CHAPTER X
HEARD OVER THE WIRE
Luckily the center of interest remained around the odd looking aeroplanewith the metal pontoons underneath its body, so that Frank was allowedto walk away almost unnoticed, when he had secured the importantinformation he inquired for, and which was leading him to the drug storenearest the town green.
True, an aviator had landed in Rockford on one or two occasions, forsome reason or other, in times past. Since the Bird boys could notremember having done so, possibly it may have been Percy Carberry,anxious to enjoy the stares of the good people, and pose as a greatfellow.
But this was a type of air machine with which none of them werefamiliar; and as so much space was being taken up even in the localpapers with the accounts of the wonderful doings of daring navigators ofthe upper currents, it was only natural that some bright boy shouldspeedily guess what manner of craft the chance visitor to Rockford mustbe.
"Hey! that's a hyderplane, mister, ain't it?" demanded one sharp-eyedchap, after he had glimpsed the construction of the aluminum pontoonsthat were just kept from contact with the ground by the bicycle wheels.
"Have you ever seen one before?" asked Andy, desirous of keeping upfriendly relations with the crowd, for he knew how important that mightprove, since, as yet, no man wearing a blue uniform had put in anappearance; and should any hoodlum choose to play "rough house," or tryto be too familiar with the apparatus, there was always a chance thatsome damage might be done.
"No, I ain't, but I seen a picture of that 'ere Coffyn feller, a-flyin'down on the Hudson river nigh New York; and she looked a heap like thishere shebang," came the quick response.
"Well, you guessed right that time, for that is what it is called, ahydroplane; because it can be navigated on the water as well as in theair. And if you'll please stand back, so as not to bother with anything,because the least handling may put the whole machine out of tune, I'llbe glad to tell you something about how we manage to use it as a boat."
Andy knew how to manage, and he exerted himself to entertain the crowdwhile Frank was absent, keeping their interest aroused by littlestories of things that had happened to birdmen in recent times, andwhich were of course well known to him, from the fact that both thecousins kept in close touch with all that went on in the world ofaviation.
All the while Andy was keeping one anxious eye out for the sign of ablue uniform and brass buttons, while new additions kept arrivingconstantly to swell the eager crowd gathered on the park green.
In the end he was vastly relieved to discover a policeman hurrying up,looking as serious as though he expected to discover a fight, or twoyoungsters matching pet roosters, to the delight of the gathered host;for since the flying machine lay on the ground it was mostly concealedfrom his view; and he would never have known what it was anyway.
Of course, when he arrived on the scene and took command Andy quicklygained his favor by a little subtle flattery; and after that felt thathe was, as he himself expressed it, "on Easy Street."
Meanwhile Frank had proceeded direct to the drugstore on the corner,about two blocks away from the end of the green, where they had toldhim he could talk over the long distance phone with Bloomsbury.
He was pleased to find that they had a regular booth in the store; forhe knew of numerous cases where the phone simply stood on a littlestand, and everybody could hear what the subject of the talk might be,especially one side of it.
Once closeted in the booth he hastened to ask for connection with PoliceHeadquarters at Bloomsbury. There was some little delay, as though theselong distance calls might be of rare occurrence in the local Central;but finally he received notice that connection had been made, and he wasat liberty to start his message.
"Hello! this Bloomsbury?" Frank asked first of all in a cautious way.
"Yes," came the reply, distinctly enough.
"And is this Police Headquarters?"
"Yes."
"This is Frank Bird speaking and we are over in Rockford; get that?"Frank continued.
"Yes," again came the reply from the party at the other end.
"Chief Waller asked us before we left Bloomsbury to keep in touch withHeadquarters, and that you would supply us with any new informationthat might come to hand while we scoured the country overhead, lookingfor signs of the men who robbed the Bloomsbury bank last night, andescaped in Percy Carberry's biplane. Who is this I am talking to,please?"
"Officer Green, Frank."
"Oh! is that you, Joe; I didn't recognize your voice over the wire,"Frank went on to say. "You heard what the Chief said about giving us thelatest news, didn't you, Joe?"
"I certain did, Frank," answered the man at the other end of the wire.
"We've covered quite a large territory up to now, and think we've runacross a clue; but we want to make sure before putting the bloodhoundsof the law on the scent. Get that?"
