CHAPTER V
A TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR ORDER
"What's happened?" cried Hiram, rolling over and over on the gravelwalk to which he had tumbled.
"Stop that man!" shouted Dave.
In a flash the young aviator took in the meaning of the situation.The fugitive, for such he now was, made a quick move the instant hegained his feet. Not waiting to see who had obstructed hisprogress, and probably deciding that it was the police, he boundedin among some bushes.
Dave, running after him, made out his form dimly, swiftly scaling arear brick wall.
"Why, what is all this?" demanded Hiram, staring at the litter onthe steps.
"That man was a thief," explained Dave.
"It looks that way, doesn't it? Hello!"
Both boys stepped back and stared upwards. Over the porch was asecond railed-in veranda. A night-robed figure had crossed it fromsome bed chamber fronting upon it.
"Hey, you down there! What's all this racket?" challenged thisnewcomer on the scene.
"Are you Colonel Lyon?" inquired Dave.
"That's me."
"Then you had better come down and see what's going on."
"Why so?"
"Your house has been burglarized."
"Gracious I you don't say so. Where is the thief?"
"He has escaped."
"Hm. Down in a minute," mumbled the man, retiring from view.
It was several minutes before the owner of the mansion put in asecond appearance. He came cautiously out on the porch, clutching agreat heavy cane. He looked the boys over suspiciously.
"I don't understand this," he began.
"Neither did we, Mister," returned Hiram, "till the thief camebolting out through that front door. He fell all over me anddropped his bundle. There's what was in it."
Hiram pointed to the scattered plunder. For the first time thecolonel caught sight of the scattered stuff. He gasped, and stared,and fidgeted. Then he hastened back across the porch and into thevestibule.
Clang! clang! Clang! rang out a great alarm gong, and almostimmediately two men servants of the place came rushing outhalf-dressed upon the porch.
In a very much excited way the colonel incoherently told of theburglary. He ordered the men to gather up the scattered plunder.Then he turned his attention to Dave and Hiram.
"Now, tell me about the whole thing," he spoke.
"There isn't much to tell, Colonel Lyon," replied Dave. "We weresitting here waiting--"
"Waiting?" repeated the showman sharply.
"Yes, sir."
"What for?"
"To see you."
"Eh?" projected the Colonel, with a stare.
"That's right, Mister," declared Hiram. "You see, it's prettyearly, and we didn't want to wake you up."
"Yes, but what brought you here so early?"
"Business," answered Dave.
"Business--with me?"
"Yes, sir. We came in an automobile from the city, so as to be sureto find you early enough. We had just settled down here to wait andrest, when that burglar came out."
"Why, then, you've saved my losing all that valuable stuff!"exclaimed the showman. "I should say so," added the speaker withforce, as he moved over and glanced at the heaps his servants weremassing together, upon the lower step. "Watches, rings, silverware,my fur winter coat, and hello--my whole collection of rare coins!Hump! the man must have had the run of the house for hours. Here,you two, come inside. You've done me a big service."
Hiram chuckled, nudging Dave in a knowing way.
"What luck!" he whispered. "Dave, you're all right now."
The owner of the place led his young guests through the vestibuleinto a hallway, and pointed to a large reception room.
"You wait till I get dressed," he directed. "Sit down, and makeyourself comfortable."
As he spoke the showman turned on a perfect blaze of electric light.Dave and Hiram took off their helmets, and made themselves look aslittle like stormy night aviators as was possible under thecircumstances.
It was nearly ten minutes before their host reappeared. He wasfully dressed now, and presented the appearance of a keen, activebusiness man.
"Think there's any use trying to catch that burglar?" was his firstquestion.
"I don't think so at all," replied Dave.
"All right, then. Carry that truck into the library," the showmanordered his two men, who had gathered it up in a rug taken from thevestibule. "You'll take turns guarding the house, nights afterthis. Now then, young men, who are you?"
The showman put the question as he plumped down in an armchairbesides his two guests.
"We're airship boys," explained Hiram hastily, but proudly.
"Oh!" commented Colonel Lyon slowly, looking the pair over from headto foot.
"That is, Dave is an airman," corrected Hiram. "He's DaveDashaway."
"Why, I've heard of you. At the Dayton meet, weren't you?Honorable mention, or was it a prize?"
"Both," shot out Hiram promptly.
"That's very good," said the colonel. "I'm pretty well up in theaero field myself. I run that line at county fairs."
