!" declared Andy.
"Here's the day of the big race come along, and it's within an hour of
the time set for the start from Bloomsbury high school campus; and the
measly old weatherman has to dole us out a 'probable rain' sign. Going
to upset all our calculations sure; and disappoint all those fine
people over in Hazenhurst."

"That's where the shoe pinches, Frank," spoke up Larry. "He's just
thinking about one pretty little girl who will be waiting to wave her
handkerchief when the hero of the bulldog scrap comes whizzing around
that old liberty pole."

"Am I?" demanded Andy, indignantly. "Just you take a look yonder at
the western horizon, and tell me what you see there?"

"A low down bank of clouds, that's a fact, Andy," replied the other,
candidly. "But only for this race business you wouldn't take any
particular notice of that same. You remember it looked just as bad the
other day, and petered out without ever giving us a drop of rain."

"Yes, that's so, Larry," observed Frank. "I've been watching those
clouds for some little while now. They don't seem to be climbing up,
as far as I could see."

"But I sure saw a little something right then, that may have been
lightning," put in Elephant.

"I reckon you did," Frank admitted, "for I saw it, too. One thing
sure, there's going to be no trial for elevation today. Nothing could
tempt me to bore up thousands of feet, with a dark storm threatening
below. Even if we escaped the wind, we might be kept up there until
night came on."

"Excuse me, if you please," remarked Andy, with a shudder. "It's bad
enough up there on a bright, sunshiny day, let alone night, with a
storm howling below. The judges won't allow of such a thing. We'll
put off altitude until a better day."

"Percy will be mad, though," said Elephant. "He just hates to give in;
and if they let him have his way he'd defy you to make the trial, no
matter what the weather."

"Well, that's why I made sure there were sensible men on the jury
that's going to decide this race," Frank remarked, confidently. "I
happened to remember what a hot-head Percy is. While I'm ready to meet
him in any reasonable test, to prove which of our aeroplanes is the
better, I don't want to act like a crazy aviator. There's danger
enough, goodness knows, at the best, without taking chances that no
sensible person would consider."

"Is everything all ready, Frank?" asked the other Bird boy.

"I believe so. Wait