Frank was wise to the fact that Officer Green took himself and hisposition on the local police force very seriously. True, he had neverdone anything very great, to distinguish himself, beyond once stopping arunaway horse that some people said was too decrepit to have gone twentypaces further; and rescuing a little pet dog that had fallen into thelake from a wharf; but then he believed in himself; and read up all thethrilling stories of police achievements that were published in the NewYork papers, satisfied that sooner or later the day was bound to comewhen he would be able to prove himself a grand hero.
And that was just why artful Frank used that phrase "bloodhounds of thelaw," for he knew that it would cause Joe Green to puff up with pride,and feel more kindly disposed than ever toward the speaker.
He gauged matters exactly right, too, it seemed; for when the policeofficer spoke again it was with additional eagerness.
"Good for you, Frank; all Bloomsbury expects the Bird boys to do the oldtown proud again. Many the time have you done it in the past, we allknow. And when you feel dead sure that you've got track of the despritvillains who looted our town bank, all you have to do is to give thepolice the signal, and they'll throw a drag-net around the hang-out ofthe yeggs. That's what we're here for; that's what we draw our salariesfor; to protect the citizens of Bloomsbury against danger by fire,flood, robbers and the like."
Frank knew only too well how Officer Green liked to talk, especiallywhen once started on the subject of his exalted office; and accordinglyhe thought it time to cut him short, before he could get launched on thesea of police duties.
"Tell me, have you learned anything new since we left?" he asked.
"Why, yes, we've just had a man in here, who had heard about therobbery, and that it was suspected the thieves had escaped by means ofthe biplane belonging to the Carberry boy. He thought as how we might beglad to know that he'd sighted a flying machine just after daybreak."
"Why, yes, that ought to be an important piece of news," remarked Frank,wondering whether it would corroborate that which the farm hand,Felix Boggs, had already contributed to the fund of knowledge concerningthe movements of the fleeing yeggmen.
"I thought it was; and I'm only waiting right now to forward it to theChief, as soon as he calls me on the wire from Hazenhurst, or some otherplace where he's apt to turn Up," came over the wire from the home town.
"Don't cut me off, yet, Central!" called out Frank, hastily, as hethought he detected an uneasy movement, which was doubtless a sigh givenby the girl, who possibly had her ear to the wire, drinking in what wasbeing said: "I'm not near done talking yet. Hello! Joe!"
"Yes, I'm here, Frank; what more do you want to ask me?" came from milesaway; and in imagination he could see Officer Green crouched at thetelephone stand, as he remembered it at Police Headquarters inBloomsbury, feeling the importance of his relations with the public as agenuine guardian of the peace.
"Why, it's of considerable importance to us to know in which directionthe aeroplane was going at the time this party sighted it," Frank wenton to say, "and I hope he told you that."
"Which he did withou
t my asking," replied Officer Green, quickly,"though you may be sure I would have done the same before letting himleave, because I was on to the fact that it would be a pretty goodpointer."
"Oh! he thought of it himself, did he?" the young aviator shot back,"well, that was pretty bright of him, and shows that he was a fellow totake notice. And now, please tell me what he said about the direction inwhich the biplane was headed, at the last instant he could see it faraway in the distance."
"Exactly southwest, Frank!"
This gave Frank a sudden jar, because it upset the theories he and Andyhad been forming concerning the escaping bank robbers. They had believedthe two men had gone almost directly north!
"Southwest, you say, Joe?" he asked, wishing to make assurance doublysure.
"He said exactly southwest; and as he kept repeating that word a numberof times there isn't a bit of chance that I'd get it mixed. You candepend on it, Frank, and if you're away up at Rockford, seems to meyou'll have to make a big change of base right soon, if you want to getin touch with them raskils."
Frank's mind was in somewhat of a whirl. He wondered whether the farmhand, Felix Boggs, could have been mistaken in what he had said; thoughAndy, too, had seen the biplane, and noted the direction of its flight.But perhaps this farmer, or whoever he might turn out to be, haddiscovered the fugitive flying machine at a much later time, after thetwo men had changed the course of their flight.
"I suppose you might as well tell me who the party was from whom you gotyour news, Joe," he remarked; though without any particular object inview, since he could hardly expect to hunt the other up, and ask morequestions.
And then came the answer, that gave Frank quite a thrill, as he graspedthe peculiar significance of it all.
"Why, you know him all right, Frank," said Officer Green, glibly, "he'sthe pilot of the little lake steamer, and his name's Todd Pemberton!"