PROFESSOR SNODGRASS ON HAND
Cresville was reached, without incident, in much less time than the
journey had taken our friends in the auto. They had but one slight
accident. A leak was discovered in one of the compartments of the
gas bag, but no stop was made to repair it, as the ship could be
used independently of the bag, as an aeroplane. The leak was of
small importance from the fact that the bag was divided into several
sections, so that if one or two were emptied of gas the _Comet_ would
still be buoyant.
“Here we are!” announced Ned, the same afternoon that they had left
Platville, and he looked toward a town that was looming up into sight.
“There’s Cresville.”
The boys’ parents were anxiously awaiting their arrival for, though
they had been informed by telegraph of the success of the quest, they
did not know all that had taken place. The story of the chase, and the
disappearance of Mr. Bell, was soon told.
“Is Noddy Nixon back in town?” inquired Bob, of his father.
“I don’t know,” replied Mr. Baker. “But I wouldn’t have anything to do
with him, if I were you.”
“We don’t intend to,” spoke Ned, “only we’d like to get on the track of
that mystery.”
Inquiries, however, showed that Noddy had not come back. Nor had Jack
Pender, and as Mr. Nixon was a man who never considered that his son
did wrong, there was little use in appealing to him.
“We’ll work this out ourselves,” decided Jerry, and his chums agreed
with him. The airship was housed in the shed, and, when the broken
bolts on the big front doors had been repaired, Sud Snuffles was again
placed in charge, with strict orders to admit no one except the motor
boys, or some one accompanied by them.
“And you can make up your minds that I’ll be careful,” declared Sud,
feeling of the lump on his head, which swelling was still in evidence.
“They’ll have to get rid of me first, before they get in this shed
now.”
That night there was a consultation among the motor boys and their
parents. Jerry showed the letter Noddy had dropped, which seemed to
indicate that an attempt would be made on the part of Noddy and his
cronies to get control of the gold mine in Arizona.
“I think we ought to go out there,” declared Jerry, “to protect our
mine, and also to see if we can’t locate Mr. Bell and his mysterious
friends, whom he is so anxious to aid.”
“Oh, Jerry, are you going on another one of those dangerous trips?”
exclaimed Mrs. Hopkins, in much anxiety.
“It’s not so dangerous, mother. We always come safely back from them.”
“You have, so far,” remarked Mr. Slade. “But there is no telling. I
don’t much fancy airships.”
“They are safer than automobiles,” declared Bob. “You can’t hit
anything in the air.”
“No, but you can come down and hit the earth pretty hard,” observed his
father, grimly.
“Oh, but we don’t intend to come down,” said Ned. “Can’t we go, dad?”
The parents considered the matter in a sort of executive session, the
boys being barred. Finally the lads were called into the library of
Mrs. Hopkins’s home, where the conference was taking place. The boys
looked anxiously at the faces of the older folks.
“Well?” inquired Jerry nervously.
“You may go,” replied his mother, with a little catch in her voice.
“But you must promise to be very careful. You are going on a long
trip--across the Rocky Mountains, as I understand it--and there may be
all sorts of dangers.”
“Oh, we’ll be careful,” readily promised Jerry, and his chums eagerly
assented.
Once all objections to their trip were removed, the boys lost no time
in making their preparations. There was little to do to the _Comet_ as
it was nearly ready for a flight across the continent, but supplies
and provisions must be put aboard and these took some time. At length,
however, all was in readiness.
“I think we’ll give it a trial to-morrow,” said Jerry to his chums one
night. “I want to see how the deflecting rudder works since I changed
the angle. Then, if all is well, we’ll start the next day.”
As the three chums were about ready to start on the little test trip
the following day, having run the airship out of the shed, they heard
voices in conversation on the side of the gas bag opposite to them.
“Oh, would you dare take a trip?” asked some one, evidently, from the
tones, a young lady.
“I would if they asked me, but I don’t suppose they will,” was the
reply.
Jerry looked under the bag, and caught a glimpse of three girls.
Without changing his position, he called out:
“You may consider that you are asked, Mollie. Would you and Helen and
Alice like to take a little trip?”
