The Barnstormer

by Jane Lewis

  He sat and gathered her into his lap. He closed his eyes and willed his body to stop shaking. He rocked her in his arms and prayed. “Dear Jesus, please let her be okay. Ruthie, I’m so sorry.” A tear rolled down his face into the stubble of his beard. He feared his heart would beat out of his chest. His gaze wandered to the Jenny, and he realized how lucky they were to find a place to land. “Dear God, please, I love her so much, don’t take her from me.”

  Ruth Ann squirmed and snuggled her head against his shoulder.

  “Ruthie, wake up.” He tilted her head. “Open your eyes.”

  She grabbed his arm for support. She focused her eyes on him, then the airplane.

  He gazed toward heaven. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  She struggled to sit. “What happened?”

  “The engine stopped, we had to land in this field. You have a bad cut on your forehead.”

  She put her hand on the bandage tied around her head. “My head hurts.”

  He put his hand on her chin and examined her face. He wanted to kiss her fear and cuts and bruises away, but too much had changed since the last time they were together.

  She put her arms around his neck. “Frankie, I’m so sorry about what happened with Ma and the note and Ronald and everything I’ve ever done or said to hurt you.”

  He put his index finger on her mouth. “Don’t talk, precious. Rest, I’ll get us out of this. I’m going to have to leave you here and get help.”

  She grabbed his arm. “What about the cows?”

  “They won’t hurt you. I’ll be as quick as I can.” He heard the horse hooves approaching and jumped to his feet. A man on horseback rode toward them.

  The man jumped off his horse and ran. “I saw the plane come down. Are y’all hurt?”

  Frankie gazed toward the sky and thanked God for sparing their lives and sending someone to help. He shook the man’s hand. “Ruthie hit her head and needs a doctor, but I’m fine. I’m Frankie Howard, sorry about landing in your field.”

  “Harvey Johnson, and I’m glad you’re okay. Where were you heading?”

  “Andrews Field.”

  “You’re about fifteen miles from Saplingville, I can take you in my car. When I return, I’ll put the cows in another pasture so they won’t bother your plane.” He and Frankie lifted Ruthie and steadied her.

  He put his arm around her waist. “Thanks, the cows like to lick the wings of the plane; they’re attracted to the glue. I’ll return as soon as I can and fix it.”

  Mr. Johnson checked her forehead and surveyed her eyes. “You may have a concussion, young lady. We need to get you to a doctor. We’ll put you on the horse, and I’ll ride you to the house. Frankie, you’re on your own.”

  “No problem, Mr. Johnson. Do you have a phone?”

  “Yes, anyone I can call?”

  Frankie nodded to Ruthie. “Yes, call her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Douglas, Saplingville and tell them what happened. Ask if they can get the doctor to see her when we arrive.”

  He followed the horse and struggled to keep up. His right ankle hurt, and his neck ached. He rolled his head around trying to loosen his muscles. The landing was hard, but at least they weren’t killed and the JN-Four stood in one piece. The Jenny wasn’t the most reliable plane, but if he had to be in an emergency, he’d rather be in the Jenny, it glided easier than other planes. Frankie wanted to run, he longed to be with Ruthie, but his ankle wouldn’t let him. Mr. Johnson kept the horse in his eye sight so he wouldn’t get lost. He spotted the stand of pines he had flown over and the horse stop. The man pointed in the direction they were headed. He made his way through the trees and joined them at the white, two-story house set back from the road, nestled under the pines.

  Mr. Johnson had his truck facing down the drive, and Ruthie sat in the front seat. He climbed in, “Did you get in touch with her parents?”

  He put the truck in gear. “I talked to Mr. Douglas. He said he would have the doctor at the house when we arrive.”

  Ruthie placed her head on Frankie’s shoulder, and he cradled her hands in his. Her skin felt cold and clammy. “Don’t go to sleep, you may have a concussion.”

  She sighed. “But I’m so sleepy. Let me sleep ’til we get home.”

