an could run. It turned now to the
right, now to the left, as his weight was thrown to one side or the
other. Seaton, dragged along like a small boy trying to hold a runaway
calf by the tail, was covering the ground in prodigious leaps and
bounds; at the same time pulling himself up, hand over hand, to the bar
in front of him. He soon reached it, seized it in both hands, again
darted into the air, and descended lightly near the others, who were
rocking with laughter.

"I said it would be undignified," chuckled Seaton, rather short of
breath, "but I didn't know just how much so it was going to be."

Dorothy tucked her fingers into his hand.

"Are you hurt anywhere, Dick?"

"Not a bit. He led me a great chase, though."

"I was scared to death until you told Martin to let the switch alone.
But it was funny then! I hadn't noticed your resemblance to a
jumping-jack before. Won't you do it again sometime and let us take a
movie of it?"

"That was as good as any show in town, Dick," said the lawyer, wiping
his eyes, "but you must be more careful. Next time, it might not be
funny at all."

"There will be no next time for this rig," replied Seaton. "This is
merely to show us that our ideas are all right. The next trip will be in
a full-scale, completely-equipped boat."

"It was perfectly wonderful," declared Dorothy. "I know this first
flight of yours will be a turning-point or something in history. I don't
pretend to understand how you did it--the sight of you standing still up
there in the air made me wonder if I really were awake, even though I
knew what to expect--but we wouldn't have missed it for worlds, would
we, Dad?"

"No. I am very glad that we saw the first demonstration. The world has
never before seen anything like it, and you two men will rank as two of
the greatest discoverers."

"Seaton will, you mean," replied Crane, uncomfortably. "You know I
didn't have anything to do with it."

"It's nearly all yours," denied Seaton. "Without your ideas I would have
lost myself in space in my first attempt."

"You are both wrong," said Vaneman. "You, Martin, haven't enough
imagination; and you, Dick, have altogether too much, for either of you
to have done this alone. The honor will be divided equally between you."

* * * * *

He turned to Crane as Dorothy and Seaton set out toward the house.

"What are you going to do with it, commercially? Dick, of course, hasn't
thought of