Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings Page 8

  _Chapter VIII_

  NEXT MORNING

  "You've done splendidly, my dear. I'm proud of you. This informationyou've dug up will be a lot of help in tracing that gang, I'm sure."

  Dorothy and her father were seated at the table, taking their morningmeal in the breakfast porch, just off the dining room. Although the bondof affection uniting father and daughter was a strong one, especiallysince the mother's death some years earlier, neither was particularlydemonstrative. And Dorothy was not used to receiving unstinted praise ofthis sort from her father. The colour in her cheeks deepened, and shesaid off-handedly:

  "I'm awfully glad, Daddy. You haven't had your second cup of coffee,have you?"

  Mr. Dixon smiled, and passed his cup to her. His shrewd glance took inher evident embarrassment.

  "No need to dissemble, daughter. Fact is, I keep forgetting you're nolonger a child; and I don't mind telling you how valuable you are tome."

  Dorothy smiled back at him. "Thanks a lot, Dad." She returned his filledcup. "Did the gang get away with much?"

  "Plenty. A number of easily negotiable bonds, what currency we had onhand, etc. Of course, we're well covered by insurance--but the worst ofit is, they took Mrs. Hamberfield's diamond necklace!"

  "What! The Hamberfields, of Canoe Hill?"

  "The same. They bought the old Adams place two years ago and keep it fora summer residence. More money there than--er--taste, I believe. Mrs. H.goes in for jewels on a big scale."

  "Wears diamonds at breakfast, I'll bet, Daddy. She came to the CountryClub last Saturday night, dressed up to the hilt and beyond it. I'venever seen so much jewelry! Doug Parsons suggested that she'd beenrobbing Tiffany's. A regular ice-wagon with her diamonds!"

  "Well, she's lost a lot of them, now. That gang evidently knew she had ahabit of keeping some of them in her deposit box at the bank, for it wasthe only one they raided."

  "That's interesting."

  "In what way?"

  "Never mind now. Tell me some more."

  "Well, naturally, I phoned the lady last night--and well--she was mostunpleasant--"

  "The nasty cat! Serves her right to have them stolen!"

  "Hardly that, dear. But the bank is responsible for her necklace andother gewgaws. And her husband is a power in the financial world."

  Having breakfasted sufficiently for one day, Dorothy was busy with anorange lipstick.

  "More unpleasantness for you, Daddy?" she asked through pursed lips, hereyes on the small mirror of her compact, open on the table before her.

  "He is in a position to do the bank considerable harm--By the way,Dorothy, are you as efficient at manicuring as you are at making up yourmouth?"

  "P-perhaps. Why?"

  "Good. Then, after this I'll get you to do my nails while I have mysecond cup of coffee each morning!"

  "Aren't you horrid!"

  "Aren't you the cheeky kid, using that thing in front of me?"

  "You really don't mind, Daddy?"

  "Do you think it an improvement over nature?"

  "I know it isn't."

  "Why use a lipstick then?"

  "But--why do you wear that curly mustache?"

  "More cheek?"

  "Not at all. But it adds dignity to your face--what's more, yourmustache is becoming and you know it."

  "Nonsense!" Mr. Dixon's tone was derisive but there was a twinkle in hiskeen gray eyes.

  Dorothy nodded decisively. "While my lipstick, properly used, is alsobecoming," she went on. "And it gives your daughter a sophisticatedappearance otherwise lacking--" she broke off with a giggle as she sawher father's expression.

  Dorothy snapped her compact shut and rose from the table. Going round tohis side, she gave her father a hug and kissed him lightly on hismustache. "There!" she laughed. "Now I've added sophistication to yourdignity, Daddy. You'll be able to run both the bank and that ritzy Mrs.Hamberfield like a charm today. So long! Bill is coming for me and we'regoing down to the beach. I'm to have my first real flight instructionthis morning, you know."

  "From all accounts you did pretty well yesterday, young lady. Don't youthink you'd better come down to the bank and tell the story of yoursleuthing to the Bankers' Association detectives? They'll be up herefrom New York this morning."

  From the doorway, Dorothy shook her head. "Nothing doing!" she cried. "Ilove you a lot--but you have the story down pat yourself--and I've got adate I can't break. That glass with the fingerprints on it, you'll findnicely wrapped up on the hall table. 'By--" She was through the door andacross the lawn before Mr. Dixon could reply.

  He folded his napkin and laid it on the table with a sigh. "Heigho!" hemurmured. "I wonder what her mother would say to that? Still, Dorothygrows more like her every day. The youngster has brains if she only usesthem in the right way. She certainly has been a help on thisrobbery--and she is a comfort to me--but a great responsibility atthat."

