ernment agent said that it was across
the St. Lawrence River they brought them. Montford is quite a
distance from the river. I suppose the smugglers take the goods from
the river steamers, land them, pack them in airships, and fly across
with them. But if you're trying to connect the Fogers, and
Logansville, and Montford with the smugglers, I don't see where it
comes in with the St. Lawrence, and the airships, Tom."

"Forget that part of it for a while, Ned. Maybe they are all off on
airships, anyhow. I don't take much stock in that theory, though it
may be true."

"Just think of the Fogers," went on Tom. "Mr. Foger has lost all his
money, he lives in a town near the Canadian border, it is almost
certain that smuggled goods have been shipped here. Mr. Foger has a
deserted house here, and--see the connection?"

"By Jove, Tom, I believe you're right!" cried his chum. "Maybe the
airships aren't in it after all, and Andy is only making a bluff at
having his repaired, to cover up some other operations in the
house."

"I believe so."

"But that would mean that Mr. Dillon, the carpenter is not telling
the truth, and I can't believe that of him."

"Oh, I believe he's honest, but I think Andy is fooling him. Mr.
Dillon doesn't know much about airships, and Andy may have had him
doing something in the house, telling him it was repair work on an
airship, when, as a matter of fact, the carpenter might be making
boxes to ship the goods in, or constructing secret places in which
to hide them."

"I don't believe it, Tom. But I agree with you that there is
something queer going on in Shopton. The Fogers may, or may not, be
connected with it. What are you going to do?"

"I'm first going to have a talk with Mr. Whitford. Then I'm going to
see if I can't prove, or disprove, that the Fogers are concerned in
the matter. If they're not, then some one else in Shopton must be
guilty. But I'm interested, because I have been brought into this
thing in a way, and I want it sifted to the bottom."

"Then you're going to see Mr. Whitford?"

"I am, and I'm going to tell him what I think. Come on, we'll look
him up now."

"But your noiseless airship?"

"Oh, that's all right. It's nearly finished anyhow, I've just got a
little more work on the carburetor. That will keep. Come on, we'll
find the government agent."

But Mr. Whitford was not at the hotel where he and the other custom
inspectors had put up. They made no secret of their p