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+Project Gutenberg's The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly, by Margaret Burnham
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+
+Author: Margaret Burnham
+
+Release Date: February 4, 2004 [EBook #10936]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Harry Jones, Lesley Halamek, David Garcia
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy
+indignantly.]
+
+
+THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY
+
+BY MARGARET BURNHAM
+
+1912
+
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE GIRL AVIATORS AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP," "THE GIRL
+AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS," "THE GIRL AVIATORS' SKY CRUISE," ETC.
+
+_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES L. WRENN_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+I. Preparations and Plans.
+
+II. Off on the Flight.
+
+III. Little Wren and the Gipsies.
+
+IV. The Approach of the Storm.
+
+V. Peggy's Thoughtfulness Saves the Farm.
+
+VI. The Girl Aviators in Deadly Peril.
+
+VII. A Stop for the Night.
+
+VIII. Roy Makes an Enemy.
+
+IX. Jimsy Falls Asleep.
+
+X. Peggy's Intuition.
+
+XI. A Mean Revenge!
+
+XII. The Finding of the "Butterfly"
+
+XIII. Prisoners in the Hut.
+
+XIV. What's To Be Done with The Wren?
+
+XV. A Rambunctious Ram.
+
+XVI. An Invitation to Race.
+
+XVII. The Twisted Spark Plug.
+
+XVIII. In Search of a New Plug.
+
+XIX. The Trap.
+
+XX. An Attack in the Air.
+
+XXI. Peggy's Splendid Race.
+
+XXII. Peggy's Generosity.
+
+XXIII. The Moonshiners and the Aëroplane.
+
+XXIV. Mr. Parker's Story.
+
+XXV. The Wren Disappears.
+
+XXVI. Captured by Gipsies.
+
+XXVII. Deliverance.
+
+
+
+
+The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+PREPARATIONS AND PLANS.
+
+
+"It will be another 'sky cruise,' longer and daintier and lovelier!"
+exclaimed Jess Bancroft, clapping her hands. "Peggy, you're nothing
+if not original."
+
+"Well, there are automobile tours and sailing trips, and driving
+parties--" "And railroad journeys and mountain tramps--" interrupted
+Jess, laughing.
+
+"Yes, and there are wonderful, long-distance migrations of birds, so
+why not a cross-country flight of motor butterflies?"
+
+"It would be splendid fun," agreed Jess eagerly; "we could take the
+_Golden Butterfly_ and the _Red Dragon_ and----" "Don't forget that
+Bess Marshall has a small monoplane, too, now. I guess she would go
+in with us."
+
+"Not a doubt of it. Let's go and find the boys and see what they say
+to it."
+
+"No need to go after them, here they come now."
+
+As the golden-haired Peggy spoke, two good-looking youths came round the
+corner of the old-fashioned house at Sandy Bay, Long Island, where the
+two young Prescotts made their home with their maiden aunt, Miss Sally
+Prescott. One of the lads was Roy Prescott, Peggy's brother, and the
+other was Jimsy Bancroft.
+
+"Well, girls, what's up now?" inquired Roy, as both girls sprang to
+their feet, their faces flushed and eyes shining.
+
+"Oh, nothing particular," rejoined Peggy, with assumed indifference,
+"except that we've just solved the problem of what to do with the
+rest of the summer."
+
+"And what's that,--lie in hammocks and indulge in ice-cream sodas and
+chocolates?" asked Jimsy mockingly.
+
+"No, indeed, you impertinent person; the young lady of the twentieth
+century has left all that far behind her," was Jess's Parthian shot,
+"for proof I refer you to our adventures on the Great Alkali."
+
+"Hello! what's this?" asked Roy, holding up a dainty cardboard box,
+and giving vent to a mischievous smile.
+
+"Chocolates!" cried Jimsy.
+
+"It _was_ chocolates," corrected Peggy reproachfully.
+
+"And yet shall be," declared Jimsy, producing from some mysterious
+place in a long auto coat another box, beribboned and decorated like
+the first.
+
+"Jimsy, you're an angel!" cried both girls at once.
+
+"So I've been told before," responded the imperturbable Jimsy, "but
+I never really believed it till now."
+
+Peggy rewarded him for the compliment by popping a chocolate into his
+mouth.
+
+Gravely munching it, Jimsy proceeded to interrogation.
+
+"And how did you solve the problem of what to do with the rest of the
+summer?" he asked.
+
+For answer Peggy pointed to the sky, a delicate blue dome flecked with
+tiny cloudlets like cherub's wings.
+
+"By circling way up yonder in the cloudfields," she laughed.
+
+"But that's no novelty," objected Roy, "we've been up 5,000 feet
+already, and----" "But we're talking about a tour through cloudland,"
+burst out Jess, unable to retain the secret any longer, "a sort of
+Cook's tour above the earth."
+
+"Wow!" gasped both boys. "There's nothing slow," added Roy, "in that
+or about you two. And, incidentally, just read this letter I got this
+morning, or rather I'll read it for you."
+
+So saying Roy produced from his coat a letter closely written in an
+old-fashioned handwriting. It was as follows:
+
+
+"My Dear Niece and Nephew: No doubt you will be surprised to hear from
+your Uncle Jack. Possibly you will hardly recall him. This has, in a
+great measure, been his own fault as, since your poor father's death,
+I have not paid the attention I should to my correspondence.
+
+"This letter, then, is to offer what compensation lies in my power for
+my neglect. Having read in the papers of your wonderful flying feats in
+Nevada it struck me that you and your young friends might like to pay
+me a 'flying trip,' making the excursion via aëroplane.
+
+"We are to have some flying contests in Marysville during the latter
+part of the month, and you might care to participate in them. Of course
+I expect your Aunt Sallie to accompany you. Hoping sincerely to see you,
+I am
+
+"Your affectionate uncle,
+"James Parker.
+"Marysville, North Carolina."
+
+
+As Roy concluded the reading the quartet of merry youngsters exchanged
+delighted glances. As if by magic here was an objective point descried
+for their projected motor flight.
+
+"Well, that's what I call modern magic," declared Jimsy glowingly;
+"consider me as having accepted the invitation."
+
+"Accepting likewise for me, of course," said Jess, shaking her black
+locks and blinking round, expectant eyes.
+
+"Of course," struck in Peggy affectionately, "the Girl Aviators cannot
+be parted."
+
+Just at this moment came a whirring sound from high in the air above
+them. Looking up, they saw a dainty green monoplane, with widespread
+wings and whirring propeller, descending to earth. An instant later
+the machine had come to a halt on the lawn, alighting as lightly as
+wind-blown gossamer. In the machine was seated a pretty girl of about
+Peggy's age, though rather stouter. In harmony with the color of the
+machine she drove, the newly arrived girl aviator wore a green aviation
+costume, with a close-fitting motor bonnet. From the beruffled edge of
+this some golden strands of hair had escaped, and waved above two
+laughing blue eyes.
+
+"Hello, people!" she hailed, as the porch party hastily adjourned and
+ran to welcome her, "how's that for a novice only recently out of the
+Mineola School?"
+
+"Bess Marshall, you're a wonder!" cried Peggy, embracing her; "the
+_Dart_ is the prettiest little machine I've seen for a long time."
+
+"Isn't it a darling," agreed Bess warmly, "but, my! how I had to beg and
+pray dad before he would buy it for me. He said that no daughter of his
+should ever go up in an aëroplane, much less drive one. It wasn't till I
+got him down at Mineola and persuaded him to take a ride himself that he
+consented to buying me my dear little _Dart_."
+
+She laid one daintily gloved hand on the steering wheel of the little
+monoplane and patted it affectionately.
+
+"It's pretty enough, but it wouldn't fly very far," commented Roy
+teasingly, "sort of aërial taxicab, I'd call it."
+
+"Is that so, Mr. Roy Prescott? Well, I'd like you to know that the
+_Dart_ could fly just as far and as fast as the _Red Dragon_ or the
+_Golden Butterfly_."
+
+"Well, if you wanted to take a trip to North Carolina with us you'd have
+an opportunity to test that idea out," laughed Peggy.
+
+"A trip to North Carolina? What do you mean? Are you dreaming?"
+
+"No, not even day-dreaming."
+
+Just then Miss Prescott, her gentle face wreathed in smiles, appeared
+at the door.
+
+"Children! children!" she exclaimed, "what is all this? Adjourn your
+discussion for a while and come in and have tea."
+
+While the happy group of young fliers are entering the pretty,
+old-fashioned house with its clustering roses and green-shuttered
+casements, let us relate a little more about the young personages
+to whose enthusiastic talk the reader has just listened.
+
+Roy and Peggy Prescott were orphans living in the care of their aunt,
+Miss Prescott, the location of whose home on Long Island has already
+been described. At school Roy had imbibed the aërial fever, and after
+many vicissitudes had built a fine monoplane, the _Golden Butterfly_,
+with which he had won a big money prize, besides encountering a series
+of extraordinary aërial adventures. In these Peggy participated, and on
+more than one occasion was the means of materially aiding her brother
+out of difficulties. All this part of their experiences was related in
+the first volume of this series, "The Girl Aviators and the Phantom
+Airship."
+
+In the second volume, "The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings," a combination
+of strange circumstances took our friends out to the Great Alkali of the
+Nevada desert. Here intrigues concerning a hidden gold mine provided
+much excitement and peril, and the girls proved that, after all, a
+fellow's sisters can be splendid companions in fun and hardship. An
+exciting race with an express train, and the adventure of the "Human
+Coyote," provided stirring times in this story, which also related the
+queer antics of Professor Wandering William, an odd character indeed.
+Space does not permit to relate their previous adventures in more
+detail, but in "The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise" still other interesting
+and unusual experiences are described,--experiences that tested both
+themselves and their machines in endurance flights.
+
+Of Roy and Peggy's devoted friends, Jess and Jimsy Bancroft, it is
+enough to say that both were children of Mr. Bancroft, a wealthy banker,
+who had a palatial summer home near to the Prescotts' less pretentious
+dwelling. Since we last met Jess and Jimsy their father had allowed them
+to purchase an aëroplane known as the _White Flier_. It was in this
+craft that Jimsy and Roy had flown over for mail when they made their
+entrance at the beginning of this chapter. Of the letter they found
+awaiting them we already know.
+
+Jolly, good-natured Bess Marshall had taken up aviation as a lark. She
+was a typical specimen of an American girl. Light-hearted, wholesome and
+devoted to all sorts of sports, tennis, swimming, golf, motoring and
+finally aviation had, in turn, claimed her attention.
+
+And now, having introduced our heroes and heroines of the sky to those
+who have not already met them, we will proceed to see how Miss Prescott
+receives the startling plans that her young charges are about to lay
+before her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+OFF ON THE FLIGHT.
+
+
+"But, my dear children, do you realize what such a trip means?"
+
+The gentle-voiced Miss Prescott leaned back in her easy-chair and
+gazed at Peggy and Roy with an approach to consternation.
+
+"It means fun, adventure, and--oh, everything!" cried Peggy, clapping
+her hands.
+
+"You can't have the heart to refuse us," sighed Jess.
+
+"If it were only the boys it might be different, but two young ladies--"
+"Three," corrected Bess.
+
+"Three, then. For three young ladies, supposedly of sound mind, to go
+flying across country like, like--" "Butterflies," struck in Jimsy.
+
+"Wait a minute," cried Jess, "there'd have to be four ladies--"
+"Of course; a chaperon," breathed Peggy, with a mischievous glance.
+
+Miss Prescott dropped her knitting.
+
+"Peggy Prescott, you mean me?"
+
+"Of course; who else could go?"
+
+"My dear child, do you actually contemplate taking me flying through
+the air at my time of life?"
+
+"Why not? It isn't as if you'd never been up," urged Peggy.
+
+"You said you liked it, too," struck in Jess.
+
+"Um--well, I may have said so," admitted Miss Prescott, visibly
+weakening from the stand she had taken, and she went on: "I would
+like to see James again."
+
+"And here is your opportunity ready to hand, as the advertisements say,"
+declared Bess, her blue eyes shining.
+
+"But how could I go?"
+
+The question was an outward and visible sign of capitulation on Miss
+Prescott's part.
+
+"Why, I was thinking we could use that big biplane I was building for
+Mr. Bell's use out in Nevada," spoke up Roy; "it will seat three, and is
+as steady as a church, thanks to that balancing device Jimsy and I
+figured out."
+
+"I'd fly my little _Dart_," declared Bess.
+
+"And you and I would take the _Golden Butterfly_," cried Peggy, crossing
+to Jessie and placing her arm round the dark-haired girl's neck.
+
+"Jimsy can fly the _Red Dragon_, and that leaves Roy and auntie for the
+biplane," she went on, bubbling over with enthusiasm as her plans
+matured and took form.
+
+"Goodness gracious, an aërial circus!" cried Miss Prescott. "We would
+attract crowds, and that wouldn't be pleasant."
+
+"I was planning to make it a sort of picnic," declared Peggy, who
+appeared to have an answer for every objection that could be interposed
+to her project.
+
+"What, camp out every night? Well, you are a wonder," exclaimed Jimsy,
+"if there's one thing I love it's camping out."
+
+"How long would it take us to get to Marysville?" asked Bess.
+
+"I'll get the atlas," cried Peggy, "but if we have good weather not more
+than three or four days."
+
+"I hardly think it would take as long as that," declared Roy, as five
+eager heads were bent over the atlas.
+
+"But camping out!" exclaimed Miss Prescott, "think of colds and
+rheumatism, not to mention snakes and robbers."
+
+"Tell you what," cried Jimsy suddenly, "what's the matter with Miss
+Prescott going along in an automobile? We can map out the route, arrange
+our stops and meet every evening at some small town where we won't
+attract too much of a crowd."
+
+"Jimsy, I always said you were a genius," cried Peggy.
+
+"Behold the last objection swept away," struck in Bess.
+
+"Surely you can't refuse now?" urged Jess.
+
+"Please say yes," came from them all.
+
+"But--but who would drive the car?" asked Miss Prescott, in the voice of
+one who is thinking up a feeble last objection.
+
+"Why, Jake Rickets, of course," declared Roy, referring to the man who
+helped the boys in the machine shop in which the aëroplanes for the
+desert mines were manufactured.
+
+After this Miss Prescott could make but a poor stand against the united
+urgings of five impetuous, enthusiastic young people. The air was filled
+with plans of all sorts. Jimsy was for going at once, but it was finally
+decided to meet again and set a definite date for a start. In the
+meantime there were parents' consents to be obtained, plans laid for the
+route to be followed, and various things purchased for the aërial trip.
+
+All this occupied some time, and it was not till a week later that the
+last difficulty in connection with the motor flight had been
+straightened out and the three aëroplanes stood ready, in Roy's hangar,
+for a tour that was to prove eventful in more ways than one.
+
+It was just after dawn on the day of the start that Roy and Jimsy for
+the last time went over every nut and bolt on the machines and declared
+everything in perfect readiness for the trip. Breakfast was a mere
+pretence at a meal; excitement got the better of appetites that morning.
+
+Beside the winged machines sputtering and coughing as if impatient at
+the delay, was a large and comfortable red touring car. At the driver's
+wheel of this vehicle was seated a small, "under-done"-looking man, in a
+chauffeur's uniform of black leather. This was Jake Rickets.
+
+"Well, Jake, we're all ready for a start," announced Roy, at last.
+
+The small man, whose hair was fair, not to say pale, glanced at the
+glowing boy with an expression of deep melancholy.
+
+"Yes, if something don't happen," he declared, in tones of deep
+pessimism.
+
+"Jake's never happy unless he's foreboding some disaster," explained
+Roy to Bess, who happened to be standing by drawing on her gloves.
+
+"It don't never do to be too sure," murmured the melancholy Jake,
+"'cos why? Well, you can't most generally always tell."
+
+"Everything ready?" cried Peggy at last, as Miss Prescott got into
+the car.
+
+"As ready as it ever will be," merrily called back Bess, who was already
+seated in the little green _Dart_.
+
+The chorus of engine pantings and explosions was swelled by the roar of
+Roy's big biplane and the rattling exhaust of Jimsy's fierce-looking
+_Red Dragon_.
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_, which was equipped with a silencing device, ran
+smoothly and silently as a sewing machine. Peggy sat at the wheel, while
+Jess reclined on the padded seat placed tandemwise behind her. It made a
+wonderful picture, the big white biplane with its boy driver, the
+scarlet and silver machine of Jimsy Bancroft and the delicate green and
+gold color schemes of the other two flying machines.
+
+"The first stop will be Palenville," announced Roy, "the biplane will be
+the pathfinder."
+
+Despite the earliness of the hour and the efforts that had been made to
+keep the motor flight a secret, the information of the novel experiment
+had, in some way, leaked out. Quite a small crowd gave a loud cheer as
+Roy cried:
+
+"Go!"
+
+"We're off!" cried Peggy, athrill with excitement.
+
+Propellers flashed in the sunlight and the next instant the biplane,
+after a short run, soared aloft toward a sky of cloudless, clean-swept
+blue. In rapid succession the _Dart, Golden Butterfly_ and _Red Dragon_
+followed.
+
+"Come on," cried Bess to Jimsy, waving her hand challengingly.
+
+"Ladies first, even off the earth," came back from Jimsy gallantly,
+as he skillfully "banked" his machine in an upward spiral.
+
+Then upward and outward soared the gayly colored sky racers, like a
+flock of wonderful birds. It was the greatest sight that the crowd left
+behind and below had ever witnessed, although one or two shook their
+heads and prophesied dire results from young ladies tampering with
+them blamed "sky buggies."
+
+But not a thought of this entered the heads of the aërial adventurers.
+With sparkling eyes, and bounding pulses they flew steadily southward,
+from time to time glancing below at the touring car. Even though they
+were flying slowly it was plain that the big auto had hard work to keep
+up with them. The unique motor flight was on, and was about to develop
+experiences of which none of them at the moment dreamed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+LITTLE WREN AND THE GIPSIES.
+
+
+They flew on, keeping the motor car beneath them in constant sight till
+about noon. Then, from the tonneau of the machine, came the waving of a
+red square of silk. This had been agreed upon as a signal to halt for a
+brief lunch.
+
+Shouting joyously, the young adventurers of the air began circling their
+machines about, dropping closer earthward with every sweep. Beneath them
+was a green meadow, bordered on one side by a country road and on the
+other by a small brook of clear water and a patch of dark woods. It was
+an ideal place to halt for a roadside lunch, and as one after the other
+the machines dropped to earth Miss Prescott was warmly congratulated on
+her choice of a halting place.
+
+The car was left in the road, and the melancholy Jake Rickets set to
+work getting wood for a fire, for it was not to be thought of that Miss
+Prescott could go without her cup of tea. In the meantime the girls
+spread a cloth and set out their fare. There were dainty chicken
+sandwiches with crisp lettuce leaves lurking between the thin white
+"wrappers," cold meat and half a dozen other little picnic delicacies,
+which all the girls, despite their aërial craze, had not forgotten how
+to make.
+
+The boys set up a shout as, returning from attending to the aëroplanes,
+they beheld the inviting table.
+
+"This beats camping out by ourselves," declared Roy, "girls, we're glad
+we brought you."
+
+"Thank you for the compliment," laughed Jess. "I suppose you mean that
+you are glad _we_ brought all this."
+
+She waved her hand at the "spread" dramatically.
+
+"Both," rejoined Jimsy, throwing himself on the grass. By this time
+Jake's kettle was bubbling merrily, and soon the refreshing aroma of
+Miss Prescott's own particular kind of tea was in the air. The boys
+preferred to try the water from the brook, despite Jake's dire hints at
+typhoid and other germs holding a convention in it. It was sweet and
+cool, and the girls voted it as good as ice-cream soda.
+
+"At any rate as we can't get any we might as well pretend it is,"
+declared Bess.
+
+So the meal passed merrily. After it had been concluded, amid gay
+chatter and fun, Peggy proposed an excursion to the woods for wild
+flowers which grew in great profusion on the opposite side of the
+stream. Crossing it by a plank bridge, the young people plunged into the
+cool woods, dark and green, and carpeted with flowering shrubs and
+vines.
+
+For some time they gathered the blossoms, and were just about to return
+to the aëroplanes and resume their journey when Peggy uttered a sudden
+sharp exclamation:
+
+"Hark! What's that?" she cried.
+
+They all listened. Again came the sound that had arrested her attention;
+a sharp cry, as if some one was in pain or fright.
+
+Then came definite words:
+
+"Don't! Please; don't hit me again!"
+
+"It's a child!" exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"A girl!" cried Peggy, "some one is ill-treating her."
+
+"We'll soon find out!" cried Roy hotly. It infuriated the boy to think
+that a child was being subjected to ill-treatment, and the nature of the
+cries left no doubt that such was the case.
+
+"Stand back here, girls, while we see what's up!" struck in Jimsy.
+
+"Indeed we'll do no such thing!" rejoined the plucky Bess, bridling
+indignantly.
+
+"At any rate let us go in advance," advised Roy; "we don't know just
+what we may run up against."
+
+This appeared reasonable even to Bess, and with the boys slightly in
+advance the little group pressed rapidly forward. After traveling about
+two hundred yards they found themselves in a small clearing where a most
+unusual sight presented itself; a sight that brought a quick flash of
+indignation to the face of every one of them.
+
+Cowering under the blows of a tall, swarthy woman was a small girl, so
+fragile as to appear almost elfin. The woman wore the garb of a gipsy,
+and the presence of some squalid tents and tethered horses showed our
+young friends at once that it was a gipsy encampment upon which they
+had happened.
+
+The woman was so intent on belaboring the shrieking child that at first
+she did not see the newcomers. It was not till Roy stepped up to her,
+in fact, that she became aware of their presence.
+
+"What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+
+"That's none of your business," was the retort, as the woman for an
+instant released her hold on the child.
+
+Instantly the little creature darted to the sheltering arms of Peggy,
+sobbing piteously.
+
+"Oh! Save me from her, she will kill me," the child cried, in a broken
+voice.
+
+"There! there!" soothed Peggy tenderly, "don't cry. We won't let her
+harm you any more."
+
+But like a fury the woman flew at the girls. Before she could lay hands
+on them, however, Roy and Jimsy had seized her arms and held them. At
+this the crone set up a hideous shriek and, as if it had been a signal,
+two swarthy men, with dark skins and big earrings in their ears, came
+running from behind the tents.
+
+"What's the trouble?" they cried, as they ran up, regarding the boys
+malevolently.
+
+"It's the Wren; they're trying to steal the Wren!" shrilled out the
+woman.
+
+At this the men rushed at the boys, one of them waving a thick cudgel
+he carried.
+
+"Let go of that woman," they shouted furiously.
+
+Another instant and the boys would have been in a bad position, for both
+the gipsies were powerful fellows, and appeared determined to commit
+violence. But Roy, releasing his hold of the struggling gipsy woman,
+put up his fists in such a scientific manner that, for an instant, the
+attack paused. This gave Jimsy time to rush to his side. The instant
+she was released the woman darted to the side of the men.
+
+"Beat them! Kill them!" she cried frantically.
+
+The men resumed their rush, and the next moment the boys found
+themselves fighting to escape a furious assault. Neither of the lads was
+a weakling, and good habits and constant athletic exercise had placed
+them in the pink of condition.
+
+But the two gipsies were no mean antagonists. Then, too, the one with
+the cudgel wielded it skillfully. Time and again Jimsy avoided a heavy
+blow which, if successful, must have injured him seriously. The girls,
+screaming, rushed off, carrying "the Wren," as the woman called her,
+with them. They dashed at top speed back to the spot where the
+aëroplanes had been left, and summoned Jake.
+
+"I knew something would happen," declared that worthy, as he picked up a
+monkey wrench, the only weapon at hand, and started off for the woods.
+
+The girls followed him, Miss Prescott not having been vouchsafed
+anything but a most hurried explanation of what was going on. Just as
+Jake appeared on the scene Jimsy had received a terrific blow on the arm
+from one of the gipsy's cudgels. The boy's arm dropped as if paralyzed.
+With a howl of triumph the ruffian who had dealt him the blow rushed in
+on the injured lad. In another instant it would have looked bad indeed
+for Jimsy, but Roy, landing a hard blow against his assailant, hastened
+to his chum's rescue.
+
+"You look after that fellow. I'll take care of this one," cried Jake,
+rushing into the mêlée, whirling his monkey wrench in a formidable
+manner.
+
+The girls, huddled in a group, gazed on in frank alarm.
+
+"Oh, they'll be killed!" shrilled Jess.
+
+"Roy! Roy! Be careful!" cried Peggy.
+
+"Oh, I wish we could get a policeman," cried Bess, clasping her hands
+nervously. But as it happened a policeman, even if such a personage had
+been within a dozen miles, was not needed. A clever blow from Roy laid
+the cudgel wielder low, and the other man, not liking the look of Jake's
+monkey wrench, capitulated by taking to his heels. The woman cowered
+back among the tents.
+
+"Come on, let's be going," cried Roy, as he saw that the battle was
+over.
+
+"Ouch! my wrist!" exclaimed Jimsy, wringing his left hand; "I believe
+that fellow has broken it."
+
+"Let's have a look," said Roy, as the two boys made their way to the
+huddled group of girls.
+
+"Nothing but a nasty whack," he pronounced, after an examination. "Well,
+girls, was it an exciting battle?"
+
+"Oh, it was terrible," cried Jess; "we thought you'd be badly beaten."
+
+"But as it is we appear to be future 'white hopes,' not forgetting
+Jake," smiled Roy, who was still panting from his exertions.
+
+"You were awfully brave, I think," cried Bess admiringly, giving the
+three "heroes" a warm glance.
+
+"Well, there wasn't anything to do but fight, unless we'd run away,"
+laughed Roy, "and now what about the cause of all the trouble?"
+
+He glanced at the little girl clinging to Peggy's hand. The child was
+pitifully emaciated, with drawn features and large, dark eyes that gazed
+about her bewilderedly. Her clothing was a red gingham dress that fitted
+her like a sack. She was shoeless and stockingless. Her brown hair,
+unkempt and ragged, hung in elf locks about her sad little face.
+Certainly, as regarded size and general appearance, her name, "The
+Wren," fitted her admirably.
+
+"I don't know what to do about her," admitted Peggy; "suppose we ask
+Aunt Sally? I don't want to let the gipsies have her again, and yet I
+don't see how we can take her."
+
+At the words the little creature burst into a frantic outbreak.
+
+"Don't let those people have me back; don't," she begged; "they'll
+kill me if you do."
+
+She clung passionately to Peggy's dress. Tears came to the girl's eyes
+at the pitiful manifestation of fear.
+
+"There! there, dear," soothed Peggy, stroking the child's head,
+"you shan't go back if we can help it. Come with us for the time being,
+anyway."
+
+"But we have no legal right to take her," objected Roy.
+
+"Don't say another word," snapped the usually gentle Peggy, whose
+indignation had been fully aroused, "come on. Let's get back to where
+we left Aunt Sally, then we can decide what to do."
+
+"Incidentally, we'll do well to get out of this vicinity before any more
+of those fellows come up. There must be several more somewhere close at
+hand," exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"Yes; and I'll bet the others, the two who ran off, have gone to call
+them," put in Roy; "that woman has disappeared, too."
+
+No time was lost in getting back to the aëroplanes, "The Wren," as the
+gipsies called her, keeping tight hold of Peggy's hand. The boys walked
+behind and, with Jake, formed a sort of rear guard to ward off any
+possible attack. But either the other members of the band were far off,
+or else they did not care to attempt an assault, for the party reached
+the aëroplanes without further incident or molestation.
+
+Miss Prescott's consternation may be imagined as she listened to the
+tale they had to tell. From time to time during its relation she glanced
+pityingly at the Wren.
+
+"Poor child!" she exclaimed, gazing at the wizened little creature's
+bruised arms. They were black and blue from rough handling, and bore
+painful testimony to the life she had lived among the gipsies.
+
+"What is your name, dear?" she asked, motioning to the child as Peggy
+finished her story.
+
+"The Wren, that's what they always called me," was the response, in
+a thin little wisp of a voice.
+
+"Have you no other name?" asked Miss Prescott kindly.
+
+The child shook her head.
+
+"I don't know. Perhaps I did once. I wasn't always with the tribe.
+I remember a home and my mother, but that was all so long ago that
+it isn't clear."
+
+"Then she's not a gipsy," declared Peggy emphatically.
+
+"I'll bet they kidnapped her some place," exclaimed Roy.
+
+"That doesn't solve the problem of what to do with her," struck in Jess.
+
+"We can't send her back to those people," declared Bess, with some
+warmth.
+
+"On the other hand, how are we to look after her?" said Jimsy.
+
+"It's a problem that will have to solve itself," said Miss Prescott,
+after a few moments of deep thinking.
+
+"How is that?" asked Peggy.
+
+"Because she goes with us no matter what happens. It may not be legal,
+but humanity comes above the law sometimes," declared Miss Prescott,
+with emphasis.
+
+"Hurrah for Aunt Sally!" cried the boys, "she's as militant as a newly
+blossomed suffragette. Cheer up, Wren, you're all right now."
+
+"Then I'm to stay with you?" questioned the child.
+
+"Of course," came from Aunt Sally.
+
+The child buried her head on the kind-hearted lady's lap and burst into
+a passion of weeping that fairly shook her frail frame.
+
+It was at this juncture that Jake set up a shout and pointed toward the
+woods. From them a group of men had burst, armed with sticks and stones.
+They came rushing straight at the little group, uttering ferocious
+shouts.
+
+"We're in for it now," exclaimed Roy; "girls, you had better get in the
+machine and drive a safe distance. Those fellows mean mischief."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+APPROACH OF THE STORM.
+
+
+It was apparent enough that mean mischief they did. Their dark eyes
+gleamed fiercely out of their swarthy faces. One or two wore a vivid red
+or blue handkerchief knotted about sinewy necks, this means of adornment
+only adding to their generally sinister look.
+
+"I knew we wouldn't get far without running into trouble," moaned Jake
+dejectedly.
+
+Roy turned on him sharply, almost angrily.
+
+"You get the ladies in that machine and drive off down the road a bit,"
+he said; "I'll attend to this thing. Jimsy, come here."
+
+Jake hesitated a moment and then strode off to the auto.
+
+"Can't we stay and help?" asked Bess.
+
+"No; we can help Roy best by doing what he; wants us to. He's got some
+plan in his head," rejoined Peggy firmly, "come along, Wren; Jess, help
+me with her, she's terrified to death."
+
+This was no exaggeration. At sight of the gipsy band, the child so
+recently taken from their clutches shrank and cowered against her young
+protectress.
+
+"Don't let them take me--don't!" she kept wailing.
+
+"Never mind; don't be scared, Wren," Peggy comforted, "they won't get
+you."
+
+A flash of determined fire came into Peggy's eyes as she spoke.
+
+"Peg! You're magnificent," exclaimed Jess, as, headed by Miss Prescott,
+they hastened toward the car which Jake had already cranked.
+
+The gipsies had paused for an instant. Evidently the sight of the
+aëroplanes bewildered and amazed them. Expecting to come on a camp of
+young folks they had suddenly encountered a group of machines which, to
+them, must have savored of the supernatural. But as the auto drove off
+they were due for an even greater surprise.
+
+Following a swift whisper from Roy both boys had jumped into the _Red
+Dragon_. In an instant came the sharp barking of the engine. The flying
+machine dashed forward almost simultaneously. Straight at the angry
+nomads Roy headed it. It was as if a war chariot of old was charging
+into a group of defiant barbarians.
+
+For a few moments the gipsies stood their ground. But as the machine
+rose from the ground, skimmed it, as it were, Roy thrust on full power.
+The machine darted over the spot where the gipsies had stood but an
+instant before; but they had gone. Scattering with wild cries of fear,
+they could be seen running for their lives toward the wood.
+
+"I don't think they'll trouble us again in a hurry," declared Roy
+grimly, as he brought the _Red Dragon_ round in a circle and headed back
+for the rest.
+
+From the machine came a cheer, Miss Prescott's voice ringing out as
+loudly as any.
+
+"The idea just came to me in a second," explained Roy modestly, in
+answer to the ladies' congratulations and praise, "it worked, though,
+didn't it?"
+
+"Like a charm," they all agreed.
+
+"Hadn't we better be getting on?" asked Jimsy, a minute later.
+
+"Yes; there's no knowing if those fellows won't try a flank attack,
+although I think they've had a big enough scare thrown into them to last
+them quite a while with economy," laughed Roy.
+
+"Who is going to take care of Wren?" asked Bess.
+
+"She'll ride right in the car with me," declared Miss Prescott
+positively, "you don't think I'm going to risk her in one of those
+things of yours, do you?"
+
+They all laughed. As a matter of fact, there was not one of the party
+that was not more at home in the air than on a road. Then, too, Roy's
+balancing device had about removed the last peril of air traveling. It
+was agreed to stop at Meadville, which the map showed was about thirty
+miles to the southeast, and purchase a dress and other necessities for
+their new ward. As to what was to be done with her after that nobody
+had any very definite plans. And so the journey was resumed, with
+congratulations flying over the way in which they came out of what,
+for a time, looked like a really serious scrape.
+
+The weather had held fair till a short time after the start was made
+from the scene of the encounter with the gipsies. It was Peggy who first
+observed a change in the sky.
+
+From the southwest billowy masses of slate-colored clouds came rolling
+on, obscuring the sunlit landscape beneath with an effect of lights
+turned down on a stage. Turning to Jess, who occupied the seat behind
+her, she remarked:
+
+"We're going to have some bad kind of a storm, girlie."
+
+Jess nodded.
+
+"Wonder how far we are from Meadville?" she asked.
+
+"Quite a way yet. I'm afraid that we can't make it before the storm
+breaks."
+
+"Look, there's Roy coming back, and Jimsy, too. I guess they want to
+talk about it."
+
+This turned out to be the case. As Roy came swinging by he held a small
+megaphone to his mouth with one hand, while the other gripped the
+steering wheel tightly.
+
+"We're in for a storm, girls, and a hummer, too, from the look of it."
+
+"Better drop down," counseled Jimsy.
+
+Jess nodded, and, as at this moment Bess, who had seen the boy's
+maneuver, came by, the news was communicated to her.
+
+The next thing to do was to look about for a suitable place to land. The
+country over which they were passing was heavily wooded, and seemingly
+sparsely populated. Beneath them wound a road, along which, but at some
+distance behind, the touring car could be seen coming in a cloud of
+yellow dust.
+
+The wind began to grow puffy, and it required all the skill of the young
+aviators to keep their flock of motor-driven birds on even wings. Before
+long, just as the distant, but fast approaching, cloud curtain began to
+be ripped and slashed by vivid scimitars of lightning, Roy espied,
+beneath them, a field, at one end of which stood a prosperous-looking
+farmhouse, surrounded by buildings and hay stacks.
+
+It was an ideal spot in which to land, and as the road was near by they
+would have no difficulty in attracting the attention of Miss Prescott
+when she went by. In graceful volplanes the aëroplanes lit in the field
+like an alighting flight of carrier pigeons. But hardly had they
+touched the ground when from the farmhouse a man came running in his
+shirtsleeves, his lower limbs being garbed in overalls and knee-boots.
+On his chin was a goatee, and as he drew closer they saw that his face
+was thin and hatchet shaped and anything but agreeable.
+
+"You git out of thar! You git out of thar!" he kept shouting as he came
+along, stumbling over the stubble, for the field had been newly reaped.
+
+"Why, what's the matter? We're not hurting anything," objected Roy;
+"surely you don't mind our occupying the field for an hour or so till
+the storm blows over?"
+
+"I daon't, hey? Wa'al, I do, by heck. I own all the way daown and all
+the way up frum this farm, and thet's ther law."
+
+"If we didn't have these ladies with us we'd be only too glad to leave
+your field," rejoined Jimsy, "but you can see for yourself a nasty storm
+is coming up."
+
+"What bizness hes gals riding round in them sky-buggies," stormed the
+farmer; "ef any darter uv mine did it I'd lock her up on bread an'
+water, by Jim Hill."
+
+"I don't doubt it in the least," smiled Peggy sweetly.
+
+"Humph!" grunted the cantankerous old agriculturist, not quite sure if
+he was being made fun of or if his resolution was being admired; "all
+I got to say is thet ef you want to stay here you gotter pay."
+
+"That can be arranged," spoke Jimsy, with quiet sarcasm.
+
+"An' pay wa'al, too," resumed the farmer tenaciously.
+
+"How much do you think the lease of your field for an hour or so is
+worth?" asked Roy.
+
+The farmer considered an instant, and then, with an avaricious look in
+his pin-point blue eyes, he looked up.
+
+"'Bout ten dollars," he said, at length.
+
+"We don't want to buy it, we just want to rent it for a very short
+time," struck in Bess, with her most innocent expression.
+
+"Wa'al, it's ten or git off!" snapped the farmer.
+
+"I'll pay you a fair price for it," spoke up Roy, "and not a cent more."
+
+"Then I'll drive you off with a shot-gun, by chowder."
+
+"Oh, no, you won't."
+
+"Won't, hey? What'll stop me?"
+
+"The law."
+
+"Ther law? Thet's a good one."
+
+"I think it is, a very good one," struck in Jimsy, who now saw what Roy
+was driving at.
+
+"Humph! wa'al, if yer a'goin' te talk law I'll jes' tell yer quick thet
+this is my land and thet you're all a-trespassing."
+
+"You are not very well up on aërial law, it seems," replied Roy, in an
+absolutely unruffled tone.
+
+"Don't know nuthin' 'bout this air-ile law," grumbled the fellow, but
+somewhat impressed by Roy's calm, deliberate exterior.
+
+"Well, then, for your information I'll tell you that under the laws of
+the country recently enacted aviators are entitled to land in any safe
+landing place in times of emergency. If they do any damage they must pay
+for it. If not the owner of the land is not entitled to anything for the
+temporary use of his place."
+
+"Five dollars or nothing," spoke Jimsy, "and if you try to put us off
+you'll get into serious trouble."
+
+"Wa'al, yer a-robbin' me," muttered the man, much impressed by Roy's
+oratory, "gimme ther five."
+
+It was quickly forthcoming. The old fellow took it without a word and
+shuffled off. As he did so there was a vivid flash of lightning and the
+growl of a big crash of thunder. While it was still resounding the auto
+came puffing up. Jake had put up the storm top and made it as snug and
+comfortable as a house.
+
+"Come on, boys and girls," urged Roy, "let's get the engines covered up
+and then beat it for the car. The rain will hit in in torrents in a few
+minutes."
+
+Indeed they were still making fast the waterproof covers constructed to
+throw over the motors in just such emergencies when the big drops began
+to fall.
+
+There was a helter-skelter race for the car. In they all crowded, and
+none too soon. The air was almost as dark as at dusk, and there was a
+heavy sulphurous feeling in the atmosphere. But within the curtains of
+the car all was fun and merriment. The case of the old farmer was
+discussed at length, and Jimsy convulsed them all by his clever
+imitation of the way the bargain was driven.
+
+He was in the midst of his description when a fearfully vivid flash lit
+up the interior of the car as brightly as day. As it did so The Wren
+uttered a sharp cry.
+
+"What is it, dear? Afraid of the lightning?" asked Miss Prescott, while
+a thunder volley boomed and reverberated.
+
+"No, no," shivered the child, drawing closer to her, "but when I see
+a flash like that I sometimes remember."
+
+"Remember what?" asked Miss Prescott tenderly.
+
+"Oh, I don't know," wailed the child, "people and places. They come for
+a moment and then disappear again as quickly as they came."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PEGGY'S THOUGHTFULNESS SAVES THE FARM.
+
+
+Flash after flash, roar after roar, the lightning and thunder crashed
+and blazed as the full fury of the storm struck in. Miss Prescott, who
+was in deadly fear of lightning, covered her eyes with a thick veil and
+sank back in the cushions of the tonneau.
+
+But the rest of the party regarded the furious storm with interest. The
+rain was coming down in sheets, but not one drop penetrated the
+water-proof top of the big touring car.
+
+"It's grand, isn't it?" asked Peggy, after a particularly brilliant
+flash.
+
+"Um--ah, I don't just know," rejoined Jess, "it's rather too grand if
+anything. I----" Bang!
+
+There was a sharp report, like that of a large cannon. The air was
+filled with an eye-blistering blaze of blue fire. Stunned for an
+instant, and half blinded, not one of the young folks in the touring
+car uttered a word.
+
+The storm, too, appeared to be "holding its breath" after that terrific
+bombardment.
+
+"That struck close by," declared Roy, the first to recover his speech.
+
+"Oh! oh!" moaned Miss Prescott, "then the next will hit us!"
+
+"Don't be a goose, Aunt Sally," comforted Peggy; "don't you know that
+lightning never strikes twice in the same place?"
+
+Miss Prescott made no answer. In fact she had no opportunity to do so.
+
+From close at hand shouts were coming. Loud, frightened shouts.
+
+"Fire! fire!"
+
+"Gracious! something's on fire at that farmhouse!" cried Peggy.
+
+"That's what!" came in excited tones from Roy as he peered out through
+the rain.
+
+"Look at them running about," chimed in Jimsy.
+
+"It's from that haystack! See the smoke roll up!" cried Bess.
+
+"The lightning must have struck it. Say, we'd better go and help,"
+exclaimed Roy anxiously.
+
+"I don't see that the old man who was so mean to us deserves any help,"
+murmured Bess, rather angrily.
+
+"Why, Bess, for shame!" reproved Peggy. "Go on, boys, the rain's letting
+up, maybe you can help them."
+
+"All right, sis. Come on, Jimsy!"
+
+The boys dived out of the car and set off running at top speed for the
+scene of the blaze, which was in a haystack back of the main barn of the
+farmhouse. Several farm hands, under the direction of the disagreeable
+old man, whose name was Zenas Hutchings, were running about with buckets
+of water, which were about as effective as trying to sweep the sea back
+with a broom, so far as gaining any headway against the flames was
+concerned.
+
+Had the rain continued it might have been possible for the farm hands to
+quell the blaze with the assistance of the elements; but the storm had
+ceased almost as suddenly as it began, and only a few scattering drops
+were now falling. Off to the southwest the sky was blue once more.
+
+The farmer turned despairingly to the boys as they came running up.
+
+"'Clare ter goodness if it ain't them kids ag'in," he exclaimed; "wa'al,
+you ain't brought me nuthin' but bad luck so far as I kin see. Hyars a
+hundred dollars' worth of hay goin' up in smoke an'--"
+
+A farm hand came bustling up. His face was pale under the grime of soot
+that overlaid it.
+
+"Ef we don't git ther fire under control purty soon," he cried, "ther
+whole place 'ull go."
+
+"What's thet, Jed?" snapped old Hutchings anxiously.
+
+"I said that ther sparks is beginning ter fly. If ther fire gits much
+hotter it'll set suthin' else ablaze."
+
+"By heck! That's so!" cried old Hutchings, in an alarmed voice.
+
+He gazed about him perplexedly.
+
+"Isn't there any fire apparatus near here?" asked Roy.
+
+"Yep; at Topman's Corners. But that's five miles off."
+
+"Have you telephoned them?" asked Jimsy, who had noticed that the
+Hutchings farm, like most up-to-date ones, was equipped with a
+telephone; at least there were wires running into the place which
+appeared to be of that nature.
+
+"Ain't no use telephoning" was the disconsolate rejoinder.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Wire's busted. Reckon ther storm put it out of business. I guess it's
+all up with me now. I hoped ter pay off ther part of ther mortgage with
+ther hay and grain in thet barn yonder, an' now----" He broke off in
+a half sob. Cantankerous as the old man had shown himself to be, and
+grasping withal, the boys could not help but feel sorry for the stricken
+old fellow. He looked pitifully bowed and old and wretched in the midst
+of his distracted farm hands, who were running about and shouting and
+not doing much of anything else.
+
+"Wa'al," he said, at length, pulling himself together with a visible
+effort, "thar's no chance of gitting ther fire ingines, so it'll hev
+ter go, I guess."
+
+"Yes there is a chance of getting the engines, and a good one, too."
+
+They all turned at the sound of a girlish voice, and there stood Peggy
+with Jess by her side. The two girls had stolen up unnoticed in the
+excitement.
+
+"Bravo, Peg!" exclaimed Roy heartily, glancing approvingly at his
+sister, "what's your idea?"
+
+"Fly over and get help."
+
+"Fly over! Wa'al, I'll be switched!" gasped old Hutchings.
+
+"I don't see why not," struck in Jimsy, "it's five miles, you say. Well,
+we ought to make that in ten minutes or so, or even quicker."
+
+"How fast can the engines get back?" asked Roy practically.
+
+"Wa'al, ther roads be good and Bob Shields hez a right smart team,"
+was the rejoinder. "They ought ter make it in half an hour."
+
+"Good. Then if you can hold the flames in check for a short time longer
+we can save your place yet."
+
+Beckoning to Jimsy, the boy darted off for the _Red Dragon_. This
+machine he selected because, with the exception of the _Dart_, it was
+the fastest and lightest of the aëroplanes they had with them. Farmer
+Hutchings had hardly closed his mouth from its gaping expression of
+surprise when a whirr of the motor announced that the _Red Dragon_ was
+off. Its lithe body shot into the air with tremendous impetus.
+
+"Ther Corners is off thar to ther westward," shouted up the farmer, "you
+can't miss it. It's got a red brick church with a high tower on it right
+in the middle of a clump of elms."
+
+Speeding above fields and woodland the red messenger of pending disaster
+raced through the air. Five minutes after taking flight Jimsy espied a
+high red tower. Eight and one half minutes after the _Dragon_ had shot
+aloft it fluttered to earth on the village street of Topman's Corners,
+amid an amazed group of citizens who had seen it approaching.
+
+It was the first aëroplane ever seen in the remote Pennsylvanian hamlet,
+and it created commensurate excitement. But the boys had no time to
+answer the scores of questions, foolish and otherwise, that were
+volleyed at them from all sides.
+
+"There's a fire!" exclaimed Jimsy breathlessly, "a fire at Hutchings's
+farm. How soon can you get the engines there?"
+
+A stalwart-looking young fellow stepped up.
+
+"I'm chief of the department," he said, "we're the 'Valiants.' I'll be
+there in twenty-five minutes if I have to kill the horses. It's downhill
+most of the way, anyhow. Jim, you run off and ring ther bell."
+
+A second later the fire bell was loudly clanging and several of the
+crowd melted away to don their helmets and coats. In less time than the
+boys would have thought it possible a good-looking engine came rumbling
+out of the fire house half a block down the street. Behind it came a
+hook and ladder truck.
+
+Fine horses were attached to each, and from the way they leaped off the
+boys saw that the "Chief" meant to make good his promise.
+
+"Race you to ther fire!" shouted the latter functionary, as, in a storm
+of cheers, his apparatus swept out of sight down the elm-bordered
+street.
+
+"You're on," laughed Roy, whisking aloft while the Topman's Cornerites
+were still wondering within themselves if they were waking or dreaming.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE GIRL AVIATORS IN DEADLY PERIL.
+
+
+The fire was out. A smoldering, blackened hillock was all that remained
+of the stack ignited by the lightning bolt; but the others and the main
+buildings of the farm had been saved.
+
+Such work was a new task for aëroplanes--but there is no doubt that, had
+it not been for Peggy's suggestion, the Hutchings farm would have been
+burned to the ground. As it was, when the firemen, their horses in a
+lather, arrived at the scene, the farm hands, who had been fighting the
+flames, were almost exhausted.
+
+Had they possessed the time, the young folks would have been glad to
+tell the curious firemen something about their aëroplanes. But it was
+well into the afternoon, and if they intended to keep up their itinerary
+it was necessary for them to be hurrying on. A short time after the
+blaze had been declared "out" the aëroplanes once more soared aloft,
+and the auto chugged off in the direction of Meadville.
+
+The afternoon sun shone sparklingly on the trees and fields below, all
+freshened by the downpour of the early afternoon. The spirits of all
+rose as did their machines as they raced along. Before leaving the
+Hutchings farm the old man had been so moved to generosity by the novel
+manner in which his farm had been saved from destruction that he had
+offered to give back $2.50 of the $5 he had demanded for the rent of his
+field. Of course they had not taken it, but the evident anguish with
+which the offer was made afforded much amusement to the young aviators
+as they soared along.
+
+In Peggy's machine the talk between herself and Jess was of the strange
+finding of The Wren, and of the child's curious ways. Both girls
+recalled her odd conduct during the storm and what she had said about
+the peculiar influence of lightning on her memory.
+
+"Depend on it, Jess," declared Peggy, with conviction, "that child is
+no more a gipsy than you or I."
+
+"Do you think she was stolen from somewhere?" asked Jess, readily
+guessing the drift of her friend's thoughts.
+
+"I don't know, but I'm sure they had no legal right to her," was the
+reply.
+
+"Oh, Peg! Suppose she should turn out to be a missing heiress!" Jess,
+who loved a romance, clasped her gauntleted hands.
+
+Peggy laughed.
+
+"Missing heiresses are not so common as you might suppose," she said;
+"I never met any one who had encountered any, except in story books."
+
+"Still, it would be great if we had really found a long missing child,
+or--or something like that," concluded Jess, rather lamely.
+
+"I can't see how we would be benefiting the child or its parents,
+either, since we have no way of knowing who the latter are," rejoined
+the practical Peggy, which remark closed the discussion for the time
+being.
+
+It was not more than half an hour later when Jess uttered a sharp cry
+of alarm. From the forward part of the aëroplane a wisp of smoke had
+suddenly curled upward. Like a blue serpent of vapor it dissolved in the
+air almost so quickly as to make Jess believe, for an instant, that she
+had been the victim of an hallucination.
+
+But that it was no figment of the imagination was evidenced a few
+moments later by Peggy herself. Aroused by Jess's cry, she had made
+an inspection of the machine, with alarming results. What these were
+speedily became manifest.
+
+"Jess! The machine is on fire!" she cried afrightedly.
+
+As if in verification of her words there came a puff of flame and a
+strong reek of gasoline. It was just then that both girls recalled that
+the _Golden Butterfly_ carried twenty-five gallons of gasoline, without
+counting the reserve supply.
+
+Fire on an aëroplane is even more terrifying than a similar casualty on
+any other type of machine. Hardly had Peggy's words confirming the
+alarming news left her lips when there came a cry from Jess.
+
+The girl had just glanced at the barograph. It showed that they were
+then 1,500 feet above the surface of the earth. The girl had hardly made
+this discovery before, from beneath the "bow" of the monoplane, came a
+wave of flame; driven from the steering wheel by the heat, Peggy drew
+back toward her companion. Her face was ashen white.
+
+Left to itself the aëroplane "yawed" wildly, like a craft without a
+rudder. Then suddenly it dashed down toward the earth, smoke and flames
+leaping from its front part.
+
+Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the aircraft fell like a stone
+hurled into space. Faster and faster it dashed earthward without a
+controlling hand to guide it. It was at this instant that Roy and
+Jimsy became aware of what had happened.
+
+[Illustration: Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the air craft fell
+like a stone hurled into space.]
+
+Instantly they swung their machine around in time to see the _Golden
+Butterfly_ make her sickening downward swoop. Both lads uttered a cry of
+fear as they saw what appeared to mean certain death for the two Girl
+Aviators.
+
+Roy's fingers scarcely grasped the wheel of his machine as he saw the
+downward drop. Jimsy was as badly affected. But almost before they could
+grasp a full realization of the accident the _Golden Butterfly_ was
+almost on the ground. It was in a hilly bit of country, interspersed by
+small lakes or ponds.
+
+A freak of the wind caught the blazing aëroplane as it fell and drove
+it right over one of these small bodies of water.
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_ appeared to hesitate for one instant and then
+plunged right into the water, flinging the two girls out. Both were
+expert swimmers, but the shock of the sudden descent, and the abrupt
+manner in which they had been flung into the water had badly unstrung
+their nerves.
+
+Jess struck out valiantly, but the next instant uttered a cry:
+
+"Peg! Peg! I'm sinking!"
+
+Peggy pluckily struck out for her chum and succeeded in seizing her.
+Then with brisk strokes she made for the shore, luckily only a few yards
+distant. It was at this juncture that the boys' machines came to earth
+almost simultaneously. High above Bess's _Dart_ hovered, and presently
+it, too, began to drop downward. Apparently the accident had not been
+seen from the auto, at any rate the car was not turned back toward the
+scene of the accident.
+
+As the boys' aëroplanes struck the earth not far from the bank of the
+pond toward which Peggy was at that moment valiantly struggling, the
+two young aviators leaped out and set out at a run to the rescue. They
+reached the bank in the nick of time to pull out the two drenched,
+half-exhausted girls.
+
+"At any rate the fall was a lucky one in a way!" gasped the optimistic
+Peggy, as soon as she caught her breath, "it put out the fire."
+
+And so it had. Not only that, but the aëroplane, buoyed up by its broad
+wings, was still floating. On board the _Red Dragon_ was a long bit of
+rope. Jimsy produced this and then swam out to the drifting _Butterfly_.
+The rope was made fast to it and the craft dragged ashore. But when they
+got it to the bank the problem arose as to how they were going to drag
+it up the steep acclivity.
+
+Again and again they tried; Bess, who had by this time alighted, aiding
+them. But it was all to no purpose. Even their united strength failed to
+move the heavy apparatus.
+
+"I've got an idea!" shouted Jimsy suddenly, during a pause in their
+laborious operations.
+
+"Good! Don't let it get away, I beg of you!" implored Peggy.
+
+"Oh, Peg! Don't tease, besides, you don't look a bit cute with your hair
+all wet and draggled, and as for your dress--goodness!"
+
+This came from Jess, herself sadly "rumpled" and in addition wet
+through. Before Peggy could reply to her chum's half rallying remark
+Jimsy, unabashed, continued:
+
+"We'll hitch this rope to the _Red Dragon_ and then start her up for all
+she's worth."
+
+"Jimsy, you're a genius!"
+
+"A modern marvel!"
+
+"A solid promontory of pure gray matter!"
+
+In turn the remarks came from each of the party. But Jimsy, bothering
+not at all at the laughing encomiums, proceeded to secure the rope to
+the _Red Dragon_. This done, he started up the engine and clambered into
+his seat.
+
+"All ashore that's going ashore!" he yelled, in mocking imitation of the
+stewards of an ocean liner.
+
+There wasn't an instant's hesitation as he threw the load upon the
+engine. Then the rope tautened. It grew tight as a fiddle string.
+
+"Goodness! It'll snap and the _Dragon_ will be broken!" cried Jess,
+in alarm.
+
+But no such thing happened. Instead, as the _Dragon's_ powerful
+propeller blades "bit" into the air, the _Golden Butterfly_ obediently
+mounted the steep bank of the pond. Five minutes later the pretty craft
+stood on dry land and the party of young aviators were eagerly making
+an investigation of the damage done.
+
+The cause of the fire was soon found. A tiny leak in the tank had
+allowed some gasoline to drip into the bottom of the chassis, or
+passenger carrier. Collecting here, it was plain that a back fire
+from the carburetor had ignited it.
+
+Neither of the girls could repress a shudder as they thought of what
+might have occurred had they been higher in the air and no convenient
+pond handy for them to drop into. In such a case the flames might have
+reached the gasoline tank before they could be extinguished and
+inevitably a fearful explosion would have followed.
+
+"I think you are the two luckiest girls in the world," declared Roy
+solemnly, as he concluded his examination and announced his conclusions.
+Naturally they fully agreed with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A STOP FOR THE NIGHT.
+
+
+It was some two hours later that Meadville received the greatest
+excitement of its career. People rushed out of stores and houses as
+the "flock" of aëroplanes came into sight.
+
+As they gazed down the young aviators felt a momentary regret that they
+had chosen a town in which to pass the first night of their motor
+flight. It appeared that they would get into difficulties when they
+attempted to make a landing.
+
+But almost simultaneously they spied a public park, which appeared
+to offer a favorable landing place. As soon as their intention of
+descending there became manifest, however, the crowd made a headlong
+rush for the spot.
+
+It was too late to seek some other location to alight even had there
+been one available. Trusting to luck that the eager spectators would get
+out of their way the four aëroplanes began their spiraling descent.
+
+Roy was first in his big biplane. As the ponderous, white machine ranged
+down close to the park the crowd became well-nigh uncontrollable. They
+swarmed beneath the big machine, despite Roy's shouts of warning.
+
+Skillfully as the boy manipulated the aircraft he could not check its
+descent once begun.
+
+"Out of the way! I don't want to hurt you!" he shouted, as he dashed
+down.
+
+But the crowd, sheeplike in their stupidity, refused to budge. Into the
+midst of them Roy, perforce, was compelled to drive. Once the throng
+perceived his intention, however, they scattered wildly. That is, all
+sought positions of safety but one man, a stout, red-faced individual,
+who appeared dazed or befuddled.
+
+He stood his ground, glaring foolishly at the sky ship. With a quick
+turn of his wrist Roy swept the big biplane aside, but a wing tip
+brushed the stout man, toppling him over in a twinkling. By the time
+Roy had stopped his machine the man was on his feet again, bellowing
+furiously. He was not hurt, but his face was contorted with anger.
+
+He pushed his way through the crowd toward the young aviator.
+
+"You young scoundrel!" he yelled, "I'll fix you for that! I'll--" "Look
+out, here come the rest of them!" shouted the crowd at this juncture.
+
+Nobody needed any warning this time. They fled in all directions as one
+after the other the _Golden Butterfly_, the _Red Dragon_ and the pretty,
+graceful _Dart_ dropped to earth.
+
+"Wa'al, look at them gals, will yer!" shouted a voice in the crowd.
+
+"What's the country coming to?" demanded another man. "Gals gallivanting
+around like gol-dinged birds!"
+
+But the majority of the crowd took the pretty girl aviators to its
+heart. Somebody set up a cheer.
+
+It was still ringing out when, to the huge relief of the embarrassed
+girls, the auto came rolling up with Miss Prescott and "The Wren," as
+they still called the latter.
+
+The girls, leaving the boys to look after the aëroplanes, ran to the
+side of the car and were speedily ensconced in its roomy tonneau. "We'll
+see you at the hotel!" cried Roy, as the car rolled off again, much to
+the disappointment of the crowd.
+
+Two local constables came up at this juncture and helped the boys keep
+the crowd back from the machines. The throng seemed souvenir mad. Many
+of them insisted on writing their names with pencils on the wings of
+the air craft. Others would have gone further and actually stripped
+the aëroplanes of odd parts had they not been held back.
+
+"This is the last time we'll land in a town of this size," declared Roy
+indignantly, as he helped the constables shove back an obstreperous
+individual who insisted on examining the motor of the _Dart_.
+
+With the help of the constables a sheltering place for the machines was
+finally found. A livery stable that had gone out of business the week
+before was located across the street from the small park in which they
+had alighted. The owner of the property happened to be in the crowd and
+a bargain with him was soon struck. The aëroplanes were then trundled on
+their landing wheels into this shelter and the doors closed. Roy, for a
+small sum, engaged a tall, gangling-looking youth, whose name was Tam
+Tammas, to guard the doors and keep off the inquisitive. This done,
+thoroughly tired out, the boys sought the hotel. Like most towns of its
+size and importance Meadville only boasted one hostelry worthy of the
+name. This place, the Fountain House, as it was called, was a decent
+enough looking hotel and the young aviators were warmly welcomed. After
+supper, for in Meadville nobody "dined," Miss Prescott and the girls
+sauntered out with The Wren to obtain some clothing for the waif who had
+so strangely come into their possession. It was odd, but somehow they
+none of them even suggested giving up the queer little foundling to the
+authorities as had originally been their intention. Instead, although
+none of them actually voiced it, it appeared that tacitly they had
+decided to keep the child with them.
+
+While they were gone on their errand of helpfulness Roy and Jimsy were
+seated on the porch of the hotel watching, with more or less languid
+interest, the inhabitants of the town passing back and forth. Many of
+them lingered in front of the hotel, for aviators were not common
+objects in that part of the country, and already the party had become
+local celebrities.
+
+"I guess we'll go inside," said Roy, at length, "I'm getting sick
+of being looked at as if I was some sort of natural curiosity."
+
+"Same here," rejoined Jimsy, "we'll go in and I'll play you a game
+of checkers."
+
+"You're on," was the response.
+
+But as the boys rose to go, or rather the instant before they left their
+seats, there came a heavy step behind Roy and a gruff voice snarled:
+
+"What are you doing in that chair?"
+
+"Sitting in it," responded Roy, in not too pleasant a voice. The tone in
+which he had been addressed had aroused a hot resentment in him toward
+the speaker.
+
+Turning he saw the same red-faced man whom he had been unfortunate
+enough to knock down.
+
+Instantly his manner changed. He felt genuinely sorry for the accident
+and hastened to explain that such was the case. But a glowering glance
+was the only response he received. "You done it a-purpose. Don't tell
+me," snarled the red-faced individual, "an' now you git right out uv
+that chair or--or I'll make you!"
+
+Both boys stared at the man in amazement. His tone was coarse and
+bullying to a degree.
+
+"We are not occupying these chairs to your inconvenience," declared
+Roy stoutly, "there are lots of others."
+
+He indicated several rockers placed at intervals along the hotel porch,
+and all empty.
+
+"That chair you're sitting in is mine," snapped the man, in response.
+
+"Got a mortgage on it, eh?" smiled Jimsy amiably.
+
+"I'll show you kids how much of a mortgage I've got on it," was the
+reply.
+
+It was just then that a lad of about Roy's own age, but with a surly,
+hang-dog sort of look, emerged from the smoking-room of the hotel.
+
+"What's up, father?" he demanded, addressing the red-faced man.
+
+"Why, Dan, the kids have appropriated my chair."
+
+"Oh, those flying kids. Well, they'll see that they ain't everything
+around here," responded the lad; "I reckon Jim Cassell has some say
+here, eh, dad?"
+
+"I reckon so, son," grinned the red-faced man, in response to this
+elegant speech; "now, then, are you going to give up that chair or not?"
+
+"I was just leaving it when you came out," rejoined Roy, who, by this
+time, was fairly boiling over. "Under the present conditions, however,
+I think I shall continue to occupy it."
+
+"You will, eh?" snarled out Dan Cassell, "then I'll show you how to
+vacate it--so!"
+
+With the words he laid hands on the back of the chair and jerked it from
+under the young aviator. Roy, caught entirely off his guard, was flung
+to the floor of the porch. He was up in a flash, but as he rose to his
+feet Dan Cassell, evidently excited by what he deemed a great triumph,
+aimed a savage blow at him.
+
+Jimsy was rushing to his assistance but the red-faced man suddenly
+blocked his path.
+
+"Hold off, son! hold off!" he warned, "unless you want to get the
+same dose."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ROY MAKES AN ENEMY.
+
+
+In the meantime Roy had skillfully avoided Dan Cassell's blow, and
+was aggressively on the defensive. He was a lad who did not care for
+fighting, but notwithstanding was a trained boxer. Something of this
+seemed to dawn on Dan Cassell as the boy he sought to pummel dodged
+his attack with such cleverness.
+
+For a moment Dan stood stock-still with doubled up fists and a scowl
+on his not unhandsome, though weak and vicious features. Then, with a
+bellow, he rushed upon Roy, who contented himself by sidestepping the
+furious onslaught.
+
+This appeared to enrage Dan Cassell the more. Either he interpreted it
+as portraying cowardice, or else he deemed that he had his opponent at
+his mercy. At any rate, after an instant's pause he rushed at Roy with
+both fists. It was the young aviator's opportunity.
+
+"Look out!" he warned.
+
+The next instant the pugnacious Dan Cassell found himself upon his back,
+regarding a multitude of constellations.
+
+At almost precisely the same time Jimsy's fist happened to collide with
+the point of the jaw of the fallen battler's father.
+
+"Sorry; but I simply had to, you know," remarked the nonchalant Jimsy,
+as the red-faced man found himself occupying a position not dissimilar
+to that of his son.
+
+Both boys were heartily sorry for what had happened, the more so for
+the reason that at the very instant that both crestfallen bullies were
+scrambling to their feet the hotel door opened and several of the guests
+came out to ascertain the cause of the trouble.
+
+Among them was Jonas Hardcastle, the proprietor of the place.
+
+"What's up? What's the trouble?" he demanded, in dismay, as he viewed
+the scene of the confusion.
+
+"It's those brats of aviators, or whatever they call themselves,"
+bellowed Cassell, who was purple with fury; "they attacked Dan and
+me and assaulted us brutally."
+
+The landlord looked doubtingly at the man. Then he turned to Roy.
+
+"What are the facts?" he asked.
+
+Roy told him unhesitatingly the whole truth. When he had concluded Jonas
+Hardcastle spoke.
+
+"You've been hanging around here too long, Jim Cassell," he said, in a
+voice that quivered with indignation; "now make yourself scarce, both
+you and your son. Don't annoy my guests any more."
+
+Cassell, nursing a spot on his jaw which was rapidly growing a beautiful
+plum color, lurched off without a word. His son followed. It was not
+until he reached the street that he spoke. Then, in a voice that
+trembled from suppressed fury, he hissed out:
+
+"All right for you kids. You think you've played a smart trick on Dan
+and me; but I'll fix you! Just watch!"
+
+Without uttering another syllable he slouched off into the gathering
+darkness, followed by his son, who bestowed a parting scowl on Roy
+and Jimsy.
+
+"I'm sorry that you had a row with them," remarked Jonas Hardcastle,
+as the pair vanished.
+
+"How's that?" inquired Roy. "They forced it on us, and--" "I know. I
+know all about that," was the rejoinder, "but Cassell is quite by way of
+being a politician hereabouts, and he might try to make it uncomfortable
+for you."
+
+"In what way?" demanded Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, many ways. Those fellows have no scruples. To tell you the truth,
+boys, I guess you haven't heard the last of this."
+
+With this he left them, a prey to no very comfortable thoughts.
+
+"I'm half inclined to believe what he said," declared Jimsy.
+
+"In just what way?"
+
+"Why, about the harm this fellow Cassell can do us. In every community
+like this you'll find one local 'Pooh-bah' who runs things pretty much
+as he likes. They have satellites who will do just about as they're
+told."
+
+"You mean--" "That we'd better keep a good lookout on the aëroplanes.
+From my judgment of Cassell I don't think he's got nerve enough to
+attack us directly, but he can wreak his vengeance on our machines if
+we don't watch pretty closely."
+
+"I'm inclined to think you're right. But don't say a word of all this
+to the girls. It might upset them. You and I will decide on a plan of
+action later on. To tell you the truth, I'm not any too sure of our
+newly acquired watchman, Tam Tammas."
+
+"Nor I. We'll wait till the rest get back and then take a stroll down to
+that livery stable. Seems funny, doesn't it, to stable aëroplanes in a
+livery stable?"
+
+"Well, why not? Wasn't Pegasus, the first flying machine on record,
+a horse?"
+
+"Humph; that's so," agreed Jimsy, whose supply of classical knowledge
+was none too plentiful.
+
+It was not long after this that the girls returned. With them came The
+Wren in a neat dress and new shoes, an altogether different looking
+little personage from the waif of the woods whom they had rescued at
+noon.
+
+"Why, Wren," cried Peggy, "you are positively pretty. In a month's time
+we won't know you."
+
+"A month's time?" sighed the child; "am I going to stay with you as long
+as that?"
+
+Miss Prescott caught the wan little figure in her arms.
+
+"Yes, and many months after that," she cried.
+
+Roy and Jimsy exchanged glances.
+
+"Another member of the family," exclaimed Roy; "if we go at this rate
+we'll have acquired an entire set of new sisters by the time we reach
+the Big Smokies."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+JIMSY FALLS ASLEEP.
+
+
+"Anybody been around, Tam?"
+
+Roy asked the question, as later on that evening he and Jimsy dropped
+around to the disused livery stable in accordance with their plan.
+
+Tam shook his head.
+
+"Nobody bane round," he rejoined, and then, after a moment's pause,
+"'cept Yim Cassell and his boy Dan."
+
+"Jim Cassell and his son," echoed Roy, "the very people we don't want
+around here. What did they want?"
+
+"They want know where you bane," rejoined the Norwegian youth.
+
+"Yes; and what did you tell them?"
+
+"I bane tell them I skall not know," responded Tam.
+
+"And then?"
+
+"They bane ask me if ay have key by door."
+
+"Oh, they did, eh? What did you say?"
+
+"I say I bane not have key."
+
+"Then what did they do?"
+
+"They bane go 'way."
+
+"Didn't say anything else?"
+
+"No, they must go."
+
+"Said nothing about coming back?"
+
+"No."
+
+"All right, Tarn, you can go home now. Here's your money."
+
+"You bane want me no more?"
+
+"No; we'll watch here ourselves to-night. Good night."
+
+"Good night," rejoined Tam, pocketing his money and shuffling off down
+the street.
+
+He had hardly gone two blocks when from the shadow of an elm-shaded yard
+the figure of Dan Cassell slipped out and intercepted him.
+
+"So you've been fired, eh?"
+
+He shot the question at the simple-minded Norwegian lad with vicious
+emphasis.
+
+"No, I no bane fired; they bane tell me no want me more."
+
+"Well, isn't that being fired? Moreover, I can tell you that they've
+hired another fellow in your place."
+
+The Norwegian youth's light blue eyes lit up with indignant fire. Like
+most of his race he was keenly sensitive once aroused, and while he was
+quite agreeable to being dropped from his temporary job, he hated to
+think of being supplanted in it. Crafty Dan Cassell was playing his
+cards well, for a purpose that will be seen ere long.
+
+"So they bane fire me," ejaculated Tam.
+
+"That's the size of it. I guess you feel pretty sore, Tam, don't you?"
+
+"No, they bane pay me wale; but I no like being fired."
+
+"I should think not. The idea of a man like you being dropped. What
+did they tell you when they let you go?"
+
+"That they bane watch place themselves."
+
+Dan Cassell smiled. His crafty methods had elicited something of real
+value after all.
+
+"Did they say they were going to watch all night?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," rejoined the Norwegian, "they ask about you, too."
+
+"Humph! What did they want to know?"
+
+"If you'd been round by stable and what I bane tale you."
+
+"What did you say?"
+
+"I tale them the truth. I say that you and your father bane by stable
+this evening."
+
+Dan's face darkened.
+
+"You had no business to tell them anything," he snarled. Then, with a
+sudden change of front: "See here, Tam, do you want to make some money?"
+
+"Sure, I bane like make money."
+
+"Then come into the house a minute. Dad and I want to talk to you."
+
+So saying Dan took the Norwegian by the arm and led him in through a
+gate in a whitewashed picket fence. Beyond the fence was a fairly
+prosperous looking house, on the piazza of which lounged Jim Cassell
+smoking a cigar.
+
+"Well, Tam," he said, "lost your job?"
+
+The Norwegian replied in the affirmative.
+
+"Well, never mind, I've got another for you," replied Jim Cassell,
+in what was for him an unwontedly amiable tone; "can you go to work
+at once?"
+
+"Ay bane work any time skol be," spoke the Norwegian, and a puzzled
+expression flitted over his face as both Cassells broke into what was
+to him an inexplicable fit of laughter at his words.
+
+In the meantime the boys had telephoned to the hotel that work on the
+aëroplanes would detain them till late. They did not wish to inform the
+girls that they were undertaking a night watch, as that would have led
+to all sorts of questions, and if their fears proved ungrounded they
+felt pretty sure of coming in for a lot of "joshing."
+
+They agreed to divide the night into two parts, Jimsy watching till
+midnight and then awakening Roy who would take up the vigil till dawn.
+This arrangement having been made they secured a light lantern from
+an adjacent hardware store and, entering the deserted livery stable,
+prepared to carry out their plans. With the canvas covers of the
+aëroplanes Roy managed to fix up quite a comfortable bed on a pile
+of hay left in a sort of loft over the abandoned stable.
+
+As for Jimsy, he made himself as comfortable as possible in the chassis
+of the _Golden Butterfly_, the seats of which were padded as luxuriously
+as those of a touring car. He had a book dealing with aeronautic
+subjects with him, and, drawing the lantern close to the aëroplane,
+he buried himself in the volume.
+
+In the meantime Roy had rolled himself up in his canvas coverings and
+was sound asleep. For a long time Jimsy read on. At first frequent
+footsteps passed the door of the stable, but as it grew later these
+ceased. Folks went to bed early in Meadville. Long before midnight
+there was not a sound on the streets.
+
+Jimsy read doggedly on. But he was painfully conscious of an almost
+irresistible desire to lie back and doze off, if only for a few seconds.
+The exciting events of the day had tired him out, nor was the book he
+was reading one calculated to keep his wits stirring. It was a technical
+work of abstruse character.
+
+Jimsy's head began to nod. With a sharp effort he aroused himself only
+to catch himself dozing off once more.
+
+"See here, Jim Bancroft, this won't do," he sharply admonished himself,
+"you're on duty, understand? On duty! Wake up and keep your eyes open."
+
+But try as he would tired Nature finally asserted herself. Jimsy's head
+fell forward, his eyes closed for good and he snored in right good
+earnest. He was sound asleep.
+
+It was about half an hour after he dozed off that a window in the rear
+of the stable framed a face. A crafty, eager face it was, as the yellow
+light of the lantern revealed its outlines. Dan Cassell, for it was he,
+gazed sharply about him. He swiftly took in the posture of the sleeping
+boy and a smile spread over his countenance.
+
+Dropping from the ladder he had raised outside, he joined two figures
+waiting for him in the shadow of the livery barn.
+
+"It's too easy," he chuckled, "only one kid there and he's sound asleep.
+Got everything ready?"
+
+"Dey all bane ready, Maister Cassell," rejoined the slow, drawling voice
+of the Norwegian Tam.
+
+"Now don't botch the job," warned the elder Cassell, who was the third
+member of the party; "remember it means a lot of trouble for us if
+we're caught."
+
+"No danger of that, dad. Come on, I'll go first and you and Tam follow."
+
+"Is the window open?"
+
+"No, but it slides back. It's an easy drop to the floor from it."
+
+"All right, go ahead. I'll be glad when the job's over. I'm almost
+inclined to drop out of it."
