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-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***

-

-

-

-

-

-                          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS

-                           TALKING  PICTURES

-                                   OR

-                    The Greatest Invention on Record

-

-

-                                   BY

-                            VICTOR APPLETON

-                               AUTHOR OF

-                    “TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE,”

-                 “TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS,”

-                    “TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE,”

-                        “THE DON STURDY SERIES,”

-                                  ETC.

-

-                              ILLUSTRATED

-

-                                NEW YORK

-                            GROSSET & DUNLAP

-                               PUBLISHERS

-                 ‾Made in the United States of America‾

-

-

-

-

-[Illustration: TOM SWIFT WAS THROWN OVERBOARD.]

-

-    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

-

-                       B O O K S   F O R   B O Y S

-                           By VICTOR APPLETON

-                     12mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated.

-

-                          THE TOM SWIFT SERIES

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE

-        TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS

-        TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE

-        TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER

-        TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL

-        TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH

-        TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS

-        TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE

-        TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES

-

-                          THE DON STURDY SERIES

-        DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY

-        DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS

-        DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD

-        DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE

-        DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES

-        DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS

-        DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS

-        DON STURDY CAPTURED BY HEAD HUNTERS

-

-                 Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.

-

-    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

-

-                          Copyright, 1928, by

-                         GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc.

-

-                   Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures

-

-

-

-

-                                CONTENTS

-

-          CHAPTER                                          PAGE

-               I. BLASTING FIRE...........................    1

-              II. NED DISAPPEARS..........................   12

-             III. SUSPICIONS..............................   24

-              IV. A STRANGE MESSAGE.......................   33

-               V. ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL...................   45

-              VI. TOO LATE................................   55

-             VII. A WILD CHASE............................   64

-            VIII. TWO CAPTIVES............................   72

-              IX. ON THE ISLAND...........................   78

-               X. THE ESCAPE..............................   90

-              XI. RESCUED.................................  100

-             XII. GREENBAUM THREATENS.....................  109

-            XIII. MR. DAMON DANCES........................  115

-             XIV. KOKU IS DRUGGED.........................  125

-              XV. A SINISTER WARNING......................  133

-             XVI. A STARTLING DISCOVERY...................  143

-            XVII. USELESS PLEADINGS.......................  151

-           XVIII. AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT..............  159

-             XIX. THE MEETING.............................  166

-              XX. MASKED MEN..............................  171

-             XXI. A TEMPTING OFFER........................  179

-            XXII. FLASHING LIGHTS.........................  186

-           XXIII. TOM ACCEPTS.............................  194

-            XXIV. A FINAL TEST............................  201

-             XXV. A BRIGHT FUTURE.........................  209

-

-

-

-

-                           TOM SWIFT AND HIS

-                            TALKING PICTURES

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER I

-                             BLASTING FIRE

-

-

-ENTERING Tom Swift’s private laboratory from a room farther down the

-hall, Ned Newton, who seemed somewhat out of breath, glanced at the

-young inventor and asked:

-

-“Do you seem to be getting anywhere with it, Tom?”

-

-For a moment there was no reply. Tom, who had been leaning over a

-complicated apparatus of wires, switches, and radio bulbs that glowed

-dimly, was slowly turning a dial. Ned repeated his question, adding:

-

-“What seems to be the trouble?”

-

-“Trouble?” queried Tom, looking at Ned with eyes, however, that did not

-see him.

-

-“There must be some trouble,” insisted Ned, “or you’d have been capering

-around here on one leg when I came in after doing my stuff back there,”

-and he nodded toward the room farther down the hall. “How about it?”

-

-Tom Swift glanced away from the apparatus, which very much resembled a

-radio receiving set, to a yard-square burnished sheet of metal hanging

-in front of him and connected to the other mechanism by several wires.

-This burnished sheet appeared to be made of a mirror of some metal with

-a square of heavy plate glass covering it.

-

-“Can’t you answer?” inquired Ned, with a chuckle. “Boy, I certainly did

-some acting back there all by myself! And I’d like to know whether I got

-it through to you. Did I? Bet I did that song and dance for the fiftieth

-time just now. Come on—wake up—did it come through? What’s the matter,

-anyhow?”

-

-“I—I’m thinking,” said Tom slowly.

-

-“Don’t need an interpreter to tell me that!” and again Ned chuckled. “I

-can see it with half an eye. But was it a success?”

-

-“Yes, and no,” replied Tom, turning a switch which seemed to cut off

-some electrical current, for at once a faint hum that had been audible

-in the laboratory ceased. “Yes, and no. It came through all right; that

-is, part of it did, but the rest——”

-

-Tom ceased speaking and bent over his apparatus. He adjusted some set

-screws, turned a couple of dials, and changed three of the radio tubes

-which, now that the power was cut off, no longer glowed with light

-beneath the quicksilver coatings on the thin glass.

-

-“Do you want me to go back there and do it over?” asked Ned. “I’m

-willing, if you say so,” and he started for the room he had just left—a

-room wherein, under the focused rays of a battery of powerful lights and

-close to a box containing a strange assortment of tubes and

-transmitters, Ned had done his “stunt,” which consisted of singing and

-dancing about on a small stage. He performed alone—there was no

-audience but the distant one of Tom Swift in his laboratory several

-hundred feet away.

-

-“Wait a minute, Ned!” Tom Swift called sharply, when his chum, who was

-also the financial manager of the Swift Construction Company, was about

-to leave the room. “I guess we might as well call it a day’s work and

-quit.”

-

-“A night’s work, you mean!” retorted Ned, pointing to the window which

-reflected the darkness outside. “Must be past twelve.”

-

-“I guess it is,” admitted the young inventor, somewhat wearily. “I

-didn’t notice. It’s a shame to keep you at it so long, Ned.”

-

-“Oh, I don’t mind!” said the other quickly. “Not as long as it’s going

-to be a success. But is it?”

-

-Tom Swift hesitated, looked at the complicated machine in front of him

-and slowly shook his head.

-

-“Frankly, Ned, I can’t say,” he admitted. “You came through in a

-measure. Of course I heard you plainly enough over the radio—that part

-is simple enough. But the picture of you was too shadowy to be

-satisfactory. It’s coming, though. I’ll make it come!” and Tom, in spite

-of his weariness, showed some fighting spirit in his voice and manner.

-

-“Could you identify me there?” and Ned pointed to that burnished metal

-mirror with its covering of glass in the lower edge of which were fused

-several wires.

-

-“Oh, yes, I knew it was you, Ned, of course. But, as I say, the

-projected picture was too visionary. It didn’t stand out clearly and

-with depth the way I want it to. It was like a moving picture when the

-man up in the booth goes to sleep on the job and the projector gets out

-of focus. I’m rather disappointed.”

-

-“I don’t mind going back and going through my stunt again, even for the

-fifty-first performance,” offered Ned, with enthusiasm. “I don’t care

-how late it is. Helen won’t expect me now.”

-

-“Did you have an engagement?” asked Tom, looking sharply at his friend.

-“And I kept you here doing a song and dance act half the night when

-Helen expected you! That’s too bad! If I’d known——”

-

-“Keep your hair on!” chuckled Ned. “I didn’t _really_ have a date with

-Helen. I said I might drop around if there wasn’t anything to do here.

-But she knows you well enough to make allowances for emergency work—and

-this was just that.”

-

-“Yes, it is an emergency all right,” returned Tom slowly. “But I shall

-give it up for the night. No use keeping you any longer, Ned. Go on home

-and I’ll try it again to-morrow with a different wave length. I think

-that’s where the difficulty is. We’ll tackle it again in the morning.”

-

-“All right,” assented Ned Newton, and he could not keep out of his voice

-a little note of satisfaction and relief. Truth to tell, he was a bit

-tired. For several weeks now he had been helping Tom Swift on the

-latter’s newest idea—an invention, Tom declared, that would be the

-greatest on record and one that would tend to revolutionize the radio

-and moving picture industries.

-

-This was a daring plan Tom had conceived of making a radio machine, both

-sending and receiving, that would enable a person or any number of

-persons not only to hear a distant performance in their own home, but

-also see those taking part.

-

-“I’ll make it possible,” declared Tom Swift, “for a man to sit in his

-easy chair, smoking a cigar in his library, and, by a turn of a switch,

-not only to hear the latest opera but also to see each and every

-performer and witness the whole play.”

-

-When Ned had asked how the vision would appear to the man, Tom had

-replied:

-

-“On an electrified screen attached to his radio receiver by which he

-listens to the songs and music.”

-

-As Tom said, the problem of transmitting an entire opera through the air

-was simple enough. That had been done many times. So had the

-transmitting of photographs by wireless. Also, in a limited way,

-television had made it possible for a person in a dark room to be

-visible to lookers-on in another apartment some distance away.

-

-“But I am going to combine the two!” declared Tom Swift. “I want to make

-it possible for a synchronized performance of seeing and hearing to take

-place. Thus when a theater is equipped with my sending apparatus and I

-have perfected my receiver, one need never go outside the house to enjoy

-a theatrical performance or a concert.”

-

-“But even if you’re successful, you won’t make any money out of it,”

-declared Ned Newton, after first hearing of his chum’s ambitions. “Look

-at the radio people! The air is free. Anybody who wants to can tune in

-and listen to a million dollar concert without paying a cent. They don’t

-even have to buy any special kind of receiver—they can roll their own,

-so to speak. What’s to prevent them from stealing your stuff—your—what

-do you call it, anyhow?”

-

-“I haven’t settled on a name,” Tom said, with a smile. “Call it talking

-pictures for the time being. Of course it’s entirely different from

-moving pictures with phonograph attachment.”

-

-“Well, what’s to prevent any one from tuning in on your talking

-pictures?” asked Ned.

-

-“This,” answered Tom, pointing to a small tube on one side of the

-receiving apparatus. “This is a new device. Without it no one can see

-and hear my pictures that will talk. This is protected by patents and no

-one can use it without my sanction. That’s the secret.”

-

-“Well, maybe you’ve got something there,” Ned admitted.

-

-So, during the past months, he had helped Tom Swift bring the new

-apparatus to such perfection as it now had.

-

-The present night’s performance was only one of many. At first there had

-been only blank failure. But by using different kinds of receiving

-screens, finally settling on a mirror covered with electrified glass,

-Tom had achieved a measure of success. Still, even now, the projected

-image of the singing or talking performer in a distant room was too dim

-to be commercially successful.

-

-“We’ll go at it again to-morrow,” Tom told his chum as he let him out of

-the laboratory and locked the door after him.

-

-“It’s the biggest thing I ever attempted,” he said to himself, when Ned

-had gone and he was alone in the room, “the very biggest, and I’m not

-going to have it stolen from me. No one suspects as yet what I am

-working on—no one except dad and Ned. But I wish I were nearer success.

-I thought the image would come through clear to-night, but there was

-that same haze—that same haze. I wonder——”

-

-He paused and listened intently. Outside his door he heard

-footsteps—cautious footsteps.

-

-“Is that you, Ned?” he called. “Anything wrong?”

-

-Tom did not open the door—he was taking no chances.

-

-“That you, Ned?” he asked again, more sharply.

-

-“No, Mr. Swift,” came back a voice with a foreign accent. “I am just

-leaving my own laboratory. I think I have perfected that new magnetic

-gear shift we have been working on.”

-

-“That’s good,” Tom responded. He recognized the voice of Jacob

-Greenbaum, a clever inventor whom he had recently engaged to work on

-some side lines that occupied the Swift factory. Tom had an idea for a

-new device to make easier the shifting of gears on automobiles. It was

-an adaptation of the old magnetic selection that has often been tried

-and which, up to date, had not been successful.

-

-“Do you want to take a look at it?” asked Greenbaum, and from the

-nearness of the voice Tom knew that the man was just outside the locked

-door.

-

-“No, thank you, Greenbaum, not now,” the young inventor replied. “I am

-busy at something else. I’ll see you in the morning.”

-

-“You are working late, Mr. Swift,” went on the man. “Could I be of any

-service to you? I should be glad——”

-

-“No, thank you,” Tom said. “As for lateness, you are doing a bit of

-overtime yourself.”

-

-“Oh, yes; but I do not mind. I think I am on the right track. If you

-would take a look——”

-

-“No, not now,” and Tom’s voice was a bit sharp. “I am busy. Good night!”

-

-There was no response for a moment, and then came a short:

-

-“Good night!”

-

-Greenbaum, however, did not immediately move away from the door and a

-look of annoyance passed over Tom’s face as he bent over his secret

-apparatus.

-

-“What’s he hanging around for?” thought Tom. “I wonder if he can be a

-spy? Two or three times I’ve caught him lurking around my private

-laboratory. But he can’t get in since I put on the new lock, and I know

-he hasn’t so much as poked his nose in during the times I have been here

-experimenting. Still, I wonder——”

-

-He was about to call out, to tell the man to go away when footsteps were

-heard moving down the corridor and toward the outer door of the small

-shop where most of the experimental work was carried on.

-

-“Good riddance,” murmured Tom Swift. “I don’t want to be unjust to a

-good workman, and Greenbaum is all of that, but I must confess I don’t

-like the way he hangs around me. As soon as he finishes that magnetic

-gear shift I’ll pay him well and let him go. Now let’s see if I can

-think up another way of doing this. Perhaps if I hooked up the wave

-distributor to the vibratory selector instead of to the polarizer we’d

-get better vision. I’ll try that and have Ned perform again to-morrow.

-Now I’ll take a look to see that my wire connections are all right and

-then I think I’ll go to bed. I’m tired.”

-

-Tom spent perhaps another half hour in getting things in readiness for

-some new experiments, and, having made sure that everything connected

-with his secret was put out of sight of possible prying eyes, the young

-inventor started toward the door.

-

-He inspected the new combination lock he had had put on, noting that it

-was properly set, and then opened the door to step out. The experimental

-laboratory was only a short walk from Tom’s home, the back of the Swift

-Construction plant being some distance away.

-

-As Tom opened the door there was a click, followed at once by a blinding

-flash of blasting fire. Then a dull explosion shook the building. Tom

-had no chance to leap back. The force of the blast hurled him forward,

-across the corridor and out through a wire-screened window into the

-yard. He fell heavily, uttered an inarticulate cry, and then seemed to

-be sinking down into a pit of dense blackness.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER II

-                             NED DISAPPEARS

-

-

-SCARCELY had the echoes of the explosion in Tom Swift’s laboratory died

-away, being swallowed up in the blackness and silence of the night, than

-members of the Swift household began stirring.

-

-Mr. Swift, Tom’s aged and rather infirm father, sat up in bed and

-called:

-

-“What was that? Thunder?”

-

-“No, Massa Swift,” answered Eradicate, the faithful colored servant,

-who, now that Mr. Swift had declined so, was his personal attendant,

-sleeping in the next room. “No, Massa Swift,” he repeated. “Dat wa’n’t

-no thunder.”

-

-By this time Eradicate was moving about and fumbling for a light. Mr.

-Swift, however, had reached up and switched on the reading lamp attached

-to the head of his bed.

-

-“What was it then?” asked the aged inventor, for Mr. Swift had begun

-invention work when Tom was a mere baby.

-

-“I spects, Massa, dat it was somethin’ Tom been doin’ out in his

-lab’tory,” the colored man answered. He had his own light on now and was

-beginning to dress, preparatory to making an investigation.

-

-“If Tom was in the midst of anything that made a noise like that he must

-be hurt!” declared Mr. Swift. “That was a sharp explosion. Hurry, Rad,

-and see what it was.”

-

-“Yes, sah, Massa Swift, I’s a-hurryin’!” answered Eradicate.

-

-From a room farther down the hall in the Swift home came a deep, heavy

-voice exclaiming:

-

-“Fire! Fire! Koku see much blaze!”

-

-Koku was a gigantic specimen of a man whom Tom had brought back with him

-from an airship trip to a distant, mysterious land. The giant was rather

-simple, and never seemed to be able to master the English language. But

-he was a faithful servant and, because of his enormous strength, Tom

-frequently used Koku as a guard about the plant.

-

-“Fire?” cried Mr. Swift, fumbling for his clothes. “Is there a fire,

-Koku?”

-

-“Much blaze in Master Tom’s workshop,” the giant replied. He could not

-twist his tongue around “laboratory.”

-

-“Dey suah is a fire!” cried Eradicate, running to his window. “By golly,

-whole place looks like it was burnin’!”

-

-By this time Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, several other servants, and

-Garret Jackson, the shop manager and superintendent, who was spending

-the night at the Swift home, had been aroused. Several workmen in the

-Swift plant, who lived not far from the experimental laboratory, had

-also been aroused by the explosion and the glare of flames and were now

-running to help, adding their voices to the others giving the alarm.

-

-By this time Mr. Swift, with Eradicate and Koku, had descended to the

-yard that was between the laboratory and the house, and by the glare of

-the flames Tom’s inert body was seen stretched out on the grass.

-

-Eradicate and Koku bent over the body of the young inventor. Koku felt

-for the heart and found it beating.

-

-“Master Tom no dead,” said the giant simply.

-

-“Then carry him into the house, and send for a doctor at once,” directed

-Mr. Swift. “Oh, what could have happened? The whole place will go up in

-flames and Tom’s valuable new invention will be destroyed!”

-

-“Dat fire’ll soon be out!” predicted Eradicate, and Koku, lifting Tom

-like a child, started toward the house with him. “Fire not so bad, after

-all, Massa Swift!”

-

-While the injured inventor is being ministered to I shall take a brief

-moment to acquaint new readers with, a few facts regarding Tom Swift.

-

-He was a young man, well set up physically, and in spite of the fact

-that he was young, had to his credit many important inventions, not a

-few of which had been adopted by the United States Government.

-

-Tom’s mother was dead, but he and his father, were well looked after by

-Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper. As related in the first volume of this

-series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Motorcycle,” the youth began his

-inventive activities early. Wakefield Damon, who lived in the

-neighboring town of Waterfield, had, some years before this present

-story opens, bought a motorcycle. Not knowing much about such machines,

-Mr. Damon soon found himself climbing a tree near Tom’s home.

-

-Tom rescued the eccentric individual and, “blessing” many animate and

-inanimate objects from his rubber boots to his collar button, Mr. Damon

-declared he was through with motorcycles. Tom bought the damaged

-machine, repaired and improved it and had several thrilling adventures

-on it. From then on his inventions followed one another and they were

-not yet ended. In the volume immediately preceding this and named “Tom

-Swift Circling the Globe,” you may read of the further doings of the

-young inventor.

-

-Tom had many friends and not a few enemies, the latter chiefly

-unscrupulous men who had tried to steal his inventions but who had been

-worsted by Tom, with the aid of Mr. Damon, Ned Newton, Eradicate and

-Koku.

-

-Tom always insisted that Mary Nestor, a beautiful girl to whom the young

-inventor was practically engaged, had a lot to do with his success, but

-Mary always smiled tolerantly when her friend said this.

-

-“What do I do, Tom?” she would ask.

-

-“You give me inspiration,” he would answer, “and that, to an inventor,

-is the one thing needed.”

-

-Whether Mary Nestor was the inspiration for Tom’s latest talking-picture

-invention does not matter, but the fact remains that Tom was in the

-midst of perfecting that machine when the explosion occurred.

-

-While the fire was being brought under control by several of the shop

-men, under the direction of Mr. Jackson, the young inventor was

-hurriedly carried into his home and laid on a bed. Mrs. Baggert, sensing

-that medical aid might be needed, had, almost as soon as she got up

-after the alarm, telephoned for the nearest doctor. So it was not long

-after the explosion before Tom was in the care of the medical man.

-

-“Is he badly hurt?” asked Mr. Swift, anxiously hovering around the room.

-

-“I think not,” was the cheerful reply of Dr. Layton. “He has had a shock

-and is suffering more from that than from actual injuries, though he is

-cut and bruised and has some nasty burns. But we will soon make him

-comfortable.”

-

-“He is still unconscious, though, isn’t he?” asked Mr. Swift.

-

-“Yes,” Dr. Layton admitted. “But that is nothing to worry about. Nature

-will take care of that. It is better to let his senses come back

-gradually rather than to give some strong stimulant that will shock him

-into wakefulness and perhaps do more harm than good. I’ll make him as

-comfortable as I can and we’ll just wait for him to rouse.”

-

-The burns and cuts were dressed, Koku being of great service because he

-could lift and move Tom as if the young man were a baby. Yet Tom was of

-husky build, strong and muscular. The giant made an ideal nurse in a

-case like this, though Eradicate, who had a deep love for Tom Swift,

-fluttered eagerly about, anxious to do something to help. Mrs. Baggert

-had him bring hot water and bandages, and this gave Eradicate as much

-pleasure as Koku found in ministering more personally to his young

-master.

-

-After the first alarm over Tom’s condition was over and when it was

-apparent that there was no immediate danger, Mr. Swift went out to see

-what damage had been done and if there was any further danger from the

-fire and explosion.

-

-The flames, by this time, were subdued. There had been a second but

-slight, explosion. This, however, did little damage, as the force of it

-was directed toward the outer corridor, part of the wall of which was

-blown away. The greatest force of the first explosion, likewise, had

-been in the same direction, and though the door of Tom’s private

-laboratory had been stove in and some of his valuable apparatus

-scattered about and burned, fortunately no great damage was done to the

-secret room.

-

-Ascertaining this and knowing how jealously Tom guarded the new secret,

-Mr. Swift had some of the men nail the laboratory up, an improvised door

-being made and boards being fastened over the shattered windows.

-

-Tom had been blown through a window in the corridor outside his

-laboratory. But, luckily, the window was up at the bottom, and Tom had

-shot through a wire mosquito screen instead of through the glass. In

-spite of this, and the fact that he had landed in a clump of deep, thick

-grass, the young inventor had not come off scatheless from the accident.

-

-“Things aren’t as bad as they seemed at first, Mr. Swift,” reported Mr.

-Jackson a few hours after the explosion. “The fire is all out now and

-Tom’s things don’t seem to be much damaged. I’ve got several men on

-guard. They’ll stay there the rest of the night.”

-

-“It will soon be morning,” murmured the old gentleman. “Thank you,

-Jackson.”

-

-“I wonder how much longer Tom will remain unconscious?” Mr. Swift said,

-entering the sickroom and glancing toward the bed on which his son lay.

-

-“I think he is coming around now,” said the doctor softly, as he moved

-to his patient’s side. “Yes, he is coming out of it,” he added. “How do

-you feel?” he asked as Tom opened his eyes and stared about.

-

-“Pretty—pretty—rocky,” was the husky answer. “What—what happened?” he

-asked in a stronger voice. Then, as recollection came back to him, Tom

-went on: “I remember now. There was an explosion just as I was coming

-out of my laboratory. Is it gone? Is everything gone?” and he tried to

-get up. Dr. Layton pushed him back.

-

-“Now lie still,” said the doctor. “Things aren’t half as bad as you

-think, and you’re not much hurt.”

-

-“I don’t care about myself!” declared Tom fiercely. “But if that

-new—that machine is blown up—” He looked anxiously at his father, the

-only other person in the room who knew about the secret of the

-talking-picture invention.

-

-“It’s all right, Tom,” the aged inventor made haste to say. “The door

-and windows of your laboratory were blown out and some of your apparatus

-damaged by the fire and explosion. But your—the main object is all

-right,” he finished, and Tom understood.

-

-Before Tom could ask any more questions, Dr. Layton administered a

-sedative to quiet his patient’s nerves, and, after a few more questions

-had been answered to the satisfaction of the young inventor, he sank

-back into a sleep.

-

-Not before, however, he had told his father and the others that he had

-no idea what had caused the explosion and fire.

-

-“Was it an electrical blast?” Mr. Swift wanted to know. He was aware

-that often a high tension current may act almost like a blast of

-dynamite.

-

-“I think not,” Tom had said. “I examined my wires the last thing, after

-Greenbaum had left the building, and they were all right. The explosion

-seemed to be coincident with my opening of the door.”

-

-“It were a bomb! Dat’s whut it were—a bomb!” declared Eradicate. “An’

-ef I kotches de feller whut done planted it I——”

-

-“That will do now, Rad,” whispered Mrs. Baggert. “Tom must be kept

-quiet.”

-

-The injured young inventor was now sleeping quietly, and Dr. Layton said

-he would remain until morning to see how Tom was when he awakened again.

-Then, the fire being out and no more danger appearing, the house became

-quiet.

-

-But Mr. Swift had a worried, anxious air. He could not account for that

-explosion. Some more of Tom’s enemies must be at work, was the

-conclusion of the aged inventor.

-

-The sun was rising and Tom was just awakening again when the telephone

-rang. Mrs. Baggert, answering it, brought word that Mary Nestor was on

-the wire and wanted to know how badly Tom was hurt.

-

-“How’d she hear about it?” Tom demanded when he was prevented from

-answering the call in person.

-

-“Why, it seems,” reported the housekeeper, “that the town

-fire-department responded to the alarm. However, they weren’t needed, as

-your own men put out the blaze, Mr. Swift. However, it was rumored that

-you were hurt and Mary heard of it. What shall I tell her?”

-

-“Tell her I’m all right and that I’ll be over as soon as I can get

-dressed,” Tom answered.

-

-“No you won’t!” chuckled Dr. Layton. “You’re not badly hurt, but I’m

-taking no chances with you and you’ll stay in bed all day. Miss Nestor

-can call here if she likes,” he conceded, with a smile.

-

-“Thanks for that favor,” and Tom smiled in answer. “Tell her, please,

-Mrs. Baggert.”

-

-“I will,” and the housekeeper hurried back to the telephone.

-

-A further inspection of Tom’s injuries by daylight did not reveal them

-as any worse than the first diagnosis indicated and Dr. Layton said that

-his patient would be up and about in a few days.

-

-“And when I am things are going to hum!” declared Tom.

-

-He had finished a light breakfast and the medical man was preparing to

-depart when the telephone rang again.

-

-“If that’s Mary I’m going to speak to her!” exclaimed Tom.

-

-“But it isn’t,” said Mrs. Baggert, with a smile, coming in from the hall

-outside Tom’s room, the telephone being installed in a booth in the

-corridor. “It’s Mr. Newton.”

