CHAPTER XI
COMPARING NOTES
"He must have hurried up to Headquarters, then, as soon as he landed,because we saw the Mermaid crossing the northern end of the lake, boundfor the lumber camp, before heading for Bloomsbury. How about it, Joe?"Frank went on to ask, as soon as he had recovered from his surpriseafter hearing that particular name mentioned.
"Said he heard about the robbery," came over the wire in Officer Green'sponderous tones; "and the fact of the raskils skipping out with theCarberry boy's biplane, as soon as he put foot ashore; and thinking thatthe police might like to know what he had seen, he just ran all the wayhere."
"Which I take it was mighty thoughtful of Todd," declared Frank, drily;but if he spoke sarcastically the fact was not known to the man at theother end.
"I told him so, and complimented him on his zeal in assisting the courseof justice," the other continued, "which was all the more remarkable,you know, Frank, because, to tell the truth, Todd himself was once a badegg, until he reformed, and got his present job. It does him greatcredit, sure it does."
"He went away after letting you know that if you hoped to capture thethieves you'd have to chase southwest, and not north, didn't he, Joe?"
"Oh! yes, about ten minutes ago, I reckon. But I assured him that if wedid succeed in capturing the rogues he would not be forgotten in thedivision of the reward that was sure to be offered by the bank forthe recovery of the money and securities that were taken, not to speakof the five hundred young Carberry has said he would pay for therecovery of his biplane and the arrest of the thieves."
"That was nice of you, Joe; but only what might be expected because yourheart is as big as a bushel basket," Frank went on to say, "and when youtold Todd that, how did he take it?"
"Why, he just chuckled, and looked at me kind of funny, and said henever hoped to take any of the hard-earned reward money that the policewere justly entitled to because of their activities," replied the other.
"It's plain to be seen that Todd is a generous fellow. But I'm obligedto you, Joe, for giving me this information, because, you see, we've nowgot some foundation to build on. Goodbye, Joe!"
With that Frank rang off. He knew that he might chat with the gossipypolice officer in Bloomsbury for at least fifteen minutes, but what wasthe use, when he already knew all the other had to tell?
And the news that had come over the wire was of considerable importance,too. He smiled as he hurried out of the drugstore, not even waiting toquench his thirst at the soda fountain, though a short time before he,as well as Andy, had complained of feeling so exceedingly dry; but then,all that was now forgotten in this excitement connected with the latestdevelopment in the robbery case.
It was back to the village green, now, with Frank.
The crowd was greater than ever, and he quickly saw there would be noopportunity for any communication between himself and his cousin untilthey had left for the upper realms, where, surrounded only by silence,they could converse while the busy motor hummed and the aeroplane headedas they willed, either high above the hills, or skirting the tops ofthe forest trees.
Accordingly, Frank addressed himself to the arduous task of getting awaywithout any mishap. He, as well as Andy, had long since learned that itis the part of wisdom to gain the good will of a curious crowd. In thatmanner many friends are raised up, who are only too willing to lend ahelping hand.
He quickly selected half a dozen fellows who looked as though they mightbe of more than ordinary importance among the boys of Rock-ford. Thesehe particularly picked out, and asked them to assist the police officerto keep the crowd back until they could get a good start, at the sametime explaining that a clear passage would have to be made ahead, andthat anyone getting in the way might not only be seriously injured, butwreck the machine as well.
Proud to have been thus honored, the six boys proceeded to push back thegaping crowd and when Frank gave the word, also assisted in starting thehydroplane on its way.
A salvo of loud cheers rang out when they started, and this burst into afurious chorus as the well balanced aeroplane presently left the groundto start upward into the air.
"I'm glad that's over with," said Andy, when they were safely off theground, and the shouts of Rockford's enthusiastic population began togrow fainter in the distance.
"Same here," echoed Frank, "you never know what will happen when a crowdis pushing all around you, every fellow eager to just say he had hold ofa flying machine. There's always one or two of the lot ready to hang onand risk their lives just to see how it feels to be carried up on anaeroplane. They're the kind I'm most afraid of."
"Well, did you get Police Headquarters in Bloomsbury, Frank?"
"No trouble about that; and our old friend, Officer Green, was in chargeduring the absence of the Chief," the other Bird boy answered.
"Anything new developed since we left?" asked Andy.
"Just one thing, and Joe thought it meant a whole lot," Frank went on tosay.
"Which was what?" inquired the other.
"A man came hurrying in and told how he had seen a flying machinecontaining two parties just after daybreak, and making directly towardthe southwest, Andy. What do you think of that now for news?"
His cousin gave a whistle.