  Mr. Johnson nodded to Frankie. “No, he’s right don’t go to sleep until you see the doctor. I’ll have you home as fast as I can.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Frankie gave Mr. Johnson directions to the Douglas house and cradled Ruthie with his left arm, kissing the top of her head and thanking God they survived. He relived the emergency landing wondering how the journey fell apart, what he could have done to prevent it. The truck pulled in the gravel drive.

  Hattie paced on the front porch. When the truck entered the drive, she ran down the steps. “Is she all right?”

  Frankie scooped Ruthie in his arms and raced toward the house. “Yes, I think so.” He held her close, her arms clinched around his neck.

  Hattie followed. “The doctor’s waiting in the parlor.”

  He placed her on the sofa. His heart pounded in his eardrum. He looked around the quiet room and wondered if the others heard it.

  Dr. Herschel grabbed his bag. “Everyone out, except Mrs. Douglas.”

  He stared at his girl and backed to the door. The room spun, and he grabbed the door frame for support.

  Mr. Douglas put his hand on his arm to steady him. “Let’s go to the kitchen, son.”

  He stumbled to the kitchen with Mr. Douglas and Mr. Johnson on each side holding him up.

  They pulled a chair out for him. He plopped down and rested his head in his hands.

  Mr. Douglas sat and put his hand on Frankie’s arm. “You all right?”

  He raised his head. “I will be when I find out she is.”

  “You two walking away from the emergency landing and making it home is a miracle in itself. Everything’s going to be fine.” He placed glasses, plates, and forks on the table and lifted the lid off the metal cake saver. “Both of you need something to eat and drink.” He poured sweet tea and cut pieces of pound cake. “Thanks, Mr. Johnson, for your kindness in driving Frankie and my daughter home. I’d like to give you some money for gas and your time.”

  Mr. Johnson drank tea and ate the cake. “Not necessary, I’m glad they’re safe. I saw the plane coming down. I don’t know how Frankie kept it out of the trees, but it glided straight for the pasture. I saddled the horse and raced to them, it amazed me the plane was in one piece and they were alive.”

  Mr. Douglas smiled and nodded toward the pilot. “If anyone could land a plane and avoid a crash, it would be Frankie. You know he was one of the best barnstormers in the country.”

  Frankie sipped his tea and stared at the cake. Famous barnstormer, hell, famous idiot’s more like it. “I really messed up this time.”

  Mr. Douglas placed his hand on Frankie’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You’re a hero. Your actions saved my little girl’s life.”

  He ran his fingers through the condensation on the tea glass. “I should have taken another plane. The Jenny’s getting old, and she’s not as reliable as she used to be.”

  Mr. Douglas regarded the fly boy. “Could you land another plane without incident?”

  He considered the question, if this happened in another plane, they’d be dead. “Probably not.”

  “Well now. We have our answer. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  Frankie wrote Mr. Johnson’s address and phone number on a piece of paper. “Is Monday morning soon enough to get my plane from your property?”

  Mr. Johnson said, “No problem, and I’ll put the cows in another enclosure as soon as I get home.”

  Dr. Herschel entered the kitchen. “Ruth Ann’s fine. Hattie and I got her to her bedroom, she’s resting. She has a slight concussion, and the cut on her forehead required a couple of stitches. She needs bed rest for a week, and then she should be able to resume regular activities. I’ll come by Monday.”


  Mr. Johnson stood and shook hands with Frankie and Mr. Douglas. “I’ll be going. See you Monday, Frankie.”

  Frankie sat in his chair. He didn’t want to face Mrs. Douglas, but he had to.

  Mr. Douglas walked to the kitchen door. “I’m going to check on her, want to come?”

  He didn’t budge from his chair. “No, I’m going to sit here for a few minutes. I do want to see her before I leave.”

  When Jacob entered her room, Hattie headed downstairs. “Is Frankie still here?”

  Jacob sat by the bed and stroked his daughter’s face checking for a fever. “He’s in the kitchen.”

  Ruth Ann raised her voice. “Ma, don’t be hard on him, he did the best he could.”