-

-“Ned?” exclaimed Tom Swift.

-

-“No, not Ned—his father,” replied the housekeeper. “He wants to know

-when Ned will be home.”

-

-“When Ned will be home!” exclaimed Tom, in bewildered surprise. “Why, I

-thought he was at home now. He left me before midnight to go home.”

-

-“He isn’t there,” said Mrs. Baggert. “Mr. Newton says Ned hasn’t been

-home all night and he thought he must be here, as he often stays all

-night, you know.”

-

-“Yes, I know,” admitted Tom, with a puzzled look on his face. “But he

-didn’t stay last night. He started for home. He was dead tired from

-helping me. Ask Mr. Newton if he is sure Ned isn’t sleeping soundly in

-his own room.”

-

-Mrs. Baggert went back to the telephone. In a few moments she came back.

-

-“Ned seems to have disappeared,” she announced. “He didn’t come home or

-send any word. Mr. Newton is quite worried. He wants to talk to you.”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER III

-                               SUSPICIONS

-

-

-TOM SWIFT looked at Dr. Layton. The medical man had paused in his

-departure on hearing the telephone bell and the ensuing talk.

-

-“Doctor,” began Tom, “I don’t want to disobey your advice, but I’ve

-simply got to talk to Ned’s father. Something may have happened. I’m

-beginning to get worried. There may be more at the bottom of this than

-just an accidental explosion in my laboratory.”

-

-“I’d rather you stayed in bed,” said the physician. “You oughtn’t to

-move around so soon after such a shock. Can’t you move the telephone in

-here?”

-

-“I’ll get an extension wire that I have in my room and plug it in,”

-offered Mr. Swift, and while Mrs. Baggert was telling Mr. Newton that

-Tom would soon speak to him, Mr. Swift, with the help of Eradicate,

-quickly had an extension telephone rigged up at Tom’s bedside. Then the

-young inventor talked to the father of his business manager.

-

-“Are you sure, Mr. Newton, that Ned isn’t in the house, sleeping his

-head off?” was Tom’s first question.

-

-“No, he isn’t here,” was the worried answer. “When he didn’t come down

-to breakfast we didn’t think anything of it at first, as he was going to

-be at your place late, he said, and we wanted to let him get as much

-rest as he could.

-

-“But when we looked into his room a little while ago to see how he was

-sleeping, he wasn’t there. His mother said that she hadn’t heard him

-come in during the night, but even then we weren’t alarmed. We thought

-he had spent the night with you, as he so often does.”

-

-“No,” Tom said slowly, “Ned isn’t here. He left my laboratory somewhere

-around midnight and I thought he was going straight home. But wait a

-minute!” Tom exclaimed as a new idea came to him. “I just happened to

-think. He might have gone to see Miss Morton and have stayed there all

-night, being too tired to pull up and head for home.”

-

-Ned Newton was engaged to Miss Morton and, more than once after calling

-there and finding himself stormbound, he had been persuaded by her

-parents to remain over night.

-

-“I think you’ll find him there,” suggested Tom, though in his heart he

-remembered that Ned had said it was too late to go to see Helen.

-Besides, he had had no positive engagement with her. “Call up the

-Mortons,” was Tom’s final suggestion.

-

-“I will,” agreed Mr. Newton. “Thanks.”

-

-Tom had no sooner finished his breakfast, following the departure of Dr.

-Layton, than the extension telephone rang again, and once more Mr.

-Newton was on the line.

-

-“Ned wasn’t at Helen’s,” the father of the mysteriously missing young

-man reported. “Oh, Tom, what do you think could have happened?”

-

-The young inventor was at a loss for an answer. Rapidly he reviewed the

-situation in his mind. Ned had left the laboratory, he was sure of

-that—or, wait a moment, was he? He had not seen Ned go out, but had

-taken it for granted that such had occurred. Then Tom had puzzled a bit

-over his latest invention before starting for his house. Then had come

-the explosion and——

-

-Perhaps Ned had not left the laboratory. He may have gone to one of the

-private rooms and turned in there. Tom kept two bedrooms in this

-building for the use of himself and his manager when they were working

-late at night and did not want to disturb the main household. That might

-be it. Ned might be asleep in the laboratory.

-

-“Wait a few minutes, Mr. Newton,” Tom advised over the wire. “I have

-just thought of something. It is barely possible that Ned didn’t start

-for home after all last night. He isn’t at our house, but he may be in

-the laboratory. I’ll send out and have a search made. I’ll call you up

-in a few minutes.”

-

-“All right, Tom. But what’s this I’ve heard about a fire at your place

-last night?”

-

-“Oh, there was a little blaze—it didn’t amount to anything,” was the

-reply. Tom said nothing about the explosion. He wanted to minimize the

-damage, and he believed what had been told him, that it really did not

-amount to much.

-

-“Koku,” he called to the giant, “you and Rad hurry out to my laboratory

-and look for Mr. Newton. He may be in one of the bedrooms, asleep.”

-

-“Asleep, Tom, after that explosion?” exclaimed Mr. Swift incredulously.

-

-The telephone receiver had been hung back on the hook, so Mr. Newton

-heard none of this talk.

-

-“It doesn’t seem possible,” Tom had to admit to his father; “but still I

-can’t account for Ned’s disappearance in any other way. He was dead

-tired and he may have slept through the fire and explosion. We’ll soon

-find out. I wish I could go and take a look for myself.”

-

-“No, you stay here!” his father ordered. “Obey the doctor’s advice. Koku

-and Rad will find Ned if he’s to be found.”

-

-The giant and negro came back soon, to report that there was no sign of

-Ned in the laboratory.

-

-“Perhaps he may have returned home by this time,” suggested Mr. Swift.

-“Better call up and find out.”

-

-“There is just a bare possibility—” said Tom musingly, as he reached

-for the ’phone, “there is just a bare chance that Ned took the midnight

-train for New York to get the selenium.”

-

-“Took the midnight train to get selenium!” exclaimed Mr. Swift. “What do

-you mean?”

-

-“Well, I needed some more sensitive selenium for my—for my—new

-experiment,” Tom said, knowing his father would understand he was

-speaking of the talking-picture machine. “Ned knew about it and planned

-to go after it to-day. When he left me last night he may have decided

-suddenly to keep right on to New York. I think I’ll tell his father

-that.”

-

-“Do you really believe it, Tom?”

-

-“No, Dad, I don’t. But I don’t want Mr. Newton to give up hope until I

-can get on the job myself and help hunt for Ned. Even at that there is a

-bare chance he did go to New York. I’ll suggest that to his father.”

-

-Mr. Newton received this ray of hope gratefully and Tom was glad he had

-thought of it, though he knew it was only a shadow. If Ned really had

-taken the midnight train, which was possible, there ought to come a

-message from him soon reporting on the selenium matter. Also, Ned, being

-a home-loving young man, would naturally be expected to send word to his

-family about his return.

-

-“It will only hold matters back for a short time at best,” said Tom to

-his father. “But I didn’t imagine my laboratory was burned enough to

-destroy the bedrooms. Do you think there is much more damage, Jackson?”

-

-“Not to your laboratory,” was the reassuring reply. “You see, after the

-explosion the flames shot up at the back before we knew it, and the

-draft sucked them in through the bedroom windows. So the upper part of

-the place was worse burned than the lower. But Ned Newton was not in

-there.”

-

-“I’m glad of that,” Tom said.

-

-He was beginning to feel the strain of what he had gone through, and he

-was glad when, a little later, Mary Nestor and her father motored over

-to see him.

-

-Mr. Nestor had some time before taken a long trip North for his health,

-a trip that had greatly improved his condition.

-

-“Oh, Tom, what happened?” exclaimed Mary when she saw him in bed, all

-bandaged up.

-

-“That’s what I’d like to know,” he answered, with a smile. “It was like

-a premature Fourth of July celebration.”

-

-“Are you much hurt?” the girl faltered.

-

-“Nothing more than shock and scratches,” Tom answered. “I’ll be up and

-around in another day.”

-

-However, it was three days before Dr. Layton would allow Tom to get out

-of bed. Meanwhile nothing had been heard from Ned Newton. He had not

-gone to New York, that was evident, unless something had happened to him

-there, and he was not around Shopton, the town on Lake Carlopa where the

-Swifts’ large plant was located.

-

-“It’s mighty queer,” said the worried Mr. Newton, when Tom was forced to

-admit that his New York theory was useless. “Where could he be keeping

-himself?”

-

-“I can’t imagine,” Tom said. He was much broken up over the

-disappearance of his chum. He knew Ned well enough to know that he was

-not staying away from choice, though Tom did not communicate his

-suspicions to Mr. Newton.

-

-As soon as Tom was able, he went out to the laboratory. The scene of

-ruin on the lower floor was not so bad as he had feared, but the back

-and upper part of the laboratory was pretty well burned away. Then Tom

-had the improvised nailed-up door removed so he might enter the room

-where he had set up his talking-picture machine.

-

-“I hope it’s all right,” the young inventor murmured as he approached

-the apparatus. “They said it was, after the fire and explosion, but——”

-

-He gave a cry of dismay as he saw that, though the main part of the

-marvelous new machine was intact, the force of the explosion had wrecked

-the delicate mechanism that he depended on to prevent any but authorized

-owners of the apparatus from using it. Tom’s secret invention was badly

-damaged. In addition, all the new radio tubes, of a kind never before

-used, had been shattered by the blast.

-

-“This sure is tough luck!” murmured Tom Swift. “This knocks me out! The

-fire wasn’t so bad, but the explosion—whew! This certainly is tough!

-But I’ll work double time and soon have it in shape again, and better

-than ever. Luckily, I have duplicate parts of that secret check

-apparatus, and I can get new tubes, though it will take time.”

-

-“You’d better go slow, Tom,” advised his father, who had come into the

-partly wrecked private room with his son. “First thing you know, you’ll

-blow yourself to pieces with these experiments of yours.”

-

-“It was no experiment of mine, Dad, that caused the explosion here!”

-said Tom decidedly.

-

-“It wasn’t?”

-

-“No. All my wires were in good shape. It was some outside force that did

-the damage. I believe some one planted an infernal machine in here,

-Dad!”

-

-“You do, Tom? Whom do you suspect?”

-

-“I—I hardly know what to say,” was the slow answer. “But I have one man

-in mind. Where’s Clark?” he asked suddenly, naming a young workman who

-was much in Tom’s confidence.

-

-“I’ll send him to you,” Mr. Swift offered. “What’s the matter, Tom? What

-are you going to have Clark do?”

-

-“Some detective work,” was the low answer.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER IV

-                           A STRANGE MESSAGE

-

-

-TOM SWIFT sank wearily into a chair, facing his damaged talking-picture

-machine. That it was very seriously damaged was plainer to the eyes of

-the young inventor than to those even of his father, who was one of

-three persons aware of what great changes the new machine was destined

-to bring about. But Tom rallied and from the ruins of his invention saw

-mentally, rising like the fabled Phoenix from its own ashes, a new and

-better piece of apparatus.

-

-“Maybe, after all,” mused Tom, “this will turn out better than it looked

-at first sight. I already have an idea for some improvements in the new

-machine I’m going to start—as soon as I’m able,” he added somewhat

-grimly.

-

-“Tom, you’d better go back to bed!” exclaimed his father anxiously. “You

-know Dr. Layton said——”

-

-“Oh, I’m all right!” protested the young inventor. “I’m going slow. I do

-feel a bit pulled out, but I don’t intend to do any work. However, I’m

-on the track of something, and it’s got to be followed up.”

-

-“Then you think this was deliberately done, Tom?” asked Mr. Swift as he

-finished sending a message to have Jim Clark sent to Tom’s private

-quarters.

-

-“I’m almost positive of it,” was the reply. “And I have under suspicion

-a certain man.”

-

-“Who?” asked Mr. Swift in a low voice, making sure no one was near the

-shattered door.

-

-“Greenbaum,” was the equally low answer.

-

-“Why, I thought he was one of your best workers, Tom!” exclaimed Mr.

-Swift in surprise.

-

-“So he is, in his own particular line. But now that I think matters

-over, I see that there is a chance he had something to do with this

-explosion. He was here in the laboratory just before it happened. He and

-I and Ned Newton were the only ones here, as a matter of fact. Ned has

-disappeared, and that’s worrying me, but I’ll come to that feature in

-due time. I guess Ned can look after himself, though his disappearance

-is certainly mysterious, coupled with everything else that’s happened.

-But when I stop to think about Greenbaum being here just before the

-explosion——”

-

-“But, Tom,” interrupted his father, “I thought you said Greenbaum went

-before you locked up and came home.”

-

-“Apparently he did. But he may have come back. That’s what I want Clark

-to do—a bit of detective work to find out if Greenbaum went to his

-boarding house and stayed there. If he did——”

-

-The entrance, at that moment, of the young workman in whom Tom placed

-much confidence brought a sudden end to the talk.

-

-“You sent for me, Mr. Swift?” asked Clark, with a smile. “Is it about

-the new negative gravity machine I’m working on?”

-

-“Not this time, Clark,” answered Tom, motioning the young fellow to take

-a chair near the scorched desk which was not far from the shattered

-talking-picture machine. That apparatus had, however, been covered from

-prying eyes. “I want you to do a bit of detective work, if you will,”

-went on the young inventor.

-

-Without telling just why he wanted the information, Tom instructed his

-agent to find out in secret something about Greenbaum, seeking to learn

-just what the man did on the night of the explosion.

-

-“I get you!” exclaimed Clark, with ready wit. “I’m wise all right. I’ll

-shadow him if you want me to.”

-

-“No, don’t dog him,” objected Tom. “Just trace his movements. You can

-tell your foreman you’re working for me and it will be all right.”

-

-With Clark dispatched on this mission, Tom took from the partial wreck

-of his new apparatus such pieces as were vital for rebuilding it and

-then, asking his father to have the laboratory cleaned up and put in

-working shape again, Tom went back to his bedroom.

-

-Truth to tell, he was pretty well fagged out, not so much physically as

-mentally. The shock both to his hopes and his body, as well as worry

-over Ned’s disappearance, was beginning to tell.

-

-“Hadn’t you better give this up, Tom?” asked his father as, having set

-men to putting the laboratory to rights, he went to his son’s room where

-he found Tom stretched out on a long sofa.

-

-“Give what up, Dad? You mean trying to find out who blew me up and why

-Ned is missing? Give those problems up?”

-

-“No, I mean work on this new talking-picture machine of yours. I don’t

-believe it will ever work, Tom.”

-

-“But it has worked, Dad!” exclaimed the young man, with enthusiasm.

-“Only about an hour before Ned left and the explosion happened, I got a

-pretty fine record of what Ned did in the theater room,” for so Tom

-called the apartment with its battery of bright lights where the young

-manager had sung and danced.

-

-“You heard Ned’s voice?” asked Mr. Swift.

-

-“Perfectly,” declared Tom. “Saw him, too. But the vision was not as

-clear as it’s got to be to make this a commercial success. But I know

-how to improve it, and I’m going to. I can’t give that up, Dad!”

-

-“It might be better if you did, Tom.”

-

-“Better? How?”

-

-“Well, for your own safety. You’re using powerful electrical currents

-and you’ve had one explosion already; so——”

-

-“But didn’t I tell you, Dad,” and Tom smiled tolerantly, “that this

-explosion was none of my doing? Nothing went wrong with the wires. They

-were all in shape and I was just opening the door when something went

-off. It was something that was set, too—a bomb, if I guess aright.”

-

-“All the more reason for giving it up, Tom.”

-

-“What do you mean, Dad?”

-

-“I mean that perhaps some one, or perhaps a number of persons, don’t

-want this new invention to succeed. Think what it will mean to the

-moving picture industry if you can give people in their own homes

-entertainment such as the big theaters present. And where will the

-theaters come out if their high-priced shows can be picked up by every

-one who buys one of your machines?”

-

-“That’s their lookout,” said Tom. “It was said that the radio would kill

-the phonograph; and it nearly did, but the phonograph folks came back

-strong.”

-

-“This is different, Tom.”

-

-“Yes, I know it is—different and better. No, I’m not going to back out,

-bombs or no bombs! Besides, Dad, you must realize that we are in this

-thing pretty deep.”

-

-“Deep, Tom? What do you mean?”

-

-“I mean we have a large amount of money tied up in this thing—more than

-I like to think about. I’ve just got to come through with it to break

-even.”

-

-“Well, Tom, I suppose you know best,” said the aged inventor, with

-rather a weary smile. “But be careful of yourself.”

-

-When Mrs. Baggert had put new bandages on some of Tom’s burns and he had

-taken a little rest, he called up Ned’s home, only to learn that no word

-had come from him. His parents were greatly worried, for Ned was not

-selfish and was not the kind of young man to remain long away from home

-without sending word.

-

-“He may have decided to take a little unannounced vacation,” Tom told

-Mr. Newton, “and have gone to the country. He may have sent word and the

-letter or the message has failed to arrive. Shall I notify the police?”

-

-“No, not yet,” decided Mr. Newton. “Ned may be all right and he’d hate

-any police notoriety. We’ll wait a few days.”

-

-The few days that followed were anxious ones, not only for Ned’s

-parents, but also for Tom Swift. He had a double worry, divided between

-the disappearance of his trusted chum and manager and concern over the

-wreck of his new apparatus. The latter worry was more easily disposed

-of, however, though it meant hard work and delay.

-

-Tom set some of his most trusted men at the labor of reconstructing the

-new apparatus, but in such a way that the secret could not be come at.

-Only certain unimportant parts were given out, and Tom and his father

-would make the more vital sections.

-

-Since Tom already had on the market a telephoto machine and had also

-made several varieties of moving picture projectors, it was not a hard

-matter to let it casually be known that the new apparatus was an attempt

-to improve either or both of the old inventions. Thus was gossip stilled

-about the big Swift plant.

-

-Tom, however, did not know what to think about Greenbaum. The day after

-the explosion the man was lamenting loudly that some of his own

-experimental apparatus, which he was working on for the Swift firm, had

-been destroyed in the fire and blast.

-

-“And,” said Tom, telling his father about it, “since I have promised him

-a large bonus if he works out that magnetic gear shift, it doesn’t seem

-reasonable that he would set a bomb that might destroy the results of

-his own hard work.”

-

-“No, Tom, it doesn’t.”

-

-“And yet I can’t help suspecting him,” mused the young inventor. “He is

-as friendly as ever, and seems anxious to help me. But there is

-something furtive in his manner and in his looks.”

-

-“Did Clark find out anything?”

-

-“Only that Greenbaum went straight to his boarding place from here and

-did not go out again that night. He was at home when the explosion took

-place.”

-

-“Then that clears him, Tom.”

-

-“No, Dad, it doesn’t. He could easily have planted a time bomb or rigged

-one up that was operated when I opened the door. I shall still suspect

-him. But I’ve got something else to do now.”

-

-“What is that?”

-

-“I want to see how Jackson is coming on with the new radio tubes he is

-making for the talking-picture machine and I’ve got to do something

-about Ned. His unexplained absence for so long a time is getting serious

-now. It doesn’t seem possible that he is remaining away voluntarily

-without sending some word.”

-

-“No, Tom, it doesn’t. What do you think?” and Mr. Swift looked up from

-his work. He was making some delicate tests with a galvanometer in the

-laboratory, which had been cleaned out and temporarily fitted up to be

-used again.

-

-“I’m thinking, Dad, that perhaps Ned, in some way, was concerned with

-the fire and explosion.”

-

-“Tom! You don’t mean that Ned——”

-

-“Oh, of course I don’t mean that he set it, Dad!” and Tom laughed at his

-father’s shocked face. “I mean that the same rascals who tried to blow

-me up kidnapped Ned.”

-

-“Kidnapped a young man like Ned Newton! A strong, husky chap——”

-

-“They may have caught him napping,” said Tom. “Anyhow, I’ve got to do

-something. Ned’s folks are much worried.”

-

-“Why don’t you go to the police?”

-

-“I think a private detective would be better. Or, best of all, I’ll get

-Clark and set out on the trail myself. I’ve got things begun on the

-rebuilding of my new machine now, and I’ve really got to do something

-about Ned.”

-

-“I agree with you, Tom. I was just wondering——”

-

-What he wondered Mr. Swift never stated, as at that moment a voice was

-heard out in the corridor, saying:

-

-“Bless my storage battery, you needn’t show me the way in, Eradicate! I

-guess I can find Tom Swift, or what’s left of him! My! My! It must have

-been terrible! Bless my stick of dynamite! So they tried to blow Tom

-up!”

-

-“It’s Mr. Damon!” said Mr. Swift, smiling at his son.

-

-“No need for him to send in a card!” chuckled the young inventor. “His

-voice and talk give him away. Come in, Mr. Damon!” he called, and the

-door opened to give entrance to the eccentric, kindly old gentleman who,

-indirectly, had been the means of Tom’s starting on his great inventive

-career.

-

-“Bless my handkerchief, Tom!” exclaimed Mr. Damon, vigorously mopping

-his face with the linen article in question, while he held out one hand

-to the young inventor. “What’s all this I hear about you? I just got

-back from a Western trip and my wife tells me you were blown sky high,

-that your plant was demolished, and that the whole business is in ruins.

-Bless my insurance policies! Whew!”

-

-“Not quite so bad as that,” Tom answered, with a laugh.

-

-“But something happened, bless my thermometer if it didn’t!” declared

-Mr. Damon, pointing to a bandage on Tom’s left hand.

-

-“Yes, there was an accident,” and in a few words Tom told what had

-happened, without, however, making mention of the new machine, which was

-too deep a secret as yet for even so close a friend as the eccentric man

-to share. “But it might have been worse,” concluded the young man. “And,

-as a matter of fact, that isn’t the worst that’s happened.”

-

-“No, Tom? What else? Bless my spectacles!”

-

-“Ned Newton has mysteriously vanished,” said Tom, with a serious face,

-and he told as much as he knew about the strange occurrence.

-

-“That’s terrible!” declared Mr. Damon. “It’s the worst outrage I ever

-heard of! But I came back just in time, Tom Swift.”

-

-“Time for what?”

-

-“To help you hunt for Ned! Now, don’t stop me! I’m going to do it. I’ll

-devote all my time and half my fortune to finding my young friend and

-your chum. Tell me more about it.”

-

-“I’ve told you all I know, which isn’t much,” Tom answered. “But suppose

-we go to the house. I’m about through here,” and he looked around the

-laboratory, asking his father to close and lock it when he left. “We’ll

-go over to the house, Mr. Damon.”

-

-“Yes, I want to pay my respects to Mrs. Baggert. But I can’t get over

-your accident and the kidnapping of Ned. Why, bless my——”

-

-But Mr. Damon had no time to complete his pet phrase, for half way up

-the path to the house Tom and his friend saw an old man coming toward

-them, ragged and unkempt—a veritable tramp. He held in his outstretched

-hand a dirty piece of paper.

-

-“Is this Mr. Tom Swift?” asked the ragged man, looking at Mr. Damon.

-

-“No, I am,” answered the owner of the name.

-

-“Then I have a strange message for you,” went on the tramp in whining

-tones. “And if you see fit to reward me for bringing it, I’d be glad,

-for I’m a poor old codger and I’m hungry——”

-

-Tom Swift hastily took the dirty piece of paper and uttered an

-exclamation of surprise as he read what was scrawled on it.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER V

-                         ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL

-

-

-“WHAT’S the matter, Tom?” asked Mr. Damon, for he could not fail to note

-the agitation of the young inventor on reading the strange message

-brought by so strange a messenger. “Bless my favorite detective story,

-but you act as though you had news!”

-

-“I hope it proves to be good news and true news,” said Tom, looking

-sharply at the whining old man. “Read that, Mr. Damon!”

-

-Tom thrust the dirty piece of paper into the extended hand of the

-eccentric man. Slowly, for the writing was not very clear, Mr. Damon

-read:

-

-    “Take this to Tom Swift and receive ten dollars. Help. Am

-    prisoner at Smith place. Brick house—flat roof—three cherry

-    trees—old stone well. Ned Newton.”

-

-“Why—why—” faltered Mr. Damon, turning the paper over, “it’s

-from—from Ned Newton, who’s missing. It’s from him!”

-

-“It _purports_ to be,” said Tom in a low voice, looking at the old man

-who was rubbing with a lean hand a chin very much in need of the good

-offices of a razor. “But it may be a hoax.”

-

-“Is it Ned’s writing?” asked Mr. Damon.

-

-“Let me look at it again,” suggested the young inventor. “I was so

-surprised by the import of the message that I didn’t pay much attention

-to the handwriting.” He scrutinized it closely and said in a low voice

-to his odd friend: “It’s Ned’s scribbling all right. No one else makes a

-capital N just like Ned. Where did you get this?” he asked the old man

-sharply.

-

-“In a field, boss. I picked it up and I made out to read it. I saw your

-name on it and I made some inquiries and folks directed me here. It’s

-been a long walk, and I’m tired and hungry and——”

-

-“We’ll see that you don’t lose anything by what you did if this turns

-out to be no fake,” said Tom, still a bit sternly. “It will be worth a

-good deal more than ten dollars to you if this leads to the finding of

-my helper. Now tell me straight, where did you get this?”

-

-“In the field, boss, I told you.”

-

-“What field?”

-

-“About five miles from here, over Cherry Valley way. I’m on the

-tramp—there’s no use lying to you—I’m a sort of a bum, but it ain’t

-all my fault. I work at helping on a farm when I can, but there’s been

-so much rain lately I couldn’t get much to do.”

-

-“He’s right there—it has rained a lot,” said Mr. Damon.

-

-“Sure it has, boss. I’ve been tramping around and I was cooking a little

-meal in a field over Cherry Valley way when I picked up this paper. I

-can read—I went to school once,” he said, with a flash of pride, but it

-was only a brief flash. “I read what it said and I asked my way here.”

-

-“How did the paper get in the field?” asked Tom. “Did it blow there?”

-

-“No, boss, it come down on a kite.”

-

-“On a _kite_?” cried Mr. Damon. “Bless my phonograph, but he’s hoaxing

-you, Tom! Pay no attention to him. It’s all a trick to get money out of

-you.”

