Tim had been too fascinated with their conversation to take notes during the dinner but it would have been a waste of effort for he could remember clearly every scrap of the information Winslow had given him. He hurried to his room, gathered up half a dozen books Dan Watkins had loaned him to study, and then headed for the copyreader’s rooming house.
He found Dan, in dressing gown and carpet slippers, enjoying a novel.
“What’s up, Tim,” asked Dan.
“Need some advice and also brought your books home,” replied Tim. “Carson is going to let me try a daily aviation column to see how it goes. I’ve got more material than I can possibly use for the first time. Just interviewed Arthur Winslow, dean of the air mail flyers, and have some stuff that will make wonderful copy.”
“How much space will you have?”
“Just an even column and I’ve enough dope for three or four,” said Tim enthusiastically.
“That’s going to be a job, then,” said Dan, “for you must keep within the limits of your space. But that means your story will be even the better—not an extra word or phrase. Here, use my typewriter and get busy.”
Tim welcomed the suggestion and for an hour he worked diligently, cutting and rewriting as the copyreader suggested. When he had completed his task he had a column story about Winslow—a column that was fairly alive with the romance of the air mail and of the flyer who was the master of all birdmen.
“Carson will like this, you see if he doesn’t,” was Dan’s comment as he finished reading Tim’s work. “Keep this up and it won’t be long until you’ll be the aviation editor of the News.”
“Do you really think so, Dan?”