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

by Stanley R. Matthews

  CHAPTER XVI.

  BACK IN SOUTH CHICAGO.

  There was some great rejoicing on Carl's part when he learned what hadhappened in Grand Haven and out along the trolley line to Grand Rapids.

  "Ach, aber dot all sounds too goot to be droo!" exulted the Dutch boy."I vish I hat peen dere during der fragas. Ferral vas fooling mit meven he saidt dot Jerrold und I mighdt haf more drouples as der resdtoof you. Dere don'd vas any tanger oof dot at any stage oof der game.Prady gaptured! Hoop-a-la! Aber der pest oof all iss dot der Hawk ispack vere she pelongs, und dot pooty soon, pympy, Modor Matt, TickFerral und Carl Pretzel vill sail avay mit demselufs py Noo York. Derpalloon-house plot ditn't vork oudt like Prady t'ought."

  "It would have worked out just as he planned," said Matt, "if it hadn'tbeen for Helen Brady."

  "Yah, so! Miss Prady safed der tay for all oof us. Ven ve shdart forNoo York now, Matt? Oof ve vaid too long, den meppy dose odder twofellers, Vipple und Pete, vill hatch some more plots. I don'd like dot.Der kevicker vat ve get avay, der pedder all aroundt."

  "Carl's got the marlinspike by the right end, old ship," said Ferral toMatt.

  "That may be," answered Matt, "but I think we ought to find outsomething more about what Helen Brady intends doing before we leaveChicago."

  "Right-o!" agreed Ferral. "I was forgetting about that. She's mightyindependent, though, and I doubt whether she'll let us do much to helpher."

  "That's one of the things I like about Helen Brady."

  Matt went over the Hawk and found that she would need more gasolinebefore the trip back across the lake was attempted.

  Jerrold was also wanting a supply, and he and Matt, leaving Carl andFerral in charge of both air ships, started for the nearest house tofind out where they could get the fuel of which they stood in need.

  They found that gasoline was used for cooking, and for manufacturinggas for lighting, in the house where they inquired. The man who ownedthe place kindly offered to let the air ship owners have all theyneeded.

  In less than an hour Matt and Jerrold were back and filling theirgasoline tanks.

  A little later Harris reached the scene. The sun was down and darknesswas coming on.

  "I couldn't get away any quicker," explained Harris. "I am leavingeverything in good shape here, though. Harper is willing to go back toSouth Chicago without any requisition papers, but I thought it bestto let him stay and take him across the lake at the same time we tookBrady."

  "I should think that would be better," agreed Matt.

  "Harper is ready to turn states' evidence against the gang in the hopeof getting a light sentence," went on Harris. "He claims to know wheresome more stolen property has been secreted, so I suppose there willbe a few happy people in South Chicago if he proves that he knows whathe's talking about."

  "The law will deal lightly with Harper, I suppose," put in Jerrold, "ifhe does all that."

  "I guess so, but the law will not let him off scot free. Harper will goto the 'pen,' but he won't get anywhere near the sentence that Bradywill."

  "How long will Brady go up for?"

  "That's hard to say, but it will be long enough to keep him out ofmischief for twenty or thirty years."

  "What is going to be done with Ochiltree?" asked Matt.

  "Nothing. Ochiltree will be kept in the lockup until the officers inthis part of Michigan have had a chance to capture Whipple and Pete.After that, Ochiltree will be turned loose."

  "What are the chances for capturing Whipple and Pete?"

  "Good. We have used the wires in every direction, and also coupled adescription of Grove with the descriptions of the other two."

  "Why, shiver me," cried Ferral, "I hadn't thought about Grove! Whatbecame of him, Harris?"

  "Harper says that Grove was put down on the lake shore, just beforeBrady and the rest started across. I don't know how true that is, andI'm just telling you what Harper told me. But Harper's information haspanned out straight goods, so far. He says that Grove showed signs ofweakening, and that Brady, in a temper, cut loose from him. It may bethat Grove will join Whipple and Pete, somehow, and I thought it wellto telephone and telegraph his description along with the others. Butwhat are we going to do, Jerrold? Wait here until morning?"

  "I don't think we'd better," said Jerrold. "The night bids fair to beas calm as the day has been, and we can cross the lake easily enoughby moonlight. If we wait until to-morrow we may have a high wind, andperhaps a storm. Air ships, and flying machines of every sort, oughtto be under cover in a time like that. We'd better make the most of thegood weather. Don't you think so, Matt?"

