AFTER BROWN AND BLACK
Newton, as they had learned from a hasty inquiry just before they
started, making their flight as the robbers had, from the roof of the
bank, was a fairly large city about two hundred miles from Harmolet. It
lay in a westerly direction, and so far that fitted in with the plans
of Professor Snodgrass.
“First we’ll hear what Halwell, the private detective, has to say,”
decided Jerry. “He may be able to give us a clew. If there were men in
Newton, passing twenty dollar gold pieces right after the robbery, they
were probably Brown and Black.”
“Or Noddy and Bill,” put in Ned, who persisted in his theory.
“Have your own way,” spoke Jerry with a smile. “At any rate we’ll see
what the detective has to say. Of course many persons may have twenty
dollar gold pieces, but perhaps these men also passed big bills, and
there were a number of them taken from the bank vault.”
Meanwhile the _Comet_ was making good time in the direction of Newton.
They sighted the church spires of that place shortly after dinner, and
their descent into that quiet city was a great sensation. Every boy,
nearly all the girls, and a good proportion of the men and women were
on hand when our heroes came down, for an airship was a rarity in that
part of the country.
“And yet, if the bank robbers were here in one, spending money, I
shouldn’t think the folks would be so curious about ours,” remarked Bob.
“Maybe the burglars left their craft somewhere out in the woods, and
came in on foot,” suggested Ned.
“We’ll find out from Detective Halwell,” decided Jerry.
“Where will we locate him?” asked Ned.
“I told President Carter to wire him that we’d call on him at his
hotel--the Mansion House,” went on the tall lad. “As soon as we fix
things here so the boys won’t meddle, we’ll go and----”
“I’ll stay here and guard the craft,” interrupted the professor.
“Are you sure you won’t go off after the flying frog, or something
like that?” asked Jerry half jokingly.
“Oh, no!” the professor earnestly assured him. “This section of the
country is too much built-up to expect to find the frog here. Of course
if I see a rare insect anywhere near the airship I’ll get it. But I
won’t go so far away but what I can guard her.”
The boys left with that understanding, and as they started for the
hotel they looked back to see their scientific friend gravely pacing
the deck of the _Comet_, about which was gathered a curious crowd.
Detective Halwell was located at the hotel, and the boys were just in
time to catch him, for he was about to go out to meet them.
“I heard of your arrival,” he said. “I got Mr. Carter’s message, and I
was expecting you. Then I heard of the airship, and I knew it must be
you. Glad to meet you. Now how much of this case do you know, and what
can I do for you?”
Jerry quickly put the detective in possession of the facts already
known to my readers. In turn the tall lad asked:
“Did the robbers actually come here in their airship? If so can you
describe them to us, for we don’t know for sure whether it was Noddy
and Bill Berry, or Brown and Black.”
“I’m sure in my own mind,” interrupted Ned.
“I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to tell,” went on the private
detective. “From what I can learn it was a middle-aged man who passed
the twenty dollar gold pieces by which I got the clew. Now the best
plan would be to go to the person who changed the money and have him
describe this man. Then perhaps you could tell which one it was of the
four you suspect.”
“Good idea,” declared Jerry. “Who changed the gold piece?”
“It was a man who keeps a little hotel on a country road leading in to
this place,” replied the detective. “The way I happened to hear of it
was this. I’d been sent here by President Carter you see, to pick up
any clews I could. Naturally I made inquiries, and the other morning I
heard that the hotel clerk here had a twenty dollar gold piece, and was
doubtful whether or not it was genuine. I have had some experience in
counterfeiting cases, so I looked at it.
“I never saw any better money--it was Uncle Sam’s kind all right, and
I asked him where he got it. He said the night clerk had taken it in,
and as I was on the alert for anything like that, I kept on with my
inquiries until I found that the money had been paid in by this hotel
keeper I speak of--Hardy his name is. He came to town to do some
buying, and stopped here for his meal.
“Naturally I went after Hardy, but so far I haven’t been able to locate
him. He hasn’t been back home since he changed the money here.”
“Does that strike you as being suspicious?” asked Ned.
“No,” replied the detective, “for Hardy is well known hereabouts, and
is considered honest. I’ve found out that he’s visiting relatives and
expects to be back in his hotel to-day.”
“Then let’s take a run out there. We can go in the _Comet_ if it’s
far,” said Jerry eagerly.
