Andy looked somewhat serious when Larry said this; but Frank on his
part only laughed.
“Well, what does it matter?” he remarked. “The thing will be town
talk in a little while, and those fellows would hear it that way.
Let Sandy run with his great news and give his chum a pain. You
don’t think for a minute that because we’ve got a chance to go off
there to the cattle country, that Percy Carberry would make up his
mind to hike that way, with some sort of machine he’s got coming, to
take the place of that new biplane the bank thieves wrecked for him
in Lake Ontario?”
“But you know how bitter he’s always been against us, Frank?”
expostulated Andy.
“Many’s the time he’s tried to do us a bad turn; and even up in the
air he used to take the greatest delight in swooping past us, just
as close as he dared, and give us a scare; though he quit that when
you threatened to lick him.”
“But didn’t you do Perc a great favor that time he had his machine
knocked to flinders on the table rock up yonder?” demanded Elephant,
turning to point his rods upwards to where quite a mountain reared
its head toward the clouds, and which was locally known as Old
Thunder-Top, though in the atlas it had another name.
Nobody had ever been able to climb to the summit of that precipitous
height, and when the Bird boys landed there once from their
aeroplane and planted a flag above the nest of the white-headed
eagles they achieved a great triumph. The incident to which Elephant
alluded had been brought about during a sudden thunder storm that
had caught the rival aeroplanes while making a flight to the top of
the mountain; and at that time the Bird boys were indeed placed in a
position to save the lives of Percy Carberry and his comrade Sandy;
but since gratitude was a foreign element in the make-up of the
jealous rival, he had never shown that he meant to change his
tactics toward Frank and Andy.
“Oh! never mind about what we did,” remarked Frank. “Forget it, just
as Percy has done. Tomorrow, we’ll get as busy as beavers, packing
the machine in the cases; and how lucky we didn’t break them up as
you wanted to do, Andy, just to get rid of the stuff, you said. I
guess we ought to be able to ship on the next day, and then learn
just how long it’ll be on the way, so we can time our own going.”
“Huh! seems to me you ain’t botherin’ much about whether your dad’ll
give his consent, eh, Frank?” remarked Larry, grinning.
“Oh! I’m taking that for granted; because you all seemed so sure he
wouldn’t refuse me that favor,” chuckled Frank. “But come along,
boys; what do we care if Sandy did get the news first hand, by
climbing that tree when he saw us coming along the road, and keeping
those big ears of his wide open. So far as I’m concerned I’d just as
soon tell them myself all about our plans; because if we’re away
down in Arizona, and they stay here in old Bloomsbury, I don’t think
Percy’s got a long enough arm to reach that far, and do us any
harm.”
“He sure would if he could, and don’t you forget it,” muttered
Elephant; and at that Andy looked more or less troubled.
As our story concerns the doings of the Bird boys in other fields
than that of their old stamping grounds around the home town, we
need not accompany them further on their visit to the fishing hole.
Enough to state that the finny tribes bit eagerly at times, and that
besides having a fish dinner at noon, they all carried home
respectable strings to exhibit as evidence of their prowess with
hook and line.
Frank doubtless felt satisfied with his sport, even though he did
not take the largest bass, nor the greatest number for that matter;
and the whole of them came home by sundown, tired, yet satisfied
with the day’s sport.
During the many hours spent alongside the deep hole where the fish
loved to lie in these late summer days, there was plenty of time in
which to discuss the coming departure of Frank and Andy for the Far
West. And it can be set down as certain that the subject was
threshed as dry as a bone before the quartette separated for the
night.
Early the next day Elephant and Larry showed up at Frank’s house, to
find him already busily at work out there at the hangar, taking off
bolts, and dismembering the wonderful aeroplane with the confidence
of one who was familiar with every minute detail of its
construction; which was only the truth, for with his cousin he had
partly built at least three “fliers” up to now, and was continually
thinking up some new arrangement that would make the task of
piloting aeroplanes through the upper air currents much easier, or
possibly add to their safety when rocked by furious gusts of wind
among the clouds. Andy soon showed up, and almost quivering with
eagerness to get busy. There did not seem to be the slightest thing
in sight to disturb the two who were planning such great things.
