: The Sky Detectives; Or How Jack Ralston Got His Man by Newcomb Ambrose - Detective and mystery stories; Air pilots Juvenile fiction; Aeronautics Juvenile fiction; Secret service United States Juvenile fiction

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THE SKY DETECTIVES

READY FOR THE TAKE-OFF

It was a day in the late Fall when Jack Ralston, accompanied by his best pal, Gabe Perkiser, known simply as "Perk" by all his friends, found themselves climbing out of a hired taxi that had halted on the border of Candler Flying Field just a short distance out of Atlanta, Georgia.

"Huh! reg'lar mob out here today, seems like," observed Perk, as he took note of the triple line of cars parked around the field, with its numerous up-to-date hangars, and with ships coming and going every few minutes.

"Yes, you see Perk, it happens to be a big day at stunt flying, with fat prizes for the winners. All the better for us, I'd say, since our take-off will hardly make a ripple in the pond, with all this confusion going on."

"Sure thing, my boy," continued Perk, with one of his humorous grins that betokened a good-natured chap; "and privacy's just what we crave. I guess now that might be the mail comin' from down East an' New York?"

"Yeah, come to think of it I sure did hear a bus passin' over just at peep o' day," admitted Perk. "Let's have a look-in while we're here, and see what a bag o' tricks these stunt flyers are holdin' up their sleeves, so's to give this crowd a row o' thrills."

"Suits me, Perk; no great hurry about our jumping off, so long as we pull the gun before dark sets in."

"Shucks! little difference it makes on a patch as well lighted as this Candler Field o' your home city, old boy; and with a flashlight beacon set every ten miles all the way down to Orleans, to keep us on our course. Look at that guy fairly burning the air like hot cakes--he must be tryin' to beat the speed record, I guess, Jack."

"Hardly a day comes without some record going by the board," remarked Jack, who had a reputation as a safe and sane pilot, although on occasion he had been known to put through some tricks so death-defying as to make the hearts of the spectators seem to jump up in their throats with the thrill.

Perk was quite correct when he stated that Atlanta was the home city of his close friend and chum; although Jack's family had moved away years back, and become fruit raisers in far-off California. Still, having spent some years in the Georgia capital Jack always liked to drop in and renew a limited number of old friendships when opportunity offered.

Jack Ralston had begun his aviation work starting at the lowest round, that of a Gypsy pilot, flying an ancient boat at County Fairs and Harvest Home gatherings; doing aerial stunts, and "bailing out" by means of a parachute while another pilot ran the ship; also taking up air minded "sand-bags" as passengers at so much each person.

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