THE AEROPLANE BOYS FLIGHT
Or A Hydroplane Roundup
By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY
MADE IN U.S.A.
M.A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
CHICAGO NEW YORK
1914
CONTENTS
Chapter
I--THE BOY FLIERS
II--ON GUARD
III--NOT CAUGHT NAPPING
IV--THE STARTLING NEWS
V--THE EXCITEMENT GROWS
VI--FIGURING IT ALL OUT
VII--THE AIR SCOUTS
VIII--JUST BELOW THE CLOUDS
IX--THE PILOT OF THE MERMAID
X--HEARD OVER THE WIRE
XI--COMPARING NOTES
XII--AT THE HOSKINS FARM
XIII--THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR
XIV--A CLUE
XV--WHEN CASPER CAME BACK
XVI--THROWING OFF THE MASK
XVII--SALLIE RIDES BAREBACK
XVIII--AN AEROPLANE CHASE
XIX--DROPPING A "BOMB!"
XX--OVER LAND AND SEA
XXI--OVER THE BOUNDARY LINE
XXII--THE HYDROPLANE RESCUE
XXIII--BROUGHT TO BOOK--CONCLUSION
THE AEROPLANE BOYS FLIGHT
Or A Hydroplane Roundup
CHAPTER I
THE BOY FLIERS
"It was my mistake, Frank!"
"How do you make that out, Andy?"
"Simply because I was using the little patent Bird monkey-wrench last in
our shop, and should have put it back in the toolbox belonging to the
aeroplane. The fact that it isn't here shows that I mislaid it. Give me
a bad mark, Frank."
"Well, I must say it's a queer stunt for you to forget anything, Andy
Bird. But with dark coming along, and home some miles away, it's plain
that we'll have to let the mending of that wing go till morning."
"But do you think, Frank, it's just safe to leave our pet hydroplane
over night in this field on the Quackenboss farm?"
"Why not, Andy? Sky as clear as a bell; little or no wind promised; and
then we can hire the farm hand, Felix Boggs, to keep an eye on it. Looks
as easy as falling off a log."
"And all because I didn't put that little wrench where it belonged!
Kick me, won't you, please, cousin; I deserve it."
"Well, I guess not. Didn't I make just as bad a break last week? I guess
now, no boy's perfect. And I don't mind the walk home a bit. Fact is, it
ought to do us both good, because we don't stretch our legs enough, as
it is."
"You're the boss chum, Frank!"
"Then you're another. See what you get for calling me names. But when
you've fastened down that plane so it can't get into trouble, if the
wind should rise in the night, perhaps we'd better be hunting up this
Felix Boggs, and then start for home.
"Well, I'm glad we'll get there in the night-time, Frank, even if the
moon does happen to be nearly full."
"What makes you say that, Andy?"
"Because, when an aviator leaves his wounded machine in a field, and
walks home, it makes him feel like a dog with his tail between his legs,
sneaking along back of the fences."
Frank Bird laughed merrily at the picture drawn by his cousin and then
stooping again, with a few deft turns of a heavy cord, helped Andy
secure the broken plane so it would not get into trouble during the
coming night.
After which the two boys headed toward the barns belonging to the farm,
which just showed their tops above the adjacent rise.
While they are walking there it may be a good time for us to introduce
the pair of young aviators to such readers as have not had the good
fortune to meet them in previous volumes of this series of stories.
The cousins lived in the town of Bloomsbury, a thriving place situated
on the southern shore of Sunrise Lake, which was a magnificent body of
water, said to be nearly seventeen miles long by three wide, in places.
This lake having hilly shores that were heavily wooded in spots, and
with numerous fine coves, afforded grand sport to the young people of
Bloomsbury, both winter and summer.
The railroad skirted one shore and then passed through the town. Some
miles off arose a lofty peak known as Old Thundertop, which had a road
running part way up its side. The summit was believed to be utterly
inaccessible to mortal man until one day the Bird boys managed to
accomplish the wonderful feat by the aid of their aeroplane.
