“No! He drove away. Griff must have been watching, too. He came out, and shook his fist toward the roadhouse and then walked off, and—that’s all.”
They discussed the incidents of the past night, coupling them with the strange actions and uneasiness of Mr. Parsons and of Griff on former occasions, riding, as they talked, toward the plant.
Barney’s cabin airplane was again on the field, and as soon as they arrived and he saw them, from an office window, Barney summoned them.
“Well,” he greeted them, closing the door, “how goes the study of airplane building?”
“Oh, we know how they lay down the framework for the fuselage and how careful they are to see that every longeron and brace and strut and guywire and turnbuckle fits exactly in place and is well fastened,” Al exclaimed. “And we’ve helped put on the wings and the tail assembly, and Bob is going to help install an engine, today, and we will watch.”
Bob laughed and Curt joined him. They saw the amused light in Barney’s eyes.
“Well—you asked!” Al defended his enthusiasm.
“It was just a ‘polite opening’,” Bob grinned. “Barney wants to know about—other things we’ve learned.”
Interrupting one another, they gave him the details of their experiences.
“Hm-m-m! Well!” Barney’s face became very serious. “So that’s it!”