"Yes, sir, I know that," said Dave, "and that is why I came to seeyou."
"That's so--you said it was business, but I must say you are earlybirds," smiled the showman.
"We had to be," again spoke Hiram.
"How was that?"
"Why," said Dave, "I thought it was very necessary that I should seeyou first thing this morning. I acted on a wire from my employers,the Interstate Aeroplane Co."
"Your employers?" repeated the colonel, a fresh token of interest inhis eyes.
"Yes, sir, I have been exhibiting their Baby Racer at the meets."
"Ah, I understand now."
"I am going to take up hydroplane work at Columbus, now. Last nightlate I received a telegram from the Interstate people. It led togetting to Kewaukee and seeing you. There were no trains."
"Roads too bad for an automobile," put in Hiram.
"And we came in the Baby Racer," concluded Dave.
"What's that?" exclaimed the showman.
"You came all the way from Columbus in a biplane?"
"Yes, sir," nodded Dave.
"A night like last night--"
"We had to, you see," observed Hiram.
"H'm," observed the colonel, with decided admiration in his manner,"that was a big thing to do. Where is your machine?"
"We landed on a heap of shavings in a city factory yard," explainedDave. "We left the machine in charge of the watchman."
"And automobiled it out here? Why, say, I had some dealings withyour company."
"I know you did," said Dave.
"I wrote to them for specifications and figures on light biplanes.They sent outlines that pleased me very much, and I told them so.Their man made an appointment to be at my city office to close upmatters day before yesterday. He never showed up."
"I know that," said Dave.
"What was the trouble?"
"I will explain that to you."
"You see, the Star man was here yesterday. He made a pretty fairshowing, but I was rather struck on your goods."
"Everybody is that knows them," spoke Hiram.
"Well, I was to let the man know this morning at my city office mydecision. You are on deck. All right, what have you got to say?"
"Why, just this," replied Dave: "I'm not much of a business man, ofcourse, but I hurried on to see you because I believe a trick hasbeen played on our people."
"Who by?"
"The Star crowd."
"Oh!"
"In some way they have sidetracked our agent. I have with me,"continued Dave, "the detailed plans and figures on your order, whichhad been forwarded from the factory to the Northern Hotel, atKewaukee."
"All right, show them up," directed the colonel briskly.
Dave did so. Hiram sat regarding his friend, with undisguisedadmiration, as for one half, hour Dav
e went over papers, explainingthe merits of the Interstate biplane with all the clearness andability of a born salesman.
"You'll do," pronounced the showman with an expansive smile, asDave concluded. "That's the contract, is it?"
"Yes, sir," and Dave handed the showman the paper in question.
"All right, I'll just go to the library and sign it."
"Dave," whispered Hiram in a triumphant chuckle, as Colonel Lyonleft the room. "Great!"
Dave returned a pleased smile. He suppressed partly the greatsatisfaction he felt.
"You see," remarked the showman, returning in a few minutes andhanding the signed contract to Dave, "I favored your machines fromthe start. It must be a good machine, to make ninety miles on anight like last night. Now then, young gentlemen, I've ordered anearly breakfast, and I want you to join me at the meal."
There was no gainsaying the hearty, imperious old fellow. The boysfelt first class as they finished a repast that sent them on theirway complacent and delighted.
"The company will acknowledge the contract, Colonel Lyon," saidDave, as they left the porch, "and attend to other details."
"I don't suppose, Dashaway," answered the showman, "that you're openfor such a week stunt as exhibiting at some of my county fairs?"
"I am under contract with the Interstate people," replied Dave. "IfI get out of a job, Colonel Lyon, I shall be glad to have youconsider me."
"I fancy I will," declared the showman with enthusiasm. "I'll makeyou a liberal offer, too. You've saved the carting away of all thatstuff the burglar gathered. It make it up to you some way."
Dave waved the contract in reply.
"I couldn't have a better feather in my cap than this," he criedgaily. "Many, many, thanks, Colonel Lyon."
"And you'll find the Interstate biplane just the best in the world,"added Hiram.
"We've kept that chauffeur waiting a long time," observed Dave, asthey came out upon the boulevard.
"Oh, he's used to that," suggested Hiram.
"I'll give him something extra for his patience," said Dave.
"Yes, the Interstate people can well afford it," commented Hiram."Think of it: a ten thousand dollar order! Hurrah!"