  Then, carefully lighting his after-breakfast cigar, Mr. Dixon walkedinto the house.

  Shortly after Mr. Dixon had left for the bank, Bill's horn honked in thedrive.

  Dorothy appeared presently, wearing a boy's outing shirt open at theneck and a pair of fawn-colored jodhpurs. She noticed as she approachedthe car that Frank, the Bolton's chauffeur, was seated in the rumble.

  "I've got to run into New York and buy some flying clothes," sheannounced as she seated herself at Bill's side.

  "Don't bother about clothes, for heaven's sake. They won't help you tofly. I've got several extra helmets and some goggles and those thingsyou're wearing now will be just the thing. All you need areoveralls--and I bought you those in the village this morning."

  "Aren't you nice," she beamed. "But I do need a leather coat, don't I?"

  "What for?"

  "Didn't you tell me the cockpits of your N-9 were open--that they didn'thave windshields?"

  "Yes--but what of it?"

  "Won't it be cold?"

  "Not at this time of year. We're not out for an altitude record. Ofcourse, when you get a couple of miles or so above the earth you have tobundle up--but the old OXX motor in my N-9 would never get you there.She's not built for that kind of work. Later on, you can order a monkeysuit or a leather coat from the city."

  "Yes, I'll get one of those sporty knee-length coats--" decided Dorothygleefully.

  "Not if I know it!"

  "But why not? They're so goodlooking!"

  "And more dangerous than a broken strut!"

  "They are?" Dorothy's tone was horrified.

  "Certainly. If you buy a coat, get a waist-length model. Anything longernot only hampers a pilot, it catches the wind and is likely to getcaught around your stick or other controls and crash the plane."

  "Oh!" said Dorothy disappointedly.

  Bill slanted his eyes from the road and smiled at her. "Not everyone whowears a yachting cap is a yachtsman! You'll have plenty to think ofduring your flight training without bothering about such things."

  "I guess you're right," she agreed. "How long will it take to teach meto fly, Bill?"

  "It all depends upon your aptitude, Dorothy. Ask me again after tenhours of dual instruction. But no matter how apt you prove to be, flyingis not learned in a day. I've mapped out a forty-hour course for you.Want to look it over?" He handed her a typewritten sheet.

  She studied the paper interestedly. It was titled.

  "Course of Flight Training.

  I. _Dual Instruction._

  First hour Taxiing Straight flying Turns Glides

  Second Take-offs Climbing S-turns Breaking Glide and leveling off Slow motion landings by instructor

  Third Flying at leveling-off height (seaplanes only) Slow motion landings Normal landings, use of elevato
rs only

  Fourth Cut-gun landings, under three feet, elevators only

  Sixth Normal landings Cut-gun landings Spirals Use of ailerons, rudder, throttle Approaches Elementary forced landings

  Ninth Stalls and spins

  II. _Elementary Solo Flying._

  First solo: Five minute flight, necessary turns, one landing

  First 5 hours: Take-offs, turns, landings

  Instruction flight: Instruction as necessary, including spins; power stall landings (seaplanes only)

  5 to 10 hours: Take-offs, turns, spirals, landings

  Instruction flight: Instruction as necessary, including spins

  10-15 hours: Same as 5 to 10 hours

  III. _Advanced Flying._

  Instruction flight: Reverse control turns and spirals, side-slips, power spins

  15-20 hours: Take-offs, turns, spirals, landings; reverse control turns and spirals

  Instruction flight--Acrobatics

  20-25 hours: Acrobatics, with 20 minutes of each hour on elementary work

  Instruction flight: Precision landings, forced landings, figure-eight turns, wing-overs

  25-30 hours: Precision landings, forced landings, figure-eight turns, wing-overs

  Final instructions flight: Review; instruction as necessary."

  "Looks pretty complicated to me," sighed Dorothy, handing back thepaper. "Gee, but there's a lot to learn!"

  "More than the average novice has any idea of. But don't imagine thatthis course will make you or anyone else an experienced pilot.Additional time must be spent in the air before you can get aninterstate commercial pilot's license. But after the instruction I'veoutlined here, your knowledge of flying should be sufficient to enableyou to go on with your training yourself."

  "I hope so," said Dorothy, but there was little confidence in her tone.

  Bill brought the car to a stop beside an open field.

  "Cheer up!" he encouraged. "Flying is like anything else worthwhile--troublesome to learn, but easy enough when you know how. Hop out,kid. There's the N-9, with her new landing gear, over there. Frank willtake the car back. We'll fly up to my place now and I'll give you yourfirst real instruction over our own flying field!"