trip
in my monoplane, to see my friend Mr. Damon, when Abe's letter
arrived, and you came along with your news. I started to take
Eradicate, but he backed out. Don't you want to come?"

"Sure, I'll go along."

Ned had often ridden in the trim Butterfly, though the trips had not
been so frequent that he was tired of them. A little later, Tom,
having adjusted the motor that had stalled before, compelling him to
vol-plane back to earth, the two chums were sailing through the air
toward Waterford.

"Why, bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon, as they alighted in the
yard of his house, about an hour later. "I didn't expect you, Tom.
But I'm glad to see you!"

"And I to meet you again. I guess you know Ned Newton."

"Ah, yes. How d'ye do, Ned? Bless my appetite! but it's quite
chilly. We'll soon have winter. Won't you come in and have some hot
chocolate?"

The boys were glad to accept the invitation, and as they were
drinking the beverage, which Mrs. Damon made for them, Tom told of
the receipt of the letter from the old miner, and also his
experience in seeing Andy's airship.

"Why, bless my pocketbook!" cried Mr. Damon. "I had no idea we'd
ever hear from Abe Abercrombie again. And so he is really coming on,
to tell us about the valley of gold?"

"So he says," replied Tom. "I was wondering if you'd like to go, Mr.
Damon."

"Go? Why, bless my very topknot! Of course I would. I'll go with
you--only--only," and he leaned forward and whispered cautiously,
"don't speak so loudly. My wife might hear you!"

"Doesn't she want you to go off in the airship any more?" asked Tom.

"Well, she'd rather I wouldn't. But she's going on a visit to her
mother, soon, and then I think will come my opportunity to take
another trip with you. A valley of gold in Alaska, eh? Up where the
icebergs and caves of ice are. Say, Tom, I know some one else who
would be glad to go."

"Who?" inquired the young inventor, though he had an idea to whom
his friend referred.

"Mr. Parker! You know he's taken up his residence in Waterford, now,
and only the other day he spoke to me about wishing he could go to
the far north. He has some new theory--"

"About the destruction of something or other; hasn't he, Mr. Damon?"
interrupted Tom, with a smile.

"That's it, exactly, my boy. Bless my coffeepot! But Mr. Parker has
an idea that the whole northern part of this continent will soon be
buried thousands of feet deep under an icy avalanche, and h