CHAPTER II.
THE IMPORTANT LETTER.
"It looks as though we'd have to get away from here this afternoon,Harris," said Matt. "Hagenmyer just sent us word he's going to begintearing down the balloon house in the morning."
"Good!" exclaimed the officer, with satisfaction. "This old roost can'tbe knocked to pieces any too quick. It has witnessed many a lawless acton the part of Brady and his gang, and if these old walls could speakthey'd tell us of many a crime. Are you and your chums going to try toget to New York with the Hawk, Matt?"
"Yes."
"It's quite a long trip. I know, from experience, that the Hawk will dowell on a short voyage, but will she hold out for such a long journeyas that?"
"I don't see why she won't, if she's carefully handled."
"But in bad weather? You can't figure on having sunshine and mildbreezes all the way, you know, Matt. I've never seen the Hawk tried outin a stiff gale."
"If the gale was too strong, we'd have to come down, anchor, and put upour canvas shelter."
"If anyone could make a success of such a flight, I guess you're theboy. Will you help out the authorities by taking the Hawk so far awaythat Brady can't have any designs on her?"
"Of course, Harris," said Matt, "we'll do whatever you think is right,but before we leave I think we ought to do something for Helen Brady."
"The Chicago police are hard at work on her case, and you can trustthem to do whatever can be done."
"Well," went on Matt, "we'll have to stay here until Carl gets backfrom the city. He's gone there after an important letter, and I've ahunch it may be from Miss Brady."
Harris opened his eyes at this, and Matt explained about the telegramfrom the Lestrange people. The officer shook his head.
"There's not much ground for thinking that letter is from Miss Brady,"said he. "Probably it's some one who has heard about your air-shipwork, and wants to hire the Hawk, or to charter her. What you've beendoing in the aeronautical line, Matt, has aroused a good deal ofinterest all over the country. It's the first time, so far as I know,that an air ship has ever been used practically. First, Brady used theHawk in his thieving operations, and next you used her to bring two ofthe gang and some of their booty from Willoughby's swamp. Your lastexploit, in which you made an air-ship trip across Lake Michigan inJerrold's machine, the Eagle, captured the Hawk and returned safelywith her, seems to have caused more talk than anything else you havedone. No, you can take my word for it, that important letter is fromsome enthusiast who wants to buy the Hawk, or to hire her. If you ladswanted to sell the air ship, you could realize at least four times whatyou paid for the craft. Not a bad 'spec,' eh?"
"She ain't for sale, messmate," spoke up Ferral. "She may be for sale,after awhile, but we want to have a little fun with her first. Eh,Matt?"
"That's right, Dick," answered Matt. "Aside from the fun, too, I wantto learn all I can about the air-ship business. You never can tell whenknowledge of that kind will come handy."
"There you are!" laughed Harris. "You never saw a boy with such agrasping disposition whenever there's anything to be learned. I'm goingto stay right here with you and make myself comfortable until Carl getsback from Chicago. You've got me all worked up about that letter, andI'll have to see what it amounts to."
The officer peeled off his long coat and made himself at ease on a boxin the shade of the balloon house.
"It beats all," he remarked, after a pause, "how Brady ever succeededin getting out of the 'pen.'"
"Haven't you heard how he accomplished that?" queried Matt.
"The details haven't been given out--even the newspapers haven't gotthem. If Brady ever got another chance at you, Matt, he wouldn't haltat any halfway measures. He's right in laying his capture, and most ofhis troubles, to you, and we all know that he has a disposition like arattlesnake. You've got to look out for him."
Matt would have given a good deal to know just how much Harris wasthinking of his safety, and just how much he was considering the helpthe authorities would receive by having the Hawk removed from thatpart of the country. He put the question point-blank, and the officeraverred that he was thinking entirely of the recapture of Brady.
"Is the Hawk in shape for a get-away?" he asked.
"She's been ready for a week," replied the young motorist. "There'senough gasoline in the tank to carry her at least three hundred miles,and we have a reserve supply stowed in the car that will carry her thatmuch farther. The bag is full of gas, and Mr. Jerrold has equipped uswith a balloonet, or inner bag, that will keep the buoyancy the samein any temperature. The balloonet is filled with something of his owninvention--a vapor of some sort that contracts as the gas in the outerbag expands, and that expands as the gas contracts. Not only that, butMr. Jerrold gave the bag a coat of some sort of varnish which makes italmost proof against leakage, and we figure that we could travel somethousands of miles before it would be necessary to visit a gas plant."
"Jerrold is a mighty good friend of yours, Matt," observed Harris."It's not everybody he'd give the benefit of his own inventions."
"He's one of the greatest men of the age," declared the young motorist,with enthusiasm, "and he's doing more to put a?ronautics on acommercial and practical basis than any other inventor in the country."
For an hour or two Harris and Matt talked on technical points connectedwith air ships, and the two finally went into the balloon house so thatMatt could point out the improvements which his friend, Jerrold, hadhelped make in the Hawk.
Most of all this was worse than Greek to Ferral, and he yawned as helistened, and remained behind when his chum and the officer went insidethe huge shed. Leaning against the board wall behind him, Ferral dozed,and it was only when a shout reached him from the road that he realizedthat Carl was coming.
When Ferral turned his gaze in the direction from which the shout hadcome, Carl was just clambering over the fence.
