Islands in the Air | Page 4

by Van
Beck.

Professor Stiener glared, but Van Beck grinned amiably through his
black, bushy beard.
"Sir, you must know that you are not wanted here," fumed the
Professor. He turned savagely to Greta. "What is the meaning of this,
Greta?"
"Why Professor Van Beck is an old friend," she said innocently. "I just
landed here without thinking. I beg your pardon, Gustave. We will be
going."
Greta made for the plane. Just then McCann ran up with a blue print
and asked the Professor a question.
"Certainly, certainly," chimed in Van Beck. "We do not wish to
trespass."
The professor had been poring over a large blue print spread open in
the sun when he rose to rebuke his Dutch friend. Now he walked away
with McCann and I followed. We were absent but a few minutes, and
when we turned back instead of seeing Van Beck getting into the plane
I observed him turning away from the blue print and I thought I saw
him hastily thrust a black object into the capacious pocket of his long
black duster. There were no workmen near at the time and as I had no
witnesses and could not be sure I resolved to say nothing about it.
Smiling graciously Van Beck ambled to the plane, took his seat by
Greta's side and they were off with a wave of the hand.
The Professor was furious over the unexpected visit.
"What is Greta thinking about?" he stormed. "Has she no respect for
her brother and his work? Please God he didn't learn anything--but
maybe he did," he added fearfully. "He has a devilish way of learning
things. What do you think?"
I assured him I did not think it likely any of our secrets had leaked out
in so short a space of time. And I was in no amiable mood. Van Beck
seemed to be exercising an hypnotic influence over Greta and I

resented it bitterly. However, shortly afterward I had reason to be
thankful for the episode and the resultant lecture which the Professor
gave Greta. She was seen less often in Van Beck's company and
devoted herself closer to me and the work of her eccentric brother. Nor
did we see any more of Van Beck nosing around. He was seen but little
about town and seemed to keep pretty close to the class room. Near
mid--summer we heard he had obtained a vacation and had gone abroad
for a time.
The Professor breathed a sigh of relief. "We are rid of him for a time,"
he said gratefully. "Before he returns the danger will be past."
A Disappearance
WEEK after week rolled away, the mellow days of September were at
hand and the islands were nearing completion. Then one morning as the
Professor and I stepped from the plane we were met by McCann with
the startling intelligence that the office had been entered during the
night, but a cursory examination had revealed nothing disturbed.
The Professor stared blankly a moment, then rushed away to the office.
We followed breathlessly.
The outer door had been forced, its lock being broken, but beyond this
no damage had been done so far as we could discover. Anxiously we
ran over the papers--not a print was missing.
"Nothing gone," said the Professor. "Yet the place has been entered.
What for?"
"Perhaps the thief was frightened away before he could grab anything,"
Isuggested.
"I don't see how he got in," said McCann. "I have made sure that every
guard was at his post throughout the night."
"I hold you personally responsible, McCann," said the Professor
severely. "See that it doesn't happen again." And with that he turned

and walked away leaving McCann with a crestfallen air.
I felt sorry for the Scotchman. He seemed devoted to the Professor, and
I believed the rebuke to be undeserved.
The ridge which the Professor had selected for his daring experiment
was the center of an unbroken wilderness far remote from any human
habitation. It was fifty miles from the university, and was a land of no
roads and but few dim trails. The ridge dropped away to the north and
to the south in a series of valleys heavily clothed in virgin timber. It
was admirably situated for a secret enterprise. The vicinity was never
visited save by hunters, and this was not the hunting season. Even the
route of the mail planes was far to the north.
One night not long after the forced entrance to the office McCann
disappeared. The chief electrician had called at his office as usual the
next morning. He was not there. Nor could he be found anywhere on
the grounds. As it was against the rules for any one to leave the
premises under any circumstances, without a permit from