Part 7 (1/2)

”What in the world are you doing out here?” Higginbotham demanded, sharply

”Why, we told you we lived near here We had flown to Mineola and thenhomeyou fall, and cainbotham stared from one to the other Had he seen them pursue him and spy on him as he visited the schooner? That was the question each boy asked himself Apparently, he had not done so, for his next question was:

”Do you fly around here often in your plane?”

Frank took a hand in the conversation If big Bob were left to carry on alone, heof what the boys knew or suspected about their hbors Frank felt that his chill of suspicion, experienced when he encountered Higginbotha justified Decidedly, this man must be in with the mysterious inhabitant of the old Brownell place

Equally certain was it that he had lied in stating he did not know the naht the property

”Oh,” said Frank, ”we haven't had the plane out for weeks until a day or two ago, e ain to-day We've been busy for a ht to stave off Higginbotha around to learn whether they had flown sufficiently of late to have spied out the secret radio plant or seen the radio-controlled plane in operation

”And I'll bet,” Frank said himself, ”that it is a cohborhood Probably, he thought he could operate without fear of discovery in this out-of-the-way neighborhood, and it's a shock to hihts were passing through Higginbothaet rid of these boys without disclosing to them that his was a radio-controlled plane?

”I'entle to my aid As it is, however, I do not need help This is a plane of n, Ilines have aroused your curiosity I would prefer that you do not come any closer but that, on the other hand, you would leave me noant to ain”

”Very well, sir,” answered Bob coe to his seat in the pit ”We don't want to annoy you Good day”

With that, Frank swung clear, the propeller to which Bob had given a twist began anew to revolve, the plane taxied in a circle, then rose and started for the shore

”We certainly surprised him,” chuckled Jack ”He didn't knohat to say to us In his excitement and his fear of discovery of some secret or other, he acted in a way to arouse suspicion, not dispel it Well, Frank, you win the golduntrustworthy certainly seereed Bob ”But what do you ilasses trained backwards to where the little plane still rode the sea

”That's easy,” answered Jack ”So at the secret radio plant and the continuity of the dash which provides the juice for the plane's ure it

I say Let's tune up to 1,375 ”

”It's not there,” Bob announced presently ”Not a sound in the receivers Neither does the plane show any signs of motion Look here

Suppose that whatever has happened at that fellow's radio plant cannot be fixed up for a long period, ill Higginbothao away and leave him?”

”Well,” said Jack, doubtfully, ”it does look heartless He's four or five ht shoot him a continuous dash from our own radio plant”

”Zowie,” shrieked Bob, snatching the receiver fro the controls at the sath ”There's his power No need for us to worry now Oh, boy, but wasn't that a blast in the ear?”