Linda Carlton, Air Pilot Read online

  CHAPTER II

  _Graduation_

  "Thank Heaven you're safe!" cried Ted Mackay, as he disentangledhimself from his parachute. "You certainly are a game little sport,Miss Carlton!"

  "I don't see why," returned Linda. "People jump from planes withparachutes every day!"

  "I know. But it was all so sudden. And it is always a pity whenanyone's first flight ends disastrously. It makes you feel that younever want to see an airplane again."

  "Well, it won't make me feel that way," replied the girl, lightly. "I'dgo up again right away if you'd take me."

  "I'm afraid I can't. But I'm mighty glad to hear you talk that way. Ithink you're cut out for a flier. Now let's hunt the wreck."

  After they had located the damaged plane, and examined its shatteredpieces, they hiked back to the aviation field together, talking all thewhile about flying. Linda asked Ted one question after another, whichhe answered as well as he could without having a plane to demonstrate,and he promised to lend her some books on the subject.

  "You must come over and take a course of instruction at our FlyingSchool," he advised. "As soon as you can."

  "Oh, I hope to!" she assured him, eagerly. "Maybe after I graduate.Why, I'm almost eighteen! Most boys of my age who cared as much aboutit as I do would have been flying a couple of years. Because you canget a license when you're sixteen, can't you?"

  "Yes.... It's going to be fun to teach you," he added, as theyapproached the field, and Linda stopped beside her car. "Good-by! I'llexpect to see you soon!"

  His hope, however, was not fulfilled until two weeks later, when Lindaagain slipped over to the field, between engagements, for another ridein the air. This time she was only one among a group of visitors, andshe went up in a plane that was both new and trustworthy.

  Her time was so limited--it was a week before Commencement--that shehad only chance for a few words with Ted Mackay. She told him that herclass-day was the following Friday, and she timidly invited him to adance which she was giving at her home the night before the event.

  "Thanks awfully," he said, more thrilled than he dared tell her at theinvitation, "but I couldn't possibly come.... You see, Miss Carlton--Iwouldn't fit in with your set."

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Linda in disappointment, "We're not snobs, justbecause we go to Miss Graham's school!"

  "Well, then, put it this way," he added: "I'm absolutely on my own--andI don't even have evening clothes!"

  She smiled at his frankness, but she did not know that he told onlypart of his story--that he was supporting his mother and helping to puthis younger sister through High School.

  "All right, then--have it your own way--Ted," she agreed, holding outher hand. "I'll hope to see you some time after class-day."

  From that hour on, it seemed as if every moment was filled with morethings than she could possibly do. At last Friday came--as hot as anyday in mid-summer, though it was still early June.

  Soon after two o'clock the audience began to arrive, and at half-past,the twenty-two graduates, in their white dresses, with their largebouquets or American Beauties or pink rose-buds, filed in to taketheir seats on the flower-decked platform in the garden of the schoolgrounds.

  Fans waved, and the flowers wilted visibly, but nobody seemed tonotice. For with the exercises the fun began, and everybody listenedintently to the jokes and the compliments which came in turn to eachand every member of Linda Carlton's class.

  After Louise Haydock, the president, made her brief speech of greeting,the presenter took charge, and her remarks and her presents wereclever without being cruel. Most of the latter she had purchased fromthe five-and-ten, but they all carried a point. To Linda Carlton shegave a toy car, because she thought that was what the latter was mostinterested in, and then she asked her to wait a moment, that she hadsomething else for her.

  Linda stood still, smiling shyly, and wondering whether her next giftwould have anything to do with airplanes.

  "Linda," continued the presenter, "we have this bracelet for you--intoken of our affection. You have been voted the most popular girl inthe class."

  "Oh!" exclaimed Linda, and her eyelids fluttered in embarrassment. Shewas so surprised that she didn't know what to say. Some of the othergirls, who had been secretly hoping for this honor, which was alwayskept as a surprise until class-day, had even prepared speeches. ButLinda had never given the matter a thought.

  "I--I--thank you so much," she finally managed to stammer, as shestepped forward to receive the bracelet.

  The audience stirred and clapped, for the girl was a favorite witheverybody in Spring City.

  "She certainly looks sweet today," whispered Mrs. Haydock, the motherof Linda's best friend. "There is nothing so becoming as white."

  "Yes," agreed her aunt, who had taken care of Linda ever since her ownmother had died when she was only a baby, "but I do wish she hadn'tworn those flowers. She had half a dozen bouquets of American Beauties,and she picked out those ordinary pink roses! Sometimes Linda is queer."

  "Yes, but who sent them?" inquired the other woman. "Probably thereason lies there! Ralph Clavering?"

