Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon-House Plot

by Stanley R. Matthews

  CHAPTER XIII.

  THE LINE ON BRADY.

  Harper's astonishment was so profound as to be ludicrous. Naturally hecould not recognize Harris, even as being a policeman, but he couldhardly fail to be astounded at seeing Matt and Ferral.

  With a revolver in his hand, Harris drove Harper into a chair besideOchiltree.

  "What--what's the meanin' o' this?" asked Harper, in faltering tones,his bewildered eyes roaming from Matt to Ferral, and then to Ochiltree.

  "You'll find out the meaning of it before you're many minutes older,"answered Harris, with a snap of the jaw. "Why, you murderous hound," hewent on, "how can you look at King, there, and at his friend, Ferral,and find the nerve to put such a question? I suppose you've forgottenhow you tied these two lads, put them in the little room back of theballoon house, and then turned on the gas?"

  "It wasn't me done that," protested Harper.

  "It was you, just as much as it was Whipple or Pete. The law won't makeany fine distinctions, I can tell you, when it comes to playing evenfor that bit of dastardly work. You're in a hard row of stumps, Harper.I don't know as anything can be done to help you, either, but if youshow a disposition to help us, it won't hurt you any."

  "Nothin' happened to them two kids," growled Harper, recovering alittle of his courage, "an' I knew all the time they'd get clear."

  "Use the soft pedal!" warned Harris. "You didn't have any such notion.Anyhow, the law will handle you almost as it would if both boys hadbeen smothered to death. It wasn't anything to your credit that theygot out of that room alive. But you're not the main object of ourexpedition. Where's Brady?"

  "Who told you where we was?" asked Harper, ignoring the question.

  "Some one gave us the tip, and that's enough for you to know. Where'sBrady?"

  "I don't know where he----"

  "Yes, you do!"

  The muzzle of Harris' revolver was pushed closer to Harper's face. Hecringed away from it with a frightened look in his eyes.

  "Don't get careless with that," he whined. "I'm not goin' to run away."

  "You're right you're not. It wouldn't do you any good if you did try.Where's Brady? I'm not going to ask you many times."

  "Who're you?" demanded Harper. "What right you got to ask me thingslike that?"

  "I'm an officer from South Chicago," and Harris pulled back his coatand showed the badge pinned to his vest.

  "And I," spoke up Dennison, going through the same movements, "am aGrand Haven officer. You're nigged good and plenty, my man. If you knowwhen you're well off, you'll help rather than hinder this game we'replaying."

  Harper cast an appealing look at Ochiltree. The latter met the looksavagely.

  "What ye lookin' at me fer?" he snapped. "I don't know you--never seenye before in my life. Ye can see what trouble ye've got me in by comin'here. Take him away an' jug him," Ochiltree added, turning to Harris."He's nothin' ter me, an' I'd like ter have ye git him out o' thishouse as soon as ye kin."

  "We'll jug the two of you, Ochiltree," answered Dennison grimly, "untilwe find out just where you stand in this business."

  Ochiltree relapsed into his chair with a black scowl. This byplaybetween Ochiltree and the officer did not serve to make Harper any moreeasy in his mind.

  "Are you going to tell us anything about Brady?" demanded Harris. "I'mwaiting."

  "What's it goin' to mean to me?" asked Harper, wishing to drive somesort of a bargain on his own account.

  "It may help you, but I'm making no promises."

  Harper bowed his head and, for a moment, thought the matter over.Evidently he made up his mind that he was cornered, and that it wouldbe well for him to take a chance at doing something for himself.

  "What do you want to know?" he queried.

  "Where is Brady?" repeated Harris.

  "He's out on the trolley line that leads toward Grand Rapids."

  "Is the Hawk there?"

  "Yes. Something went wrong with the Hawk's motor, and Brady sent meafter Ochiltree while he was tinkering with the machinery."

  "Sent you after Ochiltree, did he?" echoed Harris. "Why was that?"

  "Give it up. I guess Brady was plannin' to have Ochiltree help him tosteer clear of the law."