  "You know more about air ships than I do, Mr. Jerrold," answered Matt,"but, from my brief experience with the Hawk, I think a storm would bebad business for an air ship. I've weathered out storms in balloons,but it's possible, with just a plain gas bag, to get above the cloudsand the tempest. You can't safely do that with machines like ours."

  "Well," said Harris, "if we're going to South Chicago to-night, thequicker we start the quicker we'll get there. I'll confess I'm not inlove with the idea of hanging out on this beach all night with thesetwo air ships. We can't tell what might happen, with Grove, and Pete,and Whipple at large."

  "Then," said Jerrold, "we'll pull out at once. You start first, Matt,and we'll follow."

  "I'll ride mit my bards," said Carl, "und Harris can come mit you,Misder Jerrold."

  The ropes were cast off and Matt manoeuvred the Hawk upward and outabove the lake. When they had got a good "offing," as Ferral describedit, those in the car could look back and see the dark, weird shape ofthe Eagle flinging itself upward against the lighter background of sky.

  What little wind there had been, during the day, had gone down with thesun, and perfect silence, save for the lapping of the waves, reigned onevery hand.

  The Eagle soon overhauled the Hawk, and side by side the two air shipsmade toward the Illinois shore.

  Could anyone in a boat have seen the air ships, the sight presentedwould have been strangely exciting. The spectacle would have beenprophetic, too, of man's coming command of an element heretofore out ofhis reach.

  As time passed, the moon arose as if out of the water, and a scene ofweird beauty unrolled to those aboard the Hawk and the Eagle.

  "I vould radder be a sailor oof der air dan oof der sea," remarkedCarl, breaking a silence during which all hands had been enjoying theirnovel surroundings.

  "Why so, Carl?" came across from the Eagle, in the voice of Harris.

  "Pecause," said Carl, "you got four vays to go insteadt oof two. In asea ship, you don't vas aple to go oop und town."

  "Once in awhile, matey," laughed Ferral, "a sea ship goes down."

  "Yah," averred Carl, "und she shdays town. Go on mit dot song vat youvas singing mit yourseluf, Tick, der dime vat you vas coming py derpoarding house to see Matt. It vas a pooty fine song, I tell you dot."

  Ferral had a fine voice, and he at once broke into "In Cawsand BayLying," and followed it through from start to finish.

  Harris thereupon tuned up, and when he got through Carl piped out inGerman. This singing was kept up, off and on, during the entire tripacross the lake.

  It was decided, just as the air ships were hoving over South Chicago,that Matt and his chums should take the Hawk to the balloon house andstow her away there. Harris would go on to Jerrold's place in theEagle, and then send a couple of policemen from headquarters to watchthe Hawk until the boys were ready to leave.

  This programme was carried out without a break. It was about threeo'clock in the morning when the boys got their sand bags in place alongthe bottom rail of the car and towed the Hawk into her old berth.

  Half an hour after that a detail of two officers arrived and went onguard. Matt, Ferral and Carl went into the small room at the back ofthe balloon house, and two of them took possession of the cots and thethird had a bed made for him on the floor. It was Carl who stretchedout between the two cots, and it was he who remarked, just before hedozed off to sleep:r />
  "You fellers came pooty near daking a long shleep here, hey?"

  "Stow it, matey!" cried Ferral. "I'll be dreaming about that now."

  "Ach, donnervetter!" returned Carl, "dere iss pedder t'ings as dot totream aboudt, Ferral. For insdunce, tream oof der vay Matt shtrucksome shtreaks oof hardt luck, und den turned der hardt luck to gootatvantage py gedding Prady gaptured."

  "And recovering the Hawk," added Matt. "There's a silver lining toevery cloud, Dick."

  "There's never a flat foot nor a shellback but will tell you samething, messmate," agreed Ferral heartily. "Good night, or good morning,whichever you want. I'm ready to take my stretch off the land, and heregoes."

  Two minutes later the fateful old balloon house was steeped in silence.

  THE END.

  THE NEXT NUMBER (11) WILL CONTAIN

  Motor Matt's Daring Rescue

  OR,

  The Strange Case of Helen Brady.

  The Disappearance of Helen Brady--The Important Letter--By the Old Quarry--A Queer Situation--Pete and Whipple Make a Capture--Brady's Proposition--A Surprise at Hooligan's--Back to the Canal--Brady Returns With Hot News--The Mansion On the River--The Fight--Daring Work--Helen's Ordeal--The Capture of Pete and Whipple.