Matthew subsided, under a storm of references to his lack of public spirit, and the felt bag was cut into long, narrow strips, slightly wider than the ribs, and tacked along over them.
The lower plane was covered in the same way, except that the two-foot space between the central struts was left free of rib and covering, to accommodate the passenger’s body. Thus a boy could step into this space (always watchful not to step on the flanking silk) and, stooping, take the struts in his two hands and lift the complete frame.
“She’s did!” shouted Tom Langford, throwing a tack-hammer into the air.
They stood about, eying the completed glider admiringly. There it stood, its ends resting on two logs, graceful, aerial, but strong, its taut copper wiring crossing and recrossing between the curved surfaces and glittering in the declining sunlight. They surveyed it from every angle, with enthusiastic comments. From the rear, the slight uniform curve of the silk to the rib summits, with the outline of the ribs showing at even intervals beneath the tight-drawn cloth, was beautiful. They looked from end to end, through a long vista of slanting wires. Howard Brent stepped on the middle of one of the lower bars and jumped ever so slightly. There was no spring. The bar, one inch in diameter, held rigid like a bar of steel.
“You wouldn’t think you could balance that sideways by holding it in the center, would you?” said Mac.
“Balancing sideways is what they call ‘lateral stability,’ Mr. McConnell,” said Tom. “If we’re going to do this, we want to do it right, as Master G. Lord says about our proposed assault on Fort Ticonderoga.”
“I agree with G. Lord,” said Tom. “If we’re going to be Green Mountain boys, we ought to roll our r’s and talk like them and carry rusty swords and worn-out guns. G. Lord has the right idea.”
“That’s what Red Deer calls entering into the spirit of a thing,” said Matthew; “and that’s G. Lord’s specialty, all right. He wouldn’t stand for ‘balancing sideways.’ It would have to be ‘lateral stability’ for him.”
“I’ve missed him over here,” said Mac. “Wonder why he hasn’t been around?”
“Oh, he won’t bother us much till he uses up those three films he bought.”