CHAPTER X
AT THE HANGARS
“Hello there, what’s struck you?” cried Dollinger.
The chauffeur and general utility man of the moving picture combinationdropped a big spoon with which he was stirring something in a panoutside of the shed. Near by was a tripod with an oil lamp burning underit. Dave understood that Dollinger was preparing breakfast.
Dave did not reply. He could not, at just that moment. It seemed to himas though at the touch of a magician’s wand his whole life had beenchanged—as if the most ardent desires of his heart had been granted.
The day previous, if some genii had promised to gratify one specialwish, Dave would have asked to be put among just such airships and inthe company of just such airmen. Now all that he had desired was beforehim.
Circling majestically aloft was a big biplane. Way over at the end ofthe enclosure was an elevated apparatus, from which an airship ofanother type was evidently making a trial ascent. The machine rose onlya few yards, described a half circle, and had to be hoisted up again andagain.
Between it and the sheds were several small buildings, and at least twoof these held some kind of air craft. The one in flight finallyenchained the entire attention of Dave. He watched it till it had made ascore of dizzying manoeuvres, and returned to the ground at the far endof the enclosure as graceful as a bird and as easily as if landing onsprings.
“Sets you dreaming, does it?” demanded Dollinger with a grin, slappingDave on the shoulder to wake him up.
“Oh, it’s just glorious!” cried Dave, with sparkling eyes. “Mr.Dollinger, what place is this?”
“Why, the aero park, of course.”
“You don’t mean where they have had the big meet?” inquired Davebreathlessly.
“That’s it.”
“Oh, my—and I’ve got in, too!” cried Dave in a dazzled sort of way.
“Why, yes,” replied Dollinger, “though that don’t count for much justnow. You see, nothing’s going on.”
“Nothing going on!” cried Dave, gazing at the airship aloft and thenacross the broad field beyond him.
“I mean as a show. The meet closed yesterday.”
“But all those airships?”
“Most of them will move over to Dayton, where they have another meetnext week.”
“I hope Mr. King has not got away yet,” Dave said to himself.
“Come on, get a hot cup of coffee and some warmed-up pork and beans intoyou, and you can go back to your wonder staring, if you like,” saidDollinger.
He had arranged a fine breakfast from his stores. Dave felt a sense ofgratitude and satisfaction as he realized his novel and pleasantsituation.
“Everything is turning out just as I hoped it would,” he reflected. “Ifonly I hadn’t lost that pocket book, and if Mr. Warner doesn’t get trackof me.”
Dave insisted on helping Dollinger clean up and pack away the thingsused for breakfast.
“Are you going to stay here for awhile, Mr. Dollinger?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, all day, I understand,” replied Dollinger. “I don’t know theexact orders until Mr. Alden comes along. He told me, though, yesterdaythat we wouldn’t make any further move till to-morrow. Why do you ask,lad?”
“I wanted to look about a bit.”
“Go straight ahead,” directed Dollinger heartily. “Say,” he added, witha droll grin, “thinking of sticking to us?”
“Who wouldn’t!” cried Dave—“the way you treat folks.”
“Well, you’re mighty welcome company,” declared Dollinger in a friendlyway. “Willing and useful, too. I shouldn’t wonder if Mr. Alden couldfind a place for you with the party.”
Dave did not commit himself by making a direct reply. His heart was seton airships, and he ardently hoped there would be some chance for him inthat field.
“If I fail, I can fall back on the moving picture crowd,” he mused. “Ireally like the business.”
Dave left the automobile with the zest and eagerness of a boy startingout to see a big show for the first time. He headed for the far cornerof the grounds where animated scenes were in progress. Just then,however, a broad low-wheeled wagon to which two horses were attachedcame along. It was seemingly conveying a large-sized monoplane out ofthe grounds for repairs. Dave noticed that the machine was somewhatbattered up.
He had never been so near to an airship before, and he followed thewagon in a sort of fascinated way. Once he reached out his hand andtouched one wing of the machine. It positively made his finger tipsthrill. When it reached the big gates of the enclosure, the same old manwho had admitted the automobile the evening previous opened them forwagon and airship to pass out.
There were several people bustling around the little building near thegate which was the office of the grounds. One brisk individual seemed tobe the manager. Dave, standing around full of everything that was goingon, noticed that this man was arranging affairs for departing airmen. Alank poorly-dressed boy stopped the man as he was called to the office.
“Say, Mister, can you tell me where I’ll find this man?”
The boy held out a crumpled soiled card, at which the manager glancedquickly and then brushed by, saying:
“Mr. King? You’ll find him down at the hangars.”
“What’s them, now?” stared the boy. “Do you know?” he inquired turningquickly upon Dave, who stood at his elbow.
“I declare I don’t,” replied Dave with a laugh. “I’ve seen the word inprint, and I know it refers to some part of the grounds here, but Idon’t exactly understand it.”
“Well, I’ve got to find out. I’ve got to see this Mr. King.”
“Is he the airship man?” asked Dave.
“That’s him. Say, where are the hangars?” persisted the lad, addressingthe old gate keeper.
“Why, down there, of course,” was the reply, and the speaker pointed tothe buildings at the other end of the field, where the airships werehoused.
“I’ll go with you down that way,” said Dave, “if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” replied his companion.
Dave wondered what the awkward countrified youth was doing on theaviation field, and what business he could have with Mr. King. Hedecided that this was his chance to meet the man whom he had traveled sofar to see.
Dave’s companion did not explain his mission. He acted and walked like afagged out person who had not had much sleep or a great deal to eat forsome time. He was dusty and travel worn, and made Dave think of a rawcountry bumpkin starting out in life to find some work other than thatof the farm. He had an innocent, credulous face, but showed a certaindoughty spirit, as if he was very much in earnest as to what he wasabout and intended to stick to it.
There was a good deal stirring around the hangars. Everything wasairships and airmen. Over beyond the hangars some of the machines werein action. Dave’s companion kept on asking about Mr. King, and at lengthhis search was rewarded.
He came finally to a portable tarred canvas house. One end of it held amonoplane, which both boys regarded with interest through the half opendoor. Near an open door at the other end of the building an old man waspottering around with a pail and a brush. Dave’s companion ran up tohim.
“Say, Mister,” he bolted out in his usual unceremonious way, “I want tosee Mr. King.”
“Oh, you do, eh?” retorted the crabbed old fellow. “Well, you sit downon that bench yonder and wait your turn, will you?”
Dave and his companion did as the man directed. The boy looked sharplyat Dave.
“Say,” he observed, “you going to stay here and wait, too?”
Dave nodded an assent. The boy looked anxious.
“Got business with Mr. King?” he inquired.
“Why, yes,” replied Dave. “He lost something, and I want to tell himabout it.”
“Oh, that’s it,” spoke the boy with a great sigh of relief. “I wasafraid you was after a job. If you w
as, I got here first.”
“Oh, you can see Mr. King first,” said Dave. “Some one is with him now.”
The walls of the frail canvas structure were thin. Sounds readilypenetrated to the outside air. Two persons seemed to be in the roombeyond the open door. One of them was speaking now. These words fellupon the hearing of the two listeners.
“You’d better give Jerry another chance, Mr. King.”
“Another chance?” shouted a deep angry voice. “If your boy ever comesaround here again I’ll horsewhip him within an inch of his life, Mr.Dawson, and I want you to make yourself scarce, too!”
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