"Yes, and the Eagle handled like a race-horse," replied Frank; "if she
makes a like performance on the day of the race I think we have the
cup as good as won."

"Don't be too sure, my boy," warned his father. "There's many a slip
'twixt the cup and the lip--or rather the aeroplane, you know."

"That's so, father," replied the lad, somewhat abashed, "it doesn't do
to be overconfident. There's only one thing I don't like about the
course."

"What is that?"

"Why, the 'take off' at the Harrowbrook Club links."

"What do you mean by 'take off'?" inquired his mother.

"I mean the space in which an aeroplane makes its preliminary run, as
you might call it, before it takes the air," rejoined the boy. "You
see the rules of the race are that we fly from here to the Harrowbrook
Club--a distance of twenty miles, alight there and refill our gasolene
tanks, drink a cup of coffee in the club-house and then rise up once
more and fly back."

"You mean that you are afraid that there will be difficulty in
starting back from the Club grounds?" asked his father.

"Yes, father. You see, while we did it all right this afternoon, on
the day of the race there will be a lot of 'planes all on the ground