Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon-House Plot Read online

  CHAPTER XV.

  BRADY A PRISONER.

  Matt, Ferral and Dennison were not long in getting the whip hand ofHector Brady. As Matt and the officer held him down, Dennison called toFerral to get a rope.

  Ferral got a rope from the car and the desperate thief was finallysecured, wrist and ankle. Even then he continued to struggle and roarhis defiance of his captors.

  "You might as well calm down," cried Dennison, picking up the revolverwhich Matt's missile had knocked from Brady's hand. "Your goose iscooked, Brady, and there's no use tiring yourself out."

  After a few moments Brady seemed to realize this.

  "You've got me, but you won't keep me," he snarled.

  "If you can get away from us," replied the officer, "you're welcome toyour liberty. But you won't get away. I had too close a call at yourhands to let you do that."

  "Who in the fiend's name are you?"

  "A plain-clothes man from the Grand Haven police headquarters."

  "Did you get this tip from Harper?"

  "Harper couldn't help himself. He and Ochiltree are in the lockup."

  Dennison turned to Matt and grabbed his hand.

  "If it hadn't been for you, King," said he, "I'd have been laid out.You were quick as a cat and as certain as fate. I never met your kindbefore, and it does me good to shake hands with you. I'm mighty glad,"he added, with a grin, "that we couldn't persuade you to stay behind,in Grand Haven."

  "That's the way this raggie of mine does things, Dennison," remarkedFerral, looking at Matt admiringly. "He's chain lightning when he turnshimself loose."

  "The best part of it all is," observed Matt, anxious to change thesubject, "no harm has happened to the air ship."

  Throwing off his coat and cap, Matt lost not a moment in diving intothe machinery. He could see nothing wrong, and he "turned over" theengine and set it to going. It worked perfectly.

  "If you're looking for trouble," growled Brady, turning his headto follow Matt's movements, "you won't find any. I've fixed themotor--just got through with it when this cop in plain clothes showedup. If I'd known who he was----" and Brady finished with a diabolicallight in his eyes that told plainly what he would have done.

  "Pass it up," said Dennison curtly; "you came within an ace of gettingme, as it was."

  "King balked me again, just as he has been doing right along," went onBrady fiercely. "I'd willingly have gone to Joliet for life if I couldhave nicked him. He's the cause of all my troubles."

  "Bully for King!" applauded Dennison. "The more I hear of him thehigher he stacks up with me."

  "Who put you next to where I was going, King?" demanded Brady.

  "Never mind about that," replied Matt, getting into his coat and capagain. "We've captured you, Brady, and that's enough for you to know."

  "Captured, but not sent up," qualified Brady. "Nor I won't be sent up.I'll live and have my liberty until I can settle accounts with MotorMatt and some more of you fellows."

  "Let him rave," laughed Dennison. "That's the only thing he can do, andit won't hurt anybody."

  "If it was that girl of mine that tipped me off to you and Harris,"went on Brady, "she's one of those who'll come in for a fair share ofthe trouble I'm going to turn loose. Nice kind of a daughter she is!It's been the grief of my life that she never was more like Hector, Jr."

  Matt listened to this in amazement, and his heart sickened as he turnedaway.

  At that moment, Harris and Twitchell came hurrying back.

  "Where are the other two?" cried Dennison.

  "I'd give a bunch of pay if I knew," answered Harris, very much putout. "We couldn't locate them, and the thing for us to do, Dennison, isto get back to headquarters and use the telegraph and the telephone."

  He hurried forward to Brady's side.

  "You're in Michigan," said he, "and you're wanted in Illinois. Will youwaive requisition?"

  "Waive nothing!" shouted Brady. "All you get out of me you'll fightfor."

  "Personally," said Harris contemptuously, "I don't care a toss-up.We've got you, Brady, and we've got you right. By staying in Michiganuntil requisition papers are put through you're only delaying a gamethat can have only one termination."

  "Well," was the scowling response, "we'll wait for the termination.Maybe somebody will get fooled before we're at the end of this."

  Harris turned away to Matt and Ferral.

