Angel Island

"Females are certainly alike under their skins, whether they're angels

or Hottentots," Ralph Addington commented. " That tableau appearance was

all cooked up for us. They must have practised it for hours."

"It has the rose-carnival at Tetaluma, Cal., faded," remarked Honey

Smith.

"The 'quiet one' was giving the orders for that wing-movement," said

Billy Fairfax. "She whispered them, but I heard her. She engineered the

whole thing. She seems to be their leader."

"I got their voices this time," said Pete Murphy. "Beautiful, all of

them. Soprano, high and clear. They've got a language, all right, too.

What did you think of it, Frank?"

"Most interesting," replied Frank Merrill, "most interesting. A

preponderance of consonants. Never guttural in effect, and as you say,

beautiful voices, very high and clear."

"I don't see why they don't stop and play," complained Honey. His tone

was the petulant one of a spoiled child. It is likely that during the

whole course of his woman-petted existence, he had never been so

completely ignored. "If I only knew their lingo, I could convince them

in five minutes that we wouldn't hurt them."

"If we could only signal," said Billy Fairfax, "that if they'd only come

down to earth, we wouldn't go any nearer than they wanted. But the deuce

of it is proving to them that we don't bite."

"It is probably that they have known only males of a more primitive

type," Frank Merrill explained. "Possibly they are accustomed to

marriage by capture."

"That would be a very lucky thing," Ralph explained in an aside to

Honey. "Marriage by capture isn't such a foolish proposition, after all.

Look at the Sabine women. I never heard tell that there was any kick

coming from them. It all depends on the men."

"Oh, Lord, Ralph, marriage by capture isn't a sporting proposition,"

said Honey in a disgusted tone. "I'm not for it. A man doesn't get a run

for his money. It's too much like shooting trapped game."

"Well, I will admit that there's more fun in the chase," Ralph answered.

"Oh, well, if the little darlings are not accustomed to chivalry from

men," Pete Murphy was in the meantime saying, "that explains why they

stand us off."

It was typical of Pete to refer to the flying-girls as "little

darlings." The shortest among them was, of course, taller than he. But

to Pete any woman was "little one," no matter what her stature, as any

woman was "pure as the driven snow" until she proved the contrary. This

impregnable simplicity explained much of the disaster of his married

life.