CHAPTER V
“THE RIGHT KIND”
“Oh, say, Dave, what’s happened, anyway?” burst out the irrepressibleHiram.
“You see,” observed Dave, with a sweeping wave of his hand.
“Yes, I see,” said Grimshaw. “But you never ran the _Gossamer_ into allthis!”
“No, I wasn’t the pilot on this occasion,” admitted Dave.
“I told you so!” cried Hiram, jubilantly. “When we first saw the airshipand its queer doings, and ran after it, didn’t I tell you that Davecouldn’t be at the wheel, Mr. Grimshaw?”
“You did, and I felt sure he wasn’t,” commented Grimshaw. “Who was?” hechallenged, bluntly.
“That’s quite a story,” explained Dave.
“Then tell it.”
“I don’t want much said about it for the present,” stipulated the youngaviator.
“All right,” nodded Grimshaw.
Dave motioned his friends out of earshot of the gardener, who waspottering about his broken panes. Then he told the whole story.
“Why, the wretches!” growled old Grimshaw, fiercely, when the narrativewas concluded.
“The mean sneaks!” exclaimed the indignant Hiram. “Left you here in thatfix, not knowing whether you were dead or alive.”
“I’d have those two rascals locked up, double-quick,” advised Grimshaw.
“No,” dissented Dave.
“Why not?”
“I want to think things over a bit, before I decide on what I shall do,”was the reply. “I have no patience with the fellow called Vernon.”
“Take my word for it, he’s a bad one,” declared Grimshaw.
“The other one—young Brackett—I feel sorry for.”
“Of course you do,” observed Grimshaw, rather sarcastically; “that’syour usual way. Who’s going to pay for the damage here? Say, you take myadvice—teach those two smart Alecks a lesson by having them arrested,and send the bill to Mr. Brackett, telling him all the circumstances.”
“I’d a good deal rather help young Brackett than harm him,” said Dave,considerately. “He doesn’t strike me as a bad fellow at heart. It’s theinfluence of Vernon that is leading him into trouble.”
“How’s the machine?”
“Not in very bad shape. I think there are enough tools and materialsaboard to mend her up till we get home.”
All three of them looked the _Gossamer_ over critically. Expert that hewas, old Grimshaw soon had the machine free of the trellis and theinjured parts repaired. Dave went over to the gardener, who was figuringon the side of a fence post with a piece of chalk.
“Well, my friend,” he said cheerily; “what’s the damage?”
“Why, you’re acting so handsomely about it, I want to make the bill asreasonable as I can,” was the reply.
“Of course you do—that’s the right way.”
“The frames aren’t much broken,” explained the man. “About all there isto do is to replace the glass.”
“Yes, but there’s a heap of it,” said Dave.
“We buy the panes by the gross. I’m willing to do the setting andputtying myself. I think twenty dollars will cover everything.”
Dave took out his pocket book, selected some bank bills, and handed themto the man. He heard an ominous growl from old Grimshaw behind him, andcaught a “S’t! S’t! S’t!” from the exasperated Hiram. Dave, however, hadhis own ideas as to disposing of the matter in hand.
“If you find it’s more, you know where to see me,” said Dave to thegardener.
“Say, you’re an easy one,” observed Grimshaw, with a look of disgust onhis face.
“It’s a shame to let those vandals go scot free,” scolded Hiram.
“I’m glad the _Gossamer_ didn’t get smashed up, as I feared,” was allthe young aviator would reply.
Dave made pretty sure that the machine would stand a trip back to theenclosure. To his satisfaction he made the flight without any mishap.Looking the craft over more critically after the return, however, hedecided that the wings and floats would need some expert attentionbefore he could venture any extended flight.
It was dark by the time they got the airship housed and supper ready inthe living tent. After the meal Hiram strolled away, saying he would goto town after the evening mail. Dave and Grimshaw went inside the tentas a shower came up. They chatted agreeably, watching the gentle rain inthe glint of the tent light.
“Hello,” said the old man, bending his ear sharply.
“Yes,” nodded Dave, “some one is knocking at the gate.”
“I’ll go and see who it is.”
“Maybe it’s Hiram.”
“No, he’s got a key.”
Grimshaw went away. Dave heard him talking with someone outside thegate. He was a little surprised as his old friend secured the gate afterhim. He was further puzzled to note the expression on Grimshaw’s face ashe came back into the tent.
