ted Larry, shaking his
fist up at the approaching aeroplane. "Don't you dare drop that on us,
or I'll take it out of your measly hide, I sure will! Look out, Frank,
he's let and here it comes a-sailin' down at us. Whoop!"

From under the woodpile issued an echoing squawk, as Elephant hugged
the ground, and waited for the expected explosion.

CHAPTER XIII

THE CHALLENGE

Frank laughed heartily, so that Andy turned toward him in surprise. Of
course it was silly to think of such a thing as a bomb, in connection
with the object Sandy had dropped. Then again, Frank had seen that it
was bound to fall at some little distance away from the shed. He also
caught the unmistakable flutter of paper, and could give a pretty
accurate guess as to what it all meant.

"It's dropped, Frank, and didn't go off!" exclaimed Larry, having
himself been more or less influenced by the panic into which timid
Elephant had fallen.

Frank started forward as if bent upon approaching the object that lay
upon the ground; while the biplane was now heading straight away, as if
it might be the intention of the pilot to seek new pastures.

"Be careful, Frank!" called out Larry.

"Yes, go mighty slow, please!" added Elephant, thrusting his head out
from cover, much as a cautious old tortoise might do, to see if the
coast were clear.

They saw Frank reach the object, and immediately pick it up. He seemed
to be examining it with more or less interest.

"Why, I declare if I don't believe it's only a block of wood after
all," remarked Larry, in disgust.

"Sure it is; anybody could see that!" declared Elephant, who had
managed to slide out from under the woodpile most adroitly, and was
rubbing his cheeks to induce a return of his customary color.

"Frank's reading something, fellows!" cried Andy. "I know what it must
be; and just like that sassy Perc Carberry to send it in that way. He
wants to do everything just like he was on the stage, you know."

"A challenge!" burst out Larry.

"Sure thing!" piped up Elephant, grinning now, and ready to make it
appear that he had guessed this from the very first, and that his
actions had been in the light of a huge joke.

Frank had turned around now, and was approaching them, still engrossed
with what he had found on the paper Sandy had dropped, with a heavy
block of wood to carry it direct to the earth.

"What is it, Frank?" asked his cousin.

"Yes, tell us before we burst, please!" Elep