“Well, Chunky, what do you think of the idea?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Jerry. It seems as if it might be a good one, but we’ve got a fine air-ship now, and it would be a pity to spoil it.”
“Who said anything about spoiling it?” demanded Jerry Hopkins, in rather indignant tones, as he looked across the table at his chum, Bob Baker, whose stoutness had gained him the nickname of Chunky. “Who wants to spoil the Comet, you old calamity howler?”
“Well, aren’t you talking of ripping it apart and putting some new-fangled attachment on it? I say let well enough alone.”
“Say, if everybody was like you, Bob, there wouldn’t be much done in this world. ‘Let well enough alone!’ If Columbus had said that, America would never have been discovered.”
“Oh, get out!”
“No, I’ll not. Here I come and propose a good improvement for our air-ship, something that will make it possible to do stunts over water, and you sit down on it!”
“What, sit on the water?” asked Bob, with a mischievous grin. “You know I never was much good at floating, Jerry.”
“Oh, cut it out! Now be serious if it’s possible. Honestly, what do you think of the idea? Look at the illustration there. It shows a fellow in an aeroplane getting his start on the water instead of on land, and rising up in the air. The article says that by means of the hydroplanes it is possible for an aeroplane to also land on the water and float. Now what I want to do is to attach hydroplanes to our Comet. How about it?”
“Gee! Anybody’d think you were delivering a lecture on aeronautics, Jerry! But, as I said, I don’t know what to say. You sprang this thing on me so suddenly. I’d like a chance to think it over.”
“Think it over! Why, it oughtn’t to take long to decide on a feature like this. Our air-ship is old-fashioned now. We’ve had it quite a while, and you know there has been a big advance made among the birdmen lately. Hydroplanes are the latest idea, and I say we ought to put them on the Comet, and also make other improvements. But I can’t do it unless you and Ned agree, as we each own a third interest in our air-ship.”
“That’s so. I wonder where Ned is?” and Bob looked out of the window, hoping he might see the third member of the motor boys’ trio. “Didn’t you meet him on your way over to my house, Jerry?”
“No. I stopped for him, but his mother said he was down at his father’s department store. Say, I shouldn’t be surprised but what there was some trouble in the Slade family, Bob.”
“Why?” asked the stout youth, his attention temporarily taken off the subject of air-ships by the serious tone in which his chum spoke. “What makes you think that, Jerry?”
“Because Mrs. Slade looked worried, and, come to think of it, Ned hasn’t been around much with us lately. He’s been down in the store a number of nights, helping his father on the books, he said. I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if there was some trouble in the business.”
“I hope not. But I wish Ned were here to help settle this question.”
“It won’t take long to settle it when he does come,” retorted Jerry, rising and going over to the window, where he could get a better light on a magazine he had brought so that he too might show his chum some new ideas regarding air navigation. “I know Ned will agree with me,” went on the tall lad, “and you will be the obstructing party.”
“Well, large bodies move slowly, you know, Jerry. It takes me some time to make up my mind. Just what do you want to do to the Comet, anyhow? Put in a new steam-heating apparatus, or add a gymnasium, and shower-baths, and elevators?”
“Oh, don’t get funny, Bob! I’m serious. What I want to do is to add the hydroplane feature. That’s the biggest improvement, though there are several smaller ones to be put in. But it won’t be much work to attach the hydroplanes. All we need to do is to build on some air-tight floats, or boxes, which will do on the water exactly what the bicycle wheels of an aeroplane do on land—support it. Then, in case we have an accident, say over the ocean, we can just drop down, and float until we make repairs. Or, for that matter we can swim along on the water.”
“Why, you don’t expect to go over the ocean, do you?”
“No, but you never can tell what you want to do,” declared Jerry, “and the hydroplanes might be very useful some day.”
The time was to come, and that not far distant, when Jerry’s prediction was to bear fruit.
“Well, I’m not in favor of ripping the good old Comet too much apart,” declared Bob firmly. “She carried us many a mile, and did good service. Why, look at all we did in her. Look what a help she was in rescuing those poor people from the valley, when Professor Snodgrass got his flying lizard.”
