Chapter 18
Back For Vindication
Tom glanced around the restaurant. There were few persons in it savehimself and Mr. Damon. The pretty waitress was still regarding the twocuriously.
"We ought to take that paper along with us, to show to Mr. Sharp," saidTom, in a low voice to his friend. "I haven't had time to take it allin myself, yet. Let's go. I've had enough to eat, haven't you?"
"Yes. My appetite is gone now."
As they arose, to pay their checks the girl advanced.
"Can you tell me where I can get a copy of this paper?" asked Tom, ashe laid down a generous tip on the table, for the girl. Her eyes openedrather wide.
"Yo' all are fo'gettin' some of yo' money," she said, in her broad,southern tones. Tom thought her the prettiest girl he ever seen,excepting Mary Nestor.
"Oh, that's for you," replied the young inventor. "It's a tip. Aren'tyou in the habit of getting them down here?"
"Not very often. Thank yo' all. But what did yo' all ask about thatpaper?"
"I asked where I could get a copy of it. There is something in it thatinterests me."
"Yes, an' Ah reckon Ah knows what it is," exclaimed the girl. "It'sabout that airship with th' robbers in it!"
"How do you know?" inquired Tom quickly, and he tried to seem cool,though he felt the hot blood mounting to his cheeks.
"Oh, Ah saw yo' all readin' it. Everybody down heah is crazy about it.We all think th' ship is comin' down this way, 'cause it says th'robbers was intendin' to start south befo' they robbed th' bank. Ahwish Ah could collect thet five thousand dollars. If Ah could see thatairship, I wouldn't work no mo' in this eatin' place. What do yo' allreckon thet airship looks like?" and the girl gazed intently at Tom andMr. Damon.
"Why, bless my--" began the eccentric man, but Tom broke in hurriedly:
"Oh, I guess it looks like most any other airship," for he feared thatif his companion used any of his odd expressions he might berecognized, since our hero had not had time to read the article in thepaper through, and was not sure whether or not a description ofhimself, Mr. Damon and Mr. Sharp was given.
"Well, Ah suah wish I could collect thet reward," went on the girl."Everybody is on th' lookout. Yo' all ain't see th' airship; have yo'all?"
"Where can we get a paper like this?" asked Tom, again, not wanting toanswer such a leading question.
"Why, yo' all is suah welcome to that one," was the reply. "Ah guess Ahcan affo'd to give it to yo' all, after th' generous way yo' allbehaved to me. Take it, an' welcome. But are yo' all suah yo' are doneeatin'? Yo' all left lots."
"Oh, we had enough," replied Tom hurriedly. His sole aim now was to getaway--to consult with Mr. Sharp, and he needed the paper to learnfurther details of the astonishing news. He and his friends accused oflooting the bank, and taking away seventy-five thousand dollars in theairship! It was incredible! A reward of five thousand dollars offeredfor their capture! They might be arrested any minute, yet they couldnot go on without buying some provisions. What were they to do?
Once outside the restaurant, Mr. Damon and Tom walked swiftly on. Theycame to a corner where there was a street lamp, and there the younginventor paused to scan the paper again. It was the copy of a journalpublished in the nearby county seat, and contained quite a full accountof the affair.
The story was told of how the bank had been broken into, the vaultrifled and the money taken. The first clue, it said, was given by ayouth named Andy Foger, who had seen a former acquaintance hangingaround the bank with burglar tools. Tom recognized the description ofhimself as the "former acquaintance," but he could not understand therest.
"Burglar tools? I wonder how Andy could say that?" he asked Mr. Damon.
"Wait until we get back, and we'll ask John Sharp," suggested hiscompanion. "This is very strange. I am going to sue some one forspreading false reports about me! Bless my ledgers, why I have money ondeposit in that bank! To think that I would rob it!"
"Poor dad!" murmured Tom. "This must be hard for him. But what aboutordering food? Maybe if we buy any they will trail us, find the airshipand capture it. I don't want to be arrested, even if I am innocent, andI certainly don't want the airship to fall into the hands of thepolice. They might damage it."
"We must go see Mr. Sharp," declared Mr. Damon, and back to where theRed Cloud was concealed they went.
To say that the balloonist was astonished is putting it mildly. He waseven more excited than was Mr. Damon.
"Wait until I get hold of that Andy Foger!" he cried. "I'll make himsweat for this! I see he's already laid claim to the reward," he added,reading further along in the article. "He thinks he has put the policeon our trail."
"So he seems to have done," added Tom. "The whole country has beennotified to look out for us," the paper says. "We're likely to be firedupon whenever we pass over a city or a town."
"Then we'll have to avoid them," declared the balloonist.
"But we must go back," declared Tom.
"Of course. Back to be vindicated. We'll have to give up our trip. My,my! But this is a surprise!"
"I don't see what makes Andy say he saw me with burglar tools,"commented Tom, with a puzzled air.
Mr. Sharp thought for a moment. Then he exclaimed "It was that bag oftools I sent you after--the long wrenches, the pliers, and the braceand bits. You--"
"Of course!" cried Tom. "I remember now. The bag dropped and opened,and Andy and Sam saw the tools. But the idea of taking them for burglartools!"
"Well, I suppose the burglars, whoever they were, did use tools similarto those to break open the vault," put in Mr. Damon. "Andy probablythought he was a smart lad to put the police on our track."
"I'll put him on the track, when I return," declared Mr. Sharp. "Well,now, what's to be done?"
"We've got to have food," suggested Tom.
"Yes, but I think we can manage that. I've been looking over the ship,as best I could in the dark. It seems to be all right. We can startearly in the morning without anyone around here knowing we paid theirtown a visit. You and Mr. Damon go back to town, Tom, and order somestuff. Have the man leave it by the roadside early to-morrow morning.Tell him it's for some travelers, who will stop and pick it up. Pay himwell, and tell him to keep quiet, as it's for a racing party. That'strue enough. We're going to race home to vindicate our reputations. Ithink that will be all right."
"The man may get suspicious," said Mr. Damon.
"I hope not," answered the balloonist. "We've got to take a chance,anyhow."
The plan worked well, however, the store keeper promising to have thesupplies on hand at the time and place mentioned. He winked as Tomasked him to keep quiet about it.
"Oh, I know yo' automobile fellers," he said with a laugh. "You want toget some grub on the fly, so you won't have to stop, an' can beat th'other fellow. I know you, fer I see them automobile goggles stickin'out of your pocket."
Tom and Mr. Damon each had a pair, to use when the wind was strong, butthe young inventor had forgotten about his. They now served him a goodturn, for they turned the thoughts of the storekeeper into a newchannel. The lad let it go at that, and, paying for such things as heand Mr. Damon could not carry, left the store.
The aeronauts passed an uneasy night. They raised their ship high inthe air, anchoring it by a rope fast to a big tree, and they turned onno lights, for they did not want to betray their position. Theydescended before it was yet daylight, and a little later hurried to theplace where the provisions were left. They found their supplies safelyon hand, and, carrying them into the airship, prepared to turn back toShopton.
As the ship rose high in the air a crowd of negro laborers passingthrough a distant field, saw it. At once they raised a commotion,shouting and pointing to the wonderful sight.
"We're discovered!" cried Tom.
"No matter," answered Mr. Sharp. "We'll soon be out of sight, and we'llfly high the rest of this trip."
Tom looked down on the fast disappearing little hamlet, and he
thoughtof the pretty girl in the restaurant.