+
+"And let those kids get away with what they did? Not much, dad. We'll
+give them a lesson they won't forget in a hurry. Come on."
+
+He began climbing the ladder. Behind him came his worthy parent, and
+Tam formed the last member of the now silent procession. The Norwegian
+carried a bulky package of some kind, the contents of which it would
+have been impossible to guess save that it gave out a metallic sound
+as Tam moved with it.
+
+Dan Cassell reached the window, slid it noiselessly back in its grooves
+and then, crawling through, dropped lightly to the floor within. He was
+followed by his father and Tam.
+
+But Jimsy slept on. Slept heavily and dreamlessly, while deadly peril
+crept upon him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PEGGY'S INTUITION.
+
+
+The movements of the invaders of the stable, which now housed the
+"winged steeds" of the young aviators, were mysterious in the extreme.
+The Norwegian carried a tin can containing some sort of liquid which
+he was ordered to pour about the floor in the neighborhood of the
+aëroplanes. This done, Dan Cassell collected several scraps of litter
+and made quite a pile of it.
+
+"All ready now, I guess," he said, with what was meant as an attempt
+at a grin. But his lips were pale, and his forced jollity was a dismal
+failure. As for his father, he made no attempt to conceal his agitation.
+
+"Dan, they may be burned alive," he faltered; "better call it all off."
+
+"Not when we've gone as far as this with it," was the rejoinder; "give
+me a match."
+
+"Dan!"
+
+"It's all right, dad. They'll wake in time."
+
+"But if not?"
+
+"Then they'll have to take their medicine."
+
+With fingers that trembled as if their owner was palsied, Jim Cassell
+handed his son some matches. The latter took one, bent low over the pile
+he had collected and struck the lucifer.
+
+A yellow sputter of flame followed, and the next instant he was holding
+it to the pile of litter which had been previously soaked by the
+contents of the Norwegian's can.
+
+But before he could accomplish his purpose and set fire to the pile of
+odds and ends saturated to double inflammability by the kerosene the
+Norwegian had carried, there came a startling interruption.
+
+There was a knock at the door and a girlish voice cried:
+
+"Roy! Roy, let me in!"
+
+"Furies!" exclaimed Dan Cassell under his breath. "It's one of those
+girls."
+
+"Come on. Let's get away quick!" exclaimed his father, trembling from
+nervous agitation.
+
+"Not before I set a match to this," exclaimed Dan Cassell viciously.
+
+He touched the match to the pile and the flames leaped up.
+
+"Now for our getaway," he cried, and the three fire-bugs ran for the
+window by which they had made their entrance.
+
+In the meantime a perfect fusillade of blows had been showered on the
+door outside. Jimsy awoke just as the last of the three midnight
+intruders vanished through the window. His first instinct was a hot
+flush of shame over the feeling that he had betrayed his trust.
+
+Then to his ears came the voice that had alarmed the Cassells and
+their tool.
+
+"Roy! Jimsy! Are you there?"
+
+"It's Peggy!" gasped Jimsy.
+
+"And Jess," he added the next instant, and simultaneously there came the
+pounding of a stick on the door.
+
+"This is an officer of the law. Open up at once."
+
+Jimsy, dazed by his sleep, had not till then noticed the blazing pile of
+litter. Now he did so with a quick cry of horror. The stuff was blazing
+up fiercely. Already there was an acrid reek in the air.
+
+"The place is on fire!" he shouted.
+
+The next moment there came a violent assault on the door and the crazy
+lock parted from its rotten fastenings as a man attired in a police
+officer's uniform burst into the place. Behind him came two wide-eyed
+frightened girls. The leaping flames lit up their faces vividly.
+
+"It's fire sure enough!" cried the police officer.
+
+"Great Scot, what's happening?"
+
+It was Roy who shouted the question. He was peering down from the loft
+where he had been sleeping. The uproar had awakened him and in a jiffy
+he was among them.
+
+"Quick! the fire extinguishers!" he cried, and Jimsy, readily
+understanding, secured the flame-killing apparatus from the biplane and
+from the _Red Dragon_.
+
+He and Roy, aided by the officer, fought the flames vigorously, and,
+luckily, were able to subdue them, though if it had not been for the as
+yet unexplained arrival of Peggy and Jess it is doubtful if they could
+have coped with the blaze. When it was all out Peggy rushed into
+explanations.
+
+"Something warned me that you were in danger," she exclaimed, "and
+I woke up Jess and we found this officer and came down here."
+
+"What gift of second sight have you?" demanded Roy, gazing at the
+smoking, blackened pile that had threatened the destruction of the
+inflammable premises.
+
+"I don't know. Womanly intuition, perhaps. Oh, Roy!"
+
+The girl burst into a half-hysterical sob and threw her arms about her
+brother's neck.
+
+"You arrived in the nick of time, sis," he said, gently disengaging
+himself from her clasp, "a little more and--"
+
+He did not finish the sentence. There was no need for him to.
+
+"Begorry, the ould place 'ud hev bin a pile of cinders in an hour's
+time," declared the policeman.
+
+It was Jess's turn to give an hysterical little sob.
+
+Roy turned to Jimsy.
+
+"Did you see anything? The place is reeking with kerosene. It was a plot
+to destroy the aëroplanes and perhaps ourselves."
+
+"I--I--"
+
+Jimsy stammered. The words seemed to choke up in his throat. How was
+he to confess that he had failed in his trust--had slept while danger
+threatened?
+
+"Well?"
+
+Roy waited, plainly surprised. It was not like Jimsy to hesitate and
+stammer in this way.
+
+At last it came out with a rush.
+
+"I--I--you'll never forgive me, any of you--I was asleep."
+
+"Asleep! Oh, Jimsy!"
+
+There was a world of reproach in Jess's voice. But Peggy interrupted
+her.
+
+"How was it, Jimsy?" she asked softly.
+
+"I don't know. I give you my word I don't know."
+
+Jimsy's voice held a world of self-reproach.
+
+"I was reading," he went on, hurrying over the words as if anxious
+to get his confession over with, "that book of Grotz's on monoplane
+navigation. I felt sleepy and--and the next thing I knew I woke up
+to hear you pounding on the door and shouting."
+
+"A good thing the young ladies found me," put in the policeman; "shure
+I was after laughing at them at first, but then, begorry, I decided to
+come along with them. It's glad I am that I did."
+
+"Who can have done this?" asked Roy, who had not a word of reproach for
+his chum, although Jimsy had failed dismally in a position of trust.
+
+"Begorry, they might have burned you alive!" cried the policeman
+indignantly.
+
+"No question about that," rejoined Roy; "it was a diabolical plot. Who
+could have attempted such a thing?"
+
+"Wait till I call up and have detectives sent down here," said Officer
+McCarthy. "I'm after thinking this is too deep for us to solve."
+
+Nevertheless, each of that little group but the policeman had his or her
+own idea on the matter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A MEAN REVENGE!
+
+
+The result of the telephone call was a request to call at the Police
+Headquarters of the little town and give a detailed account of the
+affair.
+
+"Gracious! I should think that the only way to get a clue would be
+to send a detective down here," exclaimed Peggy, on receipt of this
+information.
+
+"We have our own ways of doing them things, miss," rejoined the
+policeman with dignity.
+
+Then there being nothing for it but to obey instructions of the
+authorities, they all set out for the police station. They were half
+way there when Jimsy recollected that they had left the aëroplanes
+unguarded.
+
+"'Twill make no difference at all at all," declared the policeman;
+"shure it's too late for anyone to be about."
+
+"It wasn't too late for them to set that fire though," rejoined Roy
+in a low voice.
+
+At police headquarters they were received by two sleepy-looking
+officials who questioned them at length and said they would be at
+the stable in the morning to hunt for clews.
+
+"Why not go after them now, while the trail is hot?" inquired Jimsy.
+
+"We have our own ways of doing these things, young man," was the reply,
+delivered with ponderous dignity.
+
+"Well, we might as well go to bed and get a few hours' sleep anyhow,"
+suggested Roy; "I can hardly keep my eyes open. How about you, Jimsy?"
+
+"I--I--I've had some sleep already you know," rejoined Jimsy, reddening.
+
+Thoroughly tired out from their long day and excitement, the party slept
+till late the next day. The first thing after breakfast plans for the
+continuance of the trip were discussed, and the day's program mapped
+out. This done, the girls and boys set out for the stable to look over
+the machines.
+
+They found a pompous-looking policeman on guard in front of the place,
+ostentatiously pacing up and down. On identifying themselves they were
+at once admitted however. The man explained that he had only been on
+guard for an hour or two, and that during that time nothing worthy of
+mention had occurred.
+
+While Jimsy was talking to him Roy and the others entered the stable. An
+instant later Roy, too excited to talk, came rushing out of the dis-used
+livery barn.
+
+"What's up now, Roy?" demanded Jimsy, gazing at his chum, who for his
+part appeared to be too excited to get his words out.
+
+"There's only three!" gasped Roy.
+
+"Three what?" cried Jimsy.
+
+"Three aëroplanes," returned Roy.
+
+"Rubbish, you haven't got your eyes open yet."
+
+"I'm right, I tell you; come in and count them if you don't believe me."
+
+"Roy is right," cried Peggy, running up to the group; "the _Golden
+Butterfly_ has been stolen!"
+
+"Stolen!" interjected Jimsy.
+
+"That's right!" cried Jess; "those stupid police people left the barn
+unguarded. Whoever tried to set it on fire must have returned and stolen
+the _Butterfly_."
+
+They regarded each other blankly. Was this Sky Cruise that they had
+looked forward to with such eager anticipation to be nothing but a
+series of mishaps?
+
+"It's awful!" gasped Peggy; "nothing but trouble since we started out."
+
+"D'ye think it was stolen?" asked the policeman with startling
+intelligence.
+
+"Well, it didn't fly of its own accord," was Peggy's rejoinder,
+delivered with blighting sarcasm.
+
+The patrolman subsided.
+
+"Maybe we can find it yet," suggested Jess.
+
+"I'd like to know how," put in Jimsy disgustedly.
+
+"Perhaps we can trace it. It must have been wheeled away."
+
+"Ginger! That's so," cried Roy, snapping his fingers; "it would leave an
+odd track too, wouldn't it?"
+
+"Well there's no harm in trying to trace it," admitted Jimsy, who
+appeared rather skeptical.
+
+"Come on, then; get busy," urged Roy eagerly.
+
+The next instant there came a cry from Peggy.
+
+"I've struck the trail!" she cried.
+
+"Where?"
+
+The word came in chorus.
+
+"Here! Look; you know the _Butterfly_ had peculiar kind of tires. See,
+it was wheeled up the street in that direction."
+
+She pointed to where the village main thoroughfare ended in a country
+road.
+
+"I'm not after takin' much stock in that," remarked the policeman.
+
+"We won't bother you," rejoined Roy rather heatedly; "I guess we won't
+wait till your local Sherlock Holmes gets on the trail, we'll follow
+it ourselves."
+
+"But who'll go?"
+
+The question came from Jimsy.
+
+"We can't all go, that's certain," exclaimed Bess.
+
+"Tell you what we'll do, we'll count out," declared Jess, her eyes
+dancing.
+
+"A good idea," hailed the others.
+
+"Roy, you start it; but remember, not more than three can go."
+
+"Why?" inquired Peggy point blank.
+
+"Because we'll have to take the car, and someone must be left to look
+after Aunt Sally and the aëroplanes," spoke Roy, falling in with Jimsy's
+plans.
+
+"Well, come on and count out," urged Jess.
+
+"Yes, that's it. Let's see who will be it," cried the others.
+
+"Very well, if I can remember the rhyme," responded Roy. "How does it go
+anyway?"
+
+"Inte, minte," suggested Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, yes! That's it," responded Roy. "I've got it now. Inte, minte, cute
+corn, apple seeds and briar thorn, briar thorn and limber lock, three
+geese in a flock, one flew east and one flew west, one flew into a
+cuckoo's nest, O-U-T out, with a ragged dish clout, out!" ending with
+Bess.
+
+"Sorry for you, Bess!" cried the lad, "but you're the first victim to be
+offered up."
+
+"Oh, well, it's too hot to go chasing all over dusty country roads,"
+declared Bess bravely, although she would dearly have loved to go on
+the adventurous search for the missing aëroplane.
+
+One after another they were counted out till only Roy, Peggy and Jimsy
+remained.
+
+"Hurry up and let's get off," urged Jimsy as the "elimination trials,"
+as they might be termed, were concluded.
+
+"Very well. We'll get the car--it's in the garage at the hotel--and
+incidentally, we might get a lunch put up also. It may be a long chase."
+
+The officer regarded them with frank amazement.
+
+"My! but you city folks rush things," he exclaimed.
+
+"I suppose they'll get busy on this case day after to-morrow," exclaimed
+Roy disgustedly, as they hastened away.
+
+It was half an hour later that the big touring car, with Roy at the
+wheel, rolled out of the hotel yard. Jake had been told off to guard
+the livery stable and the aëroplanes while the rest remained with Miss
+Prescott, who was seriously agitated at the accumulation of troubles her
+party had met with since setting out.
+
+"I declare," she said, "I wish I was back at home where I could get
+a decent cup of tea and be free of worries."
+
+The trail of the aëroplane was not difficult to follow. It led down the
+village main street and thence along a country road till it came to a
+sort of cross roads. Here it branched off and followed a by-road for a
+mile or so. At a gate in a hedge all signs failed however, although it
+was plain that the machine had been wheeled through the gap and taken
+across a field.
+
+Beyond this field lay what appeared to be a wilderness of woods and
+bushes.
+
+"Stumped!" exclaimed Roy, as he brought the auto to a stop.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FINDING OF THE "BUTTERFLY."
+
+
+"Well, what next?" asked Jimsy.
+
+"Make a search of those woods, I suppose," replied Roy; "there's nothing
+else to do."
+
+"No, the trail has brought us here," replied Peggy energetically;
+"we must make a determined effort to find the _Butterfly_."
+
+"Maybe they've damaged it so that we won't be able to do anything with
+it when we do get it," spoke Jimsy presently.
+
+"Whom do you mean by they?" asked Roy.
+
+"As if you didn't know. Is there any doubt in your mind that that fellow
+Cassell is at the bottom of all this?"
+
+"Not very much, I'll admit," replied Roy; "I wonder if that accounts for
+the inactivity of the police."
+
+"In just what way?"
+
+"Well, the fellow's a local politician and has a lot of 'pull'."
+
+"He _must_ have, to get away with anything like this," was Jimsy's
+indignant outburst.
+
+"Well, don't let us waste time speculating," put in Peggy, in her brisk
+manner; "the thing to do now is to get back the _Golden Butterfly_."
+
+"You're right, Peg," came from both boys.
+
+By this time they were out of the car, which they left standing at the
+roadside while they examined the vicinity for tracks. But the grass in
+the field was fairly long and no traces remained. Yet, inasmuch as the
+tracks of the _Butterfly_ ended at the gap in the hedge, it was manifest
+that that was the point at which it had been wheeled off the road.
+
+"What next?" asked Jimsy, as it became certain that there was little use
+in searching for a trail in the meadow.
+
+"It's like looking for a needle in that proverbial haystack," struck
+in Peggy.
+
+"In my opinion we need the patience of Job and the years of old
+Methuselah," opined Jimsy.
+
+Roy alone was not discouraged.
+
+"It can't be so very far off," he urged; "it stands to reason that they
+can't have come much further than this since midnight, supposing the
+machine to have been stolen about that hour."
+
+The others agreed with him.
+
+"We'll search all around here, including those woods," declared Peggy.
+
+"Well, they can't have taken it very far into the woods," declared
+Jimsy; "the spread of its wings would prevent that."
+
+"That's so," agreed Roy; "I think we are getting pretty 'warm' right
+now."
+
+"All I am afraid of is that they may have damaged it," breathed Peggy
+anxiously.
+
+"It would be in line with their other tactics," agreed Roy; "men who
+would try to burn down a stable with two boys in it, just to obtain
+revenge for a fancied insult or injury, are capable of anything."
+
+Without further waste of time they crossed the meadow and came to the
+edge of the wood. At the outskirts of the woods the trees grew thinly
+and it was plain that it would have been possible to wheel an aëroplane
+into their shadow, despite the breadth of its wing-spread.
+
+They passed under the outlying trees and presently emerged into a small,
+open space, in the midst of which was a hut. Just beyond this hut was a
+sight that caused them to shout aloud with joy. There, apparently
+unharmed, stood the missing aëroplane.
+
+"Hurray!" shouted Roy, dashing forward.
+
+The others were close on his heels. In their excitement they paid little
+or no attention to the surroundings. It might have been better for them
+had they done so. As they dashed across the clearing two male figures
+slipped off among the thicker trees that lay beyond the open space and
+the hut.
+
+A brief examination showed them that the aëroplane was undamaged. There
+were a few scratches on it, but beyond that it appeared in perfect
+condition.
+
+"We'll fly back," declared Jimsy to Peggy; "Roy can run the auto home."
+
+"That's agreeable to me," responded Roy; "but suppose we examine the
+vicinity first. We might get a clew as to the rascals who are
+responsible for this."
+
+"That's true," agreed Jimsy.
+
+"Then suppose we start with the hut first."
+
+They accepted this proposition eagerly. The hut was a substantial
+looking building with a padlock on the door. But the portal stood wide
+open, the padlock hanging in a hasp.
+
+"What if anyone pounces on us?" asked Peggy in rather a scared tone.
+
+"No fear of that," replied Roy, "the place is plainly unoccupied."
+
+They entered the hut and found it to be as primitive inside as its
+exterior would indicate. A table and two rude chairs stood within.
+These, with the exception of a rusty cook stove in one corner, formed
+the sole furnishings. There was not even a window in the place.
+
+"Nothing much to be found here," declared Roy after a cursory
+examination; "I guess this shack was put up by lumbermen or hunters.
+It doesn't seem to have been occupied for a long time."
+
+"I guess the men who took the aëroplane must have been pretty familiar
+with the place though," opined Jimsy.
+
+"No doubt of that," replied Roy, "but that doesn't give us any clew to
+their identity beyond bare suspicions."
+
+"Yes, and suspicions aren't much good in law," chimed in Peggy,
+"they--Good gracious!"
+
+The door closed suddenly with a bang. Before Jimsy could spring across
+the room to open it there came a sharp click.
+
+"Somebody's padlocked it on the outside!" he cried.
+
+"And we're prisoners!" gasped Peggy.
+
+"Yes, and without any chance of getting out, either," declared Jimsy;
+"there's not even a window in the place."
+
+"Well this is worse and more of it," cried Roy. "Who can have done
+that?"
+
+"The same people that stole the _Golden Butterfly,"_ declared Peggy.
+"Hark!"
+
+Outside they heard rapidly retreating footsteps, followed by a harsh
+laugh.
+
+"Let us out!" shouted Roy.
+
+"You can stay there till judgment day, for all I care," came back a
+hoarse, rasping voice; "you kids were too fresh, and now you're getting
+what's coming to you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PRISONERS IN THE HUT.
+
+
+It was almost pitch dark within the hut. Only from a crack under the
+door could any light enter. For an instant after the taunting of the
+voices of the men who had locked them in reached their ears, the trio
+of youthful prisoners remained silent.
+
+Peggy it was who spoke first.
+
+"Well, what's to be done now?" she demanded.
+
+"We've got to get out of here," responded Jimsy, with embarrassing
+candor.
+
+"That's plain enough," struck in Roy; "but how do you propose to do it?"
+
+"I don't know; let's look about. Maybe there's a chimney or something."
+
+"There's no opening larger than that one where the stove pipe goes
+through. I've noticed that already," responded Roy.
+
+"Phew! This _is_ a fix for fair."
+
+"I should say so; but kicking about it won't help us at all. Let's make
+a thorough investigation."
+
+In the darkness they groped about, but could discover nothing that
+appeared to hold out a promise of escape. The two boys shook the door
+violently; but it was firm on its hinges.
+
+Next Roy proposed to cut a way through it with his pocket knife.
+
+"We'd be starved to death by the time you cut through that stuff,"
+declared Jimsy.
+
+In proof of this he kicked the door, and the resulting sound showed that
+it was built of solid wood without any thin panels which might be cut
+through.
+
+"What next?"
+
+Peggy asked the question as the two perspiring lads stood perplexed
+without speaking or moving.
+
+"Jiggered if I know," spoke Jimsy; "can't you or Roy think of anything?"
+
+"We might try to batter the door down with that table," suggested Roy.
+
+"It's worth trying. We've got to get out of here somehow."
+
+The two boys picked up the heavy, roughly made table and commenced a
+violent assault on the door. But although they dented it heavily, and
+sent some splinters flying, the portal held its own. At length they
+desisted from pure weariness. The situation looked hopeless.
+
+"It looks pretty bad," spoke Jimsy.
+
+"It does indeed," agreed Roy. "Peggy, I wish we hadn't brought you
+along."
+
+"And why, pray, Roy Prescott?"
+
+"Oh, because--because, well, this isn't the sort of thing for a girl."
+
+"Well, I guess if my brother can stand it I can," rejoined the girl,
+pluckily and in a firm voice.
+
+"Well, there's no use minimizing the fix we're in," declared Roy. "This
+is a lonesome bit of country. It may be a week before anyone will come
+around. We've just got to get out, that's all there is to it."
+
+"I wish you'd solve the problem then," sighed Jimsy; "it's too much
+for me."
+
+"I'll make another search of the premises, maybe we can stumble across
+something that may aid us. At any rate, it will give us something to do
+and keep our minds off the predicament we are in."
+
+Roy struck a match, of which he had a plentiful supply in his pockets.
+As the yellow flame sputtered up in the semi-gloom it showed every
+corner of the small hut. But it did not reveal anything that promised
+a chance to gain their liberty.
+
+All at once, just as the light was sputtering out, Peggy gave a cry.
+Her eye had been caught by a glistening metal object in one corner of
+the hut.
+
+"What is it?" asked Roy.
+
+"A gun--a shot-gun standing in that corner over there."
+
+"Huh!" sniffed Jimsy, "a lot of good that does us."
+
+"On the contrary," declared Peggy stoutly, "if it's loaded it may serve
+to get us free."
+
+"I'm from Missouri," declared Jimsy enigmatically.
+
+"What's your idea, sis?" asked Roy, who knew that Peggy's ideas were
+usually worth following up.
+
+"I remember reading only a short time ago of a man trapped much as we
+are who escaped by blowing off the lock of his prison with a gun he
+carried," replied Peggy; "maybe it would work in our case."
+
+"Maybe it would if--" rejoined Roy.
+
+"If what?"
+
+"If the gun was loaded, which is most unlikely."
+
+"Well, try it and see," urged Peggy.
+
+"Yes, do," echoed Jimsy; "Peggy's plan sounds like a good idea. Maybe
+some hunter left it here and the shells are still in it."
+
+"No harm in finding out anyway," declared Roy.
+
+He struck another match and picked up the gun. It was an antique looking
+weapon badly-rusted. But on opening the breech he uttered a cry of joy.
+
+"Good luck!" he exclaimed, "two shells,--one in each barrel."
+
+"Well, put it to the test," urged Jimsy.
+
+"All right. If this fails, though, I don't know what we'll do."
+
+"Don't worry about that now. Try it."
+
+"I'm going to. Don't get peevish."
+
+Roy crossed the room to the door. Raising the gun to his shoulder he
+placed the muzzle about opposite to where he thought the padlock must
+be located.
+
+"Look out for a big noise, sis," he warned.
+
+Peggy gave a little scream and raised her hands to her ears. She
+disliked firearms.
+
+"Ready?" sang out Jimsy.
+
+"All ready," came the reply.
+
+"Then fire!"
+
+Simultaneously with Jimsy's order came a deafening report. In that
+confined space it sounded as if a huge cannon had been fired. Roy
+staggered back under the "kick" of the heavy charge.
+
+"Once more," he announced.
+
+Again a sonorous report sounded, but this time a section of the door was
+blown right out of the framework. The daylight streamed in through it.
+
+"Now then for the test," cried Roy. "Come on, Jimsy."
+
+The two boys placed their shoulders to the door. With a suddenness that
+was startling, it burst open, and they faced freedom. The lock had been
+fairly driven from its hold by the twice repeated charge of shot.
+
+The young aviators were free once more. But it remained to be seen if
+the men who wished them harm had wrought their vengeance on the _Golden
+Butterfly_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+WHAT'S TO BE DONE WITH THE WREN?
+
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_, as an examination proved, had not been damaged
+during their imprisonment in the hut. Evidently, the men who had slammed
+the door and padlocked it had made off at top speed as soon as they had
+completed what they hoped would be a source of sore trouble to the young
+aviators.
+
+"And now we'll fly back as agreed," declared Peggy merrily.
+
+Her spirits, almost down to zero in the hut, had recovered themselves
+marvellously in the fresh open air. She was radiant.
+
+"I declare that the stay in the hut has done you good," declared Jimsy,
+looking at her admiringly.
+
+"Maybe it has--by contrast," returned Peggy.
+
+"Like a sea trip," put in Roy. "I've heard that people who suffer from
+sea sickness are so much relieved when they get ashore that they imagine
+their good spirits are due to a change in their condition."
+
+"Well, that applies to me," returned Peggy; "I didn't think we'd get out
+of that hut so easily. How do you suppose that gun came to be there?"
+
+"The hunters who use the hut must have left it there," rejoined Roy;
+"I wonder if they'll ever know how useful it was to us."
+
+"More likely they'll be mad when they find that the lock is blown off
+the door," laughed Jimsy.
+
+"Well, so-long, folks, I'm going to start back in the auto," declared
+Roy.
+
+"We'll beat you into town," challenged Jimsy.
+
+"More than likely, if the _Golden Butterfly_ is doing her best," was
+the rejoinder.
+
+Ten minutes later the two machines were racing back to Meadville at
+almost top speed. Of course the speedy _Golden Butterfly_ won, but then
+a vehicle of the air does not have to contend with the obstacles that a
+land conveyance does.
+
+They found Miss Prescott almost on the verge of hysterics. A garbled
+version of the events of the night had been brought to her and this,
+coupled with the long absence of the three young folks, had made her
+extremely nervous.
+
+"I declare, it seems as if you just can't keep out of trouble," she
+said.
+
+"Well, it actually does seem so, I admit," confessed Peggy; "but we
+promise to be very good for the rest of the trip."
+
+"And never trouble trouble till trouble troubles us," chanted Jimsy
+airily.
+
+"That's all very well, but you keep me continually in suspense as to
+what you'll do next," almost wailed Miss Prescott. "We set out for a
+quiet trip and encounter nothing but troubles--"
+
+"Adventures, Aunt Sally," laughingly corrected Roy; "what is life
+without adventures?"
+
+"Well, I'm sure I don't know what young people are coming to," sighed
+Miss Prescott with resignation. "There's another thing, what are we to
+do with this little Wren?"
+
+"We can't leave her here, that's certain," declared Peggy with
+vehemence.
+
+"No, indeed," echoed Jess and Bess, who were of the council.
+
+"Then what are we to do with her?"
+
+"Just tote her along, I suppose," rejoined Peggy; "poor little thing,
+she doesn't take up much room; besides, Jess thinks she's an heiress."
+
+They all laughed.
+
+"You must have had an overdose of Laura Jean Libby," declared Roy.
+
+"Roy Prescott, you behave yourself," cried Jess, flushing up; "besides,
+she has a strawberry mark on her left arm."
+
+"My gracious, then she surely is a missing heiress," exclaimed Jimsy
+teasingly; "all well-regulated missing heiresses have strawberry marks
+and almost always on their left arm."
+
+It was at this juncture that a knock came at the door. A bell boy stood
+outside.
+
+"A gentleman to see you, sir," he said, handing Roy a card.
+
+On it was printed: "Mr. James Kennedy, Detective, Meadville Police
+Station."
+
+"Goodness, a real detective!" exclaimed Jess excitedly; "let's see him."
+
+"You won't be much impressed I'm afraid," rejoined Roy with a smile
+at his recollection of the Meadville sleuths.
+
+"Why, doesn't he wear glasses, have a hawk-like nose and smoke a pipe?"
+inquired Bess.
+
+"And hunt up missing heiresses?" teasingly struck in Jimsy.
+
+"No, he's a very different sort of person. But hush! he's coming now."
+
+A heavy tread sounded in the hall and Mr. James Kennedy, Detective of
+the Meadville Police Force, stood before them. As Jimsy had said, he was
+not impressive as to outward appearance, although his fat, heavy face,
+and rather vacant eyes, might have concealed a giant intellect.
+
+"I've investigated the case of the attempted burning of the stable last
+night," he began.
+
+"Yes," exclaimed Roy eagerly. "Have you any suspicions as to who did
+it?"
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+"As yet we have no clews," he declared, "and I don't think we'll get
+any."
+
+"That's too bad," replied Roy, "but let me tell you something that may
+help you."
+
+The lad launched into a description of their adventures of the morning.
+
+"That hut belongs to Luke Higgins, a respectable man who is out West at
+present," said the detective when Roy had finished. "He uses it as a
+sort of hunting box in the rabbit shooting season. He couldn't have had
+anything to do with it."
+
+"I'd like to know his address so that I could write and thank him for
+leaving that gun there," declared Peggy warmly.
+
+The detective shook his head solemnly.
+
+"I reckon you young folks had better stop skee-daddling round the
+country this way," he said with heavy conviction; "you'll only get into
+more trouble. Flying ain't natural no more than crowing hens is."
+
+With this he picked up his hat, and, after assuring them that he would
+find a clew within a short time, he departed, leaving behind him a
+company in which amusement mingled with indignation. In fact, so angry
+was Roy over the stupidity or ignorance of the Meadville police, that he
+himself set out on a hunt to detect the authors of the outrages upon the
+young aviators.
+
+The sole result of his inquiry however was to establish the fact that
+both Cassells had left town, closing their house and announcing that
+they would be gone for some time.
+
+As there was nothing further to be gained by remaining in Meadville, the
+entire party, after lunch, set out once more, a big crowd witnessing the
+departure of the aërial tourists.
+
+They flew fast, and as the roads were excellent the auto had no
+difficulty in keeping up with them. On through the afternoon they soared
+along, sometimes swooping low above an alluring bit of scenery and again
+heading their machines skyward in pure exuberance of spirits. Their
+troubles at Meadville forgotten, they flew their machines like sportive
+birds; never had any of them experienced more fully the joy of flight,
+the sense of freedom that comes from traveling untrammeled into the
+ether.
+
+They had passed above a small village and were flying low, those in
+the auto waving to them, when Peggy, in the _Golden Butterfly_, gave
+a sudden exclamation.
+
+"Oh, look," she shouted, "a flock of sheep, and right in the path of
+the auto."
+
+At that moment all of them saw the sheep, a large flock, headed by a
+belligerent looking ram with immense horns. Jake, who was driving the
+car, slowed up as he approached the flock. The woolly herd, huddled
+together helplessly, made no effort to get out of the road. Behind them
+a man and a boy shouted and yelled vigorously, but with no more effect
+than to bunch the animals more squarely in the path of the advancing
+car.
+
+All at once, just as the car was slowed down to almost a walking pace,
+a big ram separated himself from the flock and actually rushed for the
+front seat of the car.
+
+Jake uttered a yell as the woolly creature gave him a hard butt,
+knocking him out of his seat. But this wasn't all.
+
+By some strange freak the animal had landed in the car in a sitting
+posture. Now the young aviators roared with laughter to behold the
+creature seated in Jake's forcibly vacated place. Its hoofs rested on
+the driving wheel.
+
+Forward plunged the car, its queer driver with his feet wedged in the
+spokes of the steering wheel. Aloft the flock of young aviators roared
+with laughter at the sight. It was the oddest experience they had yet
+had--this spectacle of a grave-looking, long-horned ram driving an auto,
+while Jake prudently kept out of reach of those horns. As for Miss
+Prescott and The Wren, they cowered back in the tonneau in keen alarm.
+
+"Oh!" cried Peggy suddenly, "there comes a runabout; that ram will
+surely collide with it!"
+
+A runabout coming in the opposite direction dashed round a corner of the
+country road at this juncture. The driver was a young girl, but she was
+veiled and her features could not be seen under the thick face covering.
+
+Apparently the ram saw the other car coming, for the animal actually
+appeared to make a halfway intelligent effort to steer the car out of
+the road.
+
+For her part the girl in the runabout swerved her car from side to side
+in a struggle to avoid a collision, which appeared inevitable.
+
+"Stop it!" shrieked Bess; "she'll be killed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A RAMBUNCTIOUS RAM.
+
+
+The ram evidently saw the other car coming; it tried to leap out but its
+hoofs were jammed in the spokes of the steering wheel. Before Jake could
+pick himself up from the floor of the front part of the car there came
+a loud shriek from the runabout. It was echoed by Miss Prescott and
+The Wren.
+
+Crash!
+
+The two cars came together with a fearful jolt.
+
+The eyes of the young aviators aloft were fixed on the scene. They saw
+the large car strike the runabout and crumple its engine hood. Peggy
+gave a scream.
+
+The ram, jolted out of its seat by the force of the collision, fell out
+to one side, allowing Jake to resume control of the wheel. But the
+runabout! It was ditched, its unfortunate occupant being pitched
+headlong into a ditch at the side of the road.
+
+Down swept the aëroplanes, and there was a wild rush to the rescue.
+Peggy, Jess and Bess ran to the side of the injured occupant of the
+strange runabout. The boys divided themselves, attending to everything.
+
+"Roy! Roy! hurry, she's unconscious!"
+
+The cry came from Peggy as she rushed to the side of the young motorist.
+
+Roy was not far off, and, at his sister's cry, he hastened to her side.
+Peggy had the girl's head in her lap.
+
+"Get water!" she cried.
+
+But Jimsy was already on hand with a collapsible aluminum cup full of
+water from a near by spring.
+
+"Oh, the poor dear," sighed Peggy, "to think that our fun should have--"
+
+The strange girl opened her eyes.
+
+"Who are you?" she exclaimed. "Where is my machine?"
+
+"Never mind for a minute," spoke Peggy, seeing that Jimsy and Jake were
+trying to drag the machine out of the ditch, "we'll fix it, never fear."
+
+"Oh, my head!" groaned the girl.
+
+"That pesky ram," exploded Roy angrily; "let me help you up into the
+road, you'll be more comfortable."
+
+"Oh, thank you, I can stand," came faintly from the injured girl.
+"I--am--much better now. What happened?"
+
+"Why a sort of volunteer driver was experimenting with our car, and
+I guess he made a mistake in driving," smilingly explained Roy.
+
+"Oh, that ram!" cried the girl half hysterically. "I thought I had
+a nightmare at first."
+
+"I don't blame you," smiled Peggy, "seeing a ram driving a motor car
+is apt to give one such ideas."
+
+"Are you really better?" asked Jess sympathetically as she came up.
+
+"Peggy, get my smelling salts out of the traveling bag!" cried Miss
+Prescott anxiously.
+
+The accident had disturbed her sadly. The only unperturbed one in the
+party was Jake. He took things with philosophical calm.
+
+"Knew more trouble was comin'," said he, and contented himself by
+dismissing the situation with that.
+
+"I've got good news for you," said Jimsy, coming up; "your car isn't
+hurt a bit."
+
+"Oh, good!" cried the girl, clasping her hands and flushing. Her veil
+was raised now and they saw that she was very blonde, very pretty and
+just now very pale.
+
+"My, what a rambunctious ram!" punned Roy; "he ramified all over,
+didn't he?"
+
+"Gracious, for a time I thought I was seeing things!" gasped the girl,
+who was seated on a tufted hummock of grass at the side of the road.
+
+"And then you felt them," laughed Jimsy. "That's the way such things
+run."
+
+They all laughed. Soon after, Roy, Jimsy and Jake dragged the small
+runabout out of the ditch. In the meantime Peggy had introduced herself
+and Jess to the young girl. The latter's name was Lavinia Nesbitt.
+She lived not far from the scene of the accident, and had been taking
+a jaunt in her machine.
+
+The runabout had been rescued, and the whole party introduced and
+talking merrily when Jess set up a cry.
+
+"Goodness! here comes that ram again!"
+
+Down the road, with the two sheep drivers at its heels, the beast was
+indeed coming. It advanced at a hard gallop, with head lowered and
+formidable horns ready for a charge, into the midst of the group.
+
+"Look out for him!" yelled the sheep herders.
+
+They needed no second injunction. All skipped adroitly out of the path
+of the oncoming beast, which was rushing on like a whirlwind. Jimsy
+proved equal to the emergency. From his aëroplane he took the rope which
+had already done good service in rescuing the _Golden Butterfly_ from
+the pond. He formed it into a loop--the lariat of the Western plains.
+
+"Now we've got him!" he exclaimed; "that is, if we are careful. But
+watch out!"
+
+"No danger of that," responded Peggy, from the vantage of the tonneau of
+the car; "but how are you going to rope him?"
+
+"Watch!"
+
+Jimsy began swinging his loop in ever widening circles. The ram was now
+within a few feet of him.
+
+"Oh, the _Dart_!" shrieked Bess; "he'll go right through it!"
+
+Indeed it did appear as if the maddened animal would. But just as there
+are many slips between cup and lip so there are many slips between the
+ram and the aëroplane.
+
+Just as it appeared that he would plow his way right through the
+delicate fabric, Jimsy hurled his loop. It settled round the animal's
+horns. Planting his heels in the ground Jimsy held tight to the rope.
+The next minute he "snubbed" it tight and the ram lost its feet and
+rolled over and over in the dust.
+
+Jake and Roy rushed in and completed the job of tying the creature.
+
+"Goodness, Jimsy, you're a regular broncho buster!" cried Peggy
+admiringly.
+
+"Oh, I learned to do some tricks with a rope with the horse hunters out
+in Nevada," was the response.
+
+But careless as his manner was, Jimsy's eyes glowed with triumph. It was
+plainly to be seen that he was delighted with his success. Just then the
+two sheep drivers came running up.
+
+The girls looked rather alarmed. Suppose they should blame them for
+trying to kidnap the ram.
+
+"I'll do the talking," declared Roy; "if you said anything, Jimsy, there
+might be a row."
+
+"All right," laughed Jimsy, regarding his "roped and tied captive."
+"I suppose you are an expert on dealing with ram owners."
+
+"Well, I'm on to their mental ramifications," laughed Roy.
+
+The sheep driver, an elderly man, accompanied by a youth, came up to
+them now. He touched his hat civilly as he approached.
+
+"Good afternoon. No one hurt, I hope," he said.
+
+The girls looked greatly relieved. After all, the man was not rude or
+angry as they had feared.
+
+"Oh, no, thank you," cried Jess, before Roy or Jimsy could open their
+mouths. "I hope he isn't though."
+
+"Hurt!" exclaimed the ram's owner, "why you couldn't hurt him with a
+steam hammer. Why, day 'afore yesterday the blame thing went for my
+wife. Hoofs and horns--yes, sir! Most knocked her down, he did. I'll
+fix him."
+
+"What's his name?" asked Bess.
+
+"Hannibal," said the man, without the flicker of a facial muscle.
+
+"I should think Cannonball would be a better name for him," struck in
+Jimsy, with that funny, serious face he always assumed when 'joshing'.
+
+"Yes, sir, I guess it _would_ be more appropriate at that," assented
+the man.
+
+He looked at the disabled machine.
+
+"Busted?" he asked with apparent concern.
+
+"To some extent," rejoined Roy, "only, except for that engine hood being
+dented there doesn't appear to be much the matter with it."
+
+"Glad to pay if there be," said the sheep driver. "I'm going ter git rid
+of ther pesky critter. He's cost me a lot in damage suits already."
+
+"Why don't you put him on the stage as the boxing ram, or something like
+that?" inquired Jimsy.
+
+"Might be a good scheme," said the man, as if considering the proposal
+seriously.
+
+"Mary had a little ram--" laughed Jimsy; who was thereupon told not
+to be "horrid."
+
+"Why don't you box the nasty thing's ears for riding in our car?" asked
+Roy of Peggy.
+
+"I'd like to do something, the saucy thing," declared Peggy with
+vehemence.
+
+"Tell you what! Let's buy him."
+
+The suggestion came from Jimsy.
+
+"Yes, and have his skin made up into an auto robe," suggested Roy.
+
+"If you boys aren't ridiculous," cried Peggy; "I want to forget the
+incident, and so I'm sure does Lavinia," the name of the girl who had
+been spilled out of her machine.
+
+"You may be sure I do," she declared with emphasis. "I was never so
+scared in my life."
+
+"Want to buy him?" asked the man, grasping at a chance of selling an
+animal that had already placed him in some embarrassing positions.
+
+"How much do you want?" asked Roy, more as a joke than anything else.
+
+"Three dollars," said the man.
+
+"There you are, girls! Who'll bid? Who'll bid? This fine young ram going
+at a sacrifice."
+
+Jimsy imitated an auctioneer, raising his voice to a sharp pitch.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+AN INVITATION TO RACE.
+
+
+It is almost needless to say that the purchase was not consummated. The
+girls raised a chorus of protest. The "nasty thing" was the mildest of
+the epithets they applied to the beast.
+
+"Well, I don't know. I thought we might have his skin done into a robe.
+We could give it as a prize to the girl that makes the best record on
+this motor flight," suggested Jimsy.
+
+"I wish you'd take him up a thousand feet and drop him," declared the
+unfortunate ram's owner.
+
+"Poor thing! he only acted according to his nature," defended Peggy;
+"let him loose and he'll go back to the flock."
+
+"Not him," declared his owner; "he'd only raise more Cain. Better let
+him be."
+
+But the girls raised a chorus of protest. It was a shame to leave the
+poor thing tied up, and they insisted that he be let loose.
+
+"All right, if you kin stand it I kin," grinned the man.
+
+He and the boy bent over the captive ram and cast him loose. The beast
+struggled to his feet, and for an instant stood glaring about him out
+of his yellowish eyes that gleamed like agates. But it was only for an
+instant that he remained thus.
+
+Suddenly he lowered his head and without more preliminaries dashed right
+at the _Golden Butterfly_.
+
+"Gracious, he's a game old sport!" yelled Jimsy; "Hasn't had enough of
+it yet, eh?"
+
+Right at the _Butterfly_ the ram rushed. Reaching it, with one bound he
+was in the chassis.
+
+"Now we'll get him," whispered the owner of the ram. "I told you if he
+was let go he'd start cutting up rough."
+
+"Well, you surely proved a good prophet," laughed Jimsy.
+
+"Now we've got to catch him," said the man.
+
+"How?" whispered Jimsy.
+
+"Someone must lasso him as you did before. Easy now. Don't scare him or
+he might do damage."
+
+The ram was seated in the aëroplane for all the world as if he was a
+scientific investigator of some sort. He paid no attention whatever to
+those who were creeping up on him, Jimsy with his rope in his hand, the
+loop trailing behind him all ready for action.
+
+"This is more fun than a deer hunt!" declared Roy.
+
+"Than a bull fight, you mean," retorted Jimsy; "this creature gives the
+best imitation of a wild bull I ever saw."
+
+They all laughed. The ram certainly had given a realistic interpretation
+of a savage Andalusian fighter.
+
+"Now then," whispered the sheep driver as they drew near. Jimsy's rope
+swirled and settled about the ram's horns. But the startled beast was
+due to give them another surprise. Hardly had Jimsy's rope fallen about
+it when with a snort it leaped clean in the air and out of the
+aëroplane. It tore like an express train straight at Jimsy.
+
+Before the boy could get out of its path "Biff!" the impact had come.
+Jimsy arose into the atmosphere and described a distinct parabola. He
+landed with a bump in a clump of bushes, while Mr. Ram rushed off down
+the road to join his flock.
+
+"Haw! haw! haw!" roared the sheep man; "ain't hurt, be you?"
+
+"No; but I've a good mind to sue you for damages," rejoined Jimsy,
+picking himself out of the clump of brush; "you've no right to drive an
+animal like that around the country without labeling him 'Dynamite.
+Dangerous'."
+
+"Guess I will, too," said the man, who appeared to think well of the
+suggestion; "he sure will get me in a pile of trouble one of these
+days."
+
+He raised his hat and strode off, followed by the boy. In the distance
+the ram was capering about among the other sheep. Jimsy brushed the dust
+off himself and then looked about him.
+
+"Anybody laughing?" he demanded suspiciously.
+
+They all shook their heads, the girls biting their lips to avoid
+smiling.
+
+"All right then, I suggest that we get out of here right away; a tiger's
+liable to come striding out of those woods next."
+
+"Yes; we'd better be getting along; Millbrook, our next stop, is several
+miles off," said Peggy, consulting the map.
+
+No further time was lost in resuming their rapid flight. In the
+distance, as the flock of aëroplanes arose, the sheep man waved his
+hat and shouted his adieus.
+
+Millbrook was reached that evening just at dusk. It proved to be a
+fair-sized town, and the aëroplanes excited as much curiosity there as
+they had in Meadville--more so, in fact, for, from some flaring posters,
+it appeared that an aëroplane exhibition and race had been arranged for
+the next day by a traveling company of aviators. That evening, at the
+hotel, a deputation of citizens waited on the boys and asked them if
+they would not prolong their stay and take part in the air sports. The
+mayor, whose name was Jasper Hanks, mentioned a prize of five hundred
+dollars for an endurance flight as a special inducement.
+
+The lads said they would think things over and report in the morning.
+Their real object in delaying their decision was, of course, to consult
+the girls about appearing. Peggy, Jess and Bess went into raptures over
+the idea, and Miss Prescott's consent was readily obtained.
+
+"I'll be glad to rest for a day after all our exciting times," she
+declared, "and I mean to add to Wren's outfit too."
+
+"Oh, how good you are to me," sighed the odd little figure, nestling
+close to her benefactress.
+
+"Tush! tush, my dear! I'm going to make a wonderful girl out of you,"
+beamed the kindly lady.
+
+Descending to the office to buy some postcards, the boys found, lounging
+about the desk, a stoutish man with a rather dissipated face, puffy
+under the eyes and heavy about the jaws. A bright red necktie and
+patent-leather boots with cloth tops accentuated the decidedly "noisy"
+impression he conveyed.
+
+As the boys came down he eyed them sharply. Then he addressed them.
+
+"My name's Lish Kelly," he said. "I'm manager of the United Aviators'
+Exhibition Company. We're showing out at the City Park tomorrow.
+I understand that you kids have been asked to butt in."
+
+"We've been asked to participate, if that's what you mean," rejoined Roy
+rather sharply. The fellow's manner was offensive and overbearing.
+
+"Well, see here, you stay out," rejoined the man, shaking a fat
+forefinger on which glistened a diamond ring of such proportions as
+to make it dubious if it boasted a genuine stone.
+
+"You stay out of it," he repeated.
+
+Roy and Jimsy were almost dumfounded. The man's tone was one of actual
+command.
+
+"Why? Why should we stay out of it?" demanded Roy.
+
+"The mayor of the town has asked us to take part," came from Jimsy;
+"what have you got to do with it?"
+
+"It's this way," said the man in rather a less overbearing way than he
+had hitherto adopted; "we're going about the country giving flights. The
+city gives us the park in this town and we get so much of the receipts.
+But we rely on winning the prizes, see. Now if you kids butt in, why
+you might win some of them and that knocks my profit out. Get me?"
+
+"I understand you, if that's what you mean," rejoined Roy; "but I still
+fail to see why we should not compete if we want to."
+
+The man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder impressively.
+
+"'Cos if you do it'll make trouble for you, sonny."
+
+"Who'll make it?" flashed back Roy indignantly.
+
+"I will, son, and I'm some trouble maker when I start anything along
+them lines, take it from me."
+
+He turned on his heel, stuck his cigar at a more acute angle in the side
+of his mouth, and strode off, leaving the two boys dumfounded.
+
+"Well, what do you make of that?" demanded Roy, as soon as his
+astonishment had subsided a trifle.
+
+"Just this, that Mr. Lish Kelly thinks he can run this thing to suit
+himself."
+
+"What will we do about it?"
+
+"For my part I wanted to compete before. I desire to more than ever
+now."
+
+"Same here."
+
+"Maybe he was only bluffing after all."
+
+"Maybe; but just the same I wouldn't trust him not to try to do us some
+harm. As he says, his main profits come from winning the prizes offered
+by the different communities."
+
+"Humph! well, so far as that goes, I don't see why that need keep us out
+of it."
+
+"Nor I; but we've had troubles enough, and I don't want willingly to run
+into any more."
+
+"Nor I. Well, let's sleep on it. We'll decide in the morning."
+
+"That's a good idea."
+
+The two lads went up to bed and slept as only healthy lads can. The next
+morning dawned bright and clear. There was hardly any wind. It was real
+"flying" weather. The aëroplanes had been sheltered in a big shed
+belonging to the hotel. Before breakfast the boys went out and looked
+them over. All were in good shape.
+
+As they were coming out of the shed they were hailed by no less a
+personage than Mayor Hanks.
+
+"Well," said he, "are you going to fly?"
+
+"We think of doing so," said Roy, hesitating a little. He wanted to
+speak of the conduct of Lish Kelly, but on second thought he decided not
+to; the man might merely have had a fit of bad temper on him. His
+threats might have been only empty ones.
+
+"If you're going to fly I have got some entry blanks with me," said the
+mayor. "I wish you'd sign 'em."
+
+He drew out a bunch of blue papers with blanks for describing the name
+of the machine, its power, driver and other details.
+
+This decided the boys.
+
+"All right, we'll enter all our machines," said Roy; "let us go into the
+writing room and we'll sign the entry blanks."
+
+"Good for you," cried the mayor delightedly; "you'll be a big drawing
+card, especially the young ladies. I never heard of gals flyin',
+although, come to think of it, why shouldn't they?"
+
+In the writing room they concluded the business. When it was done all
+the machines had been entered in every contest, including an altitude
+one.
+
+"We start at ten sharp, so be there," admonished the mayor as he
+departed, highly pleased at having secured quite a flock of young
+aviators at no cost at all.
+
+It was as his figure vanished, that Lish Kelly crossed the writing room.
+He had been sitting in a telephone booth, and leaving the door a crack
+open had heard every word that had passed.
+
+He greeted the boys with an angry scowl.
+
+"So you ain't going to stay out?" he said gruffly, as he passed. "All
+right; look out for squalls!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE TWISTED SPARK PLUG.
+
+
+"Gracious, are we in for more trouble?"
+
+Jimsy looked blankly at Roy; but the latter only laughed at his chum's
+serious face.
+
+Somehow, viewed in the bright light of early day, Lish Kelly's threats
+did not appear nearly as formidable as they had over night.
+
+"Nonsense; what harm can he do us anyhow? We're going to go into this
+race, and we're going to win too. Just watch us."
+
+"Going to tell the girls anything about Kelly and his remarks?"
+
+"No; what good would that do? It would only scare them."
+
+"That's so, too; but just the same I didn't like the look of Kelly's
+face when he came through."
+
+"He looked to me like a bulldog that had swallowed a baby's boot and
+didn't like the taste of the blacking on it," laughed Roy.
+
+At this juncture the girls came into the room. All were radiant and
+smiling in anticipation of the day's sport.
+
+"Well, we've been and gone and done it," announced Roy.
+
+"Done what?" demanded Peggy.
+
+"Signed the paperrr-r-r-s," was the rejoinder, rendered with great
+dramatic effect.
+
+He waved the duplicate entry blanks above his head.
+
+"Let's see them," begged Jess.
+
+"All right. Look what I've let us in for!"
+
+"Why--why--good gracious, Roy, you've got us down for everything,"
+gasped Peggy.
+
+"That's right, all the way across from soup to nuts," struck in the
+slangy Jimsy.
+
+They all laughed. The color rose in the girls' faces.
+
+"If only we can win some of them," cried Jess.
+
+"Well, the machines are all in fine shape. If we don't win it will be
+because the other fellows have better machines."
+
+"Where are the aviation grounds?" inquired Bess.
+
+"At the City Park, about a mile out of town to the south. We can get to
+it by looking down at the trolley tracks," said Roy, who had consulted
+the mayor on this point.
+
+"Then you are going to fly out there?" asked Miss Prescott, who was also
+by this time a party to the conference.
+
+"Of course; and, by the way, we ought to be getting out there pretty
+soon; I want to be looking over the grounds and selecting the best
+places for landing and so on," said Roy.
+
+"Well, please don't get into any more scrapes," sighed Miss Prescott;
+"what with gipsies, firebugs and rams, our trip has been quite exciting
+enough for me."
+
+The boys exchanged glances. If the man Kelly tried to carry out his
+threats things might be more exciting yet, they thought. But both kept
+their knowledge to themselves.
+
+It was arranged that Miss Prescott should motor out to the City Park.
+Soon thereafter the young aviators placed finishing touches on their
+machines, and while a curious crowd gathered they took to the air.
+
+"Looks just like a flock of pigeons," said a man in the crowd, as they
+climbed skyward quite closely bunched.
+
+"It sure does," agreed his companion, "but them things is prettier than
+any flock of pigeons I ever see."
+
+And this opinion was echoed by many of the throng. At any rate everyone
+who saw the aëroplanes start made up his or her mind to pay a visit to
+the park and see some more extended flights, so that Mayor Hanks'
+prediction was verified.
+
+As the young aviators hovered above City Park for a short space of time,
+and then dropped earthward, a veritable sensation was created. From a
+row of "hangars" mechanicians and aviators came running. One or two
+aviators who were aloft practicing "stunts," dropped swiftly to earth.
+Lish Kelly's troupe was a large one, consisting of five men and one
+woman flyer, the wife of Carlos Le Roy, a Cuban aviator.
+
+Outside the grounds several of the frugal individuals who desired to see
+the flights without paying admission also watched as the quintette of
+strange aëroplanes dropped to earth.
+
+One by one the graceful craft of the air settled to the ground, and the
+young aviators alighted. Members of the Arrangement Committee hastened
+to their sides, shaking hands warmly and thanking them for their
+interest in the coming contests.
+
+The Kelly aviators gazed curiously, some of them resentfully, at the
+newcomers. They had all the professional's antipathy and jealousy of
+amateur performers. As the Arrangement Committee bustled off after
+telling our friends to make themselves perfectly at home, Pepita Le Roy
+came up to them. She was a handsome woman, in a foreign way, with large,
+dark eyes and an abundance of raven black hair. She was rather flashily
+dressed and walked with a sort of swagger that in a vague way reminded
+Peggy of "Carmen."
+
+"So you are zee girl aviators," she remarked, as she came up.
+
+"Yes; I guess that's what they call us," rejoined Peggy; "we enjoy
+flying and have done a lot of it."
+
+"So! I have read your names in zee papers."
+
+"Oh, those awful papers!" cried Jess, who hated publicity; "they are
+always printing things about us."
+
+"What! You do not like it?"
+
+"Oh, no! You see, we only fly for fun. Not as a business and--"
+
+Peggy stopped short. She felt she had committed a grave breach of
+tactfulness. It was not the thing, she felt, to boast to a professional
+woman flyer of their standing as amateurs.
+
+Nor was the Cuban woman slow to take umbrage at what she considered an
+insult. Her eyes flashed indignantly as she regarded the fair-haired,
+slender girl before her.
+
+"So you fly only for fun," she said vehemently; "very well, you have all
+zee fun you want before to-day is ovaire."
+
+Without another word she walked off, with the swinging walk of her race.
+
+The girls looked at each other with a sort of amused dismay.
+
+"Goodness, Peggy; you should be more careful," cried Bess; "you've hurt
+her feelings dreadfully."
+
+"I'm sure I didn't mean to," declared Peggy remorsefully. "I--I had no
+idea that she would flare up like that."
+
+"Well, after all, it doesn't matter much," soothed Jess, pouring oil on
+the troubled waters, so to speak. "I'm glad the boys didn't hear it
+though."
+
+"So am I. See, they're busy on Roy's machine," exclaimed Bess.
+
+"Yes; the lower left wing is rather warped," explained Peggy; "they are
+fixing it."
+
+"Wonder who that man is who is monkeying with the _Red Dragon_?" said
+Peggy, the next instant. "I mean that horrid looking man in the check
+suit."
+
+"I don't know. See, he has a monkey wrench in his hand, too," exclaimed
+Bess.
+
+Almost simultaneously the boys looked round from their work on the
+biplane and saw the man. It was Lish Kelly. He was bending over the
+engine and doing something to it with his wrench.
+
+"Hey! What are you doing there?" yelled Roy.
+
+"Just looking at your machine. No harm in that, is there?" demanded
+Kelly, with a red face.
+
+"None at all, except that we don't want our machines touched. How comes
+it you have that monkey wrench in your hands if you weren't tampering
+with the machinery?"
+
+Jimsy spoke in a voice that fairly bubbled over with indignation.
+
+"Don't get sore, kid; I wouldn't harm your old mowing machine. There
+isn't one of mine but could beat it the fastest day it ever flew."
+
+As he spoke Kelly slouched off. They saw him go up to a group of his
+aviators and begin talking earnestly to them. Once or twice he motioned
+with his head in their direction.
+
+"So he _does_ mean mischief, after all," said Roy; "let's take a good
+look at the _Dragon's_ engine. He may have injured it, although I don't
+think he'd have had time to hurt it seriously."
+
+They strolled over to the _Dragon_, with the girls trailing behind.
+
+"Oh!" cried Peggy, as they came up, "look at that spark plug."
+
+"What's the matter with it?" demanded Jimsy,
+
+"Look, it's all bent and twisted out of shape."
+
+"Jove, sis, so it is. Your eyes are as sharp as they are pretty!"
+cried Roy.
+
+"No compliments, please. Oh, that horrid man!"
+
+"Who is he?" asked Jess. "You appeared to know him."
+
+"Yes, we had some conversation with him this morning," laughed Roy; "but
+to return to the spark plug; it's a good thing we carry extra ones."
+
+"But we don't!" cried Jimsy, in a dismayed tone.
+
+"What! you had a supply in a locker on your machine."
+
+Jimsy looked confused.
+
+"I've got to make a confession," he said.
+
+"You didn't bring them!" cried Peggy.
+
+"No, the fact is I--I forgot."
+
+Jimsy looked miserably from one to the other. Here was a quandary
+indeed. It might prove hard to get such a commodity as a spark plug in
+Millbrook.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+IN SEARCH OF A NEW PLUG.
+
+
+It was while they were still discussing the situation that the
+automobile with Jake at the wheel and Miss Prescott and The Wren in
+the tonneau, drove into the grounds. What a difference there was in
+the child since her benefactors had fitted her out! She looked like
+a dainty, ethereal little princess instead of the ragged little waif
+that had been rescued from the gipsy camp.
+
+But the minds of our young friends were now intent on different matters.
+Time pressed. The altitude flight, in which Jimsy had planned to take
+part, was to be the first thing on the program. If anything was to be
+done about reequipping the _Dragon_ it must be done quickly.
+
+"Tell you what," said Roy suddenly, "we'll get into the car and drive
+back to town. It won't take long and maybe we can dig up an extra one
+some place."
+
+"If we don't I'm out of it for keeps," groaned Jimsy; "oh, that Kelly.
+I'd like to punch his head."
+
+He doubled up his fists aggressively; but, after all, what chance had he
+to prove that Kelly had actually damaged the plug. If confronted the man
+would have probably denied all knowledge of it. Nobody had actually seen
+him do it, so that positive proof was out of the question. No, they must
+repair the damage as best they could.
+
+But Roy determined to have the machines closely guarded. The situation
+was explained to Miss Prescott, and while she and her small protégé took
+seats in the grand stand Jake was detailed to guard the aëroplanes. This
+done, the boys got into the machine and prepared to start for town. But
+the girls interfered.
+
+"Aren't you going to take us along, you impolite youths!" cried Bess.
+
+"Oh, certainly, your company is always charming," returned Jimsy, with
+a low bow.
+
+"Of course it is, but you wouldn't have asked us to come if we had not
+invited ourselves," declared Peggy vehemently.
+
+"How can you say so? Our lives would be a dry desert without the girl
+aviators to liven things up," declared Jimsy.
+
+"Jimsy Bancroft, if you are going to get poetical you'll leave this
+car," cried Jess.
+
+"That's just it," declared Jimsy, "girls can cry their eyes out over
+romantic heroes, but when a regular fellow starts to get 'mushy' they
+go up in the air."
+
+Amidst the chorus of protestations aroused by this ungallant speech Roy
+started the car. Swiftly it sped out of the grounds; but not so swiftly
+that the keen eyes of Lish Kelly did not see it.
+
+He called Herman Le Roy, the Cuban aviator, to him.
+
+"Le Roy, you are not in the altitude contest," he said, "hop in my car
+with me and we'll follow those kids. They're up to something."
+
+The Cuban looked at him and smiled, showing two rows of white teeth
+under his small, dapperly curled mustache.
+
+"I think, Señor Kelly, you have been up to something yourself."
+
+"Well, you know what I told you. We want that five-hundred-dollar prize,
+Carlos, and by the looks of things if we don't do something those kids
+are likely to get it."
+
+"They have fine machines," agreed the other.
+
+"Yes; and they are equipped with a balancing device that makes them much
+more reliable than ours."
+
+"A balancing device!" exclaimed the Cuban, as the two men got into the
+car, a small yellow runabout of racy appearance.
+
+"That's what I said, and it's a good one, too. I read an account of it
+in an aviation paper; but the description was too sketchy for me to see
+how the thing was worked."
+
+"Those boys must be wonders."
+
+"I'm afraid they are. That's why we've got to be careful of them. But
+I've got a plan to fix them, the whole lot of them."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"I'll tell you as we go along."
+
+As the car rolled past the group of aëroplanes with Jake faithfully
+standing guard over them, Kelly hailed him in a suave voice.
+
+"Any idea where the young folks have gone?"
+
+Jake, who had no idea that Kelly had a sinister motive in asking the
+question, replied readily enough.
+
+"Yes, they've gone into Millbrook to get another spark plug. Something
+happened to one of the plugs of that red machine yonder."
+
+"All right. Thanks."
+
+Kelly drove on.
+
+"Do you know what happened to that plug, Carlos?" he asked, as they
+reached the open road and bowled forward at a good speed.
+
+"I've got a pretty good guess. It was not altogether an accident, eh?"
+
+"An accident, well, it was, in a sense. I happened to be near that
+machine with a monkey wrench and in some way was careless enough to
+let it put that plug out of business."
+
+Both men laughed heartily, as if Kelly's rascally act had been the most
+amusing thing in the world.
+
+"You are a genius," declared Le Roy.
+
+"Well, I reckon I know a thing or two," was the modest response;
+"besides, I need that money."
+
+"But what is your plan?"
+
+"I'll tell you as we go along. Drive fast, but don't keep so close to
+that other car that they can get sight of us."
+
+"Not much fear of that. They had a long start of us and are out of
+sight now."
+
+"So much the better. It doesn't interfere with my plans a bit, provided
+they take the same road back."
+
+"What do you mean to do?"
+
+"Are you good with a shovel?" was the cryptic reply.
+
+"I don't understand you, I must say."
+
+"You will later on. We'll drive up to that farmhouse yonder."
+
+"Yes, and what then?"
+
+"We'll borrow two shovels."
+
+"Two shovels!"
+
+"That's what I said."
+
+"But what on earth have two shovels to do with stopping a bunch of kids
+from entering in an aëroplane race?"
+
+"Carlos, your brain is dull to-day."
+
+"It would take a wizard to understand what you intend to do."
+
+"Well, you will see later on. Drive in this gate. That's it, and now
+for the shovels."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE TRAP.
+
+
+For more than half an hour eager inquiries were made in Millbrook for a
+spark plug such as they wanted. But all their search was to no avail.
+But suddenly, just as they were about to give up in despair, a man, of
+whom they had made inquiries, recalled that not far out of town there
+was a small garage.
+
+"We'll try there," determined Jimsy.
+
+Finding out the road, they speeded to the place. It did not look very
+promising, a small, badly fitted up auto station, run by an elderly
+man with red-rimmed, watery eyes, looking out from behind a pair of
+horn spectacles that somehow gave him the odd look of a frog.
+
+"Got any spark plugs?" asked Jimsy, as the machine came to a halt.
+
+"Yes, all kinds," said the man, in a wheezy, asthmatic voice that
+sounded like the exhaust of a dying-down engine.
+
+"Good!" cried Jimsy, hopping out of the car.
+
+"That is, we will have all kinds next week," went on the man; "I've
+ordered 'em."
+
+"Goodness, then you haven't any right now?"
+
+"I've got a few. Possibly you might find what you want among them."
+
+"I'll try, anyway," declared Jimsy.
+
+The man led the way into a dingy sort of shed. On a shelf in a dusty
+corner was a box.
+
+"You can hunt through that," said the man wearily; "if you find what you
+want wake me up."
+
+"Wake you up?"
+
+"Yes, I always take a sleep at this time of day. You woke me up when you
+came in. Now I'm going to doze off again."
+
+So saying he sank into a chair, closed his eyes and presently was
+snoring.
+
+"Dead to the world!" gasped Jimsy; "well, that's the quickest thing
+in the sleep line I ever saw!"
+
+As it was no use to waste further time the boy began rummaging in the
+box. It contained all sorts of odds and ends, among them several plugs.
+
+"I'll bet there isn't one here that will fit my engine!" grumbled Jimsy;
+"I don't--what! Yes! By Jiminy! Eureka! Hurray, I've found one!"
+
+The man woke up with a start.
+
+"What's the matter?" he demanded drowsily.
+
+"Nothing! That is, everything!" cried Jimsy. "I've found just what I
+want."
+
+"All right. Leave the money on that shelf there. It's a dollar."
+
+So saying, off he went to sleep again, while Jimsy, overjoyed, hastily
+peeled a dollar from his "roll" and departed. The last sound he heard
+was the steady snoring of the garage man.
+
+"Well, there's one fellow that money can't keep awake, even if it does
+talk," said Jimsy laughingly to himself as, with a cry of triumph, he
+rejoined the party, waving the plug like a banner or an emblem of
+victory.
+
+No time was lost in starting the auto up again and they whirled back
+through Millbrook in a cloud of dust. Passing through the village they
+retraced their way along the road by which they had come.
+
+"Just half an hour before that altitude flight," remarked Jimsy to Roy,
+who was driving, as they sped through the town.
+
+"Fine; we'll make it all right," was the rejoinder. Roy turned on more
+power and the auto shot ahead like some scared wild thing.
+
+"We'll only hit the high spots this trip," declared Roy, as the machine
+plunged and rolled along at top speed.
+
+All at once, as they turned a corner, they received a sudden check.
+Right ahead of them a man was driving some cows. Roy jammed down the
+emergency brake, causing them all to hold on for dear life to avoid
+being pitched out by the sudden change of speed.
+
+"Wow! what a jolt!" exclaimed Jimsy; "it sure did----"
+
+The sentence was never completed. The auto gave a pitch sideways and
+then plunged into a pit that had been dug across the road and covered
+with leaves and dust placed on a framework of branches. Down into this
+pit crashed the machine with a sickening jolt. The girls screamed aloud
+in fear. It appeared as if the machine would be a total wreck.
+
+But that was not the worst of it. In the sudden fall into the pit Roy
+had been pitched out and now lay quite still at the roadside. Jimsy had
+saved himself from being thrown by clutching tight hold of the seat.
+
+He stopped the engine and then clambering out of the car hastened to
+Roy's side. To his delight, just as he reached him, Roy sat up, and
+although his face was drawn with pain he declared that his injuries
+consisted of nothing more serious than a sprained ankle.
+
+"But look at the machine!" cried Jimsy; "it's smashed, I'm sure of it."
+
+The pit which had been dug across the road was about three feet deep and
+the front wheels of the auto rested in it. The hind wheels had not
+entered, as the excavation was not a wide one.
+
+Both boys hastened to examine the car. To their satisfaction they found
+that not much damage had been done beyond a slight wrenching of the
+steering gear. This was due to the fact that they had been going at
+reduced speed.
+
+"Gracious! Suppose we had been coming along at the same pace we'd been
+hitting up right along," exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"We wouldn't be here now," declared Roy; "we'd be in the next county
+or thereabouts."
+
+"Yes, we'd have kept right on going," agreed Jimsy; "talk about flying!
+But, say, who can have done this?"
+
+"Not much doubt in my mind it's the work of that outfit of Kelly's. He
+told us to look out for trouble, and he appears to be making it for us."
+
+"The precious rascal; he might have broken all our necks."
+
+"That's true, if we'd been hitting up high speed."
+
+"How are we going to get out of this?"
+
+Peggy asked the question just as the man who had been driving the cattle
+came running up.
+
+"What's the trouble?" he asked, gazing at the odd scene.
+
+"You can see for yourself," rejoined Roy; "some rascals dug a trench
+across the road so as to wreck our machine if possible."
+
+"Humph! So I see," was the rejoinder; "how be you goin' ter git out of
+thar?"
+
+"That's a problem. If we could get a team of horses----" The man
+interrupted Roy, who was acting as spokesman.
+
+"Tell you what, two of my cattle back thar are plow oxen. I'll go back
+to ther farm, git their yokes on 'em and yank you out of here. That is
+pervidin' you pay me, uv course."
+
+"Don't worry about that. We're willing to pay anything in reason."
+
+"All right, then, I'll hook up Jeb and Jewel."
+
+The man walked back toward his cattle, which were contentedly browsing
+at the side of the road. Clucking in an odd manner, he drove two of them
+out of the herd and started back toward a farmhouse which was not far
+distant. In a wonderfully short time he was back with his oxen in
+harness.
+
+"Gee, Jeb! Haw, Jewel!" he cried, as he came up. The oxen swung round
+and the heavy chain attached to their yoke was hitched to the front axle
+of the car.
+
+"Now for it!" cried Roy, when this had been done.
+
+"Git ap!" shouted the man.
+
+The slow but powerful oxen strained their muscular backs. The chain
+tightened and the next moment the car, from which Peggy and Jess and
+Bess had alighted, rose from the pit. Then the hind wheels dropped into
+it with a bump, but the shock absorbers prevented serious damage. With
+the oxen straining and pulling it was finally hauled into the road and
+they were ready to resume the trip.
+
+Roy rewarded their helper with a substantial bill, and they were all
+warm in their thanks.
+
+"'Twasn't nuthin'," declared the man, "an' now I guess I'll go to ther
+house and have my hired man fill in this road. Things is come to a fine
+pass when such things kin happen."
+
+As the rescued party sped on toward the aviation field they fully agreed
+with the rustic's opinion. Had it not been for sheer luck they would
+have suffered extremely serious consequences as the result of a rascal's
+device. But as it was Kelly's plot against them appeared to have failed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+AN ATTACK IN THE AIR.
+
+
+"B-o-o-m!"
+
+The sound of a gun crashed out as the auto sped through the gates of the
+aviation field and rapidly skimmed across to where the aëroplanes had
+been parked.
+
+"Just in time!" cried Peggy; "that's the five-minute warning gun."
+
+By this time the grandstand was well filled and a band was playing
+lively airs. At the starting line three of the Kelly aëroplanes were
+gathered ready for the signal for the start of the altitude flight. The
+instant the car came to a standstill Jimsy was out and in a jiffy had
+the new spark plug adjusted. There was no time to test it, but he felt
+pretty confident that it would work all right.
+
+"All ready!" shouted the official in charge of the starting
+arrangements.
+
+"Ready!" rejoined Jimsy heartily, as he adjusted his leather helmet and
+Jake and Roy started the engine.
+
+Kelly, whose back had been turned while he talked to some of his troup,
+faced round at the sound of the boy's voice.
+
+"What, you here!" he choked out, his face purple.
+
+"Yes; do you know any reason why I shouldn't be?" asked Jimsy, with
+meaning emphasis.
+
+Under the lad's direct gaze Kelly's eyes fell. He couldn't face the lad,
+but turned away.
+
+"There, if that isn't proof of his guilt I'd like to know what is,"
+declared Jimsy to Roy.
+
+"But the rascal covered up his tracks so cleverly that we can't prove
+anything on him," muttered Roy disgustedly.
+
+At the same instant the starting bomb boomed out. The crowd yelled, and
+the drummer of the band pounded his instrument furiously. Above the
+uproar sounded the sharp, crackerlike report of the motors. As more
+power was applied they roared like batteries of Gatling guns.
+
+Into the air shot one of them, a black biplane. It was followed by the
+others, two monoplanes and a triplane. Jimsy ascended last, but as this
+was not a race, but a cloud-climbing contest, he was in no hurry. He was
+anxious to see what the other air craft could do.
+
+Up they climbed, ascending the aërial stairway, while the crowd below
+stared up, at the risk of stiff necks in the immediate future.
+
+Jimsy chose spiraling as his method of rising. But the others went
+upward in curious zigzags. This was because their machines were not
+equipped with the stability device, and they could not attempt the same
+tactics. Before long Jimsy was high above the others. From below he
+appeared a mere dot in the blue. But still he flew on.
+
+Once he glanced at his barograph. It showed he had ascended 5,000
+feet. It was higher than the boy had ever been before, but he kept
+perseveringly on.
+
+It was cold up there in the regions of the upper air, and Jimsy found
+himself wishing he had put on a sweater.
+
+"It's too long a drop to go down and get one," he remarked to himself,
+with grim humor.
+
+Beneath him he could see the other aëroplanes; but the black one was the
+only one that appeared to be a serious rival. The rest did not seem to
+be trying very hard to reach a superlative height. The black machine,
+however, was steadily rising. After a while Jimsy could see the face of
+its occupant. It was the Cuban, Le Roy.
+
+"Now, what's he trying to do, I wonder?" thought Jimsy, as the black
+biplane rose to the same level as himself and appeared to be going
+through some odd maneuvering.
+
+"That's mighty funny," mused the boy, watching his rival; "I can't make
+out what he's up to."
+
+Indeed the black biplane was behaving queerly. Now it would swoop toward
+Jimsy and then would dart, only to return. Suddenly it came driving
+straight at him.
+
+It was then that Jimsy suddenly realized what his rival was trying to
+do. To use a slangy but expressive phrase, Le Roy, the veteran aviator,
+was trying to rattle the boy.
+
+"So that's his game, is it," thought Jimsy; "well, I'll give him a
+surprise."
