rs, just as they had done in the United States and Canada. With the keenest kind of interest they had followed the reports of

ublisher. But when the rival sheet, the Clarion, arrayed its strong force in opposition, the conservative element of the public felt vastly encouraged, and many were the heated personal arguments as well as newspaper duels, which ensued. Aviators all over the land were particularly concerned, and it goes without saying that the winners of the late competition were all lined up w

aff, when a few days following the flaunting of its challenge, the front page o

EPTS THE "CLAR

a time record, stating that such journeys had all been made unfairly, in that the routes adopted were about a third less than the actual circumfere

since the beginning of so-called "around the world" record trips. But we did not expect to be challenged to prove o

enge. Even now we have in process of construction a new type of airplane, by means of which we are confident we can fly approximately straight around the belly of t

thought that her sons would be exposed to the perils such a long journey would invite, but on the other hand she was very proud to think their talents had placed them in such an honored position. It had only been an evening or two before that Mr. Giddings, in company wit

habit of riding back and forth to work, so that he could rush into town on short notice and get emergency material

ossing. This would not have especially attracted Bob's attention, except for the fact that a man sitting on the front seat was just at that moment p

before, but a second look made him think he mu

so, he'll get disappointed, as dad won'

ought. Bob hurried down the road, eager to reach t

ed around to wave his hand in a greeting to this friend, who had come to the front door. As he turned,

like that fellow who got out of the taxi back ther

n seized him. As he turned, his gaze once more rested on the slender form of the wayfarer, who had crossed to the opposite

to recall the identity of the lean figure and dark complexion. "I believe tha

oor source of information just then, he was forced to pass into the fair-grounds

l skulking behind him in the grounds. To his relief he did not detect this situation exactly, but he did see a dark

elieve he's up to some sort of mischief," growled the boy. And when, shortly afterwa

of any such man when we came along, and we passed down t

ike his actions a little

ng-machine in putting a hole through the center of the big twelve-foot balsa-wood propeller which a little later would be reinforced with a thin jacket

had more incentive than at the beginning to build the machine with the utmost skill and attention to every detail. Some changes, calculated to make the craft better adapted to the peculiar conditions she wou

s soon to occupy a prominent place in their thoughts. For the very next morning, when Paul

uch excited. Without giving his friends time to answer the question

eiterated Paul and J

hey got out. I went to take the plans out of the bench drawer here where we have kept them locked up, and there was the drawer wide op

greed John soberly. "I wonder how the rascal, whoever he is, could

all right when I came

n't see my

e's the fellow's private entrance!" And he pointed to where a heavy nail locking the lower sash had been forced asi

since its only our plans that have been taken, it goes to show

us out in getting the paten

on was sent in to Washington some weeks ago, and you know th

airplanes of their pattern, couldn't he?" asked Bob,

way he could profit by this theft, so far as I can see, would be to construct a machine

hine were used against us in this proposed race ar

dismayed astonishment. They had no