They had been spending all their spare time, when not in school, working
upon the line that seemed to have a strange fascination for them.
Frank's father was one of the best known doctors in town, a man of
considerable means, and with a firm faith in his boys, so that he was
easily convinced whenever Frank wished to do anything.
Andy had been living with his guardian for some time, until the return
of his own father, Professor Bird, who had been lost while attempting a
difficult balloon trip in Central America, and found in a most
miraculous way by the two boys as told in a previous story.
Andy had inherited the passion which his father, a noted professor, had
always had for navigating the air. It was a favorite expression of his
"A bird by any other name would fly as high," and his cousin would
retort: "A Bird takes to the air just as naturally as a duck does to
water."
They had been doing some fine "stunts" during the last year or two; and
it may be supposed that the people of Bloomsbury were more than a little
proud of seeing the name of their town mentioned so favorably in the
papers in connection with the doings of the Bird boys.
Of course, as is always the case, there was a rival in the field, who
had been the cause of much trouble in the past, and still watched their
work with an envious eye. This was a boy by the name of Percy Shelley
Carberry, rather a bold fellow too, and as smart as they make them, only
unscrupulous as to the means he employed by which to gain his ends.
Percy was the only son of a rich widow, who could never refuse him
anything he demanded; and with unlimited cash at his disposal he had
been able to do quite a few feats himself that might have gained him
more or less fame, only that they were eclipsed by the accomplishments
of Frank and Andy; and that was where the shoe pinched with Percy.
His temper was one of his weak spots, also a liking for fast life,
which, of course included tippling; and the aviator who indulges to the
slightest degree in strong drink is next door to a fool; for as he takes
his life in his hands every time he leaves the ground, the necessity for
a clear brain is apparent.
In most of his tricky work young Carberry had for a boon companion one
"Sandy" Hollingshead, a sinewy chap, whose most prominent trait was his
faculty for disappearing suddenly in a pinch. He was considerable of a
boaster, but could always invent a most remarkable excuse for going
before the storm broke. But Percy, no coward himself, knew how to make
use of his sly crony; and despite their numerous quarrels, that often
ended in actual fights, the pair of precious tricksters still kept
company together.
Sandy was freckled had pale eyes and very blonde hair, that gave him a
queer look. Those eyes never could look any one straight in the face,
but shifted uneasily; and other boys said that Sandy, the cigarette
smoker, was always on the watch for a quick "getaway."
The Bird boys, of course, had many friends among the lads of Bloomsbury;
but only two who were close enough to be admitted freely to the workshop
on the grounds of Frank's father's place, where the young inventors
worked out many of their lofty ideas.
These were Larry Geohegan, and a small runt who had been called
"Elephant" by his companions in a spirit of sport, and could not shake
the name. His full name was Fenimore Cooper Small, and as a rule he had
always been rather timid. But Elephant was always having queer ideas in
which he believed fully himself; but which were nearly always jeered at
by more practical Larry.
The two Bird boys had been out on this afternoon, trying some new
arrangement in connection with their hydroplane, when they met with an
accident when attempting to land on the Quackenboss farm, to make some
changes they saw were needed, to improve the working of the machine.
Neither of them had been even scratched, but a certain amount of damage
had befallen one of the planes, which might have been remedied on the
spot in time to allow them to get back home easily, only for the
unfortunate fact that just when they needed a monkey wrench the worst
kind, it was discovered to be missing; perhaps the only occasion when
such a thing had happened with the boys.
"I just saw somebody go into the barn there," remarked Frank, as they
approached the large outbuildings connected with the successful farm of
Josiah Quackenboss.
"Yes, and it was the farmer himself," added Andy. "I know him pretty
well; and I guess you do too, because your father brought his little boy
around when everybody thought he didn't have a single chance to get
well. I don't believe we'll have any trouble getting Felix Boggs to look
after our machine tonight, Frank."