-

-But the old man did not appear to be one who would play a joke, and his

-face was grave as he made the surprising statement about the kite. Also

-there was about him a pathetic, hungry, hoping look as he glanced at Tom

-Swift.

-

-“You say this message came down in a field on a _kite_?” asked Tom, and

-his voice though at first stern, was now kinder, for he felt sorry for

-the old codger.

-

-“Yes, boss, in a field where I was roasting some ears of corn a farmer

-said I could have. They was almost roasted when down out of the air

-swooped this kite. First I thought some boys must ’a’ been playing

-around there and it got away from them. But I didn’t see no boys. Then I

-picked up the kite and this message was on it.”

-

-“You mean this message was tied to the tail or to the string of the kite

-itself?”

-

-“No, it wasn’t tied on. It was part of the kite—part of the paper the

-kite was made of. There wasn’t no string to speak of. Looked to me like

-the kite broke away. This message was writ right on the paper of the

-kite. It was partly tore off so I finished ripping it loose, and put it

-in my pocket.”

-

-“Where’s the remainder of the kite?” asked Tom. He was going to prove

-this strange tale to the very bottom.

-

-“Here ’tis.” The shuffling old tramp drew from a pocket of his ragged

-coat a tangled mass of broken sticks, brown paper and string.

-

-Tom took the tattered stuff and smoothed it out. Slowly he assembled it

-into a small kite of the kind that needs no tail to be sent up, a curve

-of the cross stick and the consequent bellying of the loose paper

-serving to hold the wind against the kite’s surface. From the center of

-the kite a piece of the paper had been torn. This piece was represented

-by the fragment containing the message appealing for help. Tom fitted it

-in and proved that this part of the old tramp’s tale was true.

-

-“It looks as if there might be something in it, Tom,” said Mr. Damon.

-

-“Yes. But whether this will help us find Ned or not is another question.

-You say this kite was blown to where you were in the field?” Tom asked

-the old fellow.

-

-“Yes, boss. It come down right near my fire.”

-

-“From which direction?”

-

-The tramp considered for a moment and answered.

-

-“Right from the south.”

-

-Tom knew that the prevailing winds at this time of year in the vicinity

-of Shopton, where he lived, were from the south. So far the tramp had

-not tripped himself up.

-

-“What do you make of it, Tom?” asked the eccentric man as he began an

-examination of the remains of the kite.

-

-“I don’t know what to think,” was the reply. “This is most certainly

-from Ned, and he seems to be a prisoner on the ‘Smith place,’ wherever

-that is.”

-

-“Maybe I can help you out there,” broke in the tramp. “I asked some

-questions before I started off to locate you, and I heard that about a

-mile from Cherry Valley is an abandoned farm known as the Smith place.”

-

-“Good!” cried Tom. “I’m beginning to believe you, my man. If this works

-out it will be the best day’s work you’ve done for a long time.”

-

-“But, Tom!” objected Mr. Damon who, in spite of his eccentricities was

-hard-headed when it came to business. “Assuming, Tom, that Ned is a

-prisoner on the Smith place, how could he fly this kite to ask for help?

-Maybe this man is just making up that part of the story. He may be one

-of those who helped kidnap Ned and have brought this message from the

-captors.”

-

-“No, boss, honest to goodness I don’t know nothin’ about no kidnappin’!”

-cried the tramp, with vehement earnestness. “It was just as I told

-you—I picked that kite up in the field at Cherry Valley.”

-

-“It may have happened as this man says,” Tom said to Mr. Damon. “If Ned

-is a prisoner in some old farmhouse, he may be confined in an upper

-room. From there he could loose this kite and, on a windy day, it might

-be blown several miles.”

-

-“But how could he make a kite and fly it without being seen?” asked Mr.

-Damon. “And, when it comes to that, how could he make a kite, anyhow, if

-he’s a prisoner?”

-

-“It wasn’t much of a trick to make this kite,” replied Tom as he

-examined the remains of it again. “It’s made of a section torn from a

-paper bag, with sticks whittled off a window casing, I should say. Ned

-could do the whittling with his knife—he always carries one. Probably

-they brought him food in a paper bag, tied with a string. This looks

-like grocery store string,” he added, pulling out some strands from the

-tangled mess of sticks and paper.

-

-“I see, Tom.”

-

-“Well, having decided to the best of our knowledge that this message

-really comes from Ned and that he is a prisoner at the Smith place, the

-next thing to do is to rescue him. Will you come with us and show us

-just where you picked up this message kite?” he asked the old tramp.

-

-“Sure I will, boss, but I’m——”

-

-“I know! You’re tired and hungry!” interrupted the young inventor. “I’ll

-see that you get a rest and some food, and you’ll be paid well. We can’t

-start at once—a few preparations are necessary. We’ve got to organize a

-searching party and hit the trail after Ned.”

-

-“And I’m going with you!” cried Mr. Damon. “No, not a word—don’t forbid

-me!” he begged as he saw Tom hesitate. “I’m going!”

-

-“As you think best,” Tom Swift agreed. “But we’ll have to do

-considerable before we can get ready. I think I’ll take Koku along,” he

-said.

-

-“Good idea!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He’ll be a match for any four men that

-may be holding Ned a prisoner. But why did they capture him, Tom? Answer

-me that!”

-

-“I wish I could,” was the musing answer. “I don’t know what to think.

-I’m afraid there’s a deeper plot in all this than I had any idea of at

-first. Starting with the attempt to blow me up, then Ned’s

-disappearance—I’m afraid it means that some one objects, very strongly,

-to my perfecting—well, what I am perfecting,” Tom concluded, not

-wishing to name his latest invention.

-

-“Well, let’s get going!” begged Mr. Damon, with the eagerness and

-enthusiasm of a boy. “Now don’t you run away!” he playfully ordered the

-old tramp.

-

-“Not much chance of that, boss. I’m too weak hardly to walk, let alone

-running.”

-

-“We’ll soon fix you up,” declared Tom, “in the way of food, anyhow. And

-you won’t need to walk. We’ll go in my electric runabout to the Smith

-place and get Ned out of the hands of these scoundrels.”

-

-In spite of Tom’s haste in making preparations, it was not until the

-next morning that he was able to take the mysterious trail that he hoped

-would lead to his kidnapped chum. In the first place, the old tramp was

-really so weak from lack of food and from his long walk that Dr. Layton

-said it would not be wise to start out with him as a guide until he had

-had a night’s rest and plenty of nourishing food.

-

-Then a slight accident occurred in one of the shops and Tom had to

-straighten that out. It was not serious, however. So, early the morning

-following the receipt of the kite message, Tom, with Mr. Damon, Koku and

-Bill Tagg, as the tramp called himself, started off in the speedy

-electric runabout for Cherry Valley.

-

-Just as they were about to leave, Jacob Greenbaum came hurrying out of

-the private laboratory.

-

-“Are you going away, Mr. Swift?” the man asked.

-

-“Yes,” Tom answered, though he gave no further particulars. The attempt

-to rescue Ned was being kept secret. No information was given out

-concerning the identity of the strange tramp, Bill Tagg, and, aside from

-a private message conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Newton that Ned had been

-heard from, nothing was said about the strange clue. “Yes, Greenbaum, I

-am going away for a little trip. Is there anything you wanted to see me

-about?”

-

-“Yes, Mr. Swift, there is. I’ve reached a critical point in this

-magnetic gear shift model and if you could come in my room——”

-

-There was a strange look in the man’s eyes—a look Tom Swift did not

-like. The man seemed unduly eager to get Tom out of the auto and back

-into the laboratory.

-

-“I haven’t time, Greenbaum,” the young inventor said. “I’ll see you when

-I get back. That gear shift will keep.” With that Tom turned on the

-current and the runabout speeded down the drive. A look back over his

-shoulder showed the man still standing there, with that same eager,

-tense look on his face.

-

-“I think,” said Tom to himself, “that my suspicions of you will soon be

-justified, Greenbaum. But just now I’m on the trail of Ned Newton!”

-

-The motors hummed more shrilly as the runabout gathered speed.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER VI

-                                TOO LATE

-

-

-“THIS is a pretty slick little car, boss,” said Tagg when they had

-passed the confines of Shopton and were heading out into the country.

-“She sure can go! Beats old Shanks’ mare,” and he looked down at his

-legs which had carried him to Tom’s home with the mysterious message.

-

-The tramp had been provided with some decent clothes, he had taken a

-bath and shaved, and was quite a different looking man from the one who

-first encountered Mr. Damon and Tom.

-

-“Yes,” admitted the young inventor as he listened to the hum of the

-small but powerful motors as they received their impulses from the

-storage battery Tom had evolved. “At one time this was the speediest car

-on the road, but I have some now that can beat this.”

-

-“And they aren’t in it with some of the airships Mr. Swift has,”

-remarked Mr. Damon.

-

-“That’s what I want to do before I die, boss,” murmured the tramp. “I

-want to ride in an airship.”

-

-“Well, if we rescue my friend through your help, I’ll see that you have

-your wish,” promised the head of the Swift plant. “It’s easily done.”

-

-“Gee, boss, but I sure would love that!” murmured Bill Tagg.

-

-“Airship—him lots good!” grunted Koku, who sat stolidly on the rear

-seat with the tramp, listening to the talk. Koku was not much given to

-conversation, but when it came to fighting he was as wide awake and as

-lively as heart could wish. Tom had brought the giant along in case

-there should be a fight, which seemed likely. Men who go to the length

-of kidnapping seldom stop there in their desperate ventures. “Lots

-good—airships!” rumbled Koku in his deep voice.

-

-“You ought to know. You came from your country of giants in one,”

-chuckled Mr. Damon, for he well remembered that exciting trip, the

-details of which will be found set down in another volume.

-

-Tom knew the road to Cherry Valley, and it did not take long, in his

-speedy car, to arrive in the vicinity. The entrance to the valley led up

-a long hill, and the car was half way over this rather stiff climb when

-there was a sudden grinding noise from the machinery and the runabout

-stopped.

-

-“Something wrong!” cried Mr. Damon.

-

-“Sounds that way,” admitted Tom as he made a quick turn and let the car

-back slowly down against a tree at the side of the road where it was

-held safely from rolling farther in case the brakes did not hold. In an

-instant the young inventor was out and peering into the interior of his

-runabout.

-

-“Dirty work here!” he exclaimed as he pulled out a twisted piece of

-metal. “See what was in the gears!”

-

-“What?” asked Mr. Damon, who did not know much about machinery, as you

-can guess when you read how he managed the first motorcycle he bought.

-“What is it?”

-

-“A screw driver!” exclaimed Tom. “It was put in here, suspended on a

-piece of rope in such a manner that the rope would gradually wear

-through, letting the screw driver drop into the gears. And that’s just

-what happened! One set of gears is chewed to nothing!”

-

-“That’s bad!” said Mr. Damon. His scant knowledge of machinery was

-sufficient for him to understand that something vitally wrong had

-happened to the car, even if the serious look on Tom’s face had not

-informed him of the same fact. “How did it happen?”

-

-“It didn’t happen—it was caused!” was the answer. “Some one, just

-before we started out, suspended this screw driver in the gear box

-knowing that after we had run a few miles the rope would wear through

-and the thing would drop. Dirty work!”

-

-“You seem to be getting a lot of bad breaks lately, Tom,” said the odd

-man. “Who do you suppose did this?”

-

-“I think it’s the same man I suspect of other things,” was the reply.

-“I’m going to find out.”

-

-“Are we stuck, Tom? Can’t we go on and rescue Ned?” Mr. Damon inquired.

-

-“Oh, yes, we can go on, but we can’t make much speed. I’ll have to run

-in third. Fourth and fifth gears are all chewed up.” It was because of

-its five selective speeds that the electric runabout was such a

-wonderful machine.

-

-“Whoever did this made a little mistake,” chuckled Tom, for he had a

-saving sense of humor. “If they’d fixed it so the screw driver dropped

-into the lower gears we never could have started again once we stopped.

-As it is, we can go on, but we can’t make speed.”

-

-It did not take him long to cut out the two higher gearing mechanism

-attachments, and then the runabout proceeded again. Even at the lowered

-rate its speed was better than that of many gasoline automobiles. And in

-due time the head of the slope was reached. Before the searchers lay

-Cherry Valley which, they hoped, contained the Smith place and the

-captive Ned Newton.

-

-“Now, Tagg, show us the field where you saw the kite come down,”

-requested Tom when they were driving along a level road.

-

-“It’s about a mile farther on,” the tramp said, looking about for

-landmarks. “Yes, just about a mile.”

-

-This distance was soon covered, and when the car was stopped Tagg led

-the way into the field and showed where he had built a fire to roast

-ears of corn. The blackened ashes and the remains of his feast proved

-that, so far, he had spoken the truth. Then he showed just where he had

-picked up the broken kite, and some fragments of the brown-bag paper

-which bore Ned’s message were found among the hills of corn.

-

-“It looks as if we were on the right track,” said Mr. Damon.

-

-“I hope so,” murmured Tom. “Now to locate the Smith place.”

-

-“It’s south of here, about a mile and a half,” said the tramp. “’Tisn’t

-a very good road, though.”

-

-“That won’t keep us back,” declared Tom, and once more they were on the

-way. The runabout was doing fairly well in spite of the handicap of two

-stripped gears.

-

-Cherry Valley was rather a sparsely settled part of the country and as

-Tom and his friends advanced they noticed that it grew more and more

-deserted. They passed one ramshackle farmhouse and learned, on inquiry,

-that they were headed right for the old Smith homestead.

-

-“But they don’t nobody live there now, mister,” said a slattern of a

-woman who shuffled to the door in response to Tom’s knock. “They ain’t

-been nobody livin’ in the Smith place nigh onto four years now.”

-

-“That’s all right—we’ll find it I guess,” responded the young inventor,

-and once more he drove his electric car onward.

-

-Near the end of the valley and adjoining a patch of dense woods, they

-came upon the Smith house. It had once been the home of a prosperous

-farmer, but he had fallen upon evil days and the place had long been

-deserted.

-

-“That’s it!” cried Mr. Damon, catching sight of the old brick house.

-“There it is, three cherry trees, old stone well, and everything just as

-Ned described it.”

-

-“Hush, please! Not so loud!” begged Tom, slowing up his car and guiding

-it behind a clump of trees not far from the house. “If we’re going to

-make a rescue it might be well to take these kidnappers by surprise.”

-

-“Bless my ear trumpet, I never thought of that!” whispered the odd man.

-“Of course! Certainly! Yes! Quiet does it!”

-

-“Can you use a gun?” asked Tom curtly of the tramp.

-

-“Well, boss, I’m not a very good shot, but——”

-

-“I don’t believe there’ll be any need of shooting,” interrupted Tom,

-“but there’s no use taking any chances. Here,” and he handed the tramp

-an automatic pistol, reserving one for himself and giving Mr. Damon

-another. “We may have an easy time and we may have a hard one,” said

-Tom. “But, whatever it is, I’m going to rescue Ned!”

-

-“Doesn’t Koku want a gun?” asked the tramp, noting that the giant

-carried no weapon.

-

-“Me no shoot. Me scrunch um in my hands me catch!” muttered the giant,

-opening and closing his immense fists. It was answer enough.

-

-“We’ll approach from four sides at once,” decided Tom as they began to

-creep cautiously toward the old farmhouse. “Separate now. You to the

-east, Mr. Damon; you west, Tagg; you south, Koku; and I’ll take the

-north side. When I whistle we’ll rush the place.”

-

-“Correct!” said Mr. Damon in a low voice.

-

-Waiting until he was sure they were in their places, Tom looked toward

-the old house. It seemed deserted, quiet and lonely. But from behind the

-sagging shutters of the grimy and broken windows evil eyes might be

-peering out.

-

-Tom gave a low whistle. On his left he could hear Mr. Damon beginning to

-run forward and on his right he caught the sound of the advance of Tagg.

-Then Tom began to run, and beyond the house he caught a glimpse of the

-giant lurching forward.

-

-Together the four searchers reached the four sides of the old house, but

-still there was no sign of life. The front door was on Tom’s side and,

-his weapon ready, he ran up the steps. He tried the door. To his

-surprise, it gave and he pushed it open. At the same time he heard Koku

-crash through the open door on the south.

-

-“This way!” cried Tom to Mr. Damon and the tramp. “Rush ’em!”

-

-An instant later they were in the house.

-

-“Surrender!” yelled Tom, though he saw no one. “You’re surrounded!

-Surrender!”

-

-Still no reply.

-

-A hurried search of the first floor revealed no one. A look through the

-second floor was likewise unsuccessful. The attic revealed not a soul

-and the cellar was tenantless.

-

-“We’re too late!” exclaimed Tom Swift. “They’ve gone! But they have been

-here!” he declared, pointing into a room with iron bars over the only

-window. “They’ve been here and I believe Ned was a prisoner here. Yes,

-he was!” he cried, picking something up in a corner.

-

-“How do you know Ned was here?” asked Mr. Damon.

-

-“This is his stickpin,” Tom replied, showing a scarf ornament of silver

-and jade. “Ned’s been here all right. But they have taken him away.

-We’re too late!”

-

-“What’s to be done now?” asked Tagg.

-

-“Follow them!” cried Tom. “We’ve got to get Ned back. Let’s have another

-look around.”

-

-They looked, but found little to aid them in their search.

-

-“They haven’t been gone long!” cried Tom, as they came out of the

-kitchen.

-

-“How do you know?” asked Mr. Damon.

-

-“The stove is still warm,” was the answer. “Come on! We’ve got to trail

-them and get Ned!”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER VII

-                              A WILD CHASE

-

-

-TOM SWIFT was the first of the four searchers to rush out of the old

-brick farmhouse, ready to take up the trail once more in the search. Mr.

-Damon followed, then came Bill Tagg, and lastly the big, lumbering Koku.

-

-“Me find nobody can smash,” the giant complained as he clenched his

-immense fists. “Master say maybe I fight. No fight?” and he looked at

-Tom questioningly.

-

-“There may be a fight yet, if we can catch them,” said the young

-inventor, pausing a moment in the front to look back at the house.

-“They’ve given us the slip. If it hadn’t been for the accident to my

-electric runabout we’d have been here sooner and we’d have caught them.”

-

-“Yes,” agreed Mr. Damon. “It looks, Tom, as if the somebody who tried to

-wreck your machine had an interest in preventing your getting here

-sooner. They, whoever it was, wanted to delay you so word could be sent

-here to get Ned out of the way.”

-

-“That’s very probable,” admitted the young inventor.

-

-Again he looked up at the window of what had been his chum’s prison

-room, and Tom tried to picture how Ned, in his desperation, had secretly

-constructed the kite of wrapping paper, whittled sticks and string. Then

-the young manager had waited until a stiff wind was blowing and had

-loosed the silent messenger into the air.

-

-The electric runabout was in the road a short distance away from the

-deserted farmhouse. Tom wished he had time to repair it so the machine

-would show some of the former speed, but this was out of the question.

-They would have to go along as best they could.

-

-The vicinity of the farmhouse was lonesome and no other building was in

-view save a tumbledown barn. Tom, therefore, and his companions were

-rather surprised when, on coming out of the yard, they saw a ragged boy

-in the road walking around the runabout and admiring it.

-

-“Hello!” called Tom genially. “Do you live near here?”

-

-“Just down the road a piece.” The boy dug his dirty, bare toes into the

-soft dust of the road.

-

-“Know anybody who lives in here?” went on the young inventor, seeing a

-possible chance to get some information.

-

-“Don’t nobody live here,” the boy replied. “But there’s been some men in

-here the last few days, only they’re gone now. They went away a little

-while ago in an auto, but it was bigger’n what yours is.”

-

-“Oh, so some men went away from here a little while ago in a big auto,

-did they?” asked Tom. “We’re on the track!” he whispered to Mr. Damon.

-Then to the boy again: “What kind of men were they and how many of them

-were there?”

-

-“They was just men,” the boy replied. “Men like you,” and he comprised

-the four in a roving glance. “But they wasn’t dressed so good as what

-you are—you three I mean,” and he indicated Tom, Mr. Damon and Koku. He

-seemed to omit Tagg, and a moment later the reason was obvious. For the

-boy added: “They was dressed more like what he is,” and he pointed

-directly at the tramp. In spite of the fact that Bill Tagg had been

-freshened up considerably since he shuffled to Tom with Ned’s message,

-there was still an air of vagrancy about the wanderer. It stuck out all

-over him. He did not seem to mind being made use of for this not very

-flattering comparison.

-

-“How many men were there?” asked Tom.

-

-“Three well ones and a sick one,” the boy answered.

-

-“A sick man!” exclaimed Mr. Damon. “What do you mean?”

-

-“Well, his head was tied up in rags and the other men carried him out on

-a cot. He didn’t say nothin’, the sick man didn’t.”

-

-“That was Ned!” murmured Mr. Damon. “Bless my doctor’s bill, Tom, but do

-you think they’ve done for poor Ned?”

-

-“No, I don’t think so,” was the reply. “I think they gagged Ned so he

-couldn’t call for help, and they probably bound him with rope. Naturally

-he couldn’t walk, and they had to carry him out. So he would appear to

-be a sick person. Well, we know how many we have to fight—three men,”

-he concluded. “Can you tell me anything more about the men who were

-here, son?” asked Tom, tossing the boy a quarter which the lad picked up

-in his toes after it had fallen in the dust near him. “Did you see them

-often?”

-

-“I sneaked down here pretty near every day after they come to this old

-house,” the boy answered. “They didn’t see me, ’cause I hid in the

-bushes. But they was funny men.”

-

-“How do you mean—funny?”

-

-“They used to fly kites out of the window—anyhow, one of ’em did. But I

-couldn’t see him plain, ’cause there’s iron bars over that window—up

-there,” and he pointed to the casement of the room where Tom had found

-Ned’s stick pin.

-

-“So one of the men flew kites out of that window, did he?” encouraged

-Tom. “What happened to them?”

-

-“Most of ’em fell in the weeds,” the boy said. “They wasn’t very good

-kites—just made of old, brown-bag paper. I can make better kites ’n

-them. They was made of old sticks. I picked some of ’em up, but they

-wasn’t any good. One flew a long way off, though. I couldn’t find that.”

-

-“I can see just what happened,” Tom spoke in a low voice to Mr. Damon.

-“Poor Ned tried two or three kite messengers before he finally got one

-into a stiff breeze that carried it to Cherry Valley. But we are losing

-valuable time. Which way did the three well men take the sick man in

-their big auto?” Tom asked the barefooted lad.

-

-“Down there,” and he pointed to the western road.

-

-“Where does that lead to?”

-

-“Lake Carlopa, ’bout ten miles farther on.”

-

-“Lake Carlopa!” cried Tom. “That’s where they’re heading for. Come on!

-We may catch them yet!”

-

-Tossing the lad another quarter, Tom led his friends toward his car and

-they were soon off again on the wild chase. They had a definite object

-now, for the lad had given them such a description of the other auto as

-to make it easy for them to inquire about it along the way.

-

-Their inquiries were fruitful to the extent that at several garages and

-hot-dog stands along the highway the pursuers learned that the machine

-in question, containing three men and one who appeared to be ill or

-injured had passed not long before.

-

-“We’re catching up to them!” Tom exulted, when they had covered half the

-distance to Lake Carlopa. This was evident by the information given at

-different garages. Whereas at first the fleeing car had been half an

-hour ahead, it was now but ten minutes. “We’ll get them!” cried the

-young inventor.

-

-Though Tom got every inch of speed possible out of his crippled

-runabout, when Lake Carlopa was reached they found the kidnappers’ car

-abandoned on the shore of the lake.

-

-“Just too late again!” sighed Mr. Damon. “We’ll never get Ned!”

-

-“We may!” shouted Tom. “Look!” He pointed across the lake, and about

-half a mile out was discerned a motorboat containing three men. “There

-they are—I’m sure of it!” cried Tom. “Now if we only had another boat

-to chase them!”

-

-“There’s a feller a little farther on who rents motorboats,” volunteered

-Bill Tagg.

-

-“Good!” cried Tom. “We’ll chase them in their own way. Where’s that

-motorboat chap?”

-

-The tramp pointed out the dock, and in a short time, leaving his

-runabout in charge of the boat proprietor, Tom and his friends were in a

-sturdy gasoline craft giving chase to the other, which was now but a

-speck amid the blue waters of Lake Carlopa.

-

-“Do you think they have Ned with them?” asked Mr. Damon while Tom

-hastily adjusted the motor so as to get the maximum speed from the boat.

-

-“I hope so,” was the reply. “We’ll soon find out, if this old tub can

-stand the pace.”

-

-“Have we a chance?” asked Bill, who was taking quite an interest in this

-pursuit.

-

-Tom looked at the fleeing boat. Then he calculated the speed of the

-craft he had hired. A few minutes of observation caused him to make this

-remark:

-

-“We’re gaining on them—slowly. Whether we catch up to them before they

-get to the other side is a question. We’ll do our best to catch ’em,

-however.”

-

-He made a slight adjustment in the carburetor to get a few more

-revolutions per minute from the flywheel and then the four settled back

-for the chase.

-

-Tom’s statement about their speed proved true. In a short time it was

-discerned that his craft was overhauling the other. The three men could

-be plainly seen now, and a muffled object could be made out in the

-bottom of the boat.

-

-“Bless my cranberry sauce, there’s Ned!” cried Mr. Damon.

-

-“I hope so,” murmured Tom.

-

-The chase was now becoming exciting. Every moment they were drawing

-nearer the fleeing boat.

-

-“Hold on there, you fellows!” shouted Tom. “We want to speak to you!”

-

-“Haven’t got time!” sneered one of the three rascals. “See you later!”

-

-Suddenly the boat in front swerved off to one side. But Tom was ready

-for this and shifted his own wheel to intercept the other craft.

-

-“Look out! Rocks!” suddenly cried Mr. Damon.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER VIII

-                              TWO CAPTIVES

-

-

-“WHAT’S that? What’s the matter?” cried Tom Swift, hearing Mr. Damon’s

-shout. “Are they going to ram us?”

-

-Tom had been bending over the gasoline throttle in an endeavor to coax a

-little more speed out of their craft. Now he looked up to see that they

-were very near the fleeing boat.

