peak to Chief Waller about it."

Ten minutes later Frank dropped off in front of police headquarters. And
no sooner had he alighted than the lad discovered that there was a buzz
of excitement about the place, for several men were conferring and the
chief himself seemed disturbed. He looked eagerly at Frank as the boy
came forward and started to relate what had occurred on the preceding
night out near the residence of Colonel Josiah Whympers.

Immediately the face of the chief began to light up and an eager glow
shine in his eyes. It seemed as though what Frank was telling must have
given him a connecting link that he had found himself badly in need of.

"Now we know where he went!" he exclaimed, calling to one of his
men. "Go out to Colonel Josiah Whympers', Green, and see what traces you
can get of him." Then once more turning to the astonished boy, he went
on: "You see, we had a jail delivery here last night. A desperate
scoundrel managed to slip away undetected and we only found it out this
morning. And the man who got out was your old friend, Jules Garrone, the
French aviator, who was caught by the help of the Bird boys and their
bully little aeroplane! Get that, Frank?"

CHAPTER VII.

ANDY RECEIVES A SHOCK.

"Then it was Jules who set fire to our shed!" exclaimed the boy,
astounded.

"None other, you may be sure," replied Chief Waller, nodding his head.

"And made off on my wheel?" continued Frank, beginning to grasp the
truth.

"That's just what he did," went on the official. "Found he couldn't
steal your aeroplane and was bound to lay his hands on something
belonging to the Birds that would carry him out of danger. Glad you
came, Frank. I'll just call up all the surrounding towns and ask if a
bicyclist has been seen there. I hope you can describe the wheel so they
might know it."

"Yes, I even know the number. Besides, I've got my address scratched on
the under-part of the frame. But whatever do you suppose Jules wanted to
set our hangar on fire for?" Frank asked.

"Huh!" replied the chief; "don't know, unless it was a spirit of
revenge. Some of these French rascals have the same nature as the
Corsican or the Sicilian and hug the idea of revenge to their hearts."

"Revenge!" Frank cried. "But when did we ever injure them? Oh, yes, I
forgot! We chased them off at the time they tried to steal our
aeroplane, and they even neglected to take those two suit cases of
jewelry with them, so the stol