CHAPTER IX.
CARL IS SURPRISED.
Carl, when he left the hotel to call on the chief in accordance withMotor Matt's instructions, left his satchel in care of the clerk. Ingoing to the balloon house, after he had transacted his business atpolice headquarters, he would have to return past the hotel, and byleaving the satchel he would not have to bother with it during his callon the chief.
It was very early, too early for the chief to be in his office. Nor wasHarris at headquarters. No one there knew of any papers that had beenleft for Matt.
Carl was disappointed, for he was in a hurry to rejoin his friends atthe balloon house. Nevertheless, Matt had told him to be sure and seethe chief, and so Carl inquired his way to that official's house.
When he arrived at the house, Carl found that the chief had left andgone to headquarters; so the disgusted German turned around and madehis way back to the chief's office. The head of the department had notyet arrived there, having been delayed somewhere on the road.
Carl had to wait half an hour. When the chief finally came, Carl gotto him at once and asked about the papers. "They're here, all right,"smiled the official. "I would have sent them to Matt last night, onlyI was so busy trying to find that escaped prisoner, Grove, that thematter slipped my mind. You lads are going to start off in the airship, are you?"
"Sure," answered the impatient Carl, "oof I efer ged dose bapers andmeet Matt like vat he saidt. I don'd vant dem fellers to go off mitoudtme."
"Oh, I guess they won't do that! Where are you going?"
"Py New York. Anyhow, dot vas our bresent indentions."
"New York? Great Scott! Do you think that----"
"I vas in a pig hurry, chief," interrupted Carl, wildly. "You see, Ihaf peen more as an hour looking for you, und I vas vay late meedingMatt und Tick. Oof you vill blease handt ofer dose bapers, I villshlide oudt so kevick as bossiple."
The chief pulled a sealed envelope from a pigeonhole in his desk andhanded it to Carl.
"There you are," said he. "If Matt hears anything about Brady, or therest of his gang, tell him to be sure and let me know."
"He vill do dot, you bed you. He iss as anxious to haf Brady capturedas anypody."
"He ought to be. Brady will do everything he can to get even with Mattfor the havoc Matt has played with the gang. And that's what leads meto believe Matt may see something of him. Tell your friend that----"
But Carl waited for no more. He had already lost more time than hecould well afford.
Bolting out of the chief's office, he made a rush for the hotel. Therehe secured his satchel and started along the road toward the rollingmills.
The drops rolled off Carl's face as he hurried. As soon as he struckthe beginning of the road that ran past the swampy meadow, he kept hiseyes in the direction of the balloon house. It was several minutesbefore he sighted the big building, and then it was far off and couldbe seen only indistinctly.
Swiftly he drew nearer and nearer. As the building came moreprominently into view, he was able to make out the air ship, swaying infront.
"Dey haf got der Hawk oudt oof der house!" he muttered. "Dey're alrettyto go, und dey vas only vaiting for me."
Even as Carl was congratulating himself on the fact that he was notgoing to be left behind, he was astounded to see the Hawk move upwardand away from the balloon house. He was still so far away that he couldnot see those in the car, and a terrific fear shivered along his nerves.
"Himmelblitzen!" he groaned, "I vouldn't haf t'ought it bossiple! Deyvas leafing me in der lurch. Modor Matt, der pest friendt vat I eferhat, iss skyhooting avay mitoudt his Dutch bard! Vat iss der meaningoof dot?"
For a few moments Carl stood rooted to the ground. Then he had an idea.
"Meppy Matt und Tick vas coming pack tovards town to pick me oop!" hemurmured, and continued to stand still and watch.
But the Hawk did not turn around and come in Carl's direction. On thecontrary, it kept moving off toward the south and west.
"Ach, vat a pad pitzness!" groaned Carl. "Matt!" he yelled, as loud ashe could, starting to run along the road and waving his satchel as hewent, "vy don'd you vait for your Dutch pard, Matt? Haf you gone backon me?"
If Carl's voice had been strong enough to reach a mile, his yellingmight have ascended to the ears of those in the car. As it was,however, Carl might as well have shouted into the empty air. But he wasexcited, and hardly knew what he was about.
When he came opposite the balloon house he hardly gave it a look; andhe was making so much noise himself that he was unable to hear thecalls coming from the small addition in the rear of the big shed.
On and on along the road went Carl, keeping up his frenzied pace. Hegot beyond the big mills, and then, after he had got past the smokefrom their huge chimneys, he saw that the air ship had disappeared.Utterly dejected, and tired out with his hard run, he sat down on arock near the roadside.
