CHAPTER XXII
UNCLE EZRA STARTS OFF
Let us now, for a moment, return to Uncle Ezra. We left him sitting onthe ground after his rather unceremonious exit from the airship whichhad crashed into the apple tree in the orchard. Somehow the strap,holding him to his seat, had come unbuckled, which accounted for hisplight.
"Are you hurt?" asked Lieutenant Larson, after a quick glance thatassured him the airship was not badly damaged.
"I don't know's I'm hurt such a terrible lot," was the slow answer,"but my clothes are all dirt. This suit is plumb ruined now. I swanI'd never have gone in for airships if I knew how expensive they'd be.This suit cost thirteen dollars and--"
"You're lucky you don't have to pay for a funeral," was thelieutenant's grim answer. "You must look to your seat strap betterthan that."
"Well, I didn't know the blamed thing was going to cut up like this!"returned the crabbed old man. "That's no way to land."
"I know it. But I couldn't help it," was the answer. "I'm glad you'renot hurt. But I think we have attracted some attention. Here comessomeone."
A man was running through the orchard.
"It's Hank Crittenden, and he hates me like poison!" murmured UncleEzra, as he arose from the pile of dirt, and tried to get some of itoff his clothes.
"Hi, there! What's this mean?" demanded Hank, as he rushed up,clutching a stout club. "What d'ye mean, comin' down in my orchard,and bustin' up my best Baldwin tree? What d'ye mean?"
"It was an accident--purely an accident," said Lieutenant Larson,suavely. "It could not be helped."
"Accident? You done it on puppose, that's what you did!" cried Hank,glaring at Uncle Ezra. "You done it on puppose, and I'll sue ye fordamages, that's what I'll do! That Baldwin apple tree was one of thebest in my orchard."
"Well, we didn't mean to do it," declared Mr. Larabee. "And if you suewe can prove in court it was an accident. So you'll have your troublefor your pains."
"I will, hey? Well, I'll show you, Ezra Larabee. I'll teach you tocome around here bustin' my things up with your old airship! You oughtto be ashamed of yourself, a man of your age, trying to fly like a henor rooster."
"I'm trying for the government prize," said Dick's uncle, weakly.
"Huh! A heap sight chance YOU have of winnin' a prize, flyin' likethat!" sneered Mr. Crittenden. "Comin' down in my orchard that way!"
"It was an accident," went on the former army man. "We were making alanding, but we did not intend to come clown just in that spot. We aresorry the tree is broken, but accidents will happen, and--"
"Yes, and them as does 'em must pay for 'em!" exclaimed Hank.
At the mention of money Uncle Ezra looked pained. He looked more sowhen Hank went on:
"I'll have damages for that tree, that's what I'll have and gooddamages too. That was my best Baldwin tree--"
"You told us that before," said Larson, as he began to wheel theaeroplane out into an open space where he could get it started again.
"Here, where you takin' that?" demanded Hank, suspiciously.
"We're going to fly back to Dankville," replied Mr. Larson.
"No, you ain't! You ain't goin' t' move that machine until you pay ferthe damage to my tree!" insisted Hank, as he took a firmer grasp of theclub. "I want ten dollars for what you done to my tree."
"Ten dollars!" grasped Uncle Ezra. "'Tain't wuth half that if it wasloaded with apples."
"Well, you'll pay me ten dollars, Ezra Larabee, or you don't take thatmachine away from here!" insisted the owner of the orchard. "You beatme once in a lawsuit, but you won't again!"
The two had been enemies for many years, Mr. Crittenden insisting thata certain lawsuit, which went against him, had been wrongfully decidedin favor of Dick's uncle.
"Well, I won't pay no ten dollars," said Mr. Larabee, firmly, puttinghis hand in his pocket, as if to resist any attempt to get money fromit.
"Ten dollars or you don't take that machine out!" cried Hank. "You'retrespassers on my land, too! I could have you arrested for that, aswell as suin' ye fer bustin' my tree."
"I'll never pay," said Uncle Ezra. "Come on, Lieutenant, we'll takethe airship out in spite of him."
"Oh, you will, eh?" cried Hank. "Well, we'll see about that! Ireckoned you'd try some such mean game as that Ezra Larabee, and I'mready for you. Here, Si and Bill!" he called, and from behind a bigtree stepped two stalwart hired men, armed with pitchforks.
"This Ezra Larabee allows he'll not pay for damagin' my tree,"explained Hank. "I say he shall, and I don't want you boys t' let himtake his contraption away until he forks over ten dollars."
"It ain't worth nigh that sum," began Mr. Larabee. "I'll never--"
"I think, perhaps, you had better pay it to avoid trouble," said thelieutenant. "He has some claim on us."
