ge," cried Frank, springing up. "When do we pack?"

"Young man, you're in a hurry, aren't you?" smiled Mr. Temple. "Well,
boys, I believe that by day after tomorrow I can have my affairs in
order so that I can leave them for awhile. Then we'll start. That is,
of course, if you'll carry me as a passenger."

"Will we carry him?" said Bob, striding to his side. "Good old Dad."
And he thumped his father on the shoulder, a resounding blow that made
the older man grimace humorously and draw away from him.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Frank opened the door to
find a maid standing in the passage. She was trembling with
excitement.

"Oh, Mister Frank," she gasped. "I heard several shots. Seemed like
they came from the radiophone station of Mr. Hampton's. I'm so worried
about Tom."

"That's right, Tom's your sweetheart, isn't he?" said Frank. The maid
blushed. Frank re-entered the room, and explained the maid's message
practically all in one breath.

"We were talking so much that we didn't hear the reports, I suppose,"
said Mr. Temple, jumping up and snatching at his hat. The boys already
were at the door but he called them back. "This time," he said grimly,
"I'm not going to have you taking any chances on being killed. You
will wait for me, and please remember it." Opening a drawer, he drew
out a heavy automatic, broke it open to assure himself it was loaded,
and then dropped it in his coat pocket. "All right now," he said.
"Let's go."

CHAPTER V

PLANS FOR THE FLIGHT

The boys needed no second bidding. Out of the door, down the
passageway, and out of the house, they dashed. Then they headed across
an intervening stretch of lawn for the radiophone station, concealed
from sight by a clump of trees. Mindful of Mr. Temple's admonition not
to rush into danger without him, they checked their pace. But the
older man was making good time himself.

Through the woods they dashed, emerging within sight of the door of
the power house. There stood Tom Barnum unharmed, revolver in hand. At
the noise of their approach, he swung about abruptly, bringing up his
revolver in doing so. Mr. Temple and the boys shouted, and he dropped
the threatening weapon again to his side.

"Thought they were comin' back," he said.

"What happened, Tom?" queried Mr. Temple, as they surrounded the
watchman-mechanic in charge of the Hampton radiophone station with
whom they had pursued a thief fleeing from the Hampton home