  "Consarn you!" flared Ochiltree, glaring at Harper. "What ye tryin'ter git me inter this thing fer? I'll admit I useter know Brady," hewent on, turning to Dennison and Harris, "but I ain't had a thing terdo with him fer years. Why he comes to me now, like this, is more'n Iknow."

  "It looks bad for you, Ochiltree," commented Dennison.

  "I know that," scowled Ochiltree, "an' all because o' this mutt. He'sdoin' his best ter ring me in on the deal, but I'll swear I ain't got athing ter do with it."

  "We'll find that out for ourselves."

  "How far is the Hawk from town?" queried Harris, again taking up hisline of questioning with Harper.

  "About two miles," was the prisoner's answer.

  "How'll we know the place when we get to it?"

  "There's a broken oak close to a platform where the cars stop to takeon an' let off passengers. Ye can't miss the place. Get off at theplatform and walk to the right, straight into the timber."

  "Was Brady to wait there until you and Ochiltree joined him?"

  "Yes."

  "How long will it take Brady to repair the Hawk?"

  "He figured on a couple of hours."

  "Who's with him?"

  "Pete and Whipple."

  "No one else?"

  "No."

  "What's become of Hector, Jr.?"

  "He's gone East. Brady thought Hector, Jr., had better cut out ofChicago after what happened on the lake."

  "I see." Harris turned to Dennison. "We've got a good line on Brady,"he continued. "We'll take Harper and Ochiltree to the lockup, and thenwe'll pick up another officer and go to the platform by the blastedoak, and----"

  "I know the place," broke in Dennison. "I've passed it a dozen times onthe way to Grand Rapids. The quicker we pull off the rest of this thebetter."

  "My notion to a t, y, ty."

  Harris snapped a pair of iron bracelets about Harper's wrists, whileDennison gave the same delicate attention to Ochiltree.

  "I'm blamed if I can understand why ye're treatin' me in this way,"growled Ochiltree.

  "Your actions are suspicious," replied the Grand Haven officer.

  "I can't keep crooks from callin' on me," protested Ochiltree.

  "Well, you'd better," was the significant response. "Come along,Ochiltree, and come peaceably."

  Ferral walked on one side of Ochiltree, and Matt walked on one side ofHarper.

  With this escort, the two prisoners were removed from the house, takenacross the river and conducted to police headquarters.

  If success was to attend the rest of the officers' movements, therewas no time to be lost. The two prisoners had been paraded throughthe town, and there was the possibility that the news of their arrestmight reach Brady and his men in advance of the arrival of Harris andDennison.

  Another officer was secured. While the three plain-clothes men werewaiting for the car, Harris endeavored to persuade Matt and Ferralto go back to the Eagle and leave the rest of the work to him, andDennison, and the other officer.

  "Keelhaul me if I cut adrift at this stage of the game," answeredFerral. "Why, it's just beginning to get exciting."

  "I feel the same way, Harris," spoke up Matt.

  "If Brady does any shooting, Matt," answered Harris, "you can gamblethat it will be in your direction. The scoundrel has got it in for you,and he'll take any chance to play even, no matter what it costs him."

  "I'll look out for myself," said Matt confidently. "Besides, Harris,you're overlooking one important point.

  "What's that?"

  "Suppose Brady hasn't got the Hawk in shape. It would be necessary forsome one that understands a gasoline motor to lay hold and finish thejob. Who could do that, if I wasn't along?"

  There was a brief silence, broken at last by De
nnison.

  "The youngster is right," said he. "Perhaps he'll be needed."

  "What's more," averred Ferral, "Matt and I own the Hawk, and it's rightand proper that we should be there to look after it. If there's anyshooting, you fellows see that the air ship isn't hurt."

  "We'll do our best to look after the Hawk," answered Harris, "but wecan't forget that the capture of Brady and his men is our principalbusiness."

  "Here comes the car," announced Dennison. "Tumble aboard and we'llstart off on the last lap of the chase."