The Great Waldo Pepper Page #3

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I hear it's very popular

down south.

Good luck!

Yoo-hoo!

Hey! Yoo-hoo!

Hey, Waldo,

how you doin'?

Well, it's an inferior

model, but it'll

suit my purposes.

What do you mean?

I'm borrowing

your plane, son.

What?

Yep, you wrecked mine,

remember?

And it won't be

ready for a month.

Hey, hey, take

your hands off that.

Dillhoefer's promised me

employment provided

I come up with an act.

So I'm using your plane

to improvise with.

You're not using

my plane for anything.

Seems the least

you can do for someone

who was in combat

while you were

sitting it out.

I was in combat

with the 6th Pursuit

in the Calais sector.

And the only reason

I got there late

was because they made me

an Instructor at the time.

Son.

And I couldn't get away.

Son.

I'm not a vindictive man.

You learned your lesson

the other night

and there's no need

for you to apologize.

- Who's apologizing?

- You're both starving!

Well, you are, practically!

So, why don't you just

try helpin' each other?

Well, what the hell

would we do, anyway?

You're half crippled,

my engine's

giving me fits.

Actually, I have some

ideas on the subject.

Mary Beth,

can you drive?

What?

Can you drive?

Oh.

Why?

Go straight, Mary Beth!

Got it. Going straight.

To the left!

You want me to go

to the left?

No, you go straight!

Not me.

Slow down!

You want me

to slow down?

Now, go faster!

Faster, okay!

Right!

What?

Right. Turn it

to the right!

Wait, you go straight!

Okay.

To the left!

What the hell

are you doing?

Well,

you told me

to go faster!

Do you want me

to go faster?

Not you, you're fine.

Here! Here!

You got to slow it down.

I can't, I'll stall out

if I go any slower.

No, you won't.

Just come across

the field,

go as steady as you can

and as slow as you can

and we'll adjust to you.

Okay.

I hope I don't

ruin everything.

Don't worry, Mary Beth,

we're doin' a great stunt!

I don't want to be

a stickler for accuracy,

but you're just flying,

she's just driving.

I'm the one doing

a great stunt.

That's true, son

and that's why you're

getting all the glory.

Up to the right.

Okay, to the right.

Get over.

What?

More.

Oh, okay.

Get over.

I'm going over.

No, no, no,

don't run over it.

Oh. Oh.

Faster!

Faster.

Come back here!

Faster, Mary Beth!

Oh, I'm going

as fast as I can!

More!

Waldo.

Not now!

Waldo!

You're doing fine,

Mary Beth!

Just go straight.

Waldo, I think you

better listen to me.

Damn it, I said not now!

Waldo!

I got it!

What about Maudie?

You told her?

No.

Why not?

My sister worries

enough about you as it is.

Go on, go on.

It'll be okay,

go on, go on.

Ezra, if you want

your lunch,

it's waiting

for you inside.

Guess who's home.

You bastard!

You rotten bastard!

Hey!

Every time you

come home, you do this!

You got some nerve!

Get out!

Whoo!

I'm sorry, Waldo.

I don't know

what got into me.

I think it was seeing

you all bandaged up

again that did it.

Well, I never get

to see you unless

you're all banged up.

Still, I guess

it's kind of mean

to throw things

at a crippled man.

I'm sorry, Waldo.

I really am.

Ooh.

Scratch my back

and I'll forgive you.

What?

Scratch my back

and I'll forgive you.

Okay?

Okay.

Be careful.

This itching

is driving me nuts.

There?

No. Higher.

Okay.

Ah! Yeah, yeah.

You're forgiven.

Waldo, is it

always gonna be when

something's broken?

My comin' back home,

you mean?

Your comin' back home,

I mean.

You could fly with me.

Waldo, I get sick!

You think, still?

Well, the last time

I went up with you,

all I saw was

the inside of a paper

sack the whole time.

Yeah, I guess.

Besides, I don't think

it would look proper.

We could get married.

Well, think of all

the pretty girls

you'd be missing.

I'd try very hard

to cut down.

Really.

That's very sweet of you,

but no thanks.

If I'd have married you,

it would have been

before you went off to war.

You were awful cute

in those days.

I'm still awful cute!

And you practically

promised me

you'd get killed.

I know. I know.

Sorry about that.

Well, I guess

you're still trying.

I really do

love you, Maudie.

Except in flying weather!

Oh, Waldo.

Hey, Maudie...

Now you got

to remember that this

thing is so different

and genius like,

that you might not

think it's perfect.

It is perfect,

I'm not saying that.

But you might think

it needs to be

touched up here.

Oh, God damn,

if you don't hurry up,

I'm gonna call it off.

Will you

just hold on?

Well, I haven't had a...

We're coming, Ezra,

as fast as we can.

I haven't had

an unlimited budget,

you know.

It's not gonna look like

something out of a museum,

all clean and dusted.

I'm a designer and

I don't give a damn

about clean.

And that's what's

so unique about

this plane,

it's the design.

Concentrate on that.

The design.

Well, there it is,

the Stiles Skystreak!

Don't you think

it might be a little

nose heavy, Ezra?

Ah, uh-huh,

here, here.

What?

An elevator trim tab

you operate from

inside the cockpit.

What about

the horse power?

Will it take a 120?

Well, If you send me

the money for a 120,

it'll take a 120.

Hell, it'll take a 180.

Do you like it?

What about the wings

with a 180?

I'll buttress the wires.

I'll get an extra set

of flying wires

for the wings.

Don't worry about

the god damn wings.

Do you like it?

Ezra.

I could do an outside

loop in this, couldn't I?

Couldn't I?

Of course you could.

Hell, even I could do

an outside loop

in this plane.

But then,

I'm a superb pilot.

What's an outside loop?

The last great stunt.

Even Kessler

hasn't done it.

Why not?

He's never had a plane

that could take the stress.

Do you realize

if you build the

first plane to do it,

and I'm the

first guy to fly it,

that we could

both be very rich

and very famous?

Do you think you'd

just mind that, Ez?

I need some more money.

Oh! I'll get the money.

He likes it!

Any time you're ready.

Come on, now.

Look. We flipped

and you lost.

You gotta go first.

We gotta find out

if we can do this.

Dillhoefer won't

give us a job unless

we can wing-walk.

Go on!

Come on back.

Get back in.

I didn't like it much!

All right,

get back here

and we'll switch.

Come on!

Hey,

take the stick.

Take the stick.

Now, what in the...

Watch it.

Ladies

and gentlemen!

The unbeaten, untied,

unethical wing-walking

wonders of the world.

Olsson and Pepper!

Guy came through here

last week did that

standing on his head.

Folks,

I have always

had a warm spot

in my heart

for the lovely town

of Pauth.

Poth!

Poth.

And for your

entertainment memories,

we have a special guest,

who has agreed to take

the first flight with us

this afternoon.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the world-famous opera star,

Madame Jessie Lund!

Folks, I always

tell the boys

our annual sojourn

to Great Rapids

is the climax

of the year.

So just crowd right in!

Just crowd right in!

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