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He knotted a strong leather cord to the stake, brought it forward and secured it to the frame of the machine

"Now, Beatrice," he directed, "when I'm ready you cut the cord I haven't any corps of assistants to hold ive me a shove, so the best I can do is this Give a quick slash right here when I shout And whatever happens don't be alarmed I'll come back to you safe and sound, never fear And this afternoon it's 'All Aboard for Boston!'"

Sht, and now a chattering tu, as Stern ain

Into the driver's seat he climbed, strapped himself in and turned to smile at Beatrice

Then with a practiced hand he threw the lever operating the friction-clutch on the propeller-shaft And now the great blades began to twirl, faster, faster, till they twinkled and buzzed in the sunlight with a huantic electric fan

Theat its bonds like a whippet eager for a race Beatrice, her face flushed with excitement, stood ready with the knife

Louder, faster whirled the blades,out behind theirl's hair back from her beautiful face

Stern settled hiripped the wheel

The engine was roaring like a battery of Northrup looms Stern felt the pull, the power, the life of the machine And his heart leaped within him at his victory over the dead past, his triuo!"

The knife fell The parted rope jerked back, writhing, like a wounded serpent

Gently at first, then with greater and greater speed, shaking and bouncing a little on the broad, flat wheels that Stern had fitted to the alighting gear, the plane rolled off along the firm-beaten sands

Stern advanced the spark and now the screw sang a louder, higher threnody With ever-accelerating velocity thestretch, while Beatrice stood gazing after it in rapt attention

Then all at once, when it had sped so plane; and suddenly thesh it had been a solid hill--up, up, up--swifter and swifter now, till a suddenly accelerated rush cleared the altitude of the tallest pines in the forest edging the beach, and Stern knew his dream was true!