electrical
engineer. Thus both boys continued to be thrown in daily contact. It
was their habit to go into the city to school each morning in the sedan
with Mr. Giddings; but as he left the city late in the afternoon they
usually took the train back.

As the friends now parted, Bob Giddings' last words were: "Don't forget
to get that new model airplane done by Saturday, Paul. I'm crazy to
see it."

"I'll be ready for you," was Paul's assurance; "but remember to keep
this under your hat. It's to be a secret test, you know."

"Trust me," said Bob.

CHAPTER II

THE BROTHERS' INVENTION

When Paul Ross reached home that afternoon, it was to find someone
there whom he had not expected to see. A tall, broad-shouldered young
man, with a bronzed face and pleasant blue eyes, sat in the
living-room, talking to his mother.

Paul rushed forward and joyfully grasped his brown hand. "Why, John!"
he exclaimed, "I didn't expect to find you here!"

"Of course you didn't, Buddy," was the smiling response of the young
man, who was wont to call his younger brother by this affectionate
war-mate term. "The fact is, as I was just telling mother, two days
ago I didn't know myself that I would be anywhere at this hour except
speeding through the air between New York and Washington on my usual
mail run in my trusty old Martin-bird. As it is, Buddy, it looks now
as if neither you nor I would ever handle her controls again." There
was a note of sadness in John's voice as he said this.

"Why, what's the matter, John?" asked Paul quickly.

"It's this way, lad: You know I told you and mother a couple of weeks
ago, when I was here on my last regular lay-over, that Congress was
talking about cutting a big slice out of the Air Mail appropriation, in
order to reduce expenses. Well, the upshot of it all is, they made the
cut, and not having enough money to carry on the service as it has
been, the head of the Air Mail has ordered the abandonment of all
flying divisions except the main line between New York and San
Francisco. Only those pilots will be kept. So that's why I am here."

"Won't they take you on again soon, John?" asked Mrs. Ross.

"I fear not, mother," replied her elder son, shaking his head soberly.
"Our field-superintendent did say that he would give me the first
opening in the transcontinental line, since my records lead the bunch,
and he even offered to displace one of the boys on that route and put
me in hi