“It’s the only way to attract attention and get even a look in at the prize aero meet,” declared Bob. “I’m a candidate all right, if they’ll give me a show.”
Ben made a mysterious visit to town late in the afternoon. He returned in a wagon, the driver of which was directed to deliver a mysterious load at an old unused shed at an unfrequented part of the grounds.
Five o’clock the next morning found Ben and Bob arrived at this shed in sprightly mood. Hauling two long light packages outside of the structure, they proceeded to unpack them. They brought to light over two dozen cardboard boxes about a foot square. They had no covers, and Ben next brought from the shed a bundle of sticks about five feet long.
“Now then,” said Bob, “got the hammer and tacks?”
“Full supply, Bob,” replied Ben cheerily.
“All right, you sharpen one end of the sticks, and I’ll tack the box on to the end of them.”
In less than a half an hour the boys had the boxes open depth upwards mounted on the sticks.
“Now then, to place them,” suggested Ben. “This part of the field isn’t used much, and we can cover all the space we want.”
They proceeded to set the sticks in the ground at regular intervals, covering a space over one half a mile in length and extending two hundred yards from the fence.
“For all the world they look like a lot of bird boxes on a ranch,” observed Bob. “Just about the right distance apart.”