  She entered the kitchen. Frankie stood. “Mrs. Douglas, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I wouldn’t hurt Ruthie for anything.”

  She put her arms around Frankie’s neck and started crying. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt. You saved my daughter’s life. Thank God you’re both alive.”

  He expected the woman to bless him out; he deserved it. But her tears and her sincere concern for his life surprised him. A tear slipped down his face. “I’m so sorry.”

  She stepped back and looked up at him. “No, Frankie, I’m sorry.”

  “About what?” He watched as she busied herself in the kitchen.

  She opened the refrigerator and poured some cold water in a glass for her daughter. “Frankie, you’re like a son to me, and I’ve wronged you. I knew you were going to fly her to school, but when Ronald arrived, I made her go. She gave me a note for you, and I burned it.”

  He stumbled to his chair. “Why?”

  “I thought Ronald would be a better match. I promise to stay out of your business. I made mistakes at her age, and I didn’t want her to follow in my footsteps. I know now she has to make up her own mind. Do you forgive me?”

  He sat in the chair and digested the information. Ruthie had told him the truth. He reached for the glass of cold water. “Yes, ma’am, I forgive you. Can I take her this?”

  She nodded and dried her face with the hem of her apron. “Of course.”

  He took the steps two at a time, blocking out the pain in his ankle.

  Mr. Douglas saw him at the door and stood. “Here, Frankie, sit a while. I’m going downstairs.”

  He lifted Ruthie and gave her the glass of water. She sipped a small amount. “Drink a little more,” he urged.

  She grasped the glass with both hands and drank. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  He put the glass on the night stand and tucked her in bed. “I didn’t do such a good job. You could have been killed.”

  She grabbed his hand. “You could have, too, but we weren’t. When the propeller stopped turning and the engine died, I was scared to death, but you took care of us.”

  Tears dripped from his eyes, he swiped them with his hand. “If anything had happened to you… I can’t stand to think about it.”

  She swung her legs to the side of the bed to sit closer. “Frankie, I’m here; you’re here. We’re safe.”

  He scooped her from the bed and cradled her in his arms. “I love you. You are the most precious thing in my life.”

  She cradled his face in her hands. “I love you, Frankie Howard. I’m so sorry about everything. Will you ever forgive me?”

  He held her in his arms until his ankle wouldn’t take it. He gave her a gentle kiss, then lost himself in the moment making up for their time apart. He placed her in the bed and tucked the quilt around her. “I’ll forgive you if you’ll forgive me for thinking the worst. Victor and Al tried to reason with me, but I was a stubborn jackass.”

  She grabbed his hand and kissed it, giving him a wink. “You’re my stubborn jackass.”

  He stood over her wishing he could crawl in bed with her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. You need to rest.”

  He limped the few blocks to his house. He planned to soak his ankle and take some aspirin for his neck.

  He sat in his front room reading a book when he heard a knock. He grabbed his crutch and hobbled to the door.

  Just as he expected. “Victor, I wondered how long it would take for you to hear about the emergency landing.”

  Victor stepped in the house and stared at his friend. “I didn’t know you were hurt. Did Dr. Herschel check you out?”

  He limped to the sofa. “No, to tell you the truth, I didn’t think about it. My concern was Ruthie. I twisted my ankle, and my neck’s sore. I’m soaking the ankle, using crutches, and taking aspirin. Not much else I can do. Have you seen her?”

  Victor sat in the chair. “I saw her before going to the newspaper office. They called as soon as they heard about the incident and wanted a statement. She doesn’t remember anything after the engine stopped. I think she fainted.”

  Frankie ran his hand through his hair. “Makes sense. I saw her head drop, and she slumped in her seat, I figured she knelt her head in prayer or was just scared as hell. It’s why she hit her head, she didn’t brace for the landing.”

  Victor said, “Well, you’re the hero of the day. The Saplingville newspaper interviewed me. You’ll be in the papers tomorrow. I told them if not for your experience as a barnstormer, this would have been a disaster. I even gave them a picture of you and me standing in front of the Jenny. You might make the front page.”

