An interrupted night

by Pansy

Nelson Whitney telephoned his mother to pack his suit case for a quick trip, and the office boy did all the rest, including accompanying his chief to the flying field, and driving the car back to the garage again. At two-thirty exactly they were off, through the clear blue ether, Nelson Whitney's first experience in flying.

For a few minutes the thrill of the new sensation occupied every sense, but after he was accustomed to the thought of sailing with the clouds, and looking down upon earth, he began to think of what was before him in New York. Was this a wild-goose chase he was going on? Wouldn't anybody, just anybody think he was a fool to start off with as little warrant as he had had? Wasn't there danger of making his lady everlastingly angry chasing her this way, even if he did find her? Wouldn't even her mother have a right to resent it?

And what, pray, was he to do when he arrived in New York, beyond the mere meeting the trains at the station, and getting in touch with the people he was trying to help? How could he do that? Just walk up smiling and say he knew they were expected so he met them? He hadn't really any warrant for that. Of course he could say that Mary told him what train they had taken, but he would feel like a fool saying that to Mrs. Sheldon. Her keen eyes would see that there was something behind it all, and perhaps she might resent his intrusion into her affairs, though she had always acted, hitherto, as if he belonged to her scheme of life.

And what could he do before her train arrived to keep Marguerite in sight? If he met her train, she would be likely to be indignant. He could not tell her he had found her note on the floor, and read it, though it was addressed to her mother, and that he was here to protect her from whatever evil, real or fancied, threatened her. Assuredly he would meet her train and try to appear as casual as possible, but he shrank inexpressibly from the look of scorn her dear eyes would cast at him.

There was no question but that Marguerite would resent his entrance onto the stage at this point in her career. She had been most haughty and independent of late, and it stung him even to remember her careless indifference.

And failing to get suitable touch with his girl at the train, if he should go to hunt up that number of Fifth Avenue, and should find it there, what would he do? And what if it were not there? And where lived this Keller man who was apparently making all this trouble? Why! He ought to have telephoned somebody and found that out before he left! Here he was thinking he had done everything up in fine shape and he had left out one of the strategic points in the whole matter. Of course he could telephone back when he got to New York, but a lot of time might be lost.

However, was he not traveling under guidance? Could not He who had smoothed the way thus far manage it so that he would go to the right place, do the right thing? Would not the way open as he advanced? He had put himself under the guidance of the greatest Leader in the universe, and there he must trust and not be afraid.

The silver wings that bore him above the earth flew straight on, over wide stretches of the map. Sometimes he looked down wondering, when he saw a railroad train creeping along like a small worm on the earth, if perhaps he might be looking at the very train in which those he went to protect were traveling.

The strange thing about it all was that though he was positive they needed protection, he was not in the least sure from what he was protecting them. Only in the case of the girl, if it should come about that she tried to carry out her threat of marrying that man Keller, he knew he must prevent it. He felt that it could be nothing short of a calamity for her, to say nothing of her mother and himself, if that should ever come to pass. He felt, too, that God was on his side, for had he not put himself and his plans in the hands of God, willing to be guided, willing to have all plans overturned if they were not the right thing? And the way had been smoothed before him. Nothing had been hindered of the least detail to stop him from going through the air.

So the silver wings flew on, and in due time Nelson Whitney arrived in New York.