Aeroplane Boys Flight Read online

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  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 inour shop, and should have put it back in the toolbox belonging to theaeroplane. The fact that it isn't here shows that I mislaid it. Give mea bad mark, Frank."

  "Well, I must say it's a queer stunt for you to forget anything, AndyBird. But with dark coming along, and home some miles away, it's plainthat 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 hydroplaneover night in this field on the Quackenboss farm?"

  "Why not, Andy? Sky as clear as a bell; little or no wind promised; andthen we can hire the farm hand, Felix Boggs, to keep an eye on it. Looksas 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 guessnow, no boy's perfect. And I don't mind the walk home a bit. Fact is, itought to do us both good, because we don't stretch our legs enough, asit is."

  "You're the boss chum, Frank!"

  "Then you're another. See what you get for calling me names. But whenyou've fastened down that plane so it can't get into trouble, if thewind should rise in the night, perhaps we'd better be hunting up thisFelix Boggs, and then start for home.

  "Well, I'm glad we'll get there in the night-time, Frank, even if themoon does happen to be nearly full."

  "What makes you say that, Andy?"

  "Because, when an aviator leaves his wounded machine in a field, andwalks 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 thenstooping again, with a few deft turns of a heavy cord, helped Andysecure the broken plane so it would not get into trouble during thecoming 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 introducethe pair of young aviators to such readers as have not had the goodfortune to meet them in previous volumes of this series of stories.

  The cousins lived in the town of Bloomsbury, a thriving place situatedon the southern shore of Sunrise Lake, which was a magnificent body ofwater, said to be nearly seventeen miles long by three wide, in places.

  This lake having hilly shores that were heavily wooded in spots, andwith numerous fine coves, afforded grand sport to the young people ofBloomsbury, both winter and summer.

  The railroad skirted one shore and then passed through the town. Somemiles off arose a lofty peak known as Old Thundertop, which had a roadrunning part way up its side. The summit was believed to be utterlyinaccessible to mortal man until one day the Bird boys managed toaccomplish the wonderful feat by the aid of their aeroplane.

  They had been spending all their spare time, when not in school, workingupon 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 ofconsiderable means, and with a firm faith in his boys, so that he waseasily convinced whenever Frank wished to do anything.

  Andy had been living with his guardian for some time, until the returnof his own father, Professor Bird, who had been lost while attempting adifficult balloon trip in Central America, and found in a mostmiraculous way by the two boys as told in a previous story.

  Andy had inherited the passion which his father, a noted professor, hadalways 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 wouldretort: "A Bird takes to the air just as naturally as a duck does towater."

  They had been doing some fine "stunts" during the last year or two; andit may be supposed that the people of Bloomsbury were more than a littleproud of seeing the name of their town mentioned so favorably in thepapers in connection with the doings of the Bird boys.

  Of course, as is always the case, there was a rival in the field, whohad been the cause of much trouble in the past, and still watched theirwork with an envious eye. This was a boy by the name of Percy ShelleyCarberry, rather a bold fellow too, and as smart as they make them, onlyunscrupulous 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 himanything he demanded; and with unlimited cash at his disposal he hadbeen able to do quite a few feats himself that might have gained himmore or less fame, only that they were eclipsed by the accomplishmentsof 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 theslightest degree in strong drink is next door to a fool; for as he takeshis life in his hands every time he leaves the ground, the necessity fora 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 hisfaculty for disappearing suddenly in a pinch. He was considerable of aboaster, but could always invent a most remarkable excuse for goingbefore the storm broke. But Percy, no coward himself, knew how to makeuse of his sly crony; and despite their numerous quarrels, that oftenended in actual fights, the pair of precious tricksters still keptcompany together.

  Sandy was freckled had pale eyes and very blonde hair, that gave him aqueer look. Those eyes never could look any one straight in the face,but shifted uneasily; and other boys said that Sandy, the cigarettesmoker, 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 workshopon the grounds of Frank's father's place, where the young inventorsworked 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 shakethe name. His full name was Fenimore Cooper Small, and as a rule he hadalways been rather timid. But Elephant was always having queer ideas inwhich he believed fully himself; but which were nearly always jeered atby more practical Larry.