  "Ralph Clavering wouldn't buy a cheap bouquet like that--with all hisfather's millions!" exclaimed Miss Carlton. "No; he did send flowers,but Linda didn't wear them. These had no card."

  Their conversation stopped abruptly, for the class prophet wasbeing introduced. Twenty-one girls on the platform leaned forwardexpectantly, anxious to hear what the future held in store for them.Of course nobody actually believed that this girl could foretell theirlives, but it was always fascinating to speculate about their fortunes.

  She began with the customary jokes.

  "Sara Wheeler" (the thinnest girl in the class), "is going into thefood business, but will eat up the profits. However, she'll weigh twohundred pounds before she goes bankrupt....

  "Sue Emery, on the contrary, will finally succeed in reducing herweight--when she gets away from these girls and stops talking about it,instead of doing it--until she becomes Hollywood's star dancer....

  "Linda Carlton and Louise Haydock--the double l's, we call them,because they are always together--will both marry wealthy men andbecome the society leaders of Spring City...."

  At these words, Linda's Aunt Emily nudged Louise's mother, and smiled.

  "That would suit us, wouldn't it, Mrs. Haydock?" she asked.

  "Just what we want for our girls!" nodded her companion, insatisfaction.

  It was over at last, the fun and the excitement, the class-day thatthe girls would keep in their memories for the rest of their lives.Hot, but happy, the graduates came down from the platform to find theirfriends and their families. Some of them wanted to linger, to talkthings over, but Linda Carlton was anxious to get away. It had beenwonderful to receive that beautiful bracelet, but somehow it wouldspoil it to talk about it.

  And, in spite of all her happiness, there was a little hurt in herheart. Her father hadn't come home for his only child's graduation!

  She came to where her aunt was standing, and put her arm through hers.

  "Are you ready, Aunt Emily?" she asked.

  "Of course, dear--if you want to go so soon. But wouldn't you like tostay and see your friends, and thank them?"

  "Oh, I'll write notes," replied Linda.

  "There's Ralph Clavering over there," remarked Miss Carlton, nodding inthe direction of a tall, well-dressed young man on the other side ofthe lawn. "You could thank him for his flowers. He'll probably thinkit queer if you don't, especially since you didn't wear them."

  Linda smiled carelessly.

  "Ralph Clavering probably sent roses to half a dozen girls today,"she said lightly. "It's his boast that he's in love with the wholeclass!... No, I want to go home, Auntie. I'm tired."

  "Certainly, dear. We'll go right away."

  Nodding to friends as they walked across the beautiful garden wherethe out-door exercises had been held, they came to Linda's shiningsports roadster, parked just outside the gate. It had been
her father'spresent to her on the day that she was sixteen, and she had taken suchcare of it that even now, after a year and a half, it looked almost new.

  "I think it was wonderful for you to receive the bracelet as the mostpopular girl," Miss Carlton said, as she got into the car. "Everythingwas really perfect--even the prophecy about your future."

  Linda frowned at the recollection of those words; she hadn't liked thatprophecy at all. As perhaps only Ted Mackay realized, her ambition wasto fly, to fly so expertly that she could go to strange lands, do aman's work perhaps, carry out missions of importance. She wanted to beknown as one of the best--if not _the_ best--aviatrix in America!

  Ever since she was a child she had had some such longing. Perhaps itwas her father who had been responsible for it. Restless and unhappyafter her mother's death, he had given his baby to his sister to takecare of, and had wandered from one place to another, only coming homeevery year or so, to see how Linda was growing. As if to make up toher for his absences, he brought her marvelous presents--presents thatwere intended rather for a boy than for a girl. Early in life she hadlearned to shoot a gun, ride a horse, and drive a car. No wonder thatshe dreamed of airplanes!

  Her aunt, on the other hand, disapproved of this way of bringing up agirl. She wanted Linda to be just like the other fashionable wealthyyoung ladies in Spring City, to spend her time at parties and at theCountry Club, and later to marry a rich man--like Ralph Clavering.Naturally the words of the class prophet pleased her.

  Nor had she any idea that Linda did not agree with her, for her niecehad always kept her dreams to herself. There was no use talking aboutthem, Linda thought, for her aunt would never understand.

  "And I guess the prophet was about right," continued Miss Carlton. "Anygirl that gets seven bunches of flowers from seven different boys,won't have any difficulty getting married."

  "But I don't want to get married, Aunt Emily!" protested Linda.

  "Not yet, dear--of course. Why, you're only seventeen! I couldn't spareyou now--just when you're free to be at home with me. Besides, I thinkevery girl should have two years at least to do exactly as she pleases!"