-

-“No, I said rocks ahead! Look! Bless my life preserver, we’re going to

-hit them!” yelled the eccentric man. “Look out!”

-

-Then, but too late, Tom saw and realized why the other boat had swerved

-so suddenly. It was to avoid the rocks. And now the _Gull_, which was

-the name of the boat Tom had hired, was headed directly for the black,

-sharp rocks that reared their ugly heads out of the blue water of Lake

-Carlopa.

-

-“Hand me that boat hook and maybe I can fend us off,” called out the

-tramp.

-

-Tom, however, was sure this would be of no service, so he did not obey

-the request. He was trying with all his might to pull the wheel around

-far enough to steer the _Gull_ away from the rocks. But the craft was a

-heavy one, rather clumsy, and did not respond readily.

-

-“See if she’ll reverse, Mr. Damon!” panted Tom, who had to use both

-hands on the wheel. “Throw that lever back!” and he pointed to one with

-his foot.

-

-“Yes, I know how!” Mr. Damon replied. He grasped the gear lever and

-began straining on it. Suddenly there was a sharp report.

-

-“Did it break?” cried Tom, looking at the rocks on to which they seemed

-about to crash.

-

-“No. They’re shooting at us!” yelled Bill Tagg. “There they go again!”

-he added, ducking down into the bottom of the boat.

-

-Tom and Mr. Damon were both occupied with trying to save the _Gull_ from

-going on the rocks and they could not draw their weapons. The tramp,

-however, aimed his automatic and sent a couple of answering shots toward

-the boat containing Ned.

-

-“Look out you don’t hit our friend,” warned Tom, who felt the rudder

-gradually coming around, so that he had hopes of saving the _Gull_ from

-a direct crash.

-

-“I fired over their heads,” explained Bill Tagg. “They’re doing the

-same, I guess—trying to bluff us!” He fired again, high enough to clear

-those in the fleeing craft, and again came a response. This time the

-bullet was lower and Tom instinctively ducked, though he knew the

-missile must have passed him before his ear caught the vicious whine of

-its passage through the air.

-

-Then, so suddenly that no warning was given, the _Gull_ struck on a rock

-just beneath the surface. It was a glancing blow, and the rock, luckily,

-was smooth, or the craft might have been shattered. As it was, the

-_Gull_ careened to one side, and so sharply that Tom Swift was thrown

-overboard, landing in the lake with a great splash.

-

-Instinctively, he took a long breath and held it, closing his mouth that

-had been opened preparatory to shouting further directions to Mr. Damon

-about reversing the craft.

-

-Down into the depths sank Tom, while the _Gull_, whose speed was not

-slackened, slued around from her impact on the rock and shot off on a

-tangent in a direction directly opposite from that taken by the

-_Turtle_, the boat containing the three roughly attired men and that

-silent, wrapped figure in the bottom—a figure that was supposed to be

-Ned Newton.

-

-“Bless my steamship ticket!” yelled Mr. Damon, “where’s Tom?”

-

-“Overboard!” yelled the tramp. “And I can’t swim!”

-

-“Me get him!” shouted Koku, peeling off his coat preparatory to a dive

-over the side.

-

-“Stay where you are!” came the stern command from the other boat which

-had circled around and was now headed for the place where Tom Swift’s

-head appeared in the watery circles caused by his plunge. “We’ll drill

-the first man that goes overboard!”

-

-Two of the rascals stood in the bow with leveled weapons, while the

-third was steering the boat straight toward Tom.

-

-“They’re going to ram him!” gasped the tramp. He did not seem capable of

-doing anything to help, and Koku, being now without a weapon, was of no

-service. Mr. Damon had laid aside his pistol to work the reverse lever

-and, even if he could have recovered it, there was a question as to his

-ability to use it.

-

-Thus fate favored the rascals, and Mr. Damon and his two companions were

-forced to see themselves being carried farther and farther away from the

-_Turtle_ as the _Gull_, whose engine was still running, headed away from

-the rocks. Apparently little damage had been done by striking the

-obstruction.

-

-From a distance Mr. Damon, the tramp, and the giant watched to see what

-would happen to Tom Swift. At first it seemed as though he was going to

-be run down by the unprincipled men in the _Turtle_. But they had other

-plans in mind and, reaching the swimming inventor, the two men in the

-bow reached over, grasped him, and pulled him in. He could not fight

-back, and, indeed, having gone overboard with all his clothes on, was

-having a hard struggle to keep afloat. Rescue, even at the hands of the

-enemy, was welcome.

-

-“They’ve got him!” gasped Mr. Damon.

-

-“We go take him away!” growled Koku. “Make boat go odder way, Mr.

-Damon—we get Master Tom.”

-

-“I—I’m afraid I don’t know how to operate this craft,” confessed the

-eccentric man. “I might run it back on the rocks.”

-

-Once Tom was hauled, dripping wet, aboard the _Turtle_, the boat was put

-about and went speeding off and away from the _Gull_ which, to tell the

-truth, was headed back toward her own dock.

-

-Tom, as he was pulled over the side, had a glimpse of the _Gull_ going

-back where she came from. He remembered that neither Mr. Damon nor Koku

-could operate the craft without some one along to advise them, and the

-young inventor had doubts about the tramp’s navigating ability in the

-emergency.

-

-“Well, anyhow, she’ll get to shore and they’ll be all right,” reasoned

-Tom.

-

-Then he gave thought to his own situation.

-

-“Well, we’ve sure got him now!” chuckled one of the three men.

-

-“You said it!” echoed another. “We didn’t make no mistake this time!”

-

-Tom almost fell on the gagged and bound body of another young man, and

-it needed but a glance to show him that here was Ned Newton, a prisoner

-like himself. Ned could not speak and could hardly move, but his eyes

-flashed a greeting to Tom.

-

-“They’ve got us both!” said Tom in a low voice to his chum, as he

-crawled alongside of Ned. “But they won’t keep us long. Are you hurt,

-Ned?”

-

-A shake of the head in negation was the only way Ned could reply.

-

-Then further talk on Tom’s part was stopped, for one of the men,

-standing over the two captives with an automatic in one hand, growled:

-

-“Shut up down there!”

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER IX

-                             ON THE ISLAND

-

-

-NOT one to submit tamely to indignities, Tom Swift, instead of complying

-with the command, struggled to his feet and advanced toward the two

-rough men standing in the bow of the boat. The third member was at the

-wheel and, Tom noticed, was heading the boat out toward the wider part

-of the lake.

-

-“Look here!” said Tom boldly, for his nerve, somewhat shaken by his

-sudden plunge into the water, was coming back to him. “What’s your game,

-anyhow? What do you mean by keeping Mr. Newton and me on this boat? I

-demand that you set us ashore at once!”

-

-“Oh, you do, eh?” chuckled one of the men.

-

-“Yes, I do! And if you do it within a reasonable time I may overlook

-what you’ve done. But if you don’t at once release us I’ll cause your

-arrest, and it will go hard with you!”

-

-“Listen to him!” sneered one of the scoundrels. “You’d think he was

-chief of police or something like that!”

-

-“Ha! Ha!” chuckled another. “We’ve got Tom Swift right where we want him

-this time. No mistake now!”

-

-Tom was beginning to understand some things in connection with the

-kidnapping—things hitherto a mystery to him. He looked at the men. They

-were burly, brutal fellows and Tom knew that even if Ned were free to

-help him, they would not be able to fight these fellows. Perhaps

-subterfuge and craft were better than a show of force. Tom decided on

-other tactics.

-

-“Look here!” he said again. “I don’t know what your game is, but you’re

-bound to lose out in the end. My friends will soon rescue us and you’ll

-be jailed for this. Kidnapping is a serious offense.”

-

-“We took one chance and we got the wrong man,” said one of the fellows,

-thus confirming Tom’s new suspicions. “Now we have the right one—that’s

-you—and we’re going to hold on to you. We don’t worry none about

-getting jailed.”

-

-“We’ve rich friends that’ll soon get us out,” said the man at the wheel.

-

-“Shut up, Torpy!” commanded one of the two in the bow. “Close your trap!

-You talk too much!”

-

-“Aw, you make me tired!” complained the one addressed as Torpy.

-

-“You can’t bluff us, Tom Swift!” went on the largest of the three

-scoundrels. “We got you dead to rights now and you’ll tell us what we

-want to know before we let you go.”

-

-“Oh, so you’re after information, are you?” asked Tom, hoping to draw

-the men out.

-

-“Yes, we are.”

-

-“What kind?” Tom inquired, trying to wring some of the water out of his

-coat.

-

-“You’ll find out soon enough when we get to the island.”

-

-“What island?” the young inventor wanted to know.

-

-“You ask too many questions. You’re as bad as Torpy—you talk too much!”

-complained one of the two in the bow.

-

-Tom glanced down at Ned and, guessing how his friend must be suffering,

-bound and gagged as he was, decided on a new plan.

-

-“All right,” he seemed to agree, “I’ll stop asking questions. But as

-long as you’ve got me safe, as you seem to have, there’s no object in

-keeping my chum trussed up as he is. Why don’t you loosen him and take

-that rag out of his mouth? Be decent, can’t you?”

-

-“We might as well let up on him a bit,” said the big man. “As he says,

-we got him now and the other can’t do any harm if he does yell. We’re

-out of the way now—soon be at the island.”

-

-“Sure,” assented his companion, and they at once loosened Ned’s ropes

-and removed the gag, for which relief he was very grateful.

-

-“What happened, old man?” asked Tom in a low voice, as he sat down on

-the bottom of the boat beside his now unbound chum. “We’ve been all

-upset over you.”

-

-“I’ve been a bit upset myself,” admitted Ned, whose tongue was thick

-from the effects of the gag. “But, in brief, I was set upon that night

-after I left your laboratory, a cloth was thrown over my head at a dark

-corner, not far from your place, and, before I knew what was happening,

-I was gagged, bound, and bundled into an auto. I was taken some distance

-and brought to that old farmhouse. The men hustled me out of there a

-little while ago, and after a wild ride put me in this boat. You know

-the rest.”

-

-“Have you been kept in the old Smith place ever since you were kidnapped

-up until a little while ago?” asked Tom.

-

-“Yes, they held me a prisoner there. But it didn’t take them long to

-find out I was the wrong man. They mistook me for you, and thought they

-were kidnapping the great inventor.”

-

-“I had begun to suspect that,” said Tom. “Well, what happened?”

-

-“Oh, they were pretty much upset when they learned who I was,” chuckled

-Ned. “They asked me a lot of questions about your inventions, and wanted

-to know how the new talking-picture projector worked. But of course I

-was as mum as an oyster.”

-

-“Did they ask specifically about my new patent?” asked Tom, somewhat

-excited by this news.

-

-“That’s what they did.”

-

-“How did they know about it? I supposed that was a dead secret from all

-but you, dad and me.”

-

-“So did I,” responded Ned. “But there must be a leak somewhere around

-your shop. Perhaps a spy.”

-

-“I believe there is!” exclaimed Tom.

-

-“I tried to escape, but I couldn’t,” said Ned. “Even though they found

-out I was the wrong man, they still held me. I was kept in an upper room

-with barred windows. Then, when they brought me food in paper bags, I

-thought of the kite idea. I sent out half a dozen, but I guess they

-didn’t blow far. I wrote messages to you, hoping some one would pick

-them up and take them to you. But I began to think nothing would come of

-it until one day a kite that I’d made went high up in the air and I knew

-it would travel a long way.”

-

-“It did,” said Tom. “All the way to Cherry Valley where a tramp picked

-it up and brought it to me. That was yesterday, and I came as soon as I

-could.”

-

-“I thought you would,” Ned responded. “But when, a little while ago,

-they bundled me up again and took me away, I thought it was all up with

-me. They must have had some warning you were on their trail, they got

-off in such a hurry.”

-

-“I think the same man who tried to blow me up gave the warning,” stated

-Tom.

-

-“Tried to blow you up!” gasped Ned. “What do you mean?”

-

-Tom told of the explosion and fire, relating the sad tale of the

-wrecking of the talking-picture machine, but in words that would mean

-nothing to the three men even if they should hear. But they did not

-appear to be listening.

-

-“Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “You were as badly off as I was!”

-

-“Pretty near,” agreed Tom. “We couldn’t imagine what had become of you.

-Your folks were worried, but I sent word to them about your kite message

-and that relieved their minds.”

-

-“Did you start to swim after me?” asked Ned, with a smile, noting Tom’s

-wet clothes.

-

-“Swim? No. Oh, I see what you mean! You couldn’t see what happened

-because you were down on the bottom here. Well, I was chasing these

-fellows in a motorboat I’d hired, with Mr. Damon, Koku and the tramp

-that picked up your kite. We hit a rock and I went overboard. Then they

-hauled me in, for my boat slued off and I guess headed back for her own

-dock.”

-

-“Tough luck!” murmured Ned. “Well, what’s the next item on the bill, I

-wonder?”

-

-They were not left long in doubt. A few minutes later the speed of the

-boat began to slacken and, looking ahead, Tom and Ned saw that the craft

-was approaching a large island. It was known to the young men as a

-rendezvous for criminals and other unsavory characters. Tom had not

-visited Rattlesnake Island, as it was called, for a number of years, nor

-had his chum.

-

-“Are you going to land us there?” Tom demanded, as he saw that the boat

-was heading for a dilapidated dock.

-

-“You said it!” chuckled one of the men who, Ned said, was named Snogg.

-The other, and larger, was addressed as Janner. Those two, with Torpy,

-comprised the kidnapping gang.

-

-“If you leave us here, will you be decent enough to send some one to

-take us off after you get away?” asked Tom.

-

-“Don’t worry—we’re not going away!” sneered Janner. “We’ll be right

-with you all the while, boys!”

-

-It was plain, then, that Tom and Ned were to be held captive on the

-island with the three unscrupulous men as guards.

-

-“Now you can walk along quiet if you choose, or, if you want to kick up

-a fuss, we’ll bind, gag and carry you,” said Snogg, when the boat was

-made fast to the dock. “Which’ll it be?”

-

-“Since we can’t help ourselves,” replied Tom bitterly, “we’ll go

-quietly. But we won’t submit to any indignities!”

-

-“You won’t be any worse treated than you have been,” said Janner. “And

-if you come across and answer my questions you’ll get home all the

-sooner. It’s up to you.”

-

-To this Tom Swift made no answer and a little later he and Ned were led

-toward a rough, two-story house, situated near the middle of Rattlesnake

-Island, and left to themselves, locked in a room.

-

-“Well, this is that!” said Ned as he sank down on a chair near the bed,

-for there was some furniture in the room. “What do you think they’ll do

-to us, Tom?”

-

-“Hard to say. I don’t quite fathom their game, unless it’s to make me

-give up the secret of——”

-

-He did not finish, but Ned knew what was meant.

-

-“I hope they feed us, anyhow,” sighed Tom’s manager. “They gave me

-pretty decent food back in the farmhouse, but I haven’t had any

-breakfast, and I need it.”

-

-After this there was silence. A few minutes later the door was unlocked

-and Torpy came in with two trays of fairly good food.

-

-“The boss says you’re to eat and then he’ll be up and question you,” the

-man reported.

-

-“He won’t get much out of me,” snapped Tom.

-

-“Nor me!” added Ned.

-

-“You’d better not r’ile the boss,” was Torpy’s advice as he put the

-trays down on a chair.

-

-Ned was very hungry, and Tom Swift, in spite of his rage, anxiety, and

-his recent ducking, was also beginning to feel an appetite. So the young

-men ate and then, casually, Tom began strolling around the room seeking

-a possible chance to escape. To his disappointment the apartment was

-more solid than it looked. The door was heavy and securely locked and

-the window covered with a heavy wire screen and iron bars. Evidently the

-room had been used before as a prison.

-

-But Tom Swift did not give up very easily, and now he had still several

-cards to play in the desperate game with the three men. When the food

-had been satisfactorily disposed of, the door opened again and big

-Janner came swaggering in.

-

-“Well, I see you had your appetites with you, boys,” he remarked. “And

-now we’ll get down to business. It’s you I want to talk with, Tom Swift,

-and not your manager that we took away in a hurry by mistake for you. He

-don’t know the answers to some of the questions I’m going to ask.”

-

-“Maybe I don’t, either,” observed Tom.

-

-“Oh, yes you do!” was the quick retort. “And you’ll tell me, too, or

-I’ll find a way to make you!” The man’s voice was an ugly snarl now.

-

-“We’ll see,” was all Tom said.

-

-Then began a rapid series of questions concerning some of Tom’s recent

-inventions, including his _Air Monarch_ in which he had circled the

-globe. As this machine had lately been turned over to the Government for

-use in the Air Service, there was no secret about it, and Tom had no

-hesitation in telling things concerning it. He thought it might put

-Janner in a better humor.

-

-From the _Air Monarch_, the man switched to other machines about which

-greater secrecy was desirable, and Tom refused to answer inquiries,

-though his refusals did not appear to anger Janner much.

-

-“How’s your photo telephone doing these days?” the man suddenly

-inquired.

-

-“That? Why, most people know all there’s to be known about that. It’s an

-old invention of mine,” said Tom.

-

-“Is it? But I understand you’re using something like it now to make

-pictures appear inside a radio machine!” Janner suddenly shot at Tom.

-

-At once the young inventor saw the drift of the inquiries. There had

-been some leak in connection with his recent work on the talking-picture

-machine, and these men, or this man, knew about it. Tom did some quick

-thinking just then.

-

-“I haven’t any machine that will make pictures appear in a radio

-receiver,” Tom said calmly.

-

-This was true enough. The fire and blast had destroyed the best part of

-the new invention, though Tom had plans for rebuilding and perfecting

-it.

-

-“Oh, you haven’t got such a machine, eh?” sneered Janner. “Well, I know

-you have. We’re not going to let you spoil our business.”

-

-“What business is that?” asked Tom.

-

-“Never you mind. We’re not going to let you make a machine that will

-permit folks to sit at home and see and hear a show without paying the

-admission price. Not in a thousand years!”

-

-In a flash Tom knew now who were at the bottom of the plot against him.

-Powerful moving picture and theater interests would not want to see such

-an invention as Tom Swift planned put on the market. It would bring ruin

-to many of them.

-

-“You’ve got such a machine, or you’ll soon have one, and I know it!”

-stormed Janner. Tom knew, then, that he had been spied upon. “And I’m

-going to make you tell all about it and promise to drop it!” fairly

-shouted Janner.

-

-“You’ve got a big contract on your hands,” stated Tom calmly. “I’ll tell

-you nothing and there isn’t a man or a company living that can make me

-drop anything I undertake until I’m ready to let go of it!”

-

-“Oh, is that so?”

-

-“Yes, that’s so!”

-

-“Well, I guess we can find ways and means to make you!” said Janner in a

-snarling voice as he advanced toward Tom Swift.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER X

-                               THE ESCAPE

-

-

-INSTINCTIVELY Ned Newton, who had pretty well recovered from the harsh

-treatment accorded him while bound and gagged, started to Tom’s side.

-

-The young inventor, seeing that a fight was imminent, also prepared for

-it. Though he still felt the effects of the shock and injuries attendant

-upon the attempt to blow him up, he was in a fighting mood and did not

-shrink from it.

-

-“I’ll make you tell what I want to know!” snarled Janner. “You haven’t

-anybody here to help you now, Tom Swift. You’ll either give up that

-secret and give the plans to me or you’ll wish you’d never fallen into

-my hands.”

-

-“I wish that now,” replied Tom coolly. “Not that I’m afraid of your

-hands,” he added, bracing himself for the struggle he felt sure was

-coming, “but I don’t like your company nor that of your gang. So you

-have my regrets already, though as for any secrets I may have, or any

-new inventions, they remain my exclusive property!”

-

-“Oh, they do, do they?” sneered the man. “Well, we’ll see——”

-

-He was about to rush upon Tom and Ned, who stood side by side ready to

-ward off the assault, when there came a call from the hall outside.

-

-“Hey, Janner! Hop to it!”

-

-“What’s the matter?” asked the big ruffian. “Don’t bother me!”

-

-“The Chief is on the wire!” came the answer, and Tom and Ned recognized

-Snogg’s voice. “He wants to talk to you. Step on it—the Chief’s in a

-hurry!”

-

-“In that case your affair can wait,” said the big fellow, with a

-threatening gesture toward the two young men. “Don’t think you’re going

-to get away,” he added. “I’ll be back!”

-

-He walked to the door, still facing the two, tapped on it without

-turning about and, when it was opened from the hall, evidently by Snogg,

-the big plotter stepped outside and quickly locked the door again before

-Tom and Ned had a chance to rush him, which Janner evidently expected

-would happen.

-

-“There was a chance we missed!” exclaimed Ned, when he heard the lock

-click. “We might have bowled them over, Tom, and gotten away.”

-

-“Yes, that idea occurred to me. But it was too risky. These fellows may

-not intend to kill us, but even if they only shot at us to cripple us

-something might go wrong and we’d get a bullet where it would do a lot

-of damage. I think we can get the best of them in another way.”

-

-“How?”

-

-“We’ll have a look around this place and see if we can’t escape—perhaps

-not now, but after dark. It will soon be night. This room looks strong,

-but from the outside the house didn’t look either strongly built or in

-good repair. We’ll have a go at it.”

-

-“I’m with you, Tom. But what do you think’s going on now? What was that

-talk about the Chief being on the wire?”

-

-“It bears out what I have been thinking for some time,” replied the

-young inventor. “These fellows who have kidnapped us are not the

-principals in this matter. They are an organized gang, but they are

-working at the behest of others. I could tell, from the way Janner asked

-questions about my inventions, that he had no real, scientific

-knowledge. He had been told to ask those questions by some one who did

-know, however. He made several breaks that I passed over. I wanted to

-see how far he would go.”

-

-“What’s the game, Tom? They went to a good deal of preliminary

-trouble—I mean kidnapping me for you.”

-

-“Admittedly on their part, that was a mistake,” said Tom. “It was me

-they were after all the time, only you happened to leave the laboratory

-first and they pounced on you. Then came the explosion. Whether that was

-set to go off and destroy my laboratory after I was supposed to be out

-of it or whether they really wanted to do me up, I don’t know. But

-they’ve got both of us now.”

-

-“Any idea who they may be, Tom—I mean these men?”

-

-“They might be the Hussy and Kilborn crowd.”

-

-“You mean that bunch of the _Red Arrow_ who tried to stop us from

-circling the globe?”

-

-“That’s who I mean. However, it’s only a guess. It may turn out to be an

-entirely different gang. But now that we have a little time to

-ourselves, let’s look around and see what the chances are for getting

-away.”

-

-It was dusk, but by the last rays of the setting sun which shone through

-the window, the young men began a tour of the apartment, seeking any

-possible means of exit. Naturally, they first gave their attention to

-the window and door. As stated before, the former was screened not only

-with a wire mesh, but also with strong iron bars. A search through the

-pockets of Tom and Ned revealed, in the way of tools, only two knives.

-Tom’s knife contained a small screw driver, and at first he thought he

-might be able to loosen the fastenings of the screen and window bars.

-But it did not take long to demonstrate that a much more powerful

-instrument would be needed for this work.

-

-“Anyhow, if we did get the bars off we’d have a big drop to the ground,”

-said Ned. “We’re higher up than I thought.”

-

-“We could improvise a rope from the bed-clothes,” suggested Tom,

-indicating them. “That would be the easiest part of it. But those bars

-were put there to stay.”

-

-“Maybe we can whittle away the wood enough to loosen the screws,”

-suggested Ned. They tried this, but the space to work in was cramped,

-the wood was tough, and when Ned broke the largest blade of his knife

-and cut his hand rather severely in so doing, Tom insisted that they

-give up this attempt.

-

-“Let’s try the door,” he said.

-

-It was now dark in the room, but both young men had matches, Tom’s being

-in a waterproof case which had kept dry during his sudden bath, and with

-these they made as good an examination of the door and its frame as was

-possible.

-

-The lock defied picking with the poor tools at their disposal, and when

-this had been proved Tom said:

-

-“We can cut a hole through the door near the lock, big enough for a hand

-to get through, and maybe we can turn the lock that way.”

-

-“It’s worth trying,” Ned declared. “We’ll work at it in shifts.”

-

-Their captors seemed to have made up their minds to leave the prisoners

-alone, though voices and movements in the rooms below indicated that the

-three men were still on guard. Perhaps orders had come from the

-mysterious “Chief” not to attempt violence.

-

-There was more than enough food in the supply which had been brought to

-provide a late supper and even breakfast for the captives, and there was

-a large jug of water.

-

-Throughout the hours of the night, Tom Swift and Ned Newton toiled

-desperately to cut a hole through the door. With only pocket knives to

-work with, it was tremendously difficult labor.

-

-It was long past midnight when Tom, whose turn it was at the task,

-uttered an exclamation of dismay.

-

-“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, who had thrown himself on the bed to

-rest. “Break your knife or cut yourself?”

-

-“Neither,” Tom replied. “But we’ll have to give this up.”

-

-“Why?”

-

-“There’s an iron plate outside this door. I’ve cut through the wood and

-come to the iron. It’s all off.”

-

-It was a bitter disappointment.

-

-“We’ll try something else in the morning,” decided Tom after a moment,

-closing his knife with a snap. “Meanwhile, I’m going to get some rest.”

-

-“Yes, we both need it,” admitted Ned, with a weary sigh. “But when they

-come in here in the morning and see what we’ve done in the way of

-spoiling their door, they may take us to another room.”

-

-“No use crossing a bridge until we come to it,” Tom responded. “I’m

-going to get some sleep.”

-

-They ate a little of the food, and then, bracing a chair under the knob

-of the door to prevent an entrance without causing noise enough to

-arouse them, the two threw themselves on the bed and slept the sleep of

-exhaustion.

-

-Faint daylight was struggling through the barred window next morning

-when Tom awoke and sat up. There was a peculiar noise for which at first

-he could not account. He looked toward the casement and then recognized

-the dash of rain against the glass and heard the roar of wind. It was

-this that caused the racket.

-

-“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, turning over.

