Linda Carlton's Ocean Flight

by Edith Lavell

  CHAPTER XIX

  _The Hoax Discovered_

  It was Harriman Smith who brought Linda the news that the Lightcapflight was a fraud.

  Linda had not turned on the radio that morning, when the newspaperflashed forth the story of Mabel and Joyce Lightcap's successfularrival in Paris. While they were over the ocean, Linda had followedtheir progress with the keenest interest, but now that they were beingf?ted, it was more than she could bear to listen to the accounts of thecelebration.

  She was just finishing her coffee when Harry burst in. Good old Harry,whom she hadn't seen since Thanksgiving! Here, she thought, was afriend indeed, who would not rejoice with the others merely because shewas safe, even though she had to forfeit her greatest ambition. Deep inher heart she knew that he realized her disappointment and sympathized.

  "You can still win, Linda!" he cried exultantly, pulling her from herchair by grasping both her hands. "The Lightcaps are a fake!"

  "A fake?" she repeated, in a daze.

  "Yes. Joyce happens to be a man! Masquerading as a girl! And he's beendiscovered, of course."

  Wild with excitement, Linda clutched the boy's hands to steady herself.It was all so impossible, so unbelievable!

  "Tell me everything!" she demanded. "Are you sure, Harry?"

  "Positive. So would you be, if you'd turned on your radio, instead ofsaturating yourself with that sentimental newspaper! Everybody knows itnow. Needless to say, they are not getting the prize."

  Linda felt almost weak as she listened, and she dropped back into herchair to hear the details.

  "It seems that this Joyce Lightcap is an experienced pilot--a mechanic,too--and he got the idea of winning that twenty-five thousand. So formonths he and Mabel--she's his wife--have been living in seclusion,while he allowed his hair to grow and practiced acting the part of agirl. Joyce is a girl's name too, you know, as well as a man's, so hislicense was O.K. Then, when the big moment came, Mabel got backers tobuy the Ford tri-motor plane, and they took off for Paris."

  "But how did they discover him?" asked Linda.

  "By the simplest method of all. Somebody noticed his beard!"

  The answer was so ridiculous that Linda let out a peal of laughter.

  "You see," explained Harry, "Joyce relied on paint and powder to coverhis cheeks and chin during the flight. From what I understand, Mabel'sa wonderful talker, but she can't fly very well, and her husband didn'tdare take the opportunity to shave. And some smart Johnnie, who keptshouting that no two girls could possibly fly the Atlantic, foundhimself challenged. He sneaked up near enough to the pair to rub hishands on their faces. Then, of course their game was up."

  Linda sat silent for a moment, thinking the situation over. At first itappeared impossible, like the plot out of a fantastical musical comedy,but when she remembered how anxious Ralph Clavering had been to go withher, it did not seem so strange. Why, Ralph might have suggested thevery thing himself if he had thought of it!

  "What made you think of coming to tell me, Harry?" she inquired, aftera moment.

  "I wasn't coming to tell you, but to rejoice _with_ you!" he amended."Linda, dear, you have never been out of my thoughts for a minute theselast two days." He paused and looked shyly away from her. "Will youbelieve it, when I tell you that my heart just bled for you?"

  "Harry!" she exclaimed hoarsely. "You really cared--for my sake?"

  "More than I can tell you!"

  "And I imagined I hadn't a friend," she murmured. "A real friend, Imean, who thought more of my feelings than of my physical safety....Oh, Harry, I'll never forget this!"

  There was a deep silence for a moment, a silence filled withunderstanding and sympathy. Then Linda heard her aunt's voice, callingher from the library.

  "Can you come in here a minute, dear?" she said. "I want you to look atyour new dress."

  "Certainly," responded her niece, and as Linda rose from her chair shefelt as if she were walking on air. The whole world had changed for herin that ten minutes since Harriman Smith's arrival.

  The young people entered the library together.

  "Why, good morning Harry," said Miss Carlton, cordially. "I didn't knowthat Linda had company."

  "It is a queer time to call, I'll admit," replied Harry. "And I guess Ieven forgot to apologize. But I do now."

  "You're excused," smiled the older woman. "At least if you'll bepatient while I talk clothes for a moment.... You see, dear," sheexplained to Linda, "this dress has just come--I ordered it a coupleof weeks ago for you when I was shopping in Columbus--and I think itwill do nicely for the wedding. Louise's mother just told me thatyou will be the only attendant--it's too short notice to worry aboutbridesmaids--and that practically any color you select will do. So Iwant you to look at this."

  Taking off the lid of the box, she held up a filmy chiffon dress of thepalest apple-blossom. Simply made, with a petaled skirt and a wide pinksatin bow at the waist, its delicacy spoke eloquently of spring-time,of weddings, of romance. Yet Linda hardly saw it.

  "Lovely, Aunt Emily, lovely," she murmured mechanically. "You alwayshave the most perfect taste."

  Satisfied with her niece's approval, and unaware of the far-away lookin the girl's eyes, Miss Carlton turned again to her desk, bidding theyoung people go off and amuse themselves.

  "You didn't tell her, Linda!" exclaimed Harry, as they went out to thegarage for the sports roadster.

  "No. She--wouldn't be interested, Harry! Aunt Emily's a dear, but shehas no time for airplanes. And she thinks ocean flights are absolutelyinsane."

  "But oughtn't you to let her know immediately that the wedding will bepostponed? That Louise will go with you now, as she promised?"

  Linda was silent; she had forgotten how changed her chum's plans were.It would hardly be fair at this late date to ask her to put the weddingaside. Why, even the cake was ordered!

  "No, Harry, I can't do it now. I'm--I'm not going to take Louise."

  They had reached the garage, and Linda stooped over to unlock her car.As she did this, she made her decision; it was so simple that she wassurprised that she had not thought of it before.