"Whew! important, if true!" he vouchsafed, tersely.
"That sounds as if you had some trouble believing it?" chuckled Frank.
"Well, considering what I saw myself, I'd have to know the name of thisparty first, before I'd believe anything he said," Andy went on.
"Oh! You know him, alright; fact is, we were speaking of the same not agreat while back," Frank observed, quietly.
"Don't make me start in guessing, Frank, because we've been talking of adozen people; but tell me right out who it is," Andy pleaded.
"The pilot of the Mermaid, Andy!"
"Gee! Do you mean Todd Pemberton?" exclaimed the other.
"Just him and no one else. Why, he was that anxious to let the policeknow he had seen an aeroplane steering away straight into the southwestearly this morning, that as soon as he warped his boat to the wharf,Todd, like a public-spirited citizen, hiked away for Headquarters asfast as he could run, hardly waiting long enough to understand about thebank being robbed, and Percy's biplane being used by the thieves as ameans of making a quick get-away."
Andy turned his head and looked in his cousin's face.
"Public-spirited citizen go hang!" he said, contemptuously. "After whatwe saw, Frank, it's easy for us to understand just what it was made Toddwant the police to do all their hunting away off in the southwest."
"Yes, what do you think was his object?" asked Frank, as he held theaeroplane just about five hundred feet above the level ground, coveredby forests, as in most places around to the north of Bloomsbury, thoughoccasionally they ran across farms that looked like oases in thedessert.
"Why, that's as plain as the nose on my face," replied Andy, "and nobodyever had any trouble about seeing that, I guess. Todd wanted to get in alittle bit of assistance for his friends, the hoboes who looted the bank;and he could do them the best thing ever by turning suspicion in nearlythe opposite quarter. If Chief Waller could be assured that the lastseen of the biplane before it vanished in the distance it was headinginto the southwest, of course he'd take all his men off in thatdirection; and the bank robbers, hiding perhaps around the northern endof Lake Sunrise, would be free to do whatever they wanted. Do I hitabout the same guess that you do, Frank?"
"You've just echoed what I had in mind," returned his cousin, "onlyI've had more time to think it over, and perhaps gone a little furtherthan you could."
"As how?" demanded the other, promptly, just as Frank knew he would.
"Why, you know, it struck us as queer that these fellows should want tohang out within twenty miles of the town where they'd just made asuccessful raid on the bank. It would stand to reason that they'd beonly too glad to cut for it, after getting possession of Percy's finenew aeroplane, and by keeping on
north, reach Lake Ontario, and perhapsfly across to Canada, where they'd be safe."
"Yes, sure; we talked that over before, Frank, and came to theconclusion that either they'd met with some sort of accident to thebiplane, and had to hold over till the fellow who used to be an aviatorrepaired the same; or else that they had some other robbery in mind, andwanted to make a double killing of it before skipping out."
"All right. You can see, then, that if Chief Waller and about all hismen got on a warm clue that led them off to the southwest for a day orso, it would leave things open for the carrying out of this secondscheme!"
When Andy heard his cousin say this so gravely he seemed more startledthan ever.
"Say, I believe you've gone and struck the truth just as you nearlyalways do, old fellow, not by luck, but by figuring it out. To get thecoast clear, then, this sly Todd Pemberton means to go on bringing inimportant news, and keeping poor old Chief Waller worked up to top-notchspeed, chasing around down there after shadows! Yes, that must be thegame they've got in hand; and perhaps that's what all those waves ofhandkerchiefs meant between the pilot of the little Mermaid, and thefellow we couldn't see, who was hidden in the bushes on Norton's Point."
"He was undoubtedly there just to give Todd the high sign when the boatpassed. Both of us spoke of the fact that we'd never known the steamboatto keep so far north when making the run from Cranford, across the lake,up to the lumber camp on our northwest side. But now we can understandwhy; he wanted to make sure his partners in crime were ready for him todo his little share in the game; which is to send the police on a wildgoose chase and leave Bloomsbury next to unprotected tonight."
"But whatever in the wide world, Frank, do you think they mean to trynext?"
"I couldn't guess in a year," was the reply of the boy who manipulatedthe levers of the hydroplane so dextrously. "It might be any one of adozen or two games. The bank isn't the only institution in Bloomsburycarrying a lot of money in the safe. And then there are several rich menwe happen to know, who keep a little fortune about the house, in the wayof money, jewelry, or curios. For all we know, these yeggs may even havean eye on your house or mine, because they could make a pretty good haulthere."
"Whew!" was all Andy said just then; but his mind was undoubtedly filledwith startling ideas.