“Ned,” said the young inventor, “there’s something queer about this business.”

“I’m beginning to think so myself, Tom.  But just what do you mean?”

“I mean it’s queer that the smugglers should pick out a place like Shopton—­a small town—­for their operations, or part of them, when there are so many better places.  We’re quite a distance from the Canadian border.  Say, Ned, where was it that Mr. Foger moved to?  Hogan’s alley, or some such name as that; wasn’t it?”

“Logansville, this state, was the place.  I once saw Tom Snedecker mail Andy a letter addressed to there.  But what has that to do with it?”

Tom’s answer was to turn to a large map on the wall of his shop.  With a long stick he pointed out the city of Logansville.

“That isn’t very far from the Canadian border; is it, Ned?” he asked.

“Say, what are you driving at, Tom?  It’s right on the border between New York and Canada, according to that map.”

“Well, that’s a good map, and you can be sure it is nearly right.  And, look here.  There’s the town of Montford, in Canada, almost opposite Logansville.”

“Well?”

“Oh, nothing, only I’m going to see Mr. Whitford.”

“What do you mean, Tom?”

“I mean that the something queer part about this business may be explained.  They have traces of the smugglers sending their goods to Shopton to be re-shipped here, to avoid suspicion, probably.  They have a suspicion that airships are used to get the goods over the Canadian border at night.”

“But,” broke in Ned, “the government agent said that it was across the St. Lawrence River they brought them.  Montford is quite a distance from the river.  I suppose the smugglers take the goods from the river steamers, land them, pack them in airships, and fly across with them.  But if you’re trying to connect the Fogers, and Logansville, and Montford with the smugglers, I don’t see where it comes in with the St. Lawrence, and the airships, Tom.”

“Forget that part of it for a while, Ned.  Maybe they are all off on airships, anyhow.  I don’t take much stock in that theory, though it may be true.”

“Just think of the Fogers,” went on Tom.  “Mr. Foger has lost all his money, he lives in a town near the Canadian border, it is almost certain that smuggled goods have been shipped here.  Mr. Foger has a deserted house here, and—­see the connection?”

“By Jove, Tom, I believe you’re right!” cried his chum.  “Maybe the airships aren’t in it after all, and Andy is only making a bluff at having his repaired, to cover up some other operations in the house.”

“I believe so.”

“But that would mean that Mr. Dillon, the carpenter is not telling the truth, and I can’t believe that of him.”

“Oh, I believe he’s honest, but I think Andy is fooling him.  Mr. Dillon doesn’t know much about airships, and Andy may have had him doing something in the house, telling him it was repair work on an airship, when, as a matter of fact, the carpenter might be making boxes to ship the goods in, or constructing secret places in which to hide them.”