"I nefer vouldt haf t'ought dot oof Modor Matt," he wheezed mournfully."All along I haf hat some hunches dot I vouldn't ged avay in dot airship py New York. Vell, vell! Der pest friendt vat I efer hat has ventpack on me, und I vas a shdray Dutchman mit fife tollars in my bocketund no blace to go."
While Carl mused in this lugubrious strain, a girl came toward himalong the road. Her clothes were dusty, and her face was haggard. Shewas pretty, in spite of her weariness and her coarse clothes, and therewas a dauntless gleam in her dark eyes. When she came close to Carl shepaused.
Carl pulled off his hat.
"Vas you in some drouples, too, miss?" he asked. "Oof you vas, den veought to be some pooty goot gompany. Misery lofes gompany, dey say, undI vas so full oof misery as I can't dell."
The girl stared at him wonderingly for a moment.
"Are you acquainted with the country around here?" she asked. "I oughtto know it, but I never came into South Chicago before by this road."
"Vell, I know somet'ing aboudt it," replied Carl. "For vy do you makedose inkviries?"
"I'm looking for the balloon house where they keep the air ship calledthe Hawk," was the astounding reply.
Carl leaped off the stone as though he had been touched by a live wire.
"Sure I know dot!" he cried. "Vat for do you vant to know?"
"I must hurry and get there," answered the girl. "I've walked a longways, and I'm pretty tired, but I've got to reach the balloon house."
"Der Hawk don'd vas dere any more," said Carl.
The girl clasped her hands.
"You mean to say that the Hawk has been taken away so soon?"
"Vell, she don'd vas oxactly daken. You see, der bard vat I hat hasgone pack on me und he skyhooted off mit der Hawk, leafing me behindt."
"When was this?" asked the girl, excitedly.
"Schust a leedle vile ago. Ter Hawk only schust got oudt oof sight.Couldn't you see it? Oof you hat looked oop you vould sure haf seen derair ship."
"Oh," cried the girl, tearfully, "then I'm too late! And I tried sohard to get here. I hadn't any money, you see, and I had to walk."
"How far haf you valked?"
"All the way from Lake Station."
"Ach, chimineddy! Dot vas too pad, I bed you. Who you vas? I haf fifetollars, und you can haf dot."
Carl pulled the crumpled bill out of his pocket and tried to push itinto the girl's hand. But she would not take it.
"No, no," said she. "My name is Helen Brady, and I----"
Carl grew rigid. His amazement was growing.
"Vy," he cried, "den you vas Prady's daughter, eh? Der vone vat helupedModor Matt ged avay from Villoughy's svamp mit der Hawk dot time heprought two oof der gang indo Sout' Chicago?"
"Yes, yes," returned the girl. "I am the same Helen Brady who helpedMotor Matt. If the air ship is gone from the balloon house, then itwasn't Matt who sailed away with her, but four of my father's men."
Carl was electrified.
"Ach, I ditn't t'ink my olt bard, Modor Matt, could dreat me in sooch avay as dot!" he exclaimed. "Vat has pecom
e oof Matt und Verral?"
"Oh, I don't know," answered the girl. "I'm afraid that some awfultrouble has come to them. We must hurry to the balloon house and see."
"Yah, you bed you!" cried Carl. "Meppy I can gif you some helup onder vay? You vas more tired as me--und you valked from Lake Station!Himmelblitzen! vat you t'ink oof dot! A leedle girl like you valkall der vay from Lake Station! Come, und ve vill got togedder py derpalloon house."
Carrying his satchel in his left hand, with his right Carl grasped thegirl's arm and helped her along the road. They did not proceed at avery rapid pace, but they walked much faster than the girl could havedone had she been compelled to go on alone.
"Vat iss der drouple, anyvay?" asked Carl. "Vy you vas valking to derpalloon house?"
"There is a plot," answered the girl, "a plot to steal the air ship andto do some harm to Motor Matt. Matt helped me, that time he took theair ship away from the swamp, and I want to help him. But I'm afraidI'm too late, too late."
The girl's voice and manner all convinced Carl that there was somethingvery serious the matter. The theft of the air ship would have been badenough, in itself, but there was a chance that harm had befallen Matt.
Excited and anxious, Carl toiled on along the road, helping the girland keeping his eyes on the balloon house, just as he had done when hehad approached it from the direction of town--only he was even morewildly anxious now than he was then.