since the game was up, and
they could no longer loiter in the neighborhood of the aroused district
in order to carry out the second part of the great scheme, they had
better take to the aeroplane and vanish from view, leaving no trail
behind by means of which they could be followed.

Frank had said all this in his mind when he lay there and waited to see
what would turn up. He felt that they could surely afford to linger for
some time, if there was any chance of learning whether the yeggmen meant
to change their plans, or proceed to carry out their original scheme.

All seemed quiet at the farmhouse.

Sallie had come out on the porch, and looked rather disappointed to find
that the two boys had strangely vanished. She stood there glancing
around in a puzzled manner for several minutes, and then with a pretty
shrug of her shoulders, and a pout of her lips whirled about and went
back into the house again.

"Wow!" said Andy in a low tone, "she's got it in for you, Frank, because
you dropped out of sight without even so much as saying goodbye."

But the other was thinking of weightier matters than the humor of a
little coquette. He wondered whether Sallie would run across the
professor and ask him if he had met two boys down the lane; which remark
would excite his suspicions, and lead to other questions, now on his
part.

If nothing happened inside of half an hour. Frank was of a mind to try
the plan that had come to him--sending Andy off to try and reach some
other farm where they would have a telephone; while he himself remained
to keep watch.

That might necessitate taking Sallie into their confidence, for they
would need to ask questions, and perhaps borrow a horse. On second
thought Frank was now a little sorry he had not seen fit to tell the
girl all. She seemed to be fairly clever, and could possibly keep a
secret. At any rate, the chances of discovery would not be nearly so
serious as now, when in her ignorance she was likely to blurt out all
about the boys having been there, without knowing that in so doing she
might be assisting clever yeggmen to avoid arrest.

The seconds moved along and changed into minutes.

If the professor had come to a window on that side of the house to look
anxiously around, he must have been careful not to expose himself, for
though Frank had kept a keen lookout he had failed to see anything of
him.

It was getting very much of a bore to Andy. He changed his position
restless