ation he could for his paper.

"Not exactly," replied the lieutenant. "And yet the performance of the
airship will count on this flight, in a measure. I have been
instructed to watch how she behaves, and incorporate it in my report.
It may be, Mr. Hamilton, though I hope not, that the prize will not
come to you. But you may stand a chance of having your airship adopted
by Uncle Sam, for all that."

"That would be a fine feather in my cap!" cried Dick. "I don't care so
much for the money, I guess you all know that."

"I should say not!" cried Innis, with a laugh.

"Any fellow who's worth a million doesn't have to bother about a little
small change like twenty thousand dollars."

"Not that I haven't a due regard for the prize," went on Dick. "But if
I lost it, and still could have the honor of producing an airship that
would be thought worthy of government approval, that would be worth
while."

"Indeed it would!" agreed the lieutenant.

"Are we going to have any time at all in New York?" asked Paul. "I
have some friends there, and--"

"I believe her name is Knox; isn't it?" interrupted Innis, with a grin
at his chum. "First name Grace, lives somewhere up in Central Park,
West; eh, old chap?"

"Oh, dry up!" invited Paul. "Don't you s'pose I've got any friends but
girls?"

"Well, Grace does live in New York," insisted Innis.

"Yes, and so do Irene Martin and Mabel Hanford!" burst out Paul. "It's
as much on you fellows as it is on me," and he fairly glared at his
tormentor.

"Easy!" laughed Dick. "I guess we may as well make a family party of
it while we're about it. Of course we'll see the girls. In fact I
half-promised Miss Hanford I'd call on her if I could get my airship to
work."

"Oh, you sly dog!" mocked Innis. "And you never said a word!"

"I didn't know I could get it to work," laughed Dick, as he stood at
the wheel.

The Abaris was cleaving through the clear air at a fast rate of speed,
though she was not being sent along at her limit. The aviator wanted
to test his machinery at moderate speed for some time before he turned
on full power, and this trip to New York for the start gave him the
very chance wanted.

It was a journey of about five hundred miles from Hamilton Corners to
New York City, and, as Dick and his friends had planned it, they would
be in the air all night.

They had set for themselves a rate of progress of about fifty miles an
hour, and if this was kept up it w