  "Harry," she said softly, "I'm going to Paris _alone_."

  Expecting the usual protest, she went on to adjust the spark and thethrottle in readiness to start the motor. But no protest came.

  "Bully for you, Linda!" he cried, throwing his hat into the air, in hisenthusiasm. "Those were the words I was hoping to hear!"

  She raised her head swiftly, and grasped his hand so tightly that ithurt. Here, she repeated to herself, was a real friend!

  She backed the car out of the garage and they drove to Columbus,where they had lunch in a charming tea-room and attended a matin?eafterwards. Because Harriman Smith was working his way through college,his visits back to Spring City were necessarily limited; the unusualtreat was doubly delightful to them both on that account. When theyreturned late in the afternoon, the news of the Lightcap hoax was oneveryone's tongue. And naturally, all of Linda's and Louise's friendswere asking what these girls would do now.

  The question confronted Louise herself most seriously, and three timesthat day she called Linda on the telephone, only to be told by themaid that she was out. Finally, about five o'clock she drove over tothe Carltons, and announced her intention of staying until her chumreturned.

  Linda and Harry came in gayly about half-past five.

  "You quitter!" cried Louise. "Where have you been?"

  "Joy-riding," laughed the other girl. Then she added seriously, "Don'tsay anything, Lou! Don't offer to change your plans, and put off yourwedding, because I've decided to fly solo!"

  "Solo!" repeated Louise, in an awed whisper. But it was easy to detectthe relief in her tone.

  "Yes. Grab all the honors for myself! Just like Bess Hulbert. Pureselfishness on my part."

  Her chum understood her real reason, however, and hugged her tightly inher joy.

  "You are an angel, Linda! But I know you're capable of doing it, andI'm going to
let you. And oh, I'll pray so hard for you to win! No girlever deserved the honor half so much!"

  As easily as that it was all settled, and Miss Carlton had to agree,once her brother gave his admiring consent. One concession, however,Linda made to her Aunt Emily and to Louise: she would come back fromschool the following week to be maid-of-honor at the wedding, just asshe had promised. With this agreement Linda returned by train to St.Louis a day or so later.

  The first person she met at the ground school was Mr. Eckers, herfriendly instructor. He was grinning broadly.

  "Well, Miss Carlton, we've been having some excitement, eh, what?" heremarked, as he shook hands with her.

  "I should say so," agreed Linda. "I thought my plans were all smashedto pieces."

  "Funniest thing I ever heard of. But so fool-hardy. As if a man couldcarry off a thing like that!"

  "Well, it has been done before you know," Linda reminded him. "Look atthat famous Frenchman--Deon de Beaumont--who masqueraded as a woman forso long, and fooled everybody."

  "True," admitted Mr. Eckers, who besides being an expert pilot, was awell-educated man. "And wasn't it funny the way the King punished him!"

  "I'm afraid I've forgotten that."

  "Why, he was forced to continue playing the part of a woman forthe rest of his life.... We might suggest the idea to Mrs. RodmanHallowell."

  Linda laughed merrily. "Really, though," she said, "I blame the girlmore than her husband. It seems to me that she has brought dishonor onall of our sex. Just when we women are working so hard to establish ourplace in aviation by honest methods. Look at Ruth Nichols, breakingLindbergh's coast-to-coast record, and Mrs. Keith Miller with hervaliant solo flights, and Amelia Earhart and Myrtle Brown holding thoseresponsible positions in big airplane companies--and dozens of usworking day after day for commercial and transport licenses! Then for agirl like this Mabel Lightcap, who can scarcely pilot a plane, to tryto grab the biggest honors of all! Oh, I tell you, Mr. Eckers, a thinglike that hurts!"

  "But she _didn't_ succeed, my dear child. Don't forget that. Somebodywho really is worthy will, I am sure of that." And he gave her anadmiring smile.

  Alone though she was that week, the days passed rapidly, for therewas so much to do. Like Lindbergh, the keynote of her flight waspreparation, and in this effort, the school, under Mr. Eckers'guidance, gave her plenty of help. Everything about the flight, down tothe last detail, was being planned in advance.

  So busy was she, that she hated to take the time to go to Spring Cityfor Louise's wedding, yet never for a moment was there any thought ofbreaking her promise. After all, the trip would not consume much time,for she decided to use a commercial air line, thus cutting the hours inhalf.

  Nor had she any regrets. The wedding was the loveliest, yet at thesame time, the simplest, that she had ever attended; it would remainin her memory as long as she lived. Held at Louise's home, with onlyher intimate friends present, the whole affair was both informal anddelightful. Ted Mackay's radiant happiness, too, was something worthtraveling miles to witness.

  It was natural that Linda shed tears when the time came for partingwith her chum. Great distances would separate them for long weeksahead, there would be lonely hours over the vast black ocean for theyoung aviatrix when she would long for Louise as she had never wantedanyone before. Yet surely, she reminded herself with a smile throughher tears, great happiness lay ahead for them both.

  She tried to make light of her farewell to her Aunt Emily, for she didnot believe that she would see her again before the take-off for Paris.The Bellanca might arrive any day now, and Linda was not going to waitfor the date she and Louise had previously set. After a period of testflying, the only thing that would keep her back would be the weather.As soon as the reports were favorable, she would be ready to go.

  The sooner the better, she thought, as she returned to the school thefollowing morning. But one look at Mr. Eckers' face told her thatsomething had happened--that she was too late!

  Putting his hand on her shoulder, the man spoke with difficulty. It wasalmost as if Linda Carlton were his own daughter, so keenly did herdisappointments affect him. "My dear," he said gently, "Bess Hulberttook off from New York this morning at dawn for Paris."