-

-“Big storm,” Tom answered. He jumped out of bed and walked to the

-window. A moment later he uttered an exclamation.

-

-“What’s doing?” asked Ned, stretching lazily.

-

-“Those three fellows are down on the shore doing something to their

-motorboat,” reported Tom. “Looks as if it had been damaged in the storm,

-which is a fierce one, let me tell you. They seem to be making repairs.”

-

-“Maybe they’re going away and leave us alone,” suggested Ned.

-

-“They may be going away,” assented Tom. “But they won’t leave us, I’m

-thinking. They’ll take us with them. But something evidently has

-happened.”

-

-In his eagerness to see what was going on at the shore of the lake

-within view of the barred window, Ned jumped out of bed. In doing so he

-overbalanced himself and in order not to fall he had to do a hop, skip

-and a jump across the room. He brought up hard against the opposite

-wall, fairly jarring the place. As he stopped his somewhat mad and

-erratic career he uttered a cry.

-

-“Hurt yourself?” asked Tom anxiously.

-

-“No! But look! Man dear, look!”

-

-Ned’s voice was excited, and no wonder! It was evident that in his

-collision against the wall he had struck a hidden spring which operated

-the mechanism of a secret sliding door. For there, before the eyes of

-the two captives, was an opening, large enough for them to pass through,

-in a stooping position, and leading to the top of a flight of stairs.

-

-“A secret door!” cried Tom. “How’d you discover it?”

-

-“I didn’t,” Ned answered. “It just happened. I bumped against the wall

-and must have struck the spring. What’s it for, Tom?”

-

-Into the eyes of the young inventor shone a new and hopeful light.

-

-“I don’t know what its original use was,” he said slowly. “But for us it

-offers a way of escape. Come on, Ned! We’ll light out while those

-fellows are busy down at the boat. Grab up some food and come on.”

-

-Tom began stuffing some bread and meat into his pockets after hastily

-dressing, which was a short operation, as the young men had not removed

-all of their clothes the night before. Then Tom took another look

-through the window.

-

-“They’re still tinkering over the motor,” he reported. “It’s now or

-never, Ned! This storm came just at the right time. Come on!”

-

-“But we don’t know where that secret staircase leads,” objected Ned

-Newton as he followed his chum’s example about the food.

-

-“And it doesn’t make much difference, either. It leads out of this room.

-That’s all we have to know now. I think it must have been put in to

-allow the secret removal of smuggled or stolen goods—possibly bootleg

-liquor. Probably the stairway ends in one of the rooms below. But as

-those three scoundrels are out of the way we can leave.”

-

-“Maybe we’ll be trapped at the bottom, Tom. There must be a door there,

-too.”

-

-“Probably there is; but it’s likely to be a sliding, secret door, and,

-consequently, won’t be very strong. We can burst it out, maybe. Anyhow

-it’s worth trying. Come on!”

-

-Then, as the storm rose to new heights of fury, the two prisoners

-slipped into the secret opening and began descending the dark stairs on

-their way to escape.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER XI

-                                RESCUED

-

-

-USING the utmost caution, though they felt quite certain their movements

-would be muffled by the noise of the storm that raged about the lonely

-house, Tom Swift and Ned Newton made their way through the narrow, dark

-passage. It was so low that they had to stoop and, as the way was

-strange to them, Tom, who was in the lead, proceeded carefully. He kept

-his hands outstretched, one in front of him and the other pressed

-against a side wall. Nor did he let his weight bear on his feet when

-descending from one step to another until he was sure it was firm and

-solid.

-

-The house was not large, therefore the secret stairway built in the

-walls could not be very long. So in a comparatively short time, though

-to the two young men it seemed long enough, the inventor came to the end

-of the passage and stopped.

-

-“Well?” whispered Ned, behind his chum, after waiting impatiently for a

-short time.

-

-“I don’t know whether it’s well or ill,” Tom answered. “But I’ve come to

-a wall or a door and I can find no means of opening it—if it is a door.

-So we can’t go any farther without breaking through.”

-

-“Burst it open, then!” advised Ned with force. “We’ve got to get loose!”

-

-“It’s bound to make a noise,” Tom went on, trying the second secret door

-by pushing on it, thus determining that it was not of very solid

-construction. “But I think the racket of the storm will cover it. Are

-you ready for a dash?”

-

-“Sure!” replied Ned. “We’re going to get good and wet, though.”

-

-Even in the secret passage where they were crouched, the noise of the

-storm came to them, and it seemed to be increasing in fury. The wind

-moaned, shrieked, and whistled around the island house and the rain came

-down in rattling sheets that played a tattoo on the sides and roof of

-the building.

-

-“Here goes!” murmured Tom in a tense voice.

-

-He drew back a little and when a sudden and louder burst of the storm’s

-fury enveloped the house, the young inventor hurled himself, back

-foremost, against the door.

-

-There was a crackling and splintering of wood and Tom almost fell, so

-suddenly was he precipitated through the broken door. Recovering himself

-as best he could, Tom Swift saw that he had come out into a small

-passageway.

-

-There was another door in front of him—an ordinary one fastened with

-bolts in plain view, and the passage was lighted by a window near the

-ceiling. Ned followed his chum through the broken secret door and the

-two stood for a moment, listening for anything which might indicate that

-their escape had been discovered.

-

-But no sounds came to them save the noise of the storm, more in evidence

-now that they were closer to the outer air. Then Tom stepped to the

-locked door and, pushing back the bolts, swung it open. He had a

-momentary fear that it might lead into another strong room, but, to his

-own delighted surprise, as well as that of Ned, it gave out of doors and

-a moment later the two escaping captives stood in the wind and rain

-beneath the forest trees, free!

-

-“That was luck!” murmured Ned.

-

-“But we aren’t out of the woods yet,” replied Tom.

-

-This was true in a double sense. The island in Lake Carlopa was densely

-wooded, and, so far as the young men knew, uninhabited save by the

-unscrupulous men who had kidnapped them. The sinister name of the

-place—Rattlesnake Island—kept away many campers who otherwise might

-have made the place popular. Perhaps, years before, there had been many

-of the deadly reptiles in the thickets, but it was doubtful if many were

-there now.

-

-However, Tom and Ned did not give this a thought. Their main idea was to

-get as far as possible away from the house before Janner, Snogg and

-Torpy discovered that the prisoners had escaped.

-

-“Come on!” murmured Tom, plunging off into the rain-drenched woods,

-followed by Ned. “They may be after us at any minute.”

-

-But evidently the scoundrels were too much occupied with repairing their

-motorboat, for the two escaping captives had a glimpse of the unsavory

-trio grouped about it on the beach as they threaded their way through

-the forest.

-

-“Whew, but I’m getting wet!” gasped Ned, as they crossed a little

-clearing and caught the full force of the downpour.

-

-“This storm was the best thing that could happen to us,” Tom said.

-

-“How come?”

-

-“Except for the noise it made, the racket I produced when I broke that

-door would have given the alarm. Yes, this storm saved us. Don’t mind a

-little wetting.”

-

-“A little wetting!” good-naturedly chuckled Ned. “This is about the

-biggest drenching I ever saw—except when you went into the lake.”

-

-On they plunged, taking little heed of whither they went so long as they

-put distance between themselves and the three men. Then, when it was

-evident there was to be no immediate pursuit, they slackened their pace

-and began to make plans.

-

-“What are we going to do, Tom?” Ned asked, pausing beneath a shelving

-ledge of rock that afforded partial shelter from the dashing rain and

-wind. “We’re still far from safe.”

-

-“We ought to get to the shore—as far away from those fellows as we

-can—and signal some passing boat. There ought to be plenty of craft

-passing up and down the lake, though there’ll be more after this storm

-lets up. We’ve got to get back to the mainland. There’s no telling what

-mischief this gang may be up to at my works. The three scoundrels here

-are only part of the crowd.”

-

-“I guess you’re right there, Tom. A boat headed for the mainland would

-just about suit me now. I’d like to let my folks know I’m all right.”

-

-“So should I,” agreed Tom. “Dad will be in a fit when Koku and Mr. Damon

-go back and tell him I fell overboard.”

-

-“They must have seen those fellows haul you into their boat,” Ned

-suggested.

-

-“Naturally, they did. But that won’t make dad feel any easier. Yes, we

-want to get back home!”

-

-However, there seemed to be no prospect of that in the immediate future.

-The storm continued unabated and no boats passed Rattlesnake Island, at

-least near the shore the two captives dared approach. They might have

-had better luck on the other side, for there lay the usual channel, but

-the scoundrels’ motorboat was there and the fugitives, therefore, must

-keep away.

-

-At last, Ned’s watch, which had not been taken from him, indicated noon.

-

-“Whew!” exclaimed the young manager when he saw the time. “We ought to

-eat, Tom, and get into some kind of shelter.”

-

-“Yes, that’s so,” agreed Tom, who was as miserable as was his chum. “And

-if I’m not mistaken, we passed some sort of a cave back there. Let’s

-head for it.”

-

-They came to a small cavern under an overhanging ledge of rock, and into

-this the two wanderers gratefully crawled. They did not explore to see

-how far back the cave extended, but when they found some dry wood near

-the entrance they built a fire and took off some of their wet garments.

-As these were hung on sticks near the blaze, to dry out, the young men,

-sitting near the grateful heat, took out their packages of food.

-

-Luckily, they had wrapped the victuals in waxed paper taken from some of

-the cracker boxes supplied them for their first meal by their captors.

-So that now the improvised lunch was fairly dry. It was rather limited

-in its bill of fare, however, and Tom and Ned would gladly have parted

-with all the spare change in their pockets for a cup of hot coffee.

-However, such a luxury was beyond their reach, so they made the best of

-what they had.

-

-The rain kept up all that afternoon, and once the two were warm from

-their cave fire and their garments fairly dry, they decided against

-venturing out again into the downpour.

-

-“It may stop by morning,” Tom suggested, “and by morning more boats will

-be out and we’ll have a better chance of signaling one.”

-

-“What! Stay here all night?”

-

-“Why not?” chuckled Tom. “Do you know a better place?”

-

-“You win!” agreed Ned. “We’ll camp out here.”

-

-This they did, gathering some dried leaves farther back in the cave, and

-in these they burrowed, finding the warmth grateful from the chill of

-the storm.

-

-It was still raining in the morning, but not as hard as before, when Tom

-and Ned awakened and made a very light breakfast. Then, when they were

-able to catch a glimpse of the sun, which came out about an hour after

-they had finished their limited meal, they again made a trail toward the

-shore farthest removed from the dock to which the scoundrels had tied

-up.

-

-They soon came out on a sandy beach and into the full glare of a hot sun

-after the storm. The cheering beams of Old Sol both warmed and

-invigorated them.

-

-“Now if we can only see a boat we’ll be all right,” said Tom.

-

-They did not have long to wait. A motor craft came chugging into view

-and by dint of shouts and the waving of Ned’s shirt, which that young

-man gladly stripped off as a signal flag, the man in the boat saw the

-castaways and headed in toward them. The boatman proved to be Gill

-Marsh, a fisherman for whom Tom had more than once done favors, and Mr.

-Marsh gladly agreed to take the young men to Shopton.

-

-“Though what you were doin’ on Rattlesnake Island is more’n I can figger

-out,” said the mystified Mr. Marsh.

-

-“We’re not very good at figuring, ourselves, this morning,” said Tom,

-with a glance at Ned. They saw no reason for telling what had happened

-until they had had a chance to capture the scoundrels, for to attempt

-this they were determined.

-

-In a short time they were landed at a dock not far from the Swift shops,

-and Tom was soon in telephonic communication with Mr. Jackson, who was

-both surprised and delighted to hear from his missing employer.

-

-“Ned’s safe, too!” Tom said. “Get word to his folks as soon as you can.”

-

-“That’s what I’ll do, Mr. Swift!” said the shop superintendent. “But

-where have you been? We’ve had the police for miles around looking for

-you two. What happened?”

-

-“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” Tom said. “But how are things

-at the shop?”

-

-“Well, we’ve had some trouble, and that fellow Greenbaum——”

-

-But there, to Tom’s disgust, the connection was broken, nor, do what he

-would to attract the operator, could he restore it again.

-

-“We’ve got to hurry back, Ned!” exclaimed the young inventor. “Those

-scoundrels are still at their tricks!”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XII

-                          GREENBAUM THREATENS

-

-

-More than ever anxious, as much by what Mr. Jackson had left unsaid as

-by what had come to him over the wire before the interruption, Tom Swift

-hailed a taxicab and in it rode to his home, stopping, since it was on

-his way, to let Ned Newton off at the latter’s home.

-

-“Don’t talk too much—outside your own family circle—of what happened,

-Ned,” was the warning Tom gave his chum as they parted.

-

-“I won’t. But you aren’t going to let the matter drop here, are you?”

-

-“I should say not! But I want to swoop down on those fellows before they

-know it.”

-

-Tom found his father excited by the sudden news over his son’s safety,

-but it was a joyous reaction after the dismal news brought back by Mr.

-Damon and Koku, following the episode of the motorboat chase.

-

-“What happened after I left you?” Tom asked Mr. Damon, who had been

-pretty constantly at the Swift home following the kidnapping of the

-young inventor and his manager.

-

-“After you _left_ us?” repeated the eccentric man somewhat dazedly. “You

-mean——?”

-

-“I mean after I fell overboard,” said Tom, with a smile.

-

-“Oh, yes. Well, neither Koku nor I knew how to manage the _Gull_, and

-your friend Bill Tagg wasn’t any better off, bless my rudder!” said Mr.

-Damon. “So we just let her run, and she slued around so much and acted

-so queerly after you were taken aboard the other boat that some fellows

-in a sailboat came to our aid. We told them what had happened—without

-going too much into your private affairs, Tom—and one of the men got

-aboard the _Gull_ and brought us back to the dock where we started from.

-Then I hurried here to tell your father.”

-

-“Then I got in touch with the police,” said Mr. Swift, taking up the

-story, “for I guessed that those aboard that other boat were your

-enemies, Tom. But the police didn’t know where to look. So what with you

-gone and nothing heard of Ned, we were in a great stew.”

-

-“I can imagine it,” Tom said. “Of course you had no way of really

-knowing Ned was aboard the other boat, though I suppose from what

-happened and the sight of the bound figure in the bottom of the

-_Turtle_, you might have guessed Ned was aboard.”

-

-“I surmised it,” assented Mr. Damon. “But we had no idea where they were

-taking you.”

-

-“No, you couldn’t know that,” said Tom. “Well, we got away from the

-scoundrels, and the next thing is to catch them.”

-

-Having given his father and Mr. Damon a hasty description of what had

-happened to him and Ned, Tom Swift set about the work of running down

-the miscreants.

-

-The police were notified of the return of the young inventor, and a

-squad of officers was sent to Rattlesnake Island. Tom did not go, for he

-felt the need of rest. Besides, there were things at home which needed

-his attention.

-

-“What was it you started to tell me when we were cut off, Mr. Jackson?”

-Tom asked his superintendent after the police had departed for the

-island.

-

-“You mean about Greenbaum?”

-

-“Yes. Is he still here?”

-

-“Well, he is, Mr. Swift; and I hope I’m not going against your wishes

-when I say I wish he wasn’t.”

-

-“Not at all, Mr. Jackson. I have no desire to keep that man if he isn’t

-doing what is right, though I must admit that he is a good workman.”

-

-“I agree with you there. But after what happened you must use your own

-judgment about keeping him on.”

-

-“What happened?”

-

-“Well, he and I quarreled.”

-

-“What did Greenbaum do?” Tom asked. He knew he need not ask what his

-superintendent had done, for Garret Jackson was thoroughly dependable.

-

-“I found him sneaking around your private room, Tom—the room where you

-have been doing those experiments of late. I don’t know what they are

-and I don’t want to know until the right time comes. But I felt pretty

-sure you didn’t want Greenbaum to be prying in there.”

-

-“No more I do!”

-

-“That’s what I thought. So when I saw him come out of that room the

-second time, after you had gone to find Ned, I called him to account for

-it.”

-

-“What did he say?”

-

-“That you told him to go in there to experiment.”

-

-“That was untrue!” cried Tom.

-

-“So I guessed. So I took the liberty of putting a new lock on the

-place—a lock that fellow couldn’t pick if he wanted to, and he came at

-me hot and heavy. We had a quarrel, and I’m glad you’re here to settle

-it.”

-

-“And I’ll settle it mighty quick!” exclaimed Tom. He was in his private

-office now, in a part of the shop somewhat removed from his secret

-experimental laboratory. Pushing a button that summoned a messenger, Tom

-bade the boy send Greenbaum in. And when the man sauntered in, smiling

-and seeming very confident of himself, the young inventor said:

-

-“Get your time from the cashier and pack your things.”

-

-“What for?” demanded Greenbaum, with a quick change of countenance.

-

-“Because you’re through here.”

-

-“Through, Mr. Swift! Why, you gave me a contract and you can’t fire me

-off-hand this way without telling me why! It isn’t fair!”

-

-“It’s fair enough, and you know it!” declared Tom. “The only contract

-you had was that I said I’d keep you as long as your work was

-satisfactory. Well, it isn’t. It’s far from satisfactory.”

-

-“You mean on that magnetic gear shift? I can show you, Mr. Swift,

-that——”

-

-“No, it isn’t the gear shift. I’m going to drop that. It’s your own

-private work of trying to sneak in and fathom my secrets. That’s all.

-You are through. Get your time and clear out! Mr. Jackson was right in

-his surmise.”

-

-“Oh, so Jackson has been talking about me, has he?”

-

-“I’m not answering any of your questions,” retorted Tom. “The sooner you

-leave the premises the better. And don’t come back!”

-

-For a moment Greenbaum stood looking squarely at Tom Swift whose eyes

-never faltered under the gaze of the angry man. Then Greenbaum asked

-with great deliberation:

-

-“Is that your last word, Mr. Swift?”

-

-“Yes.”

-

-“Well, all I’ve got to say is that maybe you’ll be sorry for this some

-day! Maybe you’ll be sorry!”

-

-There was a distinct threat in Greenbaum’s words.

-

-“What do you mean?” cried Tom in anger starting from his chair. “How

-dare you threaten me?”

-

-Greenbaum made no answer, but turned and went out of the office. Tom was

-about to follow, for he did not want the fellow to think he could thus

-defy him, when the telephone on the desk rang out sharply.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XIII

-                            MR. DAMON DANCES

-

-

-“HELLO! Hello!” the young inventor called into the transmitter. “What is

-it?”

-

-He did not recognize the voice at first, but the speaker soon identified

-himself as Joe Corrigan, the officer in charge of the squad of men who

-had gone to Rattlesnake Island in an endeavor to apprehend the three

-men.

-

-“But they had flew the coop, Mr. Swift,” reported Joe Corrigan. “Not

-hide nor hair of ’em on the place.”

-

-“Did you find the house?”

-

-“Oh, sure! And we saw where you and Mr. Newton broke out. But the men

-must have skipped right after they found you had got away.”

-

-“I suppose so. What about their boat?”

-

-“No trace of that, either. I’m sorry we didn’t get ’em!”

-

-“I hardly thought you would—it was just a chance,” Tom retorted.

-

-“But we’re not going to give up,” declared Corrigan. “We’ll catch ’em

-yet!”

-

-Tom had his doubts on this subject, but he did not express them.

-

-“Wish you lots of luck!” he called over the wire.

-

-He was sure, however, that Snogg, Janner and Torpy were but the tools in

-the hands of more powerful men, men who would keep themselves well

-hidden, and that though the ruffians might be apprehended in time,

-little or nothing would be learned from them. They would take the blame

-and say nothing of the men who had hired them, probably being well paid

-for any punishment they might suffer.

-

-“Well, so much for that,” said Tom when he had ruminated over what

-Corrigan had reported. “Now about Greenbaum. That’s more serious. I

-can’t let him get away with threatening me like that.”

-

-However, when Tom hurried out to intercept Greenbaum he found that the

-fellow had packed his belongings and hurried away.

-

-“That was quick work,” reflected Tom. Then, as he thought the matter

-over, he was pretty sure that Greenbaum had anticipated what was coming

-to him and had accordingly made his arrangements for a speedy departure.

-“I only hope he didn’t get into the laboratory to do more damage to my

-talking-picture machine before he lighted out.”

-

-He was reassured, however, when he found Koku on guard at the door of

-the laboratory which still needed a bit of work to restore it to the

-spick-and-span condition it was in before the explosion.

-

-“Did anybody try to get in here just now, Koku?” asked Tom, thinking the

-giant might have prevented Greenbaum from a last and dangerous call.

-

-“Nobody come right away,” the giant reported. “But yesterday him try

-come in and Mr. Jackson say I to stay here. So Koku stay.”

-

-“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Tom approvingly. “Don’t let any one in here

-except my father, Ned Newton or me—not even Mr. Jackson for a while.

-Those scoundrels might get hold of my superintendent and try to torture

-something out of him if they thought he knew,” Tom said to himself.

-“It’s best to keep the secret among as few as possible until I’m ready

-to spring it. I want you to guard this place well, Koku,” went on Tom.

-“Especially at night.”

-

-“Me guard!” grunted the giant. “Nobody git past without me punch

-him—but no punch you, Master, nor Mr. Ned.”

-

-“No, please don’t punch us, or my father,” begged Tom, with a smile.

-Well he knew the weight of that mighty fist.

-

-Thinking it not worth while to follow the man, Tom posted a notice to

-the effect that Greenbaum had been discharged and gave orders that he

-was not again to be admitted to the works on any pretext.

-

-For the last few years the Swift plant had been surrounded by a high and

-strong fence, which was further defended against marauders by

-electrically charged wires. These wires did not carry a high enough

-current, under ordinary circumstances, to cause death, but the shock

-they could administer to unauthorized persons seeking to gain admittance

-was severe enough to deter them.

-

-Having seen to the safety of the plant in general, Tom, after

-telephoning to Ned the result of the police visit to Rattlesnake Island,

-began to prepare for the resumption of work on his talking-picture

-apparatus. It was not long before the destroyed parts had been remade

-and he was about ready to start experimenting again.

-

-“Well, Ned,” said Tom to his helper one day about two weeks after their

-strenuous experiences, “are you ready to be an actor again?”

-

-“You mean in the song and dance line—trying to make my voice and image

-come through solid walls?”

-

-“That’s the idea. I have my machine set up again after the explosion,

-and I think I’m nearer the solution than ever before. I’ve made a lot of

-changes. In a way, the fire and blast didn’t mean such a total loss,

-after all. It helped put me on a new track.”

-

-“That’s good. Well, I’m ready for you as soon as I get this statement

-off to the bank. What’s the idea, Tom, borrowing so much money on

-notes?”

-

-“Got to have it, Ned,” and the young inventor seemed a bit put out by

-the question.

-

-“Is it for this new invention?”

-

-“Yes.”

-

-“Well, why not sell some of your securities? Money is high now, and to

-borrow it I’ve got to make statements to the bank that disclose a lot of

-your private dealings. Of course, they’re in safe hands, but——”

-

-“Go ahead and get the money, Ned. We’ll need all that and more. I’ve

-sunk a lot in this invention, but I’ll get it all back again, and more

-too. No use spoiling the ship for a pennyworth of tar, you know.”

-

-“Yes, I know, Tom. And if you’re sure you’re on the right track——”

-

-“I’m never sure of anything in this world, Ned. But I know one thing, if

-I don’t pull out of this a winner, the banks will be asking a lot more

-questions than they have.”

-

-“As bad as that?” asked Ned, struck by his friend’s serious manner.

-

-“As bad—or as good. It depends on how you look at it. But I’ll leave

-the finances to you. I’m going to try out some new ideas now as soon as

-you can get into the broadcasting room.”

-

-Tom called the room where Ned did his acting under the battery of

-electric lights his “broadcasting studio.” In a measure this was what it

-was, for vocal sounds and instrumental music were broadcast from it in

-the manner familiar to all who own a radio set.

-

-But what Tom was trying to do, and which he found not at all easy, was

-to broadcast the sight of Ned and the song, making sight and sound

-synchronized. He wanted to perfect a radio receiver with an added

-apparatus by which, on a screen attached to the sounding cabinet, a

-person could view the person or persons doing the singing, dancing, or

-whatever form of activity was being presented.

-

-This of course was not to be confounded with some moving and “talking”

-pictures, which are a combination of films and phonograph records,

-working simultaneously. By Tom’s machine, when perfected, one would be

-enabled to see and hear an actual theater play, a complete vaudeville

-show, or even a complete operatic performance.

-

-When Ned finished his financial work he went to the studio and there he

-remained until far into the night while Tom, in his laboratory, watched

-the metallic glass screen and changed and adjusted switches,

-eliminators, tubes and different forms of electrical currents,

-endeavoring to capture not only Ned’s voice but his image.

-

-“Well, how did it go, Tom?” asked Ned, coming to the laboratory after a

-bell signal told him work for the night was over.

-

-“Somewhat better, I’m glad to say. I could see you much more plainly.

-Your voice was very clear. It’s only the vision apparatus that needs

-improving. How did you make out?”

-

-“Oh, I don’t mind it. But why did you send some one to look through the

-windows at me?”

-

-“Look through the windows at you?” exclaimed Tom. “I didn’t! You must be

-dreaming!”

-

-“Indeed, I’m not. Two or three times, while I was singing and dancing, I

-saw faces peering in at me. I thought you had some men checking up.”

-

-“No, indeed!” cried Tom. “Ned, I believe the spies are at work again!”

-

-This seemed very possible when the two compared notes. Though Koku on

-guard outside the laboratory had reported no suspicious persons around,

-this much could not be said of the room where Ned performed.

-

-“We’ll guard that, too!” decided Tom, and the next time when a “show”

-was put on, Eradicate was on duty to see that no one approached the

-windows.

-

-Who the unbidden spectators could have been Tom had no idea, but he

-guessed they were emissaries from the men seeking to discover his

-secret.

-

-As the days went on Tom Swift became more and more convinced that he was

-being closely watched by men who had a vital reason for discovering his

-secret. That these men were those interested in moving pictures and

-theatrical shows was certain. Tom realized what it would mean if their

-form of entertainment could be presented in even the humblest home in

-connection with the broadcasting of music, once his invention was

-successful.

