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

  CHAPTER II.

  A TRAP.

  "Well, sink me!" muttered Dick Ferral, staring at the newspaperparagraph. "Have they really got so they can navigate the air like theydo the water? I've heard of such things, but I didn't know they'd madea success of them."

  Carl threw back his shoulders and puffed out his chest.

  "Vell, Modor Matt und me ve haf sailed der sky mit der air ship," saidhe. "Matt sailed in der Hawk, und I sailed in der Eagle. Ditn't youhear about dot? Vy, it vas in der bapers."

  "I haven't looked at a paper for a week," returned Ferral curiously."How did you and Matt happen to go up in an air ship?"

  "It vas like dis, Tick. Matt und me vas oudt peyond Sout' Chicagotaking some spins in a pubble, ven along comes a runavay air ship,und----"

  "A runaway air ship?" interrupted Ferral incredulously. "Tell that tothe marines, Carl!"

  "Dot's righdt," insisted Carl. "Der air ship vas running avay mit twofellers vat don'd know how to use him, see? Matt und me shtopped itmit a rope vat vas tragging on der groundt, und der rope proke avayund der air ship vent on, aber vone oof der fellers in der car troppedsomet'ing oudt oof his bocket, vich Matt und I picked oop. Vell, dotroll oof bapers pelonged mit anoder feller vat hat hat dem shtolen, undve hat a mighdy oxciding time gedding dem pack. Matt vas carried offin der air ship to a svamp in Intiana, und I followed him dere in derEagle, und Matt turned der tables on der fellers vat run avay mit him,und come pack mit two oof der roppers."[A]

  [A] See No. 9 of the MOTOR STORIES, entitled, "Motor Matt's Air-Ship;or, The Rival Inventors."

  "Well, keelhaul me!" exclaimed Ferral. "I'd give my eyeteeth to be ableto take a sail in an air ship. How much do they want for this one?"

  His hand wandered to his pocket, where he had replaced the roll ofmoney.

  "Dey vant so mooch as dey can ged," said Carl.

  "Why is the Chief of Police of South Chicago selling it?"

  "Prady, der feller vat owned it, vas a t'ief. Some oof vat he shtolevas prought pack by Matt, und der air ship iss going to be soldt to paya leedle to some oof der odders vat don'd ged der goots pack."

  "What's Matt doing?"

  "He shows der air ship off to fellers vat come to see how it vorks. Heis heluping der bolice, und dey gif him den tollars a day for flyingaroundt mit it."

  "Strike me lucky!" exclaimed the impulsive Ferral, slapping Carl on theshoulder, "do you think two thousand plunks would buy the craft, Carl?"

  "Nix, Verrai, I don'd. Oof two t'ousandt vouldt puy her, den Matt vouldhaf owned her pefore now. He vants der Hawk vorse as anypody you efersee."

  "Couldn't we rake up enough between us to buy her?" cried Ferral. "IfMatt knows about her, and if she'll sail successfully, I wouldn't likeanything better than to go from Chicago to Quebec by the air-shiproute. What a high old jinks that would be!"

  "Pully!" exclaimed Carl, as highly elated over the prospect as wasFerral. "King und Verral, oof der Air-ship Limidet Line! Ach, vat ahabbiness oof it couldt come oudt like dot."

  "King, Ferral & Pretzel," said Ferral. "You'll be in on the deal, Carl."

  "Fife tollars' vort," returned Carl. "Dot's all der money vat I got."

  "We'll let you in on the deal just to have you along. Matt will becaptain, I'll be mate, and you'll be the crew."

  "Py shinks," chuckled Carl, "I vould make a fine crew."

  "Does the Hawk handle easily?"

  "So easy as I can't dell! You pull a t'ing und she goes oop, den youpull anoder t'ing und she comes down, und you viggle her aroundtmit some more t'ing--I don'd know vat. Aber Matt can vork her soshlick as nodding. Say, Verral, Matt can make dot air ship turn somehandt-shprings in der cloudts, und----"

  "Avast there, Carl! I'll bet Matt can handle the craft, all right, evenif he can't make her do any hand-springs. Do you suppose she'll be soldbefore we get out to South Chicago?"

  "Vell, I hope nod. Meppy ve go righdt avay, hey?"

  "Sure! The quicker we go, the more chance we will have to get theHawk. If we----" The boys had been walking slowly back to the boardinghouse, and Ferral suddenly broke off his words and came to a halt. "Oh,hang it," he went on, "I'm due for a sail on the lake at one o'clock.Merrick, a nice chap I met on the train coming from Denver, invited meto go with him, and I said I'd meet him across the Lake Street viaductright after dinner. I hate to cut away from Merrick like that."

