ade their hearts jump wildly.

"Where is this machine now?" asked Mr. Giddings as calmly as he could.

"In the hangar," was the reply of Masters. "It is the one that is going
to fly against you."

"Who is in charge of it?" inquired John Ross.

"Five arrived in it. Four of them are to be in the contest, they say.
The other gentleman is Mr. Wrenn, of the New York _Clarion_."

A few minutes later, when they pushed the Sky-Bird into one of the big
double hangars, their suspicions were conclusively clinched. For there
at one side stood the very counterpart of their own airplane, differing
only in the name painted upon its sides and under its big hollow wings.
These letters spelled "_Clarion_"!

CHAPTER XIV

A FAMILIAR FACE

Our friends exchanged glances. The brow of every one of them
contracted into so plain a frown that Mr. Masters, the superintendent
of the airdrome, could not help noticing it.

"I hope nothing is wrong, gentlemen," he ventured half-interrogatively.

"So do we," responded Mr. Giddings, "but if there is, it is nothing
concerning you, sir, at least. We thank you for your attention to our
machine, and wish you to take the best care of it while it is here.
Don't let anybody meddle with it, will you?"

"We'll look after it right, you may depend upon that," said the flying
official; and the party turned and left the building.

Outside, where they would be secure from the hearing of others, all
came to a pause, for there was a lot on their minds.

"Well, boys," said the publisher, "you see our suspicions back there in
Miami were certainly well-founded. It seems that in some manner those
stolen blue-prints have fallen into the hands of our rivals, and they
have been wise enough to profit by the fact."

"Do you think, dad, that Mr. Wrenn could have been back of this theft?"
propounded Bob who, although the publisher was a business rival of his
father's, had always thought him above such operations.

"I really do not know what to think," was Mr. Giddings's answer. "I
have always entertained the greatest respect for this gentleman's
honesty, if he does differ with me politically. But I must admit that
since this thing has happened--"

"Sh-h!" warned Bob suddenly. "Here comes Mr. Wrenn now!"

It was as he said. Turning his head in the direction of the entrance
to the landing-field, Mr. Giddings instantly recognized, in the short
figure in linen coming toward them, the person of the