unting flange faced
skyward. Solomon stopped for a minute to worry. "If it works," he
thought, "when I get them nearer each other, it'll go up in my face."
Scanning the yard he thought of fenders, doors, wheels, hub caps and ...
that was it. A hub cap would do the trick.

At his age, running was a senseless activity, but walking faster than
usual, Solomon took a direct route to his office. From the ceiling of
hub caps, he selected a small cap from an old Chevy truck. Back at the
engine, he punched a hole in the cap, through which he tied a length of
strong twine. The cap was laid on the carburetor flange and stuck in
place with painter's masking tape. He then bolted the exhaust manifold
over the intake so the muffler connection barely touched the hub cap.
Solomon stood up, kicked the manifolds with his heavy boots to make sure
they were solid and grunted with satisfaction of a job well done.

He moved his tray of tools away and trailed the hub cap twine behind the
solid body of a big old Ford station wagon. He'd read of scientists in
block houses when they shot rockets and was taking no chances.
Excitement glistened Solomon's old eyes as what blood pressure there was
rose a point or two with happy thoughts. If his idea worked, he would be
free of the old cars, yet not destroy a single one. Squatting behind the
station wagon, to watch the engine, Solomon gingerly pulled the twine to
eliminate slack. As it tightened, he tensed, braced himself with a free
hand on the wagon's bumper, and taking a deep breath, jerked the cord.
Tired legs failed and Solomon slipped backward when the hub cap broke
free of the tape and sailed through the air to clang against the wagon's
fender. Lying on his back, struggling to rise, Solomon heard a slight
swish as though a whirlwind had come through the yard. The scent of
air-borne dust bit his nostrils as he struggled to his feet.

* * *

Deep in the woods behind Solomon's yard two boys were hunting crows.
Eyes high, they scanned branches and horizons for game. "Look, there
goes one," the younger cried as a large dark object majestically rose
into the sky and rapidly disappeared into high clouds.

"Yup, maybe so," said the other. "But it's flying too high for us."

* * * * *

"I must be a silly old man," Solomon thought, scanning the cleared space
behind his tow truck where he remembered an engine. There was nothing
there, and as Solomon