Air Wonder Stories, December 1929 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

FLANNELCAKE’S INVENTIOR! The window was opened; and when the plane made its next. revolution, it was forced downward by the draft, It had been circling just over everybody’s heads; but now it came down, and just. skudded over a gorgeous chesterfield on thé far side of the room. Up fo this time no one ‘had noticed that the Maltese was reclining on the said chesterfield; but- as the plane passed over it, the cat-made a springing leap for it, and sunk the claws of both forefeet into the fuselage. The craft had considerable tmomentum+ it yanked the cat into the air, and then banked. sharply upward fromthe added weight.on the rear, like-a big bird fighting a wildcat, ‘The austere Mr. Maxwell rushed to save. the machine, and Mr. Treat rushed to save his cat; and Hoth arrived just as the cat let go and-landed in a mad sctamble on the faces and heads of those two gentle- men! The infuriated cat clawed deep furrows in Mr. Maxwell’s bald pate with its front paws, while its. hind legs were gaining good traction-in Mr. Treat’s mouth and nostrils, The Juggernaut 4 oe plane, released from its unwelcome passenger, continued upward at its same ‘sharp angle. The first thing encountered in its line of travel was the expensive, glass-prism bedecked chandelier, which ~it struck sigoronsly. The rear propeller sustained the weight of the machine, while the front one -merrily shot glass pendants all around the room. Soon the machine cut its way through and the remainder of the fixture crashed down to the floor, Above the groans of Treat and Maxwell, who were bleeding from many scratches, the voice of Joe, happy as usual, could be heard. He was talking to the photographer, who was setting his camera and ehjoying the scene immensely. “That proves the durability of my ship, It is prac- tically wreck-proof. The machine is perfect.” But the machine wasn’t as perfect as. it might have been. Its control wires were severed, for it now pur- sued an erratic course around the room, scraping walls and dousing everything with the oil and gasoline that were exuding through several gashes in its.body. The butler dashed ottt of the room, and Mrs. Treat ran to . the rescue of her bleeding husband. She was stopped half way, however, bythe flying machine, which struck her squarely on the back of the head; and the front prop proceeded to tear out her hair. She fought it off madly, and succeeded in throwing the machine back- ward into the air. It veered around, boomerang fashion, and -then it. shot- over the photographer’s head, smearing his face with oil, He reeled over back- wards, and-went down with the reporters like pins in a bowling alley; accidentally discharging his flashlight gun. With a smart-explosion and cloud of:smoke, this efficiently ‘set’ fire.to the gasoline that the plane had sprayed-around. The toom was in a turmoil when-the butler returned. with a. shotgun and aimed at the plane, which now had one propeller in the goldfish aquarium, tossing water-and fish about the place. ‘The aquarium broke open, and the plane again took the air, just as the butler let both-barrels: go, He missed the ship, but took most-of. the tapestries and plaster from one-side of the room, Joe Flannelcake, trying to. catch his brain- child, was desperately running around the room, step- ping. and falling over everybody. How long pande- monium would: have-reigned is not known, if it were not-for a lucky citcumstance in the flight of the ship. For no reason at_all, the plane suddenly started-to fly straight—yes, straight for the large bay window at the end of the room. As a fitting climax. to its reign of terror, it crashed loudly through: the glass. Joe: fol- lowed-it tothe window, and gazed wistfully after it_as the strong breeze through. the Golden Gate carried the plane into the waters of the bay. He watched the spot where it had disappeared, totally unmindful of the. room behind him, which was now burning furiously. He was awakened from-his coma-by the arrival of the fire department; and, when he went through the win- ‘dow to the: street; ‘he was: met by anangry group of blood-spattered men, -They might have been recog= nized by their closest friends-as Mr. Treat, Mr. Max- well, and some gentlemen of the press. “Well, gentlemen, it's:too bad that things turned: out this way ; but really, it shows what a good machine——” he started_to-say. “Good machine, h——1,” said the battered Mr. Treat : “You dumkopf, nincompoop, flatheaded, crackpot!” And, as:one tan, they all started after Joe. But Joe had been a track runner once, and he was soon out-of: sight. Spoke Mr. Maxwell, sorrowfully, as he staunched a -new stream of blood from his cheek: “Even at that, I'd like to see a full-size Flannelcake flyer.” Tue Enp, TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN NOW ACQUIRE A LIBRARY OF THE CLASSICS OF SCIENCE FICTION Turn to Page 484