The Boy Aviators in Record Flight; Or, The Rival Aeroplane
Page 4
CHAPTER IV.
THIEVES IN THE NIGHT.
The other occupants of the auto were a man with a heavy red beard and anervous, alert little man whom Billy said was an aviator named Slade.
"That's queer to see Reade over here. I wonder what he can be doing,"said Billy, as the two autos left the shed and emerged into the street.
Neither of the boys could, of course, hazard a guess, but had they knownit the mission of the reporter who had betrayed the _Planet_ was morenearly concerned with them than they imagined. The car in which Readewas seated seemed a more powerful machine than the one the boys occupiedand it soon left them behind. They thought no more of the chanceencounter and soon arrived at the home of Eben Joyce, a comfortablecottage on the heights overlooking the "meadows" on one side and theNorth river on the other.
They were greeted by the inventor's daughter, who seemed much disturbed.
"Oh, I am so glad you have come!" she exclaimed, after she had invitedthe little party in.
"Why, what has happened?" asked Frank.
"I will tell you," she said, while they all leaned forward deeplyinterested. "This afternoon I was called to the door by a man in raggedclothes who begged me for something to eat. My father has told me neverto let anyone go away hungry, so I told the servant to give the man somefood. I thought no more of the matter till, on looking out of thewindow, I saw the man who had asked for charity going toward the oldbarn out there that my father used as a workshop."
Old Mr. Joyce became greatly excited. It was evident he feared some harmhad come to his collection of scientific instruments and plans forinventions which he housed there for lack of room in the house.
"Yes, yes, go on," he exclaimed, quivering with agitation.
"He was fumbling with the lock when I looked up and saw him. I shoutedto him to know what he was doing. His reply was to instantly stop whathe was at and run toward the front of the house. I opened the door justin time to see him leap into an automobile in which were two other men,and they drove off."
"A tramp in an automobile; that's funny," commented Frank.
"Indeed it is. In fact, I recollect thinking at the time that he askedme for food that his manner was too refined to be that of a genuinetramp."
"What did he look like?" asked Harry.
"He was tall and had a big red beard. That is all I am able to recollectof him."
"Sounds like the man we saw in Reade's auto," exclaimed Harry.
"Can Fred Reade have anything to do with this mysterious happening?"asked Billy.
"Eh, say that name again, young man," demanded the inventor, who was,besides being often preoccupied, somewhat deaf and so had not heardBilly mention the other's name when they were in the auto.
"I said Fred Reade," rejoined Billy. "Why, do you know him?"
"I do, and I know no good of him," was the reply. "It was he that firstapproached me in connection with the sale of the _Buzzard_ to LutherBarr and----"
"Luther Barr again. We seem to cross his trail all the time," exclaimedFrank.
"Eh?" questioned the old man, his hand at his ear, trumpet-wise.
"I said we have heard of Luther Barr before, as you know," said Frank,"but you never mentioned the fact that Reade had acted for him."
"It must have slipped my mind in the excitement," explained the old man."Yes, Fred Reade has acted for Barr in many matters that I know of."
"A sort of agent of his," said Billy.
"More than that," rejoined old Eben Joyce; "there is some mysterious tiebetween them. I think Reade knows something about Luther Barr that theother is afraid will come out."
"How is that?" asked Frank.
"I don't know, but such is my impression. At the time of the negotiationfor the _Buzzard_ Reade treated Barr as an equal more than if he wereemployed by him."
It had grown dusk by this time and Eben Joyce's daughter lit the lampand set it down on the cottage table. As she did so there came a loudroar of an approaching motor car down the quiet street and the nextmoment through the gathering gloom a big auto approached the cottage. Asit neared it it slowed down. They all went out on the porch to see whocould be driving a car down that little frequented street. It was notvery light, but as the car drew nearer Frank recognized it.
"That's Fred Reade's auto," he cried.
But if the boys imagined that they were to get any solution of the car'smysterious appearance they were mistaken. As it neared the house, andthe group on the porch must have been plainly visible to its occupants,the big car suddenly leaped forward and shot away into the darkness.
"What did they do that for?" asked Billy.
"I guess they saw so many if us here that they thought it would be moreprudent to stay away," suggested Frank.
"What can they be after?" wondered Harry.
"The blue prints of my gyroscopic attachment and possibly myexperimental machine itself," declared the inventor, "though if they hadthe blue prints they could easily manufacture them themselves. Reade hasbeen after me to sell them."
"That is so," mused Frank; "undoubtedly such prints would be of greatvalue to them."
"Will you do something for me?" inquired old Eben Joyce, suddenly.
"Of course," rejoined Frank; "what is it?"
"Will you take charge of my blue prints for me. It is lonely here and Iam old and my daughter unprotected. In case they attacked us in thenight we should have little opportunity to keep the prints from them. Iwould feel quite secure if you had them in your possession, however."
Frank readily agreed to this, adding that he would place them in a safedeposit vault.
"I shall rest much easier if you would," said the old inventor. "Bad asthey are, I don't think the men would hurt us; all they are after is theplans and I really dare not have them about here another night."
It was an hour later when, with the plans safely tucked away in aninside pocket of Frank's coat, the boys started back for town.
"If you feel at all nervous we will telephone home and stay here withyou," Frank offered before they left.
"Oh, not at all," exclaimed old Joyce, who was already busy figuring anew problem. "I have a revolver and I will communicate with the policeabout my fears. I shall be all right."
With hearty good nights the boys' car swung off, its headlights glowingbrightly. They sped along through the outskirts of Jersey City and wereabout to leave the lonely, badly-lighted section through which they hadbeen passing when suddenly a figure stepped full into the path of lightcast ahead of them.
The sudden apparition of the night was waving a red lantern.
"Stop! there's danger ahead!" it shouted.
"Danger, what sort of danger?" asked Frank, nevertheless bringing thecar to a stop.
"Why, there's an excavation ahead. Ah! that's right, you've stopped. Nowthen, young gentlemen, just step out of the petroleum phaeton and forkover the contents of your pockets."
"What, you rascal, are you holding us up?" cried Billy indignantly, asthe man pointed a revolver at them.
"Looks that way, doesn't it?" grinned the other. "Come on now, shell outand hurry up."
As he spoke three other figures glided from the shadows of an untenantedhouse near by and silently took up their positions a short distancebeyond him. They were out of the path of the auto's lights and theirfaces could not be seen. The light glinted on something that each heldin his hand, however, and which were clearly enough revolvers. Thingslooked pretty blue for the Boy Aviators.
The sudden turn events had taken almost bereft Frank of his wits for aminute, but suddenly it flashed across him that the man who had wavedthe lantern did not talk like an ordinary robber and that it wasremarkable that the others took so much trouble to keep out of thelight. The next instant his suspicions were confirmed by hearing thevoice of the first comer snap out:
"Which one of you has got them gyroscope plans?"
Frank's reply was startling. Without uttering a word he s
uddenly drovethe machine full speed ahead.
It leaped forward like a frightened wild thing.
As it dashed ahead it bowled over the would-be robber, but that he wasnot seriously hurt the boys judged by the volley of bad language he sentafter them. As for the others, as the car made its leap they had steppednimbly aside.
"Look out for the excavation. Frank; we'll be in it!" shouted Billy inan alarmed voice as the car rushed forward.
"Why, there's no excavation, Billy," rejoined Frank, bending over thesteering wheel. "That was just a bluff on the part of those men, ofwhom, if I am not much mistaken, Fred Reade was one."