s, miss, hof hany kind, miss."

Peggy nodded without appearing to note the man's confusion.

"It's a queer affair, miss," put in Morgan's companion, whose name was
Giles.

"It is, indeed," rejoined Peggy. "I do wish it could all be cleared up."

"Same 'ere, miss, hi'm sure," struck in Morgan, mopping his puffy face.
He seemed to have, in great part, recovered his composure.

"Well, there is the blacksmith shop," said the other man presently, as
they emerged from the fields upon the road through a sliding gate. He
pointed to a long, low, ramshackle structure at the cross-roads. Beside
it stood a fairly neat cottage and beyond this again a brand new shed,
from which proceeded a great sound of hammering.

As Morgan and Giles left her, to make a shortcut home across lots, Peggy
set off at a brisk pace, holding the broken rod in her hands. She almost
dropped the bits of metal an instant later in a great surprise that she
encountered.

The door of the brand new building opened and out stepped Fanning
Harding, in overalls and jumper. Suddenly he became aware of Peggy's
advancing figure and halted, staring at her.

CHAPTER VIII.

HESTER'S RUBY.

The door of the shed had been opened wide, but Fanning closed it swiftly
as if in great anxiety to conceal what was within. Then it was that Peggy
first became aware of something she had not noticed before. Above the
portal was a signboard upon which was painted in staring red letters:

"Office and Works of the Fanning Harding Aeroplane Co."

Hardly had Peggy digested this astonishing sign before Fanning, his look
of startled surprise replaced by a smile, advanced, cap in hand, to meet
her.

"Why, what ever brings you here?" he asked, with the air of easy
familiarity which Peggy disliked so much. "I guess that that sign gave
you a kind of a start, eh?"

"It certainly did," agreed Peggy, "and it gives me even more of a start
to see you working, Fanning."

"Huh," grunted the youth, beneath whose blue overalls were visible a pair
of gaudy socks of the kind he affected, "I guess you think that I can't
make good as well as any one else when I try. Roy wouldn't go into a deal
with me on that aeroplane of his, so I just got busy and started a
concern of my own."

"Do you mean you are actually building an aeroplane?"

"Yes. Got orders for several of them," rejoined the swaggering youth. "So
far I've only had Gid to help me, but I guess I'll have to enlarge t