Part 27 (2/2)

The lad managed to get one hand on the handle of the bag.

”Let go!” cried Morse, and he dealt Tom a blow in the face. It staggered the youth, but he held on grimly, and raised his left hand and arm as a guard. At the same time he endeavored to twist the valise loose from Morse's hold. The man raised his foot to kick Tom, but at that moment there was a curious hissing sound, and a stream of frothy liquid shot over the lad's head right into the face of the man, blinding him.

”Ha! Take that! And more of it!” shouted Mr. Damon, and a second stream of seltzer squirted into the face of Morse.

With a yell of rage he let go his hold of the satchel, and Tom staggered back with it. The lad saw Mr. Damon rus.h.i.+ng toward the now disabled leader, playing both bottles of seltzer on him. Then, when all the liquid was gone the eccentric man began to beat Morse over the head and shoulders with the heavy bottles until the scoundrel begged for mercy.

Tom was congratulating himself on his success in getting the bag when Happy Harry, the tramp, rushed at him.

”I guess I'll take that!” he roared, and, wheeling Tom around, at the same time striking him full in the face, the ugly man made a grab for the valise.

His hand had hardly touched it before he went down like a log, the sound of a powerful blow causing Tom to look up. He saw Mr. Sharp standing over the prostrate tramp, who had been cleanly knocked out.

”Are you all right, Tom?” asked the balloonist.

”Yes--trifle dizzy, that's all--I've got the money!”

”Are you sure?”

Tom opened the valise. A glance was enough to show that it was stuffed with bills.

Happy Harry showed signs of coming to, and Mr. Sharp, with a few turns of a rope he had brought along, soon secured him. Morse was too exhausted to fight more, for the seltzer entering his mouth and nose, had deprived him of breath, and he fell an easy prisoner to Mr. Damon.

Morse was soon tied up. The other members of the Happy Harry gang had escaped.

Meanwhile the sheriff and his men were having a fight with the crowd of tramps, but as the posse was determined and the criminals mostly of the cla.s.s known as ”hobos,” the battle was not a very severe one. Several of the sheriff's men were slightly injured, however, and a few of the tramps escaped.

”A most successful raid,” commented the sheriff, when quiet was restored, and a number of prisoners were lined up, all tied securely.

”Did you get the money?”

”Almost all of it,” answered Tom, who, now that Morse and Happy Harry were securely tied, had busied himself, with the aid of Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon, in counting the bills. ”Only about two thousand dollars are missing. I think the bank will be glad enough to charge that to profit and loss.”

”I guess so,” added the sheriff. ”I'm certainly much obliged to you for the use of your airs.h.i.+p. Otherwise the raid wouldn't have been so successful. Well, now we'll get the prisoners to jail.”

It was necessary to hire rigs from nearby farmers to accomplish this.

As for Morse and Happy Harry, they were placed in the airs.h.i.+p, and, under guard of the sheriff and two deputies, were taken to the county seat. The criminals were too dazed over the rough treatment they had received, and over their sudden capture, to notice the fact of riding through the air to jail.

”Now for home!” cried Tom, when the prisoners had been disposed of.

”Home to clear our names and take this money to the bank!”

”And receive the reward,” added Mr. Sharp, with a smile. ”Don't forget that!”

”Oh, yes, and I'll see that you get a share too, Mr. Durkin,” went on Tom. ”Only for your aid we never would have gotten these men and the money.”

”Oh, I guess we're about even on that score,” responded the official.

”I'm glad to break up that gang.”

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