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Page 7
"Come back! Come back! Wait a minute, Tom Swift! Bless my pansy
blossoms, I want to tell you something!" cried the little man.
But Tom Swift was away and out of hearing. He had started on
his sky ride with Mary Nestor.
CHAPTER II
A NEW IDEA
Any one who has taken a flight in an aeroplane or gone up in a
balloon, will know exactly how Mary Nestor felt on this, her
first sky ride of any distance. For a moment, as she looked over
the side of the machine, she had a distinct impression, not that
she was going up, but that some one had pulled the earth down
from beneath her and, at the same time, given her a shove off
into space. Such is the first sensation of going aloft. Then the
rush of air all about her, the slightly swaying motion of the
craft, and the vibration caused by the motor took her attention.
But the sensation of the earth dropping away from beneath her
remained with Mary for some time.
This sensation is much greater in a balloon than in an
aeroplane, for a balloon, unless there is a strong wind blowing,
goes straight up, while an aeroplane ascends on a long slant, and
always into the teeth of the wind, to take advantage of its
lifting power on the underside of the planes. The reason for this
sensation--that of the earth's dropping down, instead of one's
feeling, what really happens, that one is ascending--is because
there are no objects by which comparison can be made. If one
starts off on the earth's surface at slow, or at great speed, one
passes stationary objects--houses, posts, trees, and the like--
and judges the speed by the rapidity with which these are left
behind.
Going up is unlike this. There is nothing to pass. One simply
cleaves the air, and only as it rushes past can one be sure of
movement. And as the air is void of color and form, there is no
sensation of passing anything.
So Mary Nestor, as she shot into the air with Tom Swift, had a
sensation as though the earth were dropping from beneath her. For
a moment she felt as though she were in some vast void--floating
in space--and she had a great fear. Then she calmed herself. She
looked at Tom sitting in front of her. Of course, all she could
see was his back, but it looked to be a very sturdy back, indeed,
and he sat there in the aircraft as calmly as though in a chair
on the ground. Then Mary took courage, and ceased to grasp the
sides of the cockpit with a grip that stiffened all her muscles.
She was beginning to "find herself."
On and on, and up and up, went Mary and Tom, in this the girl's
first big sky ride. The earth below seemed farther and farther
away. The wide, green fields became little emerald squares, and
the houses like those in a toy Noah's ark.
Down below, Mr. Wakefield Damon, who had hurried over from his
home in Waterfield to see Tom Swift, gazed aloft at the fast
disappearing aeroplane and its passengers.
"Bless my coal bin!" cried the eccentric man, "but Tom is in a
hurry this morning. Too bad he couldn't have stopped and spoken
to me. It might have been greatly to his advantage. But I suppose
I shall have to wait."
"You want to see Master?" asked a voice behind Mr. Damon, and,
turning, he beheld a veritable giant.
"Yes, Koku, I did," Mr. Damon answered, and he did not appear
at all surprised at the sight of the towering form beside him. "I
wanted to see Tom most particularly. But I shall have to wait.
I'll go in and talk to Mr. Swift."
"Yaas, an' I go talk to Radicate," said the giant. "Him diggin'
up ground where Master told me to make garden. Radicate not
strong enough for dat!"
"Huh! there's trouble as soon as those two get to disputing,"
mused Mr. Damon, as he went toward the house.
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