usband and the hired help. Anderson Rover was
away on business.

"What is the matter--is it a--er--a cyclone?" gasped Randolph Rover.

"I don't know, I'm sure," answered Mrs. Rover. "But it's a terrible
noise."

"Look! look!" shrieked the cook, pointing upward. "Saints preserve us!"
she moaned. "'Tis the end of the world!"

"A flying machine!" murmured Randolph Rover. He gazed around hurriedly.
"Can it be the boys?"

"Oh, those boys! They will surely kill themselves!" groaned Mrs. Rover.
"They know nothing about airships!"

"Say, dar ain't nobuddy in dat contraption!" came suddenly from Aleck
Pop. "It am flyin' all by itself!"

"By itself?" repeated Randolph Rover. "Impossible, Alexander! A flying
machine cannot run itself. There must be somebody to steer, and
manipulate the engine, and----"

"Oh, maybe whoever was in it fell out!" screamed Mrs. Rover, and now she
looked ready to faint.

"We must find out about this!" returned her husband quickly. "They had
the machine in the shed back of the barn." And he ran in that direction,
followed by the colored man, and then by his wife and the cook. In the
meantime the biplane soared on and on, ever rising in the air and moving
off in the direction of the river.

When the others arrived they found that Tom had carried poor Dick to the
wagon shed and placed him on a pile of horse blankets, and was washing
his wounded head with water. At the sight of her nephew lying there so
still Mrs. Rover gave a scream.

"Oh, Tom, is he--is he----" she could not go on.

"He's only stunned, I guess, Aunt Martha," was the reply. "But he got a
pretty good crack."

"Did the flying machine do it?" queried Randolph Rover.

"Yes. We had it tied fast, but when we started the engine and the
propellers it broke loose and ran right over Dick."

"I dun tole you boys to be careful," burst out Aleck. "It's a suah
wondah yo' ain't bof killed. Wot kin I do, Massa Tom?" And he got down
on his knees beside Dick, for he loved these lads, who had done so much
for him in the past.

"He's only stunned, I think--and he's coming around now," answered Tom,
and at that moment Dick commenced to stir. Then he gave a gasp, opened
his eyes, and suddenly sat up.

"Stop her! Stop her, Tom!" he murmured.

"Dick! Dick, my poor, dear boy!" burst out Mrs. Rover, and got down
beside him. "Oh, I am so thankful that you weren't killed!"

"Why--er--why!" stammered the oldest Rover boy. "Say, what's happened