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Jane smiled at her companion.
“I wonder who he was? I forgot to ask his name.”
“I was too busy to think about that,” confessed Sue. “Perhaps we’ll see him again if we are fortunate enough to secure positions on the air line.”
The chief pilot of their plane paused beside them.
“That was fine, level-headed work,” he said. “You girls did exactly the right thing. I’m mighty glad the line is going to add a trained nurse as stewardess on all of the passenger runs. The co-pilot said you were going to apply.”
“We hope to see Mr. Speidel, the personnel director, today,” said Jane.
The chief pilot glanced at his wrist watch.
“It’s just seven-thirty. Mr. Speidel won’t be here for another hour. Tell you what. Let’s have breakfast together here at the field and then I’ll see that you have an interview with Mr. Speidel as soon as he reaches the field. Believe me, I’m grateful for what you girls did on the flight in.”
Jane hesitated a second, but Sue accepted enthusiastically.
“That’s fine. I’ve got to see that the ship is berthed properly. I’ll meet you in the waiting room.”
The lanky flyer hurried away and Jane and Sue went into the waiting room.
“Do you think we ought to have accepted the invitation?” asked Jane.
“Yes. If we get on as stewardesses, we’ll have to know all of the pilots fairly well. Besides, think what a free breakfast means to our slender purses.”
Jane smiled. “You would think of that.”
A few minutes later the pilot of their ship rejoined them.
“Say, I forgot to introduce myself,” he chuckled. “I’m Charlie Fischer.”
“And I’m Jane Cameron and my friend is Sue Hawley.”
“Now that everything’s in order and we know who’s who, let’s eat.”
The flyer led the way into the modernistic restaurant which adjoined the waiting room and they sat down at gleaming black and silver tables.
“The sky’s the limit,” advised their new friend and Jane and Sue added bacon to their usual breakfast of toast and fruit.
“Do you know very much about the plans for using stewardesses?” asked Jane.
“Only the talk that’s heard along the system. With passenger traffic getting heavier all of the time, some step must be taken to have a member of the crew in the cabin where the needs of the passengers can be looked after. I think selecting trained nurses is a mighty good idea.”
“Have any girls been hired?” Sue wanted to know.
“Not yet. I think today is the first on which Mr. Speidel is to have interviews with candidates.”
“Is he nice?” persisted Sue.
“He’s not half bad and I’m certainly going to give both of you the best possible recommendation. Have either of you flown much before?”
“This was our first trip,” said Jane.
Charlie Fischer whistled softly. “Well, you certainly are a cool pair. I hope you’re assigned to my crew.”
They finished breakfast and the chief pilot walked with them to the near-by administration building.
The field was roaring with activity. Planes were at the ramp being loaded with mail and express, ready for swift dashes to almost every point of the compass. Passengers were saying hasty farewells to friends, and porters, laden with baggage, hurried from taxis to the planes. It was a fascinating picture and Jane knew that she would thoroughly enjoy being a part of it.
Chapter Five
With Flying Colors
Charlie Fischer took Jane and Sue up to the second floor of the administration building. They entered a broad hall with chairs ranged along each wall and in every chair was a girl.
Jane’s heart sank for she knew instantly that every one of them was there to apply for the position of stewardess. Sue looked at her and somehow managed a brave smile.
“There’s going to be plenty of competition,” she whispered.
Charlie Fischer glanced at the double row of girls waiting to be called into the office of the personnel director.
“Wait here,” he told Jane and Sue. “I’ll see if we can’t manage to slip through ahead of the rest.”
Jane and Sue sat down in the last two chairs along the hall and Jane looked at their competitors. The girls were all about her own age, most of them very attractive to look upon. They were trim and capable and had the calm bearing which their training had instilled.
A secretary came down the hall, taking the names and addresses of each girl. Finally she reached Jane and Sue and they gave their names.
“What is your Chicago address?” she asked.
“We just arrived,” explained Jane, “and hope to see Mr. Speidel this morning.”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him today. There are all those girls ahead of you,” the secretary advised.
Jane’s spirits ebbed but she went on determinedly.
“I have a letter here from the supervisor of nurses at Good Samaritan hospital at University City,” she said. “Mr. Speidel wrote to her asking that she recommend several girls for this work.”
“Yes, I know. Mr. Speidel wrote to a number of supervisors. Almost every girl here has her recommendation from a supervisor, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait your turn.”
The secretary returned to her desk at the head of the hall and several minutes later the first two girls at the head of the line were called into the office of the personnel director.
“Looks like our flying friend has forgotten all about us,” said Sue when half an hour had elapsed and there was no sign of Charlie Fischer.
Jane nodded a bit dismally.
Slowly the girls were called into the office and Jane knew that there was little chance she and Sue would have an interview that day.
It was nearly an hour later when Charlie Fischer reappeared and instead of coming out of the personnel director’s office, he came up the stairs which led to the ramp. In his hand was a typed report.
“Think I’d forgotten all about you?”
“We had almost given up hope,” conceded Jane.
“I had quite an argument with Mr. Speidel about seeing you girls out of turn. He’s a stickler for detail and fair play and is afraid that if you are taken in ahead of the others they may feel he is playing favorites.”
Jane nodded. She could understand that and she didn’t want to start work, if they secured the positions, under a handicap of resentment by the other girls.
