"

"I'm right, I tell you; come in and count them if you don't believe me."

"Roy is right," cried Peggy, running up to the group; "the _Golden
Butterfly_ has been stolen!"

"Stolen!" interjected Jimsy.

"That's right!" cried Jess; "those stupid police people left the barn
unguarded. Whoever tried to set it on fire must have returned and stolen
the _Butterfly_."

They regarded each other blankly. Was this Sky Cruise that they had
looked forward to with such eager anticipation to be nothing but a
series of mishaps?

"It's awful!" gasped Peggy; "nothing but trouble since we started out."

"D'ye think it was stolen?" asked the policeman with startling
intelligence.

"Well, it didn't fly of its own accord," was Peggy's rejoinder,
delivered with blighting sarcasm.

The patrolman subsided.

"Maybe we can find it yet," suggested Jess.

"I'd like to know how," put in Jimsy disgustedly.

"Perhaps we can trace it. It must have been wheeled away."

"Ginger! That's so," cried Roy, snapping his fingers; "it would leave an
odd track too, wouldn't it?"

"Well there's no harm in trying to trace it," admitted Jimsy, who
appeared rather skeptical.

"Come on, then; get busy," urged Roy eagerly.

The next instant there came a cry from Peggy.

"I've struck the trail!" she cried.

"Where?"

The word came in chorus.

"Here! Look; you know the _Butterfly_ had peculiar kind of tires. See,
it was wheeled up the street in that direction."

She pointed to where the village main thoroughfare ended in a country
road.

"I'm not after takin' much stock in that," remarked the policeman.

"We won't bother you," rejoined Roy rather heatedly; "I guess we won't
wait till your local Sherlock Holmes gets on the trail, we'll follow
it ourselves."

"But who'll go?"

The question came from Jimsy.

"We can't all go, that's certain," exclaimed Bess.

"Tell you what we'll do, we'll count out," declared Jess, her eyes
dancing.

"A good idea," hailed the others.

"Roy, you start it; but remember, not more than three can go."

"Why?" inquired Peggy point blank.

"Because we'll have to take the car, and someone must be left to look
after Aunt Sally and the aeroplanes," spoke Roy, falling in with Jimsy's
plans.

"Well, come on and count out," urged Jess.

"Yes, that's it. Let's see who will be it," cried the others.

"Very well, if I can remember the rhyme," responded Roy. "How does it go
anyway?"

"Inte, minte," sugges