The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-09-25
- THE BOYS -
GAERIAI WARE
AND THE PARTvPLAYED
BY FRANKS AIRSHIP. THE
AVENGER
BY ARTHUR MORGAN LANGWoRTHY

the second box discharged it's deadly
contents most of the torpedoes fell out
side the roof and struck the front side
walk with terrific detonalions. though
the frenzied goat inflicted great dam
age on the anatomies of his panic
stricken captors until he was tied up.
But there was the third box yet to
come
During the time taken to pull it into
position the scared boys all tumbled
safely through the scuttle, leaving
Frank, who had recovered his courage,
at the top of the ladder. narrowly
watching the approach Of the box over
his head.
Finally, when it was sauarely above
come taut. the cover opened downward,
and out dropped-not hail of bombs
but small fiat packet.
This is dynamite, surei' he thought
despairingly. But no explosion came.
Frank let it lie there full minute
before he cautiously approached. Then
he picked it up, and found it was a
letter, and addressed to the Secret So
ciety.
He quickly called the others from
below, and they opened the packet. 1
don't think set of boys were ever so
mad, chagrined and Disguised when
they saw what was inside.
They found a very sassy" letter of
resignation from Ben Jordan, in which
he declared war on the Secret society
in general and Frank in particular, and
he swore that it would henceforth be
his business and his gangs" business
to ''exterminate the society from the
earth and that this attack was the
first installment of what was coming
to Them
1 will pass over the humiliation of
hot Il n POI
good care that everybody knew what
had occurred and the Boys secret So
ciety was subjected to many miserable
moments. Either they were jeered
and tainted by their acquaintance and
the small swift footed kids in the
street or if out alone the members were
mercilessly hunted down and licked"
by Ben's formidable Back Street gang
an organization of tough boys who
would stop atSnothing.
But don't think Frank was idle in the
meantime. Ben didn't know it, but
when he carried his war up into the
air, he was entering a field that Frank
had long been familiar with. Perhaps
you have read about some of Franks
airships. He was a member of the
Boys junior aero club and familiar
with the construction of airships, a
glider" which he built having brought
him great fame at home.
When Frank started to build an
aerial warship that would actually fly
he knew what he was doing.
But he kept his plans a deep secret
even from all the members of the secret
society save his brother Bill and Joe
Fisher. and he very grimly but appro-
priately called the new flying machine
the Avenger.
The Avenger steadily approached
completion in the old stable back of
Joes house, while Ben Jordan boasted
of what he was going to drop down on
the secret society, if they dared to hold
another roof garden meeting.
Most progressive boys have read de-
scriptions of how to build a model
aeroplane. Franks 43 inch model
aeroplane was built from set of
plans furnished by the junior aero
club, and as this is story of adven-
ture space forbids detailed descrip-
ton. You can find one somewhere in
almost any boys magazine.
The scene of Franks initial effort"
as he called it, with his newly COM
pleted aerial war ship was .Joe's back
yard. There were only two witnesses
present, Joe and Bill Williams.
Frank had no complicated starting
rail with heavy weights, such the
Wrights. He simply revolved the two
propellers toward each other, turning
them round and round by hand. This
act revolved the spools or drums, to
the ends of which each propeller was
attached, and resulted in twisting tight
the heavy rubber bands attached to
each drum. When the bands were
stretched to their limit and the drums
could be turned no further Frank held
the Avenger high in the air, tilted the
steering planes" at an angle, released
the propellers, and taking short run
launched the machine into space.
The rubber bands acting in their ca
pacity as springs rapidly unwound, re-
volving the propellers at the drum ends
with great speed. There was flash
of white in the dusk, the machine shot
forward, cleared the stable roof and
vanished.
Five minutes later three painting but
triumphant boys returned, tenderly
carrying the Avenger, which they had
found roosting uninjured on a flower
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