And that was indeed a busy morning for the four friends.
Elephant and Larry were only too anxious to do all that lay in their
power, in order to assist. True, their knowledge of the mechanism
connected with these amazing air travelers was rather limited; but
then both were willing to do odd jobs of carrying, and nailing up
cases; so that altogether they made themselves very useful indeed.
Larry managed to bottle up his envy on this occasion, and even
seemed quite gay. As a rule he was a good companion, cheerful,
willing, and generous to a degree. And Elephant could hardly have
been any happier even though given the opportunity to accompany the
pair of adventurous voyagers on their long trip.
Then came the afternoon session, and they went at it with renewed
vim. It is astonishing what an amount of solid work four husky boys
can put in during a whole day with the tools, especially when two of
them are as expert in handling monkey wrenches and the like as Frank
and Andy were.
By four o’clock the aeroplane had been completely and securely
packed, and they were waiting for the big truck which Frank had
engaged at the livery stable, to show up, in order to carry the same
to the freight station of the railroad.
The man presently came along, and with the help of the four boys the
various boxes and crates were loaded. Then they started off, headed
for the railroad; and as their route lay directly through town it
was not long before quite a following of youngsters trailed along,
chattering about the mysterious way in which Frank Bird was about to
ship his aeroplane, and inventing all sorts of miraculous stories
about certain races in which the two cousins were slated to take
part; until one boy more daring than his mates, managed to climb up
on the truck, and read the address which had been plainly printed on
every piece of freight.
So it was known that the aeroplane was being shipped far away to
Arizona; and it may be set down as certain that this fact only
served to whet the curiosity of that crowd of half-grown lads more
than ever.
Frank had learned on the preceding evening how it would have to be
sent out. The express people would handle it after a certain
fashion, shipping by what they called fast freight. The agent
calculated that in this way it would take about ten or twelve days
for the aeroplane to reach the border town where Andy’s uncle was to
meet them upon their arrival.
Of course that meant a long delay, and much fretting; but it was the
best that could be arranged, and Andy had to abide by it. But
between them he and Elephant and Larry had decided that they would
not let the precious freight go unguarded for a minute, until it was
placed in a car on the following morning, and had left Bloomsbury on
the freight that would rush it to the nearest city, where it could
be attached to the fast train that left daily for Western points.
Frank was inclined to make fun of his cousin for his suspicions, and
declared that according to his mind they had nothing to fear, except
the possibilities of a fire sweeping down upon the ramshackle
freight house, which was the best Bloomsbury could boast until the
new stone one was completed.
“Do just whatever you want to, boys,” he had remarked, after they
had received the receipt for the freight, and paid the charges all
the way through, with some of the cash that wonderful check had been
exchanged for after Andy had written his full name across the back;
“but I rather think you’ll have all your trouble for your pains. As
for me, I’ve got a few important things to work at tonight, and so,
if you don’t mind, I’ll spend the time in the shop. Good luck to you
all! Let me know the first thing in the morning if everything’s
O.K.” With that Frank swung around on his heel and strode away.
“How about that, Andy,” demanded Larry, when they saw Frank vanish
beyond the open door of the freight shed; “is he really giving us
the hook because we think it best to watch the blooming freight
tonight, for fear that tricky Perc Carberry and his man Friday, I
mean Sandy, swoop down upon it, and do something to make your fine
airship good only for the scrap-heap?”
Andy laughed as he replied:
“You just don’t know Frank as well as I do,” he observed. “Chances
are that if we hadn’t set up that howl about being afraid something
was going to happen here, my cousin would have quietly sneaked along
this way after dark, and stood on guard the whole blessed night.”
“What’s that you say, Andy, and he just laughed at us too? I didn’t
think Frank had it in him to play a joke like that,” exclaimed
Elephant, looking hurt.
