CHAPTER XII
NODDY MAKES TROUBLE
Of course, it was impossible, in a small town like Cresville, for themotor boys to undertake the building of anything as large as a motorship without the news becoming pretty generally known. In fact, almosteverything the three chums did was town-talk, for they were well-knownand popular lads, and a source of no little pride to the residents ofthe place, who were eager to tell of the exploits of the lads.
So, naturally, Noddy Nixon heard of the boys' project. Noddy was soreover the failure of his _Firefly_. He was also angry because he hadlost his wager with the fat man, and because his father had cut downhis allowance on account of the damages Mr. Nixon had had to pay forthe destruction of the lemonade stand.
The construction of the _Comet_ had not been under way more than a weekere Noddy began making slighting remarks about it to whoever wouldlisten to him.
Nor did he confine his remarks to friends or acquaintances of the motorboys. Whenever he saw Jerry, Ned or Bob in the street he would, inpassing, remark, loud enough for them to hear, something about theirmotor ship, ending with a sneering phrase or laugh. But the boys paidno attention to him. They had faith in Mr. Glassford, and, to tell thetruth, they were so busy helping the inventor that they had little timeto bother with Noddy.
At length the building of the motor ship had progressed as far as waspossible in the somewhat contracted space of the loft. The gas bag wasall sewed, the framework was all ready to be put together, the planeshad been made, the rudders constructed, and now little remained to dobut assemble the ship, and then fit up the car, or body of it. Themotor was on hand, but had not been set in its place.
Jerry had arranged to hire a big tent from Boston, and this had beenset up in the midst of a field owned by Mr. Baker. Of course, afterthis had been done, there crowded out to the canvas shelter nearlyevery inhabitant of Cresville, for every one was anxious to get a viewof the wonderful airship.
But the boys hired several men to mount guard, for, though they did notwant to deprive their friends of an opportunity to see the invention,they feared lest some too-curious one might cause damage by handlingparts of the machinery or ship.
So they only admitted a few at a time, and this only after workinghours, when they and Mr. Glassford could be on hand to watch over theirproperty. The _Comet_ was beginning to assume shape now, and lookedlike a real airship, though the big bag was only half filled withgas, enough to partly distend it, so that the cord netting could beconstructed over it.
One day, when the boys and Mr. Glassford were quite busy, there enteredthe tent an old man. The boys did not see him at first, as he was onthe opposite side of the gas bag, but Jerry's attention was attractedby seeing the gas envelope sway, and when he looked he saw the old mantrying to tear it.
"Here! What are you doing?" cried Jerry. "Keep your hands off that.How'd you get in here, anyhow?"
"I jest walked in. I ain't never seen a airship, an' I wanted to see ifthis here stuff was strong," was the answer given in a high-pitched,unpleasant voice. The old man continued to pull on the bag, though itwas strong enough to resist his efforts.
"Drop that and clear out of here!" cried Jerry, recognizing the old manas Sid Joffy, a sort of recluse and town character, who was a generalnuisance. He was too lazy to work, and how he managed to live no oneknew. He had an old cabin in the woods, on the edge of a clearing, andresided there all alone.
"What's this? Your engine?" went on Joffy, letting go of the gas bagand beginning to turn some wheels and valves on the gasolene motor,which stood in one corner of the tent.
"Can't you leave things alone?" cried Mr. Glassford sharply. "Who lethim in, boys?"
"Guess he must have slipped past Tom Johnson at the tent flap," repliedJerry. "Come, now, Sid, clear out of here. You can see us when we goup."
"I want to see how the thing works," went on the old man, moving awayfrom Jerry, who was approaching. "I like machinery considerable," andhe began to pull on the lever that operated the elevation rudder.
"Drop that and get out of here, or we'll put you out!" cried Jerry, nowthoroughly aroused, and the old man hastened from the tent.
"What do you suppose brought him around?" asked Ned, as he paused inthe work of tightening the bolts on the framework.
"Oh, he's a general butter-in," said Bob. "He's always around where heisn't wanted."
"Well, I guess I scared him off," remarked Jerry with a laugh.
