STRATOSPHERE EXPRESS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 21, 4 November 1938, Page 7

STRATOSPHERE EXPRESS

A Vivid Story of Realism and Romance.

By ALROY WEST.

C HAPTER XX. THE MAN WITH A GRUDGE Bessiter grinned at him. “Considering what it contained, I didn’t somehow imagine that it would be. Larkin, you’ve boon fooled, and fooled badly. Somebody has chucked this in with your lot, and your head was too much up in the clouds for you to notice what you were bringing along.” “How did it come to discharge the gas?” Storm asked. “I don’t see that it was likely to do much damage.” Bessiter stood up. “You ought to be .selling apples on street corners—you’ve just about the right amount of brain! This was supposed to happen when we were up in the stratosphere. Some idiot—very fortunately as it happened—mossed about with it. Find out who it was and discharge him.” “‘But he did us a good turn,” said Larkin. “Only by accident. And I don’t like people who, do good by accident.” “Might as well keep the fellow on. I want all the hands I can get,” Larkin persisted. ° “Even bad ones, eh? Please yourself. I hope he docs something else by accident and blows you up. Then you’ll learn some sense. Where’s that girl? I want to talk to her.”

“Over there,” said Storm. “Send her along to my room. Wait for five minutes and then come along and join us.” “Very good.”

Storm hurried across to the girl, who was still slightly pale after* the trying ordeal.

“I was horribly frightened when I realised that you were not with me,” she said softly. Storm grinned at her. “The best way to get over a scare is by having a nice little dinner somewhere followed-by a dance. What about to-night?” “If we cafi get away.” “Tush! Where’s your spirit? Tell him to ’go up to his jolly old stratosphere for a while!” Manda smiled. “All right.” | “That’s settled. Now he wants to have a word with you in his own room. I’ll be along in a few minutes.” She nodded her head and walked briskly away. Storm looked about him. Mackley was near. “What happened to you?” Storm ,asked him. “Two fellows came staggering up to me, so I rushed them along to the lift,” Mackley said. “Then I came back and joined the salvage corps. You did some smart work, Storm.”

Storm shrugged his shoulders. “It gives you an insight into the sort of thing wo are up against,” ho pointed out.

Mackley grinned. “I’m beginning to enjoy myself,” he declared. After waiting about for a few minutes, Storm sauntered along to Bessiter’s room and knocked on the door. “Come in,” said Bessiter curtly. ' Manda had turned away slightly and her head was bowed. AfteP glancing at Storm, Bessiter went on talking to her. “.I’ve always said girls were fools,” ho snapped. “You won’t look at a decent fellow, but the instant you come up against one that’s half-baked”—here he paused to give a meaning glance at Storm—“or one who is a weakling, you go all soft and mushy. It beats me.” Storm realised Bessiter’s aim and promptly plunged into- the fight. “You just don’t understand women.” he'protested. Bessiter grinned at him and then grunted. “I suppose you do?” he challenged. “To a certain extent,” Storm ed. “You’ll need to. You’re more likely to have this one on your hands than I am.” Ho jerked his head in the direction of Manda, who gave a gasp of dismay.

‘“I should consider myself darned lucky,” Storm declared. Bessiter grunted. . - “You’d need luck,” he* said sourly.

Before Storm could make any retort, Larkjn popped his head round the door. He looked anxious and considerably put out. “What’s wrong with you?” Bessiter asked abruptly. “I’ve just discovered that there is a cylinder missing It means that they have. . .”

“Do you imagine that I didn’t think of that? Use your head! They brought us one along on the lorry and. exchanged it for ono of your own. They must have had a look at the cylinders some days back—probably when you were captured and they were busy spoiling the monoplane.” “What can we do?” asked Larkin in despair. “Nothing to worry about. I’ve sent a-messenger by car. That lorry is to ho hold up until I can get on the scene. And none of Lovac’s crowd is to he permitted to leave. That suit you?” Larkin gave a sigh of relief. “1 didn’t think you’d act so quickly,” he said. Bessiter scowled at him. “What sort of a leader do you think I am? How are those fellows who succumbed to the gas?” “They’ll be all right. It wasn’t a very dangerous sort. I don’t quite know the name for it. I should think it is something which has been made up bv one of Lovac’s men.” “Probably Voss,” Storm suggested. “I expect so,” Bessiter agreed. "I suppose the gas wouldn’t be fatal, Larkin?”' “I don’t think so. It might possibly asphyxiate—but I’m not sure.” “I would havo been sufficient i f it had happened when wo were up in the stratosphere. The gas would have come out of the wrong part of the cylinder, and we should havo all fallen under it.

