CHAPTER II
ON GUARD
"Perhaps I'd better stay with you, Andy," the other Bird boy remarked.
"No need of it," replied Andy, resolutely. "Besides, you know one of usought to get busy in the shop, making that new piece we really need sothat our job won't have to be done over again. You go, Frank. PerhapsMr. Quackenboss would let you have a horse; or if you cared to, you givePercy a hail, and he'd take you back to town, I reckon. Goodness knowshe owes you a heap, after the way you saved his life the time he waswrecked up on Old Thundertop."
What Andy referred to was a very exciting event which had occurred notso very long before, and which was fully treated in the volume precedingthis.
Frank shook his head in the negative.
"I never want to ask any favor of Percy Carberry," he said, resolutely."And if Mr. Quackenboss can't let me have a horse to ride, why, thewalking is good, and I can make it in less than an hour. So don'tmention that again please, Andy."
"It's too late now, anyhow," remarked the other, drily, "because therethey go, spinning down the road like wildfire. Percy never does anythingexcept in a whirl. He's as bold as they make them, and the only wonderto me is that he hasn't met with a terrible accident before now. Butsomehow he seems to escape, even when he smashes his flier to kindlingwood. His luck beats the Dutch; he believes in it himself, you know."
"But some day it's going to fail, and then he'll never what happened tohim," declared Frank. "Of all the professions in the world, that of aflying machine man is the one where a cool head and quick judgment arethe things most needed. And the fellow who takes great chances,depending on his good luck, is bound to meet up with trouble. But if youare bound to stay, Andy, I'd better be off."
Upon entering the barn they found that the farmer had finished his task,and was pitching some new sweet hay to the cows.
Frank suggested hiring a horse from him, but Mr. Quackenboss scoffed atthe idea.
"You're as welcome to the use of my saddle hoss as the sunlight is aftera spell of rain," he said, heartily. "Here, Felix, get Bob out; andyou'll find my new saddle hanging on that peg back of the harness roomdoor. And as for Andy, who's going to stay over with us, we'll find achair for him at the supper table, and only hope hell tell us some ofthe many things you two have gone through with, both around this region,and away down in South America, that time you found the lost Professor."
Inside of five minutes Frank was in the saddle, and waving his hand tohis chum and cousin, of whom he was more fond than if Andy had been hisown brother.
"He'd be back tonight with the part we need, and we could make home inthe moonlight," said Andy, as, with the farmer he headed for the house;"only both of us have promised our folks not to travel at night-timewhen it can be helped. Even if the moon is bright there's always a riskabout landing, because it's a tricky light at the best, and even alittle mistake may wreck things. And so Frank will work in the shoptonight, and be along in the morning."
Once in the farmhouse Andy was given a chance to wash up, and then metthe housewife, as well as little Billie, the small chap whose life goodDoctor Bird had saved. Mrs. Quackenboss proved to be a very warm-heartedwoman, and any one who answered to the name of Bird could have the verybest that the place afforded. There was never a night that she did notcall down the blessings of heaven upon the physician who had beeninstrumental in preventing her darling Billie from being taken away.
The table was fairly groaning under the weight of good things to eat,for when company comes the average farmer's wife never knows when tostop bringing out the most appetizing things to eat ever seen.
"Perhaps I'm the luckiest fellow going to be able to stay over-nightwith you, Mrs. Quackenboss," laughed Andy, as he sat down to thegenerous spread.
"Well, you know, we never like anybody to get up from our table hungry,"she explained.
"The chances are that I won't be able to get up at all, for if I try totaste half I see here, I'll be foundered, as sure as anything," Andywent on to say.
The farmer was not going to allow much time to pass talking about commonevery-day topics. Those might do all very well when he had ordinaryguests; but when fortune sent him one of the now famous Bird boys forcompany, he wanted to listen to some thrilling accounts of adventuresthat had come the way of the young and daring aviators, from the timethey built their first aeroplane, after purchasing most of the parts,and found that they had an immediate rival in Percy Carberry.
