ubject of his exalted office; and accordingly
he thought it time to cut him short, before he could get launched on the
sea of police duties.

"Tell me, have you learned anything new since we left?" he asked.

"Why, yes, we've just had a man in here, who had heard about the
robbery, and that it was suspected the thieves had escaped by means of
the biplane belonging to the Carberry boy. He thought as how we might be
glad to know that he'd sighted a flying machine just after daybreak."

"Why, yes, that ought to be an important piece of news," remarked Frank,
wondering whether it would corroborate that which the farm hand,
Felix Boggs, had already contributed to the fund of knowledge concerning
the movements of the fleeing yeggmen.

"I thought it was; and I'm only waiting right now to forward it to the
Chief, as soon as he calls me on the wire from Hazenhurst, or some other
place where he's apt to turn Up," came over the wire from the home town.

"Don't cut me off, yet, Central!" called out Frank, hastily, as he
thought he detected an uneasy movement, which was doubtless a sigh given
by the girl, who possibly had her ear to the wire, drinking in what was
being said: "I'm not near done talking yet. Hello! Joe!"

"Yes, I'm here, Frank; what more do you want to ask me?" came from miles
away; and in imagination he could see Officer Green crouched at the
telephone stand, as he remembered it at Police Headquarters in
Bloomsbury, feeling the importance of his relations with the public as a
genuine guardian of the peace.

"Why, it's of considerable importance to us to know in which direction
the aeroplane was going at the time this party sighted it," Frank went
on to say, "and I hope he told you that."

"Which he did without my asking," replied Officer Green, quickly,
"though you may be sure I would have done the same before letting him
leave, because I was on to the fact that it would be a pretty good
pointer."

"Oh! he thought of it himself, did he?" the young aviator shot back,
"well, that was pretty bright of him, and shows that he was a fellow to
take notice. And now, please tell me what he said about the direction in
which the biplane was headed, at the last instant he could see it far
away in the distance."

"Exactly southwest, Frank!"

This gave Frank a sudden jar, because it upset the theories he and Andy
had been forming concerning the escaping bank robbers. They had believed
the two men had gone almost direc