-

-It was one night when Ned had been performing a long time and when the

-results were not as satisfactory as at first that Tom, sinking wearily

-back in his chair and wondering what was wrong, heard a commotion in the

-corridor outside his private laboratory.

-

-“No go in! No go in!” Koku’s big voice boomed.

-

-“Nonsense! Of course I’m going in!” another voice responded. “Bless my

-toothbrush, but I want to see Tom.”

-

-“Come on in, Mr. Damon!” called out the young inventor, as a new and

-daring idea came to him. “It’s all right, Koku,” he went on to the

-giant. “Let Mr. Damon in. Look here,” said Tom, addressing his eccentric

-friend, “can you sing and dance?”

-

-“Why—bless—well, I don’t know, Tom. I used to,” and Mr. Damon

-chuckled. “I once was given to taking part in amateur minstrels. But is

-this a joke or a serious question?”

-

-“It’s serious business. Just as you came along I happened to think that

-perhaps what I need at the visual sending end is a contrast of color.

-That might solve the problem, the difference in light rays—red at one

-end of the spectrum and violet at the other. It’s worth trying. But I

-need two performers. Ned’s in there now. He has on a violet

-suit—regular clown’s outfit. Will you put on a red one and help?”

-

-“I’ll do anything, Tom, but eat onions. I hate ’em! Never could touch

-the things. So outside of that I’m at your service. I just stopped in

-casually on my way home and——”

-

-“You’re just in time!” interrupted Tom. “This thing is giving me the

-dingbats, or it will if I don’t solve it soon. Come on, I’ll have to

-pass you in, for Eradicate is on guard.”

-

-Ned, who was resting after his singing and dancing, attired in a

-violet-colored suit, as Tom had said, welcomed Mr. Damon. Tom quickly

-explained his new plan, and when Koku and Eradicate had made sure no

-interlopers were around, the new experiments were begun.

-

-“But what’s it all about?” asked Mr. Damon as, in his red suit, he

-joined Ned in the song and dance. It may be said, in passing, that Mr.

-Damon was much funnier than he suspected. In spite of his anxiety over

-the outcome, Tom could not help chuckling as he watched the little

-rehearsal before going back to his laboratory.

-

-“That’ll do excellently,” he said, as he observed his eccentric friend

-shuffle about the improvised stage. “Keep it up now, and I’ll see how it

-comes through.”

-

-Under the glare of the powerful lights in the broadcasting studio, Mr.

-Damon and Ned danced and sang while with an anxious heart Tom Swift

-hurried back to the laboratory to see if the faint image on the metallic

-glass screen was any brighter.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XIV

-                            KOKU IS DRUGGED

-

-

-THE young inventor, hastening along the corridor between his

-broadcasting studio and the laboratory where the new machine was set up,

-passed the giant Koku who sat on a stool not far from Tom’s door. Here

-the big man had taken his place each night while the testing was going

-on. With him on guard, Tom felt secure against intrusion by any of the

-plotters.

-

-“Getting tired, Koku?” asked Tom, pausing on the threshold of his

-laboratory. “It isn’t much fun for you to be sitting there.”

-

-“Not much tired. Master,” was the reply, “But Koku like do

-something—smash somebody—fight. No fun sit here nodding do.”

-

-“No, it isn’t much fun doing nothing, I’ll admit,” said Tom. “And if it

-ever comes to a fight, Koku, you shall have a share in it. But it looks

-now as though the rascals would leave us alone. It won’t be much longer

-now, I think, I’m on the verge of success.”

-

-“That good,” Koku answered. He did not, perhaps, understand all Tom had

-said, but he had been associated with the young inventor long enough to

-know when Tom spoke of success that it meant pleasure for the “Master.”

-For this Koku was glad. “Maybe you make new airship go back Koku’s

-country?” the giant asked.

-

-“No, this isn’t an airship I’m working on now,” Tom said, knowing it

-would be of no use to explain to the simple mind of the giant what the

-invention really was. “But would you like to go back to your own land of

-giants, Koku?”

-

-“Sometimes Koku think maybe he like to go,” was the slow answer. “But

-Koku like it here, too. Sometimes get hungry for fash,” and he named a

-peculiar fruit that the giants of his land were especially fond of. Tom

-and Ned, on their voyage which had resulted in the capture of Koku, had

-seen how passionately eager the big men were for this fruit. They would

-go to almost any length to get it. And Tom had an idea how Koku must

-long for some now and then in a land where no fash was to be had. It Was

-a species of melon with a peculiar taste and odor. Neither Tom nor Ned

-had any liking for fash, but the giants seemed to thrive upon it.

-

-“Some day, Koku,” the young inventor half promised as he stepped into

-his laboratory to start anew the test, this time under different

-circumstances, “I may take another airship trip to your country and let

-you have all the fash you want.”

-

-“By golly, Master, that be good time for me!” cried the giant with a

-happy laugh.

-

-As Tom walked over to the apparatus by which he hoped to produce such

-startling results, the telephone bell on the instrument that connected

-the laboratory with the broadcasting studio rang hard.

-

-“Hello! What’s the matter?” Tom asked, over the wire.

-

-“How long do you want us to keep at this thing?” asked the laughing

-voice of Ned Newton. “I—oh, dear—whew—I can’t stand this much longer,

-Tom!” and he went off into another fit of merriment.

-

-“Why, what’s the matter?” asked the wondering inventor.

-

-“Oh, it’s my partner in the red suit!” chuckled Ned. “He’s cutting up

-such funny antics that I can’t dance or sing for laughing. How is it

-coming through?”

-

-“I haven’t connected up yet,” Tom answered. “I will in a minute. I was

-talking to Koku. He’s hungry for fash.”

-

-“For fash!” exclaimed Ned wonderingly.

-

-“Yes. Don’t you remember those peculiar melons that had such a funny

-smell and taste? The giants were crazy about them.”

-

-“Oh, yes,” Ned answered. “I’d forgotten all about them. But get on with

-the show. I happen to have a date with Helen to-night.”

-

-“I’ll soon release you,” promised Tom. “So Mr. Damon is cutting loose,

-is he?”

-

-“You ought to see him!” chuckled the other performer, and even then Tom

-caught, over the telephone, snatches of comic songs Mr. Damon was

-practicing—recollections of his amateur minstrel days.

-

-“All right—get set!” advised the inventor. “I’m going to turn on the

-power now. Keep toward the middle of the stage, for I haven’t got a very

-wide screen and the focus is narrow. If you get too far to either side I

-may lose the image and can’t tell whether I’m getting you or not.”

-

-“Sure!” was the succinct answer of Ned. Then Tom made the adjustments,

-turned on the power, and waited.

-

-A moment later there came from his loud speaker the tones of Ned and Mr.

-Damon singing a selection from one of the latest comic operas. The

-musical accompaniment came from an electrical piano in the studio.

-

-“That’s the best and clearest broadcasting I’ve gotten yet!” said Tom,

-with satisfaction.

-

-“But that’s the easiest part of it. Now will the images of the

-performers come on the screen clearly? That’s the decisive test.”

-

-Anxiously, he turned the switch that controlled the projection of moving

-objects. There was a hissing sound, a slight humming, and then a soft

-glow illuminated the metallic glass screen in front of Tom Swift. It

-suffused to a milky whiteness and then, as upon the silver screen in a

-moving picture theater, but in miniature size, there was projected

-before Tom’s eyes the figures of Ned and Mr. Damon going through the

-movements of an eccentric dance as they sang.

-

-For a moment Tom wanted to shout in delight, for, perhaps due to the

-fact that the performers wore contrasting garments of red and violet,

-the images projected were clearer than any Tom had yet succeeded in

-getting through by means of his new wireless apparatus.

-

-“I believe I’ve struck it!” he whispered.

-

-Then he began to laugh, for Mr. Damon certainly was funny. He even

-seemed to know that Tom, in a distant room, could see him, for the odd

-man winked one eye and made gestures at Tom as though the young inventor

-were personally before him.

-

-“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Tom. “I must get dad in to see this. He’ll believe in

-it now.” For, up to this time, Mr. Swift had been rather skeptical,

-though he was fully in sympathy with Tom’s aims. “And I’d like to show

-it to Mary,” mused the young inventor, as he sat there enjoying what

-really was a team vaudeville sketch without either of the artists being

-in the room with him. Their song, the music, and even the shuffling of

-their feet came plainly to him through the loud speaker, while the image

-was shimmering on the metallic glass screen almost as plainly as though

-Tom had been in the studio. Of course the image was in reduced size. The

-screen was about three feet square, and life-sized figures cannot be

-shown on that.

-

-“But in time I can get them full size,” Tom decided. “Oh, but this is

-good! I can see success now, though it still must be a little clearer to

-make it a positive thing and in natural colors.”

-

-Then he bethought him that Ned and Mr. Damon must be tired, for they had

-been keeping steadily at it for nearly an hour while Tom tried different

-combinations of lights and currents of various intensities in order to

-get the best effects.

-

-“Guess I’ll ’phone them that they can let up now,” decided the young

-inventor. “They must be tired. And Ned wants to go see Helen. By the

-same token I’d better give Mary a call, I guess. I’ve been rather

-neglecting her of late—too busy over this invention.”

-

-Then another thought came to Tom—that he would have the girls and

-perhaps their parents come to the studio to take a look at the result he

-had accomplished. True, it was not yet perfected; but he knew his

-friends would keep his secret until he could complete the patent

-applications.

-

-“Yes, I’ll give the girls a show,” decided Tom. “They sure will enjoy

-Mr. Damon’s singing and dancing. Gosh, but he’s funny!”

-

-Tom shut off the power. The image faded from the screen which turned

-from milky whiteness to the blackness of pitch. Then the voices of the

-performers died away as Tom cut off the radio.

-

-He was about to step to the telephone to advise his friends of his

-almost complete success and to tell them to cease their efforts when a

-noise out in the corridor attracted his attention.

-

-“Maybe they’ve decided to quit of their own accord,” mused Tom.

-

-He opened the door of his laboratory and stepped into the hall. He saw

-nothing of Ned or Mr. Damon approaching and at once became aware of a

-peculiar odor. At first he could not account for it, thinking, for a

-moment, that his father might be at work in the chemical laboratory

-farther down the corridor. But after a second deep breath Tom knew it

-was no chemical he smelled.

-

-“It—it’s—fash!” he murmured. “The peculiar melon fruit that Koku was

-wishing for. But how in the world could that smell get here? There isn’t

-any fash within hundreds of miles—yes, even thousands! How Koku could

-get any——”

-

-He paused. There was a dark object on the floor near where the giant had

-been sitting on guard. Tom switched on a brilliant overhead light. It

-illuminated the place where Koku had been sitting, but the giant was no

-longer in his chair. He was sprawled on the floor, an inert lump of

-flesh, while, not far from him, was one of those peculiar melons, or

-fash fruits, of which the giants of that far-off, strange land were so

-fond.

-

-“Can I be dreaming?” gasped Tom. “How did this happen? Koku must be

-drugged! How did he get that fash? And what does it all mean?”

-

-As he started forward a noise behind him attracted his attention.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER XV

-                           A SINISTER WARNING

-

-

-LIKE an electrical flash it came into the mind of Tom Swift that there

-was something wrong here—something terribly and dangerously wrong. The

-drugged giant—nothing less than a drug could account for the

-helplessness of Koku—the appearance of that strange fruit, the noise

-behind—all these were warnings not to be ignored.

-

-So, though his first impulse was to hasten to the aid of the giant, when

-he heard that noise back of him Tom turned.

-

-He was only just in time. He had a glimpse of a figure gliding toward

-him out of the shadows, for that part of the corridor was not brightly

-lighted. And the figure was that of the man lately

-discharged—Greenbaum!

-

-With uplifted hand, in which was some sort of a weapon Tom could not

-distinguish, Greenbaum glided toward him. Tom was taken so by surprise

-and was so off his guard because of what had happened to Koku that he

-might have fallen a victim to Greenbaum.

-

-But at that moment occurred an interruption and a diversion that saved

-the situation, and perhaps Tom’s life. The door farther down the

-corridor opened and Mr. Damon and Ned, preceded by Eradicate, who had

-been serving as guard there, came out. The two performers, receiving no

-answer to their telephonic signal, had rightly concluded that Tom had

-finished experimenting for the night.

-

-“At the same time I thought something might be wrong when you didn’t

-answer,” Ned explained later.

-

-At any rate, the two performers and Eradicate were now hastening toward

-the young inventor. In a trice they realized that Tom was about to be

-attacked. But before the knife in Greenbaum’s hand could descend, the

-man received some missile full in the face with such crashing force that

-he staggered back. He dropped the knife, and with a cry of pain darted

-away, being lost to sight in the shadows of the hall.

-

-“Good shot!” cried Ned.

-

-“Bless my rubber boot, Eradicate hit the scoundrel with a shoe!”

-exclaimed Mr. Damon.

-

-“Dat’s whut I done!” chuckled the negro. “I didn’t have nothin’ else, so

-I tuck off mah shoe!”

-

-Eradicate had big feet and wore heavy brogans, so the hobnailed sole and

-heel made as effective a weapon for the purpose as could be desired.

-

-Recovering from the astonishment into which the unexpected attempt on

-his life had thrown him, Tom Swift turned about and darted into the

-lower part of the hall in pursuit of Greenbaum. But he was too late. The

-slight start which the man had, served him in good stead and he made his

-escape. Though Tom sounded the alarm and got many of his night watchmen

-on the job, they could not capture the intruder.

-

-Not until it was made certain that he was no longer on the premises did

-Tom turn his attention to Koku. Eradicate, however, had begun to

-minister to his fellow guard. Though there was jealousy between the two

-because each one desired to serve Tom alone, when one was in trouble the

-other always showed a friendly spirit.

-

-“Somebody done chlo’fo’m him!” was Eradicate’s opinion, when Tom and Ned

-came back from the unsuccessful chase after Greenbaum, to find the giant

-just recovering consciousness. There was a dazed look on his face, but

-his eyes opened wider as he saw the fash melon on the floor near where

-he had fallen from his chair.

-

-“Koku no dream then,” he murmured.

-

-“What happened?” asked Tom, when he had sent several men to find out, if

-possible, how Greenbaum had eluded the guard and the electrically

-charged fence and so had gained entrance to the private laboratory.

-

-Then the giant, whose immense bulk was proof against any ordinary means

-of making him unconscious, told what had taken place. He had been

-sitting in his chair on guard near Tom’s door after the little talk he

-had with the young inventor about his desire to have a fash melon once

-more. Then, as Koku explained it, a little later, there came rolling

-along the corridor toward his chair one of the very same fruits for

-which he had such a longing.

-

-In a transport of joy at the sight and smell of the dainty, not stopping

-to consider how strange it was that the fruit should have appeared at

-such an opportune time, Koku stooped to pick it up. But he never got his

-hands on it, so he said, for a moment later he “went to sleep,” as he

-expressed it.

-

-“You were drugged,” declared Tom. “Whoever rolled that fash in to

-attract your attention and keep you from being suspicious, whoever did

-that, must have sprayed some chloroform or ether up your nose. You went

-down and out.”

-

-“Maybe so, Master,” admitted the giant humbly. “Koku very sorry.”

-

-“Greenbaum brought it,” declared Tom. “He wanted to get Koku out of the

-way and then he thought he’d get me. Guess he didn’t count on Ned and

-Mr. Damon being so near.”

-

-“He didn’t figure on Eradicate’s shoe, either,” chuckled Mr. Damon.

-“Bless my trolley fare, but that was a good shot!”

-

-“But look here,” persisted Ned. “It’s all right enough for you to say

-that Greenbaum brought that fash here to tempt Koku. So much is evident

-and plain. What isn’t plain is how Greenbaum knew about the fash and

-where he got it. That’s what puzzles me.”

-

-“It’s a small problem compared to the others we have to solve,” said

-Tom, with a serious look on his face. “What worries me is how Greenbaum

-passed the guard lines. It also worries me to know that the men who seem

-bent on preventing me from completing this invention are still on my

-trail.”

-

-“Those are greater problems,” agreed Ned. “Very likely we are wrong in

-thinking these peculiar melons grow only in Koku’s country. This may

-have come from South America or Africa in a shipment of fruit. You know

-we get pears, or maybe it’s peaches I’m thinking of—anyhow, it’s

-something, from Australia. And if they can ship things that far, it

-wouldn’t be impossible to bring fash from where we got Koku. Only what

-puzzles me is how anybody knew of these melons.”

-

-“We’ll consider that later,” suggested Tom. “But it occurs to me that

-the moving picture people have of late been sending men into all sorts

-of strange countries for travel news. It is entirely within the bounds

-of reason to suppose that some of them have penetrated to the land where

-Koku came from and where the fash grows. Some exploring movie men may

-have brought a few of the melons back with him. You know Koku said they

-keep an astonishingly long time.”

-

-“Yes,” agreed Ned. “But that one won’t keep long,” he added, with a

-chuckle, for the giant was already opening his big pocket knife

-preparatory to cutting the melon.

-

-“Not in here, Koku, if you please,” said Tom, motioning to the giant to

-go outside to cut the fruit.

-

-It had a disagreeable odor when whole, but the aroma was tripled when

-the fash was cut. Koku had speedily recovered from the effects of the

-drug and was preparing for a feast. If Tom had been a few minutes later

-in opening his door, the giant might have been dead and the young

-inventor himself would have been in grave danger.

-

-“Well, let Koku enjoy his fash,” Tom said as the big man went out into

-the night with his treasure, having first, however, offered to share it

-with his master. The offer was politely turned down. “We’ve got to

-investigate what happened.”

-

-They could not find out how Greenbaum got in, and Tom began to fear

-there was still another spy in his working force. He resolved to have a

-strict inquiry next morning and made a note to charge Mr. Jackson with

-this.

-

-“But how did the talking-picture work, Tom?” asked Ned when they were

-ready to close the laboratory and disperse for the night.

-

-“Fine! Almost perfect! I’m on the verge of success!”

-

-“That’s why those plotters are getting desperate, I guess,” suggested

-the manager. “They’re out to do you, Tom. Better clean this thing up and

-sell it. Then they’ll let you alone.”

-

-“I’m thinking of that. But I want to make one more demonstration and

-have Mary, Helen, and some of their folks see it. There are one or two

-little improvements that occur to me that can be made, and then I’ll be

-ready for a final showing before I get my last patents. After that I’ll

-be ready to market my invention.”

-

-“Going to give a sort of dress rehearsal?” asked Ned, with a smile.

-

-“That’s it.”

-

-A search next morning revealed little more than had been found out the

-night before. Nor was the strict inquiry the superintendent conducted

-fruitful of results. No spies were uncovered among Tom’s factory forces.

-

-But, omitting no precautions, the young inventor took even greater pains

-to insure privacy in his personal laboratory. There he worked hard to

-perfect his invention, taking hardly any sleep for a week, so that he

-was almost exhausted. His father and Ned helped and so did Mr. Damon.

-Koku and Eradicate were kept on guard, and the giant, having satisfied

-his longing for fash, declared that he would not move from his chair

-again to pick up a dozen of the odorous melons.

-

-And, laboring hard, Tom brought to what he thought would be perfection

-his newest invention. Mr. Swift was greatly interested in it, though he

-begged his son to proceed cautiously.

-

-“You evidently have powerful enemies, Tom,” said the aged man. “They

-must think you will ruin part of their business in moving pictures and

-theatrical performances and that is why they are so anxious to get you

-out of the way. Be careful!”

-

-“I will,” promised the young man. “But they can’t stop me now. Success

-is just across the line.”

-

-He had entirely rebuilt the machine after the fire and blast, and it was

-larger and better than ever. Mary and Helen, with their families, had

-been taken into Tom’s confidence and he had promised them that they

-should see and hear the performance of Ned and Mr. Damon.

-

-“It’s quite thrilling!” said Mary, with a fond look at Tom.

-

-“I hope you’ll say so after the demonstration,” was his answer. “I may

-ask you and Helen to perform, also.”

-

-“Oh, we’ll be glad to,” said Helen. “I can’t let Ned get away with all

-the honors.”

-

-It was the day on which the final demonstration was to take place. Tom

-had arranged his apparatus and had invited the two girls and their

-families to come to the laboratory for the evening.

-

-In the afternoon, about six hours before the time set, Tom was in his

-workroom putting some finishing touches to the machinery and testing the

-electrical wires when he heard Eradicate coming along the corridor.

-Something in the colored man’s step and the fact that he was muttering

-excitedly to himself, roused Tom’s curiosity and fears.

-

-“What’s the matter, Rad?” he asked, opening the door in response to the

-faithful black man’s knock.

-

-“Man jest give me dis,” answered Eradicate, holding out a letter.

-

-“Where did you get it?”

-

-“Out in de yard,” was the answer. “I was walkin’ round like yo’ done

-tole me watchin’ fo’ strangers, when de man come up an’ handed me dis.

-He were a stranger—I was goin’ to tell him to make his se’f skurse when

-he done hand me dat.”

-

-Eradicate nodded toward the note which Tom held.

-

-“Did he say anything when he gave it to you?” asked Tom.

-

-“He say ‘gib dat to Tom Swift. It may be life or death to him,’” quoted

-Eradicate.

-

-Tom hastily tore open the envelope. As he read the message a cry of rage

-and astonishment came to his lips.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XVI

-                         A STARTLING DISCOVERY

-

-

-“WHAT’S the matter?” asked Ned Newton. He had been making the

-broadcasting studio ready for the performance he and Mr. Damon would

-soon give in there, so Tom could show his assembled party of guests what

-the new invention would do. “What’s wrong, Tom?” he asked again,

-entering the laboratory just as his chum finished reading the sinister

-message that Eradicate had handed him.

-

-“Wrong is the word,” murmured Tom, again reading the warning. “What do

-you think of that?” and he handed the paper to his financial manager.

-

-Ned scanned the scrawl—it was only that—words hastily scribbled on a

-piece of wrapping paper and enclosed in a dirty envelope.

-

-“Whew!” whistled Ned as he read. And this is what his eyes took in:

-

-    “Tom Swift: If you exhibit your new talking pictures your whole

-    plant will be blown to atoms. Take warning in time.”

-

-“There’s no name signed to it,” remarked Ned.

-

-“There doesn’t need be,” responded his chum. “It’s easy to guess that

-this comes from the same crowd who kidnapped you and me—the same men

-who tried to blow me up. There’s no need for a name.”

-

-“No, I guess you’re right,” Ned agreed. “Still, if we could trace these

-fellows——”

-

-“Oh, I’m going to try!” exclaimed Tom. “I’m not going to sit idly down

-and let them think they have us scared. Eradicate, show me just where

-you met this man and tell me what he looked like.”

-

-The negro did his best, but he was getting old and his memory was not

-what it had been. He gave a rather hazy description of the bearer of the

-sinister warning, but he was able to point out the place where he had

-come upon the intruder. Intruder was exactly what the messenger was,

-for, since beginning work on his latest invention, Tom had taken

-precautions to admit none but his own men to the plant.

-

-“He met me heah,” said Eradicate pointing to a clump of bushes near the

-electrically charged fence. That is, it was electrically charged at

-night. During the day, when many watchmen were on the alert, Tom did not

-have the current turned on.

-

-“But I’m going to have it on after this,” he decided, when a search of

-the grounds in the vicinity of the place where Eradicate had received

-the note revealed no one. “He must have gotten over the fence in some

-way, didn’t he, Rad?”

-

-“I didn’t see him shinny ober de fence, no, Massa Tom.”

-

-“Well, I think he must have come in that way. Where did he go after he

-left the note with you?”

-

-“He jes’ disappeared, dat’s whut he done! He jes’ vanished like!”

-

-“He must be a voodoo man,” suggested Ned jokingly.

-

-Eradicate’s eyes grew round and his jaw dropped.

-

-“No,” said Tom glancing warningly at Ned, “what I think happened was

-that when Rad was looking at the note and trying to adjust himself to

-the life or death twist the fellow gave to it, the scoundrel jumped back

-over the fence before Rad saw him.”

-

-“He’d have to be a pretty good jumper to get over this fence,” Ned

-commented.

-

-“Yes, but it could be done,” said Tom. “But from now on the electric

-current will be on duty twenty-four hours a day. I’ll put a stop to this

-nonsense!”

-

-“What are you going to do?” asked Ned.

-

-“Well, I’m going to take no chances, for one thing,” was the reply. “I

-don’t know whether this message is genuine or a hoax. But I can’t afford

-to take any chances. There are too many men in this plant to risk having

-even one of the smaller buildings blown up. If only my own laboratory

-were involved I wouldn’t think so much of it. Though of course a lot of

-damage could be done to my new invention now that it’s practically

-finished. However, we’ll have the most thorough investigation possible.

-I’ll shut down work for the rest of the day and turn the force into an

-investigating body.”

-

-“I think it’s a wise thing to do,” agreed Ned.

-

-A little later the big factory whistle sounded the signal of alarm. Men

-dropped their tools, shut down their machines, and gathered at the

-appointed places. It was as if, on a ship, the signal had been given for

-boat drill. Tom had organized his men this way to respond to the alarm

-in case of emergency.

-

-In a short time several hundred indignant employees of the Swift

-Construction Company were listening to Tom tell of the latest outrage.

-He did not need to go into details of his secret invention which, until

-it was perfected, he would not give to the world. It was enough to state

-that enemies were trying to intimidate the head of the firm in an

-endeavor to steal some of the valuable secrets.

-

-“There may be a spy and traitor among us,” declared Tom. “I doubt that.

-But there is some way for my enemies to gain entrance to the plant that

-I can’t discover. Now I want you to go over the place. Look for a secret

-means of entering. Look for hidden wires that may connect with planted

-mines. In short, go over the plant with a fine toothed comb and let me

-know what you find.”

-

-“That’s what we’ll do, Mr. Swift!” came the reassuring chorus.

-

-“And if we find any of the scoundrels we’ll string ’em up!” yelled one

-enthusiastic and indignant workman.

-

-“No, don’t do anything rash or unlawful!” warned the young inventor.

-“Make any intruder you catch a prisoner and bring him to me.”

