Motor Town Cheat Engine

[Tonja Witcraft]

Motor Matt and Dick Ferral had been sunning themselvesin front of the balloon house, a little way out ofthe town of South Chicago. A youngster of ten oreleven had climbed the roadside fence and made his waytoward the big, shed-like building in the centre of theswampy meadow. Of the two boys, the youngster hadinstinctively picked out Matt, had halted in front of him,and had started the foregoing colloquy. He finished bytaking a letter out of his pocket and passing it over to theyoung motorist.

"He's the fellow that bought this balloon house fromBrady," explained Matt. "That was before the policefound out that Brady was a thief, but Brady knew the discoverywas coming, so he got rid of everything he ownedin South Chicago."

Matt tore off the end of the envelope and pulled outthe enclosed sheet. He gave a low whistle as he read;then, after he had finished, he passed the letter over toFerral. The communication ran as follows:

"Not much, that's a fact," answered Matt discontentedly."Hagenmyer has held off on tearing down theballoon house for that length of time, just to give us asafe place to keep the Hawk. We can't blame him forgetting busy on the old shed to-morrow morning."

"I hate to leave without learning something aboutHelen Brady. That girl has done a lot for us, pard, andit looks kind of heartless for us to pull out without doingwhat we can to settle the mystery of her disappearance."

"But what can we do, mate, if the detectives are allaback and not able to find a trace of her? Miss Bradywent to visit friends on Archer Avenue, Chicago; shewas there three days while her father, Hector Brady, wasbeing tried and railroaded to the penitentiary; then, thefourth day after Miss Brady goes to Archer Avenue, shesuddenly vanishes, and not a trace of her can be found.No matter how you overhaul the situation, it's queer,and I'm inclined to think that the girl's brother, HectorBrady, Jr., has spirited her away. Either that, or else thegirl went away with her brother of her own free will. IfBrady, Jr., is mixed up in this, matey, what right have wegot to interfere? Looks like a family affair."

"We know young Brady is a crook, just like his father,Dick, and if there wasn't something wrong, Helen wouldnot have left her friends without giving some explanation.I don't care whether Brady, Jr., is mixed up in the affairor not, I intend to discover what's happened, and to givethe girl help if she needs it. If it hadn't been for Helen,you and I would never have been able to chase Brady, Sr.,over into Michigan, capture him, and get our air shipback. We mustn't forget what we owe Helen Brady,and that she's entitled to our aid if she needs it."

"Right-o, messmate!" returned Ferral heartily. "Thegirl helped us get back the Hawk, but that's the least ofwhat she did. If it hadn't been for her, the pair of uswould have gone to Davy Jones, right here in this oldballoon house.[A] I'm for doing everything we can for her,but if the police can't do anything, I don't see where wecome in."

Matt took the message from his pocket and read it overagain. It was from the people for whom he had beendriving a racing automobile, and had been received abouteleven o'clock that morning. It merely stated that theyhad received a letter for Matt, that it was marked "important,"and that they would hold it until Matt told themwhat to do with it. The young motorist had immediatelysent his Dutch pard, Carl Pretzel, to Chicago after theletter.

"Perhaps you're right, matey," said Ferral. "Anyhow,we'll know as soon as Carl gets back. He ought to behere by eight bells of the afternoon watch. Hello!" andhere Ferral's eyes wandered to the road, "who's thatsteering this way? He's coming full and by, and seemsto be in a hurry."

"That fellow's as slippery as an eel," went on Harris."He's been at large for two days, and the prison authoritieshave kept it quiet, hoping they'd be able to bag him;but they failed to catch him, and now it's got into thepapers. I wonder if you understand what that means toyou, Matt?" and here the officer fixed a significant lookon the young motorist.

"That's it," said Harris, "and he's the sort of fellowthat don't say things just to hear himself talk. He's beenout of the 'pen' two days, and I'd like to bet somethinghandsome he's been thinking of Motor Matt and the airship ever since he got clear of the stone walls and the[Pg 3]iron bars. I rushed out here as soon as I could, to warnyou boys to look out for yourselves, and for the Hawk."

"That's where you're wrong, Matt, according to mynotion. You know how anxious Brady has been, everytime the law got after him, to get hold of the air ship.With the Hawk, he can snap his fingers at all the detectivesand police officers, and it's a cinch he'll come thisway. Some of the rest of the gang may be helping him.You know Pete, Whipple, Grove, and Brady, Jr., are stillat large. You don't want to have another balloon-houseplot worked on you, so I think you lads had better pullout, and go east, if that's where you're headed for."

