Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 20, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 April 1936 — Page 45

APRIL 3, 1936

Today's Short Story-

BORN BARNSTORMER By Sloan Taylor

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IT wr.s late in July, and Phillip wondered why none of the bootleggers had come out to talk it over with him. Barney had told him the city was a gold mine for any pilot willing to fly the stuff.

Phillip was willing enough to fly their booze. He had no pious compunctions about the prohibition law. He liked a drink himself. Phillip had been barnstorming around the country for four or five years—ever since he got out of the Army. His worldly wealth to show for it when he talked to Barney that spring was a jittery old Standard and about S2OO in cash. Tima was getting to be, he told Barney, when he ought to settle down. He needed anew ship. But there was no possibility of his bankrolling himself for anew ship with the old Standard, powered by a Hisso with less than 100 hours left In it. “Then flying the booze," Barney had advised him, “is your best bet. Out there west of tow’n, where I been hopping the stuff, you can get some farmer to let you use his field to fly passengers. You won’t even make coffee-and-cake money at it, but hang on, and before you know it, some of the liquor mob will be out to line you up. Here —” he wrote an address on a slip l of paper and handed it to Phillip. “That's a speak where I hang out. Come around in a couple of weeks and look me up." a a a pHILLIP flew the old Standard to A the city, where Barney had found fortune. Ke found that Barney was right about a field. He located a suitable spot on a good highway, with an open shed in one corner near the road where he could hangar his ship. After he opened shop, Phillip began to make regular trips to the speakeasy to look for Barney. The bartenders knew Barney, and they knew he was out of town, but none could say when he would be back. As the weeks of waiting passed, Phillip’s little cash reserve melted away alarmingly. It looked like have to hit the barnstormer’s Vrai! again with the old Standard. He was leaning on the gate at the field one afternoon, moodily contemp’ating the gloomy prospect, when a sleek limousine pulled up on the other side of the road. In the car were four men. Phillip looked them over carefully and decided that here was a quartet of the toughest hombres he’d ever seen. He opened the gate and crossed the road. a a a “I NTEREST you gentlemen in a A hop?” The man beside the driver studied the plane a few seconds before answering. “That airplane carry four people?" “No, that’s a three-place job," said Phillip. “Two passengers and the pilot." “How about four people and a pilot?” , “Well, If you want to charter ” “Buy.” Phillips told him the name of a manufacturer in the East who was making immediate delivery on a five-place cabin ship for $25,000. “Yeah? And what's your cut?’’ “Well, I don’t mind telling you, mister,” said Phillip. “The salesmanager is an old Army buddy of mine, and he'd slice me in for around $3500 salesman’s commission. Yeah, and if you want me to go to the factory and ferry it back for you. they’d pay me another counle of hundred." The man in the front seat knocked the ash off his cigaret and said to the driver, “Go ahead, Tony." Tony got the car in gear and the limousine stepped away. a a a THE limousine again stopped beside the fence the next afternoon. The same driver, Tony, and a soiid-muscled man with a pockmarked face got out. “You clicked with the boss yesterday, Tony told Phillip. . “He says you look like you’re on the level, and he wants you to buy that airplane if you'll do a little job driving it for him." “Sure, I’ll fly it for him.” “Okay. We’re ready to go when you are." Three days later, the people at Valencia Aircraft, dazzled by the 25 SIOOO bills Tony counted out to them, had one of their CHW-5 models on the factory apron and gassed for the hop to Chicago. With a check for $3750 and a neat roll of bills totaling $250 in the breast pocket of his windbreaker, Phillip got behind the controls and told Tony they were ready to go. Daikness was settling over the country when Phillip reached his field outside of the city, where he saw’ a car standing beside the shed. A man got out when the Valencia taxied across the field, and took Tony and Solly aside for a whispered conference. Then he got back in the machine and drove off. . “That was Nick,” said Tony. “He'll be back later. Now. come in the shed and I’ll tell you what it’s all about. You got a light in here?” a a a PHILLIP picked up a lantern and took it outside to light it. There was too much gas and oil inside to risk striking a match. When he returned with the light, Tony spread a road map on the top of a gas drum. His finger traced a line down across Indiana to a town on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. “That’s where we re going. Me *nd Solly ’nd Nick hd you. There’ll be another guy meet us there." “Okay. I know that country well. I barnstormed all through there. That -place you want to go is a mining town, isn’t it?" “Yeah, yeah," said Tony impatiently. “Now get this: “You’re to wait in the airplane while we pull off the job. Take about art hour. Then you take us back across ' ‘ ' -f

