So Andy, taking heed, managed to tell what had happened without directly
accusing any one. Nevertheless, it was not difficult for those who
listened to guess where his suspicions lay. And perhaps they thought,
after all that had occurred in the past, with the hand of Puss Carberry
moving the pieces on the chessboard, that Andy was justified in
believing as he did.

After a while the excitement died away. The boys had opened the shed
and made sure that no lingering spark remained to threaten their beloved
little aeroplane with destruction. But it was all right and they
feasted their eyes on it, as if they never before realized how precious
it had become.

"Getting to be a regular thing, seems to me, these night alarms, boys,"
remarked one of the neighbors, for not long before they had been aroused
in the middle of the night when the two jewelry thieves tried to steal
the aeroplane and were baffled in their design by the two boys, sleeping
at the time in the shed, so as to guard their flying machine.

"If one watchman ain't enough I'll get three--half a dozen if
necessary," declared Colonel Josiah, as he glared at the offending Shea
and pounded on the turf with his heavy cane. "But these lads are going
to be protected, if it takes my last dollar. I'll get a Gatling gun and
train it here, so we can blow the rascals to smithereens if they try
such a dastardly job again."

But everybody knew that the genial old colonel did considerable talking
and blustering, but was harmless withal.