"You can't help the girl any," continued Harris. "Whoknows but some of her father's gang are mixed up in herdisappearance? If it comes to that, who knows but thegirl is with her father now? You can't afford to haveany more dealings with that gang, Matt. Besides, youowe it to the authorities to take the Hawk where therewon't be any possibility of Brady's getting hands on her.If he gets the Hawk, he'll never be captured; if he doesn'tget the air ship, he can't possibly keep from getting laidby the heels."

The officer's position was logical. Matt's disappointmenton Helen Brady's account was keen, but eventsseemed to be shaping themselves so that he and hisfriends would have to leave South Chicago that afternoon,whether they wanted to or not.

"Good!" exclaimed the officer, with satisfaction. "Thisold roost can't be knocked to pieces any too quick. It haswitnessed many a lawless act on the part of Brady and hisgang, and if these old walls could speak they'd tell usof many a crime. Are you and your chums going to tryto get to New York with the Hawk, Matt?"

"There's not much ground for thinking that letter isfrom Miss Brady," said he. "Probably it's some one whohas heard about your air-ship work, and wants to hirethe Hawk, or to charter her. What you've been doingin the aeronautical line, Matt, has aroused a good dealof interest all over the country. It's the first time, so faras I know, that an air ship has ever been used practically.First, Brady used the Hawk in his thieving operations,and next you used her to bring two of the gang andsome of their booty from Willoughby's swamp. Yourlast exploit, in which you made an air-ship trip acrossLake Michigan in Jerrold's machine, the Eagle, capturedthe Hawk and returned safely with her, seems to havecaused more talk than anything else you have done. No,you can take my word for it, that important letter is fromsome enthusiast who wants to buy the Hawk, or to hireher. If you lads wanted to sell the air ship, you couldrealize at least four times what you paid for the craft.Not a bad 'spec,' eh?"

"There you are!" laughed Harris. "You never saw aboy with such a grasping disposition whenever there'sanything to be learned. I'm going to stay right here withyou and make myself comfortable until Carl gets backfrom Chicago. You've got me all worked up about thatletter, and I'll have to see what it amounts to."

Matt would have given a good deal to know just howmuch Harris was thinking of his safety, and just howmuch he was considering the help the authorities wouldreceive by having the Hawk removed from that part ofthe country. He put the question point-blank, and theofficer averred that he was thinking entirely of the recaptureof Brady.

"He's one of the greatest men of the age," declaredthe young motorist, with enthusiasm, "and he's doingmore to put aronautics on a commercial and practicalbasis than any other inventor in the country."

For an hour or two Harris and Matt talked on technicalpoints connected with air ships, and the two finally wentinto the balloon house so that Matt could point out theimprovements which his friend, Jerrold, had helped makein the Hawk.

Most of all this was worse than Greek to Ferral, andhe yawned as he listened, and remained behind when hischum and the officer went inside the huge shed. Leaningagainst the board wall behind him, Ferral dozed, andit was only when a shout reached him from the road thathe realized that Carl was coming.

"Ahoy, Matt!" yelled Ferral, starting to his feet, andwide awake on the instant. "Here's our Dutch raggie!It's hard on the stroke of eight bells and he's made theround trip just as I thought he would."

"I vent so kevick as I got pack," continued Carl, drawingthe letter from his pocket, "und dot's vere I shine.Motor Matt say for me to do somet'ing, und I do him likechain lighdings. Dere you vas. He's atressed to MisderMotor Matt, care oof der Lestrange Garage, unddown in vone gorner iss der vort 'imbortant.' My nerfsvas all in some flutters to know vat iss on der insite."

"'Motor Matt: You are a friend of Helen Brady's,and the writer knows that she is in grave peril. Shecan be rescued, but it can only be by means of your airship, the Hawk, and the work will have to be donequietly. I am one of the detectives from headquarters,and my attention is so completely taken up with the casethat I can't leave where I am to call and see you personally,but if you want to help rescue the girl, you willfollow these instructions:

"'Between La Grange and the town of Gary, not manymiles from South Chicago, there's an abandoned stonequarry. You can't miss it, as it is on the Drainage Canal,and the limestone in the bottom of the quarry will looklike a white patch on the earth from the air ship. Bringthe Hawk to the quarry at ten o'clock to-night, descendingon the edge of the Canal. I will be there to meet you.Don't come before night, for, if the Hawk is seen, wewill have all our trouble for our pains. And keep mumabout what you are doing, for if you were to talk, theinformation might reach those who have the girl incharge and thus prevent our success. Can I count onyou? I am figuring that you will receive this letterTuesday, and come to the quarry Tuesday night; but, ifyou don't receive this until Wednesday, come Wednesdaynight.

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