  Flying over the mountains in the bright, calm sunlight was a very different proposition from clearing them in the face of wind and rain, and Linda encountered no difficulty at all as she set out the next morning. Neither she nor Helen had much hope of catching the man who had stolen the bonds and the money, but both girls decided it was worth taking a chance. So long as they had come this far, it would be foolish to turn back without finishing the flight. They arrived at the Newport News airport a little before ten o’clock, and Linda set herself immediately to the task of finding out where the air-transport company was located. When she had secured this information she stepped back into her autogiro, prepared to fly to the spot. She was not wasting any time now with taxicabs, for wherever she went, she felt sure there would be a landing place large enough for the “Ladybug.” She had been directed to the shore on the Chesapeake Bay, and here she found hangars and planes and officers. A smiling young man came to greet her immediately. “Good morning,” said Linda, quickly. “We have come from Chicago to find a man named Edward Tower. I understand that he was sailing to England on an air transport—leaving to-day, perhaps?” Her heart beat rapidly while she waited for his answer. The young man nodded. “There was a transport that left at nine o’clock this morning,” he replied, to both girls’ utter dismay. Only an hour ago! They had lost the race by sixty short minutes! “Oh!” gasped Linda, sadly, and tears of disappointment came into Helen’s eyes. The young man seemed to be thinking. “I can’t recall anyone by the name of Tower,” he said. “And I myself went over the lists.” Linda’s eyes narrowed. “Then Mr. Tower must be using another name—just as he used the disguise of an old man—” she added, to Helen. Then, turning to the officer, she explained that she had a warrant for Tower’s arrest. “There couldn’t be another boat going to England?” she asked. “No. Air transports aren’t like passenger boats,” he replied, “sailing every few days. There are only a limited number in existence.” Linda was silent, trying to think of something that she could do. It was the young man who finally made the suggestion which she followed. “Look here, Miss,” he said, “why don’t you go after the boat? You have an autogiro, haven’t you?” “Yes—” replied Linda, not knowing what he meant. “Well, fly out over the ocean till you find them. I’ll show you a picture of the transport, so you can spot it. But you couldn’t miss it anyhow. Then hover over it, and I’ll give you a mail bag to drop down. That’ll be a signal—the Captain’ll clear the deck for you to land.” “Land on a ship’s deck?” repeated Linda, in amazement. “Sure. With a ’giro it’s easy—if you know how to manage her. Lt. Melville Pride did it a while ago—maybe you read about it in the papers?” “No, I must have missed that,” answered Linda. “But did he take off again? I wouldn’t want to go all the way to England.” “Sure he took off. The crew helped, I believe— But, of course, Lt. Pride is an expert. If you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t advise you to try it.” Linda looked grave, but Helen burst out laughing. “I guess you don’t know that this is Miss Linda Carlton!” she announced proudly. “The girl who flew the Atlantic Ocean alone!” The young man gasped, and held out his hand, which Linda shook cordially. “I’m honored to meet you, Miss Carlton,” he said. “And, of course, you can land on that ship. Go ahead and do it!” “I will,” replied Linda, who always made her decisions quickly. “Just let me look at my gas——” Ten minutes later she took off from the shore, pointing her autogiro out towards the ocean. Her spirits were high; she had never been so excited before. This, she thought to herself, must be the way the pirates of old felt, when they went after a ship! It was not long before she spotted the ship, for the “Ladybug” made much better time than the transport. Circling about, she gradually descended until she was almost over the ship. Then she leaned out of the cockpit and dropped the mail bag, with a message pinned on it to the effect that she wanted to make a landing. Confusion immediately arose on the ship’s deck, as Linda could easily see, without even the aid of her glasses. Men and officers hurried to and fro, clearing a large space. They had no way of knowing that their visitor was not some high government official, but only a girl of eighteen! At last the man who was probably the captain gave her the signal, and Linda descended cautiously, thankful that she had had plenty of practice in coming down on exact spots. Her experience in the Okefenokee Swamp had not been in vain, for she landed with confidence now. It was as pretty a demonstration as the crew had ever seen. “Pretty neat!” exclaimed the Captain, rushing over to her side. Then, in consternation, he exclaimed, “By George! It’s a girl!” “Two girls!” corrected Linda, climbing