out of it. If you will pardon my mentioning it, it is customary to put both legs in your pants. They set better—”
“You brat—” Jim made a dive at his step-brother, who ducked with a broad grin. Then his face sobered. “You didn’t have such an easy time of it, did you, old man?”
“It wasn’t exactly a path of roses,” Jim admitted. “The worst part was when the airmen came and said they had landed you.”
“They did not let me in on it from the laboratory, but I’ve seen the records since,” Bob said gravely. “Guess Ynilea was afraid that I could not stand the racket.”
“Your guess is correct,” Ynilea declared. “And how are you now, Jim? We owe you a vote of thanks for your part.” Jim flushed.