CHAPTER XXIV
“IT’S A RINGER!”
It was proved that the nephew of the wild Harry Biggin _had_ a propername of his own. His unfortunate and ignorant parents had never alloweda doctor to see the boy when he was small, or the discovery that Dr.Kent made as soon as he examined the patient would have resulted in asimple operation and a change for the better in the boy’s speech.
He had been properly named Albert Biggin. He was not at all a backwardboy, save in speech. And he showed his gratitude to the Speedwells inevery way possible.
The doctor kindly went with him to the hospital at Compton, and aided inthe operation that gave Bert Biggin the proper use of his tongue.Afterward, when the wound was well, he returned to the Speedwell farm,and there went to work cheerfully to repay the boys and their parentsfor their kindness to him.
He was to make his home with them, and the sheriff put the part of thereward offered for the recovery of the “treasure box,” which rightfullybelonged to “Dummy,” into the bank in his name.
The three fellows who were captured later were punished by the law fortheir work. Out of the adventure in the blizzard a number of good thingssprang.
But this is somewhat ahead of our story. The morning after the greatsnowstorm was a busy time for Dan and Billy Speedwell. Although thestorm ceased and the sun broke through the clouds, they were worriedabout the motor iceboat that the robbers had abandoned up the river.Before noon the brothers, with their new chum, started up the river roadon the lookout for the lost boat.
“It’s all right to have the _Fly-up-the-Creek_ over there at IslandNumber One. We know where _she_ is,” said Billy. “But if any of thefellows got hold of the other——”
“Barrington Spink, for instance?” suggested Dan.
“Crickey, Dan! I believe he found those plans of yours. Jim Stetsondeclares that Barry and that mechanic of his are building a regularwonder of an iceboat. He’s going to call it the _Streak o’ Light_.”
“Well, we can’t help that,” returned his brother, gruffly. “If he beatsus, he beats us! That’s all there is to it.”
“But it isn’t fair if he has based his construction on your invention.”
“Humph!” grunted Dan. “I won’t be the first inventor who has been beatenout of his rights; will I?”
They spied the mast of the motor iceboat after a long tramp. She wasnearly a mile from the bank of the river.
They hired a pair of horses from the neighboring farmer, and got down onthe ice and out to the stranded boat.
“Won’t be much more iceboating on the Colasha this winter if this snowremains,” Billy declared.
“Don’t you be too sure of that,” returned Dan. “If there comes a slightthaw, and _then_ she freezes——Wow!”
“My goodness me!” gasped Billy, seeing the prospect at once. “Thenshe’ll be all ‘thank-you-ma’ams’ and the boats will bound like rubberballs. Say! if that happens there’s bound to be some fun.”
They dug the _Follow Me_ out of the snowdrift, and dragged her ashoreafter taking down the mast and stowing the frozen sail. The motor andengine had not been hurt as far as the boys could see.
They dragged the iceboat back to John Bromley’s dock on a sledge, and bythat time it was dark. One of the boys stayed with Bromley each nightafter that until the day of the races.
For the regatta, so long looked forward to, was held on the dateappointed. On Christmas night there was a rise in the temperature and agentle rain. In the morning around went the wind again to the northwest,and the mercury went down to almost the zero mark. The snow-coveredriver was a glare of icy crust.
The boats were soon out in full force, although the skating was notgood. For the first time the boys learned just what it meant to maneuveran iceboat on a rough surface.
Dan and Billy, with the help of Bert Biggin, dug out the_Fly-up-the-Creek_ on the shore of Island Number One, and took the girlsto Karnac Lake the day before the regatta.
Mildred and Lettie had enjoyed the sport before; but although the breezewas light, the big iceboat got under great headway coming home, and whenshe leaped from the summit of a particularly big hummock of snow-ice,and did not touch a runner to the surface for forty feet, the girlsthought they had come as near to flying as they ever wished to.
“And do you mean to say you believe you can get greater speed out ofyour new boat than _this_, Dannie?” panted Lettie Parker. “Why! I can’tbelieve it.”
“To-morrow will tell the story,” returned Dan, grimly.
“The boys say that _Streak o’ Light_ Barry Spink has built is just awonder,” said Mildred, anxiously.
“Well, of course,” returned Dan, seriously, “I can’t tell what Barry hasbuilt. But it’s got to be a good one to beat our _Follow Me_, now thatwe have overhauled her and adjusted her again—eh, Billy?”
“Believe me!” agreed his enthusiastic brother, “it’s some boat, girls.Wait till you see it.”
The Speedwell boys sailed their new invention down to the Boat Club Covethe morning of the regatta, using only her canvas. Barrington Spink andhis foreign looking mechanic were running the new boat Spink had builtall about the cove to show her paces, using, of course, only the motor.She did not go so very fast, but the owners of ordinary iceboats lookedon the _Streak o’ Light_ with envy.
“Say!” grunted Monroe Stevens; “we haven’t the ghost of a show with thatthing. And Mr. Darringford’s got a power boat, too. What have _you_ gotunder that canvas, Dan?”
“Never mind,” said the older Speedwell boy. “We’ll show our engine afterthe races—not before.”
But the brothers went over to Spink’s boat and examined it. Barry seemedvery nervous and eyed the Speedwells askance while Dan was closelyexamining the mechanism that drove the _Streak o’ Light_.
“What do you think of it, Dan?” asked Mr. Darringford, who was standingnear.
“I—don’t—know,” returned the boy, and backed away from the machine.Billy followed him, his face red and his hands clenched.
“It’s a ringer! It’s a ringer!” the younger boy declared, hotly. “Hestole those plans——”
“He merely found them on the ice and picked them up,” put in Dan,quietly.
“And made use of them!” ejaculated Billy, almost choked for speech inhis anger.
“Yes,” observed Dan, slowly. “He seems to have made _some_ use of theidea.”
“And if he beats us, it will be because of our plans—your invention,Dan!”
“Hold on! don’t blow up!” warned Dan. “The race isn’t run yet.”
“And if it is——”
“He’s got to show he knows how to run his boat better than we run ours;hasn’t he?” Dan demanded. “Keep your shirt on, Billy.”
Thus admonished, the younger Speedwell kept silent. Barry Spink racedhis _White Albatross_ in the early races, and he actually won two of theshort ones.
“That chap thinks he’s going to sweep the whole river,” growled BiffHardy. “He’s sent up to Appleyard’s for a broom and is going to tie itto his masthead.”
“Oh, Dan! is he really going to beat everybody—win everything?” criedMildred Kent.
“Wait,” advised Speedwell. “These are only play races. There’s only onereal trial of speed to-day; and the _Follow Me_ is going to be in that,”and he laughed.
But Billy didn’t feel like laughing at all. He didn’t have much share ofDan’s courage.
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