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- Page 4.

IT UP. BUT THAT WASN'T THE AORST OF IT. OUR REPORTER REMEMBERING THE THREE HOURS DIFFERENCE IN TIME BETWEEN NEWYORK AND SAN DIEGO HAD ALREADY SENT HIS STORY OFF BEFORE WE LEFT SAN DIEGO. WHICH PUT HIM, TO SAY NOTHING OF MR. ROEHRIG AND MY SELF IN A VERY TERRIBLE SPOT. BECAUSE ANY SYNDICATE REPORTER CCAUGHT PUTTING OUT A FALSE STORY NOT ONLY IMMEDIATELY LOST HIS JOB, BUT IT WAS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET ANOTHER. SO THERE WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEXICAN DESSERT. LIARS! ALL OF US.

SO BUSINESS OF BIG CONFERENCE. IT WAS TOO LATE TO WIRE A DENIAL . SO THE FOUR OF US, MISS PHILLIPS, ROEHRIG, MY NEWSPAPER FRIEND AND I WERE SWORN TO SECRECY. AND ON THAT NOTE WE LEFT FOR THE EAST THE FOLLOWING DAY.

BACK IN NEW YORK THINGS WERE MUCH TOO QUIET FOR ME. NO NEWSPAPER PICTURES, NO FLATTERING STORIES. I HAD HAD MY TASTE OF PUBLICITY AND BELIEVE YOU ME IT IS STRONG DRINK WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG AND FOOLISH. QUITE BY ACCIDENT I MET FRANK TIPTON, AT THAT TIME CURTISS' PRESS AGENT. NOBODY IS MORE IMPRESSED BY PUBLICITY THAN ANOTHER PUBLICITY MAN AND THE MAN WHO HAD TAKEN CARE OF OUR AUTO TRIP WAS A WIZARD. HE HAD WRUNG AVERY OUNCE OUT OF THE TRIP THAT WAS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. IN CONSEQUENCE TIPTON WAS VERY MUCH IMPRESSED. FURTHER MORE WE WISHED TO MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION ON HIS CONSERVATIVE AND QUIET EMPLOYER GLENN H. CURTISS WHO AT THAT TIME WAS IN EUROPE WINNING THE GORDON BENNETT AIR RACE.

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN TO FLY?" HE ASKED. BEFORE I COULD ANSWER TIPTON SAID: "YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT IT, YOU WERE UP IN A PLANE NEAR SAN DIEGO."

THERE I WAS STRUCK, I COULDN'T SAY "NO, I WASN'T." SO I