  He adjusted his foot on the coffee table. “It didn’t take them long to jump on this story. I don’t feel like a hero. I feel like an idiot to let this happen. I hope this doesn’t cause a problem with the business.”

  Victor replied with excitement in his voice. “Are you kidding? Everyone will want to fly with you now. What happened? Did you have any warning?”

  “I heard a few sputters and coughs and lost power. I didn’t get a chance to check, but I figure a fuel line problem. We flew over a stand of pines and God opened them and a pasture appeared. I had to side-slip in to get down in the distance I had and make a firm landing. Ruthie fell forward. The blow caused a deep slash to her forehead, and she bled like a stuck pig. I pulled her from the plane. She stayed out for a few minutes. The longest minutes of my life, I’ll tell ya.”

  Victor studied his friend. “But she isn’t dead, neither are you. Your skill and quick thinking saved you both. Stop beating yourself over it.”

  Frankie inhaled a deep breath and exhaled, the picture of Ruthie’s bloody head never left his mind. “You’re right, as usual. I’ve experienced worse situations but never with anyone in the plane. It’s different when you’re responsible for another person.”

  Victor uncrossed his leg and moved to the edge of his chair. “Yeah, what if you had a wife and twins.”

  He imagined Ruthie and him with a child, a boy, no, a girl that looked just like her. “I wish I did.”

  Victor stood to go. “Can I get you anything?”

  Frankie grabbed his crutch and stood. “No, I’m good for now. Can you stop by for me Monday morning? My car’s at the airfield, and I won’t need it tomorrow. I advised Mr. Johnson we’d get the Jenny fixed and out of his pasture Monday.”

  Victor stopped at the door and turned. “We’ll take all the tools and another fuel line. See you Monday morning.” He put his hand on Frankie’s shoulder. “Remember, all landings you can walk away from are good landings.”

  “You got that right.” He gave Victor a pat on the back. “Thanks, man, for everything.”

  ****

  Frankie woke Sunday morning burning with the desire to see Ruthie. He had trouble sleeping because every time he closed his eyes the memory of the Jenny hitting the pasture caused his body to jump. He dozed off around three and slept until ten. The swelling in his ankle had reduced, but his neck hurt worse. He tugged on his no collar gray V-neck shirt and his denim pants. He left the top buttons of his shirt open. He didn’t feel like dressing fancy and planned to spend the day with his girl.

  He hobbled without his crutches to get his paper. His ankle didn’t cooperate, and as bad as he hate
d, he would have to use his crutch today.

  The story made the front page. Frankie laughed when he saw the photograph of him and Victor beside the Jenny. The picture they used was from four years ago when Victor arrived home from the Army Air Corps. The two of them smiling beside the JN-Four. Victor loved the plane as much as he did, and they spent every spare minute they had flying.

  Frankie read the story.

  LOCAL MAN SAVES THE DAY

  Frankie Howard, former barnstormer now working as a mechanic, air taxi driver, and flight instructor was on a routine air taxi run to Candler Field in Atlanta. On his return to Saplingville, he had to make an emergency landing in a pasture. Mr. Howard’s employer, Victor Douglas, owner of Andrews Field said Mr. Howard’s vast experience and knowledge of flying prevented a disaster. The passenger is resting at home with minor injuries. Mr. Douglas said the cause was mechanical failure. The Curtiss JN-Four Biplane was built in 1918. Mr. Douglas has several newer planes used for air taxis, but the Jenny, as they lovingly refer to the JN-Four is Mr. Howard’s favorite airplane to fly. Mr. Howard used this very plane for his barnstorming tricks. Frankie Howard joined a barnstorming team in 1924 as a gofer and rose to head pilot in 1927 at the age of 18. The team disbanded in 1932, and Mr. Howard bought the JN-Four and returned to Saplingville. Most Sundays, you can find Mr. Howard at Andrews Field taking people for rides in a Stinson Trimotor.

  He put the paper on the coffee table and smiled. No mention of Ruthie. The article would scare people away or spark their curiosity. He hoped for the latter.