id not know how he could have managed without the
other's help in tightening wire stays and installing the motor.

At last the work seemed to have been accomplished. Bud said he could
fix the rudder of the model so that when once it was in the air, it
would continue to make revolutions for a certain time. He declared
it would actually fly around the field slowly until the measured
stock of gasoline had been exhausted, when of course it would drop
to the ground as the engine ceased to work.

"You see I expect to manage by means of this cord," he explained.
"I'll chase along below, and every once in so often try to upset the
thing by giving a savage jerk. Then you'll discover whether my
device is going to work. If it does half way decently in this
clumsy model, it'll pay to install it on a real aeroplane and
either go up myself or else have an air pilot do it for me. But
say, let me tell you right now that I'm shivering all over as if I
had the ague! 'Cause why? In half an hour or so I'm going to know
whether I'm IT, or else a lunkhead that ought to be smothered before
his fool notions get him into a peck of trouble."

"Oh! I wouldn't put it that way, Bud," advised Hugh. "You mustn't
call yourself hard names, even if this invention fails to work. They
say Edison has lots of rank failures that the public never hears
about; only his brilliant successes become known. Suppose this
scheme doesn't do all that you expect it to, why, perhaps you'll see
where it falls short and be able to remedy the fault. If you have
faith in yourself, it's going to turn out all right every time. Try
seventy times seven, and never give up as long as life lasts."

"_Nil desperandum_!" quoted Ralph; "or, as we Americans have it, 'if at
first you don't succeed, try, try again!'"

"You just bet I will, fellows," said Bud firmly; "and now let's make
the first trial spin."

He had elevated the model so that it would start in the air without
the necessity of leaving the ground. This was a minor matter, and
only intended to hurry things along.

When the little motor got to work there was an immediate movement of
the rough miniature monoplane.

"Hurrah! there she goes!" cried Ralph, really excited when he saw the
object of Bud's recent labors actually moving through space, sustained
by the extended pair of planes.

Hugh, too, felt a thrill of delight. He was very fond of Bud, and
anything that promised to repay the other scout for