“That’s all true, but if we have a motor-ship that can go on the water, the professor can get a flying fish, or something like that, in case he goes along with us on the next trip.”
“Oh, he’ll go all right enough,” spoke Bob, with a laugh. “Dear old professor! We wouldn’t know how to get along without him, though he sometimes does the oddest things.”
“You’re getting away from the main discussion,” said Jerry. “What about making the changes?”
“I’m not exactly in favor of them!” remarked Bob, after a moment’s thought. “The Comet was always good enough for us as she is, and why change her?”
“Oh, you and your ‘good enough’!” burst out Jerry. “Why don’t you have some progressive spirit in you?”
“I have, only I don’t want to spoil a good thing and——”
“Hello! Here comes Ned, now!” interrupted Jerry, looking out on the porch, the steps of which a youth was at that moment ascending.
“Well, we’ll see what he says,” remarked Bob. “I’ll wager that he’ll agree with me.”
“No, he’ll say that I’m right,” came from Jerry. “I’ll let him in.”
Jerry was so eager to hear what the new-comer would say, and Bob, because of his fleshy build, was so slow in getting up that the tall lad was at the front door before the young host had reached the portal, and had admitted Ned Slade.
“Just in time, Ned!” greeted Jerry. “You have the deciding vote.”
“What about?” asked Ned, and his chums were at once aware of a change in his manner. He spoke listlessly, and as if he was little interested. He seemed tired out, too, as if he had been working too hard, and yet it was only the beginning of the summer vacation.
“It’s about our motor-ship,” began Jerry.
“He wants to cut her all up, put on racing skates, or water shoes, or something like that, and add a lot of improvements,” broke in Bob, with a grin at his tall chum.
“Hydroplanes! hydroplanes! not water shoes, you old backwoodsman!” cried Jerry. “Here, Ned, let me explain,” and with that the tall lad launched into a lively description of the proposed changes, with Bob interrupting every now and then with an objection, or with some queer comment.
While the boys are thus engaged, I will take a moment to tell you something about them, for, though many of my readers are well acquainted with the motor lads, some of my new friends may never have been introduced to them.
The three chums were Jerry Hopkins, son of a widow, Mrs. Julia Hopkins; Bob Baker, whose father, Mr. Andrew Baker, was a wealthy banker; and Ned Slade, son of Aaron Slade, proprietor of a large department store.
The chums lived in Cresville, not far from Boston, and they had gained the title “Motor Boys” from the fact that they had been associated with motor vehicles for a long time.
Their early adventures on bicycles were told of in the first volume of this series, entitled, “The Motor Boys.” Later they got motor-cycles, and soon after that an automobile. In this machine they made a long trip overland, taking with them a certain Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a learned scientist, who was always searching for some queer bug, reptile, or butterfly.
The boys went to Mexico, discovered a buried city, and returned across the plains, and later they purchased a motor-boat.
In this fine craft, named the Dartaway, they had many adventures, not a few of which are set down in the fifth volume of the series called “The Motor Boys Afloat.” They made a long trip on the Atlantic, and during the following vacation had some surprising adventures in the Everglades of Florida. Some time later they made a voyage on the Pacific ocean in search of a mysterious derelict. On this and on other trips they had much trouble from a bully, Noddy Nixon, and his crony, Bill Berry.
By this time the conquest of the air was well under way, and it might have been expected that our heroes would take part in it. They built an air-ship, with the aid of a Mr. Glassford, and a wonderful craft it was. Christened the Comet, their motor-ship was a combination of a dirigible balloon and an aeroplane. That is, there was a gas bag, which alone would support the machine in air, and there were also side planes, which were of service in case of accident to the gas bag.
In the book called “The Motor Boys in the Clouds,” the air-ship is fully described, so I will not take up space here to give the details of its construction. Sufficient to say that it was capable of long flights; it had a powerful motor and other machinery, and there was a roomy cabin in which the travellers of the air could live in comfort. Large propellers enabled the Comet to travel at a good speed.
Aboard her the boys had some exciting times, and in the book named “The Motor Boys Over the Rockies,” they were the means of rescuing a party of white men and women who had long been held in captivity by a band of Indians.
