CHAPTER X

PLANNING A MOTOR SHIP

The crowd was running from all directions to get closer views of the dirigible balloons before they should be put away in the tents or sheds. The man who had spoken to Ned stood near the motor boys and their friends.

“Excuse me for intruding,” he said with a smile, “but I could not help hearing what you were talking about, and I felt that it would not be out of place to say what I did.”

“Are you a builder of airships?” asked Jerry.

“I have built one or two. I am also a balloonist. I have plans, just perfected, for a very fine motor ship, something like that one with planes attached to the gas bag, but a great improvement over it. But I need money to build it. I have a model, however.”

“Where is it?” asked Jerry.

“At my home in Middletown.”

“That’s not far from where we are,” exclaimed Ned. “We’re from Cresville,” he added for the stranger’s benefit.

“Are you interested in airships?” asked the man.

“Very much so,” was Jerry’s answer. “We would like to see your model, Mr.--ah----”

“Glassford is my name--Rupert Glassford.”

“Why didn’t you bring your model here to exhibit it?” asked Bob.

“Because the committee would not let me. I offered to, but they said they only wanted real machines that would sail through the air.”

“Like Noddy’s tin fly,” spoke Ned with a laugh.

“Yes, that’s a sample of some of the freaks they allowed to be exhibited here,” went on the man somewhat bitterly. “But a real airship, built on up-to-date ideas, even if it was only a model, they wouldn’t admit. If I could have shown it perhaps I could have induced some rich man to put up money enough to build one. As it is, I’ll have to wait--and see others get ahead of me, perhaps.”

“Maybe we could help you,” said Jerry quietly. “How much would it take to build your motor ship?”

“More than you boys could raise, I’m afraid.”

“You don’t know how much these boys can raise!” exclaimed Andy Rush admiringly. “They own a gold mine.”

Mr. Glassford laughed.

“I guess you’re affected by some of the sights you’ve seen at this carnival,” he said to the little chap.

“It’s true enough,” spoke Jerry quietly. “We do own an interest in a valuable gold mine, and we have considerable money. If a motor ship did not cost too much we might build it.”

“Do you mean that?” exclaimed the man, a hopeful look coming into his face.

“Certainly. I have been thinking of it for some time. Ever since I heard of this carnival. I don’t know how my chums feel about it, but, as for me, I’m for an airship.”

“And we’re with you!” cried Ned and Bob.

“Get an airship, Jerry,” added Ned.

“One with planes, so if we fall we’ll come down easy,” put in Bob.

“Chunky’s so heavy he doesn’t relish a fall from the clouds,” remarked Alice.

“Are you boys really in earnest?” asked Mr. Glassford.

“We certainly are,” declared Jerry. “If you can show us a good model of a motor ship, and your plans seem feasible, though I admit we don’t know much about such things, we will furnish the money to build a dirigible balloon, provided, of course, that the cost is not too high.”

“It will not cost as much as a high-class automobile would,” said Mr. Glassford. “For five thousand dollars I can build my motor ship, and I know you’ll be satisfied with it.”

“When can we see the plans and model?” inquired Jerry.

“Any time you want to. I’ll bring them to Cresville if you say so.”

“That would be a good idea. Bob’s and Ned’s fathers would probably want to look them over, and my mother will likely take an interest in them. So if you can come to Cresville next week we will meet you. Suppose you come to my house?”

“I will be very pleased to. I can furnish references that I know my business. I have built a number of balloons, but this is my first attempt at a dirigible one. I know I can succeed, however, and if you will furnish the cash there is no reason why you boys cannot take a long trip in one.”

“A trip for fame and fortune!” exclaimed Ned enthusiastically. “Me for the motor ship. Automobiling and motor boating are back numbers now.”

Mr. Glassford left soon after this, promising to come to Cresville in about a week, bringing his plans and model with him, and also his references.

“Well, I wonder if there’ll be anything more to see this afternoon?” remarked Jerry as the group of young people moved away from the vicinity of the dirigible balloons, which had nearly all been put away.

“Kite-flying contests are on the program,” said Andy.

But neither the boys nor girls cared much for this, so they went to a vaudeville show on the grounds, and then Ned treated the crowd to ice cream. After that it was time for the girls to start home, as they had only come with the intention of remaining one day.

The boys bade them good-by with some feelings of regret, and went to their hotel.

The following three days at the carnival were given up to other contests of the dirigible balloons, in every one of which number five, Jerry’s favorite, was a winner. There were also aeroplane races and contests, and, though these heavier-than-air machines were rather limited in their flights, some of them did remarkably well. But the boys held to the dirigible balloon as the model which they would have if everything went well and there was no objection to their owning a motor ship.

They left the carnival on Friday, as it was to close the following day, and motored back to Cresville, having spent an enjoyable week and learned much about airships.

“I wonder what happened to Noddy after his _Firefly_ tried to plow up the earth?” asked Bob.

“I heard he took what was left of his machine away from the grounds,” replied Andy, who was a good news gatherer.

“Well, we’ll show him an airship as is an airship,” remarked Ned. “Wait until we get Mr. Glassford to work on his.”

“We’ll put it all over Noddy,” was Bob’s opinion. “Won’t he be mad, though!”

“Well, I only hope we can get a motor ship that will work,” said Jerry thoughtfully. “The more I see and hear of these air machines the more uncertain I think they are. A strong wind seems to play topsy-turvy with them. See what happened to the aeroplane.”

“Oh, ours won’t be that kind,” declared Ned. “We’ll fly, all right. I wish we had it now, instead of this auto, to get home in.”

“You ought to be glad of the auto,” replied Jerry. “Still, I wish, too, that we had our new motor ship.”