north of this little dump here. We get out. There’ll be an automobile waiting for us. You go ahead with the airplane, but be sure you get the hell away from there.” “What am I to do with the ship?” “You keep it. That’s your cut.” “What? For one load of booze?” “Booze? This ain’t booze. This is a pay roll job at a mine.” a a a T)HILLIP almost knocked over the A lantern. “Then listen, Tony, you got me wrong. Count me out of this kind of stuff. I’ll fly booze, but ” , “Oh, yeah,” sa f d Tony, slowly and evenly. “No, we ain’t got you wrong. We got you right. And you’re not out, you’re in, see? In up to here.” He drew a finger across his throat. “I am like hell,” said Phillip. “11l put this up to the boss. I ” “Listen: We’re dealing the bass out of this. He’s been getting his long enough. We’re taking this little haul for ourselves, see?” “And if there’s a slipup anywhere,” resumed Tony, “you’re on the spot right there, see? Now, how about gas for that airplane? You got enough?” “There's about 10 gallons in the ship and 20 more in this drum, but we’ll need some more. Maybe there’s enough in the Standard. I’ll look ” “Hold it!” The command, uttered in a quiet, tense voice, came from the open end of the shed. “Nobody move!” a a a against the blackness of the night beyond were the boss, Nick and two other men. Nick and the other two held Tommy guns in their arms. “You dirty, double-crossing rats,” said the boss. Without turning his head he gave the order: “Let ’em have it!” Phillip ducked behind the engine of the Standard as the sharp staccatto rattled in the shed, which was pitched momentarily into darkness as the first burst of gunfire shattered the lantern. Phillip dropped to the ground and crept along behind the ship to the rear of the shed where he knew there were some loose boards. As he slipped out, the stream of bullets were chinking on the engine block of the old Standard, riddling its gas, tank and drilling through the gas drum where Tony and Solly had been cut down. Streams of high-test gasoline squirted from the drum and poured in a rivulet toward the smoldering lantern wick. Eerie flames soon began to light up the shed. Phillip crawled through the weeds to the fence. He reached the road and hailed a car headed toward the city. The driver consented to take him to the end of the street car line. Scarcely breathing, Phillip sat in rigid silence until they were a mile or so down the road. Then he looked back. Above the trees bordering the field there was a red glow. Phillip heard a soft “boom." The gas tank of the Valencia. a a a PHILLIP took a car into town and went to the speakeasy he had been visiting. He had two straight ryes then switched to a highball. His hand began to shake. He wiped his face and started to sip the highball. A hand fell heavily on his shoulder. “What you jumping for, pal?” It was Barney. “Just look at that. You've spilled your drink. Hey, Bill, set up two more here. Well, how the hell you been, kid. I just got injust this minute come from the railroad station. Well, why don't you speak up, Phil? Say”—he lowered his voice—“made any connections?” Phillip picked up the drink and shook his head. “Okay. Just leave it to me, boy. I’m the little guy that can steer you right in this town. I’ll put you in the big dough.” “No soap,” said Phillip. “I don’t like your town, Barney. I'm going far away from it. I’m going back barnstorming. I'm going to barnstorm hell out of this country, Barney—cheerio, and here’s wishing you tail winds, kid. You’ll need ’em in this towm. S'long.” Barney watched in amazement as the pilot walked to the door and went out. “That friend of yours an aviator, too?” asked the bartender. “Yeah,” said Barney. “But he’ll never get anywhere. Just a hickhell, he was born to be a barnstormer.” THE END. PROFESSOR. SUED FOR DIVORCE, LOSES JOB Manchester College Fires Musician After Court Action. By Cnifcd Prt** NORTH MANCHESTER. Ind., April 3.—Blue law’s controlling the administrative machinery of Manchester College resulted today in dismissal of Rex Arlington, prominent orchestra leader, as professor in the school of music, it was announced today by Otho Winger, college president. Mr. Arlington was dismissed because he has been sued for divorce, Mr. Winger said. Divorces are taboo in the Dunkard Church, which controls the college. Relief Corps to Initiate The Edna E. Pauley Junior Club auxiliary to the Maj. Robert Anderson Women’s Relief Corps is to initiate a class of candidates at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon at Fort Friendly, 912 .N. Illinoia-st. Mrs. Ocie Turney, Bedford, ind., department president, is to be guest of honor.

OUR BOARDING HOUSE

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FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—

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ALLEY OOP

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BOOTS AND HER BUDDIES

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THE TARZAN TWINS

“Attack!” Tarzan shouted to his little band of apes. “We conquer—or we die! The audacious anthropoids required no further urging to battle. With reckless disregard for their lives they surged behind the mighty Hairless One toward Gudah, the mad killer! ...

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,THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

. . . Like their renowned kinsman, the Tarzan Twins were involved, too, with a dangerous jungle beast. When the lion emitted that deafening roar, Doc's imagination conjured a frightful picture of the raging beast pouncing full upon poor Dick and devouring him.

With Major Hoople

OUT OUR WAY

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But be was encouraged when he heard the lion plunge on into the jungle, thrashing wildiy through the underbrush. Now he believed that his cousin had somehow escaped the beast after all. “Dick, Dick!” he called again. But still there was no response.

—By Edgar Rice Burroughs

Fearfully now, Doc groped on hands and knees through the darkness, and soon he came upon the object of his search. Dick was stretched supine on the ground. “Dick, Dick!” he called gently; “what's happened to you?” But poor Dick lay silent and still!

COMIC PAGE

—By Williams

—By Blosser.

—By Crane

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—By Martin