  "Twitchell, Dennison and I," said he, "will take Brady to Grand Havenand put him in the lockup with Harper. They'll both stand out forrequisition, and they'll have to be left on this side of the lake untilour governor can get the case before the Michigan executive. Have youlooked over the Hawk, Matt?"

  "Yes."

  "Much tinkering to be done on her?"

  "Brady had already fixed the motor so that it works as well as ever."

  "Then you and Ferral had better get aboard and make a getaway to theplace where Jerrold and Carl have the other air ship. As soon as Ifinish my work in Grand Haven, I'll join you and we'll all go back toSouth Chicago together. Your hard luck has certainly taken a turn forthe better, Matt, and we want to make sure that you don't have any morebacksets. Whipple and Pete are loose in the timber, and I'll bet they'dgive their eyeteeth to be able to capture the Hawk. We want to keepthem from doing that, or from trying it. We'll take Brady back on thetrolley, but before we start I want to see you well away in the Hawk."

  "It won't take us more than a couple of minutes to get under way,"returned Matt. "All aboard, pard," he added to Ferral. "Get into ourair ship, old chap, and we'll go on a still hunt for Carl and Jerroldand the Eagle."

  "Aye, aye, Captain Matt," laughed Ferral, getting into the car.

  Matt followed him aboard and settled himself in the driver's seat.

  "Cast off the ropes, Harris, you and Dennison," called Matt.

  Harris was familiar with that part of the work, and he and Dennisonsoon had the air ship unmoored and the cables in the car. The riveroffered a clear stretch for rising, and Matt turned the Hawk in thatdirection.

  The motor began to pop and then to settle down to a steady hum. Mattmanipulated the steering rudder, switched the power into the propeller,and the Hawk arose gracefully accompanied by the cheers of the officers.

  But no cheers came from Brady. With baleful eyes he watched the Hawk'sdeparture.

  "That's the second time you've taken my air ship away from me, King,"he roared. "The next time----"

  "There'll never be a next time," cried Harris. "You're down and out,Brady, and you'd better begin to realize it."

  Up and up mounted the Hawk, the river lying below her like a silverribbon, entangled among the greenery of the trees. Off to the westsparkled the waters of the lake, and in between the Hawk and the shorelay Grand Haven, cottages and farms, all spread out like a map.

  "Getting a bird's-eye view of a scene is a heap finer than looking atit from the ground," observed Ferral, leaning over the Hawk's rail andfeasting his eyes on the panorama below.

  "We're in good trim to enjoy looking down at the landscape from theHawk," laughed Matt.

  "Right-o, matey," answered the young sailor. "I'd about given up evertaking another ride in the Hawk. We're thirty-five hundred to the goodby this afternoon's work."

  "That's the least of what we have accomplished," said Matt. "Thecapture of Brady is a bigger thing than the recovery of the air ship."

  "I guess that's right," said Ferral, "but I'm sorry those other twobeachcombers got away. They'll be making trouble for some one later."

  "Harris will get quick action over the telegraph and telephone,"said Matt, "and the chances are good for the overhauling of Pete andWhipple."

  "I hope so, and that's a fact. Say, I'll bet Carl and Jerrold will besurprised when they see the Hawk coming for their part of the beach."

  "Keep a good lookout, Dick, and let me know when you sight the Eagle.This is unfamiliar territory to me, and your eyes will have to guideus."

  "As I get the bearings," said Ferral, lean
ing over the rail and peeringahead, "we ought to be about east by north of where we want to land.When we took the trolley we went east."

  "That's right," returned Matt. "Keep your gaze south and west, and youought to be able to pick up the Eagle."

  A few moments later Ferral sighted the swaying bulk of the other airship.

  "Bear to the left a little, Matt," said he, "and we'll come down rightwhere we want to go. I can see Jerrold and Carl standing on the beachand looking up at us. I'll bet they're wondering whether we're in thecar, or whether Brady and his gang are the passengers."

  "Wave something at them," suggested Matt. "We don't want to scare them."

  Ferral waved his handkerchief. This calmed the fears of Carl andJerrold, if they had had any, and Ferral reported that they were wavingtheir hats.

  A few moments later Matt engineered an easy landing, and the Hawk wasmoored within a dozen yards of the Eagle.