  Exactly as she pleases! Why, that would mean learning to fly! Oh, ifAunt Emily could know the fierce longing in her heart to become areally fine pilot, to train herself to make her mark in the world!

  "So I want you to have a happy, care-free summer," continued the other,totally unaware of her niece's thoughts. "At first I thought we wouldgo abroad, but on the whole that would be too strenuous, after thishectic year. The other girls' mothers agree with me. Mrs. Haydock and Iwere talking about it today, and we've practically decided to go to acharming resort on Lake Michigan that she says is most exclusive. Thereyou can be with all your best friends."

  Linda said nothing; she just couldn't be enthusiastic about wastingthree months in that fashion. When she had been hoping to stay at homeand enroll for a course at the Spring City Flying School!

  "You'd like that, wouldn't you, dear?" persisted Miss Carlton, as Lindasteered her car through the wide gates of their spacious estate. "Youcould swim and drive and play tennis and dance to your heart's content!With Louise--and--and--the Claverings! Mrs. Haydock told me they aregoing there too. Why, you'd meet all the right people!"

  Linda sighed. Aunt Emily's ideas of the right people were not exactlyhers--particularly at the present time. She wanted to meet flyers, menand women noted in the field of aviation, not merely wealthy societyfolk. But she could not say that to her aunt; the latter was afraid ofairplanes, and had only grudgingly given her consent that Linda go upin one. Naturally she had never mentioned her accident.

  "Well, we'll talk our plans over later," said Miss Carlton, when Lindafailed to make a reply. "I guess you're too tired to think aboutanything now. And," she added as she stepped from the car, "don't youwant to leave your car here, and let Thomas put it away?"

  "No, thank you, Auntie," she replied, for she did not like even socapable a chauffeur as Thomas to touch her precious roadster. "It'llonly take a minute."

  As Linda walked slowly back to the house, she was thinking of TedMackay. For she believed those wilted flowers at her waist were his.There had been no card, but they had come from a small flower shop atthe other end of Spring City--not the expensive shop that most of herfriends patronized. She would go over to the school soon, and thankhim. But she would have to tell him that she was obliged to give up herown plans for the summer! Tears of disappointment came into her eyes,and she wondered if there weren't some way it could be arranged. Maybeif she asked her father....

  The thought of her father drove everything out of her mind. He hadn'teven bothered to come home! Nothing else seemed to matter.

  As she entered the living-room, she found her aunt waiting for her.

  "Come in, dear--and get some rest," said Miss Carlton. "You look sotired that you actually seem unhappy."

  Linda forced a smile.

  "Is something worrying you, dear? Or is it just the heat and the rush?"

  "I don't know," answered the girl, sinking into a deep chair by thewindow. "I--I--guess I'm just foolish, Aunt Emily." There was a catchin her voice. "But I'm so disappointed that Daddy didn't come for myCommencement. And I wrote to the ranch three times to remind him!"

  Miss Carlton nodded; her brother's ways were past her understanding.How anybody could be so indifferent to such a lovely daughter as Linda!And yet when he was home, no father could be more affectionate. It wasjust that he was absent-minded, that he hated to be tied down to datesand places. He might be at his ranch in Texas now, or he might havewandered off to Egypt or to South America, without even telling hisfamily. He had been like that, ever since Linda's mother had died.

  "I'm not so surprised at that as I am at his not sending you apresent," commented Miss Carlton. "He may never have received yourletters--or he may drop in a week late.... But you mustn't let thatworry you, Linda--you have to take your father as he is.... And youmust get some rest for tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow?" repeated the girl, vaguely.

  "Yes. The Junior League Picnic. You haven't told me whom you invited."

  "Why--I--a----"

  "You forgot to invite anybody!" laughed Miss Carlton. "I know you--why,you're something like your father about social engagements, my dear!And of course all the nicest boys will be asked already! I know thatLouise is going with Ralph Clavering--Mrs. Haydock told me today."

  "That's fine," commented Linda, indifferently. "They're great pals."

  "But whom will you ask? At this late date?"

  "I really think I'd rather stay home, Auntie, if you don't mind.Because--well--Daddy might come--and I'd hate to be so far away.They're going all the way over to Grier's woods, I recall hearing Dotsay, and you know that's at least fifteen miles."

  "Of course, dear--do just as you like," replied her aunt, putting hermotherly arms around her. "Only don't count too much on your father'scoming!"

  So Linda went to bed that night, little thinking that her plans wouldbe changed the following morning, and that, in later years, she was tolook back upon that day as one of the most wonderful of her whole life!