“I didn’t argue long enough to make him mad,” said the flyer, “but skipped out the back way and went down to get a complete report on our flight in. I also checked the hospital to find out about your patient. He’s getting along fine, thanks to the emergency treatment you were able to give him. Now I’m going to hand these reports in and we’ll see what happens.”
The lanky flyer hurried down the hall and went into the personnel director’s office. In less than five minutes he opened the door and beckoned for Jane and Sue to join him.
The young nurses smoothed their dresses and gave their hair a final pat as they hurried down the hall.
The office of the personnel director was large and, like the entire administration building of Federated Airways, was furnished in a modernistic style. One whole wall was of glass, giving a wonderful view of the entire field.
The personnel director looked up from the typed report he had been scanning. He was short and stocky, with dark, close-cropped hair and a heavy face, but his eyes were pleasant and he greeted them warmly.
“I’ve just finished reading the complete report of the fine piece of work you did coming in on trip No. 6 this morning. Charlie tells me neither of you had flown before.”
“It was our first trip,” admitted Jane.
“Then I must say you were remarkably cool-headed under the circumstances. Do you have a letter from your supervisor?”
Jane handed him the envelope from Miss Hardy and he read the letter of commendation thoroughly.
“Your supervisor thinks rather highly of you,” smiled Mr. Speidel when he finished. “Do you really think you’d like flying?”
He shot the question at them unexpectedly.
“There’s danger, there’s a lot of responsibility, and there’s a great deal of work at times,” he went on. “You may be trapped in almost any kind of weather – rain, snow, hail, sleet, fog. You must be calm and resourceful and courageous. We demand a great deal of loyalty.”
“We’ve thought the whole thing over,” said Sue, “and decided we’d like the work. Now, after the trip in from University City, we are certain we are making no mistake.”
“How about you, Miss Cameron?”
“I am sure I would like it,” said Jane.
“Very well. We’ll put you down on the tentatively accepted list. Final acceptance will depend on your ability to qualify under our physical requirements. You’ll find the office of Dr. Emma Perkins at the other end of the hall. Give her this card and she’ll put you through the routine. If you pass, return here at three o’clock.” When they emerged from the office of the personnel director, a little breathless and flushed, it was nearly lunch time.
“I’d like to treat you to lunch,” said Charlie Fischer, “but I’ve got to get down town.”
“Thanks a lot for all you’ve done,” said Jane. “We’ll do our best to pass the rest of the examinations.”
“You’ll come out all right,” prophesied their new friend.
Jane and Sue went down to the restaurant on the main floor where they ate a leisurely lunch. Outside planes were landing and taking off and a constant crowd swirled along the ramp and through the waiting room.
Already the tempo of the whole thing had gotten deep into their blood.
“I’ll be terribly disappointed if we don’t pass the physical tests,” confessed Sue.
“Don’t worry about that. We’re in perfect health.”
At one o’clock they reported at the office of Dr. Perkins and were taken into the examination room at once. Doctor Perkins, small and business-like, put them through the regular routine.
“Humph,” she said as she checked the results. “If all girls were as healthy as you two, there would be little for doctors to do.”
“Then you mean we’ve passed all right?” asked Sue anxiously.
“Your physical report will be 96 per cent, which is unusually high. Take your cards back to Mr. Speidel’s office.”
When Sue and Jane returned to the other end of the hall the line of girls had thinned. They presented their health cards to the secretary and were admitted almost at once to the office.
“It looks like I’m about to sign two more stewardesses,” he smiled as he took their cards. His eyes widened as he read the final report. “Why, this is rather remarkable. Doctor Perkins is pretty much of a stickler for detail. A 96 mark from her is about 99 from any other examiner.”
The personnel officer took two blanks from a pile at one corner of his desk.
“Now we’ll get down to the serious business of enrolling you for the stewardess service,” he said.
“You mean we’ve really got the jobs?” asked Jane.
“You certainly have. Your pay starts today with a salary of $125 a month and uniforms furnished by the system. Does that sound attractive?”
“It’s more than attractive,” smiled Sue.
In less than ten minutes they were formally enrolled as members of the Federated Airways’ stewardess service.
“We’ve signed a dozen girls, including you two, and are sending them all west to Cheyenne tonight aboard a special plane. Uniforms are being made here. Take a company taxi and go to the Barclay Tailors on North Michigan Avenue. They are outfitting all of the girls. Be back at the field at five o’clock. Miss Comstock, who is chief of the stewardess service, will be here. Report to her at this office.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Speidel,” said Jane.
“We’ll do our best,” promised Sue.
They were in a cab and speeding toward the loop before they relaxed, for the strain of the last few hours had been terrific for both girls.
Sue’s eyes filled with tears and Jane felt her own throat choke up. With their funds so low, securing the positions with the Federated Airways had been essential and now that it was no longer a dream, it was hard to believe.
“Would you mind pinching me to see if I am awake?” said Sue, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
“We’re awake all right,” said Jane as the cab struck a bad bump and threw them to the ceiling. The meter was clicking up an astonishing taxi bill and Sue stared at it questioningly.
“Maybe we’d better get out and take a street car down town,” she suggested.
“Don’t be silly. This is a Federated Airways cab. It won’t cost us a cent and the driver will come around and take us back to the field when we’re ready.”
“How do you know?” Sue asked suspiciously.
“Because I took the time and had the good sense to inquire at the ticket office. When I told them we were new stewardesses they gave me a card entitling us to round-trip transportation to the loop in a company cab.”
