At first Andy thought his companion had taken leave of his senses. With a Comanche-like yell Silas had made a spring. Then a method to his apparent madness was disclosed.
Andy saw him pull a wadded mass out of a hole formerly used to admit a stove pipe. Andy gasped with gladness and hope.
“My clothes,” he said, “sure enough!”
“Don’t you see?” said the jubilant Silas, dancing a joyful hornpipe. “It rained. The tramp who stayed here stuffed up the hole to shut out the rain. Say, sure your clothes?”
“Yes,” said Andy, searching them.
“And the pocketbook?”
“Here it is,” cried our hero in a strained tone that trembled. “Yes, the pocketbook is here all right.”
“Hurrah!” yelled Silas Pierce at the top of his voice.
CHAPTER XXV—GOOD-BY TO AIRSHIP ANDY
“A visitor for yo’, Marse Andy,” announced Scipio.