Part 12 (2/2)
Perk wassome sort of decision He bent forward several times as if about to make an ih he could hardly decide how to approach the ht have its humorous side as well as a serious one
Already had they reached a point where he could easily see the shore several thousand feet below and now Jack was sliding down as if bent on striking a ceiling that would be only a few hundred feet above the pal the coast
It seeive Jack the start he contean to talk in as unconcerned a tone as possible
”Partner, would you mind tellin' me what about this here Oswald Kearns?”
CHAPTER XVII
OKEECHOBEE THE MYSTERIOUS
”Say that again, Perk!” deh that apparently innocent question had given him a severe jolt
”Oswald Kearns--kinder queer nauess now, an' I'm wonderin'
if I ever heard it before--that's all, Jack”
The pilot was busy with his work in handling the shi+p and therefore debarred fro his head to look at his companion but at least he could put the astonishment he felt into words
”So--you think that's a queer naain, where did you ever run across it--who ever spoke it in your hearing, Perk?”
”Why--er, guess it was on'y _you_, partner,” caasped Jack, tremendously excited, ”please tellsuch a thing, though I eht e had settled down and could have a nice quiet confab--go on, though, and say when I lifted the lid, and let you into this part of our big game, Perk”
”Huh! you talked in your sleep so--said that naain”
”Youup a feinks of sleep--is that a fact, Perk?”
”Sure thing, boss--course I knew soet-out, so I ht be an' e'd got to do with such a critter”
Then Jack laughed as the hurip him
”Well, well, seems like I'll soon have to put a padlock on my lips after this when I hit the hay It's a serious offence for a fellow in _our_ profession to give away his secrets like that! Never knewthat way before Lucky you were the only one to hear ame away so recklessly The joke is on uy anyhow--I sure never heard his naot the idee in ainst when in Washi+ngton--somebody who had the orderin' around o' poor dicks like uess, brother,” Jack told him, ”for the fact of the matter is, this Oswald Kearns happens to be a certain party just now under suspicion as being the king-pin of these s Uncle Saulf coast!”
Perk took it with a little break, as though the inforain at his fly-casting--seeking information at the fount in which he had so 'lar tail spin that tiht cruel to keep er”
”I don't mean to keep you in the dark after this, Perk,” he was told in jerky, broken sentences, as though Jack found it difficult to talk and pay the proper attention to what he was doing, for the a a s connected with the story to try and spin it now--just hold your horses till we settle down on that lake, and you'll get it--all I know, or suspect, anyhow Just now I can only tell you that this Kearns is amystery to the Departame of hide-and-seek before their very eyes--nobody so far has been able to pick up a shred of positive evidence that would convict hih, buddy!” hat Perk exclaiet busy and figure things out, just as football teanals beco over the land for so almost directly into the northeast He knew just where he expected to oal, due to a close application to his charts andfor inforht was on, Perk was forced to seek consolation inthe heavens for signs of other suspicious planes or endeavoring to make out the character of the terrain over which they were speeding