Returning from this trip, on which they were accompanied by Professor Snodgrass, our friends resumed their studies, and, now that winter was over, and vacation at hand, they were planning for new adventures.
As has just been told, Jerry Hopkins had called on his chum Bob to propose certain changes in the Comet.
“Well, what do you think of my scheme?” asked the widow’s son, as he finished explaining to Ned.
“Oh, I don’t know,” was Ned’s rather listless answer.
“Oh, for cats’ sake!” cried Jerry. “Don’t be as Bob was! Say something, even if you don’t agree with me. If both of you are down on the idea, that settles it, and we’ll leave the Comet as she is.”
“That’s what I say!” remarked Bob.
“Let’s hear what Ned has to propose,” suggested the tall lad. He looked at his other chum, but Ned appeared strangely indifferent. He sat looking out of the window, his thoughts apparently elsewhere.
“Well, what about it, Ned?” asked Jerry, after a pause.
“About what?” inquired Ned, with a start.
“Why, this air-ship!” exclaimed Jerry, in some surprise. “Haven’t you been listening to what I’ve said?”
“To tell you the truth, I haven’t paid much attention,” admitted Ned.
“What’s the matter?” demanded Bob. “Are you in trouble, Ned?”
“Well, no, not exactly,” and Ned spoke slowly. “That is, I’m not, but dad—— Oh, I forgot. I’m not supposed to tell,” and once more Ned gazed gloomily out of the window.
“Look here, Ned,” spoke Jerry softly. “I didn’t mean to inflict this talk on you when you’ve got other things to think about.”
“Oh, that’s all right, Jerry.”
“And if there’s anything Bob or I can do——”
“Of course,” broke in the fat lad. “Can’t we help you, Ned?”
“Well, I don’t know. Dad doesn’t want it talked about, though it’s bound to come out soon, anyhow, I guess. If I tell you fellows it won’t go any further, will it?”
“Of course not!” exclaimed Jerry and Bob together.
“I needn’t have asked that; I might have known it wouldn’t,” said Ned. “Well, the truth of it is that dad’s business is in bad shape.”
“Do you mean that he is going to fail?” asked Jerry.
“Well, it might amount to that, though we hope to stave it off. I’ve been helping him on his books lately, that’s what makes me so tired. I’ve been up late for several nights. The business is in fairly good shape, and can be made better if we could do certain things.”
“What are they?” asked Bob.
“It’s too complicated to go much into detail over,” explained Ned, “but, in brief, it’s this: Certain opposition to dad’s department-store business is being organized by a powerful syndicate. Now, if dad could get the help and co-operation of a certain man, everything would be all right.”
“Who is the man?” asked Jerry.
“His name is Mr. Wescott Jackson. He once was in great trouble, and my father aided him. Dad knows that if he could get into communication with this man he would be only too glad to help him, lend him his influence, and all that, and then the business wouldn’t suffer.”
“Well, why doesn’t he ask aid of this Mr. Jackson, then, Ned?” inquired Jerry.
“He’d be only too glad to, but he can’t locate him. And, another thing, dad’s enemies are interested in keeping Mr. Jackson away from father. That is, they don’t want dad to get word to him of his trouble. So that complicates matters. If I could only talk to Mr. Jackson, and get his signature to certain documents, everything would be all right.”
“Well, why can’t you?” asked Bob.
“I don’t know where to look for Mr. Jackson.”
“Say! we’ve done harder things than that!” cried Jerry suddenly. “What’s the matter with the three of us having a hunt for this Mr. Jackson? Can’t we aid you, Ned?”
“I only wish you could.”
“We can!” declared the tall youth, with energy. “Bob—Ned! We’ll let the air-ship go for a while, and we’ll devote all our energies to finding Mr. Jackson. What do you say, Bob?”
“I’m with you from the drop of the hat!”
“Good! Then, Ned, you can consider that your father’s troubles, and yours, too, are in a fair way to be settled when the Motor Boys get on the trail,” and the tall lad clapped his chum on the back with hearty good-will.