freight.
They'd dumped him off there. It was just pure luck. I had some stuff for
repairing mine, and he saw me undo it and started talking. I saw he knew
the game" (Johnny's tone would have amused the birdman!) "and when he
showed me his pilot's license, I got him to help me. That's where Bland
Halliday comes in--just helping me get 'er ready to fly. And he's going
to teach me. You say you've seen him fly, so--"

"Oh, he can fly," Mary V admitted slightingly. "But he's so tricky,
so--so absolutely impossible! A girl friend of mine has a brother that
goes in for that sort of thing. I think he invented something that goes
on a motor, or something. And I know he was terribly cheated by Bland
Halliday. I think Bland borrowed a lot of money, or used a lot that was
intended for something else--anyway, Jerry just hates the _name_ of Bland
Halliday. I didn't know him that day I met him with you, because they
look so different all togged up to fly. But I remembered him afterwards,
and I was going to warn you, only," she looked at Johnny sidelong,
"you're a very difficult person to warn, or to do anything with. You are
always so--so pugnacious!"

"I like that," said Johnny, in a tone that meant he did not like it at
all.

"Well, you always argue and disagree with a person. Besides," she added
vaguely, "you weren't there. And I can't be riding every day to
Sinkhole."

"You could have seen me when I took those last horses back the other
day," Johnny reminded her. "You did see me, only you pretended to be
blind. Deaf, too, for I hollered hello when I passed, and you never
looked around!"

"Did you?" Mary V smiled innocently. "Well, I'm here now; and I came just
on purpose to warn you about that fellow. And you haven't told me the
stingiest little bit about your aeroplane yet, or where you got it, or
what you're going to do with it, or anything."

Johnny's lips twitched humorously. "I got it where it was setting like a
hawk--a broken-winged hawk--on the burning sands of Mexico. I hauled it
over here with four of the orneriest mules that ever flapped an ear at
white men. It cost me just sixty dollars, all told--not counting repairs.
And I'm going to ride the sky, and part the clouds like foam--"

"'And brand each star with the Rolling R,
An-d lead the Great Bear ho-ome,'"

Mary V chanted promptly. "Oh, Skyrider, won't you take me along too? I've
always been just _dying_ to fly!"

"You'll have to stave off death till