“Yes, to some balloon show I heard him tell his father. Mr. Nixon is in, if you’d like to see him.”
“Never mind,” said the tall lad. “Did Noddy take his airship with him?”
“No, it’s being packed up now. Some men are out in the shed boxing it up. It’s going out to the balloon show I believe. Is there any word you’d like to leave,” she asked, as she saw Jerry turn to go.
Jerry thought there was none, and hurrying to the shed where Bob and Ned were working away over the Comet, he told his chums the news.
“Noddy means business all right,” declared Ned, pausing with a cement pot in one hand, while with the other he tried to rub off a daub of tar on his nose.
“Maybe he’s after our scalp,” suggested Bob. “But I guess we can do stunts with the Comet that he wouldn’t dare dream of.”
“Sure,” assented Jerry. “Well, as long as he’s gone I’ll have to defer collecting damages. Now we’ll get busy.”
For more than a week our heroes spent most of their time in the aeroplane shed. The gas bag was repaired, and made stronger than ever, the motor was overhauled, a general cleaning of the machinery took place, a new railing was put around the after platform, and the air craft was put in condition to take part in a distance race, a high flight, or to do startling evolutions about the aviation field.
They had formally entered the Comet in the hundreds miles’ race which was to take place in a ten-mile circuit about the aviation grounds, and they had also entered in the high-flying event.
One afternoon, when Jerry went to the post-office, he received a letter from the secretary of the meet, enclosing an entrant’s certificate, and also a list showing those who would take part in the various events.