AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
As Mr. Bell spoke, the fellow who had apparently been shot, leaped to his
feet and was about to make off, but the Westerner's iron hand seized him
by the scruff of the neck, and brought him up "all standing."
Simultaneously, Jimsy's captive gave a wrench and a twist and would have
escaped but for Peggy.
The girl seized a small nickled wrench out of the _Golden Butterfly_. In
the dark it looked not unlike a pistol.
"You'd b-b-b-better stay w-w-w-where you are," said Peggy, in a voice
which, though rather shaky, was still courageous.
The fellow took the hint, and just then Mr. Bell came up with his capture,
who had merely been "playing possum." The two men were thoroughly cowed,
and were trembling violently.
"Don't be hard on us guv'ner," wailed one of them; "we didn't mean no
harm."
"No; it was just a little joke," protested Jimsy's prisoner, who was
standing in the rays of the detached auto light, thoroughly subdued.
"It's a joke that's liable to cost you dear," commented Mr. Bell. "Jimsy,"
he added, for by this time recognition and greetings had passed between
the mining magnate and Jess and Jimsy, "Jimsy, have you got a bit of rope
handy, my boy?"
Jimsy rummaged in the _Golden Butterfly's_ tool and supply locker and
presently unearthed a coil of fine cotton cord of stout texture. This was
speedily applied to the hands of the two men, and loose thongs placed
about their legs.
While this work was going forward Peggy had been scrutinizing the faces of
the two prisoners with a startled look. There was something very familiar
about both of them. All at once it flashed across her where she had
encountered them before. They were the two men who had held up Jess and
herself in the road to the Galloway farm that eventful afternoon on which
they had taken refuge from the storm.
She whispered to Jess her suspicions. Her chum instantly confirmed them.
Here was news indeed. After the men had been tied and placed in the
tonneau of Mr. Bell's car, Peggy called a council of war. In a few words
she told Mr. Bell of all that had happened since they had returned to the
East, and narrated the part the two prisoners had played in it.
"Good heavens, just to think I've come to the tame and effete east to
plunge into the midst of such an exciting mix-up," laughed Mr. Bell, "I
was in Roanoke seeing about the shipment of some supplies when I saw, in a
newspaper, that the contests for the naval contract were to take place
here. I had had no idea from your letters that they were so near at hand.
As I had some time to spare, I thought I'd run over to Hampton in my
machine and see how you made out."
"And we providentially happened to fly across you!" cried Jimsy. "Truth
is stranger than fiction, after all."
"But what are we to do with those two rascals now that we have caught
them?" wondered Peggy; "if we take them into Hampton and turn them over to
the authorities Mortlake will know of it and may make more trouble. I
wonder if they know much about him and his schemes. I recollect now that
I've seen them hanging about his aeroplane plant. I couldn't call to mind
then where I had seen them before, but I suppose the shock of coming upon
them so unexpectedly to-night jogged my memory."
"You say that they were hanging about Mortlake's place?" asked Mr. Bell,
in an interested tone.
"Yes, I'm sure of it," repeated Peggy; "I'm certain of it now."
"We'll soon find out," said Mr. Bell in his old determined manner. He
approached the car in which the two bound captives were still huddled.
"Now, you fellows," he said in stern voice, "you know better than I do,
most likely, what the penalty for attempted highway robbery is in the
State of Virginia."
"Oh, guv'ner, don't turn us over to the police," wailed one of the men,
none other, in fact, than our old acquaintance, Joey Eccles. His
companion, the angular and lanky Slim, remained silent.
"I want you to answer my questions truthfully," snapped out the Westerner,
"after that I'll see what I'll do with you. Now then--do you know a man
named Mortlake?"
"Y-y-y-yus, guv'ner," stammered the redoubtable Joey.
"Good. You came here with him?"
"Well, what if we did?" growled the hitherto silent Slim. Paying no
attention to him Mr. Bell went on, while his young companions pressed
eagerly about him.
"What did you come for?"
Joey seemed about to speak but Slim growled something in a low tone to
him, and he was silent.
"Come, are you going to answer?" demanded Mr. Bell.
No reply.
"Very well, I'll drive into Hampton and see if the Chief of Police can't
get more out of you."
The mining magnate made a step toward the car as if he were about to carry
out his threat. This was too much for Joey's composure.
"We came here with Mortlake to do a little job fer him guv'ner," he
sputtered out.
"Oh, you did, eh? Well, what was the nature of that employment?"
"To disable one of them flying machines."
"Which one?"
"One that belonged to the Prescott kids. Mortlake said he'd make it worth
our while--and--no, you can't stop me, Slim--and then when we couldn't
find the machine we was to bust up he turned us loose without a cent of
the money he promised us. We was broke, and----"
"And so you thought you'd replenish your pockets by holding up some
automobilist or traveller, eh? Humph, you're a nice pair."
"You ain't goin' ter give us up guv'ner? I told you the honest truth,
guv'ner. Didn't I, Slim?"
"Yep," was the grunted reply; "and now Mister What's-Yer-Name, what are
you going ter do with us?"
"I'm going to take you on a trip," was the astonishing reply.
"On a trip, guv'ner," stammered Joey, all his fears lively once more.
"Yes, on a trip."
The younger members of this strange roadside party stepped forward. As
they advanced into the glare of the detached headlight, Joey and his
companions saw them. Both men turned away and seemed much embarrassed.
"What are you going to do, Mr. Bell?" asked Peggy, eagerly. The mining
man's manner had become almost mysterious.
"My dear, little girl," said James Bell, "can you trust me?"
"Why, of course," came in a chorus.
"Well, then, you'll let me work this thing out my own way and I'll
guarantee that things will be straightened out for everybody--are you
willing to let me do this and ask no questions till the proper time?"
"Yes," came in a positive chant of assent.
"Very well, then. You fly back to your shed. I'll continue into town. You
may not see me for some time. But don't worry. I've got this job in hand
now and I'll see it through."
"We trust you absolutely," said Peggy, "and you'll trust us?"
"To the last ditch," said the Westerner vehemently, "and now as there's no
time to be lost, we'll go our respective ways. By the way, what time does
the first test come off?"
"We don't know yet; but some time before noon. It is rumored that it will
be an easy one. They'll work up to the difficult flights by degrees,"
volunteered Jimsy.
"Good. I'd like to have all the time possible as I wish to do what I have
to do thoroughly."
With this Mr. Bell adjusted the headlight he had removed and climbed into
his car. With a wave and shouted farewell, he was off.
"Gracious, I feel as if I'd been shaken up in one of those kaleidoscopes
or whatever you call them," gasped Jess, "it all seems like part of a
dream."
"Things certainly have been happening quickly," agreed Peggy, "but I feel
more at ease now than for a long time. Mr. Bell has the case in hand,
and----"
"He'll see it through and fix it right," interposed Jimsy,
enthusiastically.
As there was nothing to be gained by lingering about the scene of their
strange encounter and stranger adventure, the party of youthful aviators
clambered back into the _Golden Butterfly_ and once more winged aloft. It
was a short dash to their shed and they reached it without incident.
Then, with hearts that felt lighter for the brisk, healthy influence of
breezy James Bell, they trudged to the small hotel at which they were
stopping, in order to avoid being seen by Mortlake and his aides till the
last moment.