“Oh, my goodness me! I didn’t s’pose anyone was around!” exclaimed
Mollie Horton, who lived near Ned Slade.
“Don’t you dare go one step in it!” cried Alice Vines, while Helen
Gale, another chum, joined her protest.
“How are you, girls?” greeted Jerry, as he and his companions went
around where they could see the young ladies. “You may come for a trip,
if you like. We’re not going very high, and there’s not the slightest
danger.”
“Will you go, girls?” asked Mollie, of her friends.
They hesitated. Clearly they would like the experience, yet they hardly
dared. While they were debating with themselves they were startled by
hearing some one exclaim:
“Here we go--up in the air--above the clouds--down again--sail like a
bird--turn a somersault--hit a star--bound for the moon--whoop! May I
go?”
“You may if you will say that all over again, and repeat it slowly,
backwards, Andy,” stipulated Jerry, as he caught sight of the excitable
little chap. Andy tried, but it was of no use. His tongue got all
“twisted” as Bob said. However, the small lad was so enthusiastic over
a chance for a trip, and he seemed so fearless that the terrors of
Alice and Helen were overcome, after a little more persuasion, in which
Mollie did her share. The three girls and Andy Rush entered the cabin,
not, however, without many exclamations, half of anxiety and half of
pleasure. Then Jerry and his chums started the power, and they were
soon sailing through the air. Owing to the timidity of the young ladies
no very great height was reached, though Andy was constantly urging
Jerry to go above the clouds. They descended without anything having
happened.
“Why, how simple it all is!” exclaimed Alice Vines, as she stepped on
the ground again.
“Yes, it’s easier than managing an automobile,” added Helen Gale.
“Except in a big wind,” said Jerry. “We’ll take you out in a storm,
sometime.”
“No, thank you,” objected Mollie. “We’re much obliged as it is,” and
then the girls waved a farewell to the boys.
The weather the following day proved all that could be desired. The
boys were up early, for there were several small matters to attend to,
but finally all was in readiness for the start over the Rockies.
Jerry had safely put away the letter Noddy had dropped, and he had the
torn fragments of the one written by Mr. Bell. He thought he might need
them as evidence.
There was quite a crowd assembled at the airship shed to see the start,
and the parents of our heroes were there.
“Be sure and drop a letter occasionally,” called Mrs. Hopkins, to her
son, and Jerry promised, while Ned and Bob also agreed to write to
their parents.
“Is everything all right?” asked Jerry of his chums. He was in the
pilot house, and his two companions were on deck.
“All ready to cast off,” announced Bob.
“Then let her go!” cried Jerry. “Good-bye, everybody!”
“Good-bye! Good-bye!” shouted their friends and parents.
“Good-bye!” cried Bob and Ned in a chorus.
They were about to release the ropes holding the airship to the earth
when there was a sudden commotion in the crowd. It seemed to separate
into two parts, and through the middle came running an odd figure.
It was that of a small man, with a bald head, which was easily
discernible since his hat had fallen off. He was running as fast as he
could.
“Hold on! Hold on, boys!” he cried. “Wait for me. I want to go with
you!” His coat tails were flying out behind him like sails. Over one
shoulder was a long-handled butterfly net, and slung on his back was a
green box. The cover of the box had come open, and from it were falling
all sorts of bugs, toads, lizards and insects. “Wait! Wait!” cried
the little man. “Don’t go without me! I want to capture a new kind of
flying lizard. Wait! Wait!”
Ned and Bob held on to the partly loosened guy ropes. The little man
looked at the departing airship, and glanced back along the route he
had traveled through the crowd--a route marked by all sorts of flying,
creeping and hopping things.
“Wait, oh, wait, I beg of you!” he pleaded. “Am I too late? I must get
that flying lizard!”
“Professor Snodgrass!” gasped Jerry, as he caught sight of the odd
figure. “You’re just in time, Professor!” he shouted, leaning from the
window of the pilot house. “Hold the ship for a minute, Bob and Ned,
until the professor gets aboard. We never could go without him!”