The Sky Detectives; Or, How Jack Ralston Got His Man

nown simply as "Perk" by all his friends, found themselves climbing out of a hired taxi that h

note of the triple line of cars parked around the field, with its numer

prizes for the winners. All the better for us, I'd say, since our take-of

hat betokened a good-natured chap; "and privacy's just what we crave.

r a fact the boys holding the stick with that corporation are nearly always on time to the dot, come storm, come fog as thick as pea-soup. The schedule I glimpsed at the Atlanta post office gave the time of the East Coast ship as seven-thi

mitted Perk. "Let's have a look-in while we're here, and see what a bag o' tricks thes

out our jumping off, so long as we

y; and with a flashlight beacon set every ten miles all the way down to Orleans, to keep us on our course. Loo

s a safe and sane pilot, although on occasion he had been known to put through some tricks so deat

mily had moved away years back, and become fruit raisers in far-off California. Still, having spent some years in the

boat at County Fairs and Harvest Home gatherings; doing aerial stunts, and "bailing out" by means of a parachu

ent at Washington for carrying the mails, and later on express matter as well; and last of all working for Uncle Sam through joining the

r this service. The reasons for doing so were many, but what counted most was Jack's well known cleverness as an all-round air pilot; for it happened that the slick rogue who had been giving the revenue men suc

dle both ship and cargo-the man thus selected to put a crimp in his activities was likewise given full permission to engage a helper from the same arm

ps over in France; from which patriotic occupation he later on became a champion light-weight boxer. Leaving the ring while as yet undefeated he served for several years with the Canadian Mounted Police. Here his smartness in usually fetching back his

ving a wide swath of victims in their path. They had become more than friends, although meeting but seldom; then, when the opportunity ca

united talents in running down the leader of the most troublesome gang of cou

given authority to carry on as the situation demanded; although this information was

ncies. Only too well did he know how many a splendid undertaking went on the rocks from lack of foreseeing the next move on th

a Stinson Detroiter, a monoplane with a Wright Whirlwind motor, and reckoned to be an unusually swift craft, was already loaded, and ready for immediate depar

was so familiar to Jack, and a constant reminder of early experiences when he was accustomed to carry out his daily program of "quit

eir hangar. Here they commenced preparing for a night flight that was expected to land them in New Orleans, where Jack was to interview a certain representative of t

d them with a boisterous greeting, at whic

stepped out to see the boys cut a few figger-eights in the sky-just can't

lip an easy one over me, I want to know?" demanded the other, who was apparently a mail pilot f

Detroiter ship by showing what it has to set it above most other boats. Plans not fully

being by nature one of those stubborn chaps who can never be happy

his head, and then with a g

mething queer happened to me-say, did you boys s

m, and then added: "What ma

ws?" continued the other; at which Perk, after exchangin

leep like a log; and it'd have to be a thun

uck it, my things tossed out of drawers, my trunk broken open, and say, you never saw such a dirty mess. Course I asked the boss what it meant; but he

had struck both of them. Scotty did not appear to notice this, being t

at suggested sympathy; but to his surprise the other shook his head in

ct is, I'm even better off than before he paid that queer visit, 'cause he left this old pocketbook mixed up with my traps; and it ain't mine for a fact,

ked Perk, enviously; while Jack nodded