Part 4 (1/2)
”Listen to reason, you fellows,” he pleaded ”I've got a proposal”
”Shall we listen to the proposal, Frank?” asked Bob, now fully awake, and grinning broadly ”Or shall we hness,” shouted Frank, his equilibrium restored
”'Ear 'Ear”
”Very well,” said Bob, addressing Jack with mock solemnity ”My friend says you are to be spared But, ood proposal
Now, out with it”
Jack, ensconced in a deep easy chair, uncrossed his knees and leaned forward
”You reht about the operations of the liquor slers in and around New York?” he inquired
The others nodded
After the conversation the previous night had been directed by the revelations of the boys regarding their hbors, and by Mr Halers, the boys had learned fro the situation
Since the adoption of prohibition, they had been told, liquor-srown to such an extent that a state of war between the sovernle vessels and even fleets were engaged by the s liquor up fro Island and New Jersey coasts, and to coovern an unknown number of speedy submarine chasers A number of authentic incidents known to Colonel Graham and to Mr Ha of the sovern been landed at a big Manhattan dock by night and re the waterfront passed the scene of operations several ti There were other stories, too, of how the tables were turned, an occasion being cited when a sub chaser put a shot across the bohat appeared to be a Gloucester fishi+ng schooner which thereupon showed a clean pair of heels and tried to escape but was run down and captured inside the three-o of West Indian rum
Some of these facts, of course, had appeared in the newspapers Others had not been made public But, far fro about news events, for they had their own interest to engage their attention, the boys were not familiar with the situation What they had been told ca revelation
”Very well,” continued Jack, as Bob and Frank prepared to listen; ”relers, it certainly seeht the haunted Brownell house, built a secret radio plant and introduced a radio-controlled airplane into our exclusive neighborhood, hto, Jack,” Frank declared ”But what's your proposal?”
”Si on our own account”
”If you intend to propose that we go nosing around the Brownell place, trying to spy and snoop, I vote against it,” declared Bob ”I ran away yesterday, after discovering that radio plant, because I felt danger in the air With a wire fence built to keep out intruders and with New York gun it wouldn't be healthy to do any investigating If I were tiny as Frank here”--reaching over to ruht do They couldn't hit et”
Jack sreed on that,” he said ”Dad always tells er unnecessarily But that isn't the kind of investigating I had in mind”
”Then what?” asked Frank
”Well, first of all, this is a fine day for flying,” answered Jack, pointing out the open , to where war sea in the distance ”You fellows lie abed so long You haven't had a chance yet to see what an ideal day it is; warm, cloudless, and with hardly a trace of wind”
”What's flying got to do with it?” asked Bob ”We saw yesterday about all we can see fro over there willof a little trip to Mineola,” said Jack ”Then we can leave the old bus on the flying field there and ht ask Mr McKay, your father's real estate friend, who the felloho has bought the old Brownell house”
”Then what, Ha?”
”Oh, Bob, don't be such a grouch,” protested Jack ”What if nothing corinned