But that same afternoon Joffy was back again. This time he crawledunder the tent, and before the boys were aware of his presence he hadknocked a heavy wrench down from a bench and broken one of the bamboobraces of the air planes.
"Here, you! You're worse than the kids!" cried Jerry. "What are youdoing here, anyhow?"
"I--I didn't mean to break it," said the old man. "I wanted to see howheavy that wrench was."
"Well, you saw, all right," went on Jerry. "Now clear out."
"That's rather funny, him coming back," said Ned, after the man hadgone. "Do you suppose he's trying to steal some of your ideas, Mr.Glassford?"
"No, I don't believe so. My greatest secret is the gas, and no oneknows that but myself."
"Sid Joffy is too lazy to steal anything," remarked Bob. "He wouldn'tsteal second or third base if he was playing on a ball nine. I guess hehasn't anything else to do, and he comes around here to bother us."
"I wish he'd keep away," spoke Jerry.
He wished that more strongly than ever the next day, when the old manwas again found in the tent, though how he entered the boys did notknow. This time, before he could be detected, he had unscrewed someof the framework, and caused it to sag over against the bag, which itmight have punctured.
"Say! This is the limit!" cried Ned. "What are you up to, anyhow,Joffy?"
"I--I just wanted to see how tight you had to have your frame. I--Ididn't mean any harm."
"Well, you've done harm, all right," said Jerry angrily. "If we catchyou in here again we'll run you down to the river and duck you."
"That ought to keep him away," observed Bob, when the nuisance hadhurried from the tent. "He hates water. I guess he never took a bath inhis life."
"There's something queer about his coming around here, boys," saidJerry. "I don't like it. Seems to me as if he had more of an objectthan mere curiosity. We must keep watch of him."
"It is rather odd that he comes over here so often," admitted Ned."It's quite a distance from his shack, and he doesn't like walking, orany other exercise."
But the secret of Joffy's visits was disclosed the next day, when AndyRush, all excited and hardly able to breathe, hurried into the tent.
"I seen 'em!" he cried. "Joffy an' Noddy--talking together--they'reup to some trick--Noddy pointed toward our tent--Joffy nodded hishead--then Noddy gave him some money. I'll bet Noddy's put him up toall this--to bother you boys."
"That's it!" declared Jerry emphatically. "I knew it must be somethingmore than Joffy's curiosity that brought him here. Boys, this is partof Noddy's plan to make trouble for us. He's mad because we're going tohave a better airship than his tin fly that never flew. But we'll fixhim!"
"Let's make sure that he put Joffy up to it, though," proposed Ned.
"Oh, that will be easy enough. Wait until the old man comes in againand I'll tackle him."
They had not long to wait. That very afternoon the old nuisance sneakedin again, coming under the tent so quietly that he was not noticeduntil a crash in a corner told that something had happened. Joffy, inreaching up to finger one of the big propellers, had knocked it fromthe shaft, to which it was not yet fastened. Fortunately, little damagehad been done.
"There you are again!" cried Jerry.
"Yes--yes--Mr. Hopkins--I'm here agin," admitted Joffy with an uneasygrin. "I--I didn't mean to do any damage. I--I jest wanted to see ifthat there thing-a-ma-bob would whirl around."
"Well, it did, all right, and you might have broken it. If you had wewould arrest you for malicious mischief."
<
br /> "Arrest me! Why, I ain't done nothin'!"
"Yes, you have!" exclaimed Jerry. "You're taking money from Noddy Nixonto come here and annoy us. Now, don't deny it!" he cried as he saw thatthe old man was about to protest. "Andy Rush saw you. We know, now,why you sneak in here. You want to keep away if you don't want to getarrested."
"All right--all right, Mr. Hopkins. I'll go if you don't want mearound."
"Of course we don't want you."
"But I didn't mean no harm. I jest--I jest wanted to see if that therebig thing like a paddle would go around."
"Well, you saw; now vamoose."
"Do you think he'll keep away?" asked Ned, as the old man crawled underthe tent and went outside.
"I don't believe he will because I told him to," said Jerry, "but I'vegot a plan to make him."
"What is it?"
"Come over here and I'll tell you."
The Motor Boys in the Clouds; or, A Trip for Fame and Fortune Page 13