Others sailed blithely up toward the red tape and just fell short of clearing it.

Another landed right on the tape and hung there, the target of irreverent remarks from the crowd.
While this was going on, Bill Bender, Jack Curtiss and Sam were in close consultation.
"Remember, you promised that if you won the prize you'd give that money back," Sam whispered to Jack, "and for goodness' sake, don't forget it.
I half believe that those boys suspect us already." "Nonsense," returned the bully.

"And what if they do?
We covered up our tracks too well for them to have anything on us.

They can't prove anything, can they ?" "I--I--I don't know," stammered Sam, and was about to say more, but the clarion voice of the announcer was heard informing the crowd that: "John Curtiss' Bleriot model will now make a flight for the great prize." With a confident smile on his face, Jack stepped forward and held his model ready.

The murmur of admiration that had greeted its first appearance was repeated as he held it high in the sunlight and the afternoon rays glinted and shimmered on its fittings and wings.
"That's the model for my money," remarked a man in the crowd.
"It's going to win, too," said Jack confidently.
Just at that moment the pistol cracked, and Jack released his much-admired air craft.
Its flight showed that it was as capable of making as beautiful a soaring excursion as its graceful outlines and careful finish seemed to indicate.