How was that ?" Tom Bender was all curiosity.
"We were trying the engine and propellers, that's all.

I'll tell you the rest when I see you," answered the youngest Rover, and rang off.

"Tom would keep me answering questions for a year if I let him," he added, to his brothers.
He next tried the Rayville general store, but could get no information concerning the missing biplane.

Then he tried several farmers who were utter strangers to him but whose names were in the telephone directory.
"Airship, eh ?" queried one farmer, a man named Peter Marley.

"Well, we sure did see an airship, fer it came nigh onto rippin' off the roof o' the barn.