Andy was willing to oblige, and kept those at the table, including thefarm hand, Felix Boggs, thrilled with his stories. But the farmer couldnot help but notice how modest the boy was, giving most of the credit tohis cousin Frank, when everybody about Bloomsbury knew that Andydeserved just as much credit, if not more, than the other Bird Boy.
After supper Andy and Felix prepared to go out to where the hydroplanelay. They meant to take blankets along, and make themselves ascomfortable as possible for a night's vigil.
Andy would not have dreamed of doing this only for the fact that he knewPercy and his shadow, Sandy, were aware of the plight of the preciousflier. And while Frank was inclined to partly believe that the Carberryboy might let up in his mischief-making ways for awhile at least, afterall they had done for him up on Old Thundertop, Andy could not bringhimself to trust the other further than he could see him. He believedthat the nature of Percy was so "rotten" as he called it, that, given achance to injure his successful rivals, he would shut his eyes to allsense of gratitude, and just lie awake nights trying to get the betterof them, by fair means or foul.
Andy also knew that the other was particularly chagrined, because he didnot know what manner of a new flier the Bird boys had in hand now. Hehad resorted to various expedients in order to find out, but all withoutsuccess.
On this account, if no other, then, Andy believed that the others wouldbe apt to come out here during the night to examine the hydroplane withthe aluminum pontoons under its body for floating on the water; andperhaps to slily injure it in such a fashion that it would break downwhen next Frank and Andy mounted into the air.
It happened that they had alighted close to one corner of the big field,though in plain view from the pike. Andy had noted a clump of treesconveniently near, and already his mind was made up that he and Felixwould camp there, to pass the night in alternately keeping watch andward over the precious aeroplane that lay there like a wounded bird.
Felix was quivering with eagerness. This was like a picnic in thehumdrum life of the farm hand. Except when the circus came to town, orthere was a Harvest Home day, poor Felix knew little beyond the eternalgrind of getting up before dawn, and working until long after sunset.
First of all, Andy walked around the stranded aeroplane, and tookoccasion to explain how it worked, using as simple language as he couldfind, because Felix was not at all up in professional terms, and wouldnot have understood, had the other spoken as he might have done whentalking with a fellow aviator.
Then they sought the trees, and spreading their heavy blankets so as tomake as comfortable a seat as possible, started to talk in low tones.
The bright moon hung there in the sky, and it seemed as though everyfoot of the big meadow could be scrutinized just as well as in thedaytime; but Andy knew from experience how deceptive moonlight can be,and how cautious one has to be when trying any difficult feat at such atime.
"I've heard people talk about reading by moonlight, and how they couldtell a friend half a mile away," he remarked to Felix; "but let me saythat it's all a humbug. There never was a brighter night than this, Ireckon you'll agree with me, Felix; and yet look at that stump not astone's throw away; you couldn't say now whether it was a cow lyingdown, a horse, a rock, or a stump, which last I take the thing to be.Am I right about that."
"Why, sure's I live, that ere is a fact, Andy," replied the other; "butI never'd a thought it. Moonlight fools a feller the worst kind. Ithrowed a stone at a whippoor-will as was perched on the roof a-keepin'us all awake nights, and would yuh b
elieve me, she went right throughthe winder of the attic, kersmash. Never was more surprised in my life.And you don't ketch me heavin' stones by moonlight agin."
From one subject they drifted to another. Andy even told more or lessabout how Percy Carberry had hated and envied them in the past, and howoften he had tried to do them a serious injury.
"Frank seems to think he will give up that mean sort of play, because wereally saved his life that time we had our race to the rock on thesummit of Old Thundertop, and his aeroplane was smashed there; so one ofus had to carry Percy and Sandy home, bruised as they were. But I don't,because I know it'd take more than that to change the spots of a fellowof his kind. And chances are, Felix, we'll find those two boys sneakingup here before the middle of the night."
"Wish't they would," chuckled the farm hand. "You're ready to give 'ema warm time of it, I guess, Andy. Be as good as any old circus to me,just to see how they jump when you open up. Let 'em come, says I. Thesooner the better, too."
Long they lay there, and talked in low tones. Felix wanted to make thebest of this glorious chance. A new world seemed to open up to the farmhand, as he heard of the wonderful things the Bird boys had seen, andtaken part in. Perhaps ambition was beginning to awaken in the boy'ssoul, and he might not after this be so satisfied to plod along in thesame old rut every day of the year. Perhaps the seed thus sown mighttake root, and bring him either great good or harm, as the tide offortune chose.
"We heard as how a feller was up there to watch you boys fly not a greatwhile ago, Andy," he went on to say; "an' he was so took by the way youmanaged things that he wanted to get you to go in with a big concern runby a boss airman; but you just up and told him you couldn't do thatsame. Was that so?"
"Why, yes, you must mean Mr. Marsh," returned the other, modestly. "Ibelieve he did read some account of us that got into the papers, and wassent up here to look us up. He was kind enough to compliment Frank onthe way he made that corkscrew climb; and also on his volplane drop;said we had both of them down pretty fine; and he did hint at our havinga chance to go in with his company; but of course we couldn't think ofthat. We're too young to dream of being professional fliers yet; andbesides, we've got to go to school again pretty soon. So we turned theoffer down. But Mr. Marsh was mighty kind, and we liked him a heap."
"Heard how he was watching you fly, when that little chap belonging toCragan, the fisherman, got overboard, out in the lake; and this samegent, he saw Frank dive right off his aeroplane like a bullfrog, andsave little Tommy. That jest took him by storm, he told Mr. Quackenboss,and he meant to get you boys for his company if money could do it, butit all ended in smoke, didn't it."
It was almost half past nine before Andy decided that the time had comefor them to shut up shop, and do no more talking.
"I'm going to take the first watch myself, Felix, and I promise to wakeyou up when I get to gaping, whether it's midnight or two in themorning," he said, as he settled himself more comfortably on hisblanket, and pulled it up over his shoulders, because the night air wasalready quite chilly, and would undoubtedly be much more so ere long.
"But chances air, Andy, they're a-goin' to come inside an hour or so;and you must promise to give me a kick, if so be I'm sleepin', then. Youwill, won't you?"
"Sure," replied the Bird boy. "After you being so kind as to keep mecompany, I'd never think of making a move, and you asleep. So justsettle down, and don't get excited if you feel me pushing my toe intoyour ribs later on."
Felix was tired from his day's work. He had probably been constantlybusy since four the morning before. It was therefore a fight betweenweary muscles and brain, and the desire to stay awake, in order to seeall that went on.
This lasted for perhaps ten minutes.
Then Andy knew that Nature had won out, for he could catch the regularbreathing of the stout farmhand, and from this judged that Felix must besound asleep.
From where Andy sat he had a fine view of the field on all sides of thebroken hydroplane, and especially in that quarter toward the fence,beyond which the road leading to Bloomsbury lay.
He kept up a constant watch, never relaxing his vigilance for a singlesecond, for Andy knew that while one might be on guard for fifty-nineminutes, if he relaxed just for a breath, that was almost sure to be thetime when something would happen. How often he had proved that whenfishing, and taking his eye from his float just to glance up at somepassing bird, when down it would bob, and he had missed a chance to hooka finny prize.
The time passed on.
Three separate times did Andy look at his little dollar nickel watch,and in the bright moonlight he could see that it was now after eleven.He was beginning to believe that if there was anything doing that night,it must come about very soon, when he thought he heard a sound down theroad that made him think a car that had been coming along had stoppedshort.
Thrilled with the expectation that a change was about to occur, he satup a little more eagerly, and continued to scan the line of fence, aswell as the field lying between the road and the helpless hydroplane.
Aeroplane Boys Flight Page 2