+
+Manipulating his spark and gas levers the boy gave his graceful red
+craft full power. The Dragon shot sharply upward, crossing Le Roy's
+machine about twenty feet above its upper plane. Jimsy laughed aloud at
+the astonished expression on the man's face as he skimmed above him.
+
+"I reckon he'll think that I do know something about driving an
+aëroplane, after all," he chuckled as he rose till his barograph
+recorded 6,000 feet.
+
+Beneath him he could see Le Roy starting to descend. Something appeared
+to be wrong with the black biplane's motor. It acted sluggishly.
+
+"Well, as he's going down I guess I will, too," said Jimsy to himself;
+"6,000 feet is by no means a record, but it's high enough for me."
+
+Suddenly he was plunged into what appeared to be a wet and chilly fog.
+In reality it was a cloud that had drifted in on him. It grew suddenly
+cold with an almost frosty chill. The moisture of the cloud drenched him
+to the skin. The lad shivered and his teeth chattered, but he kept
+pluckily to his task.
+
+Before long he emerged into the sunlight once more. The crowd which had
+thrilled when the young aviator vanished into the vapor set up a yell
+when he reappeared. But at the height he was Jimsy, of course, did not
+hear it.
+
+But as he dropped lower the shouts and cheers became plainly audible.
+The lad waved his hand in acknowledgment. Then, as he neared the ground,
+he put his machine through a series of graceful evolutions that set the
+crowd wild.
+
+"The altitude flight is won by Number Four," announced the officials
+after they had examined the barograph; "with a height of 6,000 feet.
+Number Four is Mr. James Bancroft."
+
+"Gee; that sounds real dignified," laughed Jimsy; "it's a treat to be
+treated with becoming dignity once in a while."
+
+The next flight was a race six times round the course. This was won
+by one of the Kelly flyers. Then came an endurance contest which Roy
+captured handily and some exhibition flying in which Bess did some
+clever work and was delighted to find herself a winner.
+
+It was soon after this that the gun was fired as a note of warning that
+the big race was about to begin.
+
+Peggy's _Golden Butterfly_ and Roy's entry, the _Red Dragon_, borrowed
+for this race because the biplane was too heavy and clumsy for such
+fast work, were wheeled to the starting line. Already three of Kelly's
+machines were there, among them being that of Señora Le Roy, or, as she
+was billed, the Cuban Skylark, the Only Woman Flyer in the World. It
+appeared now that she had small claim to the title. The crowd set up
+a cheer for her as she took her seat in a neat-looking monoplane of
+the Bleriot type.
+
+But when Peggy's dapper figure, smartly attired in her aviation costume,
+appeared a still louder shout went up.
+
+Kelly scowled blackly. He stepped up to his flyers.
+
+"You've got to win this race or get fired," he snarled.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+PEGGY'S SPLENDID RACE.
+
+
+"They're off!"
+
+"Hurrah!"
+
+"There they go!"
+
+These and hundreds of other cries and exclamations followed the report
+of the starting gun. The Cuban woman flyer was off first, then came two
+other of the professional flyers, while Roy and Peggy got away last.
+
+The race was to be sixty miles out to a small body of water called Lake
+Loon and return. A trolley line ran past the aviation grounds and out to
+the lake. For the guidance of the flyers a car with a huge American flag
+flying from it blazed a trail below them, as it were.
+
+Roy's craft gained a slight lead on the _Golden Butterfly_ and two of
+the Kelly flyers were soon passed by both the boy and his sister. But
+the professional woman flyer still maintained her lead. Second came
+another of Lish Kelly's aviators in a blue machine. This was Ben
+Speedwell, who enjoyed quite a reputation as a skillful and daring air
+driver.
+
+The flyers had all struck a level about 1,500 feet in the air. There was
+a light head wind, but not enough to deter any of the powerfully engined
+craft. Glancing back for an instant Roy saw one of the contesting
+aviators dropping to earth. His companion soon followed.
+
+"Overheated engines probably," thought the boy; "I must be careful the
+same thing doesn't happen to me going at this pace."
+
+Suddenly another aëroplane loomed up beside him. It was the _Golden
+Butterfly_.
+
+"Good for you, sis!" cried Roy, as Peggy, waving her hand, roared past.
+In another minute she had shot past Speedwell, but the leader, the woman
+flyer, was still some distance ahead, and appeared to steadily maintain
+the lead she had.
+
+At last Lake Loon came into view. It was a more or less shallow body
+of water with a small island in the middle of it. As they neared it
+Speedwell and Roy were flying almost abreast, with Speedwell just a
+shade in the lead.
+
+Suddenly Speedwell made a spurt and shot ahead of the _Dragon_. At a
+distance of half a mile from Roy, who was now last, Speedwell was above
+the lake.
+
+Peggy and the woman flyer had already turned and were on their way back,
+with the latter still in the lead. Roy was watching Speedwell intently.
+
+He saw the man bank his machine to take the curve in order to round the
+lake. An appalling climax followed.
+
+"He's turned too sharp. He'll never make it," exclaimed Roy, holding
+his breath.
+
+The aëroplane swayed madly. Then began a fierce fight on Speedwell's
+part to settle it on an even keel. But skillful as he was he could not
+master the overbalanced machine.
+
+"He is lost!" breathed Roy, every nerve athrill.
+
+And then the next minute:
+
+"Cracky! He's got it. No, he's falling again--ah!"
+
+There was a note of horror in the exclamation. The aëroplane in front
+of Roy dived wildly, then fairly somersaulted. The strain was too great.
+A wing parted.
+
+"It's the end of him!" exclaimed Roy, in a whisper.
+
+Down shot the broken aëroplane with the velocity of lightning. It just
+dodged the trees on the little island and then it plunged into the lake,
+first spilling Speedwell out. Then down on top of him came the smother
+of canvas, wood and wires.
+
+"He'll be suffocated if I don't go to his rescue," murmured Roy; "it
+will put me out of the race, but I must save him."
+
+There was a clear spot on the island, and toward this the boy dived. In
+the meantime men were putting out from shore in a small boat. But the
+boy knew that they could not reach the unfortunate Speedwell in time to
+save his life.
+
+Roy made a clever landing on the island and then lost no time in wading
+out to the half floating, half submerged wreckage. In the midst of it
+lay Speedwell. Roy dragged him ashore. The man's face was purple, his
+limbs limp and lifeless and he choked gaspingly. Another minute in the
+water would have been his last, as Roy realized.
+
+He did what he could for the man, rolling him on his face to get out the
+water he had swallowed. By this time the boat from the shore landed on
+the island. The two men got out.
+
+"Is he alive?" they asked of Roy.
+
+"Yes, and he'll get better, too, I guess. Lucky he fell in the water. No
+limbs are broken."
+
+"Well, you're a pretty decent sort of fellow to get out of the race to
+help an injured man," said one of the men.
+
+"Well, I'll leave him to you now," rejoined Roy; "is there a hospital
+near here?"
+
+"There's one 'bout a mile away. We can phone for an ambulance."
+
+"Good! Well, good-bye."
+
+With a whirr and a buzz the boy was gone, and speedily became a speck in
+the sky.
+
+In the meantime the aviation field was in an uproar. Dashing toward it
+had come the two leading aëroplanes. From dots in the sky no bigger than
+shoe buttons they speedily became manifest as two aëroplanes aquiver
+with speed. Blue smoke poured from their exhausts. Evidently the two
+aviators were straining their craft to the utmost.
+
+"It's that Cuban woman and the young girl flyer!" yelled a man who had a
+pair of field glasses.
+
+The uproar redoubled. The two aëroplanes were almost side by side as
+they rushed onward. Which would win the $500 race?
+
+It was a struggle that had begun some miles back. After leaving the lake
+Peggy, who had held some speed in reserve while her opponent had keyed
+her machine to its top pitch, had gradually gained on her. But still
+there was a gap between the two aëroplanes.
+
+On the return trip no car blazed the way. The speed was too great for
+that. For this reason smudges, or smoky fires, had been lighted to guide
+the flyers. At a place where it was necessary to make a slight turn
+Peggy made the gain that brought her almost alongside her competitor. In
+making the turn the monoplane flown by the Cuban aviatrix could not
+negotiate it at as sharp an angle as Peggy's machine, owing to its not
+being equipped with an equalizing, or stability device.
+
+Now it was that Peggy tensioned up the _Golden Butterfly_ to its full
+power. The engine fairly roared as the propeller blurred round. The
+whole fabric trembled under the strain. It seemed as if nothing made by
+man could stand the pressure.
+
+But the _Golden Butterfly_ had been built by one of the foremost young
+aviators in the country, and it was sound and true in every part. Peggy
+felt no fear of anything giving out under the strain.
+
+And now the aviation park appeared in the distance. Peggy headed
+straight for it, hoping devoutly that her motor would not heat up
+and jam under the terrific speed it was being forced to.
+
+The Cuban woman glanced round anxiously. It was a bad move for her. Like
+a flash the _Golden Butterfly_ shot by the other machine as the latter
+wobbled badly.
+
+Peggy's delight was mixed with apprehension. The motor was beginning to
+smoke. Plainly it was heating up.
+
+"Will it last five minutes longer?"
+
+That was the thought in Peggy's mind. The _Golden Butterfly_ was hardly
+an airship any longer. It was a thunderbolt--a flying arrow. Before
+Peggy's eyes there was nothing now but the tall red and white "pylon"
+that marked the winning post. Could she make it ahead of her rival?
+Close behind her she could hear the roar of the other motor, but she
+did not dare to look round for fear of losing ground.
+
+Swiftly she mentally selected the spot where she would land, and then
+down shot the _Golden Butterfly_ like a pouncing fish hawk. The speed of
+the descent fairly took Peggy's breath away. Her cap had come off and
+her golden hair streamed out in the breeze wildly.
+
+There was a blur of flying trees, then came the grandstand, a mere
+smudge of color, a sea of dimly seen faces and a roar that was like that
+of a hundred waterfalls.
+
+Down shot the _Golden Butterfly_ just inside the "pylon." It ran for
+about a hundred yards and was then brought to a stop.
+
+Peggy Prescott had won the great race.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+PEGGY'S GENEROSITY.
+
+
+"Oh, Peggy, it's the proudest moment of my life!" cried Jimsy, as a
+shouting, excited crowd surrounded the aëroplane in which Peggy still
+sat, feeling dazed and a little dizzy.
+
+"Oh, you wonderful girl!" cried out Bess, half laughing and half crying;
+"gracious, what an exciting finish. I thought I'd go wild when it looked
+as if you weren't going to win."
+
+They helped her from the aëroplane while policemen pushed the crowd
+back. Somebody brought a tray with steaming hot tea and crackers on it.
+But Peggy could not eat. She felt faint and dreamy.
+
+"Brace up!" urged Jimsy.
+
+"I'll be all right in a minute. It's the strain of those last few
+minutes. I never thought I'd win."
+
+"And I never doubted it," declared Jess stoutly.
+
+"I wonder where Roy is?" asked Peggy anxiously, as they entered a box in
+the grandstand where they could be secluded from the shoving, curious,
+staring crowd.
+
+"Don't know; but he's all right, depend upon it," said Jimsy cheerfully;
+"hello, what's that coming now?"
+
+"It's a homing aëroplane."
+
+Then, a minute later:
+
+"It's Roy. Look at him come. I didn't think the _Red Dragon_ could go
+as fast."
+
+Roy it was, sure enough. He was coming at a pace that might have landed
+him as winner of the race if he had not been delayed by his errand of
+mercy.
+
+Ten minutes later he had joined them. First he explained what had
+happened to the judges of the course. Kelly, crest-fallen and
+wretched-looking, thanked him half heartedly for what he had done and
+said that he would care for Speedwell till he got better, which, by
+the way, was a promise that he did not perform.
+
+A sudden stir in the crowd caused the little party in the box to
+look up.
+
+A man was hastily chalking up some legend on the big black bulletin
+board. It ran thus:
+
+
+  Long-distance Race for $500 prize.
+  Start of Flight--11:01:2.
+  Finish of Flight--12:02:0.
+  Maximum Height--1,500 feet.
+  Wind Velocity--10 miles from southeast.
+  Winner--_Golden Butterfly_.
+  Winning Aviator--Miss Margaret Prescott.
+
+
+What a cheer went up then. It seemed as if the roof would be raised off
+the grandstand by it.
+
+"It's like a dream!" sighed Peggy, "just like a dream."
+
+"Now, don't get fainty, Peggy, or Miss Margaret Prescott," admonished
+Jess; "as Jimsy says, 'brace up,' the best is yet to come."
+
+A man came up to where they were sitting. In his hand he had a slip of
+pink paper.
+
+Roy reached out for it, but the man said that he had instructions to
+hand it only to Peggy.
+
+"It's the check for the prize-winning money," he explained.
+
+Peggy took it and sat gazing at it for a minute.
+
+"Oh, Peggy, what are you going to do with it?" asked Bess. "Buy some
+dresses or hats or----"
+
+"None of those things," said Peggy; "I made up my mind before I went
+into the race as to what I would do with the money if I won."
+
+"And what's that?" asked Miss Prescott.
+
+"Why, it must go toward The Wren's education," rejoined the girl.
+
+"Oh, Peggy, you darling!" cried Jess, flinging her arms round her chum,
+in full view of the grandstand and the crowd below.
+
+As for The Wren, she gazed up at the girl with wide-open brown eyes.
+
+"You are too good to me--too good," she said simply; but there was a
+plaintive quiver in her voice.
+
+Mr. James Parker sat on the porch of his home, in the foothills of the
+Big Smokies, gazing out over the landscape. Seemingly he was watching
+for something.
+
+"He done watch de sky lak he 'spected de bottom drap clean out uv it
+pretty soon," said Uncle Jupe, his factotum, to his wife Mandy.
+
+"'Gwan, you fool nigger, don' you know dat dem flying boys an' gals is
+to be hayr ter-day?"
+
+"Oh, dat's jes a joke, dat is," rejoined Uncle Jupe; "how's they all
+goin' ter fly ah'd lak to know."
+
+"I don' know, but dat's what Marse Parker says."
+
+"Den he's been grocersly imposed upon by somebody. Ain't likely dat ef
+de Lawd had meant us ter fly he'd have give us wings, wouldn't he?"
+
+"Go 'long, now, Don' flossyfying roun' hyar. You git out an' hoe dat
+cohn. Look libely, now. You git it done fo' dinner or dere'll be
+trouble."
+
+Uncle Jupe shuffled out of the kitchen, but in a minute he came rushing
+back.
+
+"Wha' de matter?" demanded his wife, noticing his wildly staring eyes
+and open mouth; "you gone fool crazy?"
+
+"M-m-m-m-mandy, it's true! It's true!" gasped Uncle Jupe.
+
+"Wha's true,--dat you all's crazy?"
+
+"Yes--no, it's 'bout dem flyin' things. Dey's comin'. Come and look wid
+your own eyes."
+
+Mandy shuffled out. There, sure enough, coming toward them, was a flock
+of what at first sight appeared to be immense birds. But it was the
+young sky cruisers nearing their destination.
+
+On the porch Mr. Parker stood up and waved his newspaper. Ten minutes
+later the aëroplanes came to earth in the smooth front lawn, while Uncle
+Jupe restrained a strong inclination to run away.
+
+"Dey ain't canny, dem things," he declared; "ef de Lord had wanted us to
+fly he'd have given us wings, I guess.
+
+"Yes, sir, he'd sure have given us wings des de same as angels hev," he
+repeated musingly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE MOONSHINERS AND THE AËROPLANE.
+
+
+"This is a beautiful country, sis."
+
+"Yes, indeed," agreed Peggy warmly.
+
+The two were flying high above the romantic scenery of the Big Smoke
+Mountains of North Carolina in the _Golden Butterfly_. Beneath them lay
+a wild-looking expanse of country,--peaks, deep cañons and cliffs
+heavily wooded and here and there bare patches cropping out.
+
+"Let's drop down on one of those patches and do some exploring,"
+suggested Peggy.
+
+"All right," agreed Roy, nothing loath. The _Golden Butterfly_ was
+headed downward.
+
+In a few minutes they landed on a smooth spot surrounded by trees.
+Leaving the aëroplane, they struck off on a path through the woods.
+"Wonder if we can't find some huckleberries hereabouts," suggested Roy.
+
+"Oh, yes, lots. Wouldn't it be dandy to take home a bucketful by
+aëroplane!"
+
+"There's a little hut off yonder, maybe we could get a bucket or
+something there."
+
+"Let's see if there are any berries first," said the practical Peggy.
+
+From out of the hut shuffled an old woman. She was a wrinkled and
+hideous old hag, brown as a seasoned meerschaum pipe and in her mouth
+was a reeking corn cob.
+
+Her feet were bare, and altogether she was a most repulsive old crone.
+She saw Roy and Peggy almost as soon as they saw her. For an instant she
+stood looking at them and then raised her voice in a sort of shrill
+shriek.
+
+Instantly from the woods around several men appeared--wild-looking,
+bearded fellows, each of whom carried a rifle.
+
+"What you alls want hyar?" demanded one who seemed to be the leader.
+
+"We were just taking a walk," explained Roy.
+
+"Wa'al, we all don't like strangers particlar."
+
+"So it would seem," rejoined Roy, with a bold voice, although his heart
+was beating rather fast.
+
+"How'd you alls get hyar?" was the next question from the inquisitor.
+
+"We flew here," rejoined Roy truthfully.
+
+But the man's face grew black with wrath.
+
+"Don' you alls lie to me; it ain't healthy," he said.
+
+"I'm not in the habit of doing so."
+
+"But you said you flew hyar."
+
+"Well, we did."
+
+"See hyar, young stranger, you jes' tell me the truth 'bout how you came
+or by the eternal I'll make it hot fer you."
+
+"I can only show you that I'm speaking nothing but the truth," rejoined
+the boy; "if you'll come with me I'll show you what we flew here in."
+
+The man glanced at him suspiciously. It was plain that he feared a trap
+of some sort. His eyes were wild and shifty as a wolf's.
+
+"Ain't you frum the guv-ment?" he asked.
+
+"I don't know just what you mean."
+
+"I reckin that's jus' more dum' lyin'."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"Don' get sassy, young feller, it won't do you no good. But I'll come
+with you. Come on, boys, we'll take a look at this flyin' thing. I
+reckon that even if it is a trap there's enough of us to take care of a
+pack of them."
+
+"That's right, Jeb," agreed the men.
+
+Some of them, who had been hanging back in the bushes, now came forward.
+They were all as wild-looking as their leader, Jeb. The old woman
+mumbled and talked to herself as they strode off behind Roy and Peggy.
+
+It was one of the strangest adventures of their lives and neither one of
+them could hit on any explanation of the hillmen's conduct.
+
+It did not take long to reach the aëroplane, and Roy turned triumphantly
+to Jeb.
+
+"Well," he said, "what do you think now?"
+
+"Wa'al, it ain't flyin', is it?"
+
+"Of course not, but I can make it."
+
+"You kin?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Flap its wings and all that like a burd?"
+
+"No, it doesn't flap its wings."
+
+"Then how kin it fly?" propounded Jeb.
+
+A murmur of approval ran through the throng. Jeb's logic appealed to
+their primitive intellects.
+
+"Nothing can't fly that don't flap its wings," said one of them.
+
+"But if it didn't fly, how in tarnation did it git here?" asked an old
+man with a grizzled beard and blackened stumps of teeth projecting from
+shrunken gums.
+
+This appeared to be a poser for even Jeb. He had nothing to say.
+
+"If you like I'll give you a ride in it," proffered Roy to Jeb.
+
+"All right; only no monkey tricks now."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Wa'al, in course I know it won't fly, but if it does you'll hev to let
+me out."
+
+With this sage remark Jeb stepped gingerly into the chassis of the
+aëroplane. He sat down where he was told and Roy took the wheel. Jeb's
+companions gazed on in awed silence.
+
+"Look out, Jeb," cried one.
+
+"Don't hit the sky," yelled another.
+
+"Bring me back a star," howled the facetious old man.
+
+"Me a bit of the moon," called another.
+
+Jeb said nothing to this raillery. Instead, he looked uneasily about him
+and held his rifle, which he had insisted on bringing with him, between
+his knees.
+
+"All right?" asked Roy, looking back at him.
+
+"As right as I ever will be," rejoined Jeb, with a rather sickly grin.
+
+"You must hold tight," warned Peggy.
+
+"I'm doing that," said Jeb.
+
+And then with the same sickly grin:
+
+"Say, miss, does it really fly?"
+
+"Of course it does. As that old man said, how could it have got here if
+it didn't."
+
+"I guess I'd better go home and git my coat," said Jeb, trying to climb
+out.
+
+His demeanor had completely changed since he had climbed into the
+chassis. Something in its well-cushioned seats and the sight of the
+powerful engine and propeller seemed to have changed his mind about
+the capabilities of the _Golden Butterfly_.
+
+But it was too late. With a roar the engine started. Instantly the
+little plateau was deserted. The mountaineers were all behind trees.
+
+Jeb rushed for the side of the car.
+
+"Sit down!" screeched Peggy, really fearing he would fall over.
+
+But if Jeb's intention had been to climb out it was foiled.
+
+[Illustration: "Take me back to earth er I'll shoot," said a voice in
+his ear.]
+
+"Wow!" he yelled, and again, "Wow-ow-ow! Lemme out."
+
+"Too late now," shouted Roy.
+
+The aëroplane shot upward, carrying as a passenger a man temporarily
+crazy from fright.
+
+Suddenly Roy felt the muzzle of a rifle press against the back of his
+neck.
+
+"Take me back to earth er I'll shoot," said a voice in his ear.
+
+Roy obeyed, and so ended Jeb's first aëroplane ride. It may be added
+that it was also his last.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+MR. PARKER'S STORY.
+
+
+"It was a gang of moonshiners that you stumbled across," said Mr.
+Parker, when they told him of their adventure; "you were fortunate to
+escape as you did."
+
+"I guess we have that aëroplane ride we gave to Jeb to thank for that,"
+laughed Roy.
+
+"It wasn't so laughable, though, when he pressed that rifle to your
+neck," declared Peggy.
+
+"No, indeed. That was a mighty uncomfortable feeling, I can tell you."
+
+"It reminds me of an experience I had with moonshiners once," said Mr.
+Parker. "Would you care to hear about it?"
+
+Of course they would. They were sitting on the porch in the twilight
+after dinner. It was a happy group and they had been exploding with
+laughter over Roy's account of Jeb's ride.
+
+"It was a good many years ago, when I was in the employ of the
+government," said Mr. Parker, "that what I am going to tell you about
+happened. I was a young fellow then, and a good bit of a dare-devil, so
+I was sent at the head of a body of men to rout out moonshiners.
+
+"As you may know from your experience this morning, it is mighty
+dangerous to be suspected of being in the employ of the government, and
+so we posed as drummers and peddlers, scattering through the mountains.
+
+"Each of us worked alone so as not to attract attention. Our job was
+merely to locate the illicit stills and then militia would be sent to
+raid and destroy them, and the vile stuff they concoct.
+
+"I had been on the job about a week when I came one night to a
+desolate-looking little shack on a high mountainside. It did not look
+inviting, but I had to have shelter for the night, so I stepped to the
+door and knocked. A rather comely looking woman replied to my summons.
+
+"'I'm a peddler,' I explained, 'could I get something to eat and a room
+here for the night?'
+
+"She looked at me twice before answering.
+
+"'What you tradin' in?' she asked, with a trace of suspicion.
+
+"I judged from her manner that there was an illicit still in the
+neighborhood and that was what made her so suspicious.
+
+"'Oh, laces, ribbons and so forth,' I replied.
+
+"I showed her some samples.
+
+"I'll give you breakfast, supper and a bed fer that bit of red ribbon,'
+she said.
+
+"'I'll throw in this bit of blue,' said I gallantly.
+
+"And so the bargain was struck. It was a small place, but neat and tidy.
+Two children were playing about and in a corner sat a man trying to read
+a month-old newspaper.
+
+"Pop, this feller traded in these bits of ribbon fer bed and two meals,'
+she said, proudly exhibiting her goods and evidently thinking she had
+made an excellent bargain. I could see the gleam of triumph in her eye.
+
+"'Humph!' grunted the man, 'much good those are.'
+
+"Then he turned to me.
+
+"'Peddler?' he asked.
+
+"'Yes,' said I.
+
+"'What you tradin' in?'
+
+"'Oh, silks, laces and so forth,' rejoined I, repeating my formula.
+
+"'Humph!'
+
+"He looked at me, narrowing his eyes.
+
+"'You don't look much like a peddler," said he.
+
+"'No, I've seen better days,' I said, with a sigh.
+
+"But I could see that he was still suspicious.
+
+"'Where'd you come from?' was his next question.
+
+"'South,' said I.
+
+"'Where you going?'
+
+"'North.'
+
+"'Ain't much on conversation, be yer?' he asked.
+
+"'No, I'm not considered a very talkative fellow,' I rejoined.
+
+"We lapsed into silence. The man smoked. I just sat and thought the
+situation over. At last supper was announced. It was eaten almost in
+silence. The man discouraged all his wife's efforts at conversation. He
+was sullen and nervous.
+
+"More than ever did I begin to suspect that there was a still in the
+immediate neighborhood. Soon after supper I pleaded fatigue and was
+shown up a flight of stairs, or rather a ladder, to a sort of attic.
+There was a husk mattress there, and a pile of rather dirty-looking
+blankets. But in those hills you learn to put up with what you can get.
+I was glad to have found shelter at all.
+
+"But tired as I was for some reason I couldn't sleep. I felt a sort of
+vague uneasiness. I heard the man get up and go out and then later on
+I heard several voices downstairs.
+
+"There were broad chinks in the floor, and through these I could look
+down. The men--there were four of them--were talking in low voices, but
+now and then I could catch a word. All of a sudden I heard one say
+something about government spy.
+
+"That gave me a shock, I can tell you. I knew then they were talking
+about me. My predicament was a bad one if they suspected me. I began
+to look about me for a way to get out. While doing this I occasionally
+looked down below.
+
+"The last time I looked I got a shock that made my hair stand. The
+fellows were moving about the room. From one corner one of them got
+a formidable-looking knife.
+
+"Scared to death, I redoubled my efforts to find a way out. At last at
+one end of the room I found a chimney, one of those big stone affairs
+as big as all outdoors. I decided to try this.
+
+"I found that it was rough inside, and I had not much difficulty in
+clambering up it. I was near the top when I heard a voice from the
+room below say:
+
+"'Then we uns 'ull kill him right now.'
+
+"'Yep, he's lived long enough. He's no good.'
+
+"My heart jumped into my mouth. I redoubled my efforts and emerged from
+the top of the chimney. Reaching it, I lowered myself to the roof as
+gently as possible.
+
+"The eaves came down low to the ground and I had not much difficulty in
+making my escape noiselessly."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+THE WREN DISAPPEARS.
+
+
+"But as I reached the ground a startling thing happened. I missed my
+footing and found myself rolling down a steepish bank. At the bottom
+I fetched up against an odd-looking little hut almost overgrown with
+bushes. It was bright moonlight and the door was open.
+
+"Inside was a fire, and by its light I could see that the place was
+empty of human life, but that a collection of objects already familiar
+to me almost filled it.
+
+"It was an illicit still!
+
+"Clearly enough, also, it was operated by my hosts up above.
+
+"I listened for sounds of pursuit, but heard none. Possibly they had not
+yet crept into my room to perform their horrible resolve.
+
+"Suddenly the silence was broken by appalling yells and screams. My hair
+bristled for an instant and then I burst into a laugh.
+
+"It was a pig that I heard. At the same instant it dawned on me that it
+was the pig that they had been discussing dispatching and not me at all.
+You can imagine the revulsion of my feelings. But I felt sore at the
+scare they had given me, so I decided to do some work for the government
+and even up scores at the same time.
+
+"Entering the shack, I scattered the coals of the fire right and left.
+Then I came away. No, I did _not_ go back to the cabin. It would, as
+your friend Jeb said, not have been healthy for me.
+
+"Instead I set off running at top speed through the woods. Before long I
+saw a glow on the sky behind me, and knew that flames were devouring the
+vile stuff that moonshiners make.
+
+"I left my pack behind me, however, and I hope that compensated them for
+the loss of their still. I'm sure the woman, at any rate, would value
+its contents more highly."
+
+They all burst into a laugh at the conclusion of Mr. Parker's odd story.
+They were still laughing when Mandy rushed out on the porch.
+
+"Miss Wren done be gone!" she shouted.
+
+"Gone!" they all echoed, in dismayed tones.
+
+"Yes. I done go to her room to see de poo' lamb is com'foble, and she
+not there. I done find dis writin', too."
+
+"Let me look at it," demanded Mr. Parker.
+
+"It mighty hard to read. It sure is a scan-lous bit of writin'."
+
+With this comment the colored woman handed over to her master a bit of
+dirty wrapping paper.
+
+On it was scrawled in almost illegible characters:
+
+"U wont git hur agin.--The Romanys."
+
+"The Romanys!" exclaimed Peggy.
+
+"Yes; that's the gipsy word for themselves," said Mr. Parker. "I'm
+afraid that the same band that had her before has stolen her again."
+
+"What are we to do?" wailed Bess.
+
+"Hush!" said Jess; "let Mr. Parker decide what is best."
+
+They stood about with dismayed faces.
+
+Miss Prescott was weeping softly. Peggy could hardly keep back her
+tears. The little brown Wren had become very dear to all of them. It was
+a hard blow indeed to lose her like this.
+
+"But how could they know that she was here?" objected Jimsy.
+
+"Why, that silly newspaper report that went out when you arrived here
+about your adventures on the way and the romantic rescue of Wren. If
+they had come across that it would have given them a clew."
+
+"They were traveling south then, Wren said, and that was two weeks ago.
+They would have had ample time to reach this vicinity."
+
+"That is so," rejoined Mr. Parker solemnly; "I'll make telephonic
+inquiries at once. They may have been seen in the vicinity."
+
+"While you are doing that we'll examine the room. They may have left
+a clew there," said Roy.
+
+Roy and Jimsy darted upstairs on this errand. On looking round the place
+it was clear enough how the abductors had gotten in. Outside the window
+was an extension roof. It would have been very easy for an active man
+such as gipsies usually are to have clambered in and out again without
+detection.
+
+Taking a lantern they examined the ground outside. On a flower bed below
+the roof was the imprint of a man's feet.
+
+"Notice anything peculiar about it?" asked Jimsy, for Roy was bending
+earnestly over the prints.
+
+"Yes, I'd know that foot print again anywhere," he said; "see, one side
+of the man's boot was broken, the one of the right foot. His toes show
+here on the ground."
+
+"That might be a good clew if it was daylight; but right now--"
+
+Jimsy sighed. It was manifestly impossible to do any tracking of the man
+with the broken boot in the darkness.
+
+"We'll have to wait till daylight."
+
+"Yes, bother it all. They may be miles away by that time."
+
+"I doubt it. I wouldn't wonder if they hide right around here. There are
+lots of good places, and they know that the hue and cry will be so hot
+that they would be caught if they traveled."
+
+"That's so. Maybe we can find them, after all."
+
+"Let's hope so. Well, we can do no more good here. Let's go in."
+
+Peggy met them at the door. She seemed wildly excited over something.
+
+"The mail rider's just been here," she exclaimed, "and listen to this
+letter. It's from a woman living near New York. She just got back from
+Europe and in an old newspaper she read an account of our sky cruise.
+
+"She is certain that The Wren is her daughter and gives a description of
+her that tallies in every particular. She said that Wren was caught out
+in a heavy thunderstorm and sought refuge in a gipsy camp, as she
+learned afterward from a farmer who had seen her. She hunted high and
+low but has never since had word of the child. Her right name is Sylvia
+Harvey. Mrs. James Harvey is her mother, and she's rushing here as fast
+as a train will carry her."
+
+"If it is really Sylvia Harvey then her mother has found her only to
+lose her again," sighed Jess.
+
+"Don't say that," said Mr. Parker, coming into the room at that moment,
+"we'll leave no stone unturned to find her."
+
+"Did you have any success with the telephone?"
+
+"No; nobody has seen a band of people answering to the descriptions you
+gave of The Wren's abductors."
+
+"Then we can do nothing more?"
+
+The question came from Roy.
+
+"Not to-night. It would be useless. I have notified all the police
+around and a general alarm will be sent out at once. And now I order
+every one to bed. We've hard work in front of us tomorrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+CAPTURED BY GIPSIES.
+
+
+About noon the next day Roy and Jimsy found themselves at the edge of a
+wild-looking section of country. They were standing at the entrance to a
+glen densely wooded with dark, forbidding-looking trees, and walled by
+precipitous and rugged rocks.
+
+"Looks as if the trail ends here," said Jimsy disconsolately.
+
+"It sure does. We can't----Gee, Whillikens!"
+
+"What on earth is up now?"
+
+"It's the broken-toed boot. Look here on the muddy bank of this little
+stream."
+
+"By hooky, it is! We've struck the trail instead of ending it."
+
+"What will we do; go back for reënforcements?"
+
+"Not just yet. We'll reconnoiter a bit. See, the fellow went up this
+bank and--look there, Jimsy--there's a little footprint beside. He was
+dragging the child along."
+
+With beating hearts the two boys entered the forbidding-looking glen. It
+was almost dark under the trees, which made the aspect of the place even
+more gloomy and desolate looking.
+
+"This is a nice, cheerful sort of place," said Jimsy, in a low tone, as
+they walked along, following the bank of the stream, for the brush was
+too thick to admit of their walking anywhere else, which is what had
+driven the broken-booted man to leave a tell-tale trail behind him.
+
+"I rather wish I had a gun," said Jimsy.
+
+"We won't get close enough to them to need it," rejoined Roy; "we'll
+just spy out their hiding place and then go back for reënforcements."
+
+"That's the best idea. I don't much fancy a hand-to-hand encounter with
+a band of such desperate ruffians as those gipsies have shown themselves
+to be."
+
+"Don't be scared. We won't have any trouble if we're careful."
+
+"I'm not scared; but if we did get in a tussle with them they could
+easily overpower us and then we'd have done more harm than good for
+they'd take fright and move right off."
+
+"That's my idea. We'll be as cautious as mousing cats."
+
+"Better stop talking, then. I never heard a mousing cat mi-ouw."
+
+Cautiously they crept on. The trail still held good. At last they
+reached the head of the glen where a spring showed the source of the
+brook.
+
+"What next?" whispered Jimsy.
+
+"Let's see if we can find which way that fellow went. The ground is
+spongy all around here and--ah! this way! See it?"
+
+Jimsy nodded. They struck off to the right, clambering over rocks till
+they reached the summit of a small hill. A tall dead tree stood there
+and Jimsy volunteered to climb it in order to spy out the surrounding
+country for traces of the gipsys. But on his return to the ground he was
+compelled to admit that they had gained nothing.
+
+"I thought I might see some smoke that would give me a clew to their
+whereabouts," he explained.
+
+"Not much chance of their being as foolish as that. I guess they know
+searching parties are out all over by this time, and they are too foxy
+to light fires."
+
+"I might have thought of that," admitted Jimsy; "it would be about the
+last thing they would do. What will we do now?"
+
+"I hardly know. Hello! there's an odd-looking place. Right over there.
+See that deep cañon? That one with the fallen tree across it?"
+
+"Yes, I do now. Let's look over there."
+
+"All right. You're on."
+
+The two boys struck off in the direction of Roy's discovery. It was
+indeed an odd freak of nature. Some convulsion of the earth had detached
+quite a section of land from the surrounding country. It was, in fact,
+an island in the midst of the woods with only the fallen tree for a
+bridge.
+
+"Let's cross it and examine the place," suggested Roy, with all a boy's
+curiosity.
+
+Together they crossed the old tree, which had evidently fallen there by
+accident, although, in reality, it formed a perfect bridge. The "island"
+was thickly wooded and they pushed forward across it, not without some
+difficulty.
+
+Suddenly they came upon a sight that made them halt dead in their
+tracks.
+
+A man holding a rifle was sitting on a fallen log. The instant he saw
+them he raised his weapon.
+
+"Don't come no further," he said.
+
+"Why not?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+
+"See that sign?" said the man.
+
+He pointed to a rudely painted sign on a tree at his back.
+
+"Dangir. No Trespasin."
+
+That was what it said in bold letters that sprawled across its surface
+in an untidy fashion. The execution of the thing was as bad as its
+spelling.
+
+"I guess a pretty sick man painted that sign," grinned Jimsy.
+
+"What do you mean?" was the surly reply.
+
+"Why, I should judge he was having an awful bad spell at the time," was
+the boy's rejoinder.
+
+The man scowled at him fiercely.
+
+"No joking round here," he growled; "now, then, if you know what's good
+for you you two kids will vamoose."
+
+"What's the danger if we keep on?" asked Roy.
+
+"Why, they're trying a new kind of explosive back there. It might go off
+the wrong way, your way, for instance, and hurt you," was the reply.
+
+"Seems a funny sort of place to try out explosives," said Roy.
+
+"Seems a queer sort of place for you two kids to come. Who are you,
+anyhow?"
+
+"Oh, we are camping down below and we just came out for a stroll."
+
+"Well, stroll some other place, then. Git away from round here."
+
+"We certainly will," flashed back Roy; "come on, Jimsy."
+
+As there seemed nothing else to do Jimsy agreed. They turned away and
+began retracing their steps, no wiser as to the whereabouts of the man
+with the broken boot than they had been when they set out.
+
+Just as they turned to go, however, another man came out of the woods
+behind the man with the rifle. When he saw the boys he gave an abrupt
+start.
+
+"Where did those boys come from?" he demanded.
+
+"I don't know. Said they was two kids out campin' and takin' a stroll."
+
+"Taking a stroll, eh?" said the other ferociously; "they were taking a
+stroll looking for that Wren."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Because they are the same two kids who stole her from us just as we
+were going to demand a ransom for her."
+
+"That was before I joined the band. No wonder I didn't know them; if
+I had----"
+
+He scowled vindictively.
+
+"Well, we can't let 'em get away. Here, give me that rifle," demanded
+the newcomer.
+
+The other handed it to him. The next instant a report rang out and a
+bullet whizzed over the boys' heads.
+
+"Come back here," shouted the man who had fired the shot; "I want to
+see you."
+
+The boys hesitated for a minute.
+
+"The next shot 'ull come lower if you don't," warned the man; "come on,
+no nonsense."
+
+As there seemed to be nothing else to do the boys obeyed. As they drew
+closer they recognized the fellow.
+
+"Oh, you know me, eh?" he snarled; "well, you'll know me better before
+we get through. Follow me, now. Pedro, you take the rifle and fall in
+behind. If they try to escape shoot them down."
+
+Here was a fine situation. They had found the gipsies' camp with a
+vengeance, but for all the good it was going to do The Wren, unless
+they could get her away, they might as well not have come. These gloomy
+reflections sifted through their minds as they paced along, the man with
+the rifle occasionally prodding them with it just to make them "step
+lively," as he phrased it.
+
+At length they came to a sort of large open place shaped like a basin,
+and placed in the middle of this natural island. In this basin were set
+up several squalid tents, about which the gipsies were squatting.
+
+They set up a yell of surprise as the two boys were brought in.
+
+"Where under the sun did you find them, Beppo?" exclaimed the same woman
+who had so cruelly ill-treated The Wren the time the boys rescued her.
+
+"Oh, they were just taking a stroll, and happened to stroll in here,"
+said Beppo viciously.
+
+"I guess they won't have a chance to bother us again. They're going to
+make quite a stay here."
+
+The gipsies set up a taunting laugh. Suddenly, from one of the tents,
+a tiny figure darted.
+
+"Oh, I knew you'd come! I knew you'd come," it cried.
+
+It was the poor little Wren. She had been stripped of her nice clothes
+and put into some filthy rags, her face was stained with crying and
+there was a bruise on her forehead.
+
+With a curse Beppo seized the child by one arm, swung her round and
+dealt her a savage box on the ear.
+
+"Get back where you belong!" he roared.
+
+The next instant Beppo had measured his length on the ground and beneath
+one of his eyes a beautiful plum-colored swelling was developing. As has
+been said, Roy could hit a powerful blow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+DELIVERANCE.
+
+
+The next minute all was wild confusion. The boys found themselves on the
+ground, being scratched and bitten and kicked by men and women alike.
+They did not have a chance against this horde of half savage wanderers.
+At length beaten and bruised they were tied with ropes and thrown into
+one of the tents and a man set to guard it.
+
+All day they lay there without anything to eat or drink and no one to
+come near them except that occasionally a tangled head would be thrust
+in to hurl some taunt at them.
+
+Darkness fell and they still lay there, suffering terrible pain from
+their wounds and bonds.
+
+"This is the uttermost limit," declared Roy, in a low tone; "we're in
+the worst fix we ever got into this time."
+
+"We certainly are. What a bit of bad luck that the rascal Beppo came up
+when he did! That other gipsy had no idea who we were."
+
+"Well, I had the satisfaction of giving Master Beppo a good black eye,"
+muttered Roy.
+
+"Yes; that was a peach. It did me good to see it land."
+
+"It landed all right. Ouch, my back feels as if it was broken."
+
+"My wrists and ankles are awfully sore. I wonder if they mean to let us
+loose or give us anything to eat."
+
+"Well, we won't last long at this rate. I guess they mean to be as cruel
+as they can to us in return for that punch I gave Beppo."
+
+"I wouldn't have spoken to you again if you hadn't."
+
+"I don't blame you."
+
+It grew dark. Outside they heard the murmur of voices for a time and
+then all became quiet. Just before silence fell and snores became
+audible they heard the man on duty as their guard call for some coffee
+to keep by his side during the night.
+
+"I'll send that brat of a Wren to you with it directly," they heard
+Beppo's wife reply; "the little beast, it'll do her good to work."
+
+Then came the sound of a slap and a sob.
+
+The boys' blood boiled.
+
+"Oh, what wouldn't I give to have Master Beppo in a twenty-four-foot
+ring," breathed Roy.
+
+"I think he'd look well decorating a tree," grated out Jimsy viciously.
+
+The night wore on, but the boys did not sleep. Their tight bonds and
+worry over their situation prevented this.
+
+All at once Roy's attention was attracted by somebody raising the flap
+at the back of the tent. Next something crawled in. At first he thought
+it was a large dog.
+
+But then came a whisper:
+
+"It's me, Wren."
+
+"What are you doing here?"
+
+"Hush, I've come to get you free. You'll take me with you, won't you?"
+
+"Of course; what a question to ask! But how can you free us?"
+
+"I've got a knife here. I'll cut those ropes in a minute."
+
+"But the guard outside?"
+
+"I've fixed him. Was it very wrong of me? While Mother Beppo wasn't
+looking I put some of the stuff in that coffee I brought him."
+
+[Illustration: "I'd do anything for you." said the child, as she rapidly
+cut the ropes.]
+
+"Well, upon my word, Wren! What sort of stuff?" gasped Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, some sort of brown stuff. I've seen Mother Beppo smoke it. It makes
+her oh so sleepy. So I gave some to him and he's sound asleep now."
+
+"Must have been opium," declared Roy. "Wren, do you know that you are
+a very bad young lady?"
+
+"I'd do anything for you. You're so good and kind to me," said the
+child, as she rapidly cut the ropes.
+
+For a time the boys, after being freed, just lay there, unable to move.
+But after a while circulation set in and they began to move their limbs.
+In half an hour the trio crept out of the tent and, crossing the
+"island," traversed the trunk bridge.
+
+"Wait a minute," said Roy, when they reached the other side.
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Make that whole outfit prisoners till the officers of the law can get
+up here."
+
+He took a broken branch as a lever and with Jimsy's assistance toppled
+the log down into the cañon.
+
+"Now I guess they'll stay put for a while," he said.
+
+And they did. That was why, when a posse came up to capture the band,
+they carried materials for building a bridge across the cañon. It may
+as well be said here that the band received heavy sentences, it being
+proved at their trial that they had made a practice of kidnapping
+children and then trying to collect ransoms for them.
+
+There was a happy scene next day at the Parker home when Mrs. Harvey,
+a sweet-faced woman of middle age, arrived. After one look at Wren she
+swayed and then, recovering herself, called out in the voice that only
+a mother knows:
+
+"Sylvia!"
+
+"Mother!" screamed the child, and rushed into her open arms.
+
+The tide of memory, driven to low ebb by ill-treatment and hardship,
+had rushed back with full force. The Wren, the gipsy waif, was once
+more Sylvia Harvey. A doctor said later that such cases were frequent
+following a severe shock. It was then that they recalled how the child
+had almost recollected some of her past life during the thunderstorm.
+
+The happiness of little Wren and her mother in their reunion was shared
+by all of the party who had been instrumental in effecting it, for every
+one of them, including Jake, had become attached to the quiet little
+girl and rejoiced in her good fortune.
+
+When Mrs. Harvey and Sylvia departed for the railway station the
+following day behind a pair of Mr. Parker's steady horses they were
+accompanied by the four aëroplanes, which hovered over them like so
+many sturdy guardian angels.
+
+And when the train bore them away they watched the returning aërial
+escort until there was nothing visible but four tiny dots against the
+blue heaven.
+
+"Oh, mother," exclaimed Wren, "they look no bigger than butterflies
+now!"
+
+And the Girl Aviators, flying every moment higher and farther on the
+powerful wings of the _Golden Butterfly_ and the delicate plane of the
+dainty _Dart_, looked back at the train crawling like a humble insect
+in the valley below and gloried in their untrammeled flight. As they
+followed Roy and Jimsy in an irregular procession through the air,
+their thoughts flew ahead, outdistancing the biplane and the _Red
+Dragon_ and speeding confidently toward the happy realizations of
+the future.
+
+Miss Prescott, watching from the home of Mr. Parker for their return,
+also dreamed dreams and saw visions, and in them her "dear children"
+were fulfilling the bright prophecies of the present. She saw them
+stronger because of adversity, braver because of success, and ennobled
+by all their experiences; and she deemed herself happy in her capacity
+of chaperon to the Girl Aviators.
+
+
+The End.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+       *     *     *     *     *
+
+THE VICTORY BOY SCOUTS
+
+BY CAPTAIN ALAN DOUGLAS
+
+SCOUTMASTER
+
+Stories from the pen of a writer who possesses a thorough knowledge of
+his subject. In addition to the stories there is an addenda in which
+useful boy scout nature lore is given, all illustrated. There are the
+following twelve titles in the series:
+
+1. _The Campfires of the Wolf Patrol_.
+
+2. _Woodcraft; or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good_.
+
+3. _Pathfinder; or, the Missing Tenderfoot_.
+
+4. _Great Hike; or, the Pride of Khaki Troop_.
+
+5. _Endurance Test; or, How Clear Grit Won the Day_.
+
+6. _Under Canvas; or, the Search for the Carteret Ghost_.
+
+7. _Storm-bound; or, a Vacation Among the Snow-Drifts_.
+
+8. _Afloat; or, Adventures on Watery Trails_.
+
+9. _Tenderfoot Squad; or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge_.
+
+10. _Boy Scout Electricans; or, the Hidden Dynamo-.
+
+11. _Boy Scouts in Open Plains; or, the Round-up not Ordered-.
+
+12. _Boy Scouts in an Airplane; or, the Warning from the Sky_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Radio Boys Series
+
+1. Radio Boys in the Secret Service; or, Cast Away on an Iceberg--FRANK
+HONEYWELL
+
+2. Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; or, The Yankee Canadian Wireless
+Trail--FRANK HONEYWELL
+
+3. Radio Boys in the Flying Service; or, Held for Ransom by Mexican
+Bandits--J.W. DUFFIELD
+
+4. Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for the Sunken Treasure--J.W.
+DUFFIELD
+
+5. Radio Boys Cronies; or, Bill Brown's Radio--WAYNE WHIPPLE
+
+6. Radio Boys Loyalty; or, Bill Brown Listens In--WAYNE WHIPPLE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Peggy Parson's Series
+
+By ANNABEL SHARP
+
+A popular and charming series of Girl's books dealing in an interesting
+and fascinating manner with the life and adventures of Girlhood so dear
+to all Girls from eight to fourteen years of age. Printed from large
+clear type on superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth.
+
+1. Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman
+
+2. Peggy Parson at Prep School
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Aëroplane Series
+
+By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY
+
+1. The Aëroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage
+
+2. The Aëroplane Boys on the Wing; or, Aëroplane Chums in the Tropics
+
+3. The Aëroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck
+
+4. The Aëroplane Boys' Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up
+
+5. The Aëroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Girl Aviator Series
+
+By MARGARET BURNHAM
+
+Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide awake Girls
+of the present day who are between the ages of eight and fourteen years.
+The great author of these books regards them as the best products of
+her pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior quality of paper;
+attractive multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.
+
+1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship
+
+2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings
+
+3. The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise
+
+4. The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Phil Bradley Mountain Boy's Series
+
+By SILAS R. BOONE
+
+These books describe with interesting detail the experience of a party
+of boys among the mountain pines. They teach the young reader how to
+protect themselves against the elements, what to do and what to avoid,
+and above all to become self-reliant and manly. There are five titles:
+
+1. Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys; or, The Birch Bark Lodge.
+
+2. Phil Bradley at the Wheel; or, The Mountain Boys' Mad Auto Dash.
+
+3. Phil Bradley's Shooting Box; or, The Mountain Boys on Currituck
+Sound.
+
+4. Phil Bradley's Snow-shoe Trail; or, The Mountain Boys in the Canadian
+Wilds.
+
+5. Phil Bradley's Winning Way.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The American Boy's Sports Series
+
+BY MARK OVERTON
+
+These stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the active boy is
+interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey, skating, ice-boating,
+sailing, camping and fishing all serve to lend interest to an unusual
+series of books. There are the following four titles:
+
+1. Jack Winters' Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the Diamond.
+
+2. Jack Winters' Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods.
+
+3. Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved the Day.
+
+4. Jack Winters' Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team to Victory.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Motor Boat Boys Series
+
+By LOUIS ARUNDEL
+
+1. The Motor Club's Cruise Down the Mississippi; or The Dash for Dixie.
+
+2. The Motor Club on the St. Lawrence River; or Adventures Among the
+Thousand Islands.
+
+3. The Motor Club on the Great Lakes; or Exploring the Mystic Isle of
+Mackinac.
+
+4. Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; or The Struggle for the
+Leadership.
+
+5. Motor Boat Boys Down the Coast; or Through Storm and Stress.
+
+6. Motor Boat Boys River Chase; or Six Chums Afloat or Ashore.
+
+7. Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube; or Four Chums Abroad
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Motor Maid Series
+
+By KATHERINE STOKES
+
+1. Motor Maids' School Days
+
+2. Motor Maids by Palm and Pine
+
+3. Motor Maids Across the Continent
+
+4. Motor Maids by Rose, Shamrock and Thistle.
+
+5. Motor Maids in Fair Japan 6. Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE "HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOKS By J.S. ZERBE
+
+Carpentry for Boys
+
+A book which treats, in a most practical and fascinating manner all
+subjects pertaining to the "King of Trades"; showing the care and use of
+tools; drawing; designing, and the laying out of work; the principles
+involved in the building of various kinds of structures, and the
+rudiments of architecture. It contains over two hundred and fifty
+illustrations made especially for this work, and includes also a
+complete glossary of the technical terms used in the art. The most
+comprehensive volume on this subject ever published for boys.
+
+Electricity for Boys
+
+The author has adopted the unique plan of setting forth the fundamental
+principles in each phase of the science, and practically applying the
+work in the successive stages. It shows how the knowledge has been
+developed, and the reasons for the various phenomena, without using
+technical words so as to bring it within the compass of every boy. It
+has a complete glossary of terms, and is illustrated with two hundred
+original drawings.
+
+Practical Mechanics for Boys
+
+This book takes the beginner through a comprehensive series of practical
+shop work, in which the uses of tools, and the structure and handling of
+shop machinery are set forth; how they are utilized to perform the work,
+and the manner in which all dimensional work is carried out. Every
+subject is illustrated, and model building explained. It contains a
+glossary which comprises a new system of cross references, a feature
+that will prove a welcome departure in explaining subjects. Fully
+illustrated.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+by Margaret Burnham
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 10936-8.txt or 10936-8.zip *****
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+    "text/html; charset=us-ascii">
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Girl Aviators' Motor
+      Butterfly, by Margaret Burnham.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+    <!--
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+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; }
+    TD { vertical-align: top; }
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly, by Margaret Burnham
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+
+Author: Margaret Burnham
+
+Release Date: February 4, 2004 [EBook #10936]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Harry Jones, Lesley Halamek, David Garcia
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <a name="image-1"><!-- Image 1 --></a>
+    <center>
+      <img src="ga01ill.png" height="598" width="400" alt=
+      "'What are you doing to this child?' demanded Roy indignantly.">
+      </center>
+    <h1>
+      THE GIRL AVIATORS'<br>
+      MOTOR BUTTERFLY
+    </h1>
+    <center>
+      <b>BY MARGARET BURNHAM</b>
+    <br>
+      1912
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      AUTHOR OF "THE GIRL AVIATORS AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP,"<br>
+      "THE GIRL AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS,"<br>
+      "THE GIRL AVIATORS' SKY CRUISE," ETC.
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <i>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br>
+       CHARLES L. WRENN</i>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      CONTENTS
+    </h2>
+    <table width="100%" border="0" summary="">
+      <tr>
+        <td width="50%">
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH1">Chapter I. Preparations and Plans.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH2">Chapter II. Off on the Flight.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH3">Chapter III. Little Wren and the
+            Gipsies.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH4">Chapter IV. The Approach of the
+            Storm.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH5">Chapter V. Peggy's Thoughtfulness Saves
+            the Farm.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH6">Chapter VI. The Girl Aviators in Deadly
+            Peril.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH7">Chapter VII. A Stop for the Night.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH8">Chapter VIII. Roy Makes an Enemy.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH9">Chapter IX. Jimsy Falls Asleep.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH10">Chapter X. Peggy's Intuition.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH11">Chapter XI. A Mean Revenge!</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH12">Chapter XII. The Finding of the
+            "Butterfly"</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH13">Chapter XIII. Prisoners in the Hut.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH14">Chapter XIV. What's To Be Done with The
+            Wren?</a>
+          </p>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH15">Chapter XV. A Rambunctious Ram.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH16">Chapter XVI. An Invitation to Race.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH17">Chapter XVII. The Twisted Spark
+            Plug.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH18">Chapter XVIII. In Search of a New
+            Plug.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH19">Chapter XIX. The Trap.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH20">Chapter XX. An Attack in the Air.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH21">Chapter XXI. Peggy's Splendid Race.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH22">Chapter XXII. Peggy's Generosity.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH23">Chapter XXIII. The Moonshiners and the
+            A&euml;roplane.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH24">Chapter XXIV. Mr. Parker's Story.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH25">Chapter XXV. The Wren Disappears.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH26">Chapter XXVI. Captured by Gipsies.</a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#CH27">Chapter XXVII. Deliverance.</a>
+          </p>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+    </table>
+    <hr>
+    <h2>
+      Illustrations
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a href="#image-1">'What are you doing to this child?'
+      demanded Roy indignantly.</a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a href="#image-2">Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the
+      air craft fell like a stone hurled into space.</a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a href="#image-3">'Take me back to earth er I'll shoot,'
+      said a voice in his ear.</a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a href="#image-4">'I'd do anything for you.' said the child,
+      as she rapidly cut the ropes.</a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH1"><!-- CH1 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PREPARATIONS AND PLANS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "It will be another 'sky cruise,' longer and daintier and
+      lovelier!" exclaimed Jess Bancroft, clapping her hands.
+      "Peggy, you're nothing if not original."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, there are automobile tours and sailing trips, and
+      driving parties&mdash;" "And railroad journeys and mountain
+      tramps&mdash;" interrupted Jess, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and there are wonderful, long-distance migrations of
+      birds, so why not a cross-country flight of motor
+      butterflies?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It would be splendid fun," agreed Jess eagerly; "we could
+      take the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> and the <i>Red Dragon</i>
+      and&mdash;&mdash;" "Don't forget that Bess Marshall has a
+      small monoplane, too, now. I guess she would go in with us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not a doubt of it. Let's go and find the boys and see what
+      they say to it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No need to go after them, here they come now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the golden-haired Peggy spoke, two good-looking youths
+      came round the corner of the old-fashioned house at Sandy
+      Bay, Long Island, where the two young Prescotts made their
+      home with their maiden aunt, Miss Sally Prescott. One of the
+      lads was Roy Prescott, Peggy's brother, and the other was
+      Jimsy Bancroft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, girls, what's up now?" inquired Roy, as both girls
+      sprang to their feet, their faces flushed and eyes shining.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, nothing particular," rejoined Peggy, with assumed
+      indifference, "except that we've just solved the problem of
+      what to do with the rest of the summer."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And what's that,&mdash;lie in hammocks and indulge in
+      ice-cream sodas and chocolates?" asked Jimsy mockingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, indeed, you impertinent person; the young lady of the
+      twentieth century has left all that far behind her," was
+      Jess's Parthian shot, "for proof I refer you to our
+      adventures on the Great Alkali."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hello! what's this?" asked Roy, holding up a dainty
+      cardboard box, and giving vent to a mischievous smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Chocolates!" cried Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It <i>was</i> chocolates," corrected Peggy reproachfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And yet shall be," declared Jimsy, producing from some
+      mysterious place in a long auto coat another box, beribboned
+      and decorated like the first.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jimsy, you're an angel!" cried both girls at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So I've been told before," responded the imperturbable
+      Jimsy, "but I never really believed it till now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy rewarded him for the compliment by popping a chocolate
+      into his mouth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gravely munching it, Jimsy proceeded to interrogation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And how did you solve the problem of what to do with the
+      rest of the summer?" he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For answer Peggy pointed to the sky, a delicate blue dome
+      flecked with tiny cloudlets like cherub's wings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "By circling way up yonder in the cloudfields," she laughed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But that's no novelty," objected Roy, "we've been up 5,000
+      feet already, and&mdash;&mdash;" "But we're talking about a
+      tour through cloudland," burst out Jess, unable to retain the
+      secret any longer, "a sort of Cook's tour above the earth."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wow!" gasped both boys. "There's nothing slow," added Roy,
+      "in that or about you two. And, incidentally, just read this
+      letter I got this morning, or rather I'll read it for you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying Roy produced from his coat a letter closely written
+      in an old-fashioned handwriting. It was as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My Dear Niece and Nephew: No doubt you will be surprised to
+      hear from your Uncle Jack. Possibly you will hardly recall
+      him. This has, in a great measure, been his own fault as,
+      since your poor father's death, I have not paid the attention
+      I should to my correspondence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This letter, then, is to offer what compensation lies in my
+      power for my neglect. Having read in the papers of your
+      wonderful flying feats in Nevada it struck me that you and
+      your young friends might like to pay me a 'flying trip,'
+      making the excursion via a&euml;roplane.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We are to have some flying contests in Marysville during the
+      latter part of the month, and you might care to participate
+      in them. Of course I expect your Aunt Sallie to accompany
+      you. Hoping sincerely to see you, I am
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br>
+      "Your affectionate uncle,<br>
+      "James Parker.<br>
+      "Marysville, North Carolina."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Roy concluded the reading the quartet of merry youngsters
+      exchanged delighted glances. As if by magic here was an
+      objective point descried for their projected motor flight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, that's what I call modern magic," declared Jimsy
+      glowingly; "consider me as having accepted the invitation."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Accepting likewise for me, of course," said Jess, shaking
+      her black locks and blinking round, expectant eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course," struck in Peggy affectionately, "the Girl
+      Aviators cannot be parted."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just at this moment came a whirring sound from high in the
+      air above them. Looking up, they saw a dainty green
+      monoplane, with widespread wings and whirring propeller,
+      descending to earth. An instant later the machine had come to
+      a halt on the lawn, alighting as lightly as wind-blown
+      gossamer. In the machine was seated a pretty girl of about
+      Peggy's age, though rather stouter. In harmony with the color
+      of the machine she drove, the newly arrived girl aviator wore
+      a green aviation costume, with a close-fitting motor bonnet.
+      From the beruffled edge of this some golden strands of hair
+      had escaped, and waved above two laughing blue eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hello, people!" she hailed, as the porch party hastily
+      adjourned and ran to welcome her, "how's that for a novice
+      only recently out of the Mineola School?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Bess Marshall, you're a wonder!" cried Peggy, embracing her;
+      "the <i>Dart</i> is the prettiest little machine I've seen
+      for a long time."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Isn't it a darling," agreed Bess warmly, "but, my! how I had
+      to beg and pray dad before he would buy it for me. He said
+      that no daughter of his should ever go up in an
+      a&euml;roplane, much less drive one. It wasn't till I got him
+      down at Mineola and persuaded him to take a ride himself that
+      he consented to buying me my dear little <i>Dart</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She laid one daintily gloved hand on the steering wheel of
+      the little monoplane and patted it affectionately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's pretty enough, but it wouldn't fly very far," commented
+      Roy teasingly, "sort of a&euml;rial taxicab, I'd call it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Is that so, Mr. Roy Prescott? Well, I'd like you to know
+      that the <i>Dart</i> could fly just as far and as fast as the
+      <i>Red Dragon</i> or the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, if you wanted to take a trip to North Carolina with us
+      you'd have an opportunity to test that idea out," laughed
+      Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A trip to North Carolina? What do you mean? Are you
+      dreaming?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, not even day-dreaming."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then Miss Prescott, her gentle face wreathed in smiles,
+      appeared at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Children! children!" she exclaimed, "what is all this?
+      Adjourn your discussion for a while and come in and have
+      tea."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the happy group of young fliers are entering the
+      pretty, old-fashioned house with its clustering roses and
+      green-shuttered casements, let us relate a little more about
+      the young personages to whose enthusiastic talk the reader
+      has just listened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy and Peggy Prescott were orphans living in the care of
+      their aunt, Miss Prescott, the location of whose home on Long
+      Island has already been described. At school Roy had imbibed
+      the a&euml;rial fever, and after many vicissitudes had built
+      a fine monoplane, the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>, with which he
+      had won a big money prize, besides encountering a series of
+      extraordinary a&euml;rial adventures. In these Peggy
+      participated, and on more than one occasion was the means of
+      materially aiding her brother out of difficulties. All this
+      part of their experiences was related in the first volume of
+      this series, "The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the second volume, "The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings," a
+      combination of strange circumstances took our friends out to
+      the Great Alkali of the Nevada desert. Here intrigues
+      concerning a hidden gold mine provided much excitement and
+      peril, and the girls proved that, after all, a fellow's
+      sisters can be splendid companions in fun and hardship. An
+      exciting race with an express train, and the adventure of the
+      "Human Coyote," provided stirring times in this story, which
+      also related the queer antics of Professor Wandering William,
+      an odd character indeed. Space does not permit to relate
+      their previous adventures in more detail, but in "The Girl
+      Aviators' Sky Cruise" still other interesting and unusual
+      experiences are described,&mdash;experiences that tested both
+      themselves and their machines in endurance flights.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of Roy and Peggy's devoted friends, Jess and Jimsy Bancroft,
+      it is enough to say that both were children of Mr. Bancroft,
+      a wealthy banker, who had a palatial summer home near to the
+      Prescotts' less pretentious dwelling. Since we last met Jess
+      and Jimsy their father had allowed them to purchase an
+      a&euml;roplane known as the <i>White Flier</i>. It was in
+      this craft that Jimsy and Roy had flown over for mail when
+      they made their entrance at the beginning of this chapter. Of
+      the letter they found awaiting them we already know.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jolly, good-natured Bess Marshall had taken up aviation as a
+      lark. She was a typical specimen of an American girl.
+      Light-hearted, wholesome and devoted to all sorts of sports,
+      tennis, swimming, golf, motoring and finally aviation had, in
+      turn, claimed her attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now, having introduced our heroes and heroines of the sky
+      to those who have not already met them, we will proceed to
+      see how Miss Prescott receives the startling plans that her
+      young charges are about to lay before her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH2"><!-- CH2 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      OFF ON THE FLIGHT.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "But, my dear children, do you realize what such a trip
+      means?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gentle-voiced Miss Prescott leaned back in her easy-chair
+      and gazed at Peggy and Roy with an approach to consternation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It means fun, adventure, and&mdash;oh, everything!" cried
+      Peggy, clapping her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You can't have the heart to refuse us," sighed Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If it were only the boys it might be different, but two
+      young ladies&mdash;" "Three," corrected Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Three, then. For three young ladies, supposedly of sound
+      mind, to go flying across country like, like&mdash;"
+      "Butterflies," struck in Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wait a minute," cried Jess, "there'd have to be four
+      ladies&mdash;" "Of course; a chaperon," breathed Peggy, with
+      a mischievous glance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott dropped her knitting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Peggy Prescott, you mean me?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course; who else could go?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My dear child, do you actually contemplate taking me flying
+      through the air at my time of life?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why not? It isn't as if you'd never been up," urged Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You said you liked it, too," struck in Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Um&mdash;well, I may have said so," admitted Miss Prescott,
+      visibly weakening from the stand she had taken, and she went
+      on: "I would like to see James again."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And here is your opportunity ready to hand, as the
+      advertisements say," declared Bess, her blue eyes shining.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But how could I go?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The question was an outward and visible sign of capitulation
+      on Miss Prescott's part.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, I was thinking we could use that big biplane I was
+      building for Mr. Bell's use out in Nevada," spoke up Roy; "it
+      will seat three, and is as steady as a church, thanks to that
+      balancing device Jimsy and I figured out."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'd fly my little <i>Dart</i>," declared Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And you and I would take the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>," cried
+      Peggy, crossing to Jessie and placing her arm round the
+      dark-haired girl's neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jimsy can fly the <i>Red Dragon</i>, and that leaves Roy and
+      auntie for the biplane," she went on, bubbling over with
+      enthusiasm as her plans matured and took form.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness gracious, an a&euml;rial circus!" cried Miss
+      Prescott. "We would attract crowds, and that wouldn't be
+      pleasant."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I was planning to make it a sort of picnic," declared Peggy,
+      who appeared to have an answer for every objection that could
+      be interposed to her project.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What, camp out every night? Well, you are a wonder,"
+      exclaimed Jimsy, "if there's one thing I love it's camping
+      out."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How long would it take us to get to Marysville?" asked Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll get the atlas," cried Peggy, "but if we have good
+      weather not more than three or four days."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I hardly think it would take as long as that," declared Roy,
+      as five eager heads were bent over the atlas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But camping out!" exclaimed Miss Prescott, "think of colds
+      and rheumatism, not to mention snakes and robbers."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tell you what," cried Jimsy suddenly, "what's the matter
+      with Miss Prescott going along in an automobile? We can map
+      out the route, arrange our stops and meet every evening at
+      some small town where we won't attract too much of a crowd."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jimsy, I always said you were a genius," cried Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Behold the last objection swept away," struck in Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Surely you can't refuse now?" urged Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Please say yes," came from them all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But&mdash;but who would drive the car?" asked Miss Prescott,
+      in the voice of one who is thinking up a feeble last
+      objection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, Jake Rickets, of course," declared Roy, referring to
+      the man who helped the boys in the machine shop in which the
+      a&euml;roplanes for the desert mines were manufactured.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After this Miss Prescott could make but a poor stand against
+      the united urgings of five impetuous, enthusiastic young
+      people. The air was filled with plans of all sorts. Jimsy was
+      for going at once, but it was finally decided to meet again
+      and set a definite date for a start. In the meantime there
+      were parents' consents to be obtained, plans laid for the
+      route to be followed, and various things purchased for the
+      a&euml;rial trip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this occupied some time, and it was not till a week later
+      that the last difficulty in connection with the motor flight
+      had been straightened out and the three a&euml;roplanes stood
+      ready, in Roy's hangar, for a tour that was to prove eventful
+      in more ways than one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was just after dawn on the day of the start that Roy and
+      Jimsy for the last time went over every nut and bolt on the
+      machines and declared everything in perfect readiness for the
+      trip. Breakfast was a mere pretence at a meal; excitement got
+      the better of appetites that morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beside the winged machines sputtering and coughing as if
+      impatient at the delay, was a large and comfortable red
+      touring car. At the driver's wheel of this vehicle was seated
+      a small, "under-done"-looking man, in a chauffeur's uniform
+      of black leather. This was Jake Rickets.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, Jake, we're all ready for a start," announced Roy, at
+      last.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The small man, whose hair was fair, not to say pale, glanced
+      at the glowing boy with an expression of deep melancholy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, if something don't happen," he declared, in tones of
+      deep pessimism.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jake's never happy unless he's foreboding some disaster,"
+      explained Roy to Bess, who happened to be standing by drawing
+      on her gloves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It don't never do to be too sure," murmured the melancholy
+      Jake, "'cos why? Well, you can't most generally always tell."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Everything ready?" cried Peggy at last, as Miss Prescott got
+      into the car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As ready as it ever will be," merrily called back Bess, who
+      was already seated in the little green <i>Dart</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chorus of engine pantings and explosions was swelled by
+      the roar of Roy's big biplane and the rattling exhaust of
+      Jimsy's fierce-looking <i>Red Dragon</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The <i>Golden Butterfly</i>, which was equipped with a
+      silencing device, ran smoothly and silently as a sewing
+      machine. Peggy sat at the wheel, while Jess reclined on the
+      padded seat placed tandemwise behind her. It made a wonderful
+      picture, the big white biplane with its boy driver, the
+      scarlet and silver machine of Jimsy Bancroft and the delicate
+      green and gold color schemes of the other two flying
+      machines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The first stop will be Palenville," announced Roy, "the
+      biplane will be the pathfinder."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Despite the earliness of the hour and the efforts that had
+      been made to keep the motor flight a secret, the information
+      of the novel experiment had, in some way, leaked out. Quite a
+      small crowd gave a loud cheer as Roy cried:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Go!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We're off!" cried Peggy, athrill with excitement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Propellers flashed in the sunlight and the next instant the
+      biplane, after a short run, soared aloft toward a sky of
+      cloudless, clean-swept blue. In rapid succession the <i>Dart,
+      Golden Butterfly</i> and <i>Red Dragon</i> followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come on," cried Bess to Jimsy, waving her hand
+      challengingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ladies first, even off the earth," came back from Jimsy
+      gallantly, as he skillfully "banked" his machine in an upward
+      spiral.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then upward and outward soared the gayly colored sky racers,
+      like a flock of wonderful birds. It was the greatest sight
+      that the crowd left behind and below had ever witnessed,
+      although one or two shook their heads and prophesied dire
+      results from young ladies tampering with them blamed "sky
+      buggies."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But not a thought of this entered the heads of the
+      a&euml;rial adventurers. With sparkling eyes, and bounding
+      pulses they flew steadily southward, from time to time
+      glancing below at the touring car. Even though they were
+      flying slowly it was plain that the big auto had hard work to
+      keep up with them. The unique motor flight was on, and was
+      about to develop experiences of which none of them at the
+      moment dreamed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH3"><!-- CH3 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      LITTLE WREN AND THE GIPSIES.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      They flew on, keeping the motor car beneath them in constant
+      sight till about noon. Then, from the tonneau of the machine,
+      came the waving of a red square of silk. This had been agreed
+      upon as a signal to halt for a brief lunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Shouting joyously, the young adventurers of the air began
+      circling their machines about, dropping closer earthward with
+      every sweep. Beneath them was a green meadow, bordered on one
+      side by a country road and on the other by a small brook of
+      clear water and a patch of dark woods. It was an ideal place
+      to halt for a roadside lunch, and as one after the other the
+      machines dropped to earth Miss Prescott was warmly
+      congratulated on her choice of a halting place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The car was left in the road, and the melancholy Jake Rickets
+      set to work getting wood for a fire, for it was not to be
+      thought of that Miss Prescott could go without her cup of
+      tea. In the meantime the girls spread a cloth and set out
+      their fare. There were dainty chicken sandwiches with crisp
+      lettuce leaves lurking between the thin white "wrappers,"
+      cold meat and half a dozen other little picnic delicacies,
+      which all the girls, despite their a&euml;rial craze, had not
+      forgotten how to make.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boys set up a shout as, returning from attending to the
+      a&euml;roplanes, they beheld the inviting table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This beats camping out by ourselves," declared Roy, "girls,
+      we're glad we brought you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Thank you for the compliment," laughed Jess. "I suppose you
+      mean that you are glad <i>we</i> brought all this."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She waved her hand at the "spread" dramatically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Both," rejoined Jimsy, throwing himself on the grass. By
+      this time Jake's kettle was bubbling merrily, and soon the
+      refreshing aroma of Miss Prescott's own particular kind of
+      tea was in the air. The boys preferred to try the water from
+      the brook, despite Jake's dire hints at typhoid and other
+      germs holding a convention in it. It was sweet and cool, and
+      the girls voted it as good as ice-cream soda.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At any rate as we can't get any we might as well pretend it
+      is," declared Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So the meal passed merrily. After it had been concluded, amid
+      gay chatter and fun, Peggy proposed an excursion to the woods
+      for wild flowers which grew in great profusion on the
+      opposite side of the stream. Crossing it by a plank bridge,
+      the young people plunged into the cool woods, dark and green,
+      and carpeted with flowering shrubs and vines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time they gathered the blossoms, and were just about
+      to return to the a&euml;roplanes and resume their journey
+      when Peggy uttered a sudden sharp exclamation:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hark! What's that?" she cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all listened. Again came the sound that had arrested her
+      attention; a sharp cry, as if some one was in pain or fright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then came definite words:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't! Please; don't hit me again!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's a child!" exclaimed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A girl!" cried Peggy, "some one is ill-treating her."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll soon find out!" cried Roy hotly. It infuriated the boy
+      to think that a child was being subjected to ill-treatment,
+      and the nature of the cries left no doubt that such was the
+      case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Stand back here, girls, while we see what's up!" struck in
+      Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Indeed we'll do no such thing!" rejoined the plucky Bess,
+      bridling indignantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At any rate let us go in advance," advised Roy; "we don't
+      know just what we may run up against."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This appeared reasonable even to Bess, and with the boys
+      slightly in advance the little group pressed rapidly forward.