“Who was it, Mr. Grimshaw?” questioned Dave.
“Humph! he didn’t get in. Now see here, you take my advice and don’t runinto another trap.”
“Another trap?”
“That’s what I said. There’s a fellow out there that wants to see you.He’s mighty meek and humble, but from what you told me I guess prettystraight that he’s the chap who tried to run the _Gossamer_ thisafternoon.”
“Is he alone?” asked Dave, rising quickly from the camp stool.
“Yes, he’s alone. If the bigger fellow had been with him I’d have lickedhim.”
“And he wants to see me?” questioned Dave.
“Mealy mouthed and subdued, just that.”
“Why didn’t you invite him in?”
“Why didn’t I? Say, Dave Dashaway!” stormed the old man, “I believe inforgiving dispositions, but drat me if I’d quite let a trouble-makerlike that young Brackett get a second chance to mix things up.”
“I hardly think he means any harm this time,” said Dave, and hurried tothe gate.
Outside, a patch of sticking plaster over one eye and one arm in asling, and looking rather mean and ashamed, young Brackett dropped hisglance as Dave appeared.
“Come in, won’t you?” invited the young aviator, quite heartily.
“No, I don’t think I’d better,” replied his visitor, in a low tone. “Seehere, Dashaway, I’ve got my senses back, and I don’t want you or anybodyelse to think I’m some cheap cad.”
“Certainly not,” responded Dave. “What’s the trouble?”
“I’ve come to give you this money,” explained Brackett, extending hishand. “As soon as I got enough over being scared to feel ashamed ofmyself, I slipped away from that confounded Vernon. He’s always gettingme into trouble.”
“What do you run with him for, then?” questioned Dave, gently. “Seehere,” he added, placing his hand in a friendly way on the boy’sshoulder; “you may be headstrong and foolish at times, but that mandoesn’t belong in your class.”
“You’re just right,” began Brackett, in a spirited way, and then, as ifhe feared to go farther into the subject, he added in a moody,dissatisfied tone: “Never mind about that. I’ve come to pay you back thetwenty dollars you gave to the man down at the greenhouses. I went topay him myself, but you had gotten ahead of me. I can’t let you standfor one cent of damage I did, and if there’s any other expense——”
“None at all,” Dave hastened to say. “See here, you’ve shown me you arethe right sort. I don’t like that man Vernon, and down at heart I don’tthink you do, either.”
“It don’t matter whether I do or not,” muttered the boy. “I don’t dareto break away from him till—well till—I feel I’m safe out of hisclutches.”
“If you are in any foolish trouble——” began Dave.
“I won’t discuss it,” declared young Brackett, quite stormily. “Take themoney, and—see here, Dashaway, I’ll give worlds to keep this from theold man.”
“You mean your fa
ther?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you say so, then,” upbraided Dave.
Young Brackett bit his lip.
“I’ll try to after this,” he promised, quite humbly. “That’s all,” headded, as Dave took the bank notes.
“I do wish you’d make a friend of me and let me help you out, if it willdo any good,” said Dave, wistfully.
Brackett dropped his head. Then he gave it a savage jerk.
“You’re all right, Dashaway,” he said, “but I’ve got to pay for my fastsledding, and I’ll do it like a man.”
“Come and see me again,” invited Dave.
“Hardly,” responded Brackett. “Our paths probably won’t cross again—andyou’re probably the gainer for it.”
“I don’t know that,” declared Dave. “Rest easy on one score—I shall notsay anything to your father about to-day’s scrape.”
“Thank you, Dashaway.”
“But I wish you would tell him. Come, now—he’s your best friend. Ifyou’ve been a little wild, go to him and tell him about it.”
“A little wild!” repeated Brackett. Then he gave a bitter laugh, wavedhis hand at Dave, and disappeared in the darkness.
“Poor fellow!” said Dave, thoughtfully. “I’m afraid, as he hinted, he isin the clutches of that sharper, Vernon. I wish I knew a way to help himout.”
Dave re-entered the enclosure a good deal subdued. Young Brackett hadsaid that their paths might never cross again. Dave hoped if they everdid cross his late visitor would be in a better frame of mind.
Their paths were to cross, indeed, although neither of them realized itat that moment. Dave Dashaway was to hear of him again very soon, and ina truly remarkable way.