Little did the girls think, as they discussed Bess Hulbert, that evening, that they would run into her the following day, just as Linda was fearing might happen at some time or another.
It all happened suddenly, at the field of the airplane construction company in Nashville, Tennessee, where Linda had delivered the second plane without any mishap.
She had just received the president's signature on the delivery card, and was about to summon a taxi, when the man made a generous suggestion.
"If you girls can wait till tomorrow," he told them, "I can have you taken north by plane. We are making a delivery at Springfield, Illinois, and St. Louis isn't much out of the way."
"That will be fine!" exclaimed Linda, gratefully. "Because we both have grown to hate trains. They crawl so."
"Worms instead of birds," remarked Nancy, thinking of the dangerous mistake they had made the previous day.
"Besides," added Linda, "we will get there so much more quickly, even though we had thought something of taking a sleeper."
"O.K. Then I will introduce you to your pilot, and you can make your arrangements." He turned to a mechanic who was standing by. "Joe, get Miss Mason to come over here." Then, to the girls he explained, "Your pilot happens to be a young lady—one of our saleswomen."
Nancy and Linda both smiled rather proudly. It was nice to find that women were everywhere taking their places in aviation.
The false name was misleading; Linda had not a suspicion that "Miss Mason" was Bess Hulbert, although she remembered later that the girl had masqueraded in Plattsburg as "Anna Smith." But the moment the girl came toward them, Linda recognized her, and had the satisfaction at least of seeing her turn deathly pale.