+      After traveling about two hundred yards they found themselves
+      in a small clearing where a most unusual sight presented
+      itself; a sight that brought a quick flash of indignation to
+      the face of every one of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cowering under the blows of a tall, swarthy woman was a small
+      girl, so fragile as to appear almost elfin. The woman wore
+      the garb of a gipsy, and the presence of some squalid tents
+      and tethered horses showed our young friends at once that it
+      was a gipsy encampment upon which they had happened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The woman was so intent on belaboring the shrieking child
+      that at first she did not see the newcomers. It was not till
+      Roy stepped up to her, in fact, that she became aware of
+      their presence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's none of your business," was the retort, as the woman
+      for an instant released her hold on the child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instantly the little creature darted to the sheltering arms
+      of Peggy, sobbing piteously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh! Save me from her, she will kill me," the child cried, in
+      a broken voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There! there!" soothed Peggy tenderly, "don't cry. We won't
+      let her harm you any more."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But like a fury the woman flew at the girls. Before she could
+      lay hands on them, however, Roy and Jimsy had seized her arms
+      and held them. At this the crone set up a hideous shriek and,
+      as if it had been a signal, two swarthy men, with dark skins
+      and big earrings in their ears, came running from behind the
+      tents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the trouble?" they cried, as they ran up, regarding
+      the boys malevolently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's the Wren; they're trying to steal the Wren!" shrilled
+      out the woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this the men rushed at the boys, one of them waving a
+      thick cudgel he carried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let go of that woman," they shouted furiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another instant and the boys would have been in a bad
+      position, for both the gipsies were powerful fellows, and
+      appeared determined to commit violence. But Roy, releasing
+      his hold of the struggling gipsy woman, put up his fists in
+      such a scientific manner that, for an instant, the attack
+      paused. This gave Jimsy time to rush to his side. The instant
+      she was released the woman darted to the side of the men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Beat them! Kill them!" she cried frantically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The men resumed their rush, and the next moment the boys
+      found themselves fighting to escape a furious assault.
+      Neither of the lads was a weakling, and good habits and
+      constant athletic exercise had placed them in the pink of
+      condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the two gipsies were no mean antagonists. Then, too, the
+      one with the cudgel wielded it skillfully. Time and again
+      Jimsy avoided a heavy blow which, if successful, must have
+      injured him seriously. The girls, screaming, rushed off,
+      carrying "the Wren," as the woman called her, with them. They
+      dashed at top speed back to the spot where the
+      a&euml;roplanes had been left, and summoned Jake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I knew something would happen," declared that worthy, as he
+      picked up a monkey wrench, the only weapon at hand, and
+      started off for the woods.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls followed him, Miss Prescott not having been
+      vouchsafed anything but a most hurried explanation of what
+      was going on. Just as Jake appeared on the scene Jimsy had
+      received a terrific blow on the arm from one of the gipsy's
+      cudgels. The boy's arm dropped as if paralyzed. With a howl
+      of triumph the ruffian who had dealt him the blow rushed in
+      on the injured lad. In another instant it would have looked
+      bad indeed for Jimsy, but Roy, landing a hard blow against
+      his assailant, hastened to his chum's rescue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You look after that fellow. I'll take care of this one,"
+      cried Jake, rushing into the m&ecirc;l&eacute;e, whirling his
+      monkey wrench in a formidable manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls, huddled in a group, gazed on in frank alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, they'll be killed!" shrilled Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy! Roy! Be careful!" cried Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, I wish we could get a policeman," cried Bess, clasping
+      her hands nervously. But as it happened a policeman, even if
+      such a personage had been within a dozen miles, was not
+      needed. A clever blow from Roy laid the cudgel wielder low,
+      and the other man, not liking the look of Jake's monkey
+      wrench, capitulated by taking to his heels. The woman cowered
+      back among the tents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come on, let's be going," cried Roy, as he saw that the
+      battle was over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ouch! my wrist!" exclaimed Jimsy, wringing his left hand; "I
+      believe that fellow has broken it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's have a look," said Roy, as the two boys made their way
+      to the huddled group of girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nothing but a nasty whack," he pronounced, after an
+      examination. "Well, girls, was it an exciting battle?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, it was terrible," cried Jess; "we thought you'd be badly
+      beaten."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But as it is we appear to be future 'white hopes,' not
+      forgetting Jake," smiled Roy, who was still panting from his
+      exertions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You were awfully brave, I think," cried Bess admiringly,
+      giving the three "heroes" a warm glance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, there wasn't anything to do but fight, unless we'd run
+      away," laughed Roy, "and now what about the cause of all the
+      trouble?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He glanced at the little girl clinging to Peggy's hand. The
+      child was pitifully emaciated, with drawn features and large,
+      dark eyes that gazed about her bewilderedly. Her clothing was
+      a red gingham dress that fitted her like a sack. She was
+      shoeless and stockingless. Her brown hair, unkempt and
+      ragged, hung in elf locks about her sad little face.
+      Certainly, as regarded size and general appearance, her name,
+      "The Wren," fitted her admirably.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know what to do about her," admitted Peggy; "suppose
+      we ask Aunt Sally? I don't want to let the gipsies have her
+      again, and yet I don't see how we can take her."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the words the little creature burst into a frantic
+      outbreak.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't let those people have me back; don't," she begged;
+      "they'll kill me if you do."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She clung passionately to Peggy's dress. Tears came to the
+      girl's eyes at the pitiful manifestation of fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There! there, dear," soothed Peggy, stroking the child's
+      head, "you shan't go back if we can help it. Come with us for
+      the time being, anyway."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But we have no legal right to take her," objected Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't say another word," snapped the usually gentle Peggy,
+      whose indignation had been fully aroused, "come on. Let's get
+      back to where we left Aunt Sally, then we can decide what to
+      do."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Incidentally, we'll do well to get out of this vicinity
+      before any more of those fellows come up. There must be
+      several more somewhere close at hand," exclaimed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; and I'll bet the others, the two who ran off, have gone
+      to call them," put in Roy; "that woman has disappeared, too."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No time was lost in getting back to the a&euml;roplanes, "The
+      Wren," as the gipsies called her, keeping tight hold of
+      Peggy's hand. The boys walked behind and, with Jake, formed a
+      sort of rear guard to ward off any possible attack. But
+      either the other members of the band were far off, or else
+      they did not care to attempt an assault, for the party
+      reached the a&euml;roplanes without further incident or
+      molestation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott's consternation may be imagined as she listened
+      to the tale they had to tell. From time to time during its
+      relation she glanced pityingly at the Wren.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Poor child!" she exclaimed, gazing at the wizened little
+      creature's bruised arms. They were black and blue from rough
+      handling, and bore painful testimony to the life she had
+      lived among the gipsies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What is your name, dear?" she asked, motioning to the child
+      as Peggy finished her story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The Wren, that's what they always called me," was the
+      response, in a thin little wisp of a voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Have you no other name?" asked Miss Prescott kindly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The child shook her head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know. Perhaps I did once. I wasn't always with the
+      tribe. I remember a home and my mother, but that was all so
+      long ago that it isn't clear."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then she's not a gipsy," declared Peggy emphatically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll bet they kidnapped her some place," exclaimed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That doesn't solve the problem of what to do with her,"
+      struck in Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We can't send her back to those people," declared Bess, with
+      some warmth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "On the other hand, how are we to look after her?" said
+      Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's a problem that will have to solve itself," said Miss
+      Prescott, after a few moments of deep thinking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How is that?" asked Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Because she goes with us no matter what happens. It may not
+      be legal, but humanity comes above the law sometimes,"
+      declared Miss Prescott, with emphasis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hurrah for Aunt Sally!" cried the boys, "she's as militant
+      as a newly blossomed suffragette. Cheer up, Wren, you're all
+      right now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then I'm to stay with you?" questioned the child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course," came from Aunt Sally.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The child buried her head on the kind-hearted lady's lap and
+      burst into a passion of weeping that fairly shook her frail
+      frame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was at this juncture that Jake set up a shout and pointed
+      toward the woods. From them a group of men had burst, armed
+      with sticks and stones. They came rushing straight at the
+      little group, uttering ferocious shouts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We're in for it now," exclaimed Roy; "girls, you had better
+      get in the machine and drive a safe distance. Those fellows
+      mean mischief."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH4"><!-- CH4 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      APPROACH OF THE STORM.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      It was apparent enough that mean mischief they did. Their
+      dark eyes gleamed fiercely out of their swarthy faces. One or
+      two wore a vivid red or blue handkerchief knotted about
+      sinewy necks, this means of adornment only adding to their
+      generally sinister look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I knew we wouldn't get far without running into trouble,"
+      moaned Jake dejectedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy turned on him sharply, almost angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You get the ladies in that machine and drive off down the
+      road a bit," he said; "I'll attend to this thing. Jimsy, come
+      here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jake hesitated a moment and then strode off to the auto.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Can't we stay and help?" asked Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No; we can help Roy best by doing what he; wants us to. He's
+      got some plan in his head," rejoined Peggy firmly, "come
+      along, Wren; Jess, help me with her, she's terrified to
+      death."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was no exaggeration. At sight of the gipsy band, the
+      child so recently taken from their clutches shrank and
+      cowered against her young protectress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't let them take me&mdash;don't!" she kept wailing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Never mind; don't be scared, Wren," Peggy comforted, "they
+      won't get you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A flash of determined fire came into Peggy's eyes as she
+      spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Peg! You're magnificent," exclaimed Jess, as, headed by Miss
+      Prescott, they hastened toward the car which Jake had already
+      cranked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gipsies had paused for an instant. Evidently the sight of
+      the a&euml;roplanes bewildered and amazed them. Expecting to
+      come on a camp of young folks they had suddenly encountered a
+      group of machines which, to them, must have savored of the
+      supernatural. But as the auto drove off they were due for an
+      even greater surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Following a swift whisper from Roy both boys had jumped into
+      the <i>Red Dragon</i>. In an instant came the sharp barking
+      of the engine. The flying machine dashed forward almost
+      simultaneously. Straight at the angry nomads Roy headed it.
+      It was as if a war chariot of old was charging into a group
+      of defiant barbarians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a few moments the gipsies stood their ground. But as the
+      machine rose from the ground, skimmed it, as it were, Roy
+      thrust on full power. The machine darted over the spot where
+      the gipsies had stood but an instant before; but they had
+      gone. Scattering with wild cries of fear, they could be seen
+      running for their lives toward the wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't think they'll trouble us again in a hurry," declared
+      Roy grimly, as he brought the <i>Red Dragon</i> round in a
+      circle and headed back for the rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the machine came a cheer, Miss Prescott's voice ringing
+      out as loudly as any.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The idea just came to me in a second," explained Roy
+      modestly, in answer to the ladies' congratulations and
+      praise, "it worked, though, didn't it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Like a charm," they all agreed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hadn't we better be getting on?" asked Jimsy, a minute
+      later.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; there's no knowing if those fellows won't try a flank
+      attack, although I think they've had a big enough scare
+      thrown into them to last them quite a while with economy,"
+      laughed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Who is going to take care of Wren?" asked Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "She'll ride right in the car with me," declared Miss
+      Prescott positively, "you don't think I'm going to risk her
+      in one of those things of yours, do you?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all laughed. As a matter of fact, there was not one of
+      the party that was not more at home in the air than on a
+      road. Then, too, Roy's balancing device had about removed the
+      last peril of air traveling. It was agreed to stop at
+      Meadville, which the map showed was about thirty miles to the
+      southeast, and purchase a dress and other necessities for
+      their new ward. As to what was to be done with her after that
+      nobody had any very definite plans. And so the journey was
+      resumed, with congratulations flying over the way in which
+      they came out of what, for a time, looked like a really
+      serious scrape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The weather had held fair till a short time after the start
+      was made from the scene of the encounter with the gipsies. It
+      was Peggy who first observed a change in the sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the southwest billowy masses of slate-colored clouds
+      came rolling on, obscuring the sunlit landscape beneath with
+      an effect of lights turned down on a stage. Turning to Jess,
+      who occupied the seat behind her, she remarked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We're going to have some bad kind of a storm, girlie."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jess nodded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wonder how far we are from Meadville?" she asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Quite a way yet. I'm afraid that we can't make it before the
+      storm breaks."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look, there's Roy coming back, and Jimsy, too. I guess they
+      want to talk about it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This turned out to be the case. As Roy came swinging by he
+      held a small megaphone to his mouth with one hand, while the
+      other gripped the steering wheel tightly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We're in for a storm, girls, and a hummer, too, from the
+      look of it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Better drop down," counseled Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jess nodded, and, as at this moment Bess, who had seen the
+      boy's maneuver, came by, the news was communicated to her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next thing to do was to look about for a suitable place
+      to land. The country over which they were passing was heavily
+      wooded, and seemingly sparsely populated. Beneath them wound
+      a road, along which, but at some distance behind, the touring
+      car could be seen coming in a cloud of yellow dust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The wind began to grow puffy, and it required all the skill
+      of the young aviators to keep their flock of motor-driven
+      birds on even wings. Before long, just as the distant, but
+      fast approaching, cloud curtain began to be ripped and
+      slashed by vivid scimitars of lightning, Roy espied, beneath
+      them, a field, at one end of which stood a prosperous-looking
+      farmhouse, surrounded by buildings and hay stacks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was an ideal spot in which to land, and as the road was
+      near by they would have no difficulty in attracting the
+      attention of Miss Prescott when she went by. In graceful
+      volplanes the a&euml;roplanes lit in the field like an
+      alighting flight of carrier pigeons. But hardly had they
+      touched the ground when from the farmhouse a man came running
+      in his shirtsleeves, his lower limbs being garbed in overalls
+      and knee-boots. On his chin was a goatee, and as he drew
+      closer they saw that his face was thin and hatchet shaped and
+      anything but agreeable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You git out of thar! You git out of thar!" he kept shouting
+      as he came along, stumbling over the stubble, for the field
+      had been newly reaped.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, what's the matter? We're not hurting anything,"
+      objected Roy; "surely you don't mind our occupying the field
+      for an hour or so till the storm blows over?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I daon't, hey? Wa'al, I do, by heck. I own all the way daown
+      and all the way up frum this farm, and thet's ther law."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If we didn't have these ladies with us we'd be only too glad
+      to leave your field," rejoined Jimsy, "but you can see for
+      yourself a nasty storm is coming up."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What bizness hes gals riding round in them sky-buggies,"
+      stormed the farmer; "ef any darter uv mine did it I'd lock
+      her up on bread an' water, by Jim Hill."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't doubt it in the least," smiled Peggy sweetly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph!" grunted the cantankerous old agriculturist, not
+      quite sure if he was being made fun of or if his resolution
+      was being admired; "all I got to say is thet ef you want to
+      stay here you gotter pay."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That can be arranged," spoke Jimsy, with quiet sarcasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "An' pay wa'al, too," resumed the farmer tenaciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How much do you think the lease of your field for an hour or
+      so is worth?" asked Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The farmer considered an instant, and then, with an
+      avaricious look in his pin-point blue eyes, he looked up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Bout ten dollars," he said, at length.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We don't want to buy it, we just want to rent it for a very
+      short time," struck in Bess, with her most innocent
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, it's ten or git off!" snapped the farmer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll pay you a fair price for it," spoke up Roy, "and not a
+      cent more."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then I'll drive you off with a shot-gun, by chowder."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, no, you won't."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Won't, hey? What'll stop me?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The law."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ther law? Thet's a good one."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I think it is, a very good one," struck in Jimsy, who now
+      saw what Roy was driving at.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph! wa'al, if yer a'goin' te talk law I'll jes' tell yer
+      quick thet this is my land and thet you're all
+      a-trespassing."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You are not very well up on a&euml;rial law, it seems,"
+      replied Roy, in an absolutely unruffled tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't know nuthin' 'bout this air-ile law," grumbled the
+      fellow, but somewhat impressed by Roy's calm, deliberate
+      exterior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, then, for your information I'll tell you that under
+      the laws of the country recently enacted aviators are
+      entitled to land in any safe landing place in times of
+      emergency. If they do any damage they must pay for it. If not
+      the owner of the land is not entitled to anything for the
+      temporary use of his place."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Five dollars or nothing," spoke Jimsy, "and if you try to
+      put us off you'll get into serious trouble."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, yer a-robbin' me," muttered the man, much impressed
+      by Roy's oratory, "gimme ther five."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was quickly forthcoming. The old fellow took it without a
+      word and shuffled off. As he did so there was a vivid flash
+      of lightning and the growl of a big crash of thunder. While
+      it was still resounding the auto came puffing up. Jake had
+      put up the storm top and made it as snug and comfortable as a
+      house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come on, boys and girls," urged Roy, "let's get the engines
+      covered up and then beat it for the car. The rain will hit in
+      in torrents in a few minutes."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed they were still making fast the waterproof covers
+      constructed to throw over the motors in just such emergencies
+      when the big drops began to fall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a helter-skelter race for the car. In they all
+      crowded, and none too soon. The air was almost as dark as at
+      dusk, and there was a heavy sulphurous feeling in the
+      atmosphere. But within the curtains of the car all was fun
+      and merriment. The case of the old farmer was discussed at
+      length, and Jimsy convulsed them all by his clever imitation
+      of the way the bargain was driven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was in the midst of his description when a fearfully vivid
+      flash lit up the interior of the car as brightly as day. As
+      it did so The Wren uttered a sharp cry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What is it, dear? Afraid of the lightning?" asked Miss
+      Prescott, while a thunder volley boomed and reverberated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, no," shivered the child, drawing closer to her, "but
+      when I see a flash like that I sometimes remember."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Remember what?" asked Miss Prescott tenderly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, I don't know," wailed the child, "people and places.
+      They come for a moment and then disappear again as quickly as
+      they came."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH5"><!-- CH5 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PEGGY'S THOUGHTFULNESS SAVES THE FARM.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      Flash after flash, roar after roar, the lightning and thunder
+      crashed and blazed as the full fury of the storm struck in.
+      Miss Prescott, who was in deadly fear of lightning, covered
+      her eyes with a thick veil and sank back in the cushions of
+      the tonneau.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the rest of the party regarded the furious storm with
+      interest. The rain was coming down in sheets, but not one
+      drop penetrated the water-proof top of the big touring car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's grand, isn't it?" asked Peggy, after a particularly
+      brilliant flash.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Um&mdash;ah, I don't just know," rejoined Jess, "it's rather
+      too grand if anything. I&mdash;&mdash;" Bang!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a sharp report, like that of a large cannon. The
+      air was filled with an eye-blistering blaze of blue fire.
+      Stunned for an instant, and half blinded, not one of the
+      young folks in the touring car uttered a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The storm, too, appeared to be "holding its breath" after
+      that terrific bombardment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That struck close by," declared Roy, the first to recover
+      his speech.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh! oh!" moaned Miss Prescott, "then the next will hit us!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't be a goose, Aunt Sally," comforted Peggy; "don't you
+      know that lightning never strikes twice in the same place?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott made no answer. In fact she had no opportunity
+      to do so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From close at hand shouts were coming. Loud, frightened
+      shouts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Fire! fire!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious! something's on fire at that farmhouse!" cried
+      Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's what!" came in excited tones from Roy as he peered
+      out through the rain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look at them running about," chimed in Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's from that haystack! See the smoke roll up!" cried Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The lightning must have struck it. Say, we'd better go and
+      help," exclaimed Roy anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't see that the old man who was so mean to us deserves
+      any help," murmured Bess, rather angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, Bess, for shame!" reproved Peggy. "Go on, boys, the
+      rain's letting up, maybe you can help them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, sis. Come on, Jimsy!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boys dived out of the car and set off running at top
+      speed for the scene of the blaze, which was in a haystack
+      back of the main barn of the farmhouse. Several farm hands,
+      under the direction of the disagreeable old man, whose name
+      was Zenas Hutchings, were running about with buckets of
+      water, which were about as effective as trying to sweep the
+      sea back with a broom, so far as gaining any headway against
+      the flames was concerned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had the rain continued it might have been possible for the
+      farm hands to quell the blaze with the assistance of the
+      elements; but the storm had ceased almost as suddenly as it
+      began, and only a few scattering drops were now falling. Off
+      to the southwest the sky was blue once more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The farmer turned despairingly to the boys as they came
+      running up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Clare ter goodness if it ain't them kids ag'in," he
+      exclaimed; "wa'al, you ain't brought me nuthin' but bad luck
+      so far as I kin see. Hyars a hundred dollars' worth of hay
+      goin' up in smoke an'&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A farm hand came bustling up. His face was pale under the
+      grime of soot that overlaid it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ef we don't git ther fire under control purty soon," he
+      cried, "ther whole place 'ull go."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's thet, Jed?" snapped old Hutchings anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I said that ther sparks is beginning ter fly. If ther fire
+      gits much hotter it'll set suthin' else ablaze."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "By heck! That's so!" cried old Hutchings, in an alarmed
+      voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He gazed about him perplexedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Isn't there any fire apparatus near here?" asked Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yep; at Topman's Corners. But that's five miles off."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Have you telephoned them?" asked Jimsy, who had noticed that
+      the Hutchings farm, like most up-to-date ones, was equipped
+      with a telephone; at least there were wires running into the
+      place which appeared to be of that nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ain't no use telephoning" was the disconsolate rejoinder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wire's busted. Reckon ther storm put it out of business. I
+      guess it's all up with me now. I hoped ter pay off ther part
+      of ther mortgage with ther hay and grain in thet barn yonder,
+      an' now&mdash;&mdash;" He broke off in a half sob.
+      Cantankerous as the old man had shown himself to be, and
+      grasping withal, the boys could not help but feel sorry for
+      the stricken old fellow. He looked pitifully bowed and old
+      and wretched in the midst of his distracted farm hands, who
+      were running about and shouting and not doing much of
+      anything else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al," he said, at length, pulling himself together with a
+      visible effort, "thar's no chance of gitting ther fire
+      ingines, so it'll hev ter go, I guess."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes there is a chance of getting the engines, and a good
+      one, too."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all turned at the sound of a girlish voice, and there
+      stood Peggy with Jess by her side. The two girls had stolen
+      up unnoticed in the excitement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Bravo, Peg!" exclaimed Roy heartily, glancing approvingly at
+      his sister, "what's your idea?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Fly over and get help."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Fly over! Wa'al, I'll be switched!" gasped old Hutchings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't see why not," struck in Jimsy, "it's five miles, you
+      say. Well, we ought to make that in ten minutes or so, or
+      even quicker."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How fast can the engines get back?" asked Roy practically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, ther roads be good and Bob Shields hez a right smart
+      team," was the rejoinder. "They ought ter make it in half an
+      hour."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good. Then if you can hold the flames in check for a short
+      time longer we can save your place yet."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beckoning to Jimsy, the boy darted off for the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i>. This machine he selected because, with the
+      exception of the <i>Dart</i>, it was the fastest and lightest
+      of the a&euml;roplanes they had with them. Farmer Hutchings
+      had hardly closed his mouth from its gaping expression of
+      surprise when a whirr of the motor announced that the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i> was off. Its lithe body shot into the air with
+      tremendous impetus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ther Corners is off thar to ther westward," shouted up the
+      farmer, "you can't miss it. It's got a red brick church with
+      a high tower on it right in the middle of a clump of elms."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Speeding above fields and woodland the red messenger of
+      pending disaster raced through the air. Five minutes after
+      taking flight Jimsy espied a high red tower. Eight and one
+      half minutes after the <i>Dragon</i> had shot aloft it
+      fluttered to earth on the village street of Topman's Corners,
+      amid an amazed group of citizens who had seen it approaching.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the first a&euml;roplane ever seen in the remote
+      Pennsylvanian hamlet, and it created commensurate excitement.
+      But the boys had no time to answer the scores of questions,
+      foolish and otherwise, that were volleyed at them from all
+      sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There's a fire!" exclaimed Jimsy breathlessly, "a fire at
+      Hutchings's farm. How soon can you get the engines there?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A stalwart-looking young fellow stepped up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm chief of the department," he said, "we're the
+      'Valiants.' I'll be there in twenty-five minutes if I have to
+      kill the horses. It's downhill most of the way, anyhow. Jim,
+      you run off and ring ther bell."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A second later the fire bell was loudly clanging and several
+      of the crowd melted away to don their helmets and coats. In
+      less time than the boys would have thought it possible a
+      good-looking engine came rumbling out of the fire house half
+      a block down the street. Behind it came a hook and ladder
+      truck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fine horses were attached to each, and from the way they
+      leaped off the boys saw that the "Chief" meant to make good
+      his promise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Race you to ther fire!" shouted the latter functionary, as,
+      in a storm of cheers, his apparatus swept out of sight down
+      the elm-bordered street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You're on," laughed Roy, whisking aloft while the Topman's
+      Cornerites were still wondering within themselves if they
+      were waking or dreaming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH6"><!-- CH6 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE GIRL AVIATORS IN DEADLY PERIL.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The fire was out. A smoldering, blackened hillock was all
+      that remained of the stack ignited by the lightning bolt; but
+      the others and the main buildings of the farm had been saved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such work was a new task for a&euml;roplanes&mdash;but there
+      is no doubt that, had it not been for Peggy's suggestion, the
+      Hutchings farm would have been burned to the ground. As it
+      was, when the firemen, their horses in a lather, arrived at
+      the scene, the farm hands, who had been fighting the flames,
+      were almost exhausted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had they possessed the time, the young folks would have been
+      glad to tell the curious firemen something about their
+      a&euml;roplanes. But it was well into the afternoon, and if
+      they intended to keep up their itinerary it was necessary for
+      them to be hurrying on. A short time after the blaze had been
+      declared "out" the a&euml;roplanes once more soared aloft,
+      and the auto chugged off in the direction of Meadville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The afternoon sun shone sparklingly on the trees and fields
+      below, all freshened by the downpour of the early afternoon.
+      The spirits of all rose as did their machines as they raced
+      along. Before leaving the Hutchings farm the old man had been
+      so moved to generosity by the novel manner in which his farm
+      had been saved from destruction that he had offered to give
+      back $2.50 of the $5 he had demanded for the rent of his
+      field. Of course they had not taken it, but the evident
+      anguish with which the offer was made afforded much amusement
+      to the young aviators as they soared along.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Peggy's machine the talk between herself and Jess was of
+      the strange finding of The Wren, and of the child's curious
+      ways. Both girls recalled her odd conduct during the storm
+      and what she had said about the peculiar influence of
+      lightning on her memory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Depend on it, Jess," declared Peggy, with conviction, "that
+      child is no more a gipsy than you or I."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Do you think she was stolen from somewhere?" asked Jess,
+      readily guessing the drift of her friend's thoughts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know, but I'm sure they had no legal right to her,"
+      was the reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, Peg! Suppose she should turn out to be a missing
+      heiress!" Jess, who loved a romance, clasped her gauntleted
+      hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy laughed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Missing heiresses are not so common as you might suppose,"
+      she said; "I never met any one who had encountered any,
+      except in story books."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Still, it would be great if we had really found a long
+      missing child, or&mdash;or something like that," concluded
+      Jess, rather lamely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I can't see how we would be benefiting the child or its
+      parents, either, since we have no way of knowing who the
+      latter are," rejoined the practical Peggy, which remark
+      closed the discussion for the time being.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not more than half an hour later when Jess uttered a
+      sharp cry of alarm. From the forward part of the
+      a&euml;roplane a wisp of smoke had suddenly curled upward.
+      Like a blue serpent of vapor it dissolved in the air almost
+      so quickly as to make Jess believe, for an instant, that she
+      had been the victim of an hallucination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But that it was no figment of the imagination was evidenced a
+      few moments later by Peggy herself. Aroused by Jess's cry,
+      she had made an inspection of the machine, with alarming
+      results. What these were speedily became manifest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jess! The machine is on fire!" she cried afrightedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As if in verification of her words there came a puff of flame
+      and a strong reek of gasoline. It was just then that both
+      girls recalled that the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> carried
+      twenty-five gallons of gasoline, without counting the reserve
+      supply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fire on an a&euml;roplane is even more terrifying than a
+      similar casualty on any other type of machine. Hardly had
+      Peggy's words confirming the alarming news left her lips when
+      there came a cry from Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girl had just glanced at the barograph. It showed that
+      they were then 1,500 feet above the surface of the earth. The
+      girl had hardly made this discovery before, from beneath the
+      "bow" of the monoplane, came a wave of flame; driven from the
+      steering wheel by the heat, Peggy drew back toward her
+      companion. Her face was ashen white.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Left to itself the a&euml;roplane "yawed" wildly, like a
+      craft without a rudder. Then suddenly it dashed down toward
+      the earth, smoke and flames leaping from its front part.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the aircraft fell like
+      a stone hurled into space. Faster and faster it dashed
+      earthward without a controlling hand to guide it. It was at
+      this instant that Roy and Jimsy became aware of what had
+      happened.
+    </p>
+    <!-- NOTE: Remove center tags and put align="left" or align="right" for text wrapped alignments -->
+    <a name="image-2"><!-- Image 2 --></a>
+    <center>
+      <img src="ga02ill.png" height="542" width="400" alt=
+      "Both Girls Uttered a Cry of Terror As the Air Craft Fell Like a Stone Hurled into Space.">
+      </center>
+    <p>
+      Instantly they swung their machine around in time to see the
+      <i>Golden Butterfly</i> make her sickening downward swoop.
+      Both lads uttered a cry of fear as they saw what appeared to
+      mean certain death for the two Girl Aviators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy's fingers scarcely grasped the wheel of his machine as he
+      saw the downward drop. Jimsy was as badly affected. But
+      almost before they could grasp a full realization of the
+      accident the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> was almost on the
+      ground. It was in a hilly bit of country, interspersed by
+      small lakes or ponds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A freak of the wind caught the blazing a&euml;roplane as it
+      fell and drove it right over one of these small bodies of
+      water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The <i>Golden Butterfly</i> appeared to hesitate for one
+      instant and then plunged right into the water, flinging the
+      two girls out. Both were expert swimmers, but the shock of
+      the sudden descent, and the abrupt manner in which they had
+      been flung into the water had badly unstrung their nerves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jess struck out valiantly, but the next instant uttered a
+      cry:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Peg! Peg! I'm sinking!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy pluckily struck out for her chum and succeeded in
+      seizing her. Then with brisk strokes she made for the shore,
+      luckily only a few yards distant. It was at this juncture
+      that the boys' machines came to earth almost simultaneously.
+      High above Bess's <i>Dart</i> hovered, and presently it, too,
+      began to drop downward. Apparently the accident had not been
+      seen from the auto, at any rate the car was not turned back
+      toward the scene of the accident.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the boys' a&euml;roplanes struck the earth not far from
+      the bank of the pond toward which Peggy was at that moment
+      valiantly struggling, the two young aviators leaped out and
+      set out at a run to the rescue. They reached the bank in the
+      nick of time to pull out the two drenched, half-exhausted
+      girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At any rate the fall was a lucky one in a way!" gasped the
+      optimistic Peggy, as soon as she caught her breath, "it put
+      out the fire."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And so it had. Not only that, but the a&euml;roplane, buoyed
+      up by its broad wings, was still floating. On board the
+      <i>Red Dragon</i> was a long bit of rope. Jimsy produced this
+      and then swam out to the drifting <i>Butterfly</i>. The rope
+      was made fast to it and the craft dragged ashore. But when
+      they got it to the bank the problem arose as to how they were
+      going to drag it up the steep acclivity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again and again they tried; Bess, who had by this time
+      alighted, aiding them. But it was all to no purpose. Even
+      their united strength failed to move the heavy apparatus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got an idea!" shouted Jimsy suddenly, during a pause in
+      their laborious operations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good! Don't let it get away, I beg of you!" implored Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, Peg! Don't tease, besides, you don't look a bit cute
+      with your hair all wet and draggled, and as for your
+      dress&mdash;goodness!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This came from Jess, herself sadly "rumpled" and in addition
+      wet through. Before Peggy could reply to her chum's half
+      rallying remark Jimsy, unabashed, continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll hitch this rope to the <i>Red Dragon</i> and then
+      start her up for all she's worth."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jimsy, you're a genius!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A modern marvel!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A solid promontory of pure gray matter!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In turn the remarks came from each of the party. But Jimsy,
+      bothering not at all at the laughing encomiums, proceeded to
+      secure the rope to the <i>Red Dragon</i>. This done, he
+      started up the engine and clambered into his seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All ashore that's going ashore!" he yelled, in mocking
+      imitation of the stewards of an ocean liner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There wasn't an instant's hesitation as he threw the load
+      upon the engine. Then the rope tautened. It grew tight as a
+      fiddle string.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness! It'll snap and the <i>Dragon</i> will be broken!"
+      cried Jess, in alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But no such thing happened. Instead, as the <i>Dragon's</i>
+      powerful propeller blades "bit" into the air, the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> obediently mounted the steep bank of the pond.
+      Five minutes later the pretty craft stood on dry land and the
+      party of young aviators were eagerly making an investigation
+      of the damage done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cause of the fire was soon found. A tiny leak in the tank
+      had allowed some gasoline to drip into the bottom of the
+      chassis, or passenger carrier. Collecting here, it was plain
+      that a back fire from the carburetor had ignited it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Neither of the girls could repress a shudder as they thought
+      of what might have occurred had they been higher in the air
+      and no convenient pond handy for them to drop into. In such a
+      case the flames might have reached the gasoline tank before
+      they could be extinguished and inevitably a fearful explosion
+      would have followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I think you are the two luckiest girls in the world,"
+      declared Roy solemnly, as he concluded his examination and
+      announced his conclusions. Naturally they fully agreed with
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH7"><!-- CH7 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      A STOP FOR THE NIGHT.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      It was some two hours later that Meadville received the
+      greatest excitement of its career. People rushed out of
+      stores and houses as the "flock" of a&euml;roplanes came into
+      sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they gazed down the young aviators felt a momentary regret
+      that they had chosen a town in which to pass the first night
+      of their motor flight. It appeared that they would get into
+      difficulties when they attempted to make a landing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But almost simultaneously they spied a public park, which
+      appeared to offer a favorable landing place. As soon as their
+      intention of descending there became manifest, however, the
+      crowd made a headlong rush for the spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was too late to seek some other location to alight even
+      had there been one available. Trusting to luck that the eager
+      spectators would get out of their way the four
+      a&euml;roplanes began their spiraling descent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy was first in his big biplane. As the ponderous, white
+      machine ranged down close to the park the crowd became
+      well-nigh uncontrollable. They swarmed beneath the big
+      machine, despite Roy's shouts of warning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Skillfully as the boy manipulated the aircraft he could not
+      check its descent once begun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Out of the way! I don't want to hurt you!" he shouted, as he
+      dashed down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the crowd, sheeplike in their stupidity, refused to
+      budge. Into the midst of them Roy, perforce, was compelled to
+      drive. Once the throng perceived his intention, however, they
+      scattered wildly. That is, all sought positions of safety but
+      one man, a stout, red-faced individual, who appeared dazed or
+      befuddled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He stood his ground, glaring foolishly at the sky ship. With
+      a quick turn of his wrist Roy swept the big biplane aside,
+      but a wing tip brushed the stout man, toppling him over in a
+      twinkling. By the time Roy had stopped his machine the man
+      was on his feet again, bellowing furiously. He was not hurt,
+      but his face was contorted with anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He pushed his way through the crowd toward the young aviator.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You young scoundrel!" he yelled, "I'll fix you for that!
+      I'll&mdash;" "Look out, here come the rest of them!" shouted
+      the crowd at this juncture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nobody needed any warning this time. They fled in all
+      directions as one after the other the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i>, the <i>Red Dragon</i> and the pretty, graceful
+      <i>Dart</i> dropped to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, look at them gals, will yer!" shouted a voice in the
+      crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the country coming to?" demanded another man. "Gals
+      gallivanting around like gol-dinged birds!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the majority of the crowd took the pretty girl aviators
+      to its heart. Somebody set up a cheer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was still ringing out when, to the huge relief of the
+      embarrassed girls, the auto came rolling up with Miss
+      Prescott and "The Wren," as they still called the latter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls, leaving the boys to look after the
+      a&euml;roplanes, ran to the side of the car and were speedily
+      ensconced in its roomy tonneau. "We'll see you at the hotel!"
+      cried Roy, as the car rolled off again, much to the
+      disappointment of the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two local constables came up at this juncture and helped the
+      boys keep the crowd back from the machines. The throng seemed
+      souvenir mad. Many of them insisted on writing their names
+      with pencils on the wings of the air craft. Others would have
+      gone further and actually stripped the a&euml;roplanes of odd
+      parts had they not been held back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This is the last time we'll land in a town of this size,"
+      declared Roy indignantly, as he helped the constables shove
+      back an obstreperous individual who insisted on examining the
+      motor of the <i>Dart</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the help of the constables a sheltering place for the
+      machines was finally found. A livery stable that had gone out
+      of business the week before was located across the street
+      from the small park in which they had alighted. The owner of
+      the property happened to be in the crowd and a bargain with
+      him was soon struck. The a&euml;roplanes were then trundled
+      on their landing wheels into this shelter and the doors
+      closed. Roy, for a small sum, engaged a tall,
+      gangling-looking youth, whose name was Tam Tammas, to guard
+      the doors and keep off the inquisitive. This done, thoroughly
+      tired out, the boys sought the hotel. Like most towns of its
+      size and importance Meadville only boasted one hostelry
+      worthy of the name. This place, the Fountain House, as it was
+      called, was a decent enough looking hotel and the young
+      aviators were warmly welcomed. After supper, for in Meadville
+      nobody "dined," Miss Prescott and the girls sauntered out
+      with The Wren to obtain some clothing for the waif who had so
+      strangely come into their possession. It was odd, but somehow
+      they none of them even suggested giving up the queer little
+      foundling to the authorities as had originally been their
+      intention. Instead, although none of them actually voiced it,
+      it appeared that tacitly they had decided to keep the child
+      with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they were gone on their errand of helpfulness Roy and
+      Jimsy were seated on the porch of the hotel watching, with
+      more or less languid interest, the inhabitants of the town
+      passing back and forth. Many of them lingered in front of the
+      hotel, for aviators were not common objects in that part of
+      the country, and already the party had become local
+      celebrities.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess we'll go inside," said Roy, at length, "I'm getting
+      sick of being looked at as if I was some sort of natural
+      curiosity."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Same here," rejoined Jimsy, "we'll go in and I'll play you a
+      game of checkers."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You're on," was the response.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But as the boys rose to go, or rather the instant before they
+      left their seats, there came a heavy step behind Roy and a
+      gruff voice snarled:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are you doing in that chair?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sitting in it," responded Roy, in not too pleasant a voice.
+      The tone in which he had been addressed had aroused a hot
+      resentment in him toward the speaker.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Turning he saw the same red-faced man whom he had been
+      unfortunate enough to knock down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instantly his manner changed. He felt genuinely sorry for the
+      accident and hastened to explain that such was the case. But
+      a glowering glance was the only response he received. "You
+      done it a-purpose. Don't tell me," snarled the red-faced
+      individual, "an' now you git right out uv that chair
+      or&mdash;or I'll make you!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both boys stared at the man in amazement. His tone was coarse
+      and bullying to a degree.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We are not occupying these chairs to your inconvenience,"
+      declared Roy stoutly, "there are lots of others."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He indicated several rockers placed at intervals along the
+      hotel porch, and all empty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That chair you're sitting in is mine," snapped the man, in
+      response.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Got a mortgage on it, eh?" smiled Jimsy amiably.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll show you kids how much of a mortgage I've got on it,"
+      was the reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was just then that a lad of about Roy's own age, but with
+      a surly, hang-dog sort of look, emerged from the smoking-room
+      of the hotel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's up, father?" he demanded, addressing the red-faced
+      man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, Dan, the kids have appropriated my chair."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, those flying kids. Well, they'll see that they ain't
+      everything around here," responded the lad; "I reckon Jim
+      Cassell has some say here, eh, dad?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I reckon so, son," grinned the red-faced man, in response to
+      this elegant speech; "now, then, are you going to give up
+      that chair or not?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I was just leaving it when you came out," rejoined Roy, who,
+      by this time, was fairly boiling over. "Under the present
+      conditions, however, I think I shall continue to occupy it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You will, eh?" snarled out Dan Cassell, "then I'll show you
+      how to vacate it&mdash;so!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the words he laid hands on the back of the chair and
+      jerked it from under the young aviator. Roy, caught entirely
+      off his guard, was flung to the floor of the porch. He was up
+      in a flash, but as he rose to his feet Dan Cassell, evidently
+      excited by what he deemed a great triumph, aimed a savage
+      blow at him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy was rushing to his assistance but the red-faced man
+      suddenly blocked his path.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hold off, son! hold off!" he warned, "unless you want to get
+      the same dose."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH8"><!-- CH8 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      ROY MAKES AN ENEMY.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime Roy had skillfully avoided Dan Cassell's
+      blow, and was aggressively on the defensive. He was a lad who
+      did not care for fighting, but notwithstanding was a trained
+      boxer. Something of this seemed to dawn on Dan Cassell as the
+      boy he sought to pummel dodged his attack with such
+      cleverness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment Dan stood stock-still with doubled up fists and
+      a scowl on his not unhandsome, though weak and vicious
+      features. Then, with a bellow, he rushed upon Roy, who
+      contented himself by sidestepping the furious onslaught.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This appeared to enrage Dan Cassell the more. Either he
+      interpreted it as portraying cowardice, or else he deemed
+      that he had his opponent at his mercy. At any rate, after an
+      instant's pause he rushed at Roy with both fists. It was the
+      young aviator's opportunity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look out!" he warned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next instant the pugnacious Dan Cassell found himself
+      upon his back, regarding a multitude of constellations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At almost precisely the same time Jimsy's fist happened to
+      collide with the point of the jaw of the fallen battler's
+      father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sorry; but I simply had to, you know," remarked the
+      nonchalant Jimsy, as the red-faced man found himself
+      occupying a position not dissimilar to that of his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both boys were heartily sorry for what had happened, the more
+      so for the reason that at the very instant that both
+      crestfallen bullies were scrambling to their feet the hotel
+      door opened and several of the guests came out to ascertain
+      the cause of the trouble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among them was Jonas Hardcastle, the proprietor of the place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's up? What's the trouble?" he demanded, in dismay, as
+      he viewed the scene of the confusion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's those brats of aviators, or whatever they call
+      themselves," bellowed Cassell, who was purple with fury;
+      "they attacked Dan and me and assaulted us brutally."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The landlord looked doubtingly at the man. Then he turned to
+      Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are the facts?" he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy told him unhesitatingly the whole truth. When he had
+      concluded Jonas Hardcastle spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You've been hanging around here too long, Jim Cassell," he
+      said, in a voice that quivered with indignation; "now make
+      yourself scarce, both you and your son. Don't annoy my guests
+      any more."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cassell, nursing a spot on his jaw which was rapidly growing
+      a beautiful plum color, lurched off without a word. His son
+      followed. It was not until he reached the street that he
+      spoke. Then, in a voice that trembled from suppressed fury,
+      he hissed out:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right for you kids. You think you've played a smart
+      trick on Dan and me; but I'll fix you! Just watch!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without uttering another syllable he slouched off into the
+      gathering darkness, followed by his son, who bestowed a
+      parting scowl on Roy and Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm sorry that you had a row with them," remarked Jonas
+      Hardcastle, as the pair vanished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How's that?" inquired Roy. "They forced it on us,
+      and&mdash;" "I know. I know all about that," was the
+      rejoinder, "but Cassell is quite by way of being a politician
+      hereabouts, and he might try to make it uncomfortable for
+      you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In what way?" demanded Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, many ways. Those fellows have no scruples. To tell you
+      the truth, boys, I guess you haven't heard the last of this."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With this he left them, a prey to no very comfortable
+      thoughts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm half inclined to believe what he said," declared Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In just what way?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, about the harm this fellow Cassell can do us. In every
+      community like this you'll find one local 'Pooh-bah' who runs
+      things pretty much as he likes. They have satellites who will
+      do just about as they're told."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You mean&mdash;" "That we'd better keep a good lookout on
+      the a&euml;roplanes. From my judgment of Cassell I don't
+      think he's got nerve enough to attack us directly, but he can
+      wreak his vengeance on our machines if we don't watch pretty
+      closely."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm inclined to think you're right. But don't say a word of
+      all this to the girls. It might upset them. You and I will
+      decide on a plan of action later on. To tell you the truth,
+      I'm not any too sure of our newly acquired watchman, Tam
+      Tammas."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nor I. We'll wait till the rest get back and then take a
+      stroll down to that livery stable. Seems funny, doesn't it,
+      to stable a&euml;roplanes in a livery stable?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, why not? Wasn't Pegasus, the first flying machine on
+      record, a horse?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph; that's so," agreed Jimsy, whose supply of classical
+      knowledge was none too plentiful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not long after this that the girls returned. With them
+      came The Wren in a neat dress and new shoes, an altogether
+      different looking little personage from the waif of the woods
+      whom they had rescued at noon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, Wren," cried Peggy, "you are positively pretty. In a
+      month's time we won't know you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A month's time?" sighed the child; "am I going to stay with
+      you as long as that?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott caught the wan little figure in her arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and many months after that," she cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy and Jimsy exchanged glances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Another member of the family," exclaimed Roy; "if we go at
+      this rate we'll have acquired an entire set of new sisters by
+      the time we reach the Big Smokies."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH9"><!-- CH9 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      JIMSY FALLS ASLEEP.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "Anybody been around, Tam?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy asked the question, as later on that evening he and Jimsy
+      dropped around to the disused livery stable in accordance
+      with their plan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tam shook his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nobody bane round," he rejoined, and then, after a moment's
+      pause, "'cept Yim Cassell and his boy Dan."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jim Cassell and his son," echoed Roy, "the very people we
+      don't want around here. What did they want?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "They want know where you bane," rejoined the Norwegian
+      youth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; and what did you tell them?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I bane tell them I skall not know," responded Tam.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And then?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "They bane ask me if ay have key by door."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, they did, eh? What did you say?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I say I bane not have key."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then what did they do?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "They bane go 'way."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Didn't say anything else?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, they must go."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Said nothing about coming back?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, Tarn, you can go home now. Here's your money."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You bane want me no more?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No; we'll watch here ourselves to-night. Good night."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good night," rejoined Tam, pocketing his money and shuffling
+      off down the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had hardly gone two blocks when from the shadow of an
+      elm-shaded yard the figure of Dan Cassell slipped out and
+      intercepted him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So you've been fired, eh?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He shot the question at the simple-minded Norwegian lad with
+      vicious emphasis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, I no bane fired; they bane tell me no want me more."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, isn't that being fired? Moreover, I can tell you that
+      they've hired another fellow in your place."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Norwegian youth's light blue eyes lit up with indignant
+      fire. Like most of his race he was keenly sensitive once
+      aroused, and while he was quite agreeable to being dropped
+      from his temporary job, he hated to think of being supplanted
+      in it. Crafty Dan Cassell was playing his cards well, for a
+      purpose that will be seen ere long.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So they bane fire me," ejaculated Tam.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's the size of it. I guess you feel pretty sore, Tam,
+      don't you?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, they bane pay me wale; but I no like being fired."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I should think not. The idea of a man like you being
+      dropped. What did they tell you when they let you go?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That they bane watch place themselves."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan Cassell smiled. His crafty methods had elicited something
+      of real value after all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Did they say they were going to watch all night?" he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes," rejoined the Norwegian, "they ask about you, too."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph! What did they want to know?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If you'd been round by stable and what I bane tale you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What did you say?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I tale them the truth. I say that you and your father bane
+      by stable this evening."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan's face darkened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You had no business to tell them anything," he snarled.
+      Then, with a sudden change of front: "See here, Tam, do you
+      want to make some money?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sure, I bane like make money."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then come into the house a minute. Dad and I want to talk to
+      you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying Dan took the Norwegian by the arm and led him in
+      through a gate in a whitewashed picket fence. Beyond the
+      fence was a fairly prosperous looking house, on the piazza of
+      which lounged Jim Cassell smoking a cigar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, Tam," he said, "lost your job?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Norwegian replied in the affirmative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, never mind, I've got another for you," replied Jim
+      Cassell, in what was for him an unwontedly amiable tone; "can
+      you go to work at once?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ay bane work any time skol be," spoke the Norwegian, and a
+      puzzled expression flitted over his face as both Cassells
+      broke into what was to him an inexplicable fit of laughter at
+      his words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime the boys had telephoned to the hotel that
+      work on the a&euml;roplanes would detain them till late. They
+      did not wish to inform the girls that they were undertaking a
+      night watch, as that would have led to all sorts of
+      questions, and if their fears proved ungrounded they felt
+      pretty sure of coming in for a lot of "joshing."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They agreed to divide the night into two parts, Jimsy
+      watching till midnight and then awakening Roy who would take
+      up the vigil till dawn. This arrangement having been made
+      they secured a light lantern from an adjacent hardware store
+      and, entering the deserted livery stable, prepared to carry
+      out their plans. With the canvas covers of the
+      a&euml;roplanes Roy managed to fix up quite a comfortable bed
+      on a pile of hay left in a sort of loft over the abandoned
+      stable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for Jimsy, he made himself as comfortable as possible in
+      the chassis of the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>, the seats of
+      which were padded as luxuriously as those of a touring car.
+      He had a book dealing with aeronautic subjects with him, and,
+      drawing the lantern close to the a&euml;roplane, he buried
+      himself in the volume.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime Roy had rolled himself up in his canvas
+      coverings and was sound asleep. For a long time Jimsy read
+      on. At first frequent footsteps passed the door of the
+      stable, but as it grew later these ceased. Folks went to bed
+      early in Meadville. Long before midnight there was not a
+      sound on the streets.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy read doggedly on. But he was painfully conscious of an
+      almost irresistible desire to lie back and doze off, if only
+      for a few seconds. The exciting events of the day had tired
+      him out, nor was the book he was reading one calculated to
+      keep his wits stirring. It was a technical work of abstruse
+      character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy's head began to nod. With a sharp effort he aroused
+      himself only to catch himself dozing off once more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "See here, Jim Bancroft, this won't do," he sharply
+      admonished himself, "you're on duty, understand? On duty!
+      Wake up and keep your eyes open."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But try as he would tired Nature finally asserted herself.
+      Jimsy's head fell forward, his eyes closed for good and he
+      snored in right good earnest. He was sound asleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was about half an hour after he dozed off that a window in
+      the rear of the stable framed a face. A crafty, eager face it
+      was, as the yellow light of the lantern revealed its
+      outlines. Dan Cassell, for it was he, gazed sharply about
+      him. He swiftly took in the posture of the sleeping boy and a
+      smile spread over his countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dropping from the ladder he had raised outside, he joined two
+      figures waiting for him in the shadow of the livery barn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's too easy," he chuckled, "only one kid there and he's
+      sound asleep. Got everything ready?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dey all bane ready, Maister Cassell," rejoined the slow,
+      drawling voice of the Norwegian Tam.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now don't botch the job," warned the elder Cassell, who was
+      the third member of the party; "remember it means a lot of
+      trouble for us if we're caught."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No danger of that, dad. Come on, I'll go first and you and
+      Tam follow."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Is the window open?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, but it slides back. It's an easy drop to the floor from
+      it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, go ahead. I'll be glad when the job's over. I'm
+      almost inclined to drop out of it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And let those kids get away with what they did? Not much,
+      dad. We'll give them a lesson they won't forget in a hurry.
+      Come on."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He began climbing the ladder. Behind him came his worthy
+      parent, and Tam formed the last member of the now silent
+      procession. The Norwegian carried a bulky package of some
+      kind, the contents of which it would have been impossible to
+      guess save that it gave out a metallic sound as Tam moved
+      with it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan Cassell reached the window, slid it noiselessly back in
+      its grooves and then, crawling through, dropped lightly to
+      the floor within. He was followed by his father and Tam.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Jimsy slept on. Slept heavily and dreamlessly, while
+      deadly peril crept upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH10"><!-- CH10 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PEGGY'S INTUITION.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The movements of the invaders of the stable, which now housed
+      the "winged steeds" of the young aviators, were mysterious in
+      the extreme. The Norwegian carried a tin can containing some
+      sort of liquid which he was ordered to pour about the floor
+      in the neighborhood of the a&euml;roplanes. This done, Dan
+      Cassell collected several scraps of litter and made quite a
+      pile of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All ready now, I guess," he said, with what was meant as an
+      attempt at a grin. But his lips were pale, and his forced
+      jollity was a dismal failure. As for his father, he made no
+      attempt to conceal his agitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dan, they may be burned alive," he faltered; "better call it
+      all off."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not when we've gone as far as this with it," was the
+      rejoinder; "give me a match."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dan!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's all right, dad. They'll wake in time."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But if not?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then they'll have to take their medicine."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With fingers that trembled as if their owner was palsied, Jim
+      Cassell handed his son some matches. The latter took one,
+      bent low over the pile he had collected and struck the
+      lucifer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A yellow sputter of flame followed, and the next instant he
+      was holding it to the pile of litter which had been
+      previously soaked by the contents of the Norwegian's can.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But before he could accomplish his purpose and set fire to
+      the pile of odds and ends saturated to double inflammability
+      by the kerosene the Norwegian had carried, there came a
+      startling interruption.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a knock at the door and a girlish voice cried:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy! Roy, let me in!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Furies!" exclaimed Dan Cassell under his breath. "It's one
+      of those girls."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come on. Let's get away quick!" exclaimed his father,
+      trembling from nervous agitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not before I set a match to this," exclaimed Dan Cassell
+      viciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He touched the match to the pile and the flames leaped up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now for our getaway," he cried, and the three fire-bugs ran
+      for the window by which they had made their entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime a perfect fusillade of blows had been
+      showered on the door outside. Jimsy awoke just as the last of
+      the three midnight intruders vanished through the window. His
+      first instinct was a hot flush of shame over the feeling that
+      he had betrayed his trust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then to his ears came the voice that had alarmed the Cassells
+      and their tool.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy! Jimsy! Are you there?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's Peggy!" gasped Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And Jess," he added the next instant, and simultaneously
+      there came the pounding of a stick on the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This is an officer of the law. Open up at once."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy, dazed by his sleep, had not till then noticed the
+      blazing pile of litter. Now he did so with a quick cry of
+      horror. The stuff was blazing up fiercely. Already there was
+      an acrid reek in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The place is on fire!" he shouted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next moment there came a violent assault on the door and
+      the crazy lock parted from its rotten fastenings as a man
+      attired in a police officer's uniform burst into the place.
+      Behind him came two wide-eyed frightened girls. The leaping
+      flames lit up their faces vividly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's fire sure enough!" cried the police officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Great Scot, what's happening?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Roy who shouted the question. He was peering down from
+      the loft where he had been sleeping. The uproar had awakened
+      him and in a jiffy he was among them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Quick! the fire extinguishers!" he cried, and Jimsy, readily
+      understanding, secured the flame-killing apparatus from the
+      biplane and from the <i>Red Dragon</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He and Roy, aided by the officer, fought the flames
+      vigorously, and, luckily, were able to subdue them, though if
+      it had not been for the as yet unexplained arrival of Peggy
+      and Jess it is doubtful if they could have coped with the
+      blaze. When it was all out Peggy rushed into explanations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Something warned me that you were in danger," she exclaimed,
+      "and I woke up Jess and we found this officer and came down
+      here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What gift of second sight have you?" demanded Roy, gazing at
+      the smoking, blackened pile that had threatened the
+      destruction of the inflammable premises.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know. Womanly intuition, perhaps. Oh, Roy!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girl burst into a half-hysterical sob and threw her arms
+      about her brother's neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You arrived in the nick of time, sis," he said, gently
+      disengaging himself from her clasp, "a little more
+      and&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He did not finish the sentence. There was no need for him to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Begorry, the ould place 'ud hev bin a pile of cinders in an
+      hour's time," declared the policeman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Jess's turn to give an hysterical little sob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy turned to Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Did you see anything? The place is reeking with kerosene. It
+      was a plot to destroy the a&euml;roplanes and perhaps
+      ourselves."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I&mdash;I&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy stammered. The words seemed to choke up in his throat.
+      How was he to confess that he had failed in his
+      trust&mdash;had slept while danger threatened?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy waited, plainly surprised. It was not like Jimsy to
+      hesitate and stammer in this way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last it came out with a rush.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I&mdash;I&mdash;you'll never forgive me, any of you&mdash;I
+      was asleep."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Asleep! Oh, Jimsy!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a world of reproach in Jess's voice. But Peggy
+      interrupted her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How was it, Jimsy?" she asked softly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know. I give you my word I don't know."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy's voice held a world of self-reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I was reading," he went on, hurrying over the words as if
+      anxious to get his confession over with, "that book of
+      Grotz's on monoplane navigation. I felt sleepy and&mdash;and
+      the next thing I knew I woke up to hear you pounding on the
+      door and shouting."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A good thing the young ladies found me," put in the
+      policeman; "shure I was after laughing at them at first, but
+      then, begorry, I decided to come along with them. It's glad I
+      am that I did."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Who can have done this?" asked Roy, who had not a word of
+      reproach for his chum, although Jimsy had failed dismally in
+      a position of trust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Begorry, they might have burned you alive!" cried the
+      policeman indignantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No question about that," rejoined Roy; "it was a diabolical
+      plot. Who could have attempted such a thing?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wait till I call up and have detectives sent down here,"
+      said Officer McCarthy. "I'm after thinking this is too deep
+      for us to solve."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nevertheless, each of that little group but the policeman had
+      his or her own idea on the matter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH11"><!-- CH11 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      A MEAN REVENGE!
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The result of the telephone call was a request to call at the
+      Police Headquarters of the little town and give a detailed
+      account of the affair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious! I should think that the only way to get a clue
+      would be to send a detective down here," exclaimed Peggy, on
+      receipt of this information.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We have our own ways of doing them things, miss," rejoined
+      the policeman with dignity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then there being nothing for it but to obey instructions of
+      the authorities, they all set out for the police station.
+      They were half way there when Jimsy recollected that they had
+      left the a&euml;roplanes unguarded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Twill make no difference at all at all," declared the
+      policeman; "shure it's too late for anyone to be about."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It wasn't too late for them to set that fire though,"
+      rejoined Roy in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At police headquarters they were received by two
+      sleepy-looking officials who questioned them at length and
+      said they would be at the stable in the morning to hunt for
+      clews.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why not go after them now, while the trail is hot?" inquired
+      Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We have our own ways of doing these things, young man," was
+      the reply, delivered with ponderous dignity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, we might as well go to bed and get a few hours' sleep
+      anyhow," suggested Roy; "I can hardly keep my eyes open. How
+      about you, Jimsy?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I&mdash;I&mdash;I've had some sleep already you know,"
+      rejoined Jimsy, reddening.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thoroughly tired out from their long day and excitement, the
+      party slept till late the next day. The first thing after
+      breakfast plans for the continuance of the trip were
+      discussed, and the day's program mapped out. This done, the
+      girls and boys set out for the stable to look over the
+      machines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They found a pompous-looking policeman on guard in front of
+      the place, ostentatiously pacing up and down. On identifying
+      themselves they were at once admitted however. The man
+      explained that he had only been on guard for an hour or two,
+      and that during that time nothing worthy of mention had
+      occurred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While Jimsy was talking to him Roy and the others entered the
+      stable. An instant later Roy, too excited to talk, came
+      rushing out of the dis-used livery barn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's up now, Roy?" demanded Jimsy, gazing at his chum, who
+      for his part appeared to be too excited to get his words out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There's only three!" gasped Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Three what?" cried Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Three a&euml;roplanes," returned Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Rubbish, you haven't got your eyes open yet."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm right, I tell you; come in and count them if you don't
+      believe me."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy is right," cried Peggy, running up to the group; "the
+      <i>Golden Butterfly</i> has been stolen!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Stolen!" interjected Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's right!" cried Jess; "those stupid police people left
+      the barn unguarded. Whoever tried to set it on fire must have
+      returned and stolen the <i>Butterfly</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They regarded each other blankly. Was this Sky Cruise that
+      they had looked forward to with such eager anticipation to be
+      nothing but a series of mishaps?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's awful!" gasped Peggy; "nothing but trouble since we
+      started out."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "D'ye think it was stolen?" asked the policeman with
+      startling intelligence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, it didn't fly of its own accord," was Peggy's
+      rejoinder, delivered with blighting sarcasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The patrolman subsided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe we can find it yet," suggested Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'd like to know how," put in Jimsy disgustedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Perhaps we can trace it. It must have been wheeled away."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ginger! That's so," cried Roy, snapping his fingers; "it
+      would leave an odd track too, wouldn't it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well there's no harm in trying to trace it," admitted Jimsy,
+      who appeared rather skeptical.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come on, then; get busy," urged Roy eagerly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next instant there came a cry from Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've struck the trail!" she cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Where?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The word came in chorus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Here! Look; you know the <i>Butterfly</i> had peculiar kind
+      of tires. See, it was wheeled up the street in that
+      direction."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She pointed to where the village main thoroughfare ended in a
+      country road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm not after takin' much stock in that," remarked the
+      policeman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We won't bother you," rejoined Roy rather heatedly; "I guess
+      we won't wait till your local Sherlock Holmes gets on the
+      trail, we'll follow it ourselves."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But who'll go?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The question came from Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We can't all go, that's certain," exclaimed Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tell you what we'll do, we'll count out," declared Jess, her
+      eyes dancing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A good idea," hailed the others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy, you start it; but remember, not more than three can
+      go."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why?" inquired Peggy point blank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Because we'll have to take the car, and someone must be left
+      to look after Aunt Sally and the a&euml;roplanes," spoke Roy,
+      falling in with Jimsy's plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, come on and count out," urged Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, that's it. Let's see who will be it," cried the others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Very well, if I can remember the rhyme," responded Roy. "How
+      does it go anyway?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Inte, minte," suggested Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, yes! That's it," responded Roy. "I've got it now. Inte,
+      minte, cute corn, apple seeds and briar thorn, briar thorn
+      and limber lock, three geese in a flock, one flew east and
+      one flew west, one flew into a cuckoo's nest, O-U-T out, with
+      a ragged dish clout, out!" ending with Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sorry for you, Bess!" cried the lad, "but you're the first
+      victim to be offered up."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, well, it's too hot to go chasing all over dusty country
+      roads," declared Bess bravely, although she would dearly have
+      loved to go on the adventurous search for the missing
+      a&euml;roplane.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One after another they were counted out till only Roy, Peggy
+      and Jimsy remained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hurry up and let's get off," urged Jimsy as the "elimination
+      trials," as they might be termed, were concluded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Very well. We'll get the car&mdash;it's in the garage at the
+      hotel&mdash;and incidentally, we might get a lunch put up
+      also. It may be a long chase."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The officer regarded them with frank amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My! but you city folks rush things," he exclaimed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I suppose they'll get busy on this case day after
+      to-morrow," exclaimed Roy disgustedly, as they hastened away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was half an hour later that the big touring car, with Roy
+      at the wheel, rolled out of the hotel yard. Jake had been
+      told off to guard the livery stable and the a&euml;roplanes
+      while the rest remained with Miss Prescott, who was seriously
+      agitated at the accumulation of troubles her party had met
+      with since setting out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I declare," she said, "I wish I was back at home where I
+      could get a decent cup of tea and be free of worries."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The trail of the a&euml;roplane was not difficult to follow.
+      It led down the village main street and thence along a
+      country road till it came to a sort of cross roads. Here it
+      branched off and followed a by-road for a mile or so. At a
+      gate in a hedge all signs failed however, although it was
+      plain that the machine had been wheeled through the gap and
+      taken across a field.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beyond this field lay what appeared to be a wilderness of
+      woods and bushes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Stumped!" exclaimed Roy, as he brought the auto to a stop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH12"><!-- CH12 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE FINDING OF THE "BUTTERFLY."
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "Well, what next?" asked Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Make a search of those woods, I suppose," replied Roy;
+      "there's nothing else to do."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, the trail has brought us here," replied Peggy
+      energetically; "we must make a determined effort to find the
+      <i>Butterfly</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe they've damaged it so that we won't be able to do
+      anything with it when we do get it," spoke Jimsy presently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Whom do you mean by they?" asked Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As if you didn't know. Is there any doubt in your mind that
+      that fellow Cassell is at the bottom of all this?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not very much, I'll admit," replied Roy; "I wonder if that
+      accounts for the inactivity of the police."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In just what way?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, the fellow's a local politician and has a lot of
+      'pull'."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He <i>must</i> have, to get away with anything like this,"
+      was Jimsy's indignant outburst.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, don't let us waste time speculating," put in Peggy, in
+      her brisk manner; "the thing to do now is to get back the
+      <i>Golden Butterfly</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You're right, Peg," came from both boys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time they were out of the car, which they left
+      standing at the roadside while they examined the vicinity for
+      tracks. But the grass in the field was fairly long and no
+      traces remained. Yet, inasmuch as the tracks of the
+      <i>Butterfly</i> ended at the gap in the hedge, it was
+      manifest that that was the point at which it had been wheeled
+      off the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What next?" asked Jimsy, as it became certain that there was
+      little use in searching for a trail in the meadow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's like looking for a needle in that proverbial haystack,"
+      struck in Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In my opinion we need the patience of Job and the years of
+      old Methuselah," opined Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy alone was not discouraged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It can't be so very far off," he urged; "it stands to reason
+      that they can't have come much further than this since
+      midnight, supposing the machine to have been stolen about
+      that hour."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The others agreed with him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll search all around here, including those woods,"
+      declared Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, they can't have taken it very far into the woods,"
+      declared Jimsy; "the spread of its wings would prevent that."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's so," agreed Roy; "I think we are getting pretty
+      'warm' right now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All I am afraid of is that they may have damaged it,"
+      breathed Peggy anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It would be in line with their other tactics," agreed Roy;
+      "men who would try to burn down a stable with two boys in it,
+      just to obtain revenge for a fancied insult or injury, are
+      capable of anything."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without further waste of time they crossed the meadow and
+      came to the edge of the wood. At the outskirts of the woods
+      the trees grew thinly and it was plain that it would have
+      been possible to wheel an a&euml;roplane into their shadow,
+      despite the breadth of its wing-spread.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They passed under the outlying trees and presently emerged
+      into a small, open space, in the midst of which was a hut.
+      Just beyond this hut was a sight that caused them to shout
+      aloud with joy. There, apparently unharmed, stood the missing
+      a&euml;roplane.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hurray!" shouted Roy, dashing forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The others were close on his heels. In their excitement they
+      paid little or no attention to the surroundings. It might
+      have been better for them had they done so. As they dashed
+      across the clearing two male figures slipped off among the
+      thicker trees that lay beyond the open space and the hut.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A brief examination showed them that the a&euml;roplane was
+      undamaged. There were a few scratches on it, but beyond that
+      it appeared in perfect condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll fly back," declared Jimsy to Peggy; "Roy can run the
+      auto home."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's agreeable to me," responded Roy; "but suppose we
+      examine the vicinity first. We might get a clew as to the
+      rascals who are responsible for this."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's true," agreed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then suppose we start with the hut first."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They accepted this proposition eagerly. The hut was a
+      substantial looking building with a padlock on the door. But
+      the portal stood wide open, the padlock hanging in a hasp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What if anyone pounces on us?" asked Peggy in rather a
+      scared tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No fear of that," replied Roy, "the place is plainly
+      unoccupied."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They entered the hut and found it to be as primitive inside
+      as its exterior would indicate. A table and two rude chairs
+      stood within. These, with the exception of a rusty cook stove
+      in one corner, formed the sole furnishings. There was not
+      even a window in the place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nothing much to be found here," declared Roy after a cursory
+      examination; "I guess this shack was put up by lumbermen or
+      hunters. It doesn't seem to have been occupied for a long
+      time."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess the men who took the a&euml;roplane must have been
+      pretty familiar with the place though," opined Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No doubt of that," replied Roy, "but that doesn't give us
+      any clew to their identity beyond bare suspicions."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and suspicions aren't much good in law," chimed in
+      Peggy, "they&mdash;Good gracious!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door closed suddenly with a bang. Before Jimsy could
+      spring across the room to open it there came a sharp click.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Somebody's padlocked it on the outside!" he cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And we're prisoners!" gasped Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and without any chance of getting out, either,"
+      declared Jimsy; "there's not even a window in the place."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well this is worse and more of it," cried Roy. "Who can have
+      done that?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The same people that stole the <i>Golden Butterfly,"</i>
+      declared Peggy. "Hark!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Outside they heard rapidly retreating footsteps, followed by
+      a harsh laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let us out!" shouted Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You can stay there till judgment day, for all I care," came
+      back a hoarse, rasping voice; "you kids were too fresh, and
+      now you're getting what's coming to you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH13"><!-- CH13 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PRISONERS IN THE HUT.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      It was almost pitch dark within the hut. Only from a crack
+      under the door could any light enter. For an instant after
+      the taunting of the voices of the men who had locked them in
+      reached their ears, the trio of youthful prisoners remained
+      silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy it was who spoke first.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, what's to be done now?" she demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We've got to get out of here," responded Jimsy, with
+      embarrassing candor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's plain enough," struck in Roy; "but how do you propose
+      to do it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know; let's look about. Maybe there's a chimney or
+      something."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There's no opening larger than that one where the stove pipe
+      goes through. I've noticed that already," responded Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Phew! This <i>is</i> a fix for fair."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I should say so; but kicking about it won't help us at all.
+      Let's make a thorough investigation."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the darkness they groped about, but could discover nothing
+      that appeared to hold out a promise of escape. The two boys
+      shook the door violently; but it was firm on its hinges.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next Roy proposed to cut a way through it with his pocket
+      knife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'd be starved to death by the time you cut through that
+      stuff," declared Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In proof of this he kicked the door, and the resulting sound
+      showed that it was built of solid wood without any thin
+      panels which might be cut through.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What next?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy asked the question as the two perspiring lads stood
+      perplexed without speaking or moving.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jiggered if I know," spoke Jimsy; "can't you or Roy think of
+      anything?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We might try to batter the door down with that table,"
+      suggested Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's worth trying. We've got to get out of here somehow."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two boys picked up the heavy, roughly made table and
+      commenced a violent assault on the door. But although they
+      dented it heavily, and sent some splinters flying, the portal
+      held its own. At length they desisted from pure weariness.
+      The situation looked hopeless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It looks pretty bad," spoke Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It does indeed," agreed Roy. "Peggy, I wish we hadn't
+      brought you along."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And why, pray, Roy Prescott?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, because&mdash;because, well, this isn't the sort of
+      thing for a girl."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I guess if my brother can stand it I can," rejoined
+      the girl, pluckily and in a firm voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, there's no use minimizing the fix we're in," declared
+      Roy. "This is a lonesome bit of country. It may be a week
+      before anyone will come around. We've just got to get out,
+      that's all there is to it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I wish you'd solve the problem then," sighed Jimsy; "it's
+      too much for me."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll make another search of the premises, maybe we can
+      stumble across something that may aid us. At any rate, it
+      will give us something to do and keep our minds off the
+      predicament we are in."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy struck a match, of which he had a plentiful supply in his
+      pockets. As the yellow flame sputtered up in the semi-gloom
+      it showed every corner of the small hut. But it did not
+      reveal anything that promised a chance to gain their liberty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All at once, just as the light was sputtering out, Peggy gave
+      a cry. Her eye had been caught by a glistening metal object
+      in one corner of the hut.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What is it?" asked Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A gun&mdash;a shot-gun standing in that corner over there."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Huh!" sniffed Jimsy, "a lot of good that does us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "On the contrary," declared Peggy stoutly, "if it's loaded it
+      may serve to get us free."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm from Missouri," declared Jimsy enigmatically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's your idea, sis?" asked Roy, who knew that Peggy's
+      ideas were usually worth following up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I remember reading only a short time ago of a man trapped
+      much as we are who escaped by blowing off the lock of his
+      prison with a gun he carried," replied Peggy; "maybe it would
+      work in our case."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe it would if&mdash;" rejoined Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If what?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If the gun was loaded, which is most unlikely."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, try it and see," urged Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, do," echoed Jimsy; "Peggy's plan sounds like a good
+      idea. Maybe some hunter left it here and the shells are still
+      in it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No harm in finding out anyway," declared Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He struck another match and picked up the gun. It was an
+      antique looking weapon badly-rusted. But on opening the
+      breech he uttered a cry of joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good luck!" he exclaimed, "two shells,&mdash;one in each
+      barrel."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, put it to the test," urged Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right. If this fails, though, I don't know what we'll
+      do."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't worry about that now. Try it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm going to. Don't get peevish."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy crossed the room to the door. Raising the gun to his
+      shoulder he placed the muzzle about opposite to where he
+      thought the padlock must be located.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look out for a big noise, sis," he warned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy gave a little scream and raised her hands to her ears.
+      She disliked firearms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ready?" sang out Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All ready," came the reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then fire!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Simultaneously with Jimsy's order came a deafening report. In
+      that confined space it sounded as if a huge cannon had been
+      fired. Roy staggered back under the "kick" of the heavy
+      charge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Once more," he announced.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again a sonorous report sounded, but this time a section of
+      the door was blown right out of the framework. The daylight
+      streamed in through it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now then for the test," cried Roy. "Come on, Jimsy."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two boys placed their shoulders to the door. With a
+      suddenness that was startling, it burst open, and they faced
+      freedom. The lock had been fairly driven from its hold by the
+      twice repeated charge of shot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young aviators were free once more. But it remained to be
+      seen if the men who wished them harm had wrought their
+      vengeance on the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH14"><!-- CH14 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      WHAT'S TO BE DONE WITH THE WREN?
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The <i>Golden Butterfly</i>, as an examination proved, had
+      not been damaged during their imprisonment in the hut.
