Judge — September 2, 1911 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE FLIGHT OF GAFFNEY GREENE. By ELLIS PARKER BUTLER, Author of “Pies Ih Pigs.” Y FRIEND, Gaffney Greene, will never get done telling about the aeroplane flight he made. last summer and about the miraculous escape from death he had when the hurricane struck the aeroplane and threw him madly to earth. Gaffney is one of the star reporters on the Metropolitan Bazoo and the article he wrote about his air trip is a classic in newspaper circles. He did not want to make the trip especially, but the sensation editor called Gaffney into the office one day and told him it would be pleasing to the public if Gaffney would run down to Mineola and fly around the aviation field a few times and then come back and write a soul-stirring article about it for the Sunday edition. Immediately Gaffney was all on fire with the idea. He saw its possibilities and fell in love with them at once. He told the sensation editor it was an era- making idea. Reporters always tell the sensation editor that. So, the next Monday—Monday is a dull day at Mineola, because the swells who run down in their automobiles Sunday have to stay at home Monday and do the washing—Gaffney took a Long Island train and went to Mineola. Atfirst the outlook fora fly was poor. All the aeroplanists had been flying the day before and their machines were all more or less wrecked THE DAY's CATCH. in consequence, and Gaffney wandered from one hangar to another, with his card in his hand, but with little effect. The aeroplanists looked at his card and saw he was from the Bazoo and hankered for the free advertising, but there was no fly left in their aeroplanes that morning and it looked as if the great sensational article would have to be postponed. But Gaffney is a tenacious fellow, and at last one of the younger and more inexperienced flyers said he would do the best he could—he would take Gaffney for a fly, anyway. He ran his aeroplane out of the hangar and onto the field and put on his goggles. “All right!’’ he said cheerfully. ‘Climb aboard!"’ And then he hesitated a little and said, ‘‘I suppose you have your life insured?”” “‘Insured?"’ said Gaffney, with perfect fearlessness. ‘‘No, indeed."" “Oh,” said the airman, “I suppose you have no one dependent on you, then?’’ ‘Not a soul,”’ said Gaffney. ‘What has that to do with it? You don’t expect to be killed, do you?” “No, not I!'’ said the airman. ‘‘I think 1 am deathproof. I am almost sure of it. Why, this last week I fell eight times! Eight times, mind you, and once from a height of one hundred feet, and I never got a scratch! Something don’t go just right with my motor, but it will be all right in a week or two.”” “Well, if you can fall and not get hurt’’—Gaffney began. “Of course I am a little more protected where I sit,’’ said the airman frankly. ‘*You have to sit on the gasoline tank above me and hold onto the wing braces. If a brace A STRAIGHT TIP. should break and pierce your vital organs’’—— Farmer Spuds—'* Hallo, deacon! How did you git so all-fired “Look here!’? said Gaffney earnestly. ‘You don’t expect straightened up? saul to fall this time, do you?” Deacon Pussley —"* Down to York looking up at them tall build- ings and them airships. Better try it.'’ “Fall? I never expect to fall!’’ said the airman proudly. comicbooks.com