A few minutes later found them in the midst of a typical southern town.
It was Berneau, North Carolina, according to the signs, they saw.
"Here"s a restaurant," called Tom, as they pa.s.sed a neat-appearing one.
"Let"s go inside and get some supper before we buy our supplies."
"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless my flapjacks, but I am beginning to feel hungry."
The eating place was a good one, and Tom"s predictions about their being taken for strangers was verified, for, no sooner had they given their orders than the pretty, white girl, who waited on the table remarked:
"Ah reckon yo" all are from th" no"th; aren"t yo"?" She smiled, as she spoke, and Tom smiled back as he acknowledged it.
"Have you a paper--a newspaper I could look at?" he asked.
"Ah guess Ah can find one," went on the girl. "Ah reckon yo" all are from N" York. N" Yorkers are so desperant bent on readin" th" news."
Her tones were almost like those of a colored person.
"Yes, we"re from a part of New York," was Tom"s reply.
When a newspaper was brought to him, after they had nearly finished their meal, the young inventor rapidly scanned the pages. Something on the front sheet, under a heading of big, black type caught his eye. He started as he read it.
WANTED FOR ROBBERY!
BANK LOOTERS ESCAPE IN RED AIRSHIP--FIRED AT BUT DISAPPEAR
"Great Jehosophat!" exclaimed Tom, in a low voice. "What on earth can this mean?"
"What?" inquired Mr. Damon. "Has anything happened?"
"Happened? I should say there had," was the answer. "Why, we"re accused of having robbed the Shopton Bank of seventy-five thousand dollars the night before we left, and to have taken it away in the Red Cloud.
There"s a general alarm out for us! Why this is awful!"
"It"s preposterous!" burst out Mr. Damon. "I"ll have my lawyers sue this paper. Bless my stocks and bonds, I!"
"Hush! Not so loud," cautioned Tom, for the pretty waitress was watching them curiously. "Here, read this, and then we"ll decide what to do. But one thing is certain, we must go back to Shopton at once to clear ourselves of this accusation."
"Ha!" murmured Mr. Damon, as he read the article rapidly. "Now I know why they fired at us. They hoped to bring us down, capture us, and get the five thousand dollars reward!"
Chapter 18
Back For Vindication
Tom glanced around the restaurant. There were few persons in it save himself and Mr. Damon. The pretty waitress was still regarding the two curiously.
"We ought to take that paper along with us, to show to Mr. Sharp," said Tom, in a low voice to his friend. "I haven"t had time to take it all in myself, yet. Let"s go. I"ve had enough to eat, haven"t you?"
"Yes. My appet.i.te is gone now."
As they arose, to pay their checks the girl advanced.
"Can you tell me where I can get a copy of this paper?" asked Tom, as he laid down a generous tip on the table, for the girl. Her eyes opened rather wide.
"Yo" all are fo"gettin" some of yo" money," she said, in her broad, southern tones. Tom thought her the prettiest girl he ever seen, excepting Mary Nestor.
"Oh, that"s for you," replied the young inventor. "It"s a tip. Aren"t you in the habit of getting them down here?"
"Not very often. Thank yo" all. But what did yo" all ask about that paper?"
"I asked where I could get a copy of it. There is something in it that interests me."
"Yes, an" Ah reckon Ah knows what it is," exclaimed the girl. "It"s about that airship with th" robbers in it!"
"How do you know?" inquired Tom quickly, and he tried to seem cool, though he felt the hot blood mounting to his cheeks.
"Oh, Ah saw yo" all readin" it. Everybody down heah is crazy about it.
We all think th" ship is comin" down this way, "cause it says th"
robbers was intendin" to start south befo" they robbed th" bank. Ah wish Ah could collect thet five thousand dollars. If Ah could see that airship, I wouldn"t work no mo" in this eatin" place. What do yo" all reckon thet airship looks like?" and the girl gazed intently at Tom and Mr. Damon.
"Why, bless my--" began the eccentric man, but Tom broke in hurriedly:
"Oh, I guess it looks like most any other airship," for he feared that if his companion used any of his odd expressions he might be recognized, since our hero had not had time to read the article in the paper through, and was not sure whether or not a description of himself, Mr. Damon and Mr. Sharp was given.
"Well, Ah suah wish I could collect thet reward," went on the girl.
"Everybody is on th" lookout. Yo" all ain"t see th" airship; have yo"
all?"
"Where can we get a paper like this?" asked Tom, again, not wanting to answer such a leading question.
"Why, yo" all is suah welcome to that one," was the reply. "Ah guess Ah can affo"d to give it to yo" all, after th" generous way yo" all behaved to me. Take it, an" welcome. But are yo" all suah yo" are done eatin"? Yo" all left lots."
"Oh, we had enough," replied Tom hurriedly. His sole aim now was to get away--to consult with Mr. Sharp, and he needed the paper to learn further details of the astonishing news. He and his friends accused of looting the bank, and taking away seventy-five thousand dollars in the airship! It was incredible! A reward of five thousand dollars offered for their capture! They might be arrested any minute, yet they could not go on without buying some provisions. What were they to do?
Once outside the restaurant, Mr. Damon and Tom walked swiftly on. They came to a corner where there was a street lamp, and there the young inventor paused to scan the paper again. It was the copy of a journal published in the nearby county seat, and contained quite a full account of the affair.
The story was told of how the bank had been broken into, the vault rifled and the money taken. The first clue, it said, was given by a youth named Andy Foger, who had seen a former acquaintance hanging around the bank with burglar tools. Tom recognized the description of himself as the "former acquaintance," but he could not understand the rest.
"Burglar tools? I wonder how Andy could say that?" he asked Mr. Damon.
"Wait until we get back, and we"ll ask John Sharp," suggested his companion. "This is very strange. I am going to sue some one for spreading false reports about me! Bless my ledgers, why I have money on deposit in that bank! To think that I would rob it!"
"Poor dad!" murmured Tom. "This must be hard for him. But what about ordering food? Maybe if we buy any they will trail us, find the airship and capture it. I don"t want to be arrested, even if I am innocent, and I certainly don"t want the airship to fall into the hands of the police. They might damage it."
"We must go see Mr. Sharp," declared Mr. Damon, and back to where the Red Cloud was concealed they went.
To say that the balloonist was astonished is putting it mildly. He was even more excited than was Mr. Damon.