+      Evidently, the men who had slammed the door and padlocked it
+      had made off at top speed as soon as they had completed what
+      they hoped would be a source of sore trouble to the young
+      aviators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And now we'll fly back as agreed," declared Peggy merrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her spirits, almost down to zero in the hut, had recovered
+      themselves marvellously in the fresh open air. She was
+      radiant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I declare that the stay in the hut has done you good,"
+      declared Jimsy, looking at her admiringly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe it has&mdash;by contrast," returned Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Like a sea trip," put in Roy. "I've heard that people who
+      suffer from sea sickness are so much relieved when they get
+      ashore that they imagine their good spirits are due to a
+      change in their condition."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, that applies to me," returned Peggy; "I didn't think
+      we'd get out of that hut so easily. How do you suppose that
+      gun came to be there?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The hunters who use the hut must have left it there,"
+      rejoined Roy; "I wonder if they'll ever know how useful it
+      was to us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "More likely they'll be mad when they find that the lock is
+      blown off the door," laughed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, so-long, folks, I'm going to start back in the auto,"
+      declared Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll beat you into town," challenged Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "More than likely, if the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> is doing
+      her best," was the rejoinder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ten minutes later the two machines were racing back to
+      Meadville at almost top speed. Of course the speedy <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> won, but then a vehicle of the air does not
+      have to contend with the obstacles that a land conveyance
+      does.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They found Miss Prescott almost on the verge of hysterics. A
+      garbled version of the events of the night had been brought
+      to her and this, coupled with the long absence of the three
+      young folks, had made her extremely nervous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I declare, it seems as if you just can't keep out of
+      trouble," she said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, it actually does seem so, I admit," confessed Peggy;
+      "but we promise to be very good for the rest of the trip."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And never trouble trouble till trouble troubles us," chanted
+      Jimsy airily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's all very well, but you keep me continually in
+      suspense as to what you'll do next," almost wailed Miss
+      Prescott. "We set out for a quiet trip and encounter nothing
+      but troubles&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Adventures, Aunt Sally," laughingly corrected Roy; "what is
+      life without adventures?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I'm sure I don't know what young people are coming
+      to," sighed Miss Prescott with resignation. "There's another
+      thing, what are we to do with this little Wren?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We can't leave her here, that's certain," declared Peggy
+      with vehemence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, indeed," echoed Jess and Bess, who were of the council.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then what are we to do with her?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just tote her along, I suppose," rejoined Peggy; "poor
+      little thing, she doesn't take up much room; besides, Jess
+      thinks she's an heiress."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all laughed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You must have had an overdose of Laura Jean Libby," declared
+      Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy Prescott, you behave yourself," cried Jess, flushing up;
+      "besides, she has a strawberry mark on her left arm."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My gracious, then she surely is a missing heiress,"
+      exclaimed Jimsy teasingly; "all well-regulated missing
+      heiresses have strawberry marks and almost always on their
+      left arm."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was at this juncture that a knock came at the door. A bell
+      boy stood outside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A gentleman to see you, sir," he said, handing Roy a card.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On it was printed: "Mr. James Kennedy, Detective, Meadville
+      Police Station."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness, a real detective!" exclaimed Jess excitedly;
+      "let's see him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You won't be much impressed I'm afraid," rejoined Roy with a
+      smile at his recollection of the Meadville sleuths.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, doesn't he wear glasses, have a hawk-like nose and
+      smoke a pipe?" inquired Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And hunt up missing heiresses?" teasingly struck in Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, he's a very different sort of person. But hush! he's
+      coming now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A heavy tread sounded in the hall and Mr. James Kennedy,
+      Detective of the Meadville Police Force, stood before them.
+      As Jimsy had said, he was not impressive as to outward
+      appearance, although his fat, heavy face, and rather vacant
+      eyes, might have concealed a giant intellect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've investigated the case of the attempted burning of the
+      stable last night," he began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes," exclaimed Roy eagerly. "Have you any suspicions as to
+      who did it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man shook his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As yet we have no clews," he declared, "and I don't think
+      we'll get any."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's too bad," replied Roy, "but let me tell you something
+      that may help you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lad launched into a description of their adventures of
+      the morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That hut belongs to Luke Higgins, a respectable man who is
+      out West at present," said the detective when Roy had
+      finished. "He uses it as a sort of hunting box in the rabbit
+      shooting season. He couldn't have had anything to do with
+      it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'd like to know his address so that I could write and thank
+      him for leaving that gun there," declared Peggy warmly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The detective shook his head solemnly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I reckon you young folks had better stop skee-daddling round
+      the country this way," he said with heavy conviction; "you'll
+      only get into more trouble. Flying ain't natural no more than
+      crowing hens is."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With this he picked up his hat, and, after assuring them that
+      he would find a clew within a short time, he departed,
+      leaving behind him a company in which amusement mingled with
+      indignation. In fact, so angry was Roy over the stupidity or
+      ignorance of the Meadville police, that he himself set out on
+      a hunt to detect the authors of the outrages upon the young
+      aviators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sole result of his inquiry however was to establish the
+      fact that both Cassells had left town, closing their house
+      and announcing that they would be gone for some time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As there was nothing further to be gained by remaining in
+      Meadville, the entire party, after lunch, set out once more,
+      a big crowd witnessing the departure of the a&euml;rial
+      tourists.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They flew fast, and as the roads were excellent the auto had
+      no difficulty in keeping up with them. On through the
+      afternoon they soared along, sometimes swooping low above an
+      alluring bit of scenery and again heading their machines
+      skyward in pure exuberance of spirits. Their troubles at
+      Meadville forgotten, they flew their machines like sportive
+      birds; never had any of them experienced more fully the joy
+      of flight, the sense of freedom that comes from traveling
+      untrammeled into the ether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They had passed above a small village and were flying low,
+      those in the auto waving to them, when Peggy, in the
+      <i>Golden Butterfly</i>, gave a sudden exclamation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, look," she shouted, "a flock of sheep, and right in the
+      path of the auto."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At that moment all of them saw the sheep, a large flock,
+      headed by a belligerent looking ram with immense horns. Jake,
+      who was driving the car, slowed up as he approached the
+      flock. The woolly herd, huddled together helplessly, made no
+      effort to get out of the road. Behind them a man and a boy
+      shouted and yelled vigorously, but with no more effect than
+      to bunch the animals more squarely in the path of the
+      advancing car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All at once, just as the car was slowed down to almost a
+      walking pace, a big ram separated himself from the flock and
+      actually rushed for the front seat of the car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jake uttered a yell as the woolly creature gave him a hard
+      butt, knocking him out of his seat. But this wasn't all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By some strange freak the animal had landed in the car in a
+      sitting posture. Now the young aviators roared with laughter
+      to behold the creature seated in Jake's forcibly vacated
+      place. Its hoofs rested on the driving wheel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Forward plunged the car, its queer driver with his feet
+      wedged in the spokes of the steering wheel. Aloft the flock
+      of young aviators roared with laughter at the sight. It was
+      the oddest experience they had yet had&mdash;this spectacle
+      of a grave-looking, long-horned ram driving an auto, while
+      Jake prudently kept out of reach of those horns. As for Miss
+      Prescott and The Wren, they cowered back in the tonneau in
+      keen alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh!" cried Peggy suddenly, "there comes a runabout; that ram
+      will surely collide with it!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A runabout coming in the opposite direction dashed round a
+      corner of the country road at this juncture. The driver was a
+      young girl, but she was veiled and her features could not be
+      seen under the thick face covering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Apparently the ram saw the other car coming, for the animal
+      actually appeared to make a halfway intelligent effort to
+      steer the car out of the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For her part the girl in the runabout swerved her car from
+      side to side in a struggle to avoid a collision, which
+      appeared inevitable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Stop it!" shrieked Bess; "she'll be killed."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH15"><!-- CH15 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      A RAMBUNCTIOUS RAM.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The ram evidently saw the other car coming; it tried to leap
+      out but its hoofs were jammed in the spokes of the steering
+      wheel. Before Jake could pick himself up from the floor of
+      the front part of the car there came a loud shriek from the
+      runabout. It was echoed by Miss Prescott and The Wren.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Crash!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two cars came together with a fearful jolt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The eyes of the young aviators aloft were fixed on the scene.
+      They saw the large car strike the runabout and crumple its
+      engine hood. Peggy gave a scream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ram, jolted out of its seat by the force of the
+      collision, fell out to one side, allowing Jake to resume
+      control of the wheel. But the runabout! It was ditched, its
+      unfortunate occupant being pitched headlong into a ditch at
+      the side of the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Down swept the a&euml;roplanes, and there was a wild rush to
+      the rescue. Peggy, Jess and Bess ran to the side of the
+      injured occupant of the strange runabout. The boys divided
+      themselves, attending to everything.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Roy! Roy! hurry, she's unconscious!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cry came from Peggy as she rushed to the side of the
+      young motorist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy was not far off, and, at his sister's cry, he hastened to
+      her side. Peggy had the girl's head in her lap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Get water!" she cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Jimsy was already on hand with a collapsible aluminum cup
+      full of water from a near by spring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, the poor dear," sighed Peggy, "to think that our fun
+      should have&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The strange girl opened her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Who are you?" she exclaimed. "Where is my machine?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Never mind for a minute," spoke Peggy, seeing that Jimsy and
+      Jake were trying to drag the machine out of the ditch, "we'll
+      fix it, never fear."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, my head!" groaned the girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That pesky ram," exploded Roy angrily; "let me help you up
+      into the road, you'll be more comfortable."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, thank you, I can stand," came faintly from the injured
+      girl. "I&mdash;am&mdash;much better now. What happened?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why a sort of volunteer driver was experimenting with our
+      car, and I guess he made a mistake in driving," smilingly
+      explained Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, that ram!" cried the girl half hysterically. "I thought
+      I had a nightmare at first."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't blame you," smiled Peggy, "seeing a ram driving a
+      motor car is apt to give one such ideas."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Are you really better?" asked Jess sympathetically as she
+      came up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Peggy, get my smelling salts out of the traveling bag!"
+      cried Miss Prescott anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The accident had disturbed her sadly. The only unperturbed
+      one in the party was Jake. He took things with philosophical
+      calm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Knew more trouble was comin'," said he, and contented
+      himself by dismissing the situation with that.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got good news for you," said Jimsy, coming up; "your
+      car isn't hurt a bit."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, good!" cried the girl, clasping her hands and flushing.
+      Her veil was raised now and they saw that she was very
+      blonde, very pretty and just now very pale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My, what a rambunctious ram!" punned Roy; "he ramified all
+      over, didn't he?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious, for a time I thought I was seeing things!" gasped
+      the girl, who was seated on a tufted hummock of grass at the
+      side of the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And then you felt them," laughed Jimsy. "That's the way such
+      things run."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all laughed. Soon after, Roy, Jimsy and Jake dragged the
+      small runabout out of the ditch. In the meantime Peggy had
+      introduced herself and Jess to the young girl. The latter's
+      name was Lavinia Nesbitt. She lived not far from the scene of
+      the accident, and had been taking a jaunt in her machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The runabout had been rescued, and the whole party introduced
+      and talking merrily when Jess set up a cry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness! here comes that ram again!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Down the road, with the two sheep drivers at its heels, the
+      beast was indeed coming. It advanced at a hard gallop, with
+      head lowered and formidable horns ready for a charge, into
+      the midst of the group.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look out for him!" yelled the sheep herders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They needed no second injunction. All skipped adroitly out of
+      the path of the oncoming beast, which was rushing on like a
+      whirlwind. Jimsy proved equal to the emergency. From his
+      a&euml;roplane he took the rope which had already done good
+      service in rescuing the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> from the
+      pond. He formed it into a loop&mdash;the lariat of the
+      Western plains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now we've got him!" he exclaimed; "that is, if we are
+      careful. But watch out!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No danger of that," responded Peggy, from the vantage of the
+      tonneau of the car; "but how are you going to rope him?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Watch!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy began swinging his loop in ever widening circles. The
+      ram was now within a few feet of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, the <i>Dart</i>!" shrieked Bess; "he'll go right through
+      it!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed it did appear as if the maddened animal would. But
+      just as there are many slips between cup and lip so there are
+      many slips between the ram and the a&euml;roplane.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as it appeared that he would plow his way right through
+      the delicate fabric, Jimsy hurled his loop. It settled round
+      the animal's horns. Planting his heels in the ground Jimsy
+      held tight to the rope. The next minute he "snubbed" it tight
+      and the ram lost its feet and rolled over and over in the
+      dust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jake and Roy rushed in and completed the job of tying the
+      creature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness, Jimsy, you're a regular broncho buster!" cried
+      Peggy admiringly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, I learned to do some tricks with a rope with the horse
+      hunters out in Nevada," was the response.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But careless as his manner was, Jimsy's eyes glowed with
+      triumph. It was plainly to be seen that he was delighted with
+      his success. Just then the two sheep drivers came running up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls looked rather alarmed. Suppose they should blame
+      them for trying to kidnap the ram.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll do the talking," declared Roy; "if you said anything,
+      Jimsy, there might be a row."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right," laughed Jimsy, regarding his "roped and tied
+      captive." "I suppose you are an expert on dealing with ram
+      owners."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I'm on to their mental ramifications," laughed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sheep driver, an elderly man, accompanied by a youth,
+      came up to them now. He touched his hat civilly as he
+      approached.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good afternoon. No one hurt, I hope," he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls looked greatly relieved. After all, the man was not
+      rude or angry as they had feared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, no, thank you," cried Jess, before Roy or Jimsy could
+      open their mouths. "I hope he isn't though."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hurt!" exclaimed the ram's owner, "why you couldn't hurt him
+      with a steam hammer. Why, day 'afore yesterday the blame
+      thing went for my wife. Hoofs and horns&mdash;yes, sir! Most
+      knocked her down, he did. I'll fix him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's his name?" asked Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hannibal," said the man, without the flicker of a facial
+      muscle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I should think Cannonball would be a better name for him,"
+      struck in Jimsy, with that funny, serious face he always
+      assumed when 'joshing'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, sir, I guess it <i>would</i> be more appropriate at
+      that," assented the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked at the disabled machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Busted?" he asked with apparent concern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "To some extent," rejoined Roy, "only, except for that engine
+      hood being dented there doesn't appear to be much the matter
+      with it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Glad to pay if there be," said the sheep driver. "I'm going
+      ter git rid of ther pesky critter. He's cost me a lot in
+      damage suits already."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why don't you put him on the stage as the boxing ram, or
+      something like that?" inquired Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Might be a good scheme," said the man, as if considering the
+      proposal seriously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Mary had a little ram&mdash;" laughed Jimsy; who was
+      thereupon told not to be "horrid."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why don't you box the nasty thing's ears for riding in our
+      car?" asked Roy of Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'd like to do something, the saucy thing," declared Peggy
+      with vehemence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tell you what! Let's buy him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The suggestion came from Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and have his skin made up into an auto robe," suggested
+      Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If you boys aren't ridiculous," cried Peggy; "I want to
+      forget the incident, and so I'm sure does Lavinia," the name
+      of the girl who had been spilled out of her machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You may be sure I do," she declared with emphasis. "I was
+      never so scared in my life."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Want to buy him?" asked the man, grasping at a chance of
+      selling an animal that had already placed him in some
+      embarrassing positions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How much do you want?" asked Roy, more as a joke than
+      anything else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Three dollars," said the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There you are, girls! Who'll bid? Who'll bid? This fine
+      young ram going at a sacrifice."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy imitated an auctioneer, raising his voice to a sharp
+      pitch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH16"><!-- CH16 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      AN INVITATION TO RACE.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      It is almost needless to say that the purchase was not
+      consummated. The girls raised a chorus of protest. The "nasty
+      thing" was the mildest of the epithets they applied to the
+      beast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I don't know. I thought we might have his skin done
+      into a robe. We could give it as a prize to the girl that
+      makes the best record on this motor flight," suggested Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I wish you'd take him up a thousand feet and drop him,"
+      declared the unfortunate ram's owner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Poor thing! he only acted according to his nature," defended
+      Peggy; "let him loose and he'll go back to the flock."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not him," declared his owner; "he'd only raise more Cain.
+      Better let him be."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the girls raised a chorus of protest. It was a shame to
+      leave the poor thing tied up, and they insisted that he be
+      let loose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, if you kin stand it I kin," grinned the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He and the boy bent over the captive ram and cast him loose.
+      The beast struggled to his feet, and for an instant stood
+      glaring about him out of his yellowish eyes that gleamed like
+      agates. But it was only for an instant that he remained thus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly he lowered his head and without more preliminaries
+      dashed right at the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious, he's a game old sport!" yelled Jimsy; "Hasn't had
+      enough of it yet, eh?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Right at the <i>Butterfly</i> the ram rushed. Reaching it,
+      with one bound he was in the chassis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now we'll get him," whispered the owner of the ram. "I told
+      you if he was let go he'd start cutting up rough."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, you surely proved a good prophet," laughed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now we've got to catch him," said the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How?" whispered Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Someone must lasso him as you did before. Easy now. Don't
+      scare him or he might do damage."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ram was seated in the a&euml;roplane for all the world as
+      if he was a scientific investigator of some sort. He paid no
+      attention whatever to those who were creeping up on him,
+      Jimsy with his rope in his hand, the loop trailing behind him
+      all ready for action.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This is more fun than a deer hunt!" declared Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Than a bull fight, you mean," retorted Jimsy; "this creature
+      gives the best imitation of a wild bull I ever saw."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all laughed. The ram certainly had given a realistic
+      interpretation of a savage Andalusian fighter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now then," whispered the sheep driver as they drew near.
+      Jimsy's rope swirled and settled about the ram's horns. But
+      the startled beast was due to give them another surprise.
+      Hardly had Jimsy's rope fallen about it when with a snort it
+      leaped clean in the air and out of the a&euml;roplane. It
+      tore like an express train straight at Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before the boy could get out of its path "Biff!" the impact
+      had come. Jimsy arose into the atmosphere and described a
+      distinct parabola. He landed with a bump in a clump of
+      bushes, while Mr. Ram rushed off down the road to join his
+      flock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Haw! haw! haw!" roared the sheep man; "ain't hurt, be you?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No; but I've a good mind to sue you for damages," rejoined
+      Jimsy, picking himself out of the clump of brush; "you've no
+      right to drive an animal like that around the country without
+      labeling him 'Dynamite. Dangerous'."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Guess I will, too," said the man, who appeared to think well
+      of the suggestion; "he sure will get me in a pile of trouble
+      one of these days."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He raised his hat and strode off, followed by the boy. In the
+      distance the ram was capering about among the other sheep.
+      Jimsy brushed the dust off himself and then looked about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Anybody laughing?" he demanded suspiciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all shook their heads, the girls biting their lips to
+      avoid smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right then, I suggest that we get out of here right
+      away; a tiger's liable to come striding out of those woods
+      next."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; we'd better be getting along; Millbrook, our next stop,
+      is several miles off," said Peggy, consulting the map.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No further time was lost in resuming their rapid flight. In
+      the distance, as the flock of a&euml;roplanes arose, the
+      sheep man waved his hat and shouted his adieus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Millbrook was reached that evening just at dusk. It proved to
+      be a fair-sized town, and the a&euml;roplanes excited as much
+      curiosity there as they had in Meadville&mdash;more so, in
+      fact, for, from some flaring posters, it appeared that an
+      a&euml;roplane exhibition and race had been arranged for the
+      next day by a traveling company of aviators. That evening, at
+      the hotel, a deputation of citizens waited on the boys and
+      asked them if they would not prolong their stay and take part
+      in the air sports. The mayor, whose name was Jasper Hanks,
+      mentioned a prize of five hundred dollars for an endurance
+      flight as a special inducement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lads said they would think things over and report in the
+      morning. Their real object in delaying their decision was, of
+      course, to consult the girls about appearing. Peggy, Jess and
+      Bess went into raptures over the idea, and Miss Prescott's
+      consent was readily obtained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll be glad to rest for a day after all our exciting
+      times," she declared, "and I mean to add to Wren's outfit
+      too."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, how good you are to me," sighed the odd little figure,
+      nestling close to her benefactress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tush! tush, my dear! I'm going to make a wonderful girl out
+      of you," beamed the kindly lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Descending to the office to buy some postcards, the boys
+      found, lounging about the desk, a stoutish man with a rather
+      dissipated face, puffy under the eyes and heavy about the
+      jaws. A bright red necktie and patent-leather boots with
+      cloth tops accentuated the decidedly "noisy" impression he
+      conveyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the boys came down he eyed them sharply. Then he addressed
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My name's Lish Kelly," he said. "I'm manager of the United
+      Aviators' Exhibition Company. We're showing out at the City
+      Park tomorrow. I understand that you kids have been asked to
+      butt in."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We've been asked to participate, if that's what you mean,"
+      rejoined Roy rather sharply. The fellow's manner was
+      offensive and overbearing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, see here, you stay out," rejoined the man, shaking a
+      fat forefinger on which glistened a diamond ring of such
+      proportions as to make it dubious if it boasted a genuine
+      stone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You stay out of it," he repeated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy and Jimsy were almost dumfounded. The man's tone was one
+      of actual command.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why? Why should we stay out of it?" demanded Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The mayor of the town has asked us to take part," came from
+      Jimsy; "what have you got to do with it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's this way," said the man in rather a less overbearing
+      way than he had hitherto adopted; "we're going about the
+      country giving flights. The city gives us the park in this
+      town and we get so much of the receipts. But we rely on
+      winning the prizes, see. Now if you kids butt in, why you
+      might win some of them and that knocks my profit out. Get
+      me?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I understand you, if that's what you mean," rejoined Roy;
+      "but I still fail to see why we should not compete if we want
+      to."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder impressively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Cos if you do it'll make trouble for you, sonny."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Who'll make it?" flashed back Roy indignantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I will, son, and I'm some trouble maker when I start
+      anything along them lines, take it from me."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned on his heel, stuck his cigar at a more acute angle
+      in the side of his mouth, and strode off, leaving the two
+      boys dumfounded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, what do you make of that?" demanded Roy, as soon as
+      his astonishment had subsided a trifle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just this, that Mr. Lish Kelly thinks he can run this thing
+      to suit himself."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What will we do about it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "For my part I wanted to compete before. I desire to more
+      than ever now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Same here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe he was only bluffing after all."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Maybe; but just the same I wouldn't trust him not to try to
+      do us some harm. As he says, his main profits come from
+      winning the prizes offered by the different communities."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph! well, so far as that goes, I don't see why that need
+      keep us out of it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nor I; but we've had troubles enough, and I don't want
+      willingly to run into any more."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nor I. Well, let's sleep on it. We'll decide in the
+      morning."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's a good idea."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two lads went up to bed and slept as only healthy lads
+      can. The next morning dawned bright and clear. There was
+      hardly any wind. It was real "flying" weather. The
+      a&euml;roplanes had been sheltered in a big shed belonging to
+      the hotel. Before breakfast the boys went out and looked them
+      over. All were in good shape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they were coming out of the shed they were hailed by no
+      less a personage than Mayor Hanks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well," said he, "are you going to fly?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We think of doing so," said Roy, hesitating a little. He
+      wanted to speak of the conduct of Lish Kelly, but on second
+      thought he decided not to; the man might merely have had a
+      fit of bad temper on him. His threats might have been only
+      empty ones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If you're going to fly I have got some entry blanks with
+      me," said the mayor. "I wish you'd sign 'em."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He drew out a bunch of blue papers with blanks for describing
+      the name of the machine, its power, driver and other details.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This decided the boys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, we'll enter all our machines," said Roy; "let us
+      go into the writing room and we'll sign the entry blanks."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good for you," cried the mayor delightedly; "you'll be a big
+      drawing card, especially the young ladies. I never heard of
+      gals flyin', although, come to think of it, why shouldn't
+      they?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the writing room they concluded the business. When it was
+      done all the machines had been entered in every contest,
+      including an altitude one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We start at ten sharp, so be there," admonished the mayor as
+      he departed, highly pleased at having secured quite a flock
+      of young aviators at no cost at all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was as his figure vanished, that Lish Kelly crossed the
+      writing room. He had been sitting in a telephone booth, and
+      leaving the door a crack open had heard every word that had
+      passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He greeted the boys with an angry scowl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So you ain't going to stay out?" he said gruffly, as he
+      passed. "All right; look out for squalls!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH17"><!-- CH17 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE TWISTED SPARK PLUG.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious, are we in for more trouble?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy looked blankly at Roy; but the latter only laughed at
+      his chum's serious face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somehow, viewed in the bright light of early day, Lish
+      Kelly's threats did not appear nearly as formidable as they
+      had over night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nonsense; what harm can he do us anyhow? We're going to go
+      into this race, and we're going to win too. Just watch us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Going to tell the girls anything about Kelly and his
+      remarks?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No; what good would that do? It would only scare them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's so, too; but just the same I didn't like the look of
+      Kelly's face when he came through."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He looked to me like a bulldog that had swallowed a baby's
+      boot and didn't like the taste of the blacking on it,"
+      laughed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture the girls came into the room. All were
+      radiant and smiling in anticipation of the day's sport.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, we've been and gone and done it," announced Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Done what?" demanded Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Signed the paperrr-r-r-s," was the rejoinder, rendered with
+      great dramatic effect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved the duplicate entry blanks above his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's see them," begged Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right. Look what I've let us in for!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why&mdash;why&mdash;good gracious, Roy, you've got us down
+      for everything," gasped Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's right, all the way across from soup to nuts," struck
+      in the slangy Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all laughed. The color rose in the girls' faces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If only we can win some of them," cried Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, the machines are all in fine shape. If we don't win it
+      will be because the other fellows have better machines."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Where are the aviation grounds?" inquired Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At the City Park, about a mile out of town to the south. We
+      can get to it by looking down at the trolley tracks," said
+      Roy, who had consulted the mayor on this point.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then you are going to fly out there?" asked Miss Prescott,
+      who was also by this time a party to the conference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course; and, by the way, we ought to be getting out there
+      pretty soon; I want to be looking over the grounds and
+      selecting the best places for landing and so on," said Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, please don't get into any more scrapes," sighed Miss
+      Prescott; "what with gipsies, firebugs and rams, our trip has
+      been quite exciting enough for me."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boys exchanged glances. If the man Kelly tried to carry
+      out his threats things might be more exciting yet, they
+      thought. But both kept their knowledge to themselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was arranged that Miss Prescott should motor out to the
+      City Park. Soon thereafter the young aviators placed
+      finishing touches on their machines, and while a curious
+      crowd gathered they took to the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Looks just like a flock of pigeons," said a man in the
+      crowd, as they climbed skyward quite closely bunched.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It sure does," agreed his companion, "but them things is
+      prettier than any flock of pigeons I ever see."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this opinion was echoed by many of the throng. At any
+      rate everyone who saw the a&euml;roplanes start made up his
+      or her mind to pay a visit to the park and see some more
+      extended flights, so that Mayor Hanks' prediction was
+      verified.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the young aviators hovered above City Park for a short
+      space of time, and then dropped earthward, a veritable
+      sensation was created. From a row of "hangars" mechanicians
+      and aviators came running. One or two aviators who were aloft
+      practicing "stunts," dropped swiftly to earth. Lish Kelly's
+      troupe was a large one, consisting of five men and one woman
+      flyer, the wife of Carlos Le Roy, a Cuban aviator.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Outside the grounds several of the frugal individuals who
+      desired to see the flights without paying admission also
+      watched as the quintette of strange a&euml;roplanes dropped
+      to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One by one the graceful craft of the air settled to the
+      ground, and the young aviators alighted. Members of the
+      Arrangement Committee hastened to their sides, shaking hands
+      warmly and thanking them for their interest in the coming
+      contests.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Kelly aviators gazed curiously, some of them resentfully,
+      at the newcomers. They had all the professional's antipathy
+      and jealousy of amateur performers. As the Arrangement
+      Committee bustled off after telling our friends to make
+      themselves perfectly at home, Pepita Le Roy came up to them.
+      She was a handsome woman, in a foreign way, with large, dark
+      eyes and an abundance of raven black hair. She was rather
+      flashily dressed and walked with a sort of swagger that in a
+      vague way reminded Peggy of "Carmen."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So you are zee girl aviators," she remarked, as she came up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; I guess that's what they call us," rejoined Peggy; "we
+      enjoy flying and have done a lot of it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So! I have read your names in zee papers."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, those awful papers!" cried Jess, who hated publicity;
+      "they are always printing things about us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What! You do not like it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, no! You see, we only fly for fun. Not as a business
+      and&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy stopped short. She felt she had committed a grave
+      breach of tactfulness. It was not the thing, she felt, to
+      boast to a professional woman flyer of their standing as
+      amateurs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nor was the Cuban woman slow to take umbrage at what she
+      considered an insult. Her eyes flashed indignantly as she
+      regarded the fair-haired, slender girl before her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So you fly only for fun," she said vehemently; "very well,
+      you have all zee fun you want before to-day is ovaire."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without another word she walked off, with the swinging walk
+      of her race.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls looked at each other with a sort of amused dismay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness, Peggy; you should be more careful," cried Bess;
+      "you've hurt her feelings dreadfully."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm sure I didn't mean to," declared Peggy remorsefully.
+      "I&mdash;I had no idea that she would flare up like that."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, after all, it doesn't matter much," soothed Jess,
+      pouring oil on the troubled waters, so to speak. "I'm glad
+      the boys didn't hear it though."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So am I. See, they're busy on Roy's machine," exclaimed
+      Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; the lower left wing is rather warped," explained Peggy;
+      "they are fixing it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wonder who that man is who is monkeying with the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i>?" said Peggy, the next instant. "I mean that
+      horrid looking man in the check suit."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know. See, he has a monkey wrench in his hand, too,"
+      exclaimed Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost simultaneously the boys looked round from their work
+      on the biplane and saw the man. It was Lish Kelly. He was
+      bending over the engine and doing something to it with his
+      wrench.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hey! What are you doing there?" yelled Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just looking at your machine. No harm in that, is there?"
+      demanded Kelly, with a red face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "None at all, except that we don't want our machines touched.
+      How comes it you have that monkey wrench in your hands if you
+      weren't tampering with the machinery?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy spoke in a voice that fairly bubbled over with
+      indignation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't get sore, kid; I wouldn't harm your old mowing
+      machine. There isn't one of mine but could beat it the
+      fastest day it ever flew."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke Kelly slouched off. They saw him go up to a group
+      of his aviators and begin talking earnestly to them. Once or
+      twice he motioned with his head in their direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So he <i>does</i> mean mischief, after all," said Roy;
+      "let's take a good look at the <i>Dragon's</i> engine. He may
+      have injured it, although I don't think he'd have had time to
+      hurt it seriously."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They strolled over to the <i>Dragon</i>, with the girls
+      trailing behind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh!" cried Peggy, as they came up, "look at that spark
+      plug."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the matter with it?" demanded Jimsy,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look, it's all bent and twisted out of shape."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jove, sis, so it is. Your eyes are as sharp as they are
+      pretty!" cried Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No compliments, please. Oh, that horrid man!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Who is he?" asked Jess. "You appeared to know him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, we had some conversation with him this morning,"
+      laughed Roy; "but to return to the spark plug; it's a good
+      thing we carry extra ones."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But we don't!" cried Jimsy, in a dismayed tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What! you had a supply in a locker on your machine."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy looked confused.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got to make a confession," he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You didn't bring them!" cried Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, the fact is I&mdash;I forgot."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy looked miserably from one to the other. Here was a
+      quandary indeed. It might prove hard to get such a commodity
+      as a spark plug in Millbrook.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH18"><!-- CH18 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      IN SEARCH OF A NEW PLUG.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      It was while they were still discussing the situation that
+      the automobile with Jake at the wheel and Miss Prescott and
+      The Wren in the tonneau, drove into the grounds. What a
+      difference there was in the child since her benefactors had
+      fitted her out! She looked like a dainty, ethereal little
+      princess instead of the ragged little waif that had been
+      rescued from the gipsy camp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the minds of our young friends were now intent on
+      different matters. Time pressed. The altitude flight, in
+      which Jimsy had planned to take part, was to be the first
+      thing on the program. If anything was to be done about
+      reequipping the <i>Dragon</i> it must be done quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tell you what," said Roy suddenly, "we'll get into the car
+      and drive back to town. It won't take long and maybe we can
+      dig up an extra one some place."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If we don't I'm out of it for keeps," groaned Jimsy; "oh,
+      that Kelly. I'd like to punch his head."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He doubled up his fists aggressively; but, after all, what
+      chance had he to prove that Kelly had actually damaged the
+      plug. If confronted the man would have probably denied all
+      knowledge of it. Nobody had actually seen him do it, so that
+      positive proof was out of the question. No, they must repair
+      the damage as best they could.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Roy determined to have the machines closely guarded. The
+      situation was explained to Miss Prescott, and while she and
+      her small prot&eacute;g&eacute; took seats in the grand stand
+      Jake was detailed to guard the a&euml;roplanes. This done,
+      the boys got into the machine and prepared to start for town.
+      But the girls interfered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Aren't you going to take us along, you impolite youths!"
+      cried Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, certainly, your company is always charming," returned
+      Jimsy, with a low bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course it is, but you wouldn't have asked us to come if
+      we had not invited ourselves," declared Peggy vehemently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How can you say so? Our lives would be a dry desert without
+      the girl aviators to liven things up," declared Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Jimsy Bancroft, if you are going to get poetical you'll
+      leave this car," cried Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's just it," declared Jimsy, "girls can cry their eyes
+      out over romantic heroes, but when a regular fellow starts to
+      get 'mushy' they go up in the air."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amidst the chorus of protestations aroused by this ungallant
+      speech Roy started the car. Swiftly it sped out of the
+      grounds; but not so swiftly that the keen eyes of Lish Kelly
+      did not see it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He called Herman Le Roy, the Cuban aviator, to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Le Roy, you are not in the altitude contest," he said, "hop
+      in my car with me and we'll follow those kids. They're up to
+      something."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Cuban looked at him and smiled, showing two rows of white
+      teeth under his small, dapperly curled mustache.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I think, Se&ntilde;or Kelly, you have been up to something
+      yourself."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, you know what I told you. We want that
+      five-hundred-dollar prize, Carlos, and by the looks of things
+      if we don't do something those kids are likely to get it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "They have fine machines," agreed the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; and they are equipped with a balancing device that
+      makes them much more reliable than ours."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "A balancing device!" exclaimed the Cuban, as the two men got
+      into the car, a small yellow runabout of racy appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's what I said, and it's a good one, too. I read an
+      account of it in an aviation paper; but the description was
+      too sketchy for me to see how the thing was worked."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Those boys must be wonders."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm afraid they are. That's why we've got to be careful of
+      them. But I've got a plan to fix them, the whole lot of
+      them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What is it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll tell you as we go along."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the car rolled past the group of a&euml;roplanes with Jake
+      faithfully standing guard over them, Kelly hailed him in a
+      suave voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Any idea where the young folks have gone?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jake, who had no idea that Kelly had a sinister motive in
+      asking the question, replied readily enough.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, they've gone into Millbrook to get another spark plug.
+      Something happened to one of the plugs of that red machine
+      yonder."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right. Thanks."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Kelly drove on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Do you know what happened to that plug, Carlos?" he asked,
+      as they reached the open road and bowled forward at a good
+      speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got a pretty good guess. It was not altogether an
+      accident, eh?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "An accident, well, it was, in a sense. I happened to be near
+      that machine with a monkey wrench and in some way was
+      careless enough to let it put that plug out of business."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both men laughed heartily, as if Kelly's rascally act had
+      been the most amusing thing in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You are a genius," declared Le Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I reckon I know a thing or two," was the modest
+      response; "besides, I need that money."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But what is your plan?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll tell you as we go along. Drive fast, but don't keep so
+      close to that other car that they can get sight of us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not much fear of that. They had a long start of us and are
+      out of sight now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So much the better. It doesn't interfere with my plans a
+      bit, provided they take the same road back."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What do you mean to do?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Are you good with a shovel?" was the cryptic reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't understand you, I must say."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You will later on. We'll drive up to that farmhouse yonder."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and what then?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll borrow two shovels."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Two shovels!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's what I said."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But what on earth have two shovels to do with stopping a
+      bunch of kids from entering in an a&euml;roplane race?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Carlos, your brain is dull to-day."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It would take a wizard to understand what you intend to do."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, you will see later on. Drive in this gate. That's it,
+      and now for the shovels."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH19"><!-- CH19 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE TRAP.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      For more than half an hour eager inquiries were made in
+      Millbrook for a spark plug such as they wanted. But all their
+      search was to no avail. But suddenly, just as they were about
+      to give up in despair, a man, of whom they had made
+      inquiries, recalled that not far out of town there was a
+      small garage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll try there," determined Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finding out the road, they speeded to the place. It did not
+      look very promising, a small, badly fitted up auto station,
+      run by an elderly man with red-rimmed, watery eyes, looking
+      out from behind a pair of horn spectacles that somehow gave
+      him the odd look of a frog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Got any spark plugs?" asked Jimsy, as the machine came to a
+      halt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, all kinds," said the man, in a wheezy, asthmatic voice
+      that sounded like the exhaust of a dying-down engine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good!" cried Jimsy, hopping out of the car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That is, we will have all kinds next week," went on the man;
+      "I've ordered 'em."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Goodness, then you haven't any right now?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got a few. Possibly you might find what you want among
+      them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll try, anyway," declared Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man led the way into a dingy sort of shed. On a shelf in
+      a dusty corner was a box.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You can hunt through that," said the man wearily; "if you
+      find what you want wake me up."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wake you up?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, I always take a sleep at this time of day. You woke me
+      up when you came in. Now I'm going to doze off again."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying he sank into a chair, closed his eyes and presently
+      was snoring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dead to the world!" gasped Jimsy; "well, that's the quickest
+      thing in the sleep line I ever saw!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As it was no use to waste further time the boy began
+      rummaging in the box. It contained all sorts of odds and
+      ends, among them several plugs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll bet there isn't one here that will fit my engine!"
+      grumbled Jimsy; "I don't&mdash;what! Yes! By Jiminy! Eureka!
+      Hurray, I've found one!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man woke up with a start.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the matter?" he demanded drowsily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nothing! That is, everything!" cried Jimsy. "I've found just
+      what I want."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right. Leave the money on that shelf there. It's a
+      dollar."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, off he went to sleep again, while Jimsy,
+      overjoyed, hastily peeled a dollar from his "roll" and
+      departed. The last sound he heard was the steady snoring of
+      the garage man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, there's one fellow that money can't keep awake, even
+      if it does talk," said Jimsy laughingly to himself as, with a
+      cry of triumph, he rejoined the party, waving the plug like a
+      banner or an emblem of victory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No time was lost in starting the auto up again and they
+      whirled back through Millbrook in a cloud of dust. Passing
+      through the village they retraced their way along the road by
+      which they had come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just half an hour before that altitude flight," remarked
+      Jimsy to Roy, who was driving, as they sped through the town.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Fine; we'll make it all right," was the rejoinder. Roy
+      turned on more power and the auto shot ahead like some scared
+      wild thing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll only hit the high spots this trip," declared Roy, as
+      the machine plunged and rolled along at top speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All at once, as they turned a corner, they received a sudden
+      check. Right ahead of them a man was driving some cows. Roy
+      jammed down the emergency brake, causing them all to hold on
+      for dear life to avoid being pitched out by the sudden change
+      of speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wow! what a jolt!" exclaimed Jimsy; "it sure
+      did&mdash;&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sentence was never completed. The auto gave a pitch
+      sideways and then plunged into a pit that had been dug across
+      the road and covered with leaves and dust placed on a
+      framework of branches. Down into this pit crashed the machine
+      with a sickening jolt. The girls screamed aloud in fear. It
+      appeared as if the machine would be a total wreck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But that was not the worst of it. In the sudden fall into the
+      pit Roy had been pitched out and now lay quite still at the
+      roadside. Jimsy had saved himself from being thrown by
+      clutching tight hold of the seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He stopped the engine and then clambering out of the car
+      hastened to Roy's side. To his delight, just as he reached
+      him, Roy sat up, and although his face was drawn with pain he
+      declared that his injuries consisted of nothing more serious
+      than a sprained ankle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But look at the machine!" cried Jimsy; "it's smashed, I'm
+      sure of it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pit which had been dug across the road was about three
+      feet deep and the front wheels of the auto rested in it. The
+      hind wheels had not entered, as the excavation was not a wide
+      one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both boys hastened to examine the car. To their satisfaction
+      they found that not much damage had been done beyond a slight
+      wrenching of the steering gear. This was due to the fact that
+      they had been going at reduced speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gracious! Suppose we had been coming along at the same pace
+      we'd been hitting up right along," exclaimed Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We wouldn't be here now," declared Roy; "we'd be in the next
+      county or thereabouts."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, we'd have kept right on going," agreed Jimsy; "talk
+      about flying! But, say, who can have done this?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not much doubt in my mind it's the work of that outfit of
+      Kelly's. He told us to look out for trouble, and he appears
+      to be making it for us."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The precious rascal; he might have broken all our necks."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's true, if we'd been hitting up high speed."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How are we going to get out of this?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy asked the question just as the man who had been driving
+      the cattle came running up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the trouble?" he asked, gazing at the odd scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You can see for yourself," rejoined Roy; "some rascals dug a
+      trench across the road so as to wreck our machine if
+      possible."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Humph! So I see," was the rejoinder; "how be you goin' ter
+      git out of thar?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's a problem. If we could get a team of
+      horses&mdash;&mdash;" The man interrupted Roy, who was acting
+      as spokesman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Tell you what, two of my cattle back thar are plow oxen.
+      I'll go back to ther farm, git their yokes on 'em and yank
+      you out of here. That is pervidin' you pay me, uv course."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't worry about that. We're willing to pay anything in
+      reason."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right, then, I'll hook up Jeb and Jewel."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man walked back toward his cattle, which were contentedly
+      browsing at the side of the road. Clucking in an odd manner,
+      he drove two of them out of the herd and started back toward
+      a farmhouse which was not far distant. In a wonderfully short
+      time he was back with his oxen in harness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gee, Jeb! Haw, Jewel!" he cried, as he came up. The oxen
+      swung round and the heavy chain attached to their yoke was
+      hitched to the front axle of the car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now for it!" cried Roy, when this had been done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Git ap!" shouted the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The slow but powerful oxen strained their muscular backs. The
+      chain tightened and the next moment the car, from which Peggy
+      and Jess and Bess had alighted, rose from the pit. Then the
+      hind wheels dropped into it with a bump, but the shock
+      absorbers prevented serious damage. With the oxen straining
+      and pulling it was finally hauled into the road and they were
+      ready to resume the trip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy rewarded their helper with a substantial bill, and they
+      were all warm in their thanks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Twasn't nuthin'," declared the man, "an' now I guess I'll
+      go to ther house and have my hired man fill in this road.
+      Things is come to a fine pass when such things kin happen."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the rescued party sped on toward the aviation field they
+      fully agreed with the rustic's opinion. Had it not been for
+      sheer luck they would have suffered extremely serious
+      consequences as the result of a rascal's device. But as it
+      was Kelly's plot against them appeared to have failed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH20"><!-- CH20 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      AN ATTACK IN THE AIR.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "B-o-o-m!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sound of a gun crashed out as the auto sped through the
+      gates of the aviation field and rapidly skimmed across to
+      where the a&euml;roplanes had been parked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just in time!" cried Peggy; "that's the five-minute warning
+      gun."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time the grandstand was well filled and a band was
+      playing lively airs. At the starting line three of the Kelly
+      a&euml;roplanes were gathered ready for the signal for the
+      start of the altitude flight. The instant the car came to a
+      standstill Jimsy was out and in a jiffy had the new spark
+      plug adjusted. There was no time to test it, but he felt
+      pretty confident that it would work all right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All ready!" shouted the official in charge of the starting
+      arrangements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ready!" rejoined Jimsy heartily, as he adjusted his leather
+      helmet and Jake and Roy started the engine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Kelly, whose back had been turned while he talked to some of
+      his troup, faced round at the sound of the boy's voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What, you here!" he choked out, his face purple.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; do you know any reason why I shouldn't be?" asked
+      Jimsy, with meaning emphasis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Under the lad's direct gaze Kelly's eyes fell. He couldn't
+      face the lad, but turned away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There, if that isn't proof of his guilt I'd like to know
+      what is," declared Jimsy to Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But the rascal covered up his tracks so cleverly that we
+      can't prove anything on him," muttered Roy disgustedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant the starting bomb boomed out. The crowd
+      yelled, and the drummer of the band pounded his instrument
+      furiously. Above the uproar sounded the sharp, crackerlike
+      report of the motors. As more power was applied they roared
+      like batteries of Gatling guns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Into the air shot one of them, a black biplane. It was
+      followed by the others, two monoplanes and a triplane. Jimsy
+      ascended last, but as this was not a race, but a
+      cloud-climbing contest, he was in no hurry. He was anxious to
+      see what the other air craft could do.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Up they climbed, ascending the a&euml;rial stairway, while
+      the crowd below stared up, at the risk of stiff necks in the
+      immediate future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy chose spiraling as his method of rising. But the others
+      went upward in curious zigzags. This was because their
+      machines were not equipped with the stability device, and
+      they could not attempt the same tactics. Before long Jimsy
+      was high above the others. From below he appeared a mere dot
+      in the blue. But still he flew on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Once he glanced at his barograph. It showed he had ascended
+      5,000 feet. It was higher than the boy had ever been before,
+      but he kept perseveringly on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was cold up there in the regions of the upper air, and
+      Jimsy found himself wishing he had put on a sweater.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's too long a drop to go down and get one," he remarked to
+      himself, with grim humor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beneath him he could see the other a&euml;roplanes; but the
+      black one was the only one that appeared to be a serious
+      rival. The rest did not seem to be trying very hard to reach
+      a superlative height. The black machine, however, was
+      steadily rising. After a while Jimsy could see the face of
+      its occupant. It was the Cuban, Le Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now, what's he trying to do, I wonder?" thought Jimsy, as
+      the black biplane rose to the same level as himself and
+      appeared to be going through some odd maneuvering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's mighty funny," mused the boy, watching his rival; "I
+      can't make out what he's up to."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed the black biplane was behaving queerly. Now it would
+      swoop toward Jimsy and then would dart, only to return.
+      Suddenly it came driving straight at him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was then that Jimsy suddenly realized what his rival was
+      trying to do. To use a slangy but expressive phrase, Le Roy,
+      the veteran aviator, was trying to rattle the boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So that's his game, is it," thought Jimsy; "well, I'll give
+      him a surprise."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Manipulating his spark and gas levers the boy gave his
+      graceful red craft full power. The Dragon shot sharply
+      upward, crossing Le Roy's machine about twenty feet above its
+      upper plane. Jimsy laughed aloud at the astonished expression
+      on the man's face as he skimmed above him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I reckon he'll think that I do know something about driving
+      an a&euml;roplane, after all," he chuckled as he rose till
+      his barograph recorded 6,000 feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beneath him he could see Le Roy starting to descend.
+      Something appeared to be wrong with the black biplane's
+      motor. It acted sluggishly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, as he's going down I guess I will, too," said Jimsy to
+      himself; "6,000 feet is by no means a record, but it's high
+      enough for me."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly he was plunged into what appeared to be a wet and
+      chilly fog. In reality it was a cloud that had drifted in on
+      him. It grew suddenly cold with an almost frosty chill. The
+      moisture of the cloud drenched him to the skin. The lad
+      shivered and his teeth chattered, but he kept pluckily to his
+      task.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before long he emerged into the sunlight once more. The crowd
+      which had thrilled when the young aviator vanished into the
+      vapor set up a yell when he reappeared. But at the height he
+      was Jimsy, of course, did not hear it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But as he dropped lower the shouts and cheers became plainly
+      audible. The lad waved his hand in acknowledgment. Then, as
+      he neared the ground, he put his machine through a series of
+      graceful evolutions that set the crowd wild.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The altitude flight is won by Number Four," announced the
+      officials after they had examined the barograph; "with a
+      height of 6,000 feet. Number Four is Mr. James Bancroft."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gee; that sounds real dignified," laughed Jimsy; "it's a
+      treat to be treated with becoming dignity once in a while."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next flight was a race six times round the course. This
+      was won by one of the Kelly flyers. Then came an endurance
+      contest which Roy captured handily and some exhibition flying
+      in which Bess did some clever work and was delighted to find
+      herself a winner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was soon after this that the gun was fired as a note of
+      warning that the big race was about to begin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy's <i>Golden Butterfly</i> and Roy's entry, the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i>, borrowed for this race because the biplane was
+      too heavy and clumsy for such fast work, were wheeled to the
+      starting line. Already three of Kelly's machines were there,
+      among them being that of Se&ntilde;ora Le Roy, or, as she was
+      billed, the Cuban Skylark, the Only Woman Flyer in the World.
+      It appeared now that she had small claim to the title. The
+      crowd set up a cheer for her as she took her seat in a
+      neat-looking monoplane of the Bleriot type.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But when Peggy's dapper figure, smartly attired in her
+      aviation costume, appeared a still louder shout went up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Kelly scowled blackly. He stepped up to his flyers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You've got to win this race or get fired," he snarled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH21"><!-- CH21 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PEGGY'S SPLENDID RACE.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "They're off!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hurrah!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There they go!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These and hundreds of other cries and exclamations followed
+      the report of the starting gun. The Cuban woman flyer was off
+      first, then came two other of the professional flyers, while
+      Roy and Peggy got away last.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The race was to be sixty miles out to a small body of water
+      called Lake Loon and return. A trolley line ran past the
+      aviation grounds and out to the lake. For the guidance of the
+      flyers a car with a huge American flag flying from it blazed
+      a trail below them, as it were.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy's craft gained a slight lead on the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> and two of the Kelly flyers were soon passed by
+      both the boy and his sister. But the professional woman flyer
+      still maintained her lead. Second came another of Lish
+      Kelly's aviators in a blue machine. This was Ben Speedwell,
+      who enjoyed quite a reputation as a skillful and daring air
+      driver.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The flyers had all struck a level about 1,500 feet in the
+      air. There was a light head wind, but not enough to deter any
+      of the powerfully engined craft. Glancing back for an instant
+      Roy saw one of the contesting aviators dropping to earth. His
+      companion soon followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Overheated engines probably," thought the boy; "I must be
+      careful the same thing doesn't happen to me going at this
+      pace."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly another a&euml;roplane loomed up beside him. It was
+      the <i>Golden Butterfly</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good for you, sis!" cried Roy, as Peggy, waving her hand,
+      roared past. In another minute she had shot past Speedwell,
+      but the leader, the woman flyer, was still some distance
+      ahead, and appeared to steadily maintain the lead she had.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last Lake Loon came into view. It was a more or less
+      shallow body of water with a small island in the middle of
+      it. As they neared it Speedwell and Roy were flying almost
+      abreast, with Speedwell just a shade in the lead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly Speedwell made a spurt and shot ahead of the
+      <i>Dragon</i>. At a distance of half a mile from Roy, who was
+      now last, Speedwell was above the lake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy and the woman flyer had already turned and were on
+      their way back, with the latter still in the lead. Roy was
+      watching Speedwell intently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He saw the man bank his machine to take the curve in order to
+      round the lake. An appalling climax followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He's turned too sharp. He'll never make it," exclaimed Roy,
+      holding his breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The a&euml;roplane swayed madly. Then began a fierce fight on
+      Speedwell's part to settle it on an even keel. But skillful
+      as he was he could not master the overbalanced machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He is lost!" breathed Roy, every nerve athrill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then the next minute:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Cracky! He's got it. No, he's falling again&mdash;ah!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a note of horror in the exclamation. The
+      a&euml;roplane in front of Roy dived wildly, then fairly
+      somersaulted. The strain was too great. A wing parted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's the end of him!" exclaimed Roy, in a whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Down shot the broken a&euml;roplane with the velocity of
+      lightning. It just dodged the trees on the little island and
+      then it plunged into the lake, first spilling Speedwell out.
+      Then down on top of him came the smother of canvas, wood and
+      wires.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He'll be suffocated if I don't go to his rescue," murmured
+      Roy; "it will put me out of the race, but I must save him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a clear spot on the island, and toward this the boy
+      dived. In the meantime men were putting out from shore in a
+      small boat. But the boy knew that they could not reach the
+      unfortunate Speedwell in time to save his life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy made a clever landing on the island and then lost no time
+      in wading out to the half floating, half submerged wreckage.
+      In the midst of it lay Speedwell. Roy dragged him ashore. The
+      man's face was purple, his limbs limp and lifeless and he
+      choked gaspingly. Another minute in the water would have been
+      his last, as Roy realized.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He did what he could for the man, rolling him on his face to
+      get out the water he had swallowed. By this time the boat
+      from the shore landed on the island. The two men got out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Is he alive?" they asked of Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, and he'll get better, too, I guess. Lucky he fell in
+      the water. No limbs are broken."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, you're a pretty decent sort of fellow to get out of
+      the race to help an injured man," said one of the men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I'll leave him to you now," rejoined Roy; "is there a
+      hospital near here?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There's one 'bout a mile away. We can phone for an
+      ambulance."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good! Well, good-bye."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a whirr and a buzz the boy was gone, and speedily became
+      a speck in the sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime the aviation field was in an uproar. Dashing
+      toward it had come the two leading a&euml;roplanes. From dots
+      in the sky no bigger than shoe buttons they speedily became
+      manifest as two a&euml;roplanes aquiver with speed. Blue
+      smoke poured from their exhausts. Evidently the two aviators
+      were straining their craft to the utmost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's that Cuban woman and the young girl flyer!" yelled a
+      man who had a pair of field glasses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The uproar redoubled. The two a&euml;roplanes were almost
+      side by side as they rushed onward. Which would win the $500
+      race?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a struggle that had begun some miles back. After
+      leaving the lake Peggy, who had held some speed in reserve
+      while her opponent had keyed her machine to its top pitch,
+      had gradually gained on her. But still there was a gap
+      between the two a&euml;roplanes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the return trip no car blazed the way. The speed was too
+      great for that. For this reason smudges, or smoky fires, had
+      been lighted to guide the flyers. At a place where it was
+      necessary to make a slight turn Peggy made the gain that
+      brought her almost alongside her competitor. In making the
+      turn the monoplane flown by the Cuban aviatrix could not
+      negotiate it at as sharp an angle as Peggy's machine, owing
+      to its not being equipped with an equalizing, or stability
+      device.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now it was that Peggy tensioned up the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> to its full power. The engine fairly roared as
+      the propeller blurred round. The whole fabric trembled under
+      the strain. It seemed as if nothing made by man could stand
+      the pressure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> had been built by one of the
+      foremost young aviators in the country, and it was sound and
+      true in every part. Peggy felt no fear of anything giving out
+      under the strain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the aviation park appeared in the distance. Peggy
+      headed straight for it, hoping devoutly that her motor would
+      not heat up and jam under the terrific speed it was being
+      forced to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Cuban woman glanced round anxiously. It was a bad move
+      for her. Like a flash the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> shot by the
+      other machine as the latter wobbled badly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy's delight was mixed with apprehension. The motor was
+      beginning to smoke. Plainly it was heating up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Will it last five minutes longer?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That was the thought in Peggy's mind. The <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> was hardly an airship any longer. It was a
+      thunderbolt&mdash;a flying arrow. Before Peggy's eyes there
+      was nothing now but the tall red and white "pylon" that
+      marked the winning post. Could she make it ahead of her
+      rival? Close behind her she could hear the roar of the other
+      motor, but she did not dare to look round for fear of losing
+      ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Swiftly she mentally selected the spot where she would land,
+      and then down shot the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> like a
+      pouncing fish hawk. The speed of the descent fairly took
+      Peggy's breath away. Her cap had come off and her golden hair
+      streamed out in the breeze wildly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a blur of flying trees, then came the grandstand, a
+      mere smudge of color, a sea of dimly seen faces and a roar
+      that was like that of a hundred waterfalls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Down shot the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> just inside the
+      "pylon." It ran for about a hundred yards and was then
+      brought to a stop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy Prescott had won the great race.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH22"><!-- CH22 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      PEGGY'S GENEROSITY.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, Peggy, it's the proudest moment of my life!" cried
+      Jimsy, as a shouting, excited crowd surrounded the
+      a&euml;roplane in which Peggy still sat, feeling dazed and a
+      little dizzy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, you wonderful girl!" cried out Bess, half laughing and
+      half crying; "gracious, what an exciting finish. I thought
+      I'd go wild when it looked as if you weren't going to win."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They helped her from the a&euml;roplane while policemen
+      pushed the crowd back. Somebody brought a tray with steaming
+      hot tea and crackers on it. But Peggy could not eat. She felt
+      faint and dreamy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Brace up!" urged Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll be all right in a minute. It's the strain of those last
+      few minutes. I never thought I'd win."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And I never doubted it," declared Jess stoutly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I wonder where Roy is?" asked Peggy anxiously, as they
+      entered a box in the grandstand where they could be secluded
+      from the shoving, curious, staring crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't know; but he's all right, depend upon it," said Jimsy
+      cheerfully; "hello, what's that coming now?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's a homing a&euml;roplane."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, a minute later:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's Roy. Look at him come. I didn't think the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i> could go as fast."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy it was, sure enough. He was coming at a pace that might
+      have landed him as winner of the race if he had not been
+      delayed by his errand of mercy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ten minutes later he had joined them. First he explained what
+      had happened to the judges of the course. Kelly, crest-fallen
+      and wretched-looking, thanked him half heartedly for what he
+      had done and said that he would care for Speedwell till he
+      got better, which, by the way, was a promise that he did not
+      perform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden stir in the crowd caused the little party in the box
+      to look up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man was hastily chalking up some legend on the big black
+      bulletin board. It ran thus:
+    </p>
+    <pre>
+  Long-distance Race for $500 prize.
+  Start of Flight&mdash;11:01:2.
+  Finish of Flight&mdash;12:02:0.
+  Maximum Height&mdash;1,500 feet.
+  Wind Velocity&mdash;10 miles from southeast.
+  Winner&mdash;<i>Golden Butterfly</i>.
+  Winning Aviator&mdash;Miss Margaret Prescott.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      What a cheer went up then. It seemed as if the roof would be
+      raised off the grandstand by it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's like a dream!" sighed Peggy, "just like a dream."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now, don't get fainty, Peggy, or Miss Margaret Prescott,"
+      admonished Jess; "as Jimsy says, 'brace up,' the best is yet
+      to come."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man came up to where they were sitting. In his hand he had
+      a slip of pink paper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy reached out for it, but the man said that he had
+      instructions to hand it only to Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's the check for the prize-winning money," he explained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy took it and sat gazing at it for a minute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, Peggy, what are you going to do with it?" asked Bess.
+      "Buy some dresses or hats or&mdash;&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "None of those things," said Peggy; "I made up my mind before
+      I went into the race as to what I would do with the money if
+      I won."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And what's that?" asked Miss Prescott.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, it must go toward The Wren's education," rejoined the
+      girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, Peggy, you darling!" cried Jess, flinging her arms round
+      her chum, in full view of the grandstand and the crowd below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for The Wren, she gazed up at the girl with wide-open
+      brown eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You are too good to me&mdash;too good," she said simply; but
+      there was a plaintive quiver in her voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. James Parker sat on the porch of his home, in the
+      foothills of the Big Smokies, gazing out over the landscape.
+      Seemingly he was watching for something.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He done watch de sky lak he 'spected de bottom drap clean
+      out uv it pretty soon," said Uncle Jupe, his factotum, to his
+      wife Mandy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Gwan, you fool nigger, don' you know dat dem flying boys
+      an' gals is to be hayr ter-day?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, dat's jes a joke, dat is," rejoined Uncle Jupe; "how's
+      they all goin' ter fly ah'd lak to know."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don' know, but dat's what Marse Parker says."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Den he's been grocersly imposed upon by somebody. Ain't
+      likely dat ef de Lawd had meant us ter fly he'd have give us
+      wings, wouldn't he?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Go 'long, now, Don' flossyfying roun' hyar. You git out an'
+      hoe dat cohn. Look libely, now. You git it done fo' dinner or
+      dere'll be trouble."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Uncle Jupe shuffled out of the kitchen, but in a minute he
+      came rushing back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wha' de matter?" demanded his wife, noticing his wildly
+      staring eyes and open mouth; "you gone fool crazy?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "M-m-m-m-mandy, it's true! It's true!" gasped Uncle Jupe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wha's true,&mdash;dat you all's crazy?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes&mdash;no, it's 'bout dem flyin' things. Dey's comin'.
+      Come and look wid your own eyes."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mandy shuffled out. There, sure enough, coming toward them,
+      was a flock of what at first sight appeared to be immense
+      birds. But it was the young sky cruisers nearing their
+      destination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the porch Mr. Parker stood up and waved his newspaper. Ten
+      minutes later the a&euml;roplanes came to earth in the smooth
+      front lawn, while Uncle Jupe restrained a strong inclination
+      to run away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dey ain't canny, dem things," he declared; "ef de Lord had
+      wanted us to fly he'd have given us wings, I guess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, sir, he'd sure have given us wings des de same as
+      angels hev," he repeated musingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH23"><!-- CH23 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE MOONSHINERS AND THE A&Euml;ROPLANE.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "This is a beautiful country, sis."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, indeed," agreed Peggy warmly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two were flying high above the romantic scenery of the
+      Big Smoke Mountains of North Carolina in the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i>. Beneath them lay a wild-looking expanse of
+      country,&mdash;peaks, deep ca&ntilde;ons and cliffs heavily
+      wooded and here and there bare patches cropping out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's drop down on one of those patches and do some
+      exploring," suggested Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right," agreed Roy, nothing loath. The <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i> was headed downward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes they landed on a smooth spot surrounded by
+      trees. Leaving the a&euml;roplane, they struck off on a path
+      through the woods. "Wonder if we can't find some
+      huckleberries hereabouts," suggested Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, yes, lots. Wouldn't it be dandy to take home a bucketful
+      by a&euml;roplane!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There's a little hut off yonder, maybe we could get a bucket
+      or something there."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's see if there are any berries first," said the
+      practical Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From out of the hut shuffled an old woman. She was a wrinkled
+      and hideous old hag, brown as a seasoned meerschaum pipe and
+      in her mouth was a reeking corn cob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her feet were bare, and altogether she was a most repulsive
+      old crone. She saw Roy and Peggy almost as soon as they saw
+      her. For an instant she stood looking at them and then raised
+      her voice in a sort of shrill shriek.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instantly from the woods around several men
+      appeared&mdash;wild-looking, bearded fellows, each of whom
+      carried a rifle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What you alls want hyar?" demanded one who seemed to be the
+      leader.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We were just taking a walk," explained Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, we all don't like strangers particlar."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "So it would seem," rejoined Roy, with a bold voice, although
+      his heart was beating rather fast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How'd you alls get hyar?" was the next question from the
+      inquisitor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We flew here," rejoined Roy truthfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the man's face grew black with wrath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don' you alls lie to me; it ain't healthy," he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm not in the habit of doing so."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But you said you flew hyar."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, we did."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "See hyar, young stranger, you jes' tell me the truth 'bout
+      how you came or by the eternal I'll make it hot fer you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I can only show you that I'm speaking nothing but the
+      truth," rejoined the boy; "if you'll come with me I'll show
+      you what we flew here in."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man glanced at him suspiciously. It was plain that he
+      feared a trap of some sort. His eyes were wild and shifty as
+      a wolf's.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ain't you frum the guv-ment?" he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know just what you mean."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I reckin that's jus' more dum' lyin'."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Thank you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don' get sassy, young feller, it won't do you no good. But
+      I'll come with you. Come on, boys, we'll take a look at this
+      flyin' thing. I reckon that even if it is a trap there's
+      enough of us to take care of a pack of them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's right, Jeb," agreed the men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some of them, who had been hanging back in the bushes, now
+      came forward. They were all as wild-looking as their leader,
+      Jeb. The old woman mumbled and talked to herself as they
+      strode off behind Roy and Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was one of the strangest adventures of their lives and
+      neither one of them could hit on any explanation of the
+      hillmen's conduct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It did not take long to reach the a&euml;roplane, and Roy
+      turned triumphantly to Jeb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well," he said, "what do you think now?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, it ain't flyin', is it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course not, but I can make it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You kin?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Certainly."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Flap its wings and all that like a burd?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, it doesn't flap its wings."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then how kin it fly?" propounded Jeb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A murmur of approval ran through the throng. Jeb's logic
+      appealed to their primitive intellects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Nothing can't fly that don't flap its wings," said one of
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But if it didn't fly, how in tarnation did it git here?"
+      asked an old man with a grizzled beard and blackened stumps
+      of teeth projecting from shrunken gums.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This appeared to be a poser for even Jeb. He had nothing to
+      say.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If you like I'll give you a ride in it," proffered Roy to
+      Jeb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right; only no monkey tricks now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What do you mean?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wa'al, in course I know it won't fly, but if it does you'll
+      hev to let me out."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With this sage remark Jeb stepped gingerly into the chassis
+      of the a&euml;roplane. He sat down where he was told and Roy
+      took the wheel. Jeb's companions gazed on in awed silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Look out, Jeb," cried one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't hit the sky," yelled another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Bring me back a star," howled the facetious old man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Me a bit of the moon," called another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jeb said nothing to this raillery. Instead, he looked
+      uneasily about him and held his rifle, which he had insisted
+      on bringing with him, between his knees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right?" asked Roy, looking back at him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As right as I ever will be," rejoined Jeb, with a rather
+      sickly grin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You must hold tight," warned Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm doing that," said Jeb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then with the same sickly grin:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Say, miss, does it really fly?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course it does. As that old man said, how could it have
+      got here if it didn't."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess I'd better go home and git my coat," said Jeb,
+      trying to climb out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His demeanor had completely changed since he had climbed into
+      the chassis. Something in its well-cushioned seats and the
+      sight of the powerful engine and propeller seemed to have
+      changed his mind about the capabilities of the <i>Golden
+      Butterfly</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But it was too late. With a roar the engine started.
+      Instantly the little plateau was deserted. The mountaineers
+      were all behind trees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jeb rushed for the side of the car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sit down!" screeched Peggy, really fearing he would fall
+      over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But if Jeb's intention had been to climb out it was foiled.
+    </p>
+    <!-- NOTE: Remove center tags and put align="left" or align="right" for text wrapped alignments -->
+    <a name="image-3"><!-- Image 3 --></a>
+    <center>
+      <img src="ga03ill.png" height="506" width="400" alt=
+      "'Take me back to earth er I'll shoot,' said a voice in his ear.">
+      </center>
+    <p>
+      "Wow!" he yelled, and again, "Wow-ow-ow! Lemme out."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Too late now," shouted Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The a&euml;roplane shot upward, carrying as a passenger a man
+      temporarily crazy from fright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly Roy felt the muzzle of a rifle press against the
+      back of his neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Take me back to earth er I'll shoot," said a voice in his
+      ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy obeyed, and so ended Jeb's first a&euml;roplane ride. It
+      may be added that it was also his last.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH24"><!-- CH24 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      MR. PARKER'S STORY.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "It was a gang of moonshiners that you stumbled across," said
+      Mr. Parker, when they told him of their adventure; "you were
+      fortunate to escape as you did."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess we have that a&euml;roplane ride we gave to Jeb to
+      thank for that," laughed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It wasn't so laughable, though, when he pressed that rifle
+      to your neck," declared Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, indeed. That was a mighty uncomfortable feeling, I can
+      tell you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It reminds me of an experience I had with moonshiners once,"
+      said Mr. Parker. "Would you care to hear about it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of course they would. They were sitting on the porch in the
+      twilight after dinner. It was a happy group and they had been
+      exploding with laughter over Roy's account of Jeb's ride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It was a good many years ago, when I was in the employ of
+      the government," said Mr. Parker, "that what I am going to
+      tell you about happened. I was a young fellow then, and a
+      good bit of a dare-devil, so I was sent at the head of a body
+      of men to rout out moonshiners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As you may know from your experience this morning, it is
+      mighty dangerous to be suspected of being in the employ of
+      the government, and so we posed as drummers and peddlers,
+      scattering through the mountains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Each of us worked alone so as not to attract attention. Our
+      job was merely to locate the illicit stills and then militia
+      would be sent to raid and destroy them, and the vile stuff
+      they concoct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I had been on the job about a week when I came one night to
+      a desolate-looking little shack on a high mountainside. It
+      did not look inviting, but I had to have shelter for the
+      night, so I stepped to the door and knocked. A rather comely
+      looking woman replied to my summons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'I'm a peddler,' I explained, 'could I get something to eat
+      and a room here for the night?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "She looked at me twice before answering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'What you tradin' in?' she asked, with a trace of suspicion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I judged from her manner that there was an illicit still in
+      the neighborhood and that was what made her so suspicious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Oh, laces, ribbons and so forth,' I replied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I showed her some samples.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll give you breakfast, supper and a bed fer that bit of
+      red ribbon,' she said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'I'll throw in this bit of blue,' said I gallantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "And so the bargain was struck. It was a small place, but
+      neat and tidy. Two children were playing about and in a
+      corner sat a man trying to read a month-old newspaper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Pop, this feller traded in these bits of ribbon fer bed and
+      two meals,' she said, proudly exhibiting her goods and
+      evidently thinking she had made an excellent bargain. I could
+      see the gleam of triumph in her eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Humph!' grunted the man, 'much good those are.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then he turned to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Peddler?' he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Yes,' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'What you tradin' in?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Oh, silks, laces and so forth,' rejoined I, repeating my
+      formula.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Humph!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "He looked at me, narrowing his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'You don't look much like a peddler," said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'No, I've seen better days,' I said, with a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But I could see that he was still suspicious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Where'd you come from?' was his next question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'South,' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Where you going?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'North.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Ain't much on conversation, be yer?' he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'No, I'm not considered a very talkative fellow,' I
+      rejoined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We lapsed into silence. The man smoked. I just sat and
+      thought the situation over. At last supper was announced. It
+      was eaten almost in silence. The man discouraged all his
+      wife's efforts at conversation. He was sullen and nervous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "More than ever did I begin to suspect that there was a still
+      in the immediate neighborhood. Soon after supper I pleaded
+      fatigue and was shown up a flight of stairs, or rather a
+      ladder, to a sort of attic. There was a husk mattress there,
+      and a pile of rather dirty-looking blankets. But in those
+      hills you learn to put up with what you can get. I was glad
+      to have found shelter at all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But tired as I was for some reason I couldn't sleep. I felt
+      a sort of vague uneasiness. I heard the man get up and go out
+      and then later on I heard several voices downstairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There were broad chinks in the floor, and through these I
+      could look down. The men&mdash;there were four of
+      them&mdash;were talking in low voices, but now and then I
+      could catch a word. All of a sudden I heard one say something
+      about government spy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That gave me a shock, I can tell you. I knew then they were
+      talking about me. My predicament was a bad one if they
+      suspected me. I began to look about me for a way to get out.
+      While doing this I occasionally looked down below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The last time I looked I got a shock that made my hair
+      stand. The fellows were moving about the room. From one
+      corner one of them got a formidable-looking knife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Scared to death, I redoubled my efforts to find a way out.
+      At last at one end of the room I found a chimney, one of
+      those big stone affairs as big as all outdoors. I decided to
+      try this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I found that it was rough inside, and I had not much
+      difficulty in clambering up it. I was near the top when I
+      heard a voice from the room below say:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Then we uns 'ull kill him right now.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Yep, he's lived long enough. He's no good.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My heart jumped into my mouth. I redoubled my efforts and
+      emerged from the top of the chimney. Reaching it, I lowered
+      myself to the roof as gently as possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The eaves came down low to the ground and I had not much
+      difficulty in making my escape noiselessly."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH25"><!-- CH25 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE WREN DISAPPEARS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      "But as I reached the ground a startling thing happened. I
+      missed my footing and found myself rolling down a steepish
+      bank. At the bottom I fetched up against an odd-looking
+      little hut almost overgrown with bushes. It was bright
+      moonlight and the door was open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Inside was a fire, and by its light I could see that the
+      place was empty of human life, but that a collection of
+      objects already familiar to me almost filled it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It was an illicit still!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Clearly enough, also, it was operated by my hosts up above.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I listened for sounds of pursuit, but heard none. Possibly
+      they had not yet crept into my room to perform their horrible
+      resolve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Suddenly the silence was broken by appalling yells and
+      screams. My hair bristled for an instant and then I burst
+      into a laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It was a pig that I heard. At the same instant it dawned on
+      me that it was the pig that they had been discussing
+      dispatching and not me at all. You can imagine the revulsion
+      of my feelings. But I felt sore at the scare they had given
+      me, so I decided to do some work for the government and even
+      up scores at the same time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Entering the shack, I scattered the coals of the fire right
+      and left. Then I came away. No, I did <i>not</i> go back to
+      the cabin. It would, as your friend Jeb said, not have been
+      healthy for me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Instead I set off running at top speed through the woods.
+      Before long I saw a glow on the sky behind me, and knew that
+      flames were devouring the vile stuff that moonshiners make.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I left my pack behind me, however, and I hope that
+      compensated them for the loss of their still. I'm sure the
+      woman, at any rate, would value its contents more highly."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They all burst into a laugh at the conclusion of Mr. Parker's
+      odd story. They were still laughing when Mandy rushed out on
+      the porch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Miss Wren done be gone!" she shouted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Gone!" they all echoed, in dismayed tones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes. I done go to her room to see de poo' lamb is com'foble,
+      and she not there. I done find dis writin', too."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let me look at it," demanded Mr. Parker.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It mighty hard to read. It sure is a scan-lous bit of
+      writin'."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With this comment the colored woman handed over to her master
+      a bit of dirty wrapping paper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On it was scrawled in almost illegible characters:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "U wont git hur agin.&mdash;The Romanys."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The Romanys!" exclaimed Peggy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; that's the gipsy word for themselves," said Mr. Parker.