out of the cockpit, and trying not to look embarrassed. How she wished her companion were Dot Crowley, instead of modest little Helen Tower! For Dot would do all the talking, and take charge of everything. She looked about in confusion at the men who gathered so quickly around her, and she could not distinguish the Captain. Then, all of a sudden, she spied a familiar face. Lord Dudley, amongst all those strangers! “Miss Carlton!” he exclaimed, in surprise. “Am I the reason we are being honored with this visit?” Linda laughed and shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Lord Dudley,” she said, holding out her hand. “But it’s good to see somebody that I know. Now will you please introduce me to the Captain?” “Certainly,” agreed the man, and he hastened to do the honors. Cautiously, however, Linda asked to speak with the Captain alone, and he took her into a cabin while she stated her business, asking for a man named Edward Tower, and showing her warrant and a note from Mr. Hudson, stating the facts concerning the will, and the taking of the money and bonds. The Captain, however, gazed at the papers gravely. “We haven’t any man by that name,” he stated. “Then he must be using another name,” Linda replied, desperately. “Oh, he must be here! He just must!” The Captain looked exceedingly sorry for her, but he explained that he did not see how he could possibly find out. “We haven’t a detective on board,” he added, helplessly. Linda stood up. She had forgotten Helen, had left her sitting alone in the autogiro. Their only hope now lay in the girl’s recognizing her uncle. She went back to the deck, where Lord Dudley met her and claimed her as his guest. That he was proud of her, in front of all those officers and men, could not be disputed. He had almost decided to ask her again to marry him. Together they walked towards the “Ladybug,” from which Helen Tower suddenly leaped. “Uncle Ed!” she cried, in wildest excitement. Linda and Lord Dudley looked about them, questioningly. “You’ve found him, haven’t you, Linda?” demanded the girl, rushing over and grabbing Lord Dudley by the arm. “Hand over my money!” she commanded, dramatically. Lord Dudley pretended to look puzzled, but beneath it all Linda could see a hidden tinge of fear in his eyes. “But this is Lord Dudley, Helen—” Linda insisted. “It’s my uncle Ed Tower!” repeated the girl, emphatically. “I know it. Don’t you remember, Linda—when I saw him before on the Country Club porch, at that tennis match, I said he looked familiar?” “Why, this is nonsense,” objected the man, trying to keep his voice calm. “I will appeal to the Captain if you think it is necessary, Miss Carlton.” But the Captain, it seemed, was only too ready to help the girls. Immediately he demanded a search of the man’s belongings; if Lord Dudley was in reality Edward Tower, the money and the bonds must be hidden somewhere in his quarters. The Captain sent three trusted officers to find out. Linda and Helen remained on deck with the Captain and the man posing as Lord Dudley, and the girls told the story of the finding of the will and the confession of Mrs. Fishberry. Ten minutes later the searchers returned, bringing fifty thousand dollars in bonds, and fifty thousand in cash! There could be no doubt now of the man’s identity. “You want to arrest Tower, don’t you, Miss Carlton?” asked the Captain, as he put the valuables into her hands. “Even though you got the money?” Linda looked questioningly at Helen. “We had better,” answered the younger girl. “He might try to run over me again. Or burn more houses, with people in them!” Linda nodded; it was not safe for a man like Ed Tower, who could even pose successfully as an English lord, to be at large. There was no telling what wickedness he might accomplish in the future. “Then suppose I send a pilot back with him in your autogiro—with the warrant for his arrest. You girls can wait here until the autogiro returns.” Linda agreed, and it was all accomplished in an incredibly short time. An hour later, with their small fortune carefully stored in the “Ladybug,” they set out for home. Their first stop was Baltimore, for they flew north this time, and here they were met by an old friend of Linda’s father, a banker who took charge of their money and bonds, and who insisted upon taking them to his home to spend the week end with his daughters. It was Monday afternoon when the girls finally reached Green Falls, having flown the whole journey—through Pennsylvania, over the Allegheny Mountains, north through Ohio and Michigan—without a single mishap. The entire summer colony was out to greet them, it seemed, but little Helen Tower saw only Mrs. Smalley, her dear old nurse. The look of happiness and gratitude on the faces of these two devoted friends—happiness that they could live comfortably together, gratitude to Linda for what she had done for them—was enough to repay the brave aviatrix for her perilous summer. |
|
