The Aeroplane Boys Flight / Or, A Hydroplane Roundup

ecause, of course, my first thought was that it must have been Percy Carberry's work; but now that y

ill about eleven at the s

I quit, locked up, and w

us is wrong about the time, they couldn't well be in two places at the same minute, now, co

for that purpose? Listen to something I'm going to tell you, Andy. I found several things on

hing up which he had taken from th

electric torch, looks li

is, now," th

en in our shop, was

lamp to look around with, putting out the torch, and laying it down.

pocket, and dangled something befor

things?" gasped Andy, staring as tho

out of black muslin, and just like a domino worn at a masquerade bal

e them, did they? Well, the crowd that came out here seemed to be satis

d them down with the lantern, forgetting the whole lot when they cleared out. Perhaps you

e was the affair over in a neighboring town, when yeggmen broke into the bank, and robbed it; and now here you tell me we've had a little smash-up on

was looking

winter on several little inventions that, if we ever c

rom me, for a fact, Frank!" exclaime

ough interest in what the Bird boys are doing to come up here, intending to break in

en if they had six hours to poke aro

ver our tracks as we go along. But let's get busy now, and put the plane into shape, so we can sl

see the wonderful contrivance make a start, and expecting

t carrying out the work they had on hand. Every steel wire guy was kept as taut as a fiddle strin

Andy asked after they had been working s

mehow or other. They went in a hurry, or else they would never have forgotten those things. And when I looked around I mad

of the same crowd that came out he

e been pretty well used; they're not new ones just cut out by pattern at home with mother's scissors. Thes

r liked anything to puzzle him and would lie awake half the night trying to

e that quite won Andy's heart; if he could not see any good reason for hope himself, t

busy as bees, and the work

cked his eye upward several times, and appeared to be scanning the heavens in an expectant manner;

o try this new invention of the Wrights', that makes it next to impossible to tilt an aeroplane over no matter how you move around when up in the air, we can feel safer t

g else you had on you

Percy and Sandy out at daybreak this m

pass over in their biplane th

sure enough I was just in time to see a biplane pass over at a good height, and head up the lake. I lost it back of the barn, because a flock of crows came flyi

r rival flier was always doing such bold stunts that he could not help feeling as though it might

eneral look; and I'd be willing to take my affidavy

f course, with Sandy

mehow it seemed to me that Percy had altered his whole way of piloting

ndicate his surpris

l hear something simply awful about him before long. He's bound to go from bad

y went on to remark, as though that thing had been bothering him ever sinc

his shoulders

trouble he could make up. And there have been lots of other times too, we can look back at, all of which prove what I am saying that he is often like a ship without a rudder. Now, perhaps, he's got the crazy notio

ld of these things, and they just float along as easy as anything to you. But it l

ovement of finger and thumb, and each one responded with a musical note that

he said, presently, after th

good wife, and Felix, in the palm of which latter Andy mad

ran along with the machine for a dozen paces or so, when it left them behin

ground and start to curve gracefully upward,

aving actually witnessed the start of a modern aeroplane; but naturally the sound grew fai

and alert pilot he was watching and listening to ascertain how their recent work held; and pres

mile or more when Andy made a certain

ething that makes you think of old times, when we hunted, in company with

itting in a vehicle, waving his hat. He seems to be looking up at us, and n

g us, or does he want us to come down?

hat he wants to see us. Had we better drop in that open field just alon

. Mighty seldom you make a bad mess of it, while I often do. Yes, let's

landing with the wheels below the aluminum pontoons, circled around, dropping lo

wenty feet away, the man, dressed in a blue uniform and wearing a silver shield with the words "Chief of Police" engraved upon it, was soothing his horse, whi

Frank, as soon as they had

hour ago. The bank in Bloomsbury was broken open last night, the safe rifled, and the thieves have disappeared in the queerest way ever h