+      "I'm afraid that the same band that had her before has stolen
+      her again."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are we to do?" wailed Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hush!" said Jess; "let Mr. Parker decide what is best."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They stood about with dismayed faces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott was weeping softly. Peggy could hardly keep
+      back her tears. The little brown Wren had become very dear to
+      all of them. It was a hard blow indeed to lose her like this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But how could they know that she was here?" objected Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, that silly newspaper report that went out when you
+      arrived here about your adventures on the way and the
+      romantic rescue of Wren. If they had come across that it
+      would have given them a clew."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "They were traveling south then, Wren said, and that was two
+      weeks ago. They would have had ample time to reach this
+      vicinity."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That is so," rejoined Mr. Parker solemnly; "I'll make
+      telephonic inquiries at once. They may have been seen in the
+      vicinity."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "While you are doing that we'll examine the room. They may
+      have left a clew there," said Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roy and Jimsy darted upstairs on this errand. On looking
+      round the place it was clear enough how the abductors had
+      gotten in. Outside the window was an extension roof. It would
+      have been very easy for an active man such as gipsies usually
+      are to have clambered in and out again without detection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Taking a lantern they examined the ground outside. On a
+      flower bed below the roof was the imprint of a man's feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Notice anything peculiar about it?" asked Jimsy, for Roy was
+      bending earnestly over the prints.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, I'd know that foot print again anywhere," he said;
+      "see, one side of the man's boot was broken, the one of the
+      right foot. His toes show here on the ground."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That might be a good clew if it was daylight; but right
+      now&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy sighed. It was manifestly impossible to do any tracking
+      of the man with the broken boot in the darkness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We'll have to wait till daylight."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, bother it all. They may be miles away by that time."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I doubt it. I wouldn't wonder if they hide right around
+      here. There are lots of good places, and they know that the
+      hue and cry will be so hot that they would be caught if they
+      traveled."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's so. Maybe we can find them, after all."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's hope so. Well, we can do no more good here. Let's go
+      in."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peggy met them at the door. She seemed wildly excited over
+      something.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The mail rider's just been here," she exclaimed, "and listen
+      to this letter. It's from a woman living near New York. She
+      just got back from Europe and in an old newspaper she read an
+      account of our sky cruise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "She is certain that The Wren is her daughter and gives a
+      description of her that tallies in every particular. She said
+      that Wren was caught out in a heavy thunderstorm and sought
+      refuge in a gipsy camp, as she learned afterward from a
+      farmer who had seen her. She hunted high and low but has
+      never since had word of the child. Her right name is Sylvia
+      Harvey. Mrs. James Harvey is her mother, and she's rushing
+      here as fast as a train will carry her."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "If it is really Sylvia Harvey then her mother has found her
+      only to lose her again," sighed Jess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't say that," said Mr. Parker, coming into the room at
+      that moment, "we'll leave no stone unturned to find her."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Did you have any success with the telephone?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No; nobody has seen a band of people answering to the
+      descriptions you gave of The Wren's abductors."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Then we can do nothing more?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The question came from Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not to-night. It would be useless. I have notified all the
+      police around and a general alarm will be sent out at once.
+      And now I order every one to bed. We've hard work in front of
+      us tomorrow."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH26"><!-- CH26 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      CAPTURED BY GIPSIES.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      About noon the next day Roy and Jimsy found themselves at the
+      edge of a wild-looking section of country. They were standing
+      at the entrance to a glen densely wooded with dark,
+      forbidding-looking trees, and walled by precipitous and
+      rugged rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Looks as if the trail ends here," said Jimsy disconsolately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It sure does. We can't&mdash;&mdash;Gee, Whillikens!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What on earth is up now?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's the broken-toed boot. Look here on the muddy bank of
+      this little stream."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "By hooky, it is! We've struck the trail instead of ending
+      it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What will we do; go back for re&euml;nforcements?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not just yet. We'll reconnoiter a bit. See, the fellow went
+      up this bank and&mdash;look there, Jimsy&mdash;there's a
+      little footprint beside. He was dragging the child along."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With beating hearts the two boys entered the
+      forbidding-looking glen. It was almost dark under the trees,
+      which made the aspect of the place even more gloomy and
+      desolate looking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This is a nice, cheerful sort of place," said Jimsy, in a
+      low tone, as they walked along, following the bank of the
+      stream, for the brush was too thick to admit of their walking
+      anywhere else, which is what had driven the broken-booted man
+      to leave a tell-tale trail behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I rather wish I had a gun," said Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We won't get close enough to them to need it," rejoined Roy;
+      "we'll just spy out their hiding place and then go back for
+      re&euml;nforcements."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's the best idea. I don't much fancy a hand-to-hand
+      encounter with a band of such desperate ruffians as those
+      gipsies have shown themselves to be."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't be scared. We won't have any trouble if we're
+      careful."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'm not scared; but if we did get in a tussle with them they
+      could easily overpower us and then we'd have done more harm
+      than good for they'd take fright and move right off."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That's my idea. We'll be as cautious as mousing cats."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Better stop talking, then. I never heard a mousing cat
+      mi-ouw."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cautiously they crept on. The trail still held good. At last
+      they reached the head of the glen where a spring showed the
+      source of the brook.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What next?" whispered Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's see if we can find which way that fellow went. The
+      ground is spongy all around here and&mdash;ah! this way! See
+      it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jimsy nodded. They struck off to the right, clambering over
+      rocks till they reached the summit of a small hill. A tall
+      dead tree stood there and Jimsy volunteered to climb it in
+      order to spy out the surrounding country for traces of the
+      gipsys. But on his return to the ground he was compelled to
+      admit that they had gained nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I thought I might see some smoke that would give me a clew
+      to their whereabouts," he explained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not much chance of their being as foolish as that. I guess
+      they know searching parties are out all over by this time,
+      and they are too foxy to light fires."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I might have thought of that," admitted Jimsy; "it would be
+      about the last thing they would do. What will we do now?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I hardly know. Hello! there's an odd-looking place. Right
+      over there. See that deep ca&ntilde;on? That one with the
+      fallen tree across it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, I do now. Let's look over there."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "All right. You're on."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two boys struck off in the direction of Roy's discovery.
+      It was indeed an odd freak of nature. Some convulsion of the
+      earth had detached quite a section of land from the
+      surrounding country. It was, in fact, an island in the midst
+      of the woods with only the fallen tree for a bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Let's cross it and examine the place," suggested Roy, with
+      all a boy's curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Together they crossed the old tree, which had evidently
+      fallen there by accident, although, in reality, it formed a
+      perfect bridge. The "island" was thickly wooded and they
+      pushed forward across it, not without some difficulty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly they came upon a sight that made them halt dead in
+      their tracks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man holding a rifle was sitting on a fallen log. The
+      instant he saw them he raised his weapon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't come no further," he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why not?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "See that sign?" said the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He pointed to a rudely painted sign on a tree at his back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Dangir. No Trespasin."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That was what it said in bold letters that sprawled across
+      its surface in an untidy fashion. The execution of the thing
+      was as bad as its spelling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess a pretty sick man painted that sign," grinned Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What do you mean?" was the surly reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, I should judge he was having an awful bad spell at the
+      time," was the boy's rejoinder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man scowled at him fiercely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No joking round here," he growled; "now, then, if you know
+      what's good for you you two kids will vamoose."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the danger if we keep on?" asked Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Why, they're trying a new kind of explosive back there. It
+      might go off the wrong way, your way, for instance, and hurt
+      you," was the reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Seems a funny sort of place to try out explosives," said
+      Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Seems a queer sort of place for you two kids to come. Who
+      are you, anyhow?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, we are camping down below and we just came out for a
+      stroll."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, stroll some other place, then. Git away from round
+      here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We certainly will," flashed back Roy; "come on, Jimsy."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As there seemed nothing else to do Jimsy agreed. They turned
+      away and began retracing their steps, no wiser as to the
+      whereabouts of the man with the broken boot than they had
+      been when they set out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as they turned to go, however, another man came out of
+      the woods behind the man with the rifle. When he saw the boys
+      he gave an abrupt start.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Where did those boys come from?" he demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't know. Said they was two kids out campin' and takin'
+      a stroll."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Taking a stroll, eh?" said the other ferociously; "they were
+      taking a stroll looking for that Wren."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "How do you know?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Because they are the same two kids who stole her from us
+      just as we were going to demand a ransom for her."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That was before I joined the band. No wonder I didn't know
+      them; if I had&mdash;&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He scowled vindictively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, we can't let 'em get away. Here, give me that rifle,"
+      demanded the newcomer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The other handed it to him. The next instant a report rang
+      out and a bullet whizzed over the boys' heads.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Come back here," shouted the man who had fired the shot; "I
+      want to see you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boys hesitated for a minute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The next shot 'ull come lower if you don't," warned the man;
+      "come on, no nonsense."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As there seemed to be nothing else to do the boys obeyed. As
+      they drew closer they recognized the fellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, you know me, eh?" he snarled; "well, you'll know me
+      better before we get through. Follow me, now. Pedro, you take
+      the rifle and fall in behind. If they try to escape shoot
+      them down."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here was a fine situation. They had found the gipsies' camp
+      with a vengeance, but for all the good it was going to do The
+      Wren, unless they could get her away, they might as well not
+      have come. These gloomy reflections sifted through their
+      minds as they paced along, the man with the rifle
+      occasionally prodding them with it just to make them "step
+      lively," as he phrased it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length they came to a sort of large open place shaped like
+      a basin, and placed in the middle of this natural island. In
+      this basin were set up several squalid tents, about which the
+      gipsies were squatting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They set up a yell of surprise as the two boys were brought
+      in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Where under the sun did you find them, Beppo?" exclaimed the
+      same woman who had so cruelly ill-treated The Wren the time
+      the boys rescued her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, they were just taking a stroll, and happened to stroll
+      in here," said Beppo viciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I guess they won't have a chance to bother us again. They're
+      going to make quite a stay here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gipsies set up a taunting laugh. Suddenly, from one of
+      the tents, a tiny figure darted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, I knew you'd come! I knew you'd come," it cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the poor little Wren. She had been stripped of her
+      nice clothes and put into some filthy rags, her face was
+      stained with crying and there was a bruise on her forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a curse Beppo seized the child by one arm, swung her
+      round and dealt her a savage box on the ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Get back where you belong!" he roared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next instant Beppo had measured his length on the ground
+      and beneath one of his eyes a beautiful plum-colored swelling
+      was developing. As has been said, Roy could hit a powerful
+      blow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p><a name="CH27"><!-- CH27 --></a>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      DELIVERANCE.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The next minute all was wild confusion. The boys found
+      themselves on the ground, being scratched and bitten and
+      kicked by men and women alike. They did not have a chance
+      against this horde of half savage wanderers. At length beaten
+      and bruised they were tied with ropes and thrown into one of
+      the tents and a man set to guard it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All day they lay there without anything to eat or drink and
+      no one to come near them except that occasionally a tangled
+      head would be thrust in to hurl some taunt at them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Darkness fell and they still lay there, suffering terrible
+      pain from their wounds and bonds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This is the uttermost limit," declared Roy, in a low tone;
+      "we're in the worst fix we ever got into this time."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "We certainly are. What a bit of bad luck that the rascal
+      Beppo came up when he did! That other gipsy had no idea who
+      we were."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, I had the satisfaction of giving Master Beppo a good
+      black eye," muttered Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes; that was a peach. It did me good to see it land."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It landed all right. Ouch, my back feels as if it was
+      broken."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My wrists and ankles are awfully sore. I wonder if they mean
+      to let us loose or give us anything to eat."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, we won't last long at this rate. I guess they mean to
+      be as cruel as they can to us in return for that punch I gave
+      Beppo."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I wouldn't have spoken to you again if you hadn't."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I don't blame you."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It grew dark. Outside they heard the murmur of voices for a
+      time and then all became quiet. Just before silence fell and
+      snores became audible they heard the man on duty as their
+      guard call for some coffee to keep by his side during the
+      night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'll send that brat of a Wren to you with it directly," they
+      heard Beppo's wife reply; "the little beast, it'll do her
+      good to work."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then came the sound of a slap and a sob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boys' blood boiled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, what wouldn't I give to have Master Beppo in a
+      twenty-four-foot ring," breathed Roy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I think he'd look well decorating a tree," grated out Jimsy
+      viciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night wore on, but the boys did not sleep. Their tight
+      bonds and worry over their situation prevented this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All at once Roy's attention was attracted by somebody raising
+      the flap at the back of the tent. Next something crawled in.
+      At first he thought it was a large dog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But then came a whisper:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's me, Wren."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are you doing here?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Hush, I've come to get you free. You'll take me with you,
+      won't you?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of course; what a question to ask! But how can you free us?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've got a knife here. I'll cut those ropes in a minute."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "But the guard outside?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I've fixed him. Was it very wrong of me? While Mother Beppo
+      wasn't looking I put some of the stuff in that coffee I
+      brought him."
+    </p>
+    <!-- NOTE: Remove center tags and put align="left" or align="right" for text wrapped alignments -->
+    <a name="image-4"><!-- Image 4 --></a>
+    <center>
+      <img src="ga04ill.png" height="528" width="400" alt=
+      "'I'd do anything for you.' said the child, as she rapidly cut the ropes.">
+      </center>
+    <p>
+      "Well, upon my word, Wren! What sort of stuff?" gasped Jimsy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, some sort of brown stuff. I've seen Mother Beppo smoke
+      it. It makes her oh so sleepy. So I gave some to him and he's
+      sound asleep now."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Must have been opium," declared Roy. "Wren, do you know that
+      you are a very bad young lady?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I'd do anything for you. You're so good and kind to me,"
+      said the child, as she rapidly cut the ropes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a time the boys, after being freed, just lay there,
+      unable to move. But after a while circulation set in and they
+      began to move their limbs. In half an hour the trio crept out
+      of the tent and, crossing the "island," traversed the trunk
+      bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Wait a minute," said Roy, when they reached the other side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What are you going to do?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Make that whole outfit prisoners till the officers of the
+      law can get up here."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He took a broken branch as a lever and with Jimsy's
+      assistance toppled the log down into the ca&ntilde;on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Now I guess they'll stay put for a while," he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And they did. That was why, when a posse came up to capture
+      the band, they carried materials for building a bridge across
+      the ca&ntilde;on. It may as well be said here that the band
+      received heavy sentences, it being proved at their trial that
+      they had made a practice of kidnapping children and then
+      trying to collect ransoms for them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a happy scene next day at the Parker home when Mrs.
+      Harvey, a sweet-faced woman of middle age, arrived. After one
+      look at Wren she swayed and then, recovering herself, called
+      out in the voice that only a mother knows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Sylvia!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Mother!" screamed the child, and rushed into her open arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tide of memory, driven to low ebb by ill-treatment and
+      hardship, had rushed back with full force. The Wren, the
+      gipsy waif, was once more Sylvia Harvey. A doctor said later
+      that such cases were frequent following a severe shock. It
+      was then that they recalled how the child had almost
+      recollected some of her past life during the thunderstorm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The happiness of little Wren and her mother in their reunion
+      was shared by all of the party who had been instrumental in
+      effecting it, for every one of them, including Jake, had
+      become attached to the quiet little girl and rejoiced in her
+      good fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Mrs. Harvey and Sylvia departed for the railway station
+      the following day behind a pair of Mr. Parker's steady horses
+      they were accompanied by the four a&euml;roplanes, which
+      hovered over them like so many sturdy guardian angels.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And when the train bore them away they watched the returning
+      a&euml;rial escort until there was nothing visible but four
+      tiny dots against the blue heaven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, mother," exclaimed Wren, "they look no bigger than
+      butterflies now!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the Girl Aviators, flying every moment higher and farther
+      on the powerful wings of the <i>Golden Butterfly</i> and the
+      delicate plane of the dainty <i>Dart</i>, looked back at the
+      train crawling like a humble insect in the valley below and
+      gloried in their untrammeled flight. As they followed Roy and
+      Jimsy in an irregular procession through the air, their
+      thoughts flew ahead, outdistancing the biplane and the <i>Red
+      Dragon</i> and speeding confidently toward the happy
+      realizations of the future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Prescott, watching from the home of Mr. Parker for their
+      return, also dreamed dreams and saw visions, and in them her
+      "dear children" were fulfilling the bright prophecies of the
+      present. She saw them stronger because of adversity, braver
+      because of success, and ennobled by all their experiences;
+      and she deemed herself happy in her capacity of chaperon to
+      the Girl Aviators.
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      The End.
+    </center>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>THE VICTORY BOY SCOUTS<br>
+       BY CAPTAIN ALAN DOUGLAS<br>
+       SCOUTMASTER</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      Stories from the pen of a writer who possesses a thorough
+      knowledge of his subject. In addition to the stories there is
+      an addenda in which useful boy scout nature lore is given,
+      all illustrated. There are the following twelve titles in the
+      series:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1. <i>The Campfires of the Wolf Patrol</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. <i>Woodcraft; or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. <i>Pathfinder; or, the Missing Tenderfoot</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. <i>Great Hike; or, the Pride of Khaki Troop</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. <i>Endurance Test; or, How Clear Grit Won the Day</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      6. <i>Under Canvas; or, the Search for the Carteret
+      Ghost</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      7. <i>Storm-bound; or, a Vacation Among the Snow-Drifts</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      8. <i>Afloat; or, Adventures on Watery Trails</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      9. <i>Tenderfoot Squad; or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      10. <i>Boy Scout Electricans; or, the Hidden Dynamo-.</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      11. <i>Boy Scouts in Open Plains; or, the Round-up not
+      Ordered-.</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      12. <i>Boy Scouts in an Airplane; or, the Warning from the
+      Sky</i>.
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>Radio Boys Series</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      1. Radio Boys in the Secret Service; or, Cast Away on an
+      Iceberg&mdash;FRANK HONEYWELL
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; or, The Yankee
+      Canadian Wireless Trail&mdash;FRANK HONEYWELL
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. Radio Boys in the Flying Service; or, Held for Ransom by
+      Mexican Bandits&mdash;J.W. DUFFIELD
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for the Sunken
+      Treasure&mdash;J.W. DUFFIELD
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. Radio Boys Cronies; or, Bill Brown's Radio&mdash;WAYNE
+      WHIPPLE
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      6. Radio Boys Loyalty; or, Bill Brown Listens In&mdash;WAYNE
+      WHIPPLE
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>Peggy Parson's Series<br>
+       By ANNABEL SHARP</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      A popular and charming series of Girl's books dealing in an
+      interesting and fascinating manner with the life and
+      adventures of Girlhood so dear to all Girls from eight to
+      fourteen years of age. Printed from large clear type on
+      superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1. Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. Peggy Parson at Prep School
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>The A&euml;roplane Series<br>
+       By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      1. The A&euml;roplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air
+      Voyage
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. The A&euml;roplane Boys on the Wing; or, A&euml;roplane
+      Chums in the Tropics
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. The A&euml;roplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young
+      Aviators in a Wreck
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. The A&euml;roplane Boys' Flights; or, A Hydroplane
+      Round-up
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. The A&euml;roplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>The Girl Aviator Series<br>
+       By MARGARET BURNHAM</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide
+      awake Girls of the present day who are between the ages of
+      eight and fourteen years. The great author of these books
+      regards them as the best products of her pen. Printed from
+      large clear type on a superior quality of paper; attractive
+      multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly.
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>Phil Bradley Mountain Boy's Series<br>
+       By SILAS R. BOONE</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      These books describe with interesting detail the experience
+      of a party of boys among the mountain pines. They teach the
+      young reader how to protect themselves against the elements,
+      what to do and what to avoid, and above all to become
+      self-reliant and manly. There are five titles:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1. Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys; or, The Birch Bark Lodge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. Phil Bradley at the Wheel; or, The Mountain Boys' Mad Auto
+      Dash.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. Phil Bradley's Shooting Box; or, The Mountain Boys on
+      Currituck Sound.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. Phil Bradley's Snow-shoe Trail; or, The Mountain Boys in
+      the Canadian Wilds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. Phil Bradley's Winning Way.
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>The American Boy's Sports Series<br>
+       BY MARK OVERTON</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      These stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the
+      active boy is interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey,
+      skating, ice-boating, sailing, camping and fishing all serve
+      to lend interest to an unusual series of books. There are the
+      following four titles:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1. Jack Winters' Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the
+      Diamond.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. Jack Winters' Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved
+      the Day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. Jack Winters' Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team
+      to Victory.
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>Motor Boat Boys Series<br>
+       By LOUIS ARUNDEL</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      1. The Motor Club's Cruise Down the Mississippi; or The Dash
+      for Dixie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. The Motor Club on the St. Lawrence River; or Adventures
+      Among the Thousand Islands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. The Motor Club on the Great Lakes; or Exploring the Mystic
+      Isle of Mackinac.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; or The Struggle
+      for the Leadership.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. Motor Boat Boys Down the Coast; or Through Storm and
+      Stress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      6. Motor Boat Boys River Chase; or Six Chums Afloat or
+      Ashore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      7. Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube; or Four Chums Abroad
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>Motor Maid Series<br>
+       By KATHERINE STOKES</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      1. Motor Maids' School Days
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      2. Motor Maids by Palm and Pine
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      3. Motor Maids Across the Continent
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      4. Motor Maids by Rose, Shamrock and Thistle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      5. Motor Maids in Fair Japan 6. Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp
+    </p>
+    <hr>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <center>
+      <b>THE "HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOKS<br>
+       By J. S. ZERBE</b>
+    </center>
+    <p>
+      <b>Carpentry for Boys</b>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A book which treats, in a most practical and fascinating
+      manner all subjects pertaining to the "King of Trades";
+      showing the care and use of tools; drawing; designing, and
+      the laying out of work; the principles involved in the
+      building of various kinds of structures, and the rudiments of
+      architecture. It contains over two hundred and fifty
+      illustrations made especially for this work, and includes
+      also a complete glossary of the technical terms used in the
+      art. The most comprehensive volume on this subject ever
+      published for boys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <b>Electricity for Boys</b>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The author has adopted the unique plan of setting forth the
+      fundamental principles in each phase of the science, and
+      practically applying the work in the successive stages. It
+      shows how the knowledge has been developed, and the reasons
+      for the various phenomena, without using technical words so
+      as to bring it within the compass of every boy. It has a
+      complete glossary of terms, and is illustrated with two
+      hundred original drawings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <b>Practical Mechanics for Boys</b>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This book takes the beginner through a comprehensive series
+      of practical shop work, in which the uses of tools, and the
+      structure and handling of shop machinery are set forth; how
+      they are utilized to perform the work, and the manner in
+      which all dimensional work is carried out. Every subject is
+      illustrated, and model building explained. It contains a
+      glossary which comprises a new system of cross references, a
+      feature that will prove a welcome departure in explaining
+      subjects. Fully illustrated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &nbsp;
+    </p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+by Margaret Burnham
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
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+</pre>
+
+  </body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly, by Margaret Burnham
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+
+Author: Margaret Burnham
+
+Release Date: February 4, 2004 [EBook #10936]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Harry Jones, Lesley Halamek, David Garcia
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy
+indignantly.]
+
+
+THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY
+
+BY MARGARET BURNHAM
+
+1912
+
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE GIRL AVIATORS AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP," "THE GIRL
+AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS," "THE GIRL AVIATORS' SKY CRUISE," ETC.
+
+_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES L. WRENN_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+I. Preparations and Plans.
+
+II. Off on the Flight.
+
+III. Little Wren and the Gipsies.
+
+IV. The Approach of the Storm.
+
+V. Peggy's Thoughtfulness Saves the Farm.
+
+VI. The Girl Aviators in Deadly Peril.
+
+VII. A Stop for the Night.
+
+VIII. Roy Makes an Enemy.
+
+IX. Jimsy Falls Asleep.
+
+X. Peggy's Intuition.
+
+XI. A Mean Revenge!
+
+XII. The Finding of the "Butterfly"
+
+XIII. Prisoners in the Hut.
+
+XIV. What's To Be Done with The Wren?
+
+XV. A Rambunctious Ram.
+
+XVI. An Invitation to Race.
+
+XVII. The Twisted Spark Plug.
+
+XVIII. In Search of a New Plug.
+
+XIX. The Trap.
+
+XX. An Attack in the Air.
+
+XXI. Peggy's Splendid Race.
+
+XXII. Peggy's Generosity.
+
+XXIII. The Moonshiners and the Aeroplane.
+
+XXIV. Mr. Parker's Story.
+
+XXV. The Wren Disappears.
+
+XXVI. Captured by Gipsies.
+
+XXVII. Deliverance.
+
+
+
+
+The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+PREPARATIONS AND PLANS.
+
+
+"It will be another 'sky cruise,' longer and daintier and lovelier!"
+exclaimed Jess Bancroft, clapping her hands. "Peggy, you're nothing
+if not original."
+
+"Well, there are automobile tours and sailing trips, and driving
+parties--" "And railroad journeys and mountain tramps--" interrupted
+Jess, laughing.
+
+"Yes, and there are wonderful, long-distance migrations of birds, so
+why not a cross-country flight of motor butterflies?"
+
+"It would be splendid fun," agreed Jess eagerly; "we could take the
+_Golden Butterfly_ and the _Red Dragon_ and----" "Don't forget that
+Bess Marshall has a small monoplane, too, now. I guess she would go
+in with us."
+
+"Not a doubt of it. Let's go and find the boys and see what they say
+to it."
+
+"No need to go after them, here they come now."
+
+As the golden-haired Peggy spoke, two good-looking youths came round the
+corner of the old-fashioned house at Sandy Bay, Long Island, where the
+two young Prescotts made their home with their maiden aunt, Miss Sally
+Prescott. One of the lads was Roy Prescott, Peggy's brother, and the
+other was Jimsy Bancroft.
+
+"Well, girls, what's up now?" inquired Roy, as both girls sprang to
+their feet, their faces flushed and eyes shining.
+
+"Oh, nothing particular," rejoined Peggy, with assumed indifference,
+"except that we've just solved the problem of what to do with the
+rest of the summer."
+
+"And what's that,--lie in hammocks and indulge in ice-cream sodas and
+chocolates?" asked Jimsy mockingly.
+
+"No, indeed, you impertinent person; the young lady of the twentieth
+century has left all that far behind her," was Jess's Parthian shot,
+"for proof I refer you to our adventures on the Great Alkali."
+
+"Hello! what's this?" asked Roy, holding up a dainty cardboard box,
+and giving vent to a mischievous smile.
+
+"Chocolates!" cried Jimsy.
+
+"It _was_ chocolates," corrected Peggy reproachfully.
+
+"And yet shall be," declared Jimsy, producing from some mysterious
+place in a long auto coat another box, beribboned and decorated like
+the first.
+
+"Jimsy, you're an angel!" cried both girls at once.
+
+"So I've been told before," responded the imperturbable Jimsy, "but
+I never really believed it till now."
+
+Peggy rewarded him for the compliment by popping a chocolate into his
+mouth.
+
+Gravely munching it, Jimsy proceeded to interrogation.
+
+"And how did you solve the problem of what to do with the rest of the
+summer?" he asked.
+
+For answer Peggy pointed to the sky, a delicate blue dome flecked with
+tiny cloudlets like cherub's wings.
+
+"By circling way up yonder in the cloudfields," she laughed.
+
+"But that's no novelty," objected Roy, "we've been up 5,000 feet
+already, and----" "But we're talking about a tour through cloudland,"
+burst out Jess, unable to retain the secret any longer, "a sort of
+Cook's tour above the earth."
+
+"Wow!" gasped both boys. "There's nothing slow," added Roy, "in that
+or about you two. And, incidentally, just read this letter I got this
+morning, or rather I'll read it for you."
+
+So saying Roy produced from his coat a letter closely written in an
+old-fashioned handwriting. It was as follows:
+
+
+"My Dear Niece and Nephew: No doubt you will be surprised to hear from
+your Uncle Jack. Possibly you will hardly recall him. This has, in a
+great measure, been his own fault as, since your poor father's death,
+I have not paid the attention I should to my correspondence.
+
+"This letter, then, is to offer what compensation lies in my power for
+my neglect. Having read in the papers of your wonderful flying feats in
+Nevada it struck me that you and your young friends might like to pay
+me a 'flying trip,' making the excursion via aeroplane.
+
+"We are to have some flying contests in Marysville during the latter
+part of the month, and you might care to participate in them. Of course
+I expect your Aunt Sallie to accompany you. Hoping sincerely to see you,
+I am
+
+"Your affectionate uncle,
+"James Parker.
+"Marysville, North Carolina."
+
+
+As Roy concluded the reading the quartet of merry youngsters exchanged
+delighted glances. As if by magic here was an objective point descried
+for their projected motor flight.
+
+"Well, that's what I call modern magic," declared Jimsy glowingly;
+"consider me as having accepted the invitation."
+
+"Accepting likewise for me, of course," said Jess, shaking her black
+locks and blinking round, expectant eyes.
+
+"Of course," struck in Peggy affectionately, "the Girl Aviators cannot
+be parted."
+
+Just at this moment came a whirring sound from high in the air above
+them. Looking up, they saw a dainty green monoplane, with widespread
+wings and whirring propeller, descending to earth. An instant later
+the machine had come to a halt on the lawn, alighting as lightly as
+wind-blown gossamer. In the machine was seated a pretty girl of about
+Peggy's age, though rather stouter. In harmony with the color of the
+machine she drove, the newly arrived girl aviator wore a green aviation
+costume, with a close-fitting motor bonnet. From the beruffled edge of
+this some golden strands of hair had escaped, and waved above two
+laughing blue eyes.
+
+"Hello, people!" she hailed, as the porch party hastily adjourned and
+ran to welcome her, "how's that for a novice only recently out of the
+Mineola School?"
+
+"Bess Marshall, you're a wonder!" cried Peggy, embracing her; "the
+_Dart_ is the prettiest little machine I've seen for a long time."
+
+"Isn't it a darling," agreed Bess warmly, "but, my! how I had to beg and
+pray dad before he would buy it for me. He said that no daughter of his
+should ever go up in an aeroplane, much less drive one. It wasn't till I
+got him down at Mineola and persuaded him to take a ride himself that he
+consented to buying me my dear little _Dart_."
+
+She laid one daintily gloved hand on the steering wheel of the little
+monoplane and patted it affectionately.
+
+"It's pretty enough, but it wouldn't fly very far," commented Roy
+teasingly, "sort of aerial taxicab, I'd call it."
+
+"Is that so, Mr. Roy Prescott? Well, I'd like you to know that the
+_Dart_ could fly just as far and as fast as the _Red Dragon_ or the
+_Golden Butterfly_."
+
+"Well, if you wanted to take a trip to North Carolina with us you'd have
+an opportunity to test that idea out," laughed Peggy.
+
+"A trip to North Carolina? What do you mean? Are you dreaming?"
+
+"No, not even day-dreaming."
+
+Just then Miss Prescott, her gentle face wreathed in smiles, appeared
+at the door.
+
+"Children! children!" she exclaimed, "what is all this? Adjourn your
+discussion for a while and come in and have tea."
+
+While the happy group of young fliers are entering the pretty,
+old-fashioned house with its clustering roses and green-shuttered
+casements, let us relate a little more about the young personages
+to whose enthusiastic talk the reader has just listened.
+
+Roy and Peggy Prescott were orphans living in the care of their aunt,
+Miss Prescott, the location of whose home on Long Island has already
+been described. At school Roy had imbibed the aerial fever, and after
+many vicissitudes had built a fine monoplane, the _Golden Butterfly_,
+with which he had won a big money prize, besides encountering a series
+of extraordinary aerial adventures. In these Peggy participated, and on
+more than one occasion was the means of materially aiding her brother
+out of difficulties. All this part of their experiences was related in
+the first volume of this series, "The Girl Aviators and the Phantom
+Airship."
+
+In the second volume, "The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings," a combination
+of strange circumstances took our friends out to the Great Alkali of the
+Nevada desert. Here intrigues concerning a hidden gold mine provided
+much excitement and peril, and the girls proved that, after all, a
+fellow's sisters can be splendid companions in fun and hardship. An
+exciting race with an express train, and the adventure of the "Human
+Coyote," provided stirring times in this story, which also related the
+queer antics of Professor Wandering William, an odd character indeed.
+Space does not permit to relate their previous adventures in more
+detail, but in "The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise" still other interesting
+and unusual experiences are described,--experiences that tested both
+themselves and their machines in endurance flights.
+
+Of Roy and Peggy's devoted friends, Jess and Jimsy Bancroft, it is
+enough to say that both were children of Mr. Bancroft, a wealthy banker,
+who had a palatial summer home near to the Prescotts' less pretentious
+dwelling. Since we last met Jess and Jimsy their father had allowed them
+to purchase an aeroplane known as the _White Flier_. It was in this
+craft that Jimsy and Roy had flown over for mail when they made their
+entrance at the beginning of this chapter. Of the letter they found
+awaiting them we already know.
+
+Jolly, good-natured Bess Marshall had taken up aviation as a lark. She
+was a typical specimen of an American girl. Light-hearted, wholesome and
+devoted to all sorts of sports, tennis, swimming, golf, motoring and
+finally aviation had, in turn, claimed her attention.
+
+And now, having introduced our heroes and heroines of the sky to those
+who have not already met them, we will proceed to see how Miss Prescott
+receives the startling plans that her young charges are about to lay
+before her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+OFF ON THE FLIGHT.
+
+
+"But, my dear children, do you realize what such a trip means?"
+
+The gentle-voiced Miss Prescott leaned back in her easy-chair and
+gazed at Peggy and Roy with an approach to consternation.
+
+"It means fun, adventure, and--oh, everything!" cried Peggy, clapping
+her hands.
+
+"You can't have the heart to refuse us," sighed Jess.
+
+"If it were only the boys it might be different, but two young ladies--"
+"Three," corrected Bess.
+
+"Three, then. For three young ladies, supposedly of sound mind, to go
+flying across country like, like--" "Butterflies," struck in Jimsy.
+
+"Wait a minute," cried Jess, "there'd have to be four ladies--"
+"Of course; a chaperon," breathed Peggy, with a mischievous glance.
+
+Miss Prescott dropped her knitting.
+
+"Peggy Prescott, you mean me?"
+
+"Of course; who else could go?"
+
+"My dear child, do you actually contemplate taking me flying through
+the air at my time of life?"
+
+"Why not? It isn't as if you'd never been up," urged Peggy.
+
+"You said you liked it, too," struck in Jess.
+
+"Um--well, I may have said so," admitted Miss Prescott, visibly
+weakening from the stand she had taken, and she went on: "I would
+like to see James again."
+
+"And here is your opportunity ready to hand, as the advertisements say,"
+declared Bess, her blue eyes shining.
+
+"But how could I go?"
+
+The question was an outward and visible sign of capitulation on Miss
+Prescott's part.
+
+"Why, I was thinking we could use that big biplane I was building for
+Mr. Bell's use out in Nevada," spoke up Roy; "it will seat three, and is
+as steady as a church, thanks to that balancing device Jimsy and I
+figured out."
+
+"I'd fly my little _Dart_," declared Bess.
+
+"And you and I would take the _Golden Butterfly_," cried Peggy, crossing
+to Jessie and placing her arm round the dark-haired girl's neck.
+
+"Jimsy can fly the _Red Dragon_, and that leaves Roy and auntie for the
+biplane," she went on, bubbling over with enthusiasm as her plans
+matured and took form.
+
+"Goodness gracious, an aerial circus!" cried Miss Prescott. "We would
+attract crowds, and that wouldn't be pleasant."
+
+"I was planning to make it a sort of picnic," declared Peggy, who
+appeared to have an answer for every objection that could be interposed
+to her project.
+
+"What, camp out every night? Well, you are a wonder," exclaimed Jimsy,
+"if there's one thing I love it's camping out."
+
+"How long would it take us to get to Marysville?" asked Bess.
+
+"I'll get the atlas," cried Peggy, "but if we have good weather not more
+than three or four days."
+
+"I hardly think it would take as long as that," declared Roy, as five
+eager heads were bent over the atlas.
+
+"But camping out!" exclaimed Miss Prescott, "think of colds and
+rheumatism, not to mention snakes and robbers."
+
+"Tell you what," cried Jimsy suddenly, "what's the matter with Miss
+Prescott going along in an automobile? We can map out the route, arrange
+our stops and meet every evening at some small town where we won't
+attract too much of a crowd."
+
+"Jimsy, I always said you were a genius," cried Peggy.
+
+"Behold the last objection swept away," struck in Bess.
+
+"Surely you can't refuse now?" urged Jess.
+
+"Please say yes," came from them all.
+
+"But--but who would drive the car?" asked Miss Prescott, in the voice of
+one who is thinking up a feeble last objection.
+
+"Why, Jake Rickets, of course," declared Roy, referring to the man who
+helped the boys in the machine shop in which the aeroplanes for the
+desert mines were manufactured.
+
+After this Miss Prescott could make but a poor stand against the united
+urgings of five impetuous, enthusiastic young people. The air was filled
+with plans of all sorts. Jimsy was for going at once, but it was finally
+decided to meet again and set a definite date for a start. In the
+meantime there were parents' consents to be obtained, plans laid for the
+route to be followed, and various things purchased for the aerial trip.
+
+All this occupied some time, and it was not till a week later that the
+last difficulty in connection with the motor flight had been
+straightened out and the three aeroplanes stood ready, in Roy's hangar,
+for a tour that was to prove eventful in more ways than one.
+
+It was just after dawn on the day of the start that Roy and Jimsy for
+the last time went over every nut and bolt on the machines and declared
+everything in perfect readiness for the trip. Breakfast was a mere
+pretence at a meal; excitement got the better of appetites that morning.
+
+Beside the winged machines sputtering and coughing as if impatient at
+the delay, was a large and comfortable red touring car. At the driver's
+wheel of this vehicle was seated a small, "under-done"-looking man, in a
+chauffeur's uniform of black leather. This was Jake Rickets.
+
+"Well, Jake, we're all ready for a start," announced Roy, at last.
+
+The small man, whose hair was fair, not to say pale, glanced at the
+glowing boy with an expression of deep melancholy.
+
+"Yes, if something don't happen," he declared, in tones of deep
+pessimism.
+
+"Jake's never happy unless he's foreboding some disaster," explained
+Roy to Bess, who happened to be standing by drawing on her gloves.
+
+"It don't never do to be too sure," murmured the melancholy Jake,
+"'cos why? Well, you can't most generally always tell."
+
+"Everything ready?" cried Peggy at last, as Miss Prescott got into
+the car.
+
+"As ready as it ever will be," merrily called back Bess, who was already
+seated in the little green _Dart_.
+
+The chorus of engine pantings and explosions was swelled by the roar of
+Roy's big biplane and the rattling exhaust of Jimsy's fierce-looking
+_Red Dragon_.
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_, which was equipped with a silencing device, ran
+smoothly and silently as a sewing machine. Peggy sat at the wheel, while
+Jess reclined on the padded seat placed tandemwise behind her. It made a
+wonderful picture, the big white biplane with its boy driver, the
+scarlet and silver machine of Jimsy Bancroft and the delicate green and
+gold color schemes of the other two flying machines.
+
+"The first stop will be Palenville," announced Roy, "the biplane will be
+the pathfinder."
+
+Despite the earliness of the hour and the efforts that had been made to
+keep the motor flight a secret, the information of the novel experiment
+had, in some way, leaked out. Quite a small crowd gave a loud cheer as
+Roy cried:
+
+"Go!"
+
+"We're off!" cried Peggy, athrill with excitement.
+
+Propellers flashed in the sunlight and the next instant the biplane,
+after a short run, soared aloft toward a sky of cloudless, clean-swept
+blue. In rapid succession the _Dart, Golden Butterfly_ and _Red Dragon_
+followed.
+
+"Come on," cried Bess to Jimsy, waving her hand challengingly.
+
+"Ladies first, even off the earth," came back from Jimsy gallantly,
+as he skillfully "banked" his machine in an upward spiral.
+
+Then upward and outward soared the gayly colored sky racers, like a
+flock of wonderful birds. It was the greatest sight that the crowd left
+behind and below had ever witnessed, although one or two shook their
+heads and prophesied dire results from young ladies tampering with
+them blamed "sky buggies."
+
+But not a thought of this entered the heads of the aerial adventurers.
+With sparkling eyes, and bounding pulses they flew steadily southward,
+from time to time glancing below at the touring car. Even though they
+were flying slowly it was plain that the big auto had hard work to keep
+up with them. The unique motor flight was on, and was about to develop
+experiences of which none of them at the moment dreamed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+LITTLE WREN AND THE GIPSIES.
+
+
+They flew on, keeping the motor car beneath them in constant sight till
+about noon. Then, from the tonneau of the machine, came the waving of a
+red square of silk. This had been agreed upon as a signal to halt for a
+brief lunch.
+
+Shouting joyously, the young adventurers of the air began circling their
+machines about, dropping closer earthward with every sweep. Beneath them
+was a green meadow, bordered on one side by a country road and on the
+other by a small brook of clear water and a patch of dark woods. It was
+an ideal place to halt for a roadside lunch, and as one after the other
+the machines dropped to earth Miss Prescott was warmly congratulated on
+her choice of a halting place.
+
+The car was left in the road, and the melancholy Jake Rickets set to
+work getting wood for a fire, for it was not to be thought of that Miss
+Prescott could go without her cup of tea. In the meantime the girls
+spread a cloth and set out their fare. There were dainty chicken
+sandwiches with crisp lettuce leaves lurking between the thin white
+"wrappers," cold meat and half a dozen other little picnic delicacies,
+which all the girls, despite their aerial craze, had not forgotten how
+to make.
+
+The boys set up a shout as, returning from attending to the aeroplanes,
+they beheld the inviting table.
+
+"This beats camping out by ourselves," declared Roy, "girls, we're glad
+we brought you."
+
+"Thank you for the compliment," laughed Jess. "I suppose you mean that
+you are glad _we_ brought all this."
+
+She waved her hand at the "spread" dramatically.
+
+"Both," rejoined Jimsy, throwing himself on the grass. By this time
+Jake's kettle was bubbling merrily, and soon the refreshing aroma of
+Miss Prescott's own particular kind of tea was in the air. The boys
+preferred to try the water from the brook, despite Jake's dire hints at
+typhoid and other germs holding a convention in it. It was sweet and
+cool, and the girls voted it as good as ice-cream soda.
+
+"At any rate as we can't get any we might as well pretend it is,"
+declared Bess.
+
+So the meal passed merrily. After it had been concluded, amid gay
+chatter and fun, Peggy proposed an excursion to the woods for wild
+flowers which grew in great profusion on the opposite side of the
+stream. Crossing it by a plank bridge, the young people plunged into the
+cool woods, dark and green, and carpeted with flowering shrubs and
+vines.
+
+For some time they gathered the blossoms, and were just about to return
+to the aeroplanes and resume their journey when Peggy uttered a sudden
+sharp exclamation:
+
+"Hark! What's that?" she cried.
+
+They all listened. Again came the sound that had arrested her attention;
+a sharp cry, as if some one was in pain or fright.
+
+Then came definite words:
+
+"Don't! Please; don't hit me again!"
+
+"It's a child!" exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"A girl!" cried Peggy, "some one is ill-treating her."
+
+"We'll soon find out!" cried Roy hotly. It infuriated the boy to think
+that a child was being subjected to ill-treatment, and the nature of the
+cries left no doubt that such was the case.
+
+"Stand back here, girls, while we see what's up!" struck in Jimsy.
+
+"Indeed we'll do no such thing!" rejoined the plucky Bess, bridling
+indignantly.
+
+"At any rate let us go in advance," advised Roy; "we don't know just
+what we may run up against."
+
+This appeared reasonable even to Bess, and with the boys slightly in
+advance the little group pressed rapidly forward. After traveling about
+two hundred yards they found themselves in a small clearing where a most
+unusual sight presented itself; a sight that brought a quick flash of
+indignation to the face of every one of them.
+
+Cowering under the blows of a tall, swarthy woman was a small girl, so
+fragile as to appear almost elfin. The woman wore the garb of a gipsy,
+and the presence of some squalid tents and tethered horses showed our
+young friends at once that it was a gipsy encampment upon which they
+had happened.
+
+The woman was so intent on belaboring the shrieking child that at first
+she did not see the newcomers. It was not till Roy stepped up to her,
+in fact, that she became aware of their presence.
+
+"What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+
+"That's none of your business," was the retort, as the woman for an
+instant released her hold on the child.
+
+Instantly the little creature darted to the sheltering arms of Peggy,
+sobbing piteously.
+
+"Oh! Save me from her, she will kill me," the child cried, in a broken
+voice.
+
+"There! there!" soothed Peggy tenderly, "don't cry. We won't let her
+harm you any more."
+
+But like a fury the woman flew at the girls. Before she could lay hands
+on them, however, Roy and Jimsy had seized her arms and held them. At
+this the crone set up a hideous shriek and, as if it had been a signal,
+two swarthy men, with dark skins and big earrings in their ears, came
+running from behind the tents.
+
+"What's the trouble?" they cried, as they ran up, regarding the boys
+malevolently.
+
+"It's the Wren; they're trying to steal the Wren!" shrilled out the
+woman.
+
+At this the men rushed at the boys, one of them waving a thick cudgel
+he carried.
+
+"Let go of that woman," they shouted furiously.
+
+Another instant and the boys would have been in a bad position, for both
+the gipsies were powerful fellows, and appeared determined to commit
+violence. But Roy, releasing his hold of the struggling gipsy woman,
+put up his fists in such a scientific manner that, for an instant, the
+attack paused. This gave Jimsy time to rush to his side. The instant
+she was released the woman darted to the side of the men.
+
+"Beat them! Kill them!" she cried frantically.
+
+The men resumed their rush, and the next moment the boys found
+themselves fighting to escape a furious assault. Neither of the lads was
+a weakling, and good habits and constant athletic exercise had placed
+them in the pink of condition.
+
+But the two gipsies were no mean antagonists. Then, too, the one with
+the cudgel wielded it skillfully. Time and again Jimsy avoided a heavy
+blow which, if successful, must have injured him seriously. The girls,
+screaming, rushed off, carrying "the Wren," as the woman called her,
+with them. They dashed at top speed back to the spot where the
+aeroplanes had been left, and summoned Jake.
+
+"I knew something would happen," declared that worthy, as he picked up a
+monkey wrench, the only weapon at hand, and started off for the woods.
+
+The girls followed him, Miss Prescott not having been vouchsafed
+anything but a most hurried explanation of what was going on. Just as
+Jake appeared on the scene Jimsy had received a terrific blow on the arm
+from one of the gipsy's cudgels. The boy's arm dropped as if paralyzed.
+With a howl of triumph the ruffian who had dealt him the blow rushed in
+on the injured lad. In another instant it would have looked bad indeed
+for Jimsy, but Roy, landing a hard blow against his assailant, hastened
+to his chum's rescue.
+
+"You look after that fellow. I'll take care of this one," cried Jake,
+rushing into the melee, whirling his monkey wrench in a formidable
+manner.
+
+The girls, huddled in a group, gazed on in frank alarm.
+
+"Oh, they'll be killed!" shrilled Jess.
+
+"Roy! Roy! Be careful!" cried Peggy.
+
+"Oh, I wish we could get a policeman," cried Bess, clasping her hands
+nervously. But as it happened a policeman, even if such a personage had
+been within a dozen miles, was not needed. A clever blow from Roy laid
+the cudgel wielder low, and the other man, not liking the look of Jake's
+monkey wrench, capitulated by taking to his heels. The woman cowered
+back among the tents.
+
+"Come on, let's be going," cried Roy, as he saw that the battle was
+over.
+
+"Ouch! my wrist!" exclaimed Jimsy, wringing his left hand; "I believe
+that fellow has broken it."
+
+"Let's have a look," said Roy, as the two boys made their way to the
+huddled group of girls.
+
+"Nothing but a nasty whack," he pronounced, after an examination. "Well,
+girls, was it an exciting battle?"
+
+"Oh, it was terrible," cried Jess; "we thought you'd be badly beaten."
+
+"But as it is we appear to be future 'white hopes,' not forgetting
+Jake," smiled Roy, who was still panting from his exertions.
+
+"You were awfully brave, I think," cried Bess admiringly, giving the
+three "heroes" a warm glance.
+
+"Well, there wasn't anything to do but fight, unless we'd run away,"
+laughed Roy, "and now what about the cause of all the trouble?"
+
+He glanced at the little girl clinging to Peggy's hand. The child was
+pitifully emaciated, with drawn features and large, dark eyes that gazed
+about her bewilderedly. Her clothing was a red gingham dress that fitted
+her like a sack. She was shoeless and stockingless. Her brown hair,
+unkempt and ragged, hung in elf locks about her sad little face.
+Certainly, as regarded size and general appearance, her name, "The
+Wren," fitted her admirably.
+
+"I don't know what to do about her," admitted Peggy; "suppose we ask
+Aunt Sally? I don't want to let the gipsies have her again, and yet I
+don't see how we can take her."
+
+At the words the little creature burst into a frantic outbreak.
+
+"Don't let those people have me back; don't," she begged; "they'll
+kill me if you do."
+
+She clung passionately to Peggy's dress. Tears came to the girl's eyes
+at the pitiful manifestation of fear.
+
+"There! there, dear," soothed Peggy, stroking the child's head,
+"you shan't go back if we can help it. Come with us for the time being,
+anyway."
+
+"But we have no legal right to take her," objected Roy.
+
+"Don't say another word," snapped the usually gentle Peggy, whose
+indignation had been fully aroused, "come on. Let's get back to where
+we left Aunt Sally, then we can decide what to do."
+
+"Incidentally, we'll do well to get out of this vicinity before any more
+of those fellows come up. There must be several more somewhere close at
+hand," exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"Yes; and I'll bet the others, the two who ran off, have gone to call
+them," put in Roy; "that woman has disappeared, too."
+
+No time was lost in getting back to the aeroplanes, "The Wren," as the
+gipsies called her, keeping tight hold of Peggy's hand. The boys walked
+behind and, with Jake, formed a sort of rear guard to ward off any
+possible attack. But either the other members of the band were far off,
+or else they did not care to attempt an assault, for the party reached
+the aeroplanes without further incident or molestation.
+
+Miss Prescott's consternation may be imagined as she listened to the
+tale they had to tell. From time to time during its relation she glanced
+pityingly at the Wren.
+
+"Poor child!" she exclaimed, gazing at the wizened little creature's
+bruised arms. They were black and blue from rough handling, and bore
+painful testimony to the life she had lived among the gipsies.
+
+"What is your name, dear?" she asked, motioning to the child as Peggy
+finished her story.
+
+"The Wren, that's what they always called me," was the response, in
+a thin little wisp of a voice.
+
+"Have you no other name?" asked Miss Prescott kindly.
+
+The child shook her head.
+
+"I don't know. Perhaps I did once. I wasn't always with the tribe.
+I remember a home and my mother, but that was all so long ago that
+it isn't clear."
+
+"Then she's not a gipsy," declared Peggy emphatically.
+
+"I'll bet they kidnapped her some place," exclaimed Roy.
+
+"That doesn't solve the problem of what to do with her," struck in Jess.
+
+"We can't send her back to those people," declared Bess, with some
+warmth.
+
+"On the other hand, how are we to look after her?" said Jimsy.
+
+"It's a problem that will have to solve itself," said Miss Prescott,
+after a few moments of deep thinking.
+
+"How is that?" asked Peggy.
+
+"Because she goes with us no matter what happens. It may not be legal,
+but humanity comes above the law sometimes," declared Miss Prescott,
+with emphasis.
+
+"Hurrah for Aunt Sally!" cried the boys, "she's as militant as a newly
+blossomed suffragette. Cheer up, Wren, you're all right now."
+
+"Then I'm to stay with you?" questioned the child.
+
+"Of course," came from Aunt Sally.
+
+The child buried her head on the kind-hearted lady's lap and burst into
+a passion of weeping that fairly shook her frail frame.
+
+It was at this juncture that Jake set up a shout and pointed toward the
+woods. From them a group of men had burst, armed with sticks and stones.
+They came rushing straight at the little group, uttering ferocious
+shouts.
+
+"We're in for it now," exclaimed Roy; "girls, you had better get in the
+machine and drive a safe distance. Those fellows mean mischief."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+APPROACH OF THE STORM.
+
+
+It was apparent enough that mean mischief they did. Their dark eyes
+gleamed fiercely out of their swarthy faces. One or two wore a vivid red
+or blue handkerchief knotted about sinewy necks, this means of adornment
+only adding to their generally sinister look.
+
+"I knew we wouldn't get far without running into trouble," moaned Jake
+dejectedly.
+
+Roy turned on him sharply, almost angrily.
+
+"You get the ladies in that machine and drive off down the road a bit,"
+he said; "I'll attend to this thing. Jimsy, come here."
+
+Jake hesitated a moment and then strode off to the auto.
+
+"Can't we stay and help?" asked Bess.
+
+"No; we can help Roy best by doing what he; wants us to. He's got some
+plan in his head," rejoined Peggy firmly, "come along, Wren; Jess, help
+me with her, she's terrified to death."
+
+This was no exaggeration. At sight of the gipsy band, the child so
+recently taken from their clutches shrank and cowered against her young
+protectress.
+
+"Don't let them take me--don't!" she kept wailing.
+
+"Never mind; don't be scared, Wren," Peggy comforted, "they won't get
+you."
+
+A flash of determined fire came into Peggy's eyes as she spoke.
+
+"Peg! You're magnificent," exclaimed Jess, as, headed by Miss Prescott,
+they hastened toward the car which Jake had already cranked.
+
+The gipsies had paused for an instant. Evidently the sight of the
+aeroplanes bewildered and amazed them. Expecting to come on a camp of
+young folks they had suddenly encountered a group of machines which, to
+them, must have savored of the supernatural. But as the auto drove off
+they were due for an even greater surprise.
+
+Following a swift whisper from Roy both boys had jumped into the _Red
+Dragon_. In an instant came the sharp barking of the engine. The flying
+machine dashed forward almost simultaneously. Straight at the angry
+nomads Roy headed it. It was as if a war chariot of old was charging
+into a group of defiant barbarians.
+
+For a few moments the gipsies stood their ground. But as the machine
+rose from the ground, skimmed it, as it were, Roy thrust on full power.
+The machine darted over the spot where the gipsies had stood but an
+instant before; but they had gone. Scattering with wild cries of fear,
+they could be seen running for their lives toward the wood.
+
+"I don't think they'll trouble us again in a hurry," declared Roy
+grimly, as he brought the _Red Dragon_ round in a circle and headed back
+for the rest.
+
+From the machine came a cheer, Miss Prescott's voice ringing out as
+loudly as any.
+
+"The idea just came to me in a second," explained Roy modestly, in
+answer to the ladies' congratulations and praise, "it worked, though,
+didn't it?"
+
+"Like a charm," they all agreed.
+
+"Hadn't we better be getting on?" asked Jimsy, a minute later.
+
+"Yes; there's no knowing if those fellows won't try a flank attack,
+although I think they've had a big enough scare thrown into them to last
+them quite a while with economy," laughed Roy.
+
+"Who is going to take care of Wren?" asked Bess.
+
+"She'll ride right in the car with me," declared Miss Prescott
+positively, "you don't think I'm going to risk her in one of those
+things of yours, do you?"
+
+They all laughed. As a matter of fact, there was not one of the party
+that was not more at home in the air than on a road. Then, too, Roy's
+balancing device had about removed the last peril of air traveling. It
+was agreed to stop at Meadville, which the map showed was about thirty
+miles to the southeast, and purchase a dress and other necessities for
+their new ward. As to what was to be done with her after that nobody
+had any very definite plans. And so the journey was resumed, with
+congratulations flying over the way in which they came out of what,
+for a time, looked like a really serious scrape.
+
+The weather had held fair till a short time after the start was made
+from the scene of the encounter with the gipsies. It was Peggy who first
+observed a change in the sky.
+
+From the southwest billowy masses of slate-colored clouds came rolling
+on, obscuring the sunlit landscape beneath with an effect of lights
+turned down on a stage. Turning to Jess, who occupied the seat behind
+her, she remarked:
+
+"We're going to have some bad kind of a storm, girlie."
+
+Jess nodded.
+
+"Wonder how far we are from Meadville?" she asked.
+
+"Quite a way yet. I'm afraid that we can't make it before the storm
+breaks."
+
+"Look, there's Roy coming back, and Jimsy, too. I guess they want to
+talk about it."
+
+This turned out to be the case. As Roy came swinging by he held a small
+megaphone to his mouth with one hand, while the other gripped the
+steering wheel tightly.
+
+"We're in for a storm, girls, and a hummer, too, from the look of it."
+
+"Better drop down," counseled Jimsy.
+
+Jess nodded, and, as at this moment Bess, who had seen the boy's
+maneuver, came by, the news was communicated to her.
+
+The next thing to do was to look about for a suitable place to land. The
+country over which they were passing was heavily wooded, and seemingly
+sparsely populated. Beneath them wound a road, along which, but at some
+distance behind, the touring car could be seen coming in a cloud of
+yellow dust.
+
+The wind began to grow puffy, and it required all the skill of the young
+aviators to keep their flock of motor-driven birds on even wings. Before
+long, just as the distant, but fast approaching, cloud curtain began to
+be ripped and slashed by vivid scimitars of lightning, Roy espied,
+beneath them, a field, at one end of which stood a prosperous-looking
+farmhouse, surrounded by buildings and hay stacks.
+
+It was an ideal spot in which to land, and as the road was near by they
+would have no difficulty in attracting the attention of Miss Prescott
+when she went by. In graceful volplanes the aeroplanes lit in the field
+like an alighting flight of carrier pigeons. But hardly had they
+touched the ground when from the farmhouse a man came running in his
+shirtsleeves, his lower limbs being garbed in overalls and knee-boots.
+On his chin was a goatee, and as he drew closer they saw that his face
+was thin and hatchet shaped and anything but agreeable.
+
+"You git out of thar! You git out of thar!" he kept shouting as he came
+along, stumbling over the stubble, for the field had been newly reaped.
+
+"Why, what's the matter? We're not hurting anything," objected Roy;
+"surely you don't mind our occupying the field for an hour or so till
+the storm blows over?"
+
+"I daon't, hey? Wa'al, I do, by heck. I own all the way daown and all
+the way up frum this farm, and thet's ther law."
+
+"If we didn't have these ladies with us we'd be only too glad to leave
+your field," rejoined Jimsy, "but you can see for yourself a nasty storm
+is coming up."
+
+"What bizness hes gals riding round in them sky-buggies," stormed the
+farmer; "ef any darter uv mine did it I'd lock her up on bread an'
+water, by Jim Hill."
+
+"I don't doubt it in the least," smiled Peggy sweetly.
+
+"Humph!" grunted the cantankerous old agriculturist, not quite sure if
+he was being made fun of or if his resolution was being admired; "all
+I got to say is thet ef you want to stay here you gotter pay."
+
+"That can be arranged," spoke Jimsy, with quiet sarcasm.
+
+"An' pay wa'al, too," resumed the farmer tenaciously.
+
+"How much do you think the lease of your field for an hour or so is
+worth?" asked Roy.
+
+The farmer considered an instant, and then, with an avaricious look in
+his pin-point blue eyes, he looked up.
+
+"'Bout ten dollars," he said, at length.
+
+"We don't want to buy it, we just want to rent it for a very short
+time," struck in Bess, with her most innocent expression.
+
+"Wa'al, it's ten or git off!" snapped the farmer.
+
+"I'll pay you a fair price for it," spoke up Roy, "and not a cent more."
+
+"Then I'll drive you off with a shot-gun, by chowder."
+
+"Oh, no, you won't."
+
+"Won't, hey? What'll stop me?"
+
+"The law."
+
+"Ther law? Thet's a good one."
+
+"I think it is, a very good one," struck in Jimsy, who now saw what Roy
+was driving at.
+
+"Humph! wa'al, if yer a'goin' te talk law I'll jes' tell yer quick thet
+this is my land and thet you're all a-trespassing."
+
+"You are not very well up on aerial law, it seems," replied Roy, in an
+absolutely unruffled tone.
+
+"Don't know nuthin' 'bout this air-ile law," grumbled the fellow, but
+somewhat impressed by Roy's calm, deliberate exterior.
+
+"Well, then, for your information I'll tell you that under the laws of
+the country recently enacted aviators are entitled to land in any safe
+landing place in times of emergency. If they do any damage they must pay
+for it. If not the owner of the land is not entitled to anything for the
+temporary use of his place."
+
+"Five dollars or nothing," spoke Jimsy, "and if you try to put us off
+you'll get into serious trouble."
+
+"Wa'al, yer a-robbin' me," muttered the man, much impressed by Roy's
+oratory, "gimme ther five."
+
+It was quickly forthcoming. The old fellow took it without a word and
+shuffled off. As he did so there was a vivid flash of lightning and the
+growl of a big crash of thunder. While it was still resounding the auto
+came puffing up. Jake had put up the storm top and made it as snug and
+comfortable as a house.
+
+"Come on, boys and girls," urged Roy, "let's get the engines covered up
+and then beat it for the car. The rain will hit in in torrents in a few
+minutes."
+
+Indeed they were still making fast the waterproof covers constructed to
+throw over the motors in just such emergencies when the big drops began
+to fall.
+
+There was a helter-skelter race for the car. In they all crowded, and
+none too soon. The air was almost as dark as at dusk, and there was a
+heavy sulphurous feeling in the atmosphere. But within the curtains of
+the car all was fun and merriment. The case of the old farmer was
+discussed at length, and Jimsy convulsed them all by his clever
+imitation of the way the bargain was driven.
+
+He was in the midst of his description when a fearfully vivid flash lit
+up the interior of the car as brightly as day. As it did so The Wren
+uttered a sharp cry.
+
+"What is it, dear? Afraid of the lightning?" asked Miss Prescott, while
+a thunder volley boomed and reverberated.
+
+"No, no," shivered the child, drawing closer to her, "but when I see
+a flash like that I sometimes remember."
+
+"Remember what?" asked Miss Prescott tenderly.
+
+"Oh, I don't know," wailed the child, "people and places. They come for
+a moment and then disappear again as quickly as they came."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PEGGY'S THOUGHTFULNESS SAVES THE FARM.
+
+
+Flash after flash, roar after roar, the lightning and thunder crashed
+and blazed as the full fury of the storm struck in. Miss Prescott, who
+was in deadly fear of lightning, covered her eyes with a thick veil and
+sank back in the cushions of the tonneau.
+
+But the rest of the party regarded the furious storm with interest. The
+rain was coming down in sheets, but not one drop penetrated the
+water-proof top of the big touring car.
+
+"It's grand, isn't it?" asked Peggy, after a particularly brilliant
+flash.
+
+"Um--ah, I don't just know," rejoined Jess, "it's rather too grand if
+anything. I----" Bang!
+
+There was a sharp report, like that of a large cannon. The air was
+filled with an eye-blistering blaze of blue fire. Stunned for an
+instant, and half blinded, not one of the young folks in the touring
+car uttered a word.
+
+The storm, too, appeared to be "holding its breath" after that terrific
+bombardment.
+
+"That struck close by," declared Roy, the first to recover his speech.
+
+"Oh! oh!" moaned Miss Prescott, "then the next will hit us!"
+
+"Don't be a goose, Aunt Sally," comforted Peggy; "don't you know that
+lightning never strikes twice in the same place?"
+
+Miss Prescott made no answer. In fact she had no opportunity to do so.
+
+From close at hand shouts were coming. Loud, frightened shouts.
+
+"Fire! fire!"
+
+"Gracious! something's on fire at that farmhouse!" cried Peggy.
+
+"That's what!" came in excited tones from Roy as he peered out through
+the rain.
+
+"Look at them running about," chimed in Jimsy.
+
+"It's from that haystack! See the smoke roll up!" cried Bess.
+
+"The lightning must have struck it. Say, we'd better go and help,"
+exclaimed Roy anxiously.
+
+"I don't see that the old man who was so mean to us deserves any help,"
+murmured Bess, rather angrily.
+
+"Why, Bess, for shame!" reproved Peggy. "Go on, boys, the rain's letting
+up, maybe you can help them."
+
+"All right, sis. Come on, Jimsy!"
+
+The boys dived out of the car and set off running at top speed for the
+scene of the blaze, which was in a haystack back of the main barn of the
+farmhouse. Several farm hands, under the direction of the disagreeable
+old man, whose name was Zenas Hutchings, were running about with buckets
+of water, which were about as effective as trying to sweep the sea back
+with a broom, so far as gaining any headway against the flames was
+concerned.
+
+Had the rain continued it might have been possible for the farm hands to
+quell the blaze with the assistance of the elements; but the storm had
+ceased almost as suddenly as it began, and only a few scattering drops
+were now falling. Off to the southwest the sky was blue once more.
+
+The farmer turned despairingly to the boys as they came running up.
+
+"'Clare ter goodness if it ain't them kids ag'in," he exclaimed; "wa'al,
+you ain't brought me nuthin' but bad luck so far as I kin see. Hyars a
+hundred dollars' worth of hay goin' up in smoke an'--"
+
+A farm hand came bustling up. His face was pale under the grime of soot
+that overlaid it.
+
+"Ef we don't git ther fire under control purty soon," he cried, "ther
+whole place 'ull go."
+
+"What's thet, Jed?" snapped old Hutchings anxiously.
+
+"I said that ther sparks is beginning ter fly. If ther fire gits much
+hotter it'll set suthin' else ablaze."
+
+"By heck! That's so!" cried old Hutchings, in an alarmed voice.
+
+He gazed about him perplexedly.
+
+"Isn't there any fire apparatus near here?" asked Roy.
+
+"Yep; at Topman's Corners. But that's five miles off."
+
+"Have you telephoned them?" asked Jimsy, who had noticed that the
+Hutchings farm, like most up-to-date ones, was equipped with a
+telephone; at least there were wires running into the place which
+appeared to be of that nature.
+
+"Ain't no use telephoning" was the disconsolate rejoinder.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Wire's busted. Reckon ther storm put it out of business. I guess it's
+all up with me now. I hoped ter pay off ther part of ther mortgage with
+ther hay and grain in thet barn yonder, an' now----" He broke off in
+a half sob. Cantankerous as the old man had shown himself to be, and
+grasping withal, the boys could not help but feel sorry for the stricken
+old fellow. He looked pitifully bowed and old and wretched in the midst
+of his distracted farm hands, who were running about and shouting and
+not doing much of anything else.
+
+"Wa'al," he said, at length, pulling himself together with a visible
+effort, "thar's no chance of gitting ther fire ingines, so it'll hev
+ter go, I guess."
+
+"Yes there is a chance of getting the engines, and a good one, too."
+
+They all turned at the sound of a girlish voice, and there stood Peggy
+with Jess by her side. The two girls had stolen up unnoticed in the
+excitement.
+
+"Bravo, Peg!" exclaimed Roy heartily, glancing approvingly at his
+sister, "what's your idea?"
+
+"Fly over and get help."
+
+"Fly over! Wa'al, I'll be switched!" gasped old Hutchings.
+
+"I don't see why not," struck in Jimsy, "it's five miles, you say. Well,
+we ought to make that in ten minutes or so, or even quicker."
+
+"How fast can the engines get back?" asked Roy practically.
+
+"Wa'al, ther roads be good and Bob Shields hez a right smart team,"
+was the rejoinder. "They ought ter make it in half an hour."
+
+"Good. Then if you can hold the flames in check for a short time longer
+we can save your place yet."
+
+Beckoning to Jimsy, the boy darted off for the _Red Dragon_. This
+machine he selected because, with the exception of the _Dart_, it was
+the fastest and lightest of the aeroplanes they had with them. Farmer
+Hutchings had hardly closed his mouth from its gaping expression of
+surprise when a whirr of the motor announced that the _Red Dragon_ was
+off. Its lithe body shot into the air with tremendous impetus.
+
+"Ther Corners is off thar to ther westward," shouted up the farmer, "you
+can't miss it. It's got a red brick church with a high tower on it right
+in the middle of a clump of elms."
+
+Speeding above fields and woodland the red messenger of pending disaster
+raced through the air. Five minutes after taking flight Jimsy espied a
+high red tower. Eight and one half minutes after the _Dragon_ had shot
+aloft it fluttered to earth on the village street of Topman's Corners,
+amid an amazed group of citizens who had seen it approaching.
+
+It was the first aeroplane ever seen in the remote Pennsylvanian hamlet,
+and it created commensurate excitement. But the boys had no time to
+answer the scores of questions, foolish and otherwise, that were
+volleyed at them from all sides.
+
+"There's a fire!" exclaimed Jimsy breathlessly, "a fire at Hutchings's
+farm. How soon can you get the engines there?"
+
+A stalwart-looking young fellow stepped up.
+
+"I'm chief of the department," he said, "we're the 'Valiants.' I'll be
+there in twenty-five minutes if I have to kill the horses. It's downhill
+most of the way, anyhow. Jim, you run off and ring ther bell."
+
+A second later the fire bell was loudly clanging and several of the
+crowd melted away to don their helmets and coats. In less time than the
+boys would have thought it possible a good-looking engine came rumbling
+out of the fire house half a block down the street. Behind it came a
+hook and ladder truck.
+
+Fine horses were attached to each, and from the way they leaped off the
+boys saw that the "Chief" meant to make good his promise.
+
+"Race you to ther fire!" shouted the latter functionary, as, in a storm
+of cheers, his apparatus swept out of sight down the elm-bordered
+street.
+
+"You're on," laughed Roy, whisking aloft while the Topman's Cornerites
+were still wondering within themselves if they were waking or dreaming.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE GIRL AVIATORS IN DEADLY PERIL.
+
+
+The fire was out. A smoldering, blackened hillock was all that remained
+of the stack ignited by the lightning bolt; but the others and the main
+buildings of the farm had been saved.
+
+Such work was a new task for aeroplanes--but there is no doubt that, had
+it not been for Peggy's suggestion, the Hutchings farm would have been
+burned to the ground. As it was, when the firemen, their horses in a
+lather, arrived at the scene, the farm hands, who had been fighting the
+flames, were almost exhausted.
+
+Had they possessed the time, the young folks would have been glad to
+tell the curious firemen something about their aeroplanes. But it was
+well into the afternoon, and if they intended to keep up their itinerary
+it was necessary for them to be hurrying on. A short time after the
+blaze had been declared "out" the aeroplanes once more soared aloft,
+and the auto chugged off in the direction of Meadville.
+
+The afternoon sun shone sparklingly on the trees and fields below, all
+freshened by the downpour of the early afternoon. The spirits of all
+rose as did their machines as they raced along. Before leaving the
+Hutchings farm the old man had been so moved to generosity by the novel
+manner in which his farm had been saved from destruction that he had
+offered to give back $2.50 of the $5 he had demanded for the rent of his
+field. Of course they had not taken it, but the evident anguish with
+which the offer was made afforded much amusement to the young aviators
+as they soared along.
+
+In Peggy's machine the talk between herself and Jess was of the strange
+finding of The Wren, and of the child's curious ways. Both girls
+recalled her odd conduct during the storm and what she had said about
+the peculiar influence of lightning on her memory.
+
+"Depend on it, Jess," declared Peggy, with conviction, "that child is
+no more a gipsy than you or I."
+
+"Do you think she was stolen from somewhere?" asked Jess, readily
+guessing the drift of her friend's thoughts.
+
+"I don't know, but I'm sure they had no legal right to her," was the
+reply.
+
+"Oh, Peg! Suppose she should turn out to be a missing heiress!" Jess,
+who loved a romance, clasped her gauntleted hands.
+
+Peggy laughed.
+
+"Missing heiresses are not so common as you might suppose," she said;
+"I never met any one who had encountered any, except in story books."
+
+"Still, it would be great if we had really found a long missing child,
+or--or something like that," concluded Jess, rather lamely.
+
+"I can't see how we would be benefiting the child or its parents,
+either, since we have no way of knowing who the latter are," rejoined
+the practical Peggy, which remark closed the discussion for the time
+being.
+
+It was not more than half an hour later when Jess uttered a sharp cry
+of alarm. From the forward part of the aeroplane a wisp of smoke had
+suddenly curled upward. Like a blue serpent of vapor it dissolved in the
+air almost so quickly as to make Jess believe, for an instant, that she
+had been the victim of an hallucination.
+
+But that it was no figment of the imagination was evidenced a few
+moments later by Peggy herself. Aroused by Jess's cry, she had made
+an inspection of the machine, with alarming results. What these were
+speedily became manifest.
+
+"Jess! The machine is on fire!" she cried afrightedly.
+
+As if in verification of her words there came a puff of flame and a
+strong reek of gasoline. It was just then that both girls recalled that
+the _Golden Butterfly_ carried twenty-five gallons of gasoline, without
+counting the reserve supply.
+
+Fire on an aeroplane is even more terrifying than a similar casualty on
+any other type of machine. Hardly had Peggy's words confirming the
+alarming news left her lips when there came a cry from Jess.
+
+The girl had just glanced at the barograph. It showed that they were
+then 1,500 feet above the surface of the earth. The girl had hardly made
+this discovery before, from beneath the "bow" of the monoplane, came a
+wave of flame; driven from the steering wheel by the heat, Peggy drew
+back toward her companion. Her face was ashen white.
+
+Left to itself the aeroplane "yawed" wildly, like a craft without a
+rudder. Then suddenly it dashed down toward the earth, smoke and flames
+leaping from its front part.
+
+Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the aircraft fell like a stone
+hurled into space. Faster and faster it dashed earthward without a
+controlling hand to guide it. It was at this instant that Roy and
+Jimsy became aware of what had happened.
+
+[Illustration: Both girls uttered a cry of terror as the air craft fell
+like a stone hurled into space.]
+
+Instantly they swung their machine around in time to see the _Golden
+Butterfly_ make her sickening downward swoop. Both lads uttered a cry of
+fear as they saw what appeared to mean certain death for the two Girl
+Aviators.
+
+Roy's fingers scarcely grasped the wheel of his machine as he saw the
+downward drop. Jimsy was as badly affected. But almost before they could
+grasp a full realization of the accident the _Golden Butterfly_ was
+almost on the ground. It was in a hilly bit of country, interspersed by
+small lakes or ponds.
+
+A freak of the wind caught the blazing aeroplane as it fell and drove
+it right over one of these small bodies of water.
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_ appeared to hesitate for one instant and then
+plunged right into the water, flinging the two girls out. Both were
+expert swimmers, but the shock of the sudden descent, and the abrupt
+manner in which they had been flung into the water had badly unstrung
+their nerves.
+
+Jess struck out valiantly, but the next instant uttered a cry:
+
+"Peg! Peg! I'm sinking!"
+
+Peggy pluckily struck out for her chum and succeeded in seizing her.
+Then with brisk strokes she made for the shore, luckily only a few yards
+distant. It was at this juncture that the boys' machines came to earth
+almost simultaneously. High above Bess's _Dart_ hovered, and presently
+it, too, began to drop downward. Apparently the accident had not been
+seen from the auto, at any rate the car was not turned back toward the
+scene of the accident.