"Oh, dear!" groaned Uncle Ezra. "More money! This airship businesswill ruin me. Ten dollars!"
"Not a cent less!" declared Hank.
"Won't you call it eight?" asked the crabbed old miser.
"Ten dollars if you want to take away your machine, and then you canconsider yourselves lucky that I don't sue you for trespass. Hand overten dollars!"
"Never!" declared Ezra Larabee.
"I really think you had better," advised the aviator, and then with awry face, and much reluctance, Dick's uncle passed over the money.
"Now, you kin go!" cried Hank, "but if I ketch you on my property ag'inyou won't git off so easy. You can go back, boys; I won't need youthis time," he added grimly.
The hired men departed, and Mr. Crittenden, pocketing the money,watched the lieutenant and Uncle Ezra wheel the biplane out to an openplace where a start could be made.
The machine was somewhat damaged, but it could still be operated. Themotor, however, was obstinate, and would not start. Hank added insultto injury, at least in the opinion of Uncle Ezra, by laughing at theefforts of the lieutenant. And finally when the motor did consent to"mote," it went so slowly that not enough momentum could be obtained tomake the airship rise. It simply rolled slowly over the ground.
"Ha! Ha! That's a fine flyin' machine you've got there!" cried Hank,laughing heartily. "You'd better walk if you're goin' t' git anygov'ment prize!"
"Oh, dry up!" spluttered Uncle Ezra, who was now "real mad" as headmitted later. He and the lieutenant wheeled the machine back to haveanother try, and this time they were successful in getting up in theair. The aviator circled about and headed for Dankville, the airshiphaving come down about three miles from Uncle Ezra's place.
"Well, you're flyin' that's a fact!" cried Mr. Crittenden, as he lookedaloft at them. "But I wouldn't be surprised t' see 'em come smashin'down ag'in any minute," he added pessimistically. "Anyhow, I got tendollars out of Ezra Larabee!" he concluded, with a chuckle.
Mr. Larabee looked glum when he and the lieutenant got back to theairship shed.
"This is costing me a terrible pile of money!" said the crabbed oldman. "A terrible pile! And I reckon you'll have to spend more forfixing her up; won't you?" he asked, in a tone that seemed to indicatehe hoped for a negative answer.
"Oh, yes, we'll have to fix her up," said the lieutenant, "and buy anew carburetor, too. You know you promised that."
"Yes, I suppose so," sighed Uncle Ezra. "More money! And that skunkHank Crittenden got ten dollars out of me! I'll never hear the last ofthat. I'd rather have landed anywhere but on his land. Oh, this isawful! I wish I'd never gone into it."
"But think of the twenty thousand dollars," said the former army manquickly. It would not do to have his employer get too muchdiscouraged. And the aviator wanted more money--very much more.
The airship was repaired in the next few days, though there was aconstant finding of fault on the part of Uncle Ezra. He parted withcash most reluctantly.
However, he had officially made his entry for the government prize, andhe could not withdraw now. He must keep on. Lieutenant Larsonarranged with one of the ar
my aviators to accompany them on theprospective trip from coast to coast, and finally Larson announced thathe was ready to start for New York, where the flight would officiallybegin.
"Well, Ezra," said his wife, as he climbed into the machine on the dayappointed, "I don't like to be a discourager, and throw cold water onyou, but I don't reckon I'll ever see you again, Ezra," and she wipedher eyes.
"Oh, pshaw! Of course you'll see me again!" her husband cried. "I'mgoing to come back with that twenty thousand dollars. And I--I'll buya new carriage;--that's what I will!"
"That's awful good of you, Ezra," she said. "But I'm not countin' onit. I'm afraid you'll never come back," she sighed.
"Oh, yes, I will!" he declared. "Good-bye!"
They were to pick up the army officer in New York, and so Larson andUncle Ezra made the first part of the journey alone. They hadconsiderable trouble on the way, having to come down a number of times.
"Say, if she's going to work this way what will happen when we startfor San Francisco?" asked Mr. Larabee.
"Oh, it will be all right when I make a few changes in her," thelieutenant said. "And when we have another man aboard she'll rideeasier."
"Well, I hope so," murmured Uncle Ezra. "But more changes! Willthey--er--cost money?"
"A little."
Uncle Ezra groaned.
However, New York was eventually reached, and after some repairs andchanges were made, the airship was taken to the same place where Dick'shad started from, and with the army representative aboard, the journeyfor the Pacific coast was begun. The beginning of the flight wasauspicious enough, but if Uncle Ezra could have known all that wasbefore him I am doubtful if he would have gone on.