?" continued Tom, referring
to a relative of Tad Sobber, who had assisted once in the carrying off
of Mrs. Stanhope.

"She may be, although she was pretty well scared that other time,"
replied his older brother.

The boys relapsed into silence, each busy with his own thoughts. All
were anxious to catch a glimpse of the enclosed touring car. But they
came within sight of the village of Beechwood without encountering a
turnout of any sort.

"I'll land here and make some inquiries," said Dick.

"Yes, if the auto went through here somebody must have seen it," said
Tom.

A landing was made directly on the village green, in front of the
post-office, and a small crowd quickly collected.

"It's them young fellers from Brill!" cried one of the villagers. "I
heard tell they had an airship."

"That ain't no airship, it's an aryplane," said another. "They don't
lift up like no balloon--they sail like a bird, on them canvas wings."

"Wot makes the thing go, Job?"

"Them wooden things. They go 'round like windmills."

"Say, we want some information and we want it quick!" cried Dick. "Have
any of you seen a big auto go through here, an enclosed auto--one with a
coach-like body?"

"Sure we did!" cried one of the villagers. "By heck! the thing nearly
killed Si Levering, it did! Si was crossin' the road, when whizz! bang!
shoo! that auto went past him like a streak o' greased lightnin'! Si
jumped back an' sit hisself down in the waterin' trough an' got hisself
all wet."

"Which way did the auto go?" went on Dick.

"Right straight ahead."

"No, it didn't nuther," put in a farmer, who had just arrived in the
village. "It took the road to Shepleytown--I see it."

"Which is that?" questioned Tom.

"You go up this road about a mile an' then take the cross road to the
left. You can't miss it, 'cause there's a big tree on the corner that
was struck by lightnin'."

"All right, we'll go to the corner that was struck by lightning," said
Tom, who could not help joking, even in that moment of anxiety.

"I didn't say the corner was struck--it was the tree," explained the
farmer soberly.

"All right, much obliged," answered Tom; and then the three boys started
up the engine once more. The villagers had crowded around, but as those
explosions rent the air several leaped back, and then the whole crowd
ran for their lives.

"She's goin' up!" one yelled.

"Is the engine goin' to bust?" asked another.

"Look out, Jim, or she'