-

-The men scattered to make a thorough search, and then Tom went into his

-private laboratory where his father and Ned had preceded him. He wanted

-to talk the situation over with them.

-

-“What do you think, Dad?” asked Tom, when he had related to his parent

-the latest attempt.

-

-“Well,” was the careful answer, “to me it looks like a deep-laid plot

-against you. They don’t want you to put these talking pictures on the

-market.”

-

-“But how is it their business?” asked Ned. “I mean the business of

-whoever is doing these tricks.”

-

-“It concerns them vitally,” replied Mr. Swift. “Why, just think what it

-would mean if a whole theatrical performance could be thrown on the

-screen in private homes!”

-

-“That’s what I’m going to make possible!” declared the young inventor.

-“Those who buy my machine will not only hear but, on the screen attached

-to the apparatus, they will see the performers!”

-

-“It may mean ruin to many regular theaters and moving picture houses,

-Tom,” warned Mr. Swift. “Those people have millions of dollars invested

-in their projects. They evidently mean business,” and he tapped the

-warning letter Eradicate had received.

-

-“Yes, they mean business; but so do I!” cried Tom in a ringing voice.

-“The question is who means the most business. You don’t want me to quit,

-do you, Dad?”

-

-“No, Tom, I can’t say I do. Yet I want you to be careful.”

-

-“What’s your idea, Ned? Should I knuckle under to these scoundrels and

-tell them I’ll throw overboard the machine I’ve been working on so hard

-for the last year? Shall I admit I’m beaten?”

-

-For a moment Ned Newton did not answer. Then something of Tom’s ringing

-spirit was communicated and, banging his fist on the table with such

-force that he knocked over a rack of test tubes, the manager cried:

-

-“No, Tom! We’ll fight ’em to a finish!”

-

-“I thought you’d say that,” was Tom’s quiet comment.

-

-“And you can count on me,” said Mr. Swift, “though I’m not much good

-when it comes to a fight.”

-

-“Oh, I’ve got men enough to fight for me physically,” said Tom. “What I

-need is moral backing, and now that I have it I’m going ahead. I’ve been

-trying to fight this thing too much in the dark. From now on I’ll use

-not only my own men, but also the regular police force of Shopton. Ned,

-get the chief on the wire!”

-

-In a short time a squad of police were on guard around Tom’s big plant,

-while, as the day drew to a close and the hour approached for the test

-demonstration, the regular workmen searched for anything that might give

-color to the threat to blow the place up.

-

-Just when it seemed that nothing would be found, several of the men,

-under the leadership of Mr. Jackson, made a startling discovery.

-

-They found where the big outside fence had been tunneled under and,

-working from there, came upon several mines that were planted near

-important buildings in a manner that would have done credit to a wartime

-mining party. From the mines buried wires led outside the fence to a

-little gully. There, beneath a clump of bushes, the ends of the wires

-lay. All that remained was to connect them to a detonating battery. Then

-the mines could all be set off at once and the Swift plant surely would

-be terribly damaged, if not wholly destroyed.

-

-“They’re regular fiends!” gasped Ned, when the extent of the vile plot

-had been laid bare.

-

-“Yes, they could easily have blown us up but for that warning,” Tom

-admitted. “Yet it may all have been a bluff. They might not have gone to

-extremes. But I dared not take a chance.”

-

-“No,” agreed his chum. “Well, what’s the next move?”

-

-Tom Swift did not answer immediately.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XVII

-                           USELESS PLEADINGS

-

-

-TOM SWIFT was profoundly disturbed by the momentous discoveries that had

-taken place around the Swift Construction Company’s plant. He did not

-believe it possible, with all his precautions, that so deep and

-dangerous a plot could have been brought so near to fruition as it had

-been.

-

-“Well?” asked Ned remindingly.

-

-“Oh!” and Tom appeared to come out of a disagreeable reverie. “Well,

-there are several things that must be done, Ned. In the first place we

-must take newer and better precautions to keep these rascals out.”

-

-“That’s plain enough.”

-

-“Then the next thing to do is to go ahead with this thing and push it to

-a conclusion.”

-

-“You mean the talking-picture machine?”

-

-“That’s it. After that we’ll consider what is next to be done. But you

-and Mr. Damon had better be getting ready,” and Tom smiled for the first

-time since Eradicate had given him the threatening note that proved to

-be such a timely warning.

-

-“Ready for what?” Ned wanted to know.

-

-“For the performance you are to give for the benefit of Mary, Helen, and

-the other visitors. They’ll be here soon. It’s getting late.”

-

-“Do you mean, in the face of what happened, that you’re going to put on

-a program of songs and dances?” asked Ned, in astonishment.

-

-“Why not?” Tom questioned. “Nothing really happened. There was no

-blowing up of the plant.”

-

-“No, but it came mighty close to it. We don’t know what hour those

-fellows set for attaching the detonator to the ends of the wires, and

-then it would have been a skyrocket trip for us.”

-

-“Yes, but it _didn’t_ happen,” insisted Tom, with another smile. “‘A

-miss is as good as a mile,’ you know. We’re safe and sound. We are well

-guarded now and I want to see if my machine will do what I hope it

-will.”

-

-“Very well,” assented Ned, with a shake of his head. “On with the dance,

-let Mr. Damon and myself be unconfined. I’m game if you are, Tom.”

-

-“Bless my dominoes, so am I!” added the odd man.

-

-“There really is no danger now,” Tom insisted. “I’m not saying but what

-the scoundrels may try it again. But, for the time being, we are safe.

-It’s just as it is after a hard thunder storm,” he went on. “There’ll be

-no danger from the lightning for some time.”

-

-“You may be right there,” agreed Ned. “Well, come on, Mr. Damon. We’ll

-do our part to make the entertainment a success.”

-

-Shortly after this Mary Nestor and her parents arrived in answer to the

-invitation Tom had sent them, and they were followed soon by Helen

-Morton, whom Ned greeted with a warm smile.

-

-“But what’s going on?” Mary wanted to know of Tom. “We were stopped two

-or three times on our way through your grounds and made to show the

-passes you sent us. What’s the cause? Is it war?”

-

-“Something like that,” admitted Tom. “We’re having a little trouble with

-some men who don’t like what I’m doing. But I think the worst is over.”

-

-Then, not telling what danger he and Ned had been in, Tom Swift gave his

-friends a brief description of the new talking-picture machine and

-prepared them for what they were going to see.

-

-Mary, Helen and their parents took their seats in the laboratory with

-Mr. Swift and Tom, while Ned and Mr. Damon went to the broadcasting

-studio, there to don their red and violet robes. Tom had not yet

-succeeded in making it possible to render sharp and clear performers

-attired in garments of other colors or combination of colors, though he

-hoped, by the use of filter screens, to bring this about later.

-

-Eradicate and another man were instructed to keep strict guard on all

-approaches to the broadcasting room while the performance was going on.

-Koku, armed with a big club, and another man with a gun were stationed

-outside the private laboratory. But Tom did not have Koku and the other

-guard stationed until Mary and the others were in the room, so the

-visitors did not see these warlike preparations.

-

-The switches were turned, the wires hummed, the tubes glowed with their

-strange lights and the black screen became milky white. Then, as over

-the loud speaker, came the words of the song rendered by Ned and Mr.

-Damon in the distant room, there also appeared very plain images of the

-two performers. The transmission was the best Tom had ever succeeded in

-producing.

-

-“Why, Tom, it’s wonderful!” exclaimed Mary.

-

-“Marvelous!” echoed Helen.

-

-“Finest thing I ever saw!” declared Mr. Nestor. “If you’re selling stock

-in this, Tom, put me down for a good subscription.”

-

-“Same here!” added Mr. Morton. “It’s going to be epoch-making, Tom

-Swift.”

-

-“That’s what I’m afraid of—it’s too epoch-making,” said Mr. Swift, but

-he did not explain what he meant nor did his visitors ask. They were too

-much interested in listening to and looking at Ned Newton and Mr. Damon.

-

-Ned’s earlier description of the odd man’s performance was fully borne

-out by what happened. At one time Ned had to quit from sheer exhaustion

-in laughing, but Mr. Damon went on alone, singing, dancing, improvising,

-telling jokes and funny stories until he had his unseen audience in

-gales of laughter.

-

-“Well, Tom, how was it?” asked Ned, when the performance was over and

-they were all together again.

-

-“Very good! But it must be better yet. I don’t want to limit the

-performers to red and violet robes. But I have thought of a simple

-method of getting around that. Color filters, such as are used in

-printing photography, will do the trick. I’m not worried about that.”

-

-The little laboratory was rather close and stuffy, so the door leading

-into the hall was opened for air. Mary looked out. She screamed, and

-turned quickly toward Tom.

-

-“What’s the matter?” asked Tom instantly. “Is there—” He thought

-Greenbaum might be trying some other trick.

-

-“Why is Koku armed with that big club and the other man with a gun?”

-asked Mary suspiciously. “Is there some danger? Oh, Tom——”

-

-The memory of the kidnapping of the two young men came vividly into her

-mind.

-

-“There’s danger—terrible danger!” exclaimed Helen. “I can tell by the

-boys’ faces,” she added, looking from Tom and Ned to Mary. “They are

-trying to hide it from us; but there’s danger, and I know it.”

-

-As Ned remarked later, “the beans were spilled then and there,” and

-though he and Tom tried to put the girls and their parents off, there

-was no denying that something unusual was afoot. The upshot of it was

-that the whole story of the buried mines came out.

-

-“Tom, you’ve got to give this thing up!” urged Mary, taking him by the

-arm. “It’s a wonderful invention, undoubtedly, but it isn’t worth your

-life, nor Ned’s. You must give it up! Let those men have it to destroy

-if they want to.”

-

-“Never!” cried Tom. “I’m going through with it.”

-

-Then followed earnest but useless pleadings on the part of the young

-ladies and their parents. Seeing how firm Tom was, Helen and Mary turned

-their attention to Ned, seeking to get him to prevail upon his chum to

-cast the invention aside. But Ned was as firm as his friend.

-

-“No, I’m going ahead with it no matter what comes!” was Tom’s final

-decision. “But I’m going to set a trap for these scoundrels and I think

-I’ll catch them. The talking-picture machine must be perfected, in spite

-of these fellows. But they’ll find two can play at the same game. I’m

-going to set a trap!”

-

-Somewhat reassured by Tom’s confident manner, the girls and their

-parents felt better, though they could not shake off the fear that

-something would happen. Nor was Tom as easy in his mind as he seemed.

-

-There were refreshments after the demonstration, which had been a

-success in spite of the excitement preceding it, and then Tom and Ned

-took the girls home, their parents having gone on ahead.

-

-“Well, Tom,” remarked Ned when the two young men were on their way back

-to the laboratory to make sure it was carefully locked and guarded for

-the night, “I thought, once, that Mary was going to prevail on you to

-give it up.”

-

-“Not in a hundred years! I’m going through with it. Why, I’ve got to or

-face ruin of another sort.”

-

-“You mean financially?”

-

-“Yes. You know how much money I’ve got tied up in this machine. It’s all

-we could beg or borrow or spare from my other ventures. If I scrapped it

-now, all that cash would be lost. As it is, if I go on and put the

-machine on the market, I stand a chance to get it back with a profit.”

-

-“Yes, I suppose so. The banks have begun to ask questions. I guess it’s

-sink or swim from now on.”

-

-“But we’re going to _swim_!” declared Tom Swift, with a confident smile.

-“Give me an even break, and I’ll beat those fellows at their own game!”

-

-“I hope you do, Tom. But what sort of trap are you going to set?”

-

-“Tell you in the morning. I want to sleep over it,” and with that Tom

-turned into the house.

-

-

-

-

-                             CHAPTER XVIII

-                       AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT

-

-

-“WELL, they didn’t blow us up,” remarked Ned Newton to his chum the

-following morning after having awakened in the Swift home, having

-occupied the room next to his friend during the night.

-

-“No, and I suppose we can be thankful for that,” agreed Tom. “But they

-might just as well have had a bomb under my bed for all the rest I got.”

-

-“Didn’t you sleep well?” Ned wanted to know, though a look at his

-friend’s face was enough to tell the story. Tom’s eyes had dark half

-circles under them and it was plain that he had not rested enough.

-

-“Hardly any,” was the answer. “This thing is getting on my nerves, Ned.

-I’ve got to do something!” and the voice was a bit irritable.

-

-“Seems to me you’ve done a lot, Tom.”

-

-“In what way?”

-

-“Well, you’ve invented one of the most wonderful machines in the

-world—one that will make it possible for a man not only to sit at home

-in a comfortable chair and listen to the best music that’s played, but

-he can, by a turn of a switch, see theatrical plays. And, not only have

-you done that, but you’ve called the turn on the scoundrels who tried to

-stop you half way.”

-

-“I haven’t quite called the turn, as you call it, Ned. There is still a

-lot to do to uncover the acts of those fellows. One of the first things

-I want to do is to find out how they got in and did their work so

-secretly. They must have had help from inside,” added Tom.

-

-His first step was to set Ned at work on financial matters, to ascertain

-just how much longer the Swift Construction Company could operate

-without going to the wall. Its credit was excellent, which was a great

-deal in its favor. And Tom hoped soon to have his talking pictures in

-shape to offer some of the machines for sale, or at least to sell stock

-in a company that might market them to the retail trade. In this way he

-would be assured soon of a large amount of ready cash. He knew several

-firms who would be willing to underwrite an issue of bonds, once he

-could demonstrate that his machine was a success.

-

-Having attended to these money matters, which were always more or less

-of a bore to Tom, the young inventor turned his attention to matters of

-more interest to him. One was to see that the delicate mechanism of his

-invention had not been disturbed during the night, and the other was to

-make a more careful examination with a view to finding out how his plant

-had been mined by the conspirators.

-

-Koku and Eradicate had both slept in the private laboratory, and on

-Tom’s entrance they reported that nothing unusual had occurred during

-the night. It was the fear that, after all, something untoward might

-take place that had prompted Ned to spend the night with his chum.

-

-“So far so good!” mused Tom, after he had made sure his invention was in

-working order. “Now for a look around the grounds.”

-

-He soon saw what had been apparent at the casual inspection the night

-before, namely, that the plotters had tunneled under the fence in order

-to plant their bombs. Doubtless, they had found out to their sorrow that

-the wires on top of the barrier carried a disabling current of

-electricity.

-

-And it was in that way that the gang had gained entrance to the grounds.

-They had worked in secret, by night it was likely, and had thus been

-able to plant several dangerous bombs and run wires attached to them

-outside the fence and into the little gully mentioned before. All that

-was needed was the exploding spark and the Swift plant would have been a

-mass of ruins.

-

-The bombs had been carefully taken up and soaked in water. They were

-then—and this work was only now finished—dissected in an effort to

-learn some clue as to the constructors. But the work had been cunningly

-done. Tom suspected that the gang had hired some band of anarchists to

-make the bombs for them, probably keeping the makers in ignorance of

-what the deadly machines were to be used for.

-

-Once the bombs were removed, the connecting wires pulled up and all

-traces of the work removed, Tom had some of his men arrange matters so

-that a recurrence of the danger was impossible. At intervals along the

-fence metal rods were driven into the earth and so arranged, by means of

-electric wires, that any disturbance of the earth near them would be

-registered on dials in the central watch tower.

-

-“That will keep them out, or at least give warning of their attempts,”

-said Tom.

-

-In truth, as the fence was still guarded on top by the powerful current

-and now was protected from beneath, there was little likelihood that any

-plotters could get in. Double guards were posted night and day at all

-entrance gates and not until then did Tom Swift feel secure.

-

-He then set to work with redoubled energy to put the finishing touches

-to his newest patent and felt sure he had solved the one remaining

-problem—that of making visible all colors on his screen. This he

-accomplished by filters of glass, something after the manner in which

-colored moving pictures are taken, but using a process of his own that

-he had only recently discovered.

-

-Though Tom was kept busy putting the finishing touches to his machine,

-he was not freed from trouble. Every now and then he would get a report

-from some of his many shops that the place had been entered and things

-turned upside down, evidently in a search for some of the young

-inventor’s secrets.

-

-“Why don’t they lay off and let me alone?” exclaimed Tom angrily one

-morning after some particularly annoying damage had been done in his

-airship shop the night before. “What’s their game, anyhow?”

-

-“To make you give up, I guess,” answered Ned. “They can’t get at your

-talking-picture machine, you’ve got that too well guarded. But to guard

-the rest of the plant you’d have to keep a full force here day and

-night, and that’s out of the question with our bank balance as low as it

-is.”

-

-“I realize that, Ned. Yet I’ve got to do something desperate. It may

-take some money, too.”

-

-“Oh, we aren’t down to our last dollar, when it comes to that,” Ned

-replied. “But it would be ruinous to be paying a night force as well as

-a day force, particularly when the former would only be used as guards.”

-

-“I’m not going to do that,” declared Tom. “It’s time, I think, to put

-into operation my other scheme—the one I had in mind the night we

-discovered the bombs.”

-

-“What plan is that, Tom?”

-

-“It’s an anonymous advertisement in the papers, making certain offers

-and proposing certain terms to my enemies. Here, I’ll show you what I

-mean.”

-

-Tom thought for a few moments with pencil poised over a pad. Then he

-wrote rapidly and handed the sheet of paper to Ned. This is what his

-chum read:

-

-    RAPID young man, who is being held back in his work by threats

-    and annoying, sneaking night attacks, will pay any reasonable

-    sum just to be let alone so that he may proceed with his

-    inventions. He wants to be swift in completing his work and it

-    can easily be pictured how this talk about making trouble annoys

-    him. A large sum will be paid for freedom from future annoyance.

-    Answer in confidence, QUICK, Box 123 Evening Graphic Office.

-

-“Do you intend to insert this advertisement in the _Graphic_?” asked

-Ned, naming the Shopton evening paper.

-

-“That’s what I do. Don’t you think they will understand it even without

-my name being to it?”

-

-“I should think the scoundrels might,” chuckled Ned. “You have as good

-as told them by the use of the words rapid, swift and quick, to say

-nothing of mentioning your talking-picture machine. Do you think that is

-wise?”

-

-“Oh, they know I’m working on it,” said Tom. “It’s no use to pretend

-they don’t. The secret is out, but I don’t care. I’ve got the patent

-rights sewed up now. But I must be let alone in order to finish the last

-details. Take that ad in, Ned.”

-

-“I will. I hope it brings results.”

-

-“I think it will,” said Tom, with a significant smile. “It’s bait for a

-trap, and there will be some surprises when it springs shut!”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XIX

-                              THE MEETING

-

-

-DISAPPOINTMENT would have been in store for Tom Swift and his close

-associates if they had expected any immediate results from the insertion

-of the anonymous advertisement. Ned Newton went to the designated box in

-the newspaper office several times following the printing of the

-cunningly worded request for an interview with the unknown scoundrels,

-but there were no letters addressed to Mr. Quick.

-

-“I’m afraid it isn’t going to work, Tom,” remarked Ned, after the fourth

-day.

-

-“Give ’em time,” was the calm reply of the young inventor. “Rome wasn’t

-built in a day and you can’t catch these rascals in the first trap you

-set.”

-

-“Then you still intend to catch them?”

-

-“I sure do.”

-

-“Aren’t you disappointed that they haven’t taken the bait?”

-

-“Not yet. In fact, I’m better pleased than if they had put in a reply at

-once. It shows that there are big and important men back of this

-movement. If they had been petty grafters or fellows who were just

-working to get a certain sum out of me—a comparatively small sum—they

-would have answered right off. As it is, the delay shows they are taking

-their time and considering the thing from all angles. But I think

-they’ll bite sooner or later and grant me the interview I desire.”

-

-“Is that what you want—just an interview?”

-

-“Well, that’s part of it,” was Tom’s answer, given with a peculiar

-smile. “Once I’m face to face with this gang I’ll know what to do. I’ve

-pretty well settled it in my own mind that there are big interests

-fighting me, and, like large bodies, they move slowly. It will be all

-the better for the success of my plans if they don’t bite too quickly.”

-

-“Then you’re not quite ready for them?”

-

-“Not quite, but I shall be in a day or so. Meanwhile, let the ad run.

-They’ve seen it and are a bit puzzled over what course to take, I’m

-sure.”

-

-“Well, I’ll leave it to you,” Ned remarked. “I’ve got my own troubles,

-Tom.”

-

-“You mean about finances?”

-

-“Yes. We’re sailing pretty close to the wind. You’ve sunk much money in

-these talking pictures.”

-

-“I realized that when you showed me the figures. But, as I said, it’s

-sink or swim now, and I think we’ll swim after I get through with these

-fellows who are hounding me.”

-

-It was three days after this that Ned, coming away from a bank the

-president of which had suggested that some of the Swift loan had better

-be reduced soon, stopped in at the _Graphic_ office. He presented the

-slip calling for any replies that might have been received for Mr. Quick

-of Box 123, and, somewhat to his surprise, he was handed an envelope.

-The paper was of good quality, though perfectly plain, and the address

-was neatly printed.

-

-“They’re taking no chances of handwriting being traced,” remarked Ned,

-as he hurried back to the laboratory with the missive.

-

-“This may mean business, Tom,” he said to his chum, “or it may be a

-suggestion from some other paper that you would do well to put the ad in

-their columns. That’s a newspaper trick, you know.”

-

-“I know it is,” assented the young inventor. “However, this may mean

-business.” He tore the envelope open and he had no sooner scanned the

-few lines on a single sheet of paper within than he cried: “Hurray!”

-

-“Is it from your enemies?” asked Ned.

-

-“I think it is. Read it!”

-

-Ned let his eyes rove over this:

-

-    “If Mr. Quick will present himself at a certain house on

-    Rattlesnake Island he will learn something to his advantage. Mr.

-    Quick must present himself absolutely alone. If there is any

-    attempt at trickery all negotiations will be called off and

-    vigorous retaliatory measures at once undertaken. Come this

-    midnight.”

-

-“Are you going, Tom?” asked Ned.

-

-“I certainly am!”

-

-“Alone—and to Rattlesnake Island where we were held prisoners?” cried

-Ned.

-

-“Why not? They won’t try any trick like that again. They’ll know I

-wouldn’t walk into a trap like that without leaving word where I am

-bound for and my non-appearance in due time would mean a search. They

-aren’t such fools as that. I’ll go and see what they have to say. I’ll

-be there when the clock strikes twelve.”

-

-“They aren’t giving you much time for preparation. It’s after two

-o’clock now.”

-

-“It’s all the time I need. I’ve been anticipating this and I’m ready.

-Now, Ned, I’ll let you into some of my secrets that I’ve been holding

-out on you.”

-

-Thereupon Tom told Ned something which made that young man open his

-eyes. But even at the end, when the plans were all detailed, the

-business manager was a bit doubtful.

-

-“It’s risky, Tom,” he said. “I’m afraid to have you go there alone to

-meet these fellows.”

-

-“There’s no danger, I tell you. I’m not afraid. My plans have been too

-carefully made to permit of failure.”

-

-But Ned’s face was serious, and when Mr. Swift heard of what his son

-proposed to do he added his appeals to the young inventor, asking him to

-try some other and less risky method.

-

-“This is the only way,” declared Tom. “I’m going to that midnight

-meeting.”

-

-When the time came, Tom Swift set off in one of his motorboats alone,

-heading across Lake Carlopa in the darkness, guiding his craft toward

-the sinister black shape of Rattlesnake Island.

-

-

-

-

-                               CHAPTER XX

-                               MASKED MEN

-

-

-TOM SWIFT sat at the wheel of his craft, his hands on the spokes and his

-eyes gazing ahead through the darkness. He had set a straight course for

-Rattlesnake Island and wondered what would happen after he arrived. In

-spite of his bold words to Ned Newton, the young inventor was a little

-apprehensive, as well he might be.

-

-He scanned the water on either side of him for a possible sight of other

-craft that might be heading in the same direction. But though in the

-distance he saw and heard other motorboats, none seemed to be laying a

-course for Rattlesnake Island.

-

-“I wonder if they’ll be there—and on time,” mused Tom. He did not

-whisper, even to the unoccupied darkness about him, any designation of

-those he had in mind. He merely said: “I wonder if they’ll be there.”

-

-It was not a long run, in Tom’s speedy craft, to the sinister, dark

-island where he and Ned had lately been prisoners, and almost before he

-had finished going over in his mind the various occurrences that had

-taken place since he had begun working on his talking-picture machine,

-the young inventor found himself approaching the place.

-

-“Wonder if I’m to land at the dock where Snogg and Janner tied up the

-_Turtle_. Or am I to circle the island until I get a sign?” mused Tom.

-“From the fact that they have named as a rendezvous the old house, I

-should think it would be at the same dock where Ned and I saw those

-rascals working on their boat the time we gave them the slip. Think I’ll

-try there first, anyhow.”

-

-Tom was a good navigator, and it did not take him long to get his

-bearings and head for the dock in question. As he approached it, he saw

-a dim light on it and this convinced him that he was to tie up there.

-Slowing his boat to half speed, for he was not sure about the state of

-water, and thinking there might be rocks, the young man stood up and

-strained his eyes to pierce the gloom. The single lantern on the end of

-the dock gave illumination enough to make certain that the way was

-clear, as far as obstructions in the water were concerned.

-

-“Well, here I go—for better or for worse,” said Tom grimly to himself

-as he shut off power and allowed his craft to glide up to the

-stringpiece. The dock was rather a ruin, but he found a ring in a beam

-and made his rope fast there.

-

-Then, before getting out of the boat, Tom looked sharply about as well

-as he could by such illumination as a smoking lantern gave. There was no

-sight nor sound of any other visitor to Rattlesnake Island. Tom seemed

-to be the only one there. Yet he knew there were others.

-

-“I suppose I’m to go right up and knock at the front door,” and Tom

-chuckled a little. “They don’t seem to have appointed a reception

-committee with a brass band. Guess those fellows don’t do business that

-way. Well, might as well get started.”

