The Trail of the Hawk by Sinclair Lewis

Author:Sinclair Lewis [Lewis, Sinclair]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: epubBooks (www.epubbooks.com)
Published: 1915-01-23T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXIII

(THE DIARY OF MR. ERICSON, CONTINUED.—EDITOR)

AUGUST 20, (1911, as before): Big Chicago meet over. They sure did show us a good time. Never saw better meet. Won finals in duration to–day. Also am second in altitude, but nix on the altitude again, I’m pretty poor at it. I’m no Lincoln Beachey! Don’t see how he breathes. His 11,578 ft. was some climb.

Tomorrow starts my biggest attempt, by far; biggest distance flight ever tried in America, and rather niftier than even the European Circuit and British Circuit that Beaumont has won.

To fly as follows: Chicago to St. Louis to Indianapolis to Columbus to Washington to Baltimore to Philadelphia to Atlantic City to New York. The New York Chronicle in company with papers along line gives prize of $40,000. Ought to help bank account if win, in spite of big expenses to undergo. Now have $30,000 stowed away, and have sent mother $3,000.

To fly against my good old teacher M. Carmeau, and Tony Bean, Walter MacMonnies, M. Beaufort the Frenchman, Tad Warren, Billy Witzer, Chick Bannard, Aaron Solomons and other good men. Special NY Chronicle reporter, fellow named Forbes, assigned to me, and he hangs around all the time, sort of embarrassing (hurray, spelled it right, I guess) but I’m getting used to the reporters.

Martin Dockerill has an ambition! He said to me to–day, "Say, Hawk, if you win the big race you got to give me five plunks for my share and then by gum I’m going to buy two razor–strops.""What for?" I said. "Oh I bet there ain’t anybody else in the world that owns two razor–strops!"

Not much to say about banquet, lots of speeches, good grub.

What tickles me more than anything is my new flying garments—not clothes but garments, by heck! I’m going to be a regular little old aviator in a melodrama. I’ve been wearing plain suits and a cap, same good old cap, always squeegee on my head. But for the big race I’ve got riding breeches and puttees and a silk shirt and a tweed Norfolk jacket and new leather coat and French helmet with both felt and springs inside the leather—this last really valuable. The real stage aviator, that’s me. Watch the photographers fall for it. I bet Tad Warren’s Norfolk jacket is worth $10,000 a year to him!

I pretended to Martin that I was quite serious about the clothes, the garments I mean. I dolled myself all up last night and went swelling into my hangar and anxiously asked Martin if he didn’t like the get–up, and he nearly threw a fit. "Good Lord," he groans, "you look like an aviator on a Ladies Home Journal cover, guaranteed not to curse, swear or chaw tobacco. What’s become of that girl you was kissing, last time I seen you on the cover?"

August 25: Not much time to write diary on race like this, it’s just saw wood all the time or lose.

Bad wind to–day. Sometimes the wind don’t bother me when I am flying,

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