+
+As the boys' aeroplanes struck the earth not far from the bank of the
+pond toward which Peggy was at that moment valiantly struggling, the
+two young aviators leaped out and set out at a run to the rescue. They
+reached the bank in the nick of time to pull out the two drenched,
+half-exhausted girls.
+
+"At any rate the fall was a lucky one in a way!" gasped the optimistic
+Peggy, as soon as she caught her breath, "it put out the fire."
+
+And so it had. Not only that, but the aeroplane, buoyed up by its broad
+wings, was still floating. On board the _Red Dragon_ was a long bit of
+rope. Jimsy produced this and then swam out to the drifting _Butterfly_.
+The rope was made fast to it and the craft dragged ashore. But when they
+got it to the bank the problem arose as to how they were going to drag
+it up the steep acclivity.
+
+Again and again they tried; Bess, who had by this time alighted, aiding
+them. But it was all to no purpose. Even their united strength failed to
+move the heavy apparatus.
+
+"I've got an idea!" shouted Jimsy suddenly, during a pause in their
+laborious operations.
+
+"Good! Don't let it get away, I beg of you!" implored Peggy.
+
+"Oh, Peg! Don't tease, besides, you don't look a bit cute with your hair
+all wet and draggled, and as for your dress--goodness!"
+
+This came from Jess, herself sadly "rumpled" and in addition wet
+through. Before Peggy could reply to her chum's half rallying remark
+Jimsy, unabashed, continued:
+
+"We'll hitch this rope to the _Red Dragon_ and then start her up for all
+she's worth."
+
+"Jimsy, you're a genius!"
+
+"A modern marvel!"
+
+"A solid promontory of pure gray matter!"
+
+In turn the remarks came from each of the party. But Jimsy, bothering
+not at all at the laughing encomiums, proceeded to secure the rope to
+the _Red Dragon_. This done, he started up the engine and clambered into
+his seat.
+
+"All ashore that's going ashore!" he yelled, in mocking imitation of the
+stewards of an ocean liner.
+
+There wasn't an instant's hesitation as he threw the load upon the
+engine. Then the rope tautened. It grew tight as a fiddle string.
+
+"Goodness! It'll snap and the _Dragon_ will be broken!" cried Jess,
+in alarm.
+
+But no such thing happened. Instead, as the _Dragon's_ powerful
+propeller blades "bit" into the air, the _Golden Butterfly_ obediently
+mounted the steep bank of the pond. Five minutes later the pretty craft
+stood on dry land and the party of young aviators were eagerly making
+an investigation of the damage done.
+
+The cause of the fire was soon found. A tiny leak in the tank had
+allowed some gasoline to drip into the bottom of the chassis, or
+passenger carrier. Collecting here, it was plain that a back fire
+from the carburetor had ignited it.
+
+Neither of the girls could repress a shudder as they thought of what
+might have occurred had they been higher in the air and no convenient
+pond handy for them to drop into. In such a case the flames might have
+reached the gasoline tank before they could be extinguished and
+inevitably a fearful explosion would have followed.
+
+"I think you are the two luckiest girls in the world," declared Roy
+solemnly, as he concluded his examination and announced his conclusions.
+Naturally they fully agreed with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A STOP FOR THE NIGHT.
+
+
+It was some two hours later that Meadville received the greatest
+excitement of its career. People rushed out of stores and houses as
+the "flock" of aeroplanes came into sight.
+
+As they gazed down the young aviators felt a momentary regret that they
+had chosen a town in which to pass the first night of their motor
+flight. It appeared that they would get into difficulties when they
+attempted to make a landing.
+
+But almost simultaneously they spied a public park, which appeared
+to offer a favorable landing place. As soon as their intention of
+descending there became manifest, however, the crowd made a headlong
+rush for the spot.
+
+It was too late to seek some other location to alight even had there
+been one available. Trusting to luck that the eager spectators would get
+out of their way the four aeroplanes began their spiraling descent.
+
+Roy was first in his big biplane. As the ponderous, white machine ranged
+down close to the park the crowd became well-nigh uncontrollable. They
+swarmed beneath the big machine, despite Roy's shouts of warning.
+
+Skillfully as the boy manipulated the aircraft he could not check its
+descent once begun.
+
+"Out of the way! I don't want to hurt you!" he shouted, as he dashed
+down.
+
+But the crowd, sheeplike in their stupidity, refused to budge. Into the
+midst of them Roy, perforce, was compelled to drive. Once the throng
+perceived his intention, however, they scattered wildly. That is, all
+sought positions of safety but one man, a stout, red-faced individual,
+who appeared dazed or befuddled.
+
+He stood his ground, glaring foolishly at the sky ship. With a quick
+turn of his wrist Roy swept the big biplane aside, but a wing tip
+brushed the stout man, toppling him over in a twinkling. By the time
+Roy had stopped his machine the man was on his feet again, bellowing
+furiously. He was not hurt, but his face was contorted with anger.
+
+He pushed his way through the crowd toward the young aviator.
+
+"You young scoundrel!" he yelled, "I'll fix you for that! I'll--" "Look
+out, here come the rest of them!" shouted the crowd at this juncture.
+
+Nobody needed any warning this time. They fled in all directions as one
+after the other the _Golden Butterfly_, the _Red Dragon_ and the pretty,
+graceful _Dart_ dropped to earth.
+
+"Wa'al, look at them gals, will yer!" shouted a voice in the crowd.
+
+"What's the country coming to?" demanded another man. "Gals gallivanting
+around like gol-dinged birds!"
+
+But the majority of the crowd took the pretty girl aviators to its
+heart. Somebody set up a cheer.
+
+It was still ringing out when, to the huge relief of the embarrassed
+girls, the auto came rolling up with Miss Prescott and "The Wren," as
+they still called the latter.
+
+The girls, leaving the boys to look after the aeroplanes, ran to the
+side of the car and were speedily ensconced in its roomy tonneau. "We'll
+see you at the hotel!" cried Roy, as the car rolled off again, much to
+the disappointment of the crowd.
+
+Two local constables came up at this juncture and helped the boys keep
+the crowd back from the machines. The throng seemed souvenir mad. Many
+of them insisted on writing their names with pencils on the wings of
+the air craft. Others would have gone further and actually stripped
+the aeroplanes of odd parts had they not been held back.
+
+"This is the last time we'll land in a town of this size," declared Roy
+indignantly, as he helped the constables shove back an obstreperous
+individual who insisted on examining the motor of the _Dart_.
+
+With the help of the constables a sheltering place for the machines was
+finally found. A livery stable that had gone out of business the week
+before was located across the street from the small park in which they
+had alighted. The owner of the property happened to be in the crowd and
+a bargain with him was soon struck. The aeroplanes were then trundled on
+their landing wheels into this shelter and the doors closed. Roy, for a
+small sum, engaged a tall, gangling-looking youth, whose name was Tam
+Tammas, to guard the doors and keep off the inquisitive. This done,
+thoroughly tired out, the boys sought the hotel. Like most towns of its
+size and importance Meadville only boasted one hostelry worthy of the
+name. This place, the Fountain House, as it was called, was a decent
+enough looking hotel and the young aviators were warmly welcomed. After
+supper, for in Meadville nobody "dined," Miss Prescott and the girls
+sauntered out with The Wren to obtain some clothing for the waif who had
+so strangely come into their possession. It was odd, but somehow they
+none of them even suggested giving up the queer little foundling to the
+authorities as had originally been their intention. Instead, although
+none of them actually voiced it, it appeared that tacitly they had
+decided to keep the child with them.
+
+While they were gone on their errand of helpfulness Roy and Jimsy were
+seated on the porch of the hotel watching, with more or less languid
+interest, the inhabitants of the town passing back and forth. Many of
+them lingered in front of the hotel, for aviators were not common
+objects in that part of the country, and already the party had become
+local celebrities.
+
+"I guess we'll go inside," said Roy, at length, "I'm getting sick
+of being looked at as if I was some sort of natural curiosity."
+
+"Same here," rejoined Jimsy, "we'll go in and I'll play you a game
+of checkers."
+
+"You're on," was the response.
+
+But as the boys rose to go, or rather the instant before they left their
+seats, there came a heavy step behind Roy and a gruff voice snarled:
+
+"What are you doing in that chair?"
+
+"Sitting in it," responded Roy, in not too pleasant a voice. The tone in
+which he had been addressed had aroused a hot resentment in him toward
+the speaker.
+
+Turning he saw the same red-faced man whom he had been unfortunate
+enough to knock down.
+
+Instantly his manner changed. He felt genuinely sorry for the accident
+and hastened to explain that such was the case. But a glowering glance
+was the only response he received. "You done it a-purpose. Don't tell
+me," snarled the red-faced individual, "an' now you git right out uv
+that chair or--or I'll make you!"
+
+Both boys stared at the man in amazement. His tone was coarse and
+bullying to a degree.
+
+"We are not occupying these chairs to your inconvenience," declared
+Roy stoutly, "there are lots of others."
+
+He indicated several rockers placed at intervals along the hotel porch,
+and all empty.
+
+"That chair you're sitting in is mine," snapped the man, in response.
+
+"Got a mortgage on it, eh?" smiled Jimsy amiably.
+
+"I'll show you kids how much of a mortgage I've got on it," was the
+reply.
+
+It was just then that a lad of about Roy's own age, but with a surly,
+hang-dog sort of look, emerged from the smoking-room of the hotel.
+
+"What's up, father?" he demanded, addressing the red-faced man.
+
+"Why, Dan, the kids have appropriated my chair."
+
+"Oh, those flying kids. Well, they'll see that they ain't everything
+around here," responded the lad; "I reckon Jim Cassell has some say
+here, eh, dad?"
+
+"I reckon so, son," grinned the red-faced man, in response to this
+elegant speech; "now, then, are you going to give up that chair or not?"
+
+"I was just leaving it when you came out," rejoined Roy, who, by this
+time, was fairly boiling over. "Under the present conditions, however,
+I think I shall continue to occupy it."
+
+"You will, eh?" snarled out Dan Cassell, "then I'll show you how to
+vacate it--so!"
+
+With the words he laid hands on the back of the chair and jerked it from
+under the young aviator. Roy, caught entirely off his guard, was flung
+to the floor of the porch. He was up in a flash, but as he rose to his
+feet Dan Cassell, evidently excited by what he deemed a great triumph,
+aimed a savage blow at him.
+
+Jimsy was rushing to his assistance but the red-faced man suddenly
+blocked his path.
+
+"Hold off, son! hold off!" he warned, "unless you want to get the
+same dose."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ROY MAKES AN ENEMY.
+
+
+In the meantime Roy had skillfully avoided Dan Cassell's blow, and
+was aggressively on the defensive. He was a lad who did not care for
+fighting, but notwithstanding was a trained boxer. Something of this
+seemed to dawn on Dan Cassell as the boy he sought to pummel dodged
+his attack with such cleverness.
+
+For a moment Dan stood stock-still with doubled up fists and a scowl
+on his not unhandsome, though weak and vicious features. Then, with a
+bellow, he rushed upon Roy, who contented himself by sidestepping the
+furious onslaught.
+
+This appeared to enrage Dan Cassell the more. Either he interpreted it
+as portraying cowardice, or else he deemed that he had his opponent at
+his mercy. At any rate, after an instant's pause he rushed at Roy with
+both fists. It was the young aviator's opportunity.
+
+"Look out!" he warned.
+
+The next instant the pugnacious Dan Cassell found himself upon his back,
+regarding a multitude of constellations.
+
+At almost precisely the same time Jimsy's fist happened to collide with
+the point of the jaw of the fallen battler's father.
+
+"Sorry; but I simply had to, you know," remarked the nonchalant Jimsy,
+as the red-faced man found himself occupying a position not dissimilar
+to that of his son.
+
+Both boys were heartily sorry for what had happened, the more so for
+the reason that at the very instant that both crestfallen bullies were
+scrambling to their feet the hotel door opened and several of the guests
+came out to ascertain the cause of the trouble.
+
+Among them was Jonas Hardcastle, the proprietor of the place.
+
+"What's up? What's the trouble?" he demanded, in dismay, as he viewed
+the scene of the confusion.
+
+"It's those brats of aviators, or whatever they call themselves,"
+bellowed Cassell, who was purple with fury; "they attacked Dan and
+me and assaulted us brutally."
+
+The landlord looked doubtingly at the man. Then he turned to Roy.
+
+"What are the facts?" he asked.
+
+Roy told him unhesitatingly the whole truth. When he had concluded Jonas
+Hardcastle spoke.
+
+"You've been hanging around here too long, Jim Cassell," he said, in a
+voice that quivered with indignation; "now make yourself scarce, both
+you and your son. Don't annoy my guests any more."
+
+Cassell, nursing a spot on his jaw which was rapidly growing a beautiful
+plum color, lurched off without a word. His son followed. It was not
+until he reached the street that he spoke. Then, in a voice that
+trembled from suppressed fury, he hissed out:
+
+"All right for you kids. You think you've played a smart trick on Dan
+and me; but I'll fix you! Just watch!"
+
+Without uttering another syllable he slouched off into the gathering
+darkness, followed by his son, who bestowed a parting scowl on Roy
+and Jimsy.
+
+"I'm sorry that you had a row with them," remarked Jonas Hardcastle,
+as the pair vanished.
+
+"How's that?" inquired Roy. "They forced it on us, and--" "I know. I
+know all about that," was the rejoinder, "but Cassell is quite by way of
+being a politician hereabouts, and he might try to make it uncomfortable
+for you."
+
+"In what way?" demanded Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, many ways. Those fellows have no scruples. To tell you the truth,
+boys, I guess you haven't heard the last of this."
+
+With this he left them, a prey to no very comfortable thoughts.
+
+"I'm half inclined to believe what he said," declared Jimsy.
+
+"In just what way?"
+
+"Why, about the harm this fellow Cassell can do us. In every community
+like this you'll find one local 'Pooh-bah' who runs things pretty much
+as he likes. They have satellites who will do just about as they're
+told."
+
+"You mean--" "That we'd better keep a good lookout on the aeroplanes.
+From my judgment of Cassell I don't think he's got nerve enough to
+attack us directly, but he can wreak his vengeance on our machines if
+we don't watch pretty closely."
+
+"I'm inclined to think you're right. But don't say a word of all this
+to the girls. It might upset them. You and I will decide on a plan of
+action later on. To tell you the truth, I'm not any too sure of our
+newly acquired watchman, Tam Tammas."
+
+"Nor I. We'll wait till the rest get back and then take a stroll down to
+that livery stable. Seems funny, doesn't it, to stable aeroplanes in a
+livery stable?"
+
+"Well, why not? Wasn't Pegasus, the first flying machine on record,
+a horse?"
+
+"Humph; that's so," agreed Jimsy, whose supply of classical knowledge
+was none too plentiful.
+
+It was not long after this that the girls returned. With them came The
+Wren in a neat dress and new shoes, an altogether different looking
+little personage from the waif of the woods whom they had rescued at
+noon.
+
+"Why, Wren," cried Peggy, "you are positively pretty. In a month's time
+we won't know you."
+
+"A month's time?" sighed the child; "am I going to stay with you as long
+as that?"
+
+Miss Prescott caught the wan little figure in her arms.
+
+"Yes, and many months after that," she cried.
+
+Roy and Jimsy exchanged glances.
+
+"Another member of the family," exclaimed Roy; "if we go at this rate
+we'll have acquired an entire set of new sisters by the time we reach
+the Big Smokies."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+JIMSY FALLS ASLEEP.
+
+
+"Anybody been around, Tam?"
+
+Roy asked the question, as later on that evening he and Jimsy dropped
+around to the disused livery stable in accordance with their plan.
+
+Tam shook his head.
+
+"Nobody bane round," he rejoined, and then, after a moment's pause,
+"'cept Yim Cassell and his boy Dan."
+
+"Jim Cassell and his son," echoed Roy, "the very people we don't want
+around here. What did they want?"
+
+"They want know where you bane," rejoined the Norwegian youth.
+
+"Yes; and what did you tell them?"
+
+"I bane tell them I skall not know," responded Tam.
+
+"And then?"
+
+"They bane ask me if ay have key by door."
+
+"Oh, they did, eh? What did you say?"
+
+"I say I bane not have key."
+
+"Then what did they do?"
+
+"They bane go 'way."
+
+"Didn't say anything else?"
+
+"No, they must go."
+
+"Said nothing about coming back?"
+
+"No."
+
+"All right, Tarn, you can go home now. Here's your money."
+
+"You bane want me no more?"
+
+"No; we'll watch here ourselves to-night. Good night."
+
+"Good night," rejoined Tam, pocketing his money and shuffling off down
+the street.
+
+He had hardly gone two blocks when from the shadow of an elm-shaded yard
+the figure of Dan Cassell slipped out and intercepted him.
+
+"So you've been fired, eh?"
+
+He shot the question at the simple-minded Norwegian lad with vicious
+emphasis.
+
+"No, I no bane fired; they bane tell me no want me more."
+
+"Well, isn't that being fired? Moreover, I can tell you that they've
+hired another fellow in your place."
+
+The Norwegian youth's light blue eyes lit up with indignant fire. Like
+most of his race he was keenly sensitive once aroused, and while he was
+quite agreeable to being dropped from his temporary job, he hated to
+think of being supplanted in it. Crafty Dan Cassell was playing his
+cards well, for a purpose that will be seen ere long.
+
+"So they bane fire me," ejaculated Tam.
+
+"That's the size of it. I guess you feel pretty sore, Tam, don't you?"
+
+"No, they bane pay me wale; but I no like being fired."
+
+"I should think not. The idea of a man like you being dropped. What
+did they tell you when they let you go?"
+
+"That they bane watch place themselves."
+
+Dan Cassell smiled. His crafty methods had elicited something of real
+value after all.
+
+"Did they say they were going to watch all night?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," rejoined the Norwegian, "they ask about you, too."
+
+"Humph! What did they want to know?"
+
+"If you'd been round by stable and what I bane tale you."
+
+"What did you say?"
+
+"I tale them the truth. I say that you and your father bane by stable
+this evening."
+
+Dan's face darkened.
+
+"You had no business to tell them anything," he snarled. Then, with a
+sudden change of front: "See here, Tam, do you want to make some money?"
+
+"Sure, I bane like make money."
+
+"Then come into the house a minute. Dad and I want to talk to you."
+
+So saying Dan took the Norwegian by the arm and led him in through a
+gate in a whitewashed picket fence. Beyond the fence was a fairly
+prosperous looking house, on the piazza of which lounged Jim Cassell
+smoking a cigar.
+
+"Well, Tam," he said, "lost your job?"
+
+The Norwegian replied in the affirmative.
+
+"Well, never mind, I've got another for you," replied Jim Cassell,
+in what was for him an unwontedly amiable tone; "can you go to work
+at once?"
+
+"Ay bane work any time skol be," spoke the Norwegian, and a puzzled
+expression flitted over his face as both Cassells broke into what was
+to him an inexplicable fit of laughter at his words.
+
+In the meantime the boys had telephoned to the hotel that work on the
+aeroplanes would detain them till late. They did not wish to inform the
+girls that they were undertaking a night watch, as that would have led
+to all sorts of questions, and if their fears proved ungrounded they
+felt pretty sure of coming in for a lot of "joshing."
+
+They agreed to divide the night into two parts, Jimsy watching till
+midnight and then awakening Roy who would take up the vigil till dawn.
+This arrangement having been made they secured a light lantern from
+an adjacent hardware store and, entering the deserted livery stable,
+prepared to carry out their plans. With the canvas covers of the
+aeroplanes Roy managed to fix up quite a comfortable bed on a pile
+of hay left in a sort of loft over the abandoned stable.
+
+As for Jimsy, he made himself as comfortable as possible in the chassis
+of the _Golden Butterfly_, the seats of which were padded as luxuriously
+as those of a touring car. He had a book dealing with aeronautic
+subjects with him, and, drawing the lantern close to the aeroplane,
+he buried himself in the volume.
+
+In the meantime Roy had rolled himself up in his canvas coverings and
+was sound asleep. For a long time Jimsy read on. At first frequent
+footsteps passed the door of the stable, but as it grew later these
+ceased. Folks went to bed early in Meadville. Long before midnight
+there was not a sound on the streets.
+
+Jimsy read doggedly on. But he was painfully conscious of an almost
+irresistible desire to lie back and doze off, if only for a few seconds.
+The exciting events of the day had tired him out, nor was the book he
+was reading one calculated to keep his wits stirring. It was a technical
+work of abstruse character.
+
+Jimsy's head began to nod. With a sharp effort he aroused himself only
+to catch himself dozing off once more.
+
+"See here, Jim Bancroft, this won't do," he sharply admonished himself,
+"you're on duty, understand? On duty! Wake up and keep your eyes open."
+
+But try as he would tired Nature finally asserted herself. Jimsy's head
+fell forward, his eyes closed for good and he snored in right good
+earnest. He was sound asleep.
+
+It was about half an hour after he dozed off that a window in the rear
+of the stable framed a face. A crafty, eager face it was, as the yellow
+light of the lantern revealed its outlines. Dan Cassell, for it was he,
+gazed sharply about him. He swiftly took in the posture of the sleeping
+boy and a smile spread over his countenance.
+
+Dropping from the ladder he had raised outside, he joined two figures
+waiting for him in the shadow of the livery barn.
+
+"It's too easy," he chuckled, "only one kid there and he's sound asleep.
+Got everything ready?"
+
+"Dey all bane ready, Maister Cassell," rejoined the slow, drawling voice
+of the Norwegian Tam.
+
+"Now don't botch the job," warned the elder Cassell, who was the third
+member of the party; "remember it means a lot of trouble for us if
+we're caught."
+
+"No danger of that, dad. Come on, I'll go first and you and Tam follow."
+
+"Is the window open?"
+
+"No, but it slides back. It's an easy drop to the floor from it."
+
+"All right, go ahead. I'll be glad when the job's over. I'm almost
+inclined to drop out of it."
+
+"And let those kids get away with what they did? Not much, dad. We'll
+give them a lesson they won't forget in a hurry. Come on."
+
+He began climbing the ladder. Behind him came his worthy parent, and
+Tam formed the last member of the now silent procession. The Norwegian
+carried a bulky package of some kind, the contents of which it would
+have been impossible to guess save that it gave out a metallic sound
+as Tam moved with it.
+
+Dan Cassell reached the window, slid it noiselessly back in its grooves
+and then, crawling through, dropped lightly to the floor within. He was
+followed by his father and Tam.
+
+But Jimsy slept on. Slept heavily and dreamlessly, while deadly peril
+crept upon him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PEGGY'S INTUITION.
+
+
+The movements of the invaders of the stable, which now housed the
+"winged steeds" of the young aviators, were mysterious in the extreme.
+The Norwegian carried a tin can containing some sort of liquid which
+he was ordered to pour about the floor in the neighborhood of the
+aeroplanes. This done, Dan Cassell collected several scraps of litter
+and made quite a pile of it.
+
+"All ready now, I guess," he said, with what was meant as an attempt
+at a grin. But his lips were pale, and his forced jollity was a dismal
+failure. As for his father, he made no attempt to conceal his agitation.
+
+"Dan, they may be burned alive," he faltered; "better call it all off."
+
+"Not when we've gone as far as this with it," was the rejoinder; "give
+me a match."
+
+"Dan!"
+
+"It's all right, dad. They'll wake in time."
+
+"But if not?"
+
+"Then they'll have to take their medicine."
+
+With fingers that trembled as if their owner was palsied, Jim Cassell
+handed his son some matches. The latter took one, bent low over the pile
+he had collected and struck the lucifer.
+
+A yellow sputter of flame followed, and the next instant he was holding
+it to the pile of litter which had been previously soaked by the
+contents of the Norwegian's can.
+
+But before he could accomplish his purpose and set fire to the pile of
+odds and ends saturated to double inflammability by the kerosene the
+Norwegian had carried, there came a startling interruption.
+
+There was a knock at the door and a girlish voice cried:
+
+"Roy! Roy, let me in!"
+
+"Furies!" exclaimed Dan Cassell under his breath. "It's one of those
+girls."
+
+"Come on. Let's get away quick!" exclaimed his father, trembling from
+nervous agitation.
+
+"Not before I set a match to this," exclaimed Dan Cassell viciously.
+
+He touched the match to the pile and the flames leaped up.
+
+"Now for our getaway," he cried, and the three fire-bugs ran for the
+window by which they had made their entrance.
+
+In the meantime a perfect fusillade of blows had been showered on the
+door outside. Jimsy awoke just as the last of the three midnight
+intruders vanished through the window. His first instinct was a hot
+flush of shame over the feeling that he had betrayed his trust.
+
+Then to his ears came the voice that had alarmed the Cassells and
+their tool.
+
+"Roy! Jimsy! Are you there?"
+
+"It's Peggy!" gasped Jimsy.
+
+"And Jess," he added the next instant, and simultaneously there came the
+pounding of a stick on the door.
+
+"This is an officer of the law. Open up at once."
+
+Jimsy, dazed by his sleep, had not till then noticed the blazing pile of
+litter. Now he did so with a quick cry of horror. The stuff was blazing
+up fiercely. Already there was an acrid reek in the air.
+
+"The place is on fire!" he shouted.
+
+The next moment there came a violent assault on the door and the crazy
+lock parted from its rotten fastenings as a man attired in a police
+officer's uniform burst into the place. Behind him came two wide-eyed
+frightened girls. The leaping flames lit up their faces vividly.
+
+"It's fire sure enough!" cried the police officer.
+
+"Great Scot, what's happening?"
+
+It was Roy who shouted the question. He was peering down from the loft
+where he had been sleeping. The uproar had awakened him and in a jiffy
+he was among them.
+
+"Quick! the fire extinguishers!" he cried, and Jimsy, readily
+understanding, secured the flame-killing apparatus from the biplane and
+from the _Red Dragon_.
+
+He and Roy, aided by the officer, fought the flames vigorously, and,
+luckily, were able to subdue them, though if it had not been for the as
+yet unexplained arrival of Peggy and Jess it is doubtful if they could
+have coped with the blaze. When it was all out Peggy rushed into
+explanations.
+
+"Something warned me that you were in danger," she exclaimed, "and
+I woke up Jess and we found this officer and came down here."
+
+"What gift of second sight have you?" demanded Roy, gazing at the
+smoking, blackened pile that had threatened the destruction of the
+inflammable premises.
+
+"I don't know. Womanly intuition, perhaps. Oh, Roy!"
+
+The girl burst into a half-hysterical sob and threw her arms about her
+brother's neck.
+
+"You arrived in the nick of time, sis," he said, gently disengaging
+himself from her clasp, "a little more and--"
+
+He did not finish the sentence. There was no need for him to.
+
+"Begorry, the ould place 'ud hev bin a pile of cinders in an hour's
+time," declared the policeman.
+
+It was Jess's turn to give an hysterical little sob.
+
+Roy turned to Jimsy.
+
+"Did you see anything? The place is reeking with kerosene. It was a plot
+to destroy the aeroplanes and perhaps ourselves."
+
+"I--I--"
+
+Jimsy stammered. The words seemed to choke up in his throat. How was
+he to confess that he had failed in his trust--had slept while danger
+threatened?
+
+"Well?"
+
+Roy waited, plainly surprised. It was not like Jimsy to hesitate and
+stammer in this way.
+
+At last it came out with a rush.
+
+"I--I--you'll never forgive me, any of you--I was asleep."
+
+"Asleep! Oh, Jimsy!"
+
+There was a world of reproach in Jess's voice. But Peggy interrupted
+her.
+
+"How was it, Jimsy?" she asked softly.
+
+"I don't know. I give you my word I don't know."
+
+Jimsy's voice held a world of self-reproach.
+
+"I was reading," he went on, hurrying over the words as if anxious
+to get his confession over with, "that book of Grotz's on monoplane
+navigation. I felt sleepy and--and the next thing I knew I woke up
+to hear you pounding on the door and shouting."
+
+"A good thing the young ladies found me," put in the policeman; "shure
+I was after laughing at them at first, but then, begorry, I decided to
+come along with them. It's glad I am that I did."
+
+"Who can have done this?" asked Roy, who had not a word of reproach for
+his chum, although Jimsy had failed dismally in a position of trust.
+
+"Begorry, they might have burned you alive!" cried the policeman
+indignantly.
+
+"No question about that," rejoined Roy; "it was a diabolical plot. Who
+could have attempted such a thing?"
+
+"Wait till I call up and have detectives sent down here," said Officer
+McCarthy. "I'm after thinking this is too deep for us to solve."
+
+Nevertheless, each of that little group but the policeman had his or her
+own idea on the matter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A MEAN REVENGE!
+
+
+The result of the telephone call was a request to call at the Police
+Headquarters of the little town and give a detailed account of the
+affair.
+
+"Gracious! I should think that the only way to get a clue would be
+to send a detective down here," exclaimed Peggy, on receipt of this
+information.
+
+"We have our own ways of doing them things, miss," rejoined the
+policeman with dignity.
+
+Then there being nothing for it but to obey instructions of the
+authorities, they all set out for the police station. They were half
+way there when Jimsy recollected that they had left the aeroplanes
+unguarded.
+
+"'Twill make no difference at all at all," declared the policeman;
+"shure it's too late for anyone to be about."
+
+"It wasn't too late for them to set that fire though," rejoined Roy
+in a low voice.
+
+At police headquarters they were received by two sleepy-looking
+officials who questioned them at length and said they would be at
+the stable in the morning to hunt for clews.
+
+"Why not go after them now, while the trail is hot?" inquired Jimsy.
+
+"We have our own ways of doing these things, young man," was the reply,
+delivered with ponderous dignity.
+
+"Well, we might as well go to bed and get a few hours' sleep anyhow,"
+suggested Roy; "I can hardly keep my eyes open. How about you, Jimsy?"
+
+"I--I--I've had some sleep already you know," rejoined Jimsy, reddening.
+
+Thoroughly tired out from their long day and excitement, the party slept
+till late the next day. The first thing after breakfast plans for the
+continuance of the trip were discussed, and the day's program mapped
+out. This done, the girls and boys set out for the stable to look over
+the machines.
+
+They found a pompous-looking policeman on guard in front of the place,
+ostentatiously pacing up and down. On identifying themselves they were
+at once admitted however. The man explained that he had only been on
+guard for an hour or two, and that during that time nothing worthy of
+mention had occurred.
+
+While Jimsy was talking to him Roy and the others entered the stable. An
+instant later Roy, too excited to talk, came rushing out of the dis-used
+livery barn.
+
+"What's up now, Roy?" demanded Jimsy, gazing at his chum, who for his
+part appeared to be too excited to get his words out.
+
+"There's only three!" gasped Roy.
+
+"Three what?" cried Jimsy.
+
+"Three aeroplanes," returned Roy.
+
+"Rubbish, you haven't got your eyes open yet."
+
+"I'm right, I tell you; come in and count them if you don't believe me."
+
+"Roy is right," cried Peggy, running up to the group; "the _Golden
+Butterfly_ has been stolen!"
+
+"Stolen!" interjected Jimsy.
+
+"That's right!" cried Jess; "those stupid police people left the barn
+unguarded. Whoever tried to set it on fire must have returned and stolen
+the _Butterfly_."
+
+They regarded each other blankly. Was this Sky Cruise that they had
+looked forward to with such eager anticipation to be nothing but a
+series of mishaps?
+
+"It's awful!" gasped Peggy; "nothing but trouble since we started out."
+
+"D'ye think it was stolen?" asked the policeman with startling
+intelligence.
+
+"Well, it didn't fly of its own accord," was Peggy's rejoinder,
+delivered with blighting sarcasm.
+
+The patrolman subsided.
+
+"Maybe we can find it yet," suggested Jess.
+
+"I'd like to know how," put in Jimsy disgustedly.
+
+"Perhaps we can trace it. It must have been wheeled away."
+
+"Ginger! That's so," cried Roy, snapping his fingers; "it would leave an
+odd track too, wouldn't it?"
+
+"Well there's no harm in trying to trace it," admitted Jimsy, who
+appeared rather skeptical.
+
+"Come on, then; get busy," urged Roy eagerly.
+
+The next instant there came a cry from Peggy.
+
+"I've struck the trail!" she cried.
+
+"Where?"
+
+The word came in chorus.
+
+"Here! Look; you know the _Butterfly_ had peculiar kind of tires. See,
+it was wheeled up the street in that direction."
+
+She pointed to where the village main thoroughfare ended in a country
+road.
+
+"I'm not after takin' much stock in that," remarked the policeman.
+
+"We won't bother you," rejoined Roy rather heatedly; "I guess we won't
+wait till your local Sherlock Holmes gets on the trail, we'll follow
+it ourselves."
+
+"But who'll go?"
+
+The question came from Jimsy.
+
+"We can't all go, that's certain," exclaimed Bess.
+
+"Tell you what we'll do, we'll count out," declared Jess, her eyes
+dancing.
+
+"A good idea," hailed the others.
+
+"Roy, you start it; but remember, not more than three can go."
+
+"Why?" inquired Peggy point blank.
+
+"Because we'll have to take the car, and someone must be left to look
+after Aunt Sally and the aeroplanes," spoke Roy, falling in with Jimsy's
+plans.
+
+"Well, come on and count out," urged Jess.
+
+"Yes, that's it. Let's see who will be it," cried the others.
+
+"Very well, if I can remember the rhyme," responded Roy. "How does it go
+anyway?"
+
+"Inte, minte," suggested Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, yes! That's it," responded Roy. "I've got it now. Inte, minte, cute
+corn, apple seeds and briar thorn, briar thorn and limber lock, three
+geese in a flock, one flew east and one flew west, one flew into a
+cuckoo's nest, O-U-T out, with a ragged dish clout, out!" ending with
+Bess.
+
+"Sorry for you, Bess!" cried the lad, "but you're the first victim to be
+offered up."
+
+"Oh, well, it's too hot to go chasing all over dusty country roads,"
+declared Bess bravely, although she would dearly have loved to go on
+the adventurous search for the missing aeroplane.
+
+One after another they were counted out till only Roy, Peggy and Jimsy
+remained.
+
+"Hurry up and let's get off," urged Jimsy as the "elimination trials,"
+as they might be termed, were concluded.
+
+"Very well. We'll get the car--it's in the garage at the hotel--and
+incidentally, we might get a lunch put up also. It may be a long chase."
+
+The officer regarded them with frank amazement.
+
+"My! but you city folks rush things," he exclaimed.
+
+"I suppose they'll get busy on this case day after to-morrow," exclaimed
+Roy disgustedly, as they hastened away.
+
+It was half an hour later that the big touring car, with Roy at the
+wheel, rolled out of the hotel yard. Jake had been told off to guard
+the livery stable and the aeroplanes while the rest remained with Miss
+Prescott, who was seriously agitated at the accumulation of troubles her
+party had met with since setting out.
+
+"I declare," she said, "I wish I was back at home where I could get
+a decent cup of tea and be free of worries."
+
+The trail of the aeroplane was not difficult to follow. It led down the
+village main street and thence along a country road till it came to a
+sort of cross roads. Here it branched off and followed a by-road for a
+mile or so. At a gate in a hedge all signs failed however, although it
+was plain that the machine had been wheeled through the gap and taken
+across a field.
+
+Beyond this field lay what appeared to be a wilderness of woods and
+bushes.
+
+"Stumped!" exclaimed Roy, as he brought the auto to a stop.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FINDING OF THE "BUTTERFLY."
+
+
+"Well, what next?" asked Jimsy.
+
+"Make a search of those woods, I suppose," replied Roy; "there's nothing
+else to do."
+
+"No, the trail has brought us here," replied Peggy energetically;
+"we must make a determined effort to find the _Butterfly_."
+
+"Maybe they've damaged it so that we won't be able to do anything with
+it when we do get it," spoke Jimsy presently.
+
+"Whom do you mean by they?" asked Roy.
+
+"As if you didn't know. Is there any doubt in your mind that that fellow
+Cassell is at the bottom of all this?"
+
+"Not very much, I'll admit," replied Roy; "I wonder if that accounts for
+the inactivity of the police."
+
+"In just what way?"
+
+"Well, the fellow's a local politician and has a lot of 'pull'."
+
+"He _must_ have, to get away with anything like this," was Jimsy's
+indignant outburst.
+
+"Well, don't let us waste time speculating," put in Peggy, in her brisk
+manner; "the thing to do now is to get back the _Golden Butterfly_."
+
+"You're right, Peg," came from both boys.
+
+By this time they were out of the car, which they left standing at the
+roadside while they examined the vicinity for tracks. But the grass in
+the field was fairly long and no traces remained. Yet, inasmuch as the
+tracks of the _Butterfly_ ended at the gap in the hedge, it was manifest
+that that was the point at which it had been wheeled off the road.
+
+"What next?" asked Jimsy, as it became certain that there was little use
+in searching for a trail in the meadow.
+
+"It's like looking for a needle in that proverbial haystack," struck
+in Peggy.
+
+"In my opinion we need the patience of Job and the years of old
+Methuselah," opined Jimsy.
+
+Roy alone was not discouraged.
+
+"It can't be so very far off," he urged; "it stands to reason that they
+can't have come much further than this since midnight, supposing the
+machine to have been stolen about that hour."
+
+The others agreed with him.
+
+"We'll search all around here, including those woods," declared Peggy.
+
+"Well, they can't have taken it very far into the woods," declared
+Jimsy; "the spread of its wings would prevent that."
+
+"That's so," agreed Roy; "I think we are getting pretty 'warm' right
+now."
+
+"All I am afraid of is that they may have damaged it," breathed Peggy
+anxiously.
+
+"It would be in line with their other tactics," agreed Roy; "men who
+would try to burn down a stable with two boys in it, just to obtain
+revenge for a fancied insult or injury, are capable of anything."
+
+Without further waste of time they crossed the meadow and came to the
+edge of the wood. At the outskirts of the woods the trees grew thinly
+and it was plain that it would have been possible to wheel an aeroplane
+into their shadow, despite the breadth of its wing-spread.
+
+They passed under the outlying trees and presently emerged into a small,
+open space, in the midst of which was a hut. Just beyond this hut was a
+sight that caused them to shout aloud with joy. There, apparently
+unharmed, stood the missing aeroplane.
+
+"Hurray!" shouted Roy, dashing forward.
+
+The others were close on his heels. In their excitement they paid little
+or no attention to the surroundings. It might have been better for them
+had they done so. As they dashed across the clearing two male figures
+slipped off among the thicker trees that lay beyond the open space and
+the hut.
+
+A brief examination showed them that the aeroplane was undamaged. There
+were a few scratches on it, but beyond that it appeared in perfect
+condition.
+
+"We'll fly back," declared Jimsy to Peggy; "Roy can run the auto home."
+
+"That's agreeable to me," responded Roy; "but suppose we examine the
+vicinity first. We might get a clew as to the rascals who are
+responsible for this."
+
+"That's true," agreed Jimsy.
+
+"Then suppose we start with the hut first."
+
+They accepted this proposition eagerly. The hut was a substantial
+looking building with a padlock on the door. But the portal stood wide
+open, the padlock hanging in a hasp.
+
+"What if anyone pounces on us?" asked Peggy in rather a scared tone.
+
+"No fear of that," replied Roy, "the place is plainly unoccupied."
+
+They entered the hut and found it to be as primitive inside as its
+exterior would indicate. A table and two rude chairs stood within.
+These, with the exception of a rusty cook stove in one corner, formed
+the sole furnishings. There was not even a window in the place.
+
+"Nothing much to be found here," declared Roy after a cursory
+examination; "I guess this shack was put up by lumbermen or hunters.
+It doesn't seem to have been occupied for a long time."
+
+"I guess the men who took the aeroplane must have been pretty familiar
+with the place though," opined Jimsy.
+
+"No doubt of that," replied Roy, "but that doesn't give us any clew to
+their identity beyond bare suspicions."
+
+"Yes, and suspicions aren't much good in law," chimed in Peggy,
+"they--Good gracious!"
+
+The door closed suddenly with a bang. Before Jimsy could spring across
+the room to open it there came a sharp click.
+
+"Somebody's padlocked it on the outside!" he cried.
+
+"And we're prisoners!" gasped Peggy.
+
+"Yes, and without any chance of getting out, either," declared Jimsy;
+"there's not even a window in the place."
+
+"Well this is worse and more of it," cried Roy. "Who can have done
+that?"
+
+"The same people that stole the _Golden Butterfly,"_ declared Peggy.
+"Hark!"
+
+Outside they heard rapidly retreating footsteps, followed by a harsh
+laugh.
+
+"Let us out!" shouted Roy.
+
+"You can stay there till judgment day, for all I care," came back a
+hoarse, rasping voice; "you kids were too fresh, and now you're getting
+what's coming to you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PRISONERS IN THE HUT.
+
+
+It was almost pitch dark within the hut. Only from a crack under the
+door could any light enter. For an instant after the taunting of the
+voices of the men who had locked them in reached their ears, the trio
+of youthful prisoners remained silent.
+
+Peggy it was who spoke first.
+
+"Well, what's to be done now?" she demanded.
+
+"We've got to get out of here," responded Jimsy, with embarrassing
+candor.
+
+"That's plain enough," struck in Roy; "but how do you propose to do it?"
+
+"I don't know; let's look about. Maybe there's a chimney or something."
+
+"There's no opening larger than that one where the stove pipe goes
+through. I've noticed that already," responded Roy.
+
+"Phew! This _is_ a fix for fair."
+
+"I should say so; but kicking about it won't help us at all. Let's make
+a thorough investigation."
+
+In the darkness they groped about, but could discover nothing that
+appeared to hold out a promise of escape. The two boys shook the door
+violently; but it was firm on its hinges.
+
+Next Roy proposed to cut a way through it with his pocket knife.
+
+"We'd be starved to death by the time you cut through that stuff,"
+declared Jimsy.
+
+In proof of this he kicked the door, and the resulting sound showed that
+it was built of solid wood without any thin panels which might be cut
+through.
+
+"What next?"
+
+Peggy asked the question as the two perspiring lads stood perplexed
+without speaking or moving.
+
+"Jiggered if I know," spoke Jimsy; "can't you or Roy think of anything?"
+
+"We might try to batter the door down with that table," suggested Roy.
+
+"It's worth trying. We've got to get out of here somehow."
+
+The two boys picked up the heavy, roughly made table and commenced a
+violent assault on the door. But although they dented it heavily, and
+sent some splinters flying, the portal held its own. At length they
+desisted from pure weariness. The situation looked hopeless.
+
+"It looks pretty bad," spoke Jimsy.
+
+"It does indeed," agreed Roy. "Peggy, I wish we hadn't brought you
+along."
+
+"And why, pray, Roy Prescott?"
+
+"Oh, because--because, well, this isn't the sort of thing for a girl."
+
+"Well, I guess if my brother can stand it I can," rejoined the girl,
+pluckily and in a firm voice.
+
+"Well, there's no use minimizing the fix we're in," declared Roy. "This
+is a lonesome bit of country. It may be a week before anyone will come
+around. We've just got to get out, that's all there is to it."
+
+"I wish you'd solve the problem then," sighed Jimsy; "it's too much
+for me."
+
+"I'll make another search of the premises, maybe we can stumble across
+something that may aid us. At any rate, it will give us something to do
+and keep our minds off the predicament we are in."
+
+Roy struck a match, of which he had a plentiful supply in his pockets.
+As the yellow flame sputtered up in the semi-gloom it showed every
+corner of the small hut. But it did not reveal anything that promised
+a chance to gain their liberty.
+
+All at once, just as the light was sputtering out, Peggy gave a cry.
+Her eye had been caught by a glistening metal object in one corner of
+the hut.
+
+"What is it?" asked Roy.
+
+"A gun--a shot-gun standing in that corner over there."
+
+"Huh!" sniffed Jimsy, "a lot of good that does us."
+
+"On the contrary," declared Peggy stoutly, "if it's loaded it may serve
+to get us free."
+
+"I'm from Missouri," declared Jimsy enigmatically.
+
+"What's your idea, sis?" asked Roy, who knew that Peggy's ideas were
+usually worth following up.
+
+"I remember reading only a short time ago of a man trapped much as we
+are who escaped by blowing off the lock of his prison with a gun he
+carried," replied Peggy; "maybe it would work in our case."
+
+"Maybe it would if--" rejoined Roy.
+
+"If what?"
+
+"If the gun was loaded, which is most unlikely."
+
+"Well, try it and see," urged Peggy.
+
+"Yes, do," echoed Jimsy; "Peggy's plan sounds like a good idea. Maybe
+some hunter left it here and the shells are still in it."
+
+"No harm in finding out anyway," declared Roy.
+
+He struck another match and picked up the gun. It was an antique looking
+weapon badly-rusted. But on opening the breech he uttered a cry of joy.
+
+"Good luck!" he exclaimed, "two shells,--one in each barrel."
+
+"Well, put it to the test," urged Jimsy.
+
+"All right. If this fails, though, I don't know what we'll do."
+
+"Don't worry about that now. Try it."
+
+"I'm going to. Don't get peevish."
+
+Roy crossed the room to the door. Raising the gun to his shoulder he
+placed the muzzle about opposite to where he thought the padlock must
+be located.
+
+"Look out for a big noise, sis," he warned.
+
+Peggy gave a little scream and raised her hands to her ears. She
+disliked firearms.
+
+"Ready?" sang out Jimsy.
+
+"All ready," came the reply.
+
+"Then fire!"
+
+Simultaneously with Jimsy's order came a deafening report. In that
+confined space it sounded as if a huge cannon had been fired. Roy
+staggered back under the "kick" of the heavy charge.
+
+"Once more," he announced.
+
+Again a sonorous report sounded, but this time a section of the door was
+blown right out of the framework. The daylight streamed in through it.
+
+"Now then for the test," cried Roy. "Come on, Jimsy."
+
+The two boys placed their shoulders to the door. With a suddenness that
+was startling, it burst open, and they faced freedom. The lock had been
+fairly driven from its hold by the twice repeated charge of shot.
+
+The young aviators were free once more. But it remained to be seen if
+the men who wished them harm had wrought their vengeance on the _Golden
+Butterfly_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+WHAT'S TO BE DONE WITH THE WREN?
+
+
+The _Golden Butterfly_, as an examination proved, had not been damaged
+during their imprisonment in the hut. Evidently, the men who had slammed
+the door and padlocked it had made off at top speed as soon as they had
+completed what they hoped would be a source of sore trouble to the young
+aviators.
+
+"And now we'll fly back as agreed," declared Peggy merrily.
+
+Her spirits, almost down to zero in the hut, had recovered themselves
+marvellously in the fresh open air. She was radiant.
+
+"I declare that the stay in the hut has done you good," declared Jimsy,
+looking at her admiringly.
+
+"Maybe it has--by contrast," returned Peggy.
+
+"Like a sea trip," put in Roy. "I've heard that people who suffer from
+sea sickness are so much relieved when they get ashore that they imagine
+their good spirits are due to a change in their condition."
+
+"Well, that applies to me," returned Peggy; "I didn't think we'd get out
+of that hut so easily. How do you suppose that gun came to be there?"
+
+"The hunters who use the hut must have left it there," rejoined Roy;
+"I wonder if they'll ever know how useful it was to us."
+
+"More likely they'll be mad when they find that the lock is blown off
+the door," laughed Jimsy.
+
+"Well, so-long, folks, I'm going to start back in the auto," declared
+Roy.
+
+"We'll beat you into town," challenged Jimsy.
+
+"More than likely, if the _Golden Butterfly_ is doing her best," was
+the rejoinder.
+
+Ten minutes later the two machines were racing back to Meadville at
+almost top speed. Of course the speedy _Golden Butterfly_ won, but then
+a vehicle of the air does not have to contend with the obstacles that a
+land conveyance does.
+
+They found Miss Prescott almost on the verge of hysterics. A garbled
+version of the events of the night had been brought to her and this,
+coupled with the long absence of the three young folks, had made her
+extremely nervous.
+
+"I declare, it seems as if you just can't keep out of trouble," she
+said.
+
+"Well, it actually does seem so, I admit," confessed Peggy; "but we
+promise to be very good for the rest of the trip."
+
+"And never trouble trouble till trouble troubles us," chanted Jimsy
+airily.
+
+"That's all very well, but you keep me continually in suspense as to
+what you'll do next," almost wailed Miss Prescott. "We set out for a
+quiet trip and encounter nothing but troubles--"
+
+"Adventures, Aunt Sally," laughingly corrected Roy; "what is life
+without adventures?"
+
+"Well, I'm sure I don't know what young people are coming to," sighed
+Miss Prescott with resignation. "There's another thing, what are we to
+do with this little Wren?"
+
+"We can't leave her here, that's certain," declared Peggy with
+vehemence.
+
+"No, indeed," echoed Jess and Bess, who were of the council.
+
+"Then what are we to do with her?"
+
+"Just tote her along, I suppose," rejoined Peggy; "poor little thing,
+she doesn't take up much room; besides, Jess thinks she's an heiress."
+
+They all laughed.
+
+"You must have had an overdose of Laura Jean Libby," declared Roy.
+
+"Roy Prescott, you behave yourself," cried Jess, flushing up; "besides,
+she has a strawberry mark on her left arm."
+
+"My gracious, then she surely is a missing heiress," exclaimed Jimsy
+teasingly; "all well-regulated missing heiresses have strawberry marks
+and almost always on their left arm."
+
+It was at this juncture that a knock came at the door. A bell boy stood
+outside.
+
+"A gentleman to see you, sir," he said, handing Roy a card.
+
+On it was printed: "Mr. James Kennedy, Detective, Meadville Police
+Station."
+
+"Goodness, a real detective!" exclaimed Jess excitedly; "let's see him."
+
+"You won't be much impressed I'm afraid," rejoined Roy with a smile
+at his recollection of the Meadville sleuths.
+
+"Why, doesn't he wear glasses, have a hawk-like nose and smoke a pipe?"
+inquired Bess.
+
+"And hunt up missing heiresses?" teasingly struck in Jimsy.
+
+"No, he's a very different sort of person. But hush! he's coming now."
+
+A heavy tread sounded in the hall and Mr. James Kennedy, Detective of
+the Meadville Police Force, stood before them. As Jimsy had said, he was
+not impressive as to outward appearance, although his fat, heavy face,
+and rather vacant eyes, might have concealed a giant intellect.
+
+"I've investigated the case of the attempted burning of the stable last
+night," he began.
+
+"Yes," exclaimed Roy eagerly. "Have you any suspicions as to who did
+it?"
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+"As yet we have no clews," he declared, "and I don't think we'll get
+any."
+
+"That's too bad," replied Roy, "but let me tell you something that may
+help you."
+
+The lad launched into a description of their adventures of the morning.
+
+"That hut belongs to Luke Higgins, a respectable man who is out West at
+present," said the detective when Roy had finished. "He uses it as a
+sort of hunting box in the rabbit shooting season. He couldn't have had
+anything to do with it."
+
+"I'd like to know his address so that I could write and thank him for
+leaving that gun there," declared Peggy warmly.
+
+The detective shook his head solemnly.
+
+"I reckon you young folks had better stop skee-daddling round the
+country this way," he said with heavy conviction; "you'll only get into
+more trouble. Flying ain't natural no more than crowing hens is."
+
+With this he picked up his hat, and, after assuring them that he would
+find a clew within a short time, he departed, leaving behind him a
+company in which amusement mingled with indignation. In fact, so angry
+was Roy over the stupidity or ignorance of the Meadville police, that he
+himself set out on a hunt to detect the authors of the outrages upon the
+young aviators.
+
+The sole result of his inquiry however was to establish the fact that
+both Cassells had left town, closing their house and announcing that
+they would be gone for some time.
+
+As there was nothing further to be gained by remaining in Meadville, the
+entire party, after lunch, set out once more, a big crowd witnessing the
+departure of the aerial tourists.
+
+They flew fast, and as the roads were excellent the auto had no
+difficulty in keeping up with them. On through the afternoon they soared
+along, sometimes swooping low above an alluring bit of scenery and again
+heading their machines skyward in pure exuberance of spirits. Their
+troubles at Meadville forgotten, they flew their machines like sportive
+birds; never had any of them experienced more fully the joy of flight,
+the sense of freedom that comes from traveling untrammeled into the
+ether.
+
+They had passed above a small village and were flying low, those in
+the auto waving to them, when Peggy, in the _Golden Butterfly_, gave
+a sudden exclamation.
+
+"Oh, look," she shouted, "a flock of sheep, and right in the path of
+the auto."
+
+At that moment all of them saw the sheep, a large flock, headed by a
+belligerent looking ram with immense horns. Jake, who was driving the
+car, slowed up as he approached the flock. The woolly herd, huddled
+together helplessly, made no effort to get out of the road. Behind them
+a man and a boy shouted and yelled vigorously, but with no more effect
+than to bunch the animals more squarely in the path of the advancing
+car.
+
+All at once, just as the car was slowed down to almost a walking pace,
+a big ram separated himself from the flock and actually rushed for the
+front seat of the car.
+
+Jake uttered a yell as the woolly creature gave him a hard butt,
+knocking him out of his seat. But this wasn't all.
+
+By some strange freak the animal had landed in the car in a sitting
+posture. Now the young aviators roared with laughter to behold the
+creature seated in Jake's forcibly vacated place. Its hoofs rested on
+the driving wheel.
+
+Forward plunged the car, its queer driver with his feet wedged in the
+spokes of the steering wheel. Aloft the flock of young aviators roared
+with laughter at the sight. It was the oddest experience they had yet
+had--this spectacle of a grave-looking, long-horned ram driving an auto,
+while Jake prudently kept out of reach of those horns. As for Miss
+Prescott and The Wren, they cowered back in the tonneau in keen alarm.
+
+"Oh!" cried Peggy suddenly, "there comes a runabout; that ram will
+surely collide with it!"
+
+A runabout coming in the opposite direction dashed round a corner of the
+country road at this juncture. The driver was a young girl, but she was
+veiled and her features could not be seen under the thick face covering.
+
+Apparently the ram saw the other car coming, for the animal actually
+appeared to make a halfway intelligent effort to steer the car out of
+the road.
+
+For her part the girl in the runabout swerved her car from side to side
+in a struggle to avoid a collision, which appeared inevitable.
+
+"Stop it!" shrieked Bess; "she'll be killed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A RAMBUNCTIOUS RAM.
+
+
+The ram evidently saw the other car coming; it tried to leap out but its
+hoofs were jammed in the spokes of the steering wheel. Before Jake could
+pick himself up from the floor of the front part of the car there came
+a loud shriek from the runabout. It was echoed by Miss Prescott and
+The Wren.
+
+Crash!
+
+The two cars came together with a fearful jolt.
+
+The eyes of the young aviators aloft were fixed on the scene. They saw
+the large car strike the runabout and crumple its engine hood. Peggy
+gave a scream.
+
+The ram, jolted out of its seat by the force of the collision, fell out
+to one side, allowing Jake to resume control of the wheel. But the
+runabout! It was ditched, its unfortunate occupant being pitched
+headlong into a ditch at the side of the road.
+
+Down swept the aeroplanes, and there was a wild rush to the rescue.
+Peggy, Jess and Bess ran to the side of the injured occupant of the
+strange runabout. The boys divided themselves, attending to everything.
+
+"Roy! Roy! hurry, she's unconscious!"
+
+The cry came from Peggy as she rushed to the side of the young motorist.
+
+Roy was not far off, and, at his sister's cry, he hastened to her side.
+Peggy had the girl's head in her lap.
+
+"Get water!" she cried.
+
+But Jimsy was already on hand with a collapsible aluminum cup full of
+water from a near by spring.
+
+"Oh, the poor dear," sighed Peggy, "to think that our fun should have--"
+
+The strange girl opened her eyes.
+
+"Who are you?" she exclaimed. "Where is my machine?"
+
+"Never mind for a minute," spoke Peggy, seeing that Jimsy and Jake were
+trying to drag the machine out of the ditch, "we'll fix it, never fear."
+
+"Oh, my head!" groaned the girl.
+
+"That pesky ram," exploded Roy angrily; "let me help you up into the
+road, you'll be more comfortable."
+
+"Oh, thank you, I can stand," came faintly from the injured girl.
+"I--am--much better now. What happened?"
+
+"Why a sort of volunteer driver was experimenting with our car, and
+I guess he made a mistake in driving," smilingly explained Roy.
+
+"Oh, that ram!" cried the girl half hysterically. "I thought I had
+a nightmare at first."
+
+"I don't blame you," smiled Peggy, "seeing a ram driving a motor car
+is apt to give one such ideas."
+
+"Are you really better?" asked Jess sympathetically as she came up.
+
+"Peggy, get my smelling salts out of the traveling bag!" cried Miss
+Prescott anxiously.
+
+The accident had disturbed her sadly. The only unperturbed one in the
+party was Jake. He took things with philosophical calm.
+
+"Knew more trouble was comin'," said he, and contented himself by
+dismissing the situation with that.
+
+"I've got good news for you," said Jimsy, coming up; "your car isn't
+hurt a bit."
+
+"Oh, good!" cried the girl, clasping her hands and flushing. Her veil
+was raised now and they saw that she was very blonde, very pretty and
+just now very pale.
+
+"My, what a rambunctious ram!" punned Roy; "he ramified all over,
+didn't he?"
+
+"Gracious, for a time I thought I was seeing things!" gasped the girl,
+who was seated on a tufted hummock of grass at the side of the road.
+
+"And then you felt them," laughed Jimsy. "That's the way such things
+run."
+
+They all laughed. Soon after, Roy, Jimsy and Jake dragged the small
+runabout out of the ditch. In the meantime Peggy had introduced herself
+and Jess to the young girl. The latter's name was Lavinia Nesbitt.
+She lived not far from the scene of the accident, and had been taking
+a jaunt in her machine.
+
+The runabout had been rescued, and the whole party introduced and
+talking merrily when Jess set up a cry.
+
+"Goodness! here comes that ram again!"
+
+Down the road, with the two sheep drivers at its heels, the beast was
+indeed coming. It advanced at a hard gallop, with head lowered and
+formidable horns ready for a charge, into the midst of the group.
+
+"Look out for him!" yelled the sheep herders.
+
+They needed no second injunction. All skipped adroitly out of the path
+of the oncoming beast, which was rushing on like a whirlwind. Jimsy
+proved equal to the emergency. From his aeroplane he took the rope which
+had already done good service in rescuing the _Golden Butterfly_ from
+the pond. He formed it into a loop--the lariat of the Western plains.
+
+"Now we've got him!" he exclaimed; "that is, if we are careful. But
+watch out!"
+
+"No danger of that," responded Peggy, from the vantage of the tonneau of
+the car; "but how are you going to rope him?"
+
+"Watch!"
+
+Jimsy began swinging his loop in ever widening circles. The ram was now
+within a few feet of him.
+
+"Oh, the _Dart_!" shrieked Bess; "he'll go right through it!"
+
+Indeed it did appear as if the maddened animal would. But just as there
+are many slips between cup and lip so there are many slips between the
+ram and the aeroplane.
+
+Just as it appeared that he would plow his way right through the
+delicate fabric, Jimsy hurled his loop. It settled round the animal's
+horns. Planting his heels in the ground Jimsy held tight to the rope.
+The next minute he "snubbed" it tight and the ram lost its feet and
+rolled over and over in the dust.
+
+Jake and Roy rushed in and completed the job of tying the creature.
+
+"Goodness, Jimsy, you're a regular broncho buster!" cried Peggy
+admiringly.
+
+"Oh, I learned to do some tricks with a rope with the horse hunters out
+in Nevada," was the response.
+
+But careless as his manner was, Jimsy's eyes glowed with triumph. It was
+plainly to be seen that he was delighted with his success. Just then the
+two sheep drivers came running up.
+
+The girls looked rather alarmed. Suppose they should blame them for
+trying to kidnap the ram.
+
+"I'll do the talking," declared Roy; "if you said anything, Jimsy, there
+might be a row."
+
+"All right," laughed Jimsy, regarding his "roped and tied captive."
+"I suppose you are an expert on dealing with ram owners."
+
+"Well, I'm on to their mental ramifications," laughed Roy.
+
+The sheep driver, an elderly man, accompanied by a youth, came up to
+them now. He touched his hat civilly as he approached.
+
+"Good afternoon. No one hurt, I hope," he said.
+
+The girls looked greatly relieved. After all, the man was not rude or
+angry as they had feared.
+
+"Oh, no, thank you," cried Jess, before Roy or Jimsy could open their
+mouths. "I hope he isn't though."
+
+"Hurt!" exclaimed the ram's owner, "why you couldn't hurt him with a
+steam hammer. Why, day 'afore yesterday the blame thing went for my
+wife. Hoofs and horns--yes, sir! Most knocked her down, he did. I'll
+fix him."
+
+"What's his name?" asked Bess.
+
+"Hannibal," said the man, without the flicker of a facial muscle.
+
+"I should think Cannonball would be a better name for him," struck in
+Jimsy, with that funny, serious face he always assumed when 'joshing'.
+
+"Yes, sir, I guess it _would_ be more appropriate at that," assented
+the man.
+
+He looked at the disabled machine.
+
+"Busted?" he asked with apparent concern.
+
+"To some extent," rejoined Roy, "only, except for that engine hood being
+dented there doesn't appear to be much the matter with it."
+
+"Glad to pay if there be," said the sheep driver. "I'm going ter git rid
+of ther pesky critter. He's cost me a lot in damage suits already."
+
+"Why don't you put him on the stage as the boxing ram, or something like
+that?" inquired Jimsy.
+
+"Might be a good scheme," said the man, as if considering the proposal
+seriously.
+
+"Mary had a little ram--" laughed Jimsy; who was thereupon told not
+to be "horrid."
+
+"Why don't you box the nasty thing's ears for riding in our car?" asked
+Roy of Peggy.
+
+"I'd like to do something, the saucy thing," declared Peggy with
+vehemence.
+
+"Tell you what! Let's buy him."
+
+The suggestion came from Jimsy.
+
+"Yes, and have his skin made up into an auto robe," suggested Roy.
+
+"If you boys aren't ridiculous," cried Peggy; "I want to forget the
+incident, and so I'm sure does Lavinia," the name of the girl who had
+been spilled out of her machine.
+
+"You may be sure I do," she declared with emphasis. "I was never so
+scared in my life."
+
+"Want to buy him?" asked the man, grasping at a chance of selling an
+animal that had already placed him in some embarrassing positions.
+
+"How much do you want?" asked Roy, more as a joke than anything else.
+
+"Three dollars," said the man.
+
+"There you are, girls! Who'll bid? Who'll bid? This fine young ram going
+at a sacrifice."
+
+Jimsy imitated an auctioneer, raising his voice to a sharp pitch.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+AN INVITATION TO RACE.
+
+
+It is almost needless to say that the purchase was not consummated. The
+girls raised a chorus of protest. The "nasty thing" was the mildest of
+the epithets they applied to the beast.
+
+"Well, I don't know. I thought we might have his skin done into a robe.
+We could give it as a prize to the girl that makes the best record on
+this motor flight," suggested Jimsy.
+
+"I wish you'd take him up a thousand feet and drop him," declared the
+unfortunate ram's owner.
+
+"Poor thing! he only acted according to his nature," defended Peggy;
+"let him loose and he'll go back to the flock."
+
+"Not him," declared his owner; "he'd only raise more Cain. Better let
+him be."
+
+But the girls raised a chorus of protest. It was a shame to leave the
+poor thing tied up, and they insisted that he be let loose.
+
+"All right, if you kin stand it I kin," grinned the man.
+
+He and the boy bent over the captive ram and cast him loose. The beast
+struggled to his feet, and for an instant stood glaring about him out
+of his yellowish eyes that gleamed like agates. But it was only for an
+instant that he remained thus.
+
+Suddenly he lowered his head and without more preliminaries dashed right
+at the _Golden Butterfly_.
+
+"Gracious, he's a game old sport!" yelled Jimsy; "Hasn't had enough of
+it yet, eh?"
+
+Right at the _Butterfly_ the ram rushed. Reaching it, with one bound he
+was in the chassis.
+
+"Now we'll get him," whispered the owner of the ram. "I told you if he
+was let go he'd start cutting up rough."
+
+"Well, you surely proved a good prophet," laughed Jimsy.
+
+"Now we've got to catch him," said the man.
+
+"How?" whispered Jimsy.
+
+"Someone must lasso him as you did before. Easy now. Don't scare him or
+he might do damage."
+
+The ram was seated in the aeroplane for all the world as if he was a
+scientific investigator of some sort. He paid no attention whatever to
+those who were creeping up on him, Jimsy with his rope in his hand, the
+loop trailing behind him all ready for action.
+
+"This is more fun than a deer hunt!" declared Roy.
+
+"Than a bull fight, you mean," retorted Jimsy; "this creature gives the
+best imitation of a wild bull I ever saw."
+
+They all laughed. The ram certainly had given a realistic interpretation
+of a savage Andalusian fighter.
+
+"Now then," whispered the sheep driver as they drew near. Jimsy's rope
+swirled and settled about the ram's horns. But the startled beast was
+due to give them another surprise. Hardly had Jimsy's rope fallen about
+it when with a snort it leaped clean in the air and out of the
+aeroplane. It tore like an express train straight at Jimsy.
+
+Before the boy could get out of its path "Biff!" the impact had come.
+Jimsy arose into the atmosphere and described a distinct parabola. He
+landed with a bump in a clump of bushes, while Mr. Ram rushed off down
+the road to join his flock.
+
+"Haw! haw! haw!" roared the sheep man; "ain't hurt, be you?"
+
+"No; but I've a good mind to sue you for damages," rejoined Jimsy,
+picking himself out of the clump of brush; "you've no right to drive an
+animal like that around the country without labeling him 'Dynamite.
+Dangerous'."
+
+"Guess I will, too," said the man, who appeared to think well of the
+suggestion; "he sure will get me in a pile of trouble one of these
+days."
+
+He raised his hat and strode off, followed by the boy. In the distance
+the ram was capering about among the other sheep. Jimsy brushed the dust
+off himself and then looked about him.
+
+"Anybody laughing?" he demanded suspiciously.
+
+They all shook their heads, the girls biting their lips to avoid
+smiling.
+
+"All right then, I suggest that we get out of here right away; a tiger's
+liable to come striding out of those woods next."
+
+"Yes; we'd better be getting along; Millbrook, our next stop, is several
+miles off," said Peggy, consulting the map.
+
+No further time was lost in resuming their rapid flight. In the
+distance, as the flock of aeroplanes arose, the sheep man waved his
+hat and shouted his adieus.
+
+Millbrook was reached that evening just at dusk. It proved to be a
+fair-sized town, and the aeroplanes excited as much curiosity there as
+they had in Meadville--more so, in fact, for, from some flaring posters,
+it appeared that an aeroplane exhibition and race had been arranged for
+the next day by a traveling company of aviators. That evening, at the
+hotel, a deputation of citizens waited on the boys and asked them if
+they would not prolong their stay and take part in the air sports. The
+mayor, whose name was Jasper Hanks, mentioned a prize of five hundred
+dollars for an endurance flight as a special inducement.
+
+The lads said they would think things over and report in the morning.
+Their real object in delaying their decision was, of course, to consult
+the girls about appearing. Peggy, Jess and Bess went into raptures over
+the idea, and Miss Prescott's consent was readily obtained.
+
+"I'll be glad to rest for a day after all our exciting times," she
+declared, "and I mean to add to Wren's outfit too."
+
+"Oh, how good you are to me," sighed the odd little figure, nestling
+close to her benefactress.
+
+"Tush! tush, my dear! I'm going to make a wonderful girl out of you,"
+beamed the kindly lady.
+
+Descending to the office to buy some postcards, the boys found, lounging
+about the desk, a stoutish man with a rather dissipated face, puffy
+under the eyes and heavy about the jaws. A bright red necktie and
+patent-leather boots with cloth tops accentuated the decidedly "noisy"
+impression he conveyed.
+
+As the boys came down he eyed them sharply. Then he addressed them.
+
+"My name's Lish Kelly," he said. "I'm manager of the United Aviators'
+Exhibition Company. We're showing out at the City Park tomorrow.
+I understand that you kids have been asked to butt in."
+
+"We've been asked to participate, if that's what you mean," rejoined Roy
+rather sharply. The fellow's manner was offensive and overbearing.
+
+"Well, see here, you stay out," rejoined the man, shaking a fat
+forefinger on which glistened a diamond ring of such proportions as
+to make it dubious if it boasted a genuine stone.
+
+"You stay out of it," he repeated.
+
+Roy and Jimsy were almost dumfounded. The man's tone was one of actual
+command.
+
+"Why? Why should we stay out of it?" demanded Roy.
+
+"The mayor of the town has asked us to take part," came from Jimsy;
+"what have you got to do with it?"
+
+"It's this way," said the man in rather a less overbearing way than he
+had hitherto adopted; "we're going about the country giving flights. The
+city gives us the park in this town and we get so much of the receipts.
+But we rely on winning the prizes, see. Now if you kids butt in, why
+you might win some of them and that knocks my profit out. Get me?"
+
+"I understand you, if that's what you mean," rejoined Roy; "but I still
+fail to see why we should not compete if we want to."
+
+The man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder impressively.
+
+"'Cos if you do it'll make trouble for you, sonny."
+
+"Who'll make it?" flashed back Roy indignantly.
+
+"I will, son, and I'm some trouble maker when I start anything along
+them lines, take it from me."
+
+He turned on his heel, stuck his cigar at a more acute angle in the side
+of his mouth, and strode off, leaving the two boys dumfounded.
+
+"Well, what do you make of that?" demanded Roy, as soon as his
+astonishment had subsided a trifle.
+
+"Just this, that Mr. Lish Kelly thinks he can run this thing to suit
+himself."
+
+"What will we do about it?"
+
+"For my part I wanted to compete before. I desire to more than ever
+now."
+
+"Same here."
+
+"Maybe he was only bluffing after all."
+
+"Maybe; but just the same I wouldn't trust him not to try to do us some
+harm. As he says, his main profits come from winning the prizes offered
+by the different communities."
+
+"Humph! well, so far as that goes, I don't see why that need keep us out
+of it."
+
+"Nor I; but we've had troubles enough, and I don't want willingly to run
+into any more."
+
+"Nor I. Well, let's sleep on it. We'll decide in the morning."
+
+"That's a good idea."
+
+The two lads went up to bed and slept as only healthy lads can. The next
+morning dawned bright and clear. There was hardly any wind. It was real
+"flying" weather. The aeroplanes had been sheltered in a big shed
+belonging to the hotel. Before breakfast the boys went out and looked
+them over. All were in good shape.
+
+As they were coming out of the shed they were hailed by no less a
+personage than Mayor Hanks.
+
+"Well," said he, "are you going to fly?"
+
+"We think of doing so," said Roy, hesitating a little. He wanted to
+speak of the conduct of Lish Kelly, but on second thought he decided not
+to; the man might merely have had a fit of bad temper on him. His
+threats might have been only empty ones.
+
+"If you're going to fly I have got some entry blanks with me," said the
+mayor. "I wish you'd sign 'em."
+
+He drew out a bunch of blue papers with blanks for describing the name
+of the machine, its power, driver and other details.
+
+This decided the boys.
+
+"All right, we'll enter all our machines," said Roy; "let us go into the
+writing room and we'll sign the entry blanks."
+
+"Good for you," cried the mayor delightedly; "you'll be a big drawing
+card, especially the young ladies. I never heard of gals flyin',
+although, come to think of it, why shouldn't they?"
+
+In the writing room they concluded the business. When it was done all
+the machines had been entered in every contest, including an altitude
+one.
+
+"We start at ten sharp, so be there," admonished the mayor as he
+departed, highly pleased at having secured quite a flock of young
+aviators at no cost at all.
+
+It was as his figure vanished, that Lish Kelly crossed the writing room.
+He had been sitting in a telephone booth, and leaving the door a crack
+open had heard every word that had passed.
+
+He greeted the boys with an angry scowl.
+
+"So you ain't going to stay out?" he said gruffly, as he passed. "All
+right; look out for squalls!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE TWISTED SPARK PLUG.
+
+
+"Gracious, are we in for more trouble?"
+
+Jimsy looked blankly at Roy; but the latter only laughed at his chum's
+serious face.
+
+Somehow, viewed in the bright light of early day, Lish Kelly's threats
+did not appear nearly as formidable as they had over night.
+
+"Nonsense; what harm can he do us anyhow? We're going to go into this
+race, and we're going to win too. Just watch us."
+
+"Going to tell the girls anything about Kelly and his remarks?"
+
+"No; what good would that do? It would only scare them."
+
+"That's so, too; but just the same I didn't like the look of Kelly's
+face when he came through."
+
+"He looked to me like a bulldog that had swallowed a baby's boot and
+didn't like the taste of the blacking on it," laughed Roy.
+
+At this juncture the girls came into the room. All were radiant and
+smiling in anticipation of the day's sport.
+
+"Well, we've been and gone and done it," announced Roy.
+
+"Done what?" demanded Peggy.
+
+"Signed the paperrr-r-r-s," was the rejoinder, rendered with great
+dramatic effect.
+
+He waved the duplicate entry blanks above his head.
+
+"Let's see them," begged Jess.
+
+"All right. Look what I've let us in for!"
+
+"Why--why--good gracious, Roy, you've got us down for everything,"
+gasped Peggy.
+
+"That's right, all the way across from soup to nuts," struck in the
+slangy Jimsy.
+
+They all laughed. The color rose in the girls' faces.
+
+"If only we can win some of them," cried Jess.
+
+"Well, the machines are all in fine shape. If we don't win it will be
+because the other fellows have better machines."
+
+"Where are the aviation grounds?" inquired Bess.
+
+"At the City Park, about a mile out of town to the south. We can get to
+it by looking down at the trolley tracks," said Roy, who had consulted
+the mayor on this point.
+
+"Then you are going to fly out there?" asked Miss Prescott, who was also
+by this time a party to the conference.
+
+"Of course; and, by the way, we ought to be getting out there pretty
+soon; I want to be looking over the grounds and selecting the best
+places for landing and so on," said Roy.