-

-Before getting out of his boat, however, he made sure that the mooring

-rope was tied in such a way that, if need be, he could make a running

-jump into the craft, pull the knot out with one tug of the free end and

-so be loosed from the dock. Also he made certain that his motor would

-start at once. It was a powerful and speedy craft in which Tom had come

-to the island—one that would start with a throw of a switch, not

-needing any laborious cranking.

-

-“I might want to get away in a hurry,” he had reasoned.

-

-Thus having taken all precautions to serve him in case of emergency, Tom

-clambered up on the dock and started for the shore end.

-

-As he left the circle of friendly rays from the lantern, he could not

-prevent a slight feeling of uneasiness creeping over him. After all, it

-was a risky thing that he was doing—trusting himself alone to unknown

-men who had every motive for wishing him out of the way or, if not

-exactly out of the way, at least prevented from pursuing his activities

-in certain directions.

-

-“But I think I’m going to beat them at their own game,” mused Tom, as he

-walked along.

-

-His feet made ghostly echoes on the rattling planks of the old dock,

-and, now and then, he paused to ascertain if any one else in the

-neighborhood were stirring. However, he appeared to be the only one.

-

-“Let’s see,” mused the young inventor as he was about to step off the

-dock to the shore. “As I remember it, the dock was to the east of the

-house when Ned and I looked out of the window and saw the three men. So

-I must turn right now.”

-

-Accordingly he swung in that direction as he started up a path that was

-partly overgrown with weeds. It was quite dark, once he had left the

-glow of the dock lantern, and Tom was glad he had brought a pocket

-flashlight with him.

-

-Switching this on, he let the bright rays fall in front of him to guide

-his steps so he would not get off the path. For he had in mind the

-sinister name of the island to which he was paying a midnight visit.

-

-“They say the rattlesnakes are all gone,” mused Tom, as he kept as

-nearly as he could to the middle of the path, “but I’m taking no chances

-of stepping on one. I don’t want to tread on a tail and be bitten. Even

-if their bite isn’t always deadly, it’s bad enough.”

-

-In spite of himself, Tom could not prevent a creepy feeling coming over

-him at times as he walked along on the path. He almost wished he had not

-selected this means of tricking the plotters. But it was too late to

-turn back now. He had made his choice.

-

-Suddenly, when he judged that he was half way to the old house, Tom

-heard a noise in the bushes just ahead of him and off to the left. For a

-moment he had a fear that it might be the rustle caused by the passage

-of a rattlesnake through the underbrush. He flashed his light in that

-direction, but instead of the beams picking up the gliding form of a

-serpent they illuminated the feet and legs of a man.

-

-Before Tom could cry out or step back, he heard another noise on his

-right, and there, too, his flashlight revealed the feet and legs of

-another man.

-

-Suddenly the four feet and four legs made a rush and Tom felt himself

-caught by the arm on either side. His flashlight was knocked from his

-hand, but, falling to the ground, still glowed and its rays showed Tom

-that he had been caught by two Negroes.

-

-“Let me go!” he cried, fiercely struggling to free himself. But the

-black men held him fast.

-

-Then one spoke, in rather soothing accents, saying:

-

-“It’s all right, sir. We don’t aim to be rough with you, but we got our

-orders. I’m sorry I knocked your light down. I’ll pick it up for you,”

-and, stooping, he retrieved the flashlight which he gave to Tom.

-

-“Better put it in your pocket, sir,” suggested the other Negro. “You

-won’t need it where you’re going. We know the path in the dark. And

-don’t be worried. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

-

-“I’m not worried,” declared Tom boldly. “But this is an outrage! I came

-here of my own free will for a conference and——”

-

-“That’s all right, sir,” went on the first black man, still soothingly.

-“You’re going to be taken to the conference. That’s what we came down

-for—to meet you and show you the way.”

-

-Tom was at once struck by the fact that the language of these Negroes

-was above the average. They did not talk like poor, old Eradicate.

-Rather their talk was that of the man who has seen service in wealthy

-families. As this was in line with Tom’s theories regarding the identity

-of the men persecuting him, he ceased to struggle and said:

-

-“Very well. Lead me to the men with whom I have an appointment.”

-

-“That’s just what we’ll do, sir,” said the man who had picked up the

-flashlight. “It’s just a bit farther on.”

-

-The Negroes seemed able to find their way in the dark, which, Tom

-reflected, was more than he could have done. In a short time they led

-him, gently enough, into a little clearing and there, showing dimly in

-the light of the stars, was the house where Tom and Ned had been

-prisoners.

-

-If Tom had any compunctions about entering the house again he had no

-time to exercise them. Nor, be it known, had he the inclination. He was

-there for a purpose and intended to carry it out.

-

-“Right this way, sir,” said one of the Negroes, letting go of Tom’s

-right arm and preceding him to the front door. “They’re expecting you.”

-

-He knocked—whether in a signal code or not Tom was unable to

-determine—and the door was opened, letting out a flood of light. The

-place seemed to have been prepared for the reception of the young

-inventor.

-

-“Go straight ahead,” said the Negro who had opened the door, as he

-stepped back to allow Tom to enter.

-

-Tom walked into a hall, furnished only with a chair. One of the three

-Negroes—which he could not determine—glided ahead of him, tapped on a

-door at the end of the corridor, and opened it in response to a voice

-that said:

-

-“Enter!”

-

-Tom Swift saw before him a brilliantly lighted room. Gathered around a

-table in the middle were half a dozen men. Each one wore a black mask

-and through the eye-holes in them Tom felt himself being sharply

-scrutinized.

-

-“You may go, Richard,” said one of the men in cultured tones to the

-Negro who had opened the door.

-

-Then the masked faces silently regarded the young inventor.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XXI

-                            A TEMPTING OFFER

-

-

-“SIT down, please!”

-

-The masked man at the head of the table—who seemed to be the

-leader—thus spoke to Tom and motioned to a chair, the only one in the

-room that was not occupied. Tom looked at it a bit suspiciously at

-first. He knew something of trick chairs—seats that, once occupied,

-gripped the sitter in arms of steel. Also this chair might be over some

-trapdoor which opened into a pit or into a tunnel that led to the lake.

-

-But Tom reflected that if the men had contemplated treachery they could

-have exercised their will upon him when he first landed on the island.

-They need not have waited until now.

-

-The chair seemed an ordinary one, and as the leader motioned toward it

-another of the masked men pulled it slightly forward. Clearly it had no

-mechanism connected with it.

-

-“Well, I’m here,” said Tom, as he settled back in the chair, noting that

-it felt all right.

-

-“So we see, and we are glad of this chance to do business with you,”

-remarked one, who, for want of a better designation at present, shall be

-denominated Mr. X. “It did not occur to us,” he went on in cultured

-tones, “that you would care for this method of arriving at a settlement.

-But, since you have, it appears to be a very good one. We are ready to

-do business with you.”

-

-Tom was at once impressed by something that was very evident. These were

-substantial business men—men of some culture and presumably position in

-the world—though they did stoop to desperate means to gain their ends.

-They were of an entirely different class from Snogg and Janner who had

-kidnapped Tom and Ned. Nor were they like Greenbaum, though from two or

-three little signs Tom had an idea that some of these men were very

-wealthy.

-

-“Yes, I am here,” went on Tom, holding himself well in hand and gazing

-from one masked face to the other. “And I am glad to hear that you are

-ready to talk business. But there is one objection.”

-

-“What is it, Mr. Swift?” asked Mr. X courteously. “If you object to the

-method of meeting us, remember it was your own suggestion.”

-

-“I am not complaining of the place of meeting nor the manner in which I

-was received,” stated Tom. “But I’m not used to doing business in the

-dark.”

-

-“In the dark?” wonderingly exclaimed a heavy-set man on the left of Mr.

-X. “Why, it’s light here. Should we spend a lot more money in having

-more electricity? No!”

-

-“I was not referring to the actual lighting of the place,” returned Tom,

-with a little smile. “It’s bright enough in one way. But when I said I

-was not in the habit of doing business in the dark, I referred to your

-masks. I like to see to whom I am talking.”

-

-“Oh, so he means that!” exclaimed the heavy man.

-

-“I am sorry, Mr. Swift,” put in Mr. X, who seemed affable enough. “But

-you will realize that at present we must, for obvious reasons, remain

-unknown to you. Perhaps you would not recognize us if we laid aside our

-masks, but that we cannot do. There are too many interests, aside from

-our own, involved in this to allow it. So if you feel that you cannot

-talk freely under the present circumstances you are at liberty to depart

-as you came and matters will be the same as before.”

-

-“Do you mean,” asked Tom sharply, “that I shall be subjected to the same

-spying observations and attempts made to destroy my plant and my

-talking-picture machine?”

-

-“I have not said so,” was the calm answer. “You are at liberty to put

-any construction you like on my decision.”

-

-“There can be but one decision!” snapped Tom.

-

-Mr. X nodded his head in assent.

-

-“You must take us or leave us just as you find us—masked,” he said

-slowly. “But I, repeat my offer that you may withdraw at any time and

-you will not be harmed in the least.”

-

-“No! No!” exclaimed the heavy man, with a gesture of dissent. “We want

-to settle this business now. It is a big business—it must be settled! I

-cannot sleep nights thinking what I may lose. It is terrible!”

-

-“You will please let me conduct these negotiations,” said Mr. X coldly,

-turning to the interrupter. “Mr. Swift must decide for himself. He asked

-for this interview and he must accept our conditions of granting it. Our

-masks remain!”

-

-“Very well,” replied Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders. “It is a small

-matter, perhaps. We will talk business, as you suggest. You read my

-advertisement?” he questioned.

-

-“Doubtless, or we should not be here, nor you, either,” replied Mr. X,

-lightly.

-

-“And you said you would pay a good sum to be let alone!” broke in the

-stout man, who might be called Mr. B, for he resembled that letter in

-build.

-

-“Yes, I said that,” answered Tom. “And I am willing to keep my word. But

-I may as well say, here and now, that I am not prepared to pay cash. I

-have used so much money in perfecting my machine for showing in private

-homes talking pictures of theatrical plays and the broadcasting of opera

-and vaudeville that——”

-

-“Oh, is it perfect? Will it work?” anxiously gasped Mr. B.

-

-“It works!” answered Tom. “All I need do now is to put it on the market

-and——”

-

-“That is just what we do not intend to let you do!” broke in Mr. X. “You

-will not be allowed to do that.”

-

-“Not allowed?” came from Tom quietly. “Those are big words.”

-

-“And we are big men in more senses than one,” said Mr. X, still softly.

-“There is no use beating about the bush. We know who you are, it is only

-fair you should know who we are, Mr. Swift.”

-

-“Then you will unmask, after all?” inquired Tom.

-

-“No, but we will tell you what interests we represent—if you have not

-already guessed it.”

-

-“I think I can guess,” stated Tom. “You are a big syndicate of moving

-picture operators.”

-

-“The guess does credit to your intelligence, Tom Swift,” said Mr. X. “We

-represent many large moving picture and theatrical interests of the

-United States, and we are frank to say that we see ruin ahead of us if

-your invention goes on the market uncontrolled, at least in part, by our

-interests. I admit that your invention may revolutionize our industry.

-If a man can sit in his own home and listen to a radio program, and, at

-the same time, see the performers, he certainly won’t put on a starched

-shirt and a stiff collar and pay from two to seven dollars for a seat in

-the theater.”

-

-“And he won’t even come to a fifty cent movie!” lamented Mr. B.

-

-“True enough,” agreed Mr. X.

-

-“You seem to know something of my affairs,” said Tom, with a rueful

-smile. “You have not missed much.”

-

-“We know more than you think we do,” boasted Mr. X. “At the same time we

-realize that you are far from beaten, so we wish to suggest a

-compromise.”

-

-“We are going to make you a handsome offer!” broke in Mr. B, much to the

-evident annoyance of his colleague. “You will be tempted by it, I am

-sure. In short——”

-

-“I thought I was to do the talking,” interrupted Mr. X.

-

-“That’s right. Let him do it,” put in two others of the masked men. Each

-looked like a hard-headed American business man.

-

-“I’ll listen to any offer you wish to make,” Tom stated. “I came here

-prepared to make an offer myself. But I will first listen to yours.”

-

-He could not help admitting that the men knew more than he had

-suspected. In spite of the fact that he had tried to keep his invention

-a secret, the general principle of it had become known to these

-theatrical and moving picture men. Doubtless they had paid their spies

-and plotters well.

-

-“To get down to business,” resumed Mr. X, “we are prepared to offer you

-a million dollars, Tom Swift. A million dollars!” he repeated

-unctuously.

-

-“Think of that, my friend!” broke in Mr. B, who could not keep still. “A

-whole million!” His voice capitalized the word. “All your own to do as

-you like with! A million dollars! Think of it!”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XXII

-                            FLASHING LIGHTS

-

-

-GRAVE though the situation was, Tom Swift could not help smiling a

-little at the evident sincerity and anxiety of Mr. B. Nor were the

-others less vitally interested. They leaned forward over the table,

-staring at Tom’s face, which was in the full glare of a powerful light.

-They wanted to see if Tom would give under the strain.

-

-But the young inventor held himself well in hand. Though he was not

-quite prepared for the offer, it did not catch him napping. He still had

-some cards to play.

-

-“Well,” asked Mr. X, slowly, when there had been a few seconds of

-silence following his offer, “what do you say?”

-

-“I’d like to ask a few questions,” Tom replied.

-

-“That’s only fair,” conceded Mr. X. “We’ll not promise to answer

-anything you want to know, however,” he stipulated.

-

-“I think you’ll answer this one,” said Tom, with a smile. “There are

-always two sides to an offer,” he went on. “One is money, or some other

-payment. You have that on your side. Now what am I to give in exchange

-for this million dollars? That’s a fair question, isn’t it?”

-

-“Very much so,” agreed Mr. X. “And a natural one. In exchange for the

-million we will agree to give you, you, on your part, will hand over to

-us all patent and other papers, including sketches, designs, patterns

-and blue prints of your so-called talking-picture machine. In short, you

-will turn the complete invention over to us, and further make a

-promise.”

-

-“What sort of a promise?”

-

-“A promise to go no farther in that field. In other words, you will

-forget that such a machine is capable of being made. You will wipe it

-out of your mind after you have turned all your rights in it over to

-us.”

-

-“And may I inquire what you will do with my machine when you get it?”

-asked Tom, with a curious smile as he shifted about in his chair, as

-though it was no longer comfortable. “If you do get it in exchange for a

-million dollars,” he added.

-

-“We’ll burn it up—destroy it!” excitedly cried Mr. B.

-

-Tom Swift could not help starting in surprise. The answer was not quite

-what he had expected. He looked for confirmation toward the masked Mr.

-X, thinking the big man might have spoken impulsively. But, somewhat to

-the astonishment of the young inventor, the leader nodded in assent.

-

-“Once you turn your invention over to us in exchange for the million

-dollars,” stated Mr. X, “it becomes our exclusive property for us to do

-with as we please. And, very likely, we shall destroy it.”

-

-“What for?” Tom could not help impulsively asking.

-

-“To prevent our business from being ruined, young man! That’s why!”

-burst out Mr. B. “Do you think,” he went on in spite of the effort Mr. X

-made to silence him, “we want people to stay at home listening to music

-and seeing pictures of a performance on your screen? Where would we be

-if millions of people did about pictures what they are doing right now

-with their radio receivers? We’d be ruined in six months and we have

-millions tied up in our theaters—millions! No, sir. Once we get your

-machine we’ll destroy it!”

-

-“You haven’t got it yet,” Tom saw fit to remind him quietly. “And now,

-since you have been frank with me I will be the same with you. Your

-offer of a million dollars seems big to you. But let me tell you this.

-If you offered me ten millions with the proviso that my machine be

-destroyed I’d snap my fingers at you as I do now!” and Tom suited the

-action to his words, rising from the chair as he did so.

-

-“Gentlemen, I shall bid you good evening!” he went on. “I have found out

-what I wanted to know.”

-

-Suddenly Mr. B’s fingers went to the mask on his face. Evidently he

-feared it had slipped and revealed his identity. Tom could not help

-smiling as he said:

-

-“Oh, I don’t know who you are personally, and I don’t know that I care.

-It may make no difference. But I can discover your identities if I

-choose. That is neither here nor there. The point is I refuse your offer

-and I’m going back to my laboratory and perfect my machine. Inside of a

-month it will be on the market!”

-

-“Oh! oh!” wailed Mr. B. Some of the others showed evidence of

-perturbation, but Mr. X remained calm.

-

-“Sit down again, Mr. Swift,” he said, and his tone was not as smooth as

-before.

-

-“Is that a command or an invitation?” asked Tom sharply.

-

-“You may regard it either way you like,” was the reply. And Tom did not

-need to be told that the playing was over—stern reality was now to the

-fore. The men still had masks on their faces, but they no longer masked

-their intentions.

-

-“Just a minute,” said Tom, still standing by the chair. “You said, at

-the beginning that I was here of my own free will—that I could walk out

-of here any time I wished.”

-

-“That was true at the time it was stated,” said Mr. X. “I may withdraw

-my offer any time.”

-

-“Have you withdrawn it?”

-

-There was a moment’s pause and then came the low reply:

-

-“I have. Yes.”

-

-“Then I am not free to go?”

-

-“Not until you listen further to me,” said Mr. X. “I think you are very

-unwise, Tom Swift. We have made you a liberal offer. It is much more

-than you can make for a long time if you market your apparatus. We are

-interested in controlling it. What difference does it make to you

-whether we buy the machine and manufacture it in such quantities as we

-please or if we buy it and destroy it—as long as you get your price?”

-

-“That’s just it!” replied Tom angrily. “I’m not getting my price.”

-

-“We might increase our offer,” suggested Mr. X.

-

-“A certain man once said,” remarked Tom slowly, “that he was poor, but,

-poor as he was, the King of England was not rich enough to buy him. I

-say the same to you now. I am in need of funds—I do not hesitate to

-admit that. But, slender as my bank balance is, there is not enough cash

-among you masked men to pay me for destroying a machine I have worked so

-hard over—a machine which I hope will prove to be a delight to

-humanity. That’s my answer. In other words, I defy you! I’m through! I’m

-going to walk out of here now. This conference is ended!”

-

-“Oh, no, it isn’t ended yet,” said Mr. X in sinister tones as he arose

-and stepped toward a push button on the wall. “We have something else to

-say to you, Tom Swift. I didn’t want to resort to harsh means, but there

-seems to be no hope for it.”

-

-“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the young inventor. “I think I understand

-your game. Perhaps you think you can torture me into giving in. Or you

-may even have it in mind to kill me, thinking, thereby, to prevent my

-machine from being perfected and going on the market.

-

-“Listen to what I say. If you do away with me it will make no difference

-to that machine. It is complete and will be made and marketed. Full

-details of the invention are already in Washington to be patented. More

-than this—four models have been made. One is in my laboratory where you

-may get at it and destroy it—I don’t say you can’t.

-

-“But there are three other complete and working models in the hands of

-three friends of mine in different parts of the country. They have

-orders in case I do not reappear by a certain time to make public all

-the facts and to put the machine on the market.”

-

-“Oh! oh! He’s got us beat!” lamented the big man.

-

-“No, he hasn’t!” snarled Mr. X. “I’ll force him to do as we want him

-to.”

-

-“Oh, so you talk of force now, do you?” asked Tom.

-

-“Since you compel me—yes.”

-

-“Then it is time for me to play the same game,” went on the young

-inventor, with a tantalizing smile.

-

-“What do you mean?” came from three of the men, in evident alarm.

-

-“My instructions were,” said Tom, “to come to this island alone. I did

-so, as you doubtless know. But early this morning a number of my friends

-preceded me here—and they are here now. Gentlemen, this house is

-entirely surrounded. None of you can possibly escape—neither you nor

-your Negro thugs. If I am not permitted to walk out of here unmolested

-whenever I please, I will give the signal and you will at once be

-arrested.”

-

-“You think we will believe such a foolish statement as that?” scoffed

-Mr. X. “I tell you that you are at our mercy, Tom Swift! This house

-surrounded? Bosh!”

-

-For answer Tom went to a window and raised the shade. At the same time

-he pressed the wall switch and plunged the room in darkness.

-

-“Look!” cried Tom, and from the darkness outside, shining through the

-now dulled window glass, came a flashing light, thrice repeated.

-

-There was a gasp of surprise from the masked men in the dark room.

-

-“Look here!” went on Tom, moving to a window on the other side of the

-room. From the gloom without there shone another of the thrice flashing

-lights.

-

-“It is the same on the other two sides of the house,” remarked Tom.

-

-The masked men sat silent, seemingly dazed.

-

-“What is your answer now?” triumphantly asked the young inventor as it

-was made plain to the plotters that they were surrounded.

-

-

-

-

-                             CHAPTER XXIII

-                              TOM ACCEPTS

-

-

-“GENTLEMEN,” and Tom Swift put a peculiar emphasis on the word, “I

-repeat—what is your answer now?”

-

-“Oh, the rascal! He’s got us beat!” lamented the fat man. “Let’s make

-terms with him.”

-

-“Make terms, nothing!” sneered Mr. X. “Those are nothing but lightning

-bugs! It’s all a clever bluff!”

-

-“Oh, is it?” asked Tom.

-

-Again he stood in front of a window and, as he had done before, though

-unseen by the plotters, Tom raised and flashed the pocket electric torch

-he had brought with him. Once more, in answer to his signal, came more

-flashes from without. Tom’s friends were on the alert.

-

-“I guess that settles it,” Mr. X was forced to admit. “Turn on the light

-here, Tom Swift, and we’ll talk this matter over again.”

-

-“No!” exclaimed the young inventor in ringing tones. “I’ll do the

-talking now—you’ll do the listening. I’m in a position to dictate my

-terms, and I’ll do it. I owe you something for the manner in which you

-had me and my manager kidnapped and brought to this place, also for what

-your tool Greenbaum did.”

-

-“Now listen here!” broke in Mr. B, his whole, fat body quivering with

-fear as Tom switched on the main light again. “That Greenbaum fellow, he

-went farther than we told him to. We never told him to try to blow you

-up, and we immediately discharged him when we learned of it.”

-

-“That is correct,” assented Mr. X. “We do not countenance deeds of

-violence. Greenbaum, whom we have since discharged, went beyond his

-instructions—far beyond. But he was half crazy.”

-

-“Half crazy?” inquired Tom. “He always impressed me as being very

-level-headed—too much so.”

-

-“Still he was not right in his head,” said Mr. B. “He lost a small

-fortune in a moving picture investment, and when he learned your

-invention might spell the ruin of that industry, so he could never

-recoup his losses, he went to desperate lengths.”

-

-“I should say he did,” agreed Tom, with a grim smile, as he remembered

-his ruined laboratory and the pains he had suffered. “But I will exact

-payment for what he did.”

-

-“You would be within your rights there,” said Mr. X.

-

-“And for the indignities Mr. Newton and I suffered at the hands of

-Snogg, Janner and Torpy,” went on the young inventor. “I suppose you

-will not deny that they acted for you?” he suggested.

-

-“No, they were our agents,” admitted Mr. B. “But we told them to treat

-you with respect, merely to hold you until we could get in touch with

-you. It was a mistake that Mr. Newton was kidnapped. We wanted you held.

-What terms do you offer?”

-

-“I offer no terms at all. I demand unconditional surrender!” exclaimed

-Tom. “If you don’t agree to that, I propose, to use a war term, to move

-immediately upon you. In other words, I’ll give the signal for your

-arrest.”

-

-“Don’t! Don’t!” begged Mr. B shakingly.

-

-“We are here to make terms, Mr. Swift,” said a third masked man.

-

-“What do you want us to do?” asked Mr. X, and there was no more threat

-or defiance in his voice. “You can name your own terms.”

-

-“In the first place,” stipulated Tom, “I want you all to unmask. I don’t

-care to do business with men I can’t see. You might as well,” he added,

-as he saw them hesitate. “If you’re arrested you will be known.”

-

-“Gentlemen, he is right!” said Mr. B. “Unmask!”

-

-He set the example by doffing the black silk that covered the upper part

-of his face. One after another the five followed and Tom gasped in

-surprise when he saw who the men were. They were all important figures

-in the theatrical and moving picture business.

-

-“So that’s the combination I’ve been up against!” exclaimed the young

-inventor, as he looked from one face to another. “I suppose I should

-consider it quite an honor to have you against me.”

-

-“In a way, yes,” admitted the one still to be designated as Mr. X. “You

-are a mighty lucky and clever young man. Now we have met your first

-stipulation, what is the next?”

-

-“The next,” stated Tom, “is that you must sign a paper which I shall

-draw up, admitting your share in all that has been done against me and

-agreeing that all persecutions shall cease.”

-

-“Yes, that is no more than fair under the circumstances,” agreed Mr. X.

-

-“But you won’t make that paper public—with our names on it, will you?”

-asked Mr. B.

-

-“Not if you let me entirely alone,” promised Tom. “But I want it to

-protect myself. Hands off and that paper remains in my safe.”

-

-“Draw it up and we’ll sign it,” agreed Mr. X, after a hasty conference

-in one corner with his colleagues. “But what about the men you have

-posted out in the woods? Will they come in here and arrest us?”

-

-“Not unless I give the signal,” Tom answered. “It will not be given when

-you have signed that paper and I am allowed to walk out of here

-unmolested.”

-

-“Oh, let him go! Let him go!” begged Mr. B. “He’ll have our watches and

-pocketbooks next! Let him go!”

-

-Tom smiled grimly as he drew up the paper. He had the plotters entirely

-at his mercy. One after another they affixed their names to the

-document, and as he folded it and put it in his pocket, Mr. B said:

-

-“Perhaps we can still talk business?”

-

-“What do you mean?” asked Tom.

-

-“Well, we made you an offer of a million dollars for the complete rights

-to your talking-picture invention that we might destroy it to save our

-business from ruin. You saw fit to decline that and you got the better

-of us in what followed. Now, since it seems that the invention is going

-on the market, the next best thing for us to do is to buy into the

-exploiting company and have a share in the profits. I suppose there will

-be profits?” he asked, with a somewhat quizzical smile. He was a big

-business man, as Tom knew.

-

-“I hope there will be,” Tom answered.

-

-“Well, now that we’ve backed down—because you made us and for no other

-reