The Phantom Town Mystery

by Carol Norton

  CHAPTER XXIII A SILVER PLANE

  There was an almost breathless silence for a moment as the small silverplane swooped gracefully down and made an easy landing; then theenthusiasm of the crowd burst forth in shouts of welcome.

  "Say, Kid, _you're_ all right!"

  "That's the kind of a cayuse to be riding!"

  "A silver airship for the silver city!"

  "Hurrah for the skidder of the skies!"

  Horses on the outskirts of the crowd, unused to such commotion, rearedand pranced on their hind legs. Then, seeming to believe that something_might_ be lacking in the warmth of their welcome, a cowboy shot off hisgun into the air. Instantly Deputy Sheriff Goode shouted for silence.

  "Nixy on that!" he commanded. "All of you fellows get to shootin' an' wewon't do much creepin' up on the gang."

  "Goodness!" Mary said to Jerry. "He must think those bandits are hidingsomewhere _near here_. They couldn't possibly hear the shooting if theywere over the border in Mexico, could they?"

  The cowboy shook his head. "It's just that he doesn't want to take anychances, I reckon." Then, generously, he added, "You girls will want tomeet Harry Hulbert, won't you? He's talking to the 'Dep' now.Jehoshaphat! That's too bad. He's going right up again."

  "I guess the Deputy Sheriff wants Harry to start in scouting and notwaste time visiting with girls," Dora remarked.

  "Back! Back everyone!" the deputized cowboys rode around the square,clearing it again, for the curious and interested crowd had pressed closeto the plane.

  "There, up she goes! Whoopee!" Some cowboy shouted in Mary's ear. "Me forthe air!" he waved his sombrero so close that it fanned her cheek.

  "Ain't that the plumb-beatenest way to go places?" another cowboy wasactually addressing Dora in such a friendly manner that she replied inlike spirit, "Yes, it's great!"

  Jerry turned to Dick. "Take the girls back to where we left the car, willyou? I'm going to speak to Goode. Be over in a minute."

  "Oh, Big Brother," Mary caught his hand, "don't do anything that _might_be dangerous, will you? It would be terrible for your mother if anythinghappened to you."

  Hope and love had, for a moment, lighted the cowboy's eyes, but the lastpart of Mary's importuning had seemed to be entirely for another, and so,as he turned away, Jerry's heart was heavy.

  Mary's gaze, he noticed, had quickly turned from him up to the sky wherea silver plane was still discernible riding toward the moon.

  Dick took an arm of each girl and the crowd made a path for them.

  "I like these cowmen and boys, don't you, Dora?" Mary had climbed intothe rumble with her friend. "They have such nice, kind faces and they'reso picturesque with their wide hats and colored shirts andhandkerchiefs."

  Dora nodded. "There's a boy over there on horseback. See his leatherchaps are fringed and he has spurs on his boots."

  "They act as though this was some sort of a celebration, don't they,Dick?"

  The boy was leaning against the car watching the milling throng which wasbeing augmented in numbers by newcomers riding in from the dark desert.

  "What's the big show?" A weazened, grizzly-headed man in tattered clotheshad suddenly appeared at Dick's side. He had a canvas-covered rollstrapped to his back and carried a stout stick. His pinched face wasstarved-looking and his eyes were feverishly bright.

  Dick explained what was happening and, without a word, the queer creaturescuttled out of sight in the crowd.

  "That poor man!" Mary exclaimed sympathetically. "What _can_ he be?"

  "Don't ask me," Dick replied. "I haven't been out here long enough toknow all the types."

  A pleasant voice said, "That's a typical desert rat. He digs around andsometimes finds a little gold, but mostly he lives on sand, I reckon."

  Mary recognized the speaker as a clerk in the grocery store. Before shecould ask more about the poor unfortunate, someone hailed their informantand he hurried away.

  Jerry returned and his face was grave. "I hardly know what to say," hebegan. "I don't want to frighten you girls unnecessarily, but DeputySheriff Goode thinks it would be unwise for you to return over thatlonely road to Gleeson tonight, or, at least not until the hiding placeof the bandits has been discovered."

  "Oh, Jerry!" Mary's one thought was concern for her father. "I _must_ letDad know that I am safe and that I may not be home at once. Won't youplease telephone him? You will know best what to say."

  "Yes, I'll be back in a minute." They watched him pushing his way towardthe one drug store in the town.

  Mary turned toward Dick. "Now, what does _that_ mean, do you suppose?"

  "I think it merely means that the 'Dep' isn't sure that the robbers _did_cross into Mexico. He thinks they may be hiding nearer here than that."

  "I thought as much," Dora commented, "when he was so upset because acowboy started shooting."

  Jerry was not gone long. "I explained to your mother, Dick. She said Mr.Moore is asleep and that she will not waken him. Her advice is that yougirls take a room in the little old hotel here and wait until morning."

  The girls were relieved as they had neither of them relished the idea ofreturning over that desolately lonesome road with bandits at large.

  Jerry was continuing. "Mrs. Goode runs the hotel and she's just as niceand friendly as she can be. The mothering sort. Dick, you stay here inthe car, will you, while I escort the girls across the road?"

  "With the greatest of pleasure!" the Eastern boy said.

  Dora teased, as she permitted him to assist her out of the rumble. "Youought _not_ to say that you're pleased to have us _leave_ you."

  "Not _that_; NEVER!" Dick assured her, then in a low voice he confided,"I've been wild to be _in_ on all this, and if I'd been sent home withyou girls, I--"

  Dora laughingly interrupted. "You might have been _in_ it more than anyof the others." She shuddered at the thought. "We three might have--"

  "_Now_, who's using her imagination?" Mary inquired. Then, after scanningthe heavens, she added, "Big Brother, the Seagull has flown entirely outof sight, hasn't it?"

  "I reckon it has. Back in a minute, Dick."

  Mary and Dora were thrilled with excitement and thought all that wastranspiring a high adventure, although they _were_ a little troubled,fearing that the three boys in whom they were interested might be indanger before the night was over.

  The old adobe two-story building to which Jerry led the girls was acrossthe wide square from the post office. The large office was filled withpeople, most of them women of the town who had gathered there. Many hadcome from the lonely outskirts. They had been afraid to stay alone intheir homes while their men were bandit-hunting.

  Jerry soon saw the pleasant face of the rather short, plump Mrs. Goode.He led the girls to her and explained their presence.

  "So _you_ are Mary Moore grown up!" the woman said kindly. "I knew yourmother well when she came here as a bride. Everyone loved her in theseparts; they sure did." Then, to the tall cowboy who stood waiting,although impatient to be away, she assured him, "I'll take good care ofthem, don't fear!"

  "I know you will. Good night, Mary and Dora." The cowboy held out a handto each then was gone.

  Dora thought, "Oho, _something has_ happened. There was no tenderness in_that_ parting. Hum-m, what can it be? Ah, I believe I see light!"

  Mary was saying, "I do hope that Harry Hulbert is all right. Isn't it themost heroic thing that he is doing?"

  "Who's he, dearie?" Mrs. Goode, having heard, asked. "Oh, yes, the skypilot. A nice face he has. I gave him a cup of coffee. His manners arethe best ever. Well, come along upstairs. I'll give you the front cornerroom where you can watch the goings-on, if you'd like that."

  "Oh yes, please do, Mrs. Goode. I never was more thrilled in all mydays." It was Dora speaking. "I know that I won't sleep a single mite,will you, Mary?"

  "I don't intend to try," that fair maid replied as they followed up thebroad carpeted stairway and entere
d a plainly furnished hotel room. Therewere two large windows overlooking the square below and the girls, havingsaid good night to their hostess, went at once to look down upon thecrowd.

  The men had divided into small groups and were talking earnestlytogether. A group of younger cowboys just in front of the hotel, weremaking merry. One of them strummed a guitar and several of them flungthemselves about dancing wildly, improvising as they went along. Theirefforts were applauded hilariously.

  "No one would guess that they thought they _might_ be going to battlewith bandits before morning," Mary said. Then she looked up at themoon-shimmered sky. For a long time she gazed intently at one spot.

  "Is that a pale star or is it the little silver plane coming nearer?" sheasked.

  Dora watched the faintly glittering object, then exclaimed glowingly, "Itsurely _is_ the Seagull. Oh, Mary, _do_ you suppose Harry Hulbert haslocated those bandits?"