They quickly reached the door of the barn and could hear the steady fall
of the streams of milk passing into the buckets as the farmer and his
hired hand pursued the regular business of the evening.
As the two boys entered, the half grown boy started up with an
exclamation of alarm, for of course both Andy and Frank looked rather
queer. Each of them had on a white woolen hood that fitted close to head
and shoulders, for the air in the upper currents was very cold these
days, and secured to this were goggles to protect the eyes, so that they
would not water and dim the vision of the aviator at just a critical
instant when they needed clear sight. Then they also wore warm colored
mackinaw jackets, so that altogether Felix had reason to be startled
when two such "sights" suddenly entered the barn. Why, even the gentle
cows showed evidence of nervousness, and came near upsetting the milk
buckets.
"Hello, Mr. Quackenboss!" called out Andy, cheerfully; "we're the Bird
boys, and we've dropped in on you without an invitation. The fact is, we
had a little trouble with our aeroplane, and landed in your field. How
much rent will you charge us, Mr. Quackenboss; to let our machine lie
there over night? It needs a little fixing which we can't do until
morning."
Of course Andy was joking when he said this, and the farmer knew it as
well as anything. He laughed as he came around out of the stall and
offered his rough hand to each of the boys.
"How are you, Andy and Frank Bird?" he said, hearty. "Say, you did give
us a little start when we first saw you. D'ye know what I thought boys?
Why, I was just reading in the county paper about how the bank up at
Jasper was robbed by two men last week. It told how they had their faces
hid back of red handkerchiefs, just like they always do out West, you
know. And first thing I sighted you two, my heart nigh about jumped up
in my mought, because I thought them yeggs had dropped around to see if
I'd collected my monthly milk accounts in town. And about leavin' your
aeroplane in my field, why, there's little that I wouldn't do for the
son of the man who saved my Billie, when everybody said he'd never get
well again."
"We thought you might let us show Felix here where the aeroplane lies,
and that we could arrange with him to kind of keep an eye on it tonight.
Of course, there isn't one chance in a thousand that anything'd happen
to injure it; but then that machine represents a heap of hard work, and
considerable money besides, so we don't care to take chances with it.
"Sure he can, just as well as not, eh, Felix? Suppose you go out right
now, and I'll finish the milking. In the morning I want to take a look
at that contraption myself. I've seen you boys sailing around more'n a
little, but never got close up to examine the aeroplane. Well, I guess
all the money going couldn't tempt me to go with one of you. Skip along,
Felix, now."
And the farm hand, a heavy-set boy, eagerly fell in behind Frank and
Andy, as, after thanking Mr. Quackenboss heartily for his kindness they
passed out of the barn. Felix considered this an event in the tame
routine of farm life; and would be only too glad to stay up all night,
if necessary, in order to guard the precious aeroplane.
Once in the field, the boys explained to Felix what they wanted him to
do, and he promised not to meddle with anything connected with the
engine or the aeroplane itself.
They were passing back again toward the barns, having left their prized
possession in good shape, when Andy uttered a sudden exclamation that
told of both surprise and disgust.
"What's the matter now?" asked Frank, who had been talking with Felix,
and was hence not so wide awake as his chum.
"Just take a look over there, and see what's stopped on the road,"
remarked Andy.
"Seems to be a car, and I can see two heads raised above the top rail
of the fence, as if the people in it had sighted our aeroplane sprawled
out there in the field, and were wondering what sort of giant insect it
could be," Frank went on.
"Look closer, Frank," the other boy went on to say, while his disgust
deepened; "and you'll discover that the two fellows in that car happen
to be Percy Carberry and his shadow, Sandy Hollingshead. Did you ever
hear of such tough luck? Of all the boys in Bloomsbury they are the last
we'd want to know that we'd left our new hydroplane out, unguarded, all
night, in an open field. Guess I won't go home tonight, Frank. I'd
rather camp out here with Felix. You let my folks know, and turn up in
the morning with a new piece for that plane. That's settled and you
can't change it."