These
he read diligently.
He could also have been observed going about, gazing up into the
clouds, as though he was calculating from how great a height a man
could fall with safety. In reality he imagined he was studying air
currents.
Uncle Ezra Larabee was certainly acting most queerly, and his
friends, or, rather, his acquaintances, for he had no real friends,
did not know what to make of him. He did not give up his idea,
however, not even when Larson raised his original estimate to five
thousand dollars.
"Petrified polecats!" cried Uncle Ezra. "You'll bankrupt me, man!"
"Oh, no," answered Larson, with a winning smile. "This is getting
off cheap. I want to increase the size of my mercury stabilizer to
render the airship more safe for you when you go after that twenty
thousand dollars."
"Well, I s'pose I've got to," sighed Uncle Ezra, and he made a
careful note of how much had already been spent. "There's three
thousand, nine hundred twenty-eight dollars and fourteen cents
you've had so far," he reminded the lieutenant. "Don't be
wasteful!"
"I won't," was the promise, easily given at least.
CHAPTER XIV
THe TRIAL FLIGHT
"All ready now; take her out!"
"Yes, and look out for the side wings! That doorway isn't any too
wide."
"No. We'll have to cut some off, I guess!"
"Say, it's big; isn't it?"
These were the comments of Dick Hamilton and his chums as the fine,
new airship, the Abaris, was wheeled out of the shed where it had
been constructed.
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