The Air Mystery of Isle La Motte

ll condescend to ride in anything so slow and primitive, I'm driving down to the turkey farm and

olite as to say that we scorn to use your on

to meeting Hezzy and seeing his face when he learns

are you

house and made a wild scramble to get into their clothes. In record time

ever enjoyed a swim so much in my life," Jim volunte

t over the swimming privileges just as the cattle men used to

kill eac

rman. There are four creeks on the ranches, and on

f the cliff the land stretches away for about three hundred miles and that's pretty dry. Some of the ranchers drove wells, but they had to do it a dozen tim

tle?" Mr. Fenton was

o irrigate

otte. Here and there they passed Vermonters who exchanged greetings with the farmer, and occasionally they passed touring cars. Some of them were carrying full loads, while others were less crowded. A good percentage were trying to

oks as if the world and his wife

ly at the travelers. They drove across the bridge, hurried on north and at last came to the little depot,

a farm, nearly three hundred acres, but most of it is timber land, and it's too far from the main road to cultivate. If we didn't have the other place, we should have moved over, but it seemed ideal for a poultry farm. Vermont turkeys bring a big price, so we started in a

was a wollop,"

asked Jim. It sounded like th

was sturdy looking. Its architecture, doors, mullioned windows, and wide floorings in the "porch" would have gladdened the heart of a "Colonial" collector. The bo

oks like." Hezzy came down the steps and the boys eyed him gravely. "Want you to meet the

car now, his glasses resting low on

y has met us befo

their plane on the cove and you drove them away

the farm. That was two days, or less, since we lost that big batch-I wasn't taking no chances," Hezzy said q

Bob assured him, but

und now?" Hezzy i

idea and come back later if they want to see mor

led the way toward the shore, and presently the three were going through the houses, pa

over those wires," Jim remarked as he noted the fine

e houses," Hezzy answer

locks?"

buy," his u

bs. I lost my watch at school and tried detecting. Began to suspect the pr

ness, but I suppose you have so

they come for more, but we haven't been able to discover the

rning. I gave him a physic. It's the only thing I know to d

ood price for those beasts and should not like t

He told me what to giv

. Someone might try to poison them

s," Hezzy said hastily. "W

et back. You boys seen enough to

o see. Sometime when you are coming again

d to ha

dn't say you belonged to the Fentons when you were here yesterday, b

might have heard about the plane and

man's worried he don't stop to think. Only thing came into my head

y made their way to the car

something which will solve the mystery for you, but you'd better not say anyth

go taking any chances. I want to send you home with whole bones

d the other end hasn't much good landing space. Too many trees and shrubs, except on

y did enjoy her rid

tarted-said it was like going to have a tooth drawn." By that time they

mind besides your cap

, ha

Bob dodged a stone that hi

take you for a part of his supper," Jim retorted. They walked on a way i

saw you still so long except when you're in

like Hezzy?

st two hundred turkeys we'd have been out with shot guns too. We'd have fired t

se conditions. He's probably the salt of the earth, as your aunt says, and honest as the day is long, but I c

inned, "but you don't want to forget that

o

the man's looks and his rec

that he wasn't overly anx

e was-said

minutes.' Like as not, I'm barking up the wrong tree. Let's go up early in the morning and see what we can see around the border. I'

ght down to

se your aunt would mind letting us take a lunch t

ind. What sort of crab

want to make extra trouble for her. Your mother said that the farm takes a lot of

showed no desire to be rid of her two guests, she was perfectly willing to fix them up a picnic lunch an

gets stormy you'd better come r

we slide down on the lightning

know y

you enjoy ai

did, I wrote to you

out us," Bob grinned. "We'll be fine

," Jim shouted. He was already in the c

l O

the world, or a joyous roar that it was about to do something worth watching. Up they climbed a thousand feet, circled above North Hero, and as Bob g

t Isle La Motte?" Bob aske

not interested in looking for him," Jim answered, then adde

ecial r

im answered

e westward, following the American side of the border and after an hour, circled about and returned pretty much along the same course. Once they saw a passenger plane soaring majestically south, and then they spied the mail-pilot racing toward them, so they went to meet him. The young fellow in the

ded. The younger boy searched the rolling globe beneath them. Through the glasses he could see tiny homesteads, miles of unsettled s

stling with overhanging rock. The boy guessed that it was the bed of a stream, but the water had either dried up or been diverted through another outlet. He followed its winding course, and calculated that it must be several miles long and extended well across the borders i

duced the speed, zoomed high and spiraled as if he were reaching for the ce

nything

corker place for bootleggers or smugglers to go sneaking from one side to the other?

overlooked," Jim answered. "That old road runs pretty clo

it fixed up. See those fellows?" Jim nodded, and by that time he was keenly interested. He not only saw the two men, but further alon

not even smoking cigarettes. Here." He handed the glasses back to the younger boy. "Be careful no one notices that you are watching them," he warned t

up after he had passed, got on horses and separated, and Jim, they are following the Mounty, one on each side, as if they are watching him. They are just jogging alon

g for him?" Jim

ose. I think he hears the ones behind, because he's turning around-Jim-" Jim looked over t

your teeth

ried to watch what was taking place beneath them, and Jim's heart almost stopped beating as he saw that the Mounty was concentrating his whole attention on them. Even Pat had his eyes upward at the startling spectacle of a gyrating airplane that promised to be kindling wood in a

er. At five hundred feet he took the controls, started the engine and lifted Her Highness' nose, then went on into a glide that brought them, a mo

e air, and you're going to give us a

s surprised at the whole performance, leap

ch me if you want to,

s out of the cock-pit, his arms raised a

added in a lower tone. "Search me and make out you're mad as blazes. Rip us both up

foot, while Jim alternated between bitter abuse, punctuated with bits of their story told

your gun, they're just back in some brush." The business-like aut

r this bunch?" in a lower tone of voice. He began the search of Caldwell, and as the thr

eer so we came to give you the message, then as soon as we spotted you, we saw the bunch, four of them, closing in, so we did our little stuff wit