lp to explain it."

Hal Homer came up carrying two much scorched lanterns he had found in the
debris of the hangar. One was red, the other was green.

"I don't quite see," said Peggy, but Hal, with an apology interrupted her.

"It's plain as day to me," he said; "these two lanterns attached to that
big box kite on a breezy night would certainly give any one the
impression that an aeroplane was sailing about. Harding knew you would be
flying home in that vicinity on that night and rigged up this contrivance
to delude you."

"A phantom airship!" cried Peggy.

"That's about the size of it," put in the slangy Jimsy, "and I think that
friend Homer here has hit on the correct solution."

"But if that were so, why did Fanning fit up a shop out at Gid Gibbons's
place?" asked Jess in a puzzled tone.

"I guess that shop had no more in it than this hangar," was Roy's reply.
"Gid Gibbons is a bad character who would do anything for money, and I
think it likely that he fell in with Harding's schemes because he had no
great liking for any of us."

"Looks that way," agreed Jimsy.

"But that doesn't explain that ruby which Hester was wearing," thought
Peggy to herself as the laughing party of young folks drove off up the
town, followed by Farmer Ingalls and his good wife, who had been invited
to take part in the little celebration of their triumph. Here and there
they were recognized and cheered, but among the crowds on the sidewalks
all discussing the thrilling race, there were three that took no part in
the good-natured jubilation. Who these were we can guess.

Jukes Dade at Fanning's side had to listen to some savage abuse as they
slunk along, avoiding as far as possible the crowds.

"I told you to burn up the hangar so that there would be no trace left of
the bluff we had been putting up," he growled.

"Well, didn't I soak the place with gasolene," protested Dade; "how was I
to know a kid would come along and give the alarm before it got fairly
alight?"

"It's been a dismal failure all the way through," lamented Harding, as if
he had been engaged on some praiseworthy enterprise.

"Incidentally," purred Jukes Dade, but with a menace under his silky
tones, "I'd like to see some of that money you've been promising me all
along."

"You'll have to wait till I see my father," snapped out Fanning savagely.

"Well, see him quick then, or I may have to take other means of getting
it," snarled Dade.

"What do you mean?"