"Ahoy, Matt!" yelled Ferral, starting to his feet, and wide awake onthe instant. "Here's our Dutch raggie! It's hard on the stroke of eightbells and he's made the round trip just as I thought he would."
In response to the hail, Matt and Harris came hurrying out of the shed.By that time Carl was half way between the road and the balloon house.
"Did you get the letter all right, Carl?" asked Matt, as soon as theDutch boy had come close.
"You bed my life!" whooped Carl. "Don'd I chenerally ged vatefer I goafder, Matt?"
"It isn't often you fall down, and that's a fact."
"It wasn't much of a job, anyhow," laughed Ferral, "going aftersomething that was waiting for you."
"I vent so kevick as I got pack," continued Carl, drawing the letterfrom his pocket, "und dot's vere I shine. Motor Matt say for me todo somet'ing, und I do him like chain lighdings. Dere you vas. He'satressed to Misder Motor Matt, care oof der Lestrange Garage, und downin vone gorner iss der vort 'imbortant.' My nerfs vas all in someflutters to know vat iss on der insite."
Matt took the letter and tore it open; then, for the benefit of Harrisand Ferral and Carl, he read it aloud.
"'MOTOR MATT: You are a friend of Helen Brady's, and the writer knows that she is in grave peril. She can be rescued, but it can only be by means of your air ship, the Hawk, and the work will have to be done quietly. I am one of the detectives from headquarters, and my attention is so completely taken up with the case that I can't leave where I am to call and see you personally, but if you want to help rescue the girl, you will follow these instructions:
"'Between La Grange and the town of Gary, not many miles from South Chicago, there's an abandoned stone quarry. You can't miss it, as it is on the Drainage Canal, and the limestone in the bottom of the quarry will look like a white patch on the earth from the air ship. Bring the Hawk to the quarry at ten o'clock to-night, descending on the edge of the Canal. I will be there to meet you. Don't come before night, for, if the Hawk is seen, we will have all our trouble for our pains. And keep mum about what you are doing, for
if you were to talk, the information might reach those who have the girl in charge and thus prevent our success. Can I count on you? I am figuring that you will receive this letter Tuesday, and come to the quarry Tuesday night; but, if you don't receive this until Wednesday, come Wednesday night. DAVE GLENNIE.'"
"Egol!" muttered Harris. "That's a peculiar letter, and no mistake. Butit rings true. Besides, I know Glennie, and he's the best detective atthe city headquarters."
"I had hoped that this might be from Miss Brady herself," said Matt.
"The girl is probably where she can't write. Glennie knows what he'sabout. He has asked you to come and told you how to get to the place,so if you want to help Miss Brady, Matt, you'll go."
"Will you come along with us, Harris?"
Harris shook his head.
"It wouldn't do for me to butt in on a bit of work that Glennie'spulling off--it would look too much as though I was trying to 'hog'some of the honor. Glennie would resent it, and he'd be perfectly rightin doing so. He has laid his plans and the thing for you to do is tohelp carry them out."
"But you know the country better than any the rest of us. We'll beable to find the quarry, all right, when we get over it, but it maybother us some to find La Grange. You see, we'll have to work at night,and----"
"That will be easy, Matt," interrupted Harris, "if you find the canaland then follow it until you get to the quarry. I'll show you how toreach the canal, and after that you will have plain sailing."
The officer gave the instructions. After he was through, the finding ofthe quarry seemed a simple enough matter.
It was eight o'clock in the evening before the boys got the Hawk out ofthe shed for the start. Harris had stayed with them up to that time.He watched while the young motorist and his chums got into the car andglided upward to a humming accompaniment of the motor's cylinders.
"Good-by and good luck!" yelled Harris, in answer to the parting hailthat came to him from the dusky blot overhead.
Harris, after he had returned to headquarters to report, called up theChicago police department. It was merely by an afterthought and notbecause he anticipated finding anything wrong.
"This is Harris, of South Chicago, talking," said he, as soon as hiscall was answered. "Where's Dave Glennie?"
"Right here in the office, Harris. If you----"
Harris staggered back and almost dropped the receiver.
"What!" he demanded.
"Glennie's here in the office," repeated the man at the other end ofthe line. "If you want to talk to him I'll call him."
"You bet I do want to talk to him! Tell him to hustle to the phone."
Glennie must have "hustled," for in less than a minute he was at thephone, saying hello, and asking what was wanted.
"Did you write a letter to Motor Matt and send it to him in care of theLestrange Garage, there in Chicago?"
"What would I want to write a letter to Motor Matt for?" demanded thedetective.
"I'll keep it quiet, if you did. All I want's to get at the truth."
"I've given you the truth, Harris."
"You've been working on that Helen Brady case, haven't you?"
"Sure, but my hands are in the air. Everybody's hands are in the air.It's the strangest case you ever heard of, and there's absolutely notrace----"
Harris tossed the receiver onto the hooks and staggered away from thephone. What sort of underhand work was going on? Motor Matt and hischums were running right into trouble, and Harris realized that he hadhelped to start them on the way.
"An automobile!" he muttered, hurrying out of the headquarters'building. "I've got to have a fast one and get to that old quarrybefore ten o'clock. Egol, this is the worst thing I ever went upagainst!"