publisher of the
_Clarion_.

"I shall have this matter out with him right now," was the grim
declaration of the _Daily Independent's_ director.

"Well, well! how are you, Giddings? How are you, Robert?" cried Mr.
Wrenn, sticking out his pudgy hand when he came up to the little group.
Such was his gusto that he did not seem to notice the lukewarmness of
the father's and son's greeting. Mr. Giddings introduced John, Paul,
and Tom, and then the publisher of the _Clarion_ continued with
good-humored raillery: "I'm mighty glad to see you fellows here, for I
began to think you would get scared and flunk us at the last moment.
Was over on the hotel veranda when I saw a plane land here, and I
guessed it might be you, and hurried right over. Put your machine up
yet?"

"We did," said Mr. Giddings rather sourly. "And do you know, Wrenn,
when we ran the Sky-Bird in the hangar we saw yours in there and
received quite a disagreeable surprise--I may say shock."

Mr. Giddings and the boys watched the broad face of their rival very
narrowly as this statement was put. Would he act guilty?

There was an explosion of laughter, the heartiest of laughter, from the
_Clarion_ director. "Oh, say, that's one on you, Giddings! I knew
you'd be down in the mouth when you saw our machine and realized that
you would have to contend against one as good or better than your
own--one of the same type!" And he laughed again, until he had to wipe
tears from his little blue eyes.

This was incomprehensible conduct from a guilty conscience! What could
it mean? Surely Mr. Wrenn, of the _Clarion_, was either the coldest
and deepest-dyed rogue in the world or a man entirely innocent!

"How did you know that we had an airplane like yours?" asked John
sharply.

The fat man broke into renewed chuckles at this question, and it was a
moment or two before he could find words. Then he said:

"There's a little story connected with this, and now that we're right
on the eve of the race and there's nothing to be gained by further
secrecy, I'll tell it to you. You see, about a year and a half ago,
possibly two years, a young man came to me for a job as sporting
reporter; said he had been a flyer in France and that the Government
wanted him as an Air Mail pilot, but he would rather take up the
newspaper game. I put him to work, and he proved very good in
gathering news of sports, especially aviation stuff. A week or so
after you challenged me to th