“Oh, I don’t want to stowaway!” she says. “I want you to let me take your place!”
Oh, boy! She was askin’ the impossible. There she was, with her implorin’ blue eyes close to mine, eyes shinin’ with hope and fire, and beggin’ me, beggin’ me. No, sir, I couldn’t let her do that—but there she was, a girl I just couldn’t refuse if she’d asked for my life. Lettin’ her go up in my place would be a crazy thing to do, but she kept beggin’ me with little pleases and won’t-yous, and Bennies, spoken soft like, and—Lord!
“If you let me get into your coveralls, and helmet and goggles, nobody’ll ever know the diff’rence!” she said.
“Jane, please don’t go beggin’ me!” I begged her. “It ain’t fair to me. I can’t resist you any more ’n the tail of a plane can resist the prop. You know Ned would blow up if he heard of it, and your Dad—and Lord!”
“Benny, it’s the only thing I’ve ever asked of you; and it means more to me than anything else in the world right now. I’ve got to fly in that race—got to. Benny—Benny—please!”
“Oh, Lord!”
“All you’d have to do is slip into that private locker and take off those overalls, and then stay out of sight. I’d just get in ’em, and climb into the plane, and stay there. Benny—please?”
“You can’t do any good up there—”
“Don’t you know that Ned will fly worlds better if I’m along with him? And you want us to win, don’t you?”
“Oh, Lord!” I said. “Well—here goes!”