“‘Mail delivered—twenty stations, minimum altitude two hundred feet’—what does that mean?” and he looked keenly at his assistant as the latter began to laugh and chuckle.
“That, Dave,” answered Hiram with a great deal of satisfaction, and some pride—“that means me.”
“Oh!” observed quick-witted Dave, thinking back, and guessing hard, “those leather bags——”
“You’ve hit it,” acquiesced Hiram. “The idea came to me while we were practicing at the Midlothian field. I reckoned it wouldn’t be hard to work up the management to including a mail delivery feature in the programme, so I set to practicing. And I’ve been at it on the sly ever since,” added the speaker with a laugh.
“Go ahead, Hiram,” encouraged Dave. “You don’t usually stop half way, and you have got more than that to tell.”
“Why, yes, I have,” admitted Hiram. “When I was a boy—I mean a real little fellow—I was always good at pitching quoits, and such things. I was the local champion at ‘Duck on the Rock.’ I saw an article in the newspapers discussing the idea of establishing an airship route to deliver mail bags. I practiced. First, Dave, I was going to tell you, and have you work up the idea. Then I thought how busy you were and—well, I’ll wager you I can win the twenty point score on the mail feature over anybody in the contest.”
“Well; twenty points isn’t to be sneezed at,” commented Dave briskly. “It may be a saving clause for us.”
“I suggested that programme number to the management,” went on Hiram. “I showed them the newspaper article about it. Now of course a lot of fellows will be getting in trim for it, but don’t forget that I have had three weeks’ practice ahead of them. Oh, Dave, I forgot till now—another thing: I met the policeman you took in the Ariel after that diamond robber.”
“What did he say, Hiram?”
“The man died without coming back to consciousness. Those diamonds will never be found now, unless they locate the partner he passed them to.”