The Boy Aviators on Secret Service

y almost collided with a plump faced, spectacled young man in an agg

g, can't you?" he was beginning when

them in Nicaragua and whose life they had saved when he was a captive among the Nicaraguans. Boy fashion the thr

" asked Harry when the first enthu

lly briefly. "I'm on

had realized your money on the sale of your share of the r

unless I'm working. I bought my mother up the state a pretty little place in Brooklyn and tried to settle down to be a young gentleman of leisure but it wouldn't do. I wasn't hap

e office of the Secretary of

'm on the track of the biggest story of my career and

nk, "we can tell you one. What would you

Billy promptly. "I can guess yours though. You a

es-" he went on, making a mysterious pass at the other boy

Billy, "you are right though. Do you know

ng," repl

orted Billy, "that's too m

y young reporter-we

ry then, will yo

hat," replied Fran

ing to worm it out of you,"

d Harry kindly. The report

give out," went on Billy. "I see that you ar

ion. But we can do better than that, we can tell you we are about to s

eeing clearly by Frank's manner that s

eplied Frank; "but come along, Billy, we've just an hour before train time and if you

arm, the three boys passed out onto the sunny avenue w

led up that official on the telephone and secured his permission to enlist Billy as a member of the expedition.

ould have sadly startled the sedate lunchers at the Willard, as Frank

do you

d see the eager question fra

couldn't you

an elaborate

face fell at this apparent refusal, "we might, of course, bu

y's face grew so lugubrious that they had not

we were sort of thinking of

ny crickets! If I'd care to come! Say, just wai

, "we don't start for three weeks yet and here

But it's so white of you chaps to take me along that I hardly

p us build the Golden Eagl

ery thing I longed to do but I didn't have the nerve to ask you after you were

t a lot of hard work ahead of us and we'll all have

me," exclaimed the

ank, "or we would not have

plans?" asked

a better watch on any suspicious fellow passengers in that way than if we went by train. The key on which the Mist was wrecked is on the opposite coast from there, I understand, and th

ely on circumstances, that may arise after we reach our destination. We are going into this thing practically b

ight back into the wi

businesslike rejoinder. "Every minute of our time will b

ds with which Frank accompanied his last words. But their

he next table?" He indicated a short dark sallow-faced man sitting at a table a

ed Harry in the same low to

t-and I rather think I'm not,-but if he hasn't been listening wit

which any one sitting near could have overheard without much difficulty. The boys realized this and also that if the man really t

r as they resumed their talk in lowered tones he called for his bill and ha

im before?" aske

. "It seems to me that I have. I am almost ce

id Frank, "it may

r a few minutes and then sna

r Eastern embassy. I was up there the other day to report a reception and

Frank gravely. "There is no doubt that he

that he heard every wor

we shall have to be more cautious in the future. I see that

more full of eavesdroppers and secret-service men

pedition or at least their present plans, for the message, which was addressed to "Mr. Job Scudder, Miami, To Be Called For," and signed Nego, gave about as complete an account of what they intended to do as even Billy Barnes with his trained ear for catching and marshaling facts could have framed. There was a very a

rnes they dashed up to the Pennsylvania depot in a taxi-cab just as the big locomotive of the Congressional Limited was being backed up to the long train of vestibuled coaches. They had their return tickets so that there was no delay at the ticket window and they passed dir

illy only avoided being carried off by making a dash for

as had Billy, as his eyes encountered the direct gaze of the very black orbs of the man whom the