“And I’ve got a model of an Antoinette, and one of a design of my own.  I don’t know just how well it will work,” concluded Frank modestly, “but I have great hopes of carrying off that prize.”

“Let’s see who else there is,” pondered Hiram.

“There’s Tom Maloney.  He’ll go in, I know; and Ed Rivers and two or three others, and then, by the way, I almost forgot it, I met Sam Redding, Jack Curtiss and Bill Bender, reading a notice of the competition, just before I came up.  Of course, as there is a chance of winning fifty dollars, Jack is going to enter one, and Bill Bender said he would put one in, too.”

“What do they know about aeroplanes?” demanded Paul.

“Not a whole lot, I guess; but Jack said he was going to get a book that tells how to make one, and Bill said he’d do the same.”

“How about Sam?” inquired Rob.

“Oh, I guess he’s got troubles enough with his hydroplane,” responded Rob, whose father had told him at dinner that day of Sam’s vain visit to the bank.

“It would be just like those fellows to put up something crooked on us,” remarked Paul, who had had much the same experiences with the bully and his chums as his schoolmates generally.

“Oh, there’ll be no chance of that,” Frank assured him.  “A local committee of business men is to be appointed to see fair play, and I don’t fancy that even Jack or Bill will be slick enough to get away with any crooked work.”

“How long have we got to get ready?” asked Hiram suddenly.

“Just a week.”

“Wow! that isn’t much time.”

“No; my father told me that Professor Charlton, whom he knows, would have given a longer time for preparation but that he has to attend a flying meet in Europe, and only decided to lecture at his native town at the last moment.  Lucky thing that most of us have got our models almost ready.”

“Yes, especially as this notice says,” added Paul, who had been reading it, “that all models must be the sole work of the contestants.”

“If it wasn’t for that it would be easy,” remarked Hiram.  “You can buy dandy models in New York.  I’ve seen them advertised in the papers.”

“Well, come on over now and put your name down, as a contestant.  The blanks are in the office of the Hampton News,” urged Frank.

“I guess we’re all through up here, Rob, aren’t we?” asked Hiram.

“Yes,” rejoined the young leader; “but you study up on your woodcraft, Hiram, and devote more time to your signaling.  You are such a bug on wireless that you forget the rest of the stuff.”

“All right, Rob,” promised Hiram contritely.  “By the time we go camping I’ll know a cat track from a squirrel’s, or never put a detector on my head again.”

Piloted by Frank, the two young scouts made their way to the office of the local paper, which had already placed a large bulletin announcing the aeroplane model competition in its window.  Quite a crowd was gathered, reading the details, as the three boys entered.