The Aeroplane Boys Flight | Page 5

fairly groaning under the weight of good things to eat,
for when company comes the average farmer's wife never knows when
to stop bringing out the most appetizing things to eat ever seen.
"Perhaps I'm the luckiest fellow going to be able to stay over-night with
you, Mrs. Quackenboss," laughed Andy, as he sat down to the generous
spread.
"Well, you know, we never like anybody to get up from our table
hungry," she explained.
"The chances are that I won't be able to get up at all, for if I try to taste
half I see here, I'll be foundered, as sure as anything," Andy went on to
say.
The farmer was not going to allow much time to pass talking about
common every-day topics. Those might do all very well when he had
ordinary guests; but when fortune sent him one of the now famous Bird
boys for company, he wanted to listen to some thrilling accounts of
adventures that had come the way of the young and daring aviators,
from the time they built their first aeroplane, after purchasing most of
the parts, and found that they had an immediate rival in Percy Carberry.
Andy was willing to oblige, and kept those at the table, including the
farm hand, Felix Boggs, thrilled with his stories. But the farmer could
not help but notice how modest the boy was, giving most of the credit
to his cousin Frank, when everybody about Bloomsbury knew that
Andy deserved just as much credit, if not more, than the other Bird
Boy.
After supper Andy and Felix prepared to go out to where the
hydroplane lay. They meant to take blankets along, and make

themselves as comfortable as possible for a night's vigil.
Andy would not have dreamed of doing this only for the fact that he
knew Percy and his shadow, Sandy, were aware of the plight of the
precious flier. And while Frank was inclined to partly believe that the
Carberry boy might let up in his mischief-making ways for awhile at
least, after all they had done for him up on Old Thundertop, Andy
could not bring himself to trust the other further than he could see him.
He believed that the nature of Percy was so "rotten" as he called it, that,
given a chance to injure his successful rivals, he would shut his eyes to
all sense of gratitude, and just lie awake nights trying to get the better
of them, by fair means or foul.
Andy also knew that the other was particularly chagrined, because he
did not know what manner of a new flier the Bird boys had in hand
now. He had resorted to various expedients in order to find out, but all
without success.
On this account, if no other, then, Andy believed that the others would
be apt to come out here during the night to examine the hydroplane
with the aluminum pontoons under its body for floating on the water;
and perhaps to slily injure it in such a fashion that it would break down
when next Frank and Andy mounted into the air.
It happened that they had alighted close to one corner of the big field,
though in plain view from the pike. Andy had noted a clump of trees
conveniently near, and already his mind was made up that he and Felix
would camp there, to pass the night in alternately keeping watch and
ward over the precious aeroplane that lay there like a wounded bird.
Felix was quivering with eagerness. This was like a picnic in the
humdrum life of the farm hand. Except when the circus came to town,
or there was a Harvest Home day, poor Felix knew little beyond the
eternal grind of getting up before dawn, and working until long after
sunset.
First of all, Andy walked around the stranded aeroplane, and took
occasion to explain how it worked, using as simple language as he

could find, because Felix was not at all up in professional terms, and
would not have understood, had the other spoken as he might have
done when talking with a fellow aviator.
Then they sought the trees, and spreading their heavy blankets so as to
make as comfortable a seat as possible, started to talk in low tones.
The bright moon hung there in the sky, and it seemed as though every
foot of the big meadow could be scrutinized just as well as in the
daytime; but Andy knew from experience how deceptive moonlight can
be, and how cautious one has to be when trying any difficult feat at
such a time.
"I've heard people talk about reading by moonlight, and how they could
tell a friend half a mile away," he remarked to Felix; "but let me say