  The two Bird boys had been out on this afternoon, trying some
newarrangement in connection with their hydroplane, when they met with anaccident when attempting to land on the Quackenboss farm, to make somechanges they saw were needed, to improve the working of the machine.

  Neither of them had been even scratched, but a certain amount of damagehad befallen one of the planes, which might have been remedied on thespot in time to allow them to get back home easily, only for theunfortunate fact that just when they needed a monkey wrench the worstkind, it was discovered to be missing; perhaps the only occasion whensuch a thing had happened with the boys.

  "I just saw somebody go into the barn there," remarked Frank, as theyapproached the large outbuildings connected with the successful farm ofJosiah Quackenboss.

  "Yes, and it was the farmer himself," added Andy. "I know him prettywell; and I guess you do too, because your father brought his little boyaround when everybody thought he didn't have a single chance to getwell. I don't believe we'll have any trouble getting Felix Boggs to lookafter our machine tonight, Frank."

  They quickly reached the door of the barn and could hear the steady fallof the streams of milk passing into the buckets as the farmer and hishired hand pursued the regular business of the evening.

  As the two boys entered, the half grown boy started up with anexclamation of alarm, for of course both Andy and Frank looked ratherqueer. Each of them had on a white woolen hood that fitted close to headand shoulders, for the air in the upper currents was very cold thesedays, and secured to this were goggles to protect the eyes, so that theywould not water and dim the vision of the aviator at just a criticalinstant when they needed clear sight. Then they also wore warm coloredmackinaw jackets, so that altogether Felix had reason to be startledwhen two such "sights" suddenly entered the barn. Why, even the gentlecows showed evidence of nervousness, and came near upsetting the milkbuckets.

  "Hello, Mr. Quackenboss!" called out Andy, cheerfully; "we're the Birdboys, and we've dropped in on you without an invitation. The fact is, wehad a little trouble with our aeroplane, and landed in your field. Howmuch rent will you charge us, Mr. Quackenboss; to let our machine liethere over night? It needs a little fixing which we can't do untilmorning."

  Of course Andy was joking when he said this, and the farmer knew it aswell as anything. He laughed as he came around out of the stall andoffered his rough hand to each of the boys.

  "How are you, Andy and Frank Bird?" he said, hearty. "Say, you did giveus 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 atJasper was robbed by two men last week. It told how they had their faceshid back of red handkerchiefs, just like they always do out West, youknow. And first thing I sighted you two, my heart nigh about jumped upin my mought, because I thought them yeggs had dropped around to see ifI'd collected my monthly milk accounts in town. And about leavin' youraeroplane in my field, why, there's little that I wouldn't do for theson of the man who saved my Billie, when everybody said he'd never getwell 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 happento injure it; but then that machine represents a heap of hard work, andconsiderable 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 rightnow, and I'll finish the milking. In the morning I want to take a lookat that contraption myself. I've seen you boys sailing around more'n alittle, but never got close up to examine the aeroplane. Well, I guessall 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 andAndy, as, after thanking Mr. Quackenboss heartily for his kindness theypassed out of the barn. Felix considered this an event in the tameroutine 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 todo, and he promised not to meddle with anything connected with theengine or the aeroplane itself.

  They were passing back again toward the barns, having left their prizedpossession in good shape, when Andy uttered a sudden exclamation thattold 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 railof the fence, as if the people in it had sighted our aeroplane sprawledout there in the field, and were wondering what sort of giant insect itcould be," Frank went on.

  "Look closer, Frank," the other boy went on to say, while his disgustdeepened; "and you'll discover that the two fellows in that car happento be Percy Carberry and his shadow, Sandy Hollingshead. Did you everhear of such tough luck? Of all the boys in Bloomsbury they are the lastwe'd want to know that we'd left our new hydroplane out, unguarded, allnight, in an open field. Guess I won't go home tonight, Frank. I'drather camp out here with Felix. You let my folks know, and turn up inthe morning with a new piece for that plane. That's settled and youcan't change it."