+
+"Well, please don't get into any more scrapes," sighed Miss Prescott;
+"what with gipsies, firebugs and rams, our trip has been quite exciting
+enough for me."
+
+The boys exchanged glances. If the man Kelly tried to carry out his
+threats things might be more exciting yet, they thought. But both kept
+their knowledge to themselves.
+
+It was arranged that Miss Prescott should motor out to the City Park.
+Soon thereafter the young aviators placed finishing touches on their
+machines, and while a curious crowd gathered they took to the air.
+
+"Looks just like a flock of pigeons," said a man in the crowd, as they
+climbed skyward quite closely bunched.
+
+"It sure does," agreed his companion, "but them things is prettier than
+any flock of pigeons I ever see."
+
+And this opinion was echoed by many of the throng. At any rate everyone
+who saw the aeroplanes start made up his or her mind to pay a visit to
+the park and see some more extended flights, so that Mayor Hanks'
+prediction was verified.
+
+As the young aviators hovered above City Park for a short space of time,
+and then dropped earthward, a veritable sensation was created. From a
+row of "hangars" mechanicians and aviators came running. One or two
+aviators who were aloft practicing "stunts," dropped swiftly to earth.
+Lish Kelly's troupe was a large one, consisting of five men and one
+woman flyer, the wife of Carlos Le Roy, a Cuban aviator.
+
+Outside the grounds several of the frugal individuals who desired to see
+the flights without paying admission also watched as the quintette of
+strange aeroplanes dropped to earth.
+
+One by one the graceful craft of the air settled to the ground, and the
+young aviators alighted. Members of the Arrangement Committee hastened
+to their sides, shaking hands warmly and thanking them for their
+interest in the coming contests.
+
+The Kelly aviators gazed curiously, some of them resentfully, at the
+newcomers. They had all the professional's antipathy and jealousy of
+amateur performers. As the Arrangement Committee bustled off after
+telling our friends to make themselves perfectly at home, Pepita Le Roy
+came up to them. She was a handsome woman, in a foreign way, with large,
+dark eyes and an abundance of raven black hair. She was rather flashily
+dressed and walked with a sort of swagger that in a vague way reminded
+Peggy of "Carmen."
+
+"So you are zee girl aviators," she remarked, as she came up.
+
+"Yes; I guess that's what they call us," rejoined Peggy; "we enjoy
+flying and have done a lot of it."
+
+"So! I have read your names in zee papers."
+
+"Oh, those awful papers!" cried Jess, who hated publicity; "they are
+always printing things about us."
+
+"What! You do not like it?"
+
+"Oh, no! You see, we only fly for fun. Not as a business and--"
+
+Peggy stopped short. She felt she had committed a grave breach of
+tactfulness. It was not the thing, she felt, to boast to a professional
+woman flyer of their standing as amateurs.
+
+Nor was the Cuban woman slow to take umbrage at what she considered an
+insult. Her eyes flashed indignantly as she regarded the fair-haired,
+slender girl before her.
+
+"So you fly only for fun," she said vehemently; "very well, you have all
+zee fun you want before to-day is ovaire."
+
+Without another word she walked off, with the swinging walk of her race.
+
+The girls looked at each other with a sort of amused dismay.
+
+"Goodness, Peggy; you should be more careful," cried Bess; "you've hurt
+her feelings dreadfully."
+
+"I'm sure I didn't mean to," declared Peggy remorsefully. "I--I had no
+idea that she would flare up like that."
+
+"Well, after all, it doesn't matter much," soothed Jess, pouring oil on
+the troubled waters, so to speak. "I'm glad the boys didn't hear it
+though."
+
+"So am I. See, they're busy on Roy's machine," exclaimed Bess.
+
+"Yes; the lower left wing is rather warped," explained Peggy; "they are
+fixing it."
+
+"Wonder who that man is who is monkeying with the _Red Dragon_?" said
+Peggy, the next instant. "I mean that horrid looking man in the check
+suit."
+
+"I don't know. See, he has a monkey wrench in his hand, too," exclaimed
+Bess.
+
+Almost simultaneously the boys looked round from their work on the
+biplane and saw the man. It was Lish Kelly. He was bending over the
+engine and doing something to it with his wrench.
+
+"Hey! What are you doing there?" yelled Roy.
+
+"Just looking at your machine. No harm in that, is there?" demanded
+Kelly, with a red face.
+
+"None at all, except that we don't want our machines touched. How comes
+it you have that monkey wrench in your hands if you weren't tampering
+with the machinery?"
+
+Jimsy spoke in a voice that fairly bubbled over with indignation.
+
+"Don't get sore, kid; I wouldn't harm your old mowing machine. There
+isn't one of mine but could beat it the fastest day it ever flew."
+
+As he spoke Kelly slouched off. They saw him go up to a group of his
+aviators and begin talking earnestly to them. Once or twice he motioned
+with his head in their direction.
+
+"So he _does_ mean mischief, after all," said Roy; "let's take a good
+look at the _Dragon's_ engine. He may have injured it, although I don't
+think he'd have had time to hurt it seriously."
+
+They strolled over to the _Dragon_, with the girls trailing behind.
+
+"Oh!" cried Peggy, as they came up, "look at that spark plug."
+
+"What's the matter with it?" demanded Jimsy,
+
+"Look, it's all bent and twisted out of shape."
+
+"Jove, sis, so it is. Your eyes are as sharp as they are pretty!"
+cried Roy.
+
+"No compliments, please. Oh, that horrid man!"
+
+"Who is he?" asked Jess. "You appeared to know him."
+
+"Yes, we had some conversation with him this morning," laughed Roy; "but
+to return to the spark plug; it's a good thing we carry extra ones."
+
+"But we don't!" cried Jimsy, in a dismayed tone.
+
+"What! you had a supply in a locker on your machine."
+
+Jimsy looked confused.
+
+"I've got to make a confession," he said.
+
+"You didn't bring them!" cried Peggy.
+
+"No, the fact is I--I forgot."
+
+Jimsy looked miserably from one to the other. Here was a quandary
+indeed. It might prove hard to get such a commodity as a spark plug in
+Millbrook.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+IN SEARCH OF A NEW PLUG.
+
+
+It was while they were still discussing the situation that the
+automobile with Jake at the wheel and Miss Prescott and The Wren in
+the tonneau, drove into the grounds. What a difference there was in
+the child since her benefactors had fitted her out! She looked like
+a dainty, ethereal little princess instead of the ragged little waif
+that had been rescued from the gipsy camp.
+
+But the minds of our young friends were now intent on different matters.
+Time pressed. The altitude flight, in which Jimsy had planned to take
+part, was to be the first thing on the program. If anything was to be
+done about reequipping the _Dragon_ it must be done quickly.
+
+"Tell you what," said Roy suddenly, "we'll get into the car and drive
+back to town. It won't take long and maybe we can dig up an extra one
+some place."
+
+"If we don't I'm out of it for keeps," groaned Jimsy; "oh, that Kelly.
+I'd like to punch his head."
+
+He doubled up his fists aggressively; but, after all, what chance had he
+to prove that Kelly had actually damaged the plug. If confronted the man
+would have probably denied all knowledge of it. Nobody had actually seen
+him do it, so that positive proof was out of the question. No, they must
+repair the damage as best they could.
+
+But Roy determined to have the machines closely guarded. The situation
+was explained to Miss Prescott, and while she and her small protege took
+seats in the grand stand Jake was detailed to guard the aeroplanes. This
+done, the boys got into the machine and prepared to start for town. But
+the girls interfered.
+
+"Aren't you going to take us along, you impolite youths!" cried Bess.
+
+"Oh, certainly, your company is always charming," returned Jimsy, with
+a low bow.
+
+"Of course it is, but you wouldn't have asked us to come if we had not
+invited ourselves," declared Peggy vehemently.
+
+"How can you say so? Our lives would be a dry desert without the girl
+aviators to liven things up," declared Jimsy.
+
+"Jimsy Bancroft, if you are going to get poetical you'll leave this
+car," cried Jess.
+
+"That's just it," declared Jimsy, "girls can cry their eyes out over
+romantic heroes, but when a regular fellow starts to get 'mushy' they
+go up in the air."
+
+Amidst the chorus of protestations aroused by this ungallant speech Roy
+started the car. Swiftly it sped out of the grounds; but not so swiftly
+that the keen eyes of Lish Kelly did not see it.
+
+He called Herman Le Roy, the Cuban aviator, to him.
+
+"Le Roy, you are not in the altitude contest," he said, "hop in my car
+with me and we'll follow those kids. They're up to something."
+
+The Cuban looked at him and smiled, showing two rows of white teeth
+under his small, dapperly curled mustache.
+
+"I think, Senor Kelly, you have been up to something yourself."
+
+"Well, you know what I told you. We want that five-hundred-dollar prize,
+Carlos, and by the looks of things if we don't do something those kids
+are likely to get it."
+
+"They have fine machines," agreed the other.
+
+"Yes; and they are equipped with a balancing device that makes them much
+more reliable than ours."
+
+"A balancing device!" exclaimed the Cuban, as the two men got into the
+car, a small yellow runabout of racy appearance.
+
+"That's what I said, and it's a good one, too. I read an account of it
+in an aviation paper; but the description was too sketchy for me to see
+how the thing was worked."
+
+"Those boys must be wonders."
+
+"I'm afraid they are. That's why we've got to be careful of them. But
+I've got a plan to fix them, the whole lot of them."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"I'll tell you as we go along."
+
+As the car rolled past the group of aeroplanes with Jake faithfully
+standing guard over them, Kelly hailed him in a suave voice.
+
+"Any idea where the young folks have gone?"
+
+Jake, who had no idea that Kelly had a sinister motive in asking the
+question, replied readily enough.
+
+"Yes, they've gone into Millbrook to get another spark plug. Something
+happened to one of the plugs of that red machine yonder."
+
+"All right. Thanks."
+
+Kelly drove on.
+
+"Do you know what happened to that plug, Carlos?" he asked, as they
+reached the open road and bowled forward at a good speed.
+
+"I've got a pretty good guess. It was not altogether an accident, eh?"
+
+"An accident, well, it was, in a sense. I happened to be near that
+machine with a monkey wrench and in some way was careless enough to
+let it put that plug out of business."
+
+Both men laughed heartily, as if Kelly's rascally act had been the most
+amusing thing in the world.
+
+"You are a genius," declared Le Roy.
+
+"Well, I reckon I know a thing or two," was the modest response;
+"besides, I need that money."
+
+"But what is your plan?"
+
+"I'll tell you as we go along. Drive fast, but don't keep so close to
+that other car that they can get sight of us."
+
+"Not much fear of that. They had a long start of us and are out of
+sight now."
+
+"So much the better. It doesn't interfere with my plans a bit, provided
+they take the same road back."
+
+"What do you mean to do?"
+
+"Are you good with a shovel?" was the cryptic reply.
+
+"I don't understand you, I must say."
+
+"You will later on. We'll drive up to that farmhouse yonder."
+
+"Yes, and what then?"
+
+"We'll borrow two shovels."
+
+"Two shovels!"
+
+"That's what I said."
+
+"But what on earth have two shovels to do with stopping a bunch of kids
+from entering in an aeroplane race?"
+
+"Carlos, your brain is dull to-day."
+
+"It would take a wizard to understand what you intend to do."
+
+"Well, you will see later on. Drive in this gate. That's it, and now
+for the shovels."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE TRAP.
+
+
+For more than half an hour eager inquiries were made in Millbrook for a
+spark plug such as they wanted. But all their search was to no avail.
+But suddenly, just as they were about to give up in despair, a man, of
+whom they had made inquiries, recalled that not far out of town there
+was a small garage.
+
+"We'll try there," determined Jimsy.
+
+Finding out the road, they speeded to the place. It did not look very
+promising, a small, badly fitted up auto station, run by an elderly
+man with red-rimmed, watery eyes, looking out from behind a pair of
+horn spectacles that somehow gave him the odd look of a frog.
+
+"Got any spark plugs?" asked Jimsy, as the machine came to a halt.
+
+"Yes, all kinds," said the man, in a wheezy, asthmatic voice that
+sounded like the exhaust of a dying-down engine.
+
+"Good!" cried Jimsy, hopping out of the car.
+
+"That is, we will have all kinds next week," went on the man; "I've
+ordered 'em."
+
+"Goodness, then you haven't any right now?"
+
+"I've got a few. Possibly you might find what you want among them."
+
+"I'll try, anyway," declared Jimsy.
+
+The man led the way into a dingy sort of shed. On a shelf in a dusty
+corner was a box.
+
+"You can hunt through that," said the man wearily; "if you find what you
+want wake me up."
+
+"Wake you up?"
+
+"Yes, I always take a sleep at this time of day. You woke me up when you
+came in. Now I'm going to doze off again."
+
+So saying he sank into a chair, closed his eyes and presently was
+snoring.
+
+"Dead to the world!" gasped Jimsy; "well, that's the quickest thing
+in the sleep line I ever saw!"
+
+As it was no use to waste further time the boy began rummaging in the
+box. It contained all sorts of odds and ends, among them several plugs.
+
+"I'll bet there isn't one here that will fit my engine!" grumbled Jimsy;
+"I don't--what! Yes! By Jiminy! Eureka! Hurray, I've found one!"
+
+The man woke up with a start.
+
+"What's the matter?" he demanded drowsily.
+
+"Nothing! That is, everything!" cried Jimsy. "I've found just what I
+want."
+
+"All right. Leave the money on that shelf there. It's a dollar."
+
+So saying, off he went to sleep again, while Jimsy, overjoyed, hastily
+peeled a dollar from his "roll" and departed. The last sound he heard
+was the steady snoring of the garage man.
+
+"Well, there's one fellow that money can't keep awake, even if it does
+talk," said Jimsy laughingly to himself as, with a cry of triumph, he
+rejoined the party, waving the plug like a banner or an emblem of
+victory.
+
+No time was lost in starting the auto up again and they whirled back
+through Millbrook in a cloud of dust. Passing through the village they
+retraced their way along the road by which they had come.
+
+"Just half an hour before that altitude flight," remarked Jimsy to Roy,
+who was driving, as they sped through the town.
+
+"Fine; we'll make it all right," was the rejoinder. Roy turned on more
+power and the auto shot ahead like some scared wild thing.
+
+"We'll only hit the high spots this trip," declared Roy, as the machine
+plunged and rolled along at top speed.
+
+All at once, as they turned a corner, they received a sudden check.
+Right ahead of them a man was driving some cows. Roy jammed down the
+emergency brake, causing them all to hold on for dear life to avoid
+being pitched out by the sudden change of speed.
+
+"Wow! what a jolt!" exclaimed Jimsy; "it sure did----"
+
+The sentence was never completed. The auto gave a pitch sideways and
+then plunged into a pit that had been dug across the road and covered
+with leaves and dust placed on a framework of branches. Down into this
+pit crashed the machine with a sickening jolt. The girls screamed aloud
+in fear. It appeared as if the machine would be a total wreck.
+
+But that was not the worst of it. In the sudden fall into the pit Roy
+had been pitched out and now lay quite still at the roadside. Jimsy had
+saved himself from being thrown by clutching tight hold of the seat.
+
+He stopped the engine and then clambering out of the car hastened to
+Roy's side. To his delight, just as he reached him, Roy sat up, and
+although his face was drawn with pain he declared that his injuries
+consisted of nothing more serious than a sprained ankle.
+
+"But look at the machine!" cried Jimsy; "it's smashed, I'm sure of it."
+
+The pit which had been dug across the road was about three feet deep and
+the front wheels of the auto rested in it. The hind wheels had not
+entered, as the excavation was not a wide one.
+
+Both boys hastened to examine the car. To their satisfaction they found
+that not much damage had been done beyond a slight wrenching of the
+steering gear. This was due to the fact that they had been going at
+reduced speed.
+
+"Gracious! Suppose we had been coming along at the same pace we'd been
+hitting up right along," exclaimed Jimsy.
+
+"We wouldn't be here now," declared Roy; "we'd be in the next county
+or thereabouts."
+
+"Yes, we'd have kept right on going," agreed Jimsy; "talk about flying!
+But, say, who can have done this?"
+
+"Not much doubt in my mind it's the work of that outfit of Kelly's. He
+told us to look out for trouble, and he appears to be making it for us."
+
+"The precious rascal; he might have broken all our necks."
+
+"That's true, if we'd been hitting up high speed."
+
+"How are we going to get out of this?"
+
+Peggy asked the question just as the man who had been driving the cattle
+came running up.
+
+"What's the trouble?" he asked, gazing at the odd scene.
+
+"You can see for yourself," rejoined Roy; "some rascals dug a trench
+across the road so as to wreck our machine if possible."
+
+"Humph! So I see," was the rejoinder; "how be you goin' ter git out of
+thar?"
+
+"That's a problem. If we could get a team of horses----" The man
+interrupted Roy, who was acting as spokesman.
+
+"Tell you what, two of my cattle back thar are plow oxen. I'll go back
+to ther farm, git their yokes on 'em and yank you out of here. That is
+pervidin' you pay me, uv course."
+
+"Don't worry about that. We're willing to pay anything in reason."
+
+"All right, then, I'll hook up Jeb and Jewel."
+
+The man walked back toward his cattle, which were contentedly browsing
+at the side of the road. Clucking in an odd manner, he drove two of them
+out of the herd and started back toward a farmhouse which was not far
+distant. In a wonderfully short time he was back with his oxen in
+harness.
+
+"Gee, Jeb! Haw, Jewel!" he cried, as he came up. The oxen swung round
+and the heavy chain attached to their yoke was hitched to the front axle
+of the car.
+
+"Now for it!" cried Roy, when this had been done.
+
+"Git ap!" shouted the man.
+
+The slow but powerful oxen strained their muscular backs. The chain
+tightened and the next moment the car, from which Peggy and Jess and
+Bess had alighted, rose from the pit. Then the hind wheels dropped into
+it with a bump, but the shock absorbers prevented serious damage. With
+the oxen straining and pulling it was finally hauled into the road and
+they were ready to resume the trip.
+
+Roy rewarded their helper with a substantial bill, and they were all
+warm in their thanks.
+
+"'Twasn't nuthin'," declared the man, "an' now I guess I'll go to ther
+house and have my hired man fill in this road. Things is come to a fine
+pass when such things kin happen."
+
+As the rescued party sped on toward the aviation field they fully agreed
+with the rustic's opinion. Had it not been for sheer luck they would
+have suffered extremely serious consequences as the result of a rascal's
+device. But as it was Kelly's plot against them appeared to have failed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+AN ATTACK IN THE AIR.
+
+
+"B-o-o-m!"
+
+The sound of a gun crashed out as the auto sped through the gates of the
+aviation field and rapidly skimmed across to where the aeroplanes had
+been parked.
+
+"Just in time!" cried Peggy; "that's the five-minute warning gun."
+
+By this time the grandstand was well filled and a band was playing
+lively airs. At the starting line three of the Kelly aeroplanes were
+gathered ready for the signal for the start of the altitude flight. The
+instant the car came to a standstill Jimsy was out and in a jiffy had
+the new spark plug adjusted. There was no time to test it, but he felt
+pretty confident that it would work all right.
+
+"All ready!" shouted the official in charge of the starting
+arrangements.
+
+"Ready!" rejoined Jimsy heartily, as he adjusted his leather helmet and
+Jake and Roy started the engine.
+
+Kelly, whose back had been turned while he talked to some of his troup,
+faced round at the sound of the boy's voice.
+
+"What, you here!" he choked out, his face purple.
+
+"Yes; do you know any reason why I shouldn't be?" asked Jimsy, with
+meaning emphasis.
+
+Under the lad's direct gaze Kelly's eyes fell. He couldn't face the lad,
+but turned away.
+
+"There, if that isn't proof of his guilt I'd like to know what is,"
+declared Jimsy to Roy.
+
+"But the rascal covered up his tracks so cleverly that we can't prove
+anything on him," muttered Roy disgustedly.
+
+At the same instant the starting bomb boomed out. The crowd yelled, and
+the drummer of the band pounded his instrument furiously. Above the
+uproar sounded the sharp, crackerlike report of the motors. As more
+power was applied they roared like batteries of Gatling guns.
+
+Into the air shot one of them, a black biplane. It was followed by the
+others, two monoplanes and a triplane. Jimsy ascended last, but as this
+was not a race, but a cloud-climbing contest, he was in no hurry. He was
+anxious to see what the other air craft could do.
+
+Up they climbed, ascending the aerial stairway, while the crowd below
+stared up, at the risk of stiff necks in the immediate future.
+
+Jimsy chose spiraling as his method of rising. But the others went
+upward in curious zigzags. This was because their machines were not
+equipped with the stability device, and they could not attempt the same
+tactics. Before long Jimsy was high above the others. From below he
+appeared a mere dot in the blue. But still he flew on.
+
+Once he glanced at his barograph. It showed he had ascended 5,000
+feet. It was higher than the boy had ever been before, but he kept
+perseveringly on.
+
+It was cold up there in the regions of the upper air, and Jimsy found
+himself wishing he had put on a sweater.
+
+"It's too long a drop to go down and get one," he remarked to himself,
+with grim humor.
+
+Beneath him he could see the other aeroplanes; but the black one was the
+only one that appeared to be a serious rival. The rest did not seem to
+be trying very hard to reach a superlative height. The black machine,
+however, was steadily rising. After a while Jimsy could see the face of
+its occupant. It was the Cuban, Le Roy.
+
+"Now, what's he trying to do, I wonder?" thought Jimsy, as the black
+biplane rose to the same level as himself and appeared to be going
+through some odd maneuvering.
+
+"That's mighty funny," mused the boy, watching his rival; "I can't make
+out what he's up to."
+
+Indeed the black biplane was behaving queerly. Now it would swoop toward
+Jimsy and then would dart, only to return. Suddenly it came driving
+straight at him.
+
+It was then that Jimsy suddenly realized what his rival was trying to
+do. To use a slangy but expressive phrase, Le Roy, the veteran aviator,
+was trying to rattle the boy.
+
+"So that's his game, is it," thought Jimsy; "well, I'll give him a
+surprise."
+
+Manipulating his spark and gas levers the boy gave his graceful red
+craft full power. The Dragon shot sharply upward, crossing Le Roy's
+machine about twenty feet above its upper plane. Jimsy laughed aloud at
+the astonished expression on the man's face as he skimmed above him.
+
+"I reckon he'll think that I do know something about driving an
+aeroplane, after all," he chuckled as he rose till his barograph
+recorded 6,000 feet.
+
+Beneath him he could see Le Roy starting to descend. Something appeared
+to be wrong with the black biplane's motor. It acted sluggishly.
+
+"Well, as he's going down I guess I will, too," said Jimsy to himself;
+"6,000 feet is by no means a record, but it's high enough for me."
+
+Suddenly he was plunged into what appeared to be a wet and chilly fog.
+In reality it was a cloud that had drifted in on him. It grew suddenly
+cold with an almost frosty chill. The moisture of the cloud drenched him
+to the skin. The lad shivered and his teeth chattered, but he kept
+pluckily to his task.
+
+Before long he emerged into the sunlight once more. The crowd which had
+thrilled when the young aviator vanished into the vapor set up a yell
+when he reappeared. But at the height he was Jimsy, of course, did not
+hear it.
+
+But as he dropped lower the shouts and cheers became plainly audible.
+The lad waved his hand in acknowledgment. Then, as he neared the ground,
+he put his machine through a series of graceful evolutions that set the
+crowd wild.
+
+"The altitude flight is won by Number Four," announced the officials
+after they had examined the barograph; "with a height of 6,000 feet.
+Number Four is Mr. James Bancroft."
+
+"Gee; that sounds real dignified," laughed Jimsy; "it's a treat to be
+treated with becoming dignity once in a while."
+
+The next flight was a race six times round the course. This was won
+by one of the Kelly flyers. Then came an endurance contest which Roy
+captured handily and some exhibition flying in which Bess did some
+clever work and was delighted to find herself a winner.
+
+It was soon after this that the gun was fired as a note of warning that
+the big race was about to begin.
+
+Peggy's _Golden Butterfly_ and Roy's entry, the _Red Dragon_, borrowed
+for this race because the biplane was too heavy and clumsy for such
+fast work, were wheeled to the starting line. Already three of Kelly's
+machines were there, among them being that of Senora Le Roy, or, as she
+was billed, the Cuban Skylark, the Only Woman Flyer in the World. It
+appeared now that she had small claim to the title. The crowd set up
+a cheer for her as she took her seat in a neat-looking monoplane of
+the Bleriot type.
+
+But when Peggy's dapper figure, smartly attired in her aviation costume,
+appeared a still louder shout went up.
+
+Kelly scowled blackly. He stepped up to his flyers.
+
+"You've got to win this race or get fired," he snarled.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+PEGGY'S SPLENDID RACE.
+
+
+"They're off!"
+
+"Hurrah!"
+
+"There they go!"
+
+These and hundreds of other cries and exclamations followed the report
+of the starting gun. The Cuban woman flyer was off first, then came two
+other of the professional flyers, while Roy and Peggy got away last.
+
+The race was to be sixty miles out to a small body of water called Lake
+Loon and return. A trolley line ran past the aviation grounds and out to
+the lake. For the guidance of the flyers a car with a huge American flag
+flying from it blazed a trail below them, as it were.
+
+Roy's craft gained a slight lead on the _Golden Butterfly_ and two of
+the Kelly flyers were soon passed by both the boy and his sister. But
+the professional woman flyer still maintained her lead. Second came
+another of Lish Kelly's aviators in a blue machine. This was Ben
+Speedwell, who enjoyed quite a reputation as a skillful and daring air
+driver.
+
+The flyers had all struck a level about 1,500 feet in the air. There was
+a light head wind, but not enough to deter any of the powerfully engined
+craft. Glancing back for an instant Roy saw one of the contesting
+aviators dropping to earth. His companion soon followed.
+
+"Overheated engines probably," thought the boy; "I must be careful the
+same thing doesn't happen to me going at this pace."
+
+Suddenly another aeroplane loomed up beside him. It was the _Golden
+Butterfly_.
+
+"Good for you, sis!" cried Roy, as Peggy, waving her hand, roared past.
+In another minute she had shot past Speedwell, but the leader, the woman
+flyer, was still some distance ahead, and appeared to steadily maintain
+the lead she had.
+
+At last Lake Loon came into view. It was a more or less shallow body
+of water with a small island in the middle of it. As they neared it
+Speedwell and Roy were flying almost abreast, with Speedwell just a
+shade in the lead.
+
+Suddenly Speedwell made a spurt and shot ahead of the _Dragon_. At a
+distance of half a mile from Roy, who was now last, Speedwell was above
+the lake.
+
+Peggy and the woman flyer had already turned and were on their way back,
+with the latter still in the lead. Roy was watching Speedwell intently.
+
+He saw the man bank his machine to take the curve in order to round the
+lake. An appalling climax followed.
+
+"He's turned too sharp. He'll never make it," exclaimed Roy, holding
+his breath.
+
+The aeroplane swayed madly. Then began a fierce fight on Speedwell's
+part to settle it on an even keel. But skillful as he was he could not
+master the overbalanced machine.
+
+"He is lost!" breathed Roy, every nerve athrill.
+
+And then the next minute:
+
+"Cracky! He's got it. No, he's falling again--ah!"
+
+There was a note of horror in the exclamation. The aeroplane in front
+of Roy dived wildly, then fairly somersaulted. The strain was too great.
+A wing parted.
+
+"It's the end of him!" exclaimed Roy, in a whisper.
+
+Down shot the broken aeroplane with the velocity of lightning. It just
+dodged the trees on the little island and then it plunged into the lake,
+first spilling Speedwell out. Then down on top of him came the smother
+of canvas, wood and wires.
+
+"He'll be suffocated if I don't go to his rescue," murmured Roy; "it
+will put me out of the race, but I must save him."
+
+There was a clear spot on the island, and toward this the boy dived. In
+the meantime men were putting out from shore in a small boat. But the
+boy knew that they could not reach the unfortunate Speedwell in time to
+save his life.
+
+Roy made a clever landing on the island and then lost no time in wading
+out to the half floating, half submerged wreckage. In the midst of it
+lay Speedwell. Roy dragged him ashore. The man's face was purple, his
+limbs limp and lifeless and he choked gaspingly. Another minute in the
+water would have been his last, as Roy realized.
+
+He did what he could for the man, rolling him on his face to get out the
+water he had swallowed. By this time the boat from the shore landed on
+the island. The two men got out.
+
+"Is he alive?" they asked of Roy.
+
+"Yes, and he'll get better, too, I guess. Lucky he fell in the water. No
+limbs are broken."
+
+"Well, you're a pretty decent sort of fellow to get out of the race to
+help an injured man," said one of the men.
+
+"Well, I'll leave him to you now," rejoined Roy; "is there a hospital
+near here?"
+
+"There's one 'bout a mile away. We can phone for an ambulance."
+
+"Good! Well, good-bye."
+
+With a whirr and a buzz the boy was gone, and speedily became a speck in
+the sky.
+
+In the meantime the aviation field was in an uproar. Dashing toward it
+had come the two leading aeroplanes. From dots in the sky no bigger than
+shoe buttons they speedily became manifest as two aeroplanes aquiver
+with speed. Blue smoke poured from their exhausts. Evidently the two
+aviators were straining their craft to the utmost.
+
+"It's that Cuban woman and the young girl flyer!" yelled a man who had a
+pair of field glasses.
+
+The uproar redoubled. The two aeroplanes were almost side by side as
+they rushed onward. Which would win the $500 race?
+
+It was a struggle that had begun some miles back. After leaving the lake
+Peggy, who had held some speed in reserve while her opponent had keyed
+her machine to its top pitch, had gradually gained on her. But still
+there was a gap between the two aeroplanes.
+
+On the return trip no car blazed the way. The speed was too great for
+that. For this reason smudges, or smoky fires, had been lighted to guide
+the flyers. At a place where it was necessary to make a slight turn
+Peggy made the gain that brought her almost alongside her competitor. In
+making the turn the monoplane flown by the Cuban aviatrix could not
+negotiate it at as sharp an angle as Peggy's machine, owing to its not
+being equipped with an equalizing, or stability device.
+
+Now it was that Peggy tensioned up the _Golden Butterfly_ to its full
+power. The engine fairly roared as the propeller blurred round. The
+whole fabric trembled under the strain. It seemed as if nothing made by
+man could stand the pressure.
+
+But the _Golden Butterfly_ had been built by one of the foremost young
+aviators in the country, and it was sound and true in every part. Peggy
+felt no fear of anything giving out under the strain.
+
+And now the aviation park appeared in the distance. Peggy headed
+straight for it, hoping devoutly that her motor would not heat up
+and jam under the terrific speed it was being forced to.
+
+The Cuban woman glanced round anxiously. It was a bad move for her. Like
+a flash the _Golden Butterfly_ shot by the other machine as the latter
+wobbled badly.
+
+Peggy's delight was mixed with apprehension. The motor was beginning to
+smoke. Plainly it was heating up.
+
+"Will it last five minutes longer?"
+
+That was the thought in Peggy's mind. The _Golden Butterfly_ was hardly
+an airship any longer. It was a thunderbolt--a flying arrow. Before
+Peggy's eyes there was nothing now but the tall red and white "pylon"
+that marked the winning post. Could she make it ahead of her rival?
+Close behind her she could hear the roar of the other motor, but she
+did not dare to look round for fear of losing ground.
+
+Swiftly she mentally selected the spot where she would land, and then
+down shot the _Golden Butterfly_ like a pouncing fish hawk. The speed of
+the descent fairly took Peggy's breath away. Her cap had come off and
+her golden hair streamed out in the breeze wildly.
+
+There was a blur of flying trees, then came the grandstand, a mere
+smudge of color, a sea of dimly seen faces and a roar that was like that
+of a hundred waterfalls.
+
+Down shot the _Golden Butterfly_ just inside the "pylon." It ran for
+about a hundred yards and was then brought to a stop.
+
+Peggy Prescott had won the great race.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+PEGGY'S GENEROSITY.
+
+
+"Oh, Peggy, it's the proudest moment of my life!" cried Jimsy, as a
+shouting, excited crowd surrounded the aeroplane in which Peggy still
+sat, feeling dazed and a little dizzy.
+
+"Oh, you wonderful girl!" cried out Bess, half laughing and half crying;
+"gracious, what an exciting finish. I thought I'd go wild when it looked
+as if you weren't going to win."
+
+They helped her from the aeroplane while policemen pushed the crowd
+back. Somebody brought a tray with steaming hot tea and crackers on it.
+But Peggy could not eat. She felt faint and dreamy.
+
+"Brace up!" urged Jimsy.
+
+"I'll be all right in a minute. It's the strain of those last few
+minutes. I never thought I'd win."
+
+"And I never doubted it," declared Jess stoutly.
+
+"I wonder where Roy is?" asked Peggy anxiously, as they entered a box in
+the grandstand where they could be secluded from the shoving, curious,
+staring crowd.
+
+"Don't know; but he's all right, depend upon it," said Jimsy cheerfully;
+"hello, what's that coming now?"
+
+"It's a homing aeroplane."
+
+Then, a minute later:
+
+"It's Roy. Look at him come. I didn't think the _Red Dragon_ could go
+as fast."
+
+Roy it was, sure enough. He was coming at a pace that might have landed
+him as winner of the race if he had not been delayed by his errand of
+mercy.
+
+Ten minutes later he had joined them. First he explained what had
+happened to the judges of the course. Kelly, crest-fallen and
+wretched-looking, thanked him half heartedly for what he had done and
+said that he would care for Speedwell till he got better, which, by
+the way, was a promise that he did not perform.
+
+A sudden stir in the crowd caused the little party in the box to
+look up.
+
+A man was hastily chalking up some legend on the big black bulletin
+board. It ran thus:
+
+
+  Long-distance Race for $500 prize.
+  Start of Flight--11:01:2.
+  Finish of Flight--12:02:0.
+  Maximum Height--1,500 feet.
+  Wind Velocity--10 miles from southeast.
+  Winner--_Golden Butterfly_.
+  Winning Aviator--Miss Margaret Prescott.
+
+
+What a cheer went up then. It seemed as if the roof would be raised off
+the grandstand by it.
+
+"It's like a dream!" sighed Peggy, "just like a dream."
+
+"Now, don't get fainty, Peggy, or Miss Margaret Prescott," admonished
+Jess; "as Jimsy says, 'brace up,' the best is yet to come."
+
+A man came up to where they were sitting. In his hand he had a slip of
+pink paper.
+
+Roy reached out for it, but the man said that he had instructions to
+hand it only to Peggy.
+
+"It's the check for the prize-winning money," he explained.
+
+Peggy took it and sat gazing at it for a minute.
+
+"Oh, Peggy, what are you going to do with it?" asked Bess. "Buy some
+dresses or hats or----"
+
+"None of those things," said Peggy; "I made up my mind before I went
+into the race as to what I would do with the money if I won."
+
+"And what's that?" asked Miss Prescott.
+
+"Why, it must go toward The Wren's education," rejoined the girl.
+
+"Oh, Peggy, you darling!" cried Jess, flinging her arms round her chum,
+in full view of the grandstand and the crowd below.
+
+As for The Wren, she gazed up at the girl with wide-open brown eyes.
+
+"You are too good to me--too good," she said simply; but there was a
+plaintive quiver in her voice.
+
+Mr. James Parker sat on the porch of his home, in the foothills of the
+Big Smokies, gazing out over the landscape. Seemingly he was watching
+for something.
+
+"He done watch de sky lak he 'spected de bottom drap clean out uv it
+pretty soon," said Uncle Jupe, his factotum, to his wife Mandy.
+
+"'Gwan, you fool nigger, don' you know dat dem flying boys an' gals is
+to be hayr ter-day?"
+
+"Oh, dat's jes a joke, dat is," rejoined Uncle Jupe; "how's they all
+goin' ter fly ah'd lak to know."
+
+"I don' know, but dat's what Marse Parker says."
+
+"Den he's been grocersly imposed upon by somebody. Ain't likely dat ef
+de Lawd had meant us ter fly he'd have give us wings, wouldn't he?"
+
+"Go 'long, now, Don' flossyfying roun' hyar. You git out an' hoe dat
+cohn. Look libely, now. You git it done fo' dinner or dere'll be
+trouble."
+
+Uncle Jupe shuffled out of the kitchen, but in a minute he came rushing
+back.
+
+"Wha' de matter?" demanded his wife, noticing his wildly staring eyes
+and open mouth; "you gone fool crazy?"
+
+"M-m-m-m-mandy, it's true! It's true!" gasped Uncle Jupe.
+
+"Wha's true,--dat you all's crazy?"
+
+"Yes--no, it's 'bout dem flyin' things. Dey's comin'. Come and look wid
+your own eyes."
+
+Mandy shuffled out. There, sure enough, coming toward them, was a flock
+of what at first sight appeared to be immense birds. But it was the
+young sky cruisers nearing their destination.
+
+On the porch Mr. Parker stood up and waved his newspaper. Ten minutes
+later the aeroplanes came to earth in the smooth front lawn, while Uncle
+Jupe restrained a strong inclination to run away.
+
+"Dey ain't canny, dem things," he declared; "ef de Lord had wanted us to
+fly he'd have given us wings, I guess.
+
+"Yes, sir, he'd sure have given us wings des de same as angels hev," he
+repeated musingly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE MOONSHINERS AND THE AEROPLANE.
+
+
+"This is a beautiful country, sis."
+
+"Yes, indeed," agreed Peggy warmly.
+
+The two were flying high above the romantic scenery of the Big Smoke
+Mountains of North Carolina in the _Golden Butterfly_. Beneath them lay
+a wild-looking expanse of country,--peaks, deep canons and cliffs
+heavily wooded and here and there bare patches cropping out.
+
+"Let's drop down on one of those patches and do some exploring,"
+suggested Peggy.
+
+"All right," agreed Roy, nothing loath. The _Golden Butterfly_ was
+headed downward.
+
+In a few minutes they landed on a smooth spot surrounded by trees.
+Leaving the aeroplane, they struck off on a path through the woods.
+"Wonder if we can't find some huckleberries hereabouts," suggested Roy.
+
+"Oh, yes, lots. Wouldn't it be dandy to take home a bucketful by
+aeroplane!"
+
+"There's a little hut off yonder, maybe we could get a bucket or
+something there."
+
+"Let's see if there are any berries first," said the practical Peggy.
+
+From out of the hut shuffled an old woman. She was a wrinkled and
+hideous old hag, brown as a seasoned meerschaum pipe and in her mouth
+was a reeking corn cob.
+
+Her feet were bare, and altogether she was a most repulsive old crone.
+She saw Roy and Peggy almost as soon as they saw her. For an instant she
+stood looking at them and then raised her voice in a sort of shrill
+shriek.
+
+Instantly from the woods around several men appeared--wild-looking,
+bearded fellows, each of whom carried a rifle.
+
+"What you alls want hyar?" demanded one who seemed to be the leader.
+
+"We were just taking a walk," explained Roy.
+
+"Wa'al, we all don't like strangers particlar."
+
+"So it would seem," rejoined Roy, with a bold voice, although his heart
+was beating rather fast.
+
+"How'd you alls get hyar?" was the next question from the inquisitor.
+
+"We flew here," rejoined Roy truthfully.
+
+But the man's face grew black with wrath.
+
+"Don' you alls lie to me; it ain't healthy," he said.
+
+"I'm not in the habit of doing so."
+
+"But you said you flew hyar."
+
+"Well, we did."
+
+"See hyar, young stranger, you jes' tell me the truth 'bout how you came
+or by the eternal I'll make it hot fer you."
+
+"I can only show you that I'm speaking nothing but the truth," rejoined
+the boy; "if you'll come with me I'll show you what we flew here in."
+
+The man glanced at him suspiciously. It was plain that he feared a trap
+of some sort. His eyes were wild and shifty as a wolf's.
+
+"Ain't you frum the guv-ment?" he asked.
+
+"I don't know just what you mean."
+
+"I reckin that's jus' more dum' lyin'."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"Don' get sassy, young feller, it won't do you no good. But I'll come
+with you. Come on, boys, we'll take a look at this flyin' thing. I
+reckon that even if it is a trap there's enough of us to take care of a
+pack of them."
+
+"That's right, Jeb," agreed the men.
+
+Some of them, who had been hanging back in the bushes, now came forward.
+They were all as wild-looking as their leader, Jeb. The old woman
+mumbled and talked to herself as they strode off behind Roy and Peggy.
+
+It was one of the strangest adventures of their lives and neither one of
+them could hit on any explanation of the hillmen's conduct.
+
+It did not take long to reach the aeroplane, and Roy turned triumphantly
+to Jeb.
+
+"Well," he said, "what do you think now?"
+
+"Wa'al, it ain't flyin', is it?"
+
+"Of course not, but I can make it."
+
+"You kin?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Flap its wings and all that like a burd?"
+
+"No, it doesn't flap its wings."
+
+"Then how kin it fly?" propounded Jeb.
+
+A murmur of approval ran through the throng. Jeb's logic appealed to
+their primitive intellects.
+
+"Nothing can't fly that don't flap its wings," said one of them.
+
+"But if it didn't fly, how in tarnation did it git here?" asked an old
+man with a grizzled beard and blackened stumps of teeth projecting from
+shrunken gums.
+
+This appeared to be a poser for even Jeb. He had nothing to say.
+
+"If you like I'll give you a ride in it," proffered Roy to Jeb.
+
+"All right; only no monkey tricks now."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Wa'al, in course I know it won't fly, but if it does you'll hev to let
+me out."
+
+With this sage remark Jeb stepped gingerly into the chassis of the
+aeroplane. He sat down where he was told and Roy took the wheel. Jeb's
+companions gazed on in awed silence.
+
+"Look out, Jeb," cried one.
+
+"Don't hit the sky," yelled another.
+
+"Bring me back a star," howled the facetious old man.
+
+"Me a bit of the moon," called another.
+
+Jeb said nothing to this raillery. Instead, he looked uneasily about him
+and held his rifle, which he had insisted on bringing with him, between
+his knees.
+
+"All right?" asked Roy, looking back at him.
+
+"As right as I ever will be," rejoined Jeb, with a rather sickly grin.
+
+"You must hold tight," warned Peggy.
+
+"I'm doing that," said Jeb.
+
+And then with the same sickly grin:
+
+"Say, miss, does it really fly?"
+
+"Of course it does. As that old man said, how could it have got here if
+it didn't."
+
+"I guess I'd better go home and git my coat," said Jeb, trying to climb
+out.
+
+His demeanor had completely changed since he had climbed into the
+chassis. Something in its well-cushioned seats and the sight of the
+powerful engine and propeller seemed to have changed his mind about
+the capabilities of the _Golden Butterfly_.
+
+But it was too late. With a roar the engine started. Instantly the
+little plateau was deserted. The mountaineers were all behind trees.
+
+Jeb rushed for the side of the car.
+
+"Sit down!" screeched Peggy, really fearing he would fall over.
+
+But if Jeb's intention had been to climb out it was foiled.
+
+[Illustration: "Take me back to earth er I'll shoot," said a voice in
+his ear.]
+
+"Wow!" he yelled, and again, "Wow-ow-ow! Lemme out."
+
+"Too late now," shouted Roy.
+
+The aeroplane shot upward, carrying as a passenger a man temporarily
+crazy from fright.
+
+Suddenly Roy felt the muzzle of a rifle press against the back of his
+neck.
+
+"Take me back to earth er I'll shoot," said a voice in his ear.
+
+Roy obeyed, and so ended Jeb's first aeroplane ride. It may be added
+that it was also his last.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+MR. PARKER'S STORY.
+
+
+"It was a gang of moonshiners that you stumbled across," said Mr.
+Parker, when they told him of their adventure; "you were fortunate to
+escape as you did."
+
+"I guess we have that aeroplane ride we gave to Jeb to thank for that,"
+laughed Roy.
+
+"It wasn't so laughable, though, when he pressed that rifle to your
+neck," declared Peggy.
+
+"No, indeed. That was a mighty uncomfortable feeling, I can tell you."
+
+"It reminds me of an experience I had with moonshiners once," said Mr.
+Parker. "Would you care to hear about it?"
+
+Of course they would. They were sitting on the porch in the twilight
+after dinner. It was a happy group and they had been exploding with
+laughter over Roy's account of Jeb's ride.
+
+"It was a good many years ago, when I was in the employ of the
+government," said Mr. Parker, "that what I am going to tell you about
+happened. I was a young fellow then, and a good bit of a dare-devil, so
+I was sent at the head of a body of men to rout out moonshiners.
+
+"As you may know from your experience this morning, it is mighty
+dangerous to be suspected of being in the employ of the government, and
+so we posed as drummers and peddlers, scattering through the mountains.
+
+"Each of us worked alone so as not to attract attention. Our job was
+merely to locate the illicit stills and then militia would be sent to
+raid and destroy them, and the vile stuff they concoct.
+
+"I had been on the job about a week when I came one night to a
+desolate-looking little shack on a high mountainside. It did not look
+inviting, but I had to have shelter for the night, so I stepped to the
+door and knocked. A rather comely looking woman replied to my summons.
+
+"'I'm a peddler,' I explained, 'could I get something to eat and a room
+here for the night?'
+
+"She looked at me twice before answering.
+
+"'What you tradin' in?' she asked, with a trace of suspicion.
+
+"I judged from her manner that there was an illicit still in the
+neighborhood and that was what made her so suspicious.
+
+"'Oh, laces, ribbons and so forth,' I replied.
+
+"I showed her some samples.
+
+"I'll give you breakfast, supper and a bed fer that bit of red ribbon,'
+she said.
+
+"'I'll throw in this bit of blue,' said I gallantly.
+
+"And so the bargain was struck. It was a small place, but neat and tidy.
+Two children were playing about and in a corner sat a man trying to read
+a month-old newspaper.
+
+"Pop, this feller traded in these bits of ribbon fer bed and two meals,'
+she said, proudly exhibiting her goods and evidently thinking she had
+made an excellent bargain. I could see the gleam of triumph in her eye.
+
+"'Humph!' grunted the man, 'much good those are.'
+
+"Then he turned to me.
+
+"'Peddler?' he asked.
+
+"'Yes,' said I.
+
+"'What you tradin' in?'
+
+"'Oh, silks, laces and so forth,' rejoined I, repeating my formula.
+
+"'Humph!'
+
+"He looked at me, narrowing his eyes.
+
+"'You don't look much like a peddler," said he.
+
+"'No, I've seen better days,' I said, with a sigh.
+
+"But I could see that he was still suspicious.
+
+"'Where'd you come from?' was his next question.
+
+"'South,' said I.
+
+"'Where you going?'
+
+"'North.'
+
+"'Ain't much on conversation, be yer?' he asked.
+
+"'No, I'm not considered a very talkative fellow,' I rejoined.
+
+"We lapsed into silence. The man smoked. I just sat and thought the
+situation over. At last supper was announced. It was eaten almost in
+silence. The man discouraged all his wife's efforts at conversation. He
+was sullen and nervous.
+
+"More than ever did I begin to suspect that there was a still in the
+immediate neighborhood. Soon after supper I pleaded fatigue and was
+shown up a flight of stairs, or rather a ladder, to a sort of attic.
+There was a husk mattress there, and a pile of rather dirty-looking
+blankets. But in those hills you learn to put up with what you can get.
+I was glad to have found shelter at all.
+
+"But tired as I was for some reason I couldn't sleep. I felt a sort of
+vague uneasiness. I heard the man get up and go out and then later on
+I heard several voices downstairs.
+
+"There were broad chinks in the floor, and through these I could look
+down. The men--there were four of them--were talking in low voices, but
+now and then I could catch a word. All of a sudden I heard one say
+something about government spy.
+
+"That gave me a shock, I can tell you. I knew then they were talking
+about me. My predicament was a bad one if they suspected me. I began
+to look about me for a way to get out. While doing this I occasionally
+looked down below.
+
+"The last time I looked I got a shock that made my hair stand. The
+fellows were moving about the room. From one corner one of them got
+a formidable-looking knife.
+
+"Scared to death, I redoubled my efforts to find a way out. At last at
+one end of the room I found a chimney, one of those big stone affairs
+as big as all outdoors. I decided to try this.
+
+"I found that it was rough inside, and I had not much difficulty in
+clambering up it. I was near the top when I heard a voice from the
+room below say:
+
+"'Then we uns 'ull kill him right now.'
+
+"'Yep, he's lived long enough. He's no good.'
+
+"My heart jumped into my mouth. I redoubled my efforts and emerged from
+the top of the chimney. Reaching it, I lowered myself to the roof as
+gently as possible.
+
+"The eaves came down low to the ground and I had not much difficulty in
+making my escape noiselessly."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+THE WREN DISAPPEARS.
+
+
+"But as I reached the ground a startling thing happened. I missed my
+footing and found myself rolling down a steepish bank. At the bottom
+I fetched up against an odd-looking little hut almost overgrown with
+bushes. It was bright moonlight and the door was open.
+
+"Inside was a fire, and by its light I could see that the place was
+empty of human life, but that a collection of objects already familiar
+to me almost filled it.
+
+"It was an illicit still!
+
+"Clearly enough, also, it was operated by my hosts up above.
+
+"I listened for sounds of pursuit, but heard none. Possibly they had not
+yet crept into my room to perform their horrible resolve.
+
+"Suddenly the silence was broken by appalling yells and screams. My hair
+bristled for an instant and then I burst into a laugh.
+
+"It was a pig that I heard. At the same instant it dawned on me that it
+was the pig that they had been discussing dispatching and not me at all.
+You can imagine the revulsion of my feelings. But I felt sore at the
+scare they had given me, so I decided to do some work for the government
+and even up scores at the same time.
+
+"Entering the shack, I scattered the coals of the fire right and left.
+Then I came away. No, I did _not_ go back to the cabin. It would, as
+your friend Jeb said, not have been healthy for me.
+
+"Instead I set off running at top speed through the woods. Before long I
+saw a glow on the sky behind me, and knew that flames were devouring the
+vile stuff that moonshiners make.
+
+"I left my pack behind me, however, and I hope that compensated them for
+the loss of their still. I'm sure the woman, at any rate, would value
+its contents more highly."
+
+They all burst into a laugh at the conclusion of Mr. Parker's odd story.
+They were still laughing when Mandy rushed out on the porch.
+
+"Miss Wren done be gone!" she shouted.
+
+"Gone!" they all echoed, in dismayed tones.
+
+"Yes. I done go to her room to see de poo' lamb is com'foble, and she
+not there. I done find dis writin', too."
+
+"Let me look at it," demanded Mr. Parker.
+
+"It mighty hard to read. It sure is a scan-lous bit of writin'."
+
+With this comment the colored woman handed over to her master a bit of
+dirty wrapping paper.
+
+On it was scrawled in almost illegible characters:
+
+"U wont git hur agin.--The Romanys."
+
+"The Romanys!" exclaimed Peggy.
+
+"Yes; that's the gipsy word for themselves," said Mr. Parker. "I'm
+afraid that the same band that had her before has stolen her again."
+
+"What are we to do?" wailed Bess.
+
+"Hush!" said Jess; "let Mr. Parker decide what is best."
+
+They stood about with dismayed faces.
+
+Miss Prescott was weeping softly. Peggy could hardly keep back her
+tears. The little brown Wren had become very dear to all of them. It was
+a hard blow indeed to lose her like this.
+
+"But how could they know that she was here?" objected Jimsy.
+
+"Why, that silly newspaper report that went out when you arrived here
+about your adventures on the way and the romantic rescue of Wren. If
+they had come across that it would have given them a clew."
+
+"They were traveling south then, Wren said, and that was two weeks ago.
+They would have had ample time to reach this vicinity."
+
+"That is so," rejoined Mr. Parker solemnly; "I'll make telephonic
+inquiries at once. They may have been seen in the vicinity."
+
+"While you are doing that we'll examine the room. They may have left
+a clew there," said Roy.
+
+Roy and Jimsy darted upstairs on this errand. On looking round the place
+it was clear enough how the abductors had gotten in. Outside the window
+was an extension roof. It would have been very easy for an active man
+such as gipsies usually are to have clambered in and out again without
+detection.
+
+Taking a lantern they examined the ground outside. On a flower bed below
+the roof was the imprint of a man's feet.
+
+"Notice anything peculiar about it?" asked Jimsy, for Roy was bending
+earnestly over the prints.
+
+"Yes, I'd know that foot print again anywhere," he said; "see, one side
+of the man's boot was broken, the one of the right foot. His toes show
+here on the ground."
+
+"That might be a good clew if it was daylight; but right now--"
+
+Jimsy sighed. It was manifestly impossible to do any tracking of the man
+with the broken boot in the darkness.
+
+"We'll have to wait till daylight."
+
+"Yes, bother it all. They may be miles away by that time."
+
+"I doubt it. I wouldn't wonder if they hide right around here. There are
+lots of good places, and they know that the hue and cry will be so hot
+that they would be caught if they traveled."
+
+"That's so. Maybe we can find them, after all."
+
+"Let's hope so. Well, we can do no more good here. Let's go in."
+
+Peggy met them at the door. She seemed wildly excited over something.
+
+"The mail rider's just been here," she exclaimed, "and listen to this
+letter. It's from a woman living near New York. She just got back from
+Europe and in an old newspaper she read an account of our sky cruise.
+
+"She is certain that The Wren is her daughter and gives a description of
+her that tallies in every particular. She said that Wren was caught out
+in a heavy thunderstorm and sought refuge in a gipsy camp, as she
+learned afterward from a farmer who had seen her. She hunted high and
+low but has never since had word of the child. Her right name is Sylvia
+Harvey. Mrs. James Harvey is her mother, and she's rushing here as fast
+as a train will carry her."
+
+"If it is really Sylvia Harvey then her mother has found her only to
+lose her again," sighed Jess.
+
+"Don't say that," said Mr. Parker, coming into the room at that moment,
+"we'll leave no stone unturned to find her."
+
+"Did you have any success with the telephone?"
+
+"No; nobody has seen a band of people answering to the descriptions you
+gave of The Wren's abductors."
+
+"Then we can do nothing more?"
+
+The question came from Roy.
+
+"Not to-night. It would be useless. I have notified all the police
+around and a general alarm will be sent out at once. And now I order
+every one to bed. We've hard work in front of us tomorrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+CAPTURED BY GIPSIES.
+
+
+About noon the next day Roy and Jimsy found themselves at the edge of a
+wild-looking section of country. They were standing at the entrance to a
+glen densely wooded with dark, forbidding-looking trees, and walled by
+precipitous and rugged rocks.
+
+"Looks as if the trail ends here," said Jimsy disconsolately.
+
+"It sure does. We can't----Gee, Whillikens!"
+
+"What on earth is up now?"
+
+"It's the broken-toed boot. Look here on the muddy bank of this little
+stream."
+
+"By hooky, it is! We've struck the trail instead of ending it."
+
+"What will we do; go back for reenforcements?"
+
+"Not just yet. We'll reconnoiter a bit. See, the fellow went up this
+bank and--look there, Jimsy--there's a little footprint beside. He was
+dragging the child along."
+
+With beating hearts the two boys entered the forbidding-looking glen. It
+was almost dark under the trees, which made the aspect of the place even
+more gloomy and desolate looking.
+
+"This is a nice, cheerful sort of place," said Jimsy, in a low tone, as
+they walked along, following the bank of the stream, for the brush was
+too thick to admit of their walking anywhere else, which is what had
+driven the broken-booted man to leave a tell-tale trail behind him.
+
+"I rather wish I had a gun," said Jimsy.
+
+"We won't get close enough to them to need it," rejoined Roy; "we'll
+just spy out their hiding place and then go back for reenforcements."
+
+"That's the best idea. I don't much fancy a hand-to-hand encounter with
+a band of such desperate ruffians as those gipsies have shown themselves
+to be."
+
+"Don't be scared. We won't have any trouble if we're careful."
+
+"I'm not scared; but if we did get in a tussle with them they could
+easily overpower us and then we'd have done more harm than good for
+they'd take fright and move right off."
+
+"That's my idea. We'll be as cautious as mousing cats."
+
+"Better stop talking, then. I never heard a mousing cat mi-ouw."
+
+Cautiously they crept on. The trail still held good. At last they
+reached the head of the glen where a spring showed the source of the
+brook.
+
+"What next?" whispered Jimsy.
+
+"Let's see if we can find which way that fellow went. The ground is
+spongy all around here and--ah! this way! See it?"
+
+Jimsy nodded. They struck off to the right, clambering over rocks till
+they reached the summit of a small hill. A tall dead tree stood there
+and Jimsy volunteered to climb it in order to spy out the surrounding
+country for traces of the gipsys. But on his return to the ground he was
+compelled to admit that they had gained nothing.
+
+"I thought I might see some smoke that would give me a clew to their
+whereabouts," he explained.
+
+"Not much chance of their being as foolish as that. I guess they know
+searching parties are out all over by this time, and they are too foxy
+to light fires."
+
+"I might have thought of that," admitted Jimsy; "it would be about the
+last thing they would do. What will we do now?"
+
+"I hardly know. Hello! there's an odd-looking place. Right over there.
+See that deep canon? That one with the fallen tree across it?"
+
+"Yes, I do now. Let's look over there."
+
+"All right. You're on."
+
+The two boys struck off in the direction of Roy's discovery. It was
+indeed an odd freak of nature. Some convulsion of the earth had detached
+quite a section of land from the surrounding country. It was, in fact,
+an island in the midst of the woods with only the fallen tree for a
+bridge.
+
+"Let's cross it and examine the place," suggested Roy, with all a boy's
+curiosity.
+
+Together they crossed the old tree, which had evidently fallen there by
+accident, although, in reality, it formed a perfect bridge. The "island"
+was thickly wooded and they pushed forward across it, not without some
+difficulty.
+
+Suddenly they came upon a sight that made them halt dead in their
+tracks.
+
+A man holding a rifle was sitting on a fallen log. The instant he saw
+them he raised his weapon.
+
+"Don't come no further," he said.
+
+"Why not?" demanded Roy indignantly.
+
+"See that sign?" said the man.
+
+He pointed to a rudely painted sign on a tree at his back.
+
+"Dangir. No Trespasin."
+
+That was what it said in bold letters that sprawled across its surface
+in an untidy fashion. The execution of the thing was as bad as its
+spelling.
+
+"I guess a pretty sick man painted that sign," grinned Jimsy.
+
+"What do you mean?" was the surly reply.
+
+"Why, I should judge he was having an awful bad spell at the time," was
+the boy's rejoinder.
+
+The man scowled at him fiercely.
+
+"No joking round here," he growled; "now, then, if you know what's good
+for you you two kids will vamoose."
+
+"What's the danger if we keep on?" asked Roy.
+
+"Why, they're trying a new kind of explosive back there. It might go off
+the wrong way, your way, for instance, and hurt you," was the reply.
+
+"Seems a funny sort of place to try out explosives," said Roy.
+
+"Seems a queer sort of place for you two kids to come. Who are you,
+anyhow?"
+
+"Oh, we are camping down below and we just came out for a stroll."
+
+"Well, stroll some other place, then. Git away from round here."
+
+"We certainly will," flashed back Roy; "come on, Jimsy."
+
+As there seemed nothing else to do Jimsy agreed. They turned away and
+began retracing their steps, no wiser as to the whereabouts of the man
+with the broken boot than they had been when they set out.
+
+Just as they turned to go, however, another man came out of the woods
+behind the man with the rifle. When he saw the boys he gave an abrupt
+start.
+
+"Where did those boys come from?" he demanded.
+
+"I don't know. Said they was two kids out campin' and takin' a stroll."
+
+"Taking a stroll, eh?" said the other ferociously; "they were taking a
+stroll looking for that Wren."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Because they are the same two kids who stole her from us just as we
+were going to demand a ransom for her."
+
+"That was before I joined the band. No wonder I didn't know them; if
+I had----"
+
+He scowled vindictively.
+
+"Well, we can't let 'em get away. Here, give me that rifle," demanded
+the newcomer.
+
+The other handed it to him. The next instant a report rang out and a
+bullet whizzed over the boys' heads.
+
+"Come back here," shouted the man who had fired the shot; "I want to
+see you."
+
+The boys hesitated for a minute.
+
+"The next shot 'ull come lower if you don't," warned the man; "come on,
+no nonsense."
+
+As there seemed to be nothing else to do the boys obeyed. As they drew
+closer they recognized the fellow.
+
+"Oh, you know me, eh?" he snarled; "well, you'll know me better before
+we get through. Follow me, now. Pedro, you take the rifle and fall in
+behind. If they try to escape shoot them down."
+
+Here was a fine situation. They had found the gipsies' camp with a
+vengeance, but for all the good it was going to do The Wren, unless
+they could get her away, they might as well not have come. These gloomy
+reflections sifted through their minds as they paced along, the man with
+the rifle occasionally prodding them with it just to make them "step
+lively," as he phrased it.
+
+At length they came to a sort of large open place shaped like a basin,
+and placed in the middle of this natural island. In this basin were set
+up several squalid tents, about which the gipsies were squatting.
+
+They set up a yell of surprise as the two boys were brought in.
+
+"Where under the sun did you find them, Beppo?" exclaimed the same woman
+who had so cruelly ill-treated The Wren the time the boys rescued her.
+
+"Oh, they were just taking a stroll, and happened to stroll in here,"
+said Beppo viciously.
+
+"I guess they won't have a chance to bother us again. They're going to
+make quite a stay here."
+
+The gipsies set up a taunting laugh. Suddenly, from one of the tents,
+a tiny figure darted.
+
+"Oh, I knew you'd come! I knew you'd come," it cried.
+
+It was the poor little Wren. She had been stripped of her nice clothes
+and put into some filthy rags, her face was stained with crying and
+there was a bruise on her forehead.
+
+With a curse Beppo seized the child by one arm, swung her round and
+dealt her a savage box on the ear.
+
+"Get back where you belong!" he roared.
+
+The next instant Beppo had measured his length on the ground and beneath
+one of his eyes a beautiful plum-colored swelling was developing. As has
+been said, Roy could hit a powerful blow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+DELIVERANCE.
+
+
+The next minute all was wild confusion. The boys found themselves on the
+ground, being scratched and bitten and kicked by men and women alike.
+They did not have a chance against this horde of half savage wanderers.
+At length beaten and bruised they were tied with ropes and thrown into
+one of the tents and a man set to guard it.
+
+All day they lay there without anything to eat or drink and no one to
+come near them except that occasionally a tangled head would be thrust
+in to hurl some taunt at them.
+
+Darkness fell and they still lay there, suffering terrible pain from
+their wounds and bonds.
+
+"This is the uttermost limit," declared Roy, in a low tone; "we're in
+the worst fix we ever got into this time."
+
+"We certainly are. What a bit of bad luck that the rascal Beppo came up
+when he did! That other gipsy had no idea who we were."
+
+"Well, I had the satisfaction of giving Master Beppo a good black eye,"
+muttered Roy.
+
+"Yes; that was a peach. It did me good to see it land."
+
+"It landed all right. Ouch, my back feels as if it was broken."
+
+"My wrists and ankles are awfully sore. I wonder if they mean to let us
+loose or give us anything to eat."
+
+"Well, we won't last long at this rate. I guess they mean to be as cruel
+as they can to us in return for that punch I gave Beppo."
+
+"I wouldn't have spoken to you again if you hadn't."
+
+"I don't blame you."
+
+It grew dark. Outside they heard the murmur of voices for a time and
+then all became quiet. Just before silence fell and snores became
+audible they heard the man on duty as their guard call for some coffee
+to keep by his side during the night.
+
+"I'll send that brat of a Wren to you with it directly," they heard
+Beppo's wife reply; "the little beast, it'll do her good to work."
+
+Then came the sound of a slap and a sob.
+
+The boys' blood boiled.
+
+"Oh, what wouldn't I give to have Master Beppo in a twenty-four-foot
+ring," breathed Roy.
+
+"I think he'd look well decorating a tree," grated out Jimsy viciously.
+
+The night wore on, but the boys did not sleep. Their tight bonds and
+worry over their situation prevented this.
+
+All at once Roy's attention was attracted by somebody raising the flap
+at the back of the tent. Next something crawled in. At first he thought
+it was a large dog.
+
+But then came a whisper:
+
+"It's me, Wren."
+
+"What are you doing here?"
+
+"Hush, I've come to get you free. You'll take me with you, won't you?"
+
+"Of course; what a question to ask! But how can you free us?"
+
+"I've got a knife here. I'll cut those ropes in a minute."
+
+"But the guard outside?"
+
+"I've fixed him. Was it very wrong of me? While Mother Beppo wasn't
+looking I put some of the stuff in that coffee I brought him."
+
+[Illustration: "I'd do anything for you." said the child, as she rapidly
+cut the ropes.]
+
+"Well, upon my word, Wren! What sort of stuff?" gasped Jimsy.
+
+"Oh, some sort of brown stuff. I've seen Mother Beppo smoke it. It makes
+her oh so sleepy. So I gave some to him and he's sound asleep now."
+
+"Must have been opium," declared Roy. "Wren, do you know that you are
+a very bad young lady?"
+
+"I'd do anything for you. You're so good and kind to me," said the
+child, as she rapidly cut the ropes.
+
+For a time the boys, after being freed, just lay there, unable to move.
+But after a while circulation set in and they began to move their limbs.
+In half an hour the trio crept out of the tent and, crossing the
+"island," traversed the trunk bridge.
+
+"Wait a minute," said Roy, when they reached the other side.
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Make that whole outfit prisoners till the officers of the law can get
+up here."
+
+He took a broken branch as a lever and with Jimsy's assistance toppled
+the log down into the canon.
+
+"Now I guess they'll stay put for a while," he said.
+
+And they did. That was why, when a posse came up to capture the band,
+they carried materials for building a bridge across the canon. It may
+as well be said here that the band received heavy sentences, it being
+proved at their trial that they had made a practice of kidnapping
+children and then trying to collect ransoms for them.
+
+There was a happy scene next day at the Parker home when Mrs. Harvey,
+a sweet-faced woman of middle age, arrived. After one look at Wren she
+swayed and then, recovering herself, called out in the voice that only
+a mother knows:
+
+"Sylvia!"
+
+"Mother!" screamed the child, and rushed into her open arms.
+
+The tide of memory, driven to low ebb by ill-treatment and hardship,
+had rushed back with full force. The Wren, the gipsy waif, was once
+more Sylvia Harvey. A doctor said later that such cases were frequent
+following a severe shock. It was then that they recalled how the child
+had almost recollected some of her past life during the thunderstorm.
+
+The happiness of little Wren and her mother in their reunion was shared
+by all of the party who had been instrumental in effecting it, for every
+one of them, including Jake, had become attached to the quiet little
+girl and rejoiced in her good fortune.
+
+When Mrs. Harvey and Sylvia departed for the railway station the
+following day behind a pair of Mr. Parker's steady horses they were
+accompanied by the four aeroplanes, which hovered over them like so
+many sturdy guardian angels.
+
+And when the train bore them away they watched the returning aerial
+escort until there was nothing visible but four tiny dots against the
+blue heaven.
+
+"Oh, mother," exclaimed Wren, "they look no bigger than butterflies
+now!"
+
+And the Girl Aviators, flying every moment higher and farther on the
+powerful wings of the _Golden Butterfly_ and the delicate plane of the
+dainty _Dart_, looked back at the train crawling like a humble insect
+in the valley below and gloried in their untrammeled flight. As they
+followed Roy and Jimsy in an irregular procession through the air,
+their thoughts flew ahead, outdistancing the biplane and the _Red
+Dragon_ and speeding confidently toward the happy realizations of
+the future.
+
+Miss Prescott, watching from the home of Mr. Parker for their return,
+also dreamed dreams and saw visions, and in them her "dear children"
+were fulfilling the bright prophecies of the present. She saw them
+stronger because of adversity, braver because of success, and ennobled
+by all their experiences; and she deemed herself happy in her capacity
+of chaperon to the Girl Aviators.
+
+
+The End.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+       *     *     *     *     *
+
+THE VICTORY BOY SCOUTS
+
+BY CAPTAIN ALAN DOUGLAS
+
+SCOUTMASTER
+
+Stories from the pen of a writer who possesses a thorough knowledge of
+his subject. In addition to the stories there is an addenda in which
+useful boy scout nature lore is given, all illustrated. There are the
+following twelve titles in the series:
+
+1. _The Campfires of the Wolf Patrol_.
+
+2. _Woodcraft; or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good_.
+
+3. _Pathfinder; or, the Missing Tenderfoot_.
+
+4. _Great Hike; or, the Pride of Khaki Troop_.
+
+5. _Endurance Test; or, How Clear Grit Won the Day_.
+
+6. _Under Canvas; or, the Search for the Carteret Ghost_.
+
+7. _Storm-bound; or, a Vacation Among the Snow-Drifts_.
+
+8. _Afloat; or, Adventures on Watery Trails_.
+
+9. _Tenderfoot Squad; or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge_.
+
+10. _Boy Scout Electricans; or, the Hidden Dynamo-.
+
+11. _Boy Scouts in Open Plains; or, the Round-up not Ordered-.
+
+12. _Boy Scouts in an Airplane; or, the Warning from the Sky_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Radio Boys Series
+
+1. Radio Boys in the Secret Service; or, Cast Away on an Iceberg--FRANK
+HONEYWELL
+
+2. Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; or, The Yankee Canadian Wireless
+Trail--FRANK HONEYWELL
+
+3. Radio Boys in the Flying Service; or, Held for Ransom by Mexican
+Bandits--J.W. DUFFIELD
+
+4. Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for the Sunken Treasure--J.W.
+DUFFIELD
+
+5. Radio Boys Cronies; or, Bill Brown's Radio--WAYNE WHIPPLE
+
+6. Radio Boys Loyalty; or, Bill Brown Listens In--WAYNE WHIPPLE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Peggy Parson's Series
+
+By ANNABEL SHARP
+
+A popular and charming series of Girl's books dealing in an interesting
+and fascinating manner with the life and adventures of Girlhood so dear
+to all Girls from eight to fourteen years of age. Printed from large
+clear type on superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth.
+
+1. Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman
+
+2. Peggy Parson at Prep School
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Aeroplane Series
+
+By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY
+
+1. The Aeroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage
+
+2. The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing; or, Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics
+
+3. The Aeroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck
+
+4. The Aeroplane Boys' Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up
+
+5. The Aeroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Girl Aviator Series
+
+By MARGARET BURNHAM
+
+Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide awake Girls
+of the present day who are between the ages of eight and fourteen years.
+The great author of these books regards them as the best products of
+her pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior quality of paper;
+attractive multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.
+
+1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship
+
+2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings
+
+3. The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise
+
+4. The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Phil Bradley Mountain Boy's Series
+
+By SILAS R. BOONE
+
+These books describe with interesting detail the experience of a party
+of boys among the mountain pines. They teach the young reader how to
+protect themselves against the elements, what to do and what to avoid,
+and above all to become self-reliant and manly. There are five titles:
+
+1. Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys; or, The Birch Bark Lodge.
+
+2. Phil Bradley at the Wheel; or, The Mountain Boys' Mad Auto Dash.
+
+3. Phil Bradley's Shooting Box; or, The Mountain Boys on Currituck
+Sound.
+
+4. Phil Bradley's Snow-shoe Trail; or, The Mountain Boys in the Canadian
+Wilds.
+
+5. Phil Bradley's Winning Way.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The American Boy's Sports Series
+
+BY MARK OVERTON
+
+These stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the active boy is
+interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey, skating, ice-boating,
+sailing, camping and fishing all serve to lend interest to an unusual
+series of books. There are the following four titles:
+
+1. Jack Winters' Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the Diamond.
+
+2. Jack Winters' Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods.
+
+3. Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved the Day.
+
+4. Jack Winters' Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team to Victory.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Motor Boat Boys Series
+
+By LOUIS ARUNDEL
+
+1. The Motor Club's Cruise Down the Mississippi; or The Dash for Dixie.
+
+2. The Motor Club on the St. Lawrence River; or Adventures Among the
+Thousand Islands.
+
+3. The Motor Club on the Great Lakes; or Exploring the Mystic Isle of
+Mackinac.
+
+4. Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; or The Struggle for the
+Leadership.
+
+5. Motor Boat Boys Down the Coast; or Through Storm and Stress.
+
+6. Motor Boat Boys River Chase; or Six Chums Afloat or Ashore.
+
+7. Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube; or Four Chums Abroad
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Motor Maid Series
+
+By KATHERINE STOKES
+
+1. Motor Maids' School Days
+
+2. Motor Maids by Palm and Pine
+
+3. Motor Maids Across the Continent
+
+4. Motor Maids by Rose, Shamrock and Thistle.
+
+5. Motor Maids in Fair Japan 6. Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE "HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOKS By J.S. ZERBE
+
+Carpentry for Boys
+
+A book which treats, in a most practical and fascinating manner all
+subjects pertaining to the "King of Trades"; showing the care and use of
+tools; drawing; designing, and the laying out of work; the principles
+involved in the building of various kinds of structures, and the
+rudiments of architecture. It contains over two hundred and fifty
+illustrations made especially for this work, and includes also a
+complete glossary of the technical terms used in the art. The most
+comprehensive volume on this subject ever published for boys.
+
+Electricity for Boys
+
+The author has adopted the unique plan of setting forth the fundamental
+principles in each phase of the science, and practically applying the
+work in the successive stages. It shows how the knowledge has been
+developed, and the reasons for the various phenomena, without using
+technical words so as to bring it within the compass of every boy. It
+has a complete glossary of terms, and is illustrated with two hundred
+original drawings.
+
+Practical Mechanics for Boys
+
+This book takes the beginner through a comprehensive series of practical
+shop work, in which the uses of tools, and the structure and handling of
+shop machinery are set forth; how they are utilized to perform the work,
+and the manner in which all dimensional work is carried out. Every
+subject is illustrated, and model building explained. It contains a
+glossary which comprises a new system of cross references, a feature
+that will prove a welcome departure in explaining subjects. Fully
+illustrated.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly
+by Margaret Burnham
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL AVIATORS' MOTOR BUTTERFLY ***
+
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+     https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
+
+
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