Pay no attention to him," stammered Jack, licking
his dry lips.

"Silence, sir!" said Mr. Blake gravely. "Let us listen to what this
boy has to say. If he is not speaking the truth, you can easily
disprove it. Go on, my boy."

"Well, I guess that's about all I know about it: but I thought I ought
to tell you, sir," confusedly concluded the small lad.

"You young runt, I'll half kill you if I catch you alone!" breathed
Jack, under his breath, as the lad sped off to join his companions.

"Of course, you are not going to pay any attention to that kid's--I
mean boy's--story," demanded Jack, addressing the professor. "It's
made out of whole cloth, I assure you."

In the meantime the machines had been brought to the grand stand and
were being examined. Naturally, after young Digby's statement, Jack's
was one of the first to be scrutinized. The committee turned it over
and over, and were about to pass on it, when Mr. Wingate, who had been
bending attentively over the bully's model, gave a sudden exclamation.

"Look here, gentlemen," he cried, pointing to a small tag which Jack
had evidently forgotten to remove, "I think this is conclusive
evidence. Here is the label of the 'Manhattan Model Works' pasted
right under this wing."

"Somebody must have put it there. It's a job those Boy Scouts put up
on me," protested Tack. "I made that model every bit myself."

"I regret to say that we must regard the price tag as conclusive
evidence that this machine comes from a store," said the professor
sternly, handing Jack his unlucky model. "You are disqualified for
entering a machine not of your own workmanship.

"Stand back, please," he went on, as Jack tried to protest. "I want to
say," he went on in a loud tone, holding up his hand to command
attention, "that there has been a grave mistake made. The machine which
actually flew the longest distance is disqualified, as it was made at a
New York model factory. The first prize of fifty dollars, therefore,
goes to Paul Perkins, of the Boy Scouts, the second to Edward Rivers,
of Hampton, and the third to Hiram Green, also of the Boy Scouts.

"Hold on one minute," he shouted, as the crowd began to cheer and hoot.
"There is an additional announcement to be made. The committee has
decided to offer a further reward of five dollars to Thomas Maloney,
whose model shows evidence of praiseworthy and painstaking work."

As the cheers broke loose once more, Jack Curtiss and his