“Well,” went on Andy Bird, “you see he knew we were bent on keeping
guard here, and Frank does hate to see anybody disappointed; so he
just let us have our own way about it. And then when he said he had
something important to do at our shop, he spoke the truth; because
he’s right now on the heels of a discovery that may mean a whole lot
to us.”
“All right,” remarked Larry. “We’re only too glad to let Frank off,
and run the whole shooting match ourselves, for once. Now, how shall
we fix it so every fellow can get home to supper, and yet keep tab
on what’s going on here all the while?”
This was very easily adjusted, however. They left Larry on guard,
because he said his folks had supper later than the rest; and both
Elephant and Andy promised to hurry back as soon as they could get
enough to eat; and let their folks know just why they did not expect
to occupy their beds that night.
This plan worked all right.
When the two boys turned up together, one having called for the
other, of course the first thing they asked Larry was whether
anything had happened; perhaps their sharp eyes detected the fact
that he looked somewhat excited, and they judged that this could
hardly be unless he had seen something suspicious.
“Well,” remarked Larry, with his favorite drawl, “I kept myself hid
just as nice as you please, and I was glad I’d been so smart;
because who should walk in here talking to the agent but Perc
himself. Seemed to be asking if any freight had come along for him,
and made out to be pretty huffy over the delay of the railroad to
deliver stuff. Got the agent to hustle around, looking to see
whether it could a-been overlooked, and hidden out of sight behind
other things. But say, when he was sure the other’s back was turned,
what did Perc do but step up to your stuff, Andy, and take a quick
look at the directions you marked on each package. Then I heard him
chuckle, step back, and measure distances with his eye; just like a
feller might do that expected to come back here in the dark and
prowl around and wanted to get his bearings well in his head!”
“Wow! now what d’ye think of that?” exclaimed Elephant, showing his
white teeth aggressively, and doubling up his diminutive fist; for,
although unusually small in stature, he was a spirited lad; just as
the little bantam rooster seems ready to fight a big Plymouth Rock,
or a Shanghai, for that matter, if the opportunity offers, and he
feels that his dignity has been affronted.
Andy nodded his head, and looked rather pleased.
“Let’em come,” he said, “it won’t be the first time I’ve lain in
wait, expecting a sneaking night visit from Percy Carberry and some
of his crowd. And history has a way of repeating itself; so in that
case he’s going to be in for a mighty unpleasant experience, or my
name isn’t Andy Bird.”
The boys had thought fit to approach the agent, and tell him that
since there was no way of locking up the heavy freight that lay
around under that shed; and they had reason to fear that an attempt
would be made to injure the crated aeroplane, they meant to watch
throughout the night. Of course, he had not the slightest objection
to offer. The company would be liable to damages should any occur,
but that would prove but sorry compensation to the Bird boys for the
loss of their aeroplane; since such a catastrophe was apt to prevent
them from accepting the warm invitation of Uncle Jethro in far-away
Arizona. And after night set in the three sentries arranged matters
to suit the plans of Andy, who had figured out a little scheme which
he believed would cover the ground, and not only warn them when
intruders started to lay hostile hands on the freight, but play
havoc with their mean plans.
The time passed slowly, and it must have been very near midnight
when they heard the first indication that prowlers were about. The
hanging door at the end of the old freight shed squeaked somewhat
when moved; and this sound came plainly to the ears of Andy and his
two chums.
They touched each other, as if to give warning, and to make sure
that no one of the guardians of the boxed aeroplanes could by any
possibility be asleep. Then they got themselves ready to meet the
intruders with a little surprise that was calculated to give them
more or less of a shock.
And as the three friends crouched there behind the boxes which they
had moved in position for this very same purpose, they heard low
faint whispering sounds that seemed to be gradually drawing closer
and closer, as though those who groped their way in the dark might
be comparing notes, and thus deciding whether they were moving along
the right track.
It looked as though the crisis might be very near; and that in
perhaps another minute they would be compelled to throw off the mask
and give the skulkers the surprise of their lives.