“Oh, cut it out! Now be serious if it’s possible. Honestly, what do you think of the idea? Look at the illustration there. It shows a fellow in an aeroplane getting his start on the water instead of on land, and rising up in the air. The article says that by means of the hydroplanes it is possible for an aeroplane to also land on the water and float. Now what I want to do is to attach hydroplanes to our Comet. How about it?”
“Gee! Anybody’d think you were delivering a lecture on aeronautics, Jerry! But, as I said, I don’t know what to say. You sprang this thing on me so suddenly. I’d like a chance to think it over.”
“Think it over! Why, it oughtn’t to take long to decide on a feature like this. Our air-ship is old-fashioned now. We’ve had it quite a while, and you know there has been a big advance made among the birdmen lately. Hydroplanes are the latest idea, and I say we ought to put them on the Comet, and also make other improvements. But I can’t do it unless you and Ned agree, as we each own a third interest in our air-ship.”
“That’s so. I wonder where Ned is?” and Bob looked out of the window, hoping he might see the third member of the motor boys’ trio. “Didn’t you meet him on your way over to my house, Jerry?”
“No. I stopped for him, but his mother said he was down at his father’s department store. Say, I shouldn’t be surprised but what there was some trouble in the Slade family, Bob.”
“Why?” asked the stout youth, his attention temporarily taken off the subject of air-ships by the serious tone in which his chum spoke. “What makes you think that, Jerry?”
“Because Mrs. Slade looked worried, and, come to think of it, Ned hasn’t been around much with us lately. He’s been down in the store a number of nights, helping his father on the books, he said. I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if there was some trouble in the business.”
“I hope not. But I wish Ned were here to help settle this question.”
“It won’t take long to settle it when he does come,” retorted Jerry, rising and going over to the window, where he could get a better light on a magazine he had brought so that he too might show his chum some new ideas regarding air navigation. “I know Ned will agree with me,” went on the tall lad, “and you will be the obstructing party.”