  "Vy nod ged him to sail us as near Sout' Chicago as he can go?"suggested Carl. "Den meppy ve ged off der poat und dake der shdreedcar?"

  "Right-o!" cried Ferral. "That's what we'll do. How long before you canbe ready, Carl?"

  "Schust so kevick as I can go up py my room und ged dot fife tollarsoudt oof der pureau trawer."

  "That's the ticket! But you don't need any money, old ship, whileyou're with me. I've got plenty for the two of us."

  "Anyvay, Tick, I got to vash oop a leedle, und prush my clothes----"

  "So've I. Those swabs handled me a bit rough, although they didn'tleave many marks on me."

  Ferral was completely carried away with the idea of buying the airship, and he could talk of nothing else while he and Carl weresmoothing the kinks out of their personal appearance, and ridingdowntown on the car.

  It was nearly one o'clock and they did not have any time to stop at arestaurant for dinner. But neither of the lads thought of anything toeat--and that was what Carl had a habit of thinking of at the righttime, and between times, so it will be understood how the prospect ofsecuring the air ship dazzled him.

  A little sailing craft was bumping against the wharf at the lake endof the viaduct. Although a small boat, yet she had a cuddy forward,a cockpit aft, and was as spick and span as snow-white canvas, cleandecks, and polished brasswork could make her.

  A young fellow, rather loudly dressed, was leaning against one of theposts to which the sailboat was moored. He was smoking a cigarette,and, at sight of Ferral, ran up to him with outstretched hand.

  "Ahoy, my gay sailorman!" he cried. "I had a kind of hunch that you'dgo back on me, and wouldn't show up."

  "Whenever I say I'll do a thing," replied Ferral, catching the other'shand heartily, "I lay my course in that direction. But I'm in a rushto get to South Chicago. Do you suppose you can take us somewhere nearthere?"

  "Take you anywhere, old chap," returned the other.

  Ferral presented Carl. The Dutch lad was not very much taken withFerral's friend. There was something about him that rubbed Carl's furthe wrong way. However, Carl did not pay much attention to this vaguedistrust. He was thinking of the Hawk, and hoping that he and Ferralwould reach South Chicago in time to buy the air ship before she wassold to anybody else.

  Carl, more than anyone else, knew how Motor Matt was longing to ownthe Hawk, and how badly disappointed he was to think he had not themoney to buy her. Dick Ferral had dropped into the affair at just theright time.

  The name of the sailboat was the _Christina_, and her skipper was aheavy-jawed Norwegian by the name of Erickson. There was somethingabout Captain Erickson that Carl did not like, and the Swede whohelped the skipper sail the _Christina_ did not appear to any betteradvantage. Yet the idea of buying the air ship had put Carl's nerves ina twitter, and he gave little heed to his vague suspicions.

  Merrick, Ferral and Carl got aboard the _Christina_, the Swede castoff the bow moorings, the skipper hauled up the mainsail and jib, andthen the Swede threw on the stern rope and jumped aboard. There was afine breeze, and the little boat tripped out through the harbor in thedirection of the government pier.

  Ferral and Carl went forward and seated themselves on the top of thecabin. Merrick lingered in the cockpit to talk with Erickson, who hadthe wheel. The Swede was farther forward, setting another of the jibs.

  "How long you knowed dot Merrick feller, Tick?" queried Carl.

  "About a day and a half. Why?"

  "His looks don'd make some hits mit me; und I don'd like der Norvegianor der Svede, neider."

  Ferral laughed.

  "Wh
y, Carl," said he, "you can't smoke a fellow's roll on such a shortacquaintance."

  "I ged some hunches ven I see vat I don'd like, und I got all kindtsoof hunches, righdt now, dot somet'ing is crooked. Meppy dot Merrickfeller shmokes your roll--der vone vat you got in your bocket."

  "Belay, Carl! You'll like Merrick after you know him a little better.I'll admit he's not exactly my style, but he's no beachcomber. Ifanything happened, why, there's two of us to three of them, and wecould put up a pretty stiff set-to. But South Chicago and the Hawk loompretty large in my glass, just now, and I haven't got time to think ofmuch of anything else."

  Just at that moment a doubled-up form pushed out of the cuddy into thecockpit. As the form straightened, and turned around so as to faceforward, Carl went off the cabin at a jump and gave a yell.

  "Prady!" he gasped; "Prady, or I vas a geezer!"