“I certainly would have been dumped and worse. It might have been my last flight. I can’t say much except that I thank you. Here,” he added, laughing, “take this as a souvenir.” He handed Morey the broken link. “And whenever you see it, just remember that I’d be glad to do something for you.”
A few minutes later the aeroplane was out and on the track and as it sailed away to the applause of the hundreds watching it only a few knew that the country boy already racing over the dusty parade ground beneath the hovering airship had counted for so much in making the experiment possible and successful. It was indeed successful, for it was on this momentous day that Mr. Wright demonstrated to the Signal Corps and the world that his aeroplane could fly forty-five miles an hour. In doing this the machine was in the air a little over an hour.
As it finally drifted toward the landing place after circling the course many times the first face that the straining aviator made out was Morey’s. And it was Morey’s proud assertion, many a time later, that it was of him that Mr. Wright asked—
“Did I do it?”
In the excitement that followed, Mr. Wright and Lieutenant Purcell disappeared. As soon as the aircraft was within the shed those gentlemen were carried away by Major Squiers to meet the President, who had hastened forward compliment the nervy aviator. But Morey had no thoughts of distinguished guests. With his coat off he now helped to carry the aeroplane into the house and, with the other workmen, to adjust it on its supporting trusses. The attendants were excited and enthusiastic and they worked over the car as if it had been an exhausted race horse, cleaning the engine, tightening the bolts holding the wires and looking over every truss and brace for possible fracture.
“Hello there, Morey—I thought we had lost you, I’ve been looking for you. Why didn’t you come and see the President?”
It was Lieutenant Purcell, looking spick and span in his full dress uniform.
“I didn’t know it was so late,” answered Morey. “But I’ve had a fine time.”
“I think we’ll have to make you a member of the corps,” remarked the officer.