(Copyright).

(Author of “Messengers cf Death,” “Hate Island," Etc).'

Naturally, tin* plane would smash. We have ;i clumsy workman to thank for our escape. I suppose you’ve examined the remaining cylinders?’’ “Yes. But J am taking them all to the laboratory in order to make absolutely certain.” “Good enough.” Larkin 1 withdrew. ‘‘Storm,” Bessiter announced, “I want you to come over to .Larkin’s place with me. Wo might ns well take Mack lev. He may come in useful.” “What about . . .” Storm hesitated, but glanced at Manda. “She can go back home. We’ll join her before long.!’ Bessiter rushed from the room, but Storm crossed over to the girl. “I’m very sorry about it,” he said. “Please don’t blame me too much.. There wasn't time to arrange _ for protection. I had to move so quickly because of getting to the Co-ordinated airfield on time.”

Manda looked up at him. “I don’t blame you,” she, said slowly. “I blame myself. You see, I couldn’t bring myself to tell -.him the truth about his son?” Storm whistled. “So you’ve been keeping something back! Did Bessiter know the truth?”

“Bessiter knew what young Rush did, but he didn’t know what Rush thought. Ho assumed that Rush realised that ...” she paused. . “I see,” said Storm. “And Rush has been nursing an imaginary grudge?” “Yes. I don’t know how the accident happened to Wilfred. But I know about the letters Wilfred wrote to Lovac.” /‘Then the letters were genuine.” “Yes. You see, Wilfred tried to steal my own brothers’ improvement and to sell it to Lovac. The letters written by Bessiter were very disjointed and had no relation to the matter. But I couldn’t tell Rush that liis own son had tried to swindle his own biggest friend. Could I?”

Storm bit his lip. “I don’t think, somehow, that 1 could have told him. But you might have mentioned it to Bessiter.” “Bessiter! But you know how brutal life is. He’d have no sympathy with Rush.” She placed a hand on Storm’s shoulder. “I like Bessiter,” she said. “I admire him—and he’s always been very good to me, despite his rough exterior. But I know his faults. He’s so strong and ruthless. Ho doesn’t understand those who are weak—he just kicks them to one side. He treats me better than ho does most people because of my brother. But I couldn’t tell him that Rush didn’t know about what had happened to Wilfred over the improvements and suspected that Wilfred had been deliberately sent to his death.”

“I see. It’s funny that Bessiter didn’t say anything to Rush, though, that would give things away.” THERE MAY EiE TROUBLE. Manda shook her head. “Bessiter’s splendid that way,” she said. “Ho wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt people. But he’d be certain to clear himself of such an accusation. It would make him furious to think that anybody suspected him of working like that.” “I suppose it would,” said Storm slowly. “I must bo going now. I’ll see you later on. • Keep cheerful—and don’t think too much about Rush. I expect liis troubled soul is happy at last.”

Storm hurried across the great hall. 'Larkin was standing by the main corridor.

“Have you seen Bessiter?” Storm asked him.

“Yes. He used the lift. He said he’d be waiting with the car. M'ackley went with him.”

Storm thanked him and hurried on. Bessiter was at the wheel of a touring car, and Mackley was sitting in the back. v “Come on!” Bessiter roared. “How long does it take you to say ‘goodbye’ to a girl? Don’t you expect to see her again?” Storm jumped in beside him. “Not knowing your programme,” he said deliberately, “I can’t say.”

The car moved forward. “There may be plenty of trouble,” said Bessiter grimly. He kept the car going at somewhere near the fifty miles an hour mark. They were soon within reach of the airfield. Mackley leaned forward. “Seems there’s some trouble there!” he snapped. Bessiter’s eyes narrowed. , “There’ll be more trouble in a minute!” he vowed. * IStorm looked eagerly ahead. He could see the wreckage of the air-liner and the lorry belonging to the Coordinated Transport Company. But these things had not attraced Mackley’s attention. There was a terrific fight going on between two large groups of men. And by the ono group which was the nearer to the wreckage and the lorry, was a green monoplane. “Lovac’s own machine,” Mackley said slowly. 1

“We’ve* got to stop it!” Bessiter snapped. “Hold tight.” The car leapt, forward, Bessiter crouching at the wheel. He swung it round and the flimsy fence seemed to come over and hit them. Storm ducked. Buts of wood snapped past them, md the special glass of the windscreen was splintered. Bait they were through the fence, and the car. was bumping and jolting across the field to the monoplane. (To he Continued').