“It’s not far enough,” said Mr. Halwell, “and besides it would create
too much talk if we descended in an airship. In a case like this the
less talk you stir up the better. If the burglars don’t know that we’re
so close on their trail they won’t be in such a hurry to move on. We’ll
go out in an auto. They’re common enough.”
They found Mr. Hardy, the hotel keeper, to be an elderly man, of a
genial disposition. He had just returned from a three-days’ visit to
relatives, and was very willing to talk.
“I did break the twenty dollar gold piece,” he admitted, “but I never
thought it would make such a rumpus. You see this is the way it was. I
was sitting all alone here one evening, a few nights ago, let me see it
was on Tuesday----”
“The night of the robbery!” interrupted Jerry.
“So I’ve been told,” went on Mr. Hardy. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said
evening, for it was past midnight when I got ready to lock up and go to
bed, trade being dull. I was at the front door when I heard a racket
over head like when there’s a sharp clap of thunder--you know, one
of those close-by ones, that sound like whips snapping. I was quite
surprised, for the stars were out, and there wasn’t a sign of a storm.
The noise passed away in a second, but it gave me quite a start, and I
stayed by the front door a matter of several minutes, but I couldn’t
see anything.
“I was going on with my locking up, and was just ready to put out the
last light, when I heard a knock on the door. That startled me too, for
I hadn’t heard any rig drive up, nor any auto puffing, and this place
is rather far out for people to walk to. I didn’t like the thing at
all, but as I’m here to do business I went to the door. There stood two
men----”
“Not a man and a young fellow?” interrupted Ned eagerly.
“No, two men, rather middle-aged men. They were dressed like autoists,
and I was rather surprised at that, for I couldn’t see any car. They
apologized for coming in so late, and they asked me if they could get a
meal--anything cold--said they’d pay well for it.
“I didn’t like to bother at that time of night, as all my help had
gone to bed, but I like to be accommodating, so I told ’em to come in.
I asked ’em where their machine was, and they said they had a slight
accident and had left it down the road. I asked ’em what kind of an
auto it was, and how badly it was broken, for my son’s a machinist,
and handy with tools. I thought I might get him some work, but they
said they could fix it themselves, and one of ’em made a funny sort of
remark.”
“What did he say?” asked Jerry.
“He said they had broken one of the guy wires on the warping wing
tips,” replied Mr. Hardy. “That was the first auto I ever heard of
having wings, and I didn’t ask any more questions for fear they were
making game of me.
“To make a long story short I got ’em a meal, and they tossed me a
twenty dollar gold piece when they were through. I gave ’em change and
they hurried out into the darkness. I listened for some time, but I
couldn’t hear any auto chugging off, so I went to bed. That’s how I got
the gold piece, and I was so suspicious of it that I changed it the
first chance I got. But I told the Newton hotel clerk about it, and
I said if it turned out bad to let me know, and I’d make it right. I
thought maybe that’s what you had come out here for.”
“No, it was a genuine gold piece all right,” answered the detective.
“But what made you suspicious of it?” asked Jerry.
“Because of the way those men acted. I didn’t like their looks at all.”
“Can you describe them?” inquired Ned eagerly. Then in a low voice he
added to Jerry: “You know Noddy is big enough to be taken for a man.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed the tall lad. “Listen to what he says.”
“I don’t know as I can describe the men better than to say that they
seemed suspicious of every one,” said Mr. Hardy. “As they ate they
kept shifting their gaze all around, as if they were afraid of some
one coming in unexpectedly. They both had sharp eyes, were of dark
complexion and were well dressed. One of them had his hand tied up in a
handkerchief and when I asked him if he’d hurt it in the auto accident
he said no at first, and then, as quick as a flash, he said he had. So
I thought that was queer.
“However, I had no complaint coming, and I’m glad the money was all
right. Now, does this description fit in with what you want?”
“It does!” declared Jerry. “I’m positive the men were Brown and Black,
and that they robbed the bank.”
“And I guess I’ve been wrong in thinking it was Noddy,” admitted Ned.
“Still what about the rag on the statue, and that suspicious talk?”
“We’ll consider that later,” replied Jerry. “This clears the
atmosphere, so to speak, and we know who we’re after. Now to get on the
trail of Brown and Black, who undoubtedly were in this vicinity with
their airship.”
“That’s what I think,” said the detective. “I’ll ask you to keep quiet
about this, Mr. Hardy.”
“Oh, sure.”
“Now for further clews,” went on Jerry. “I’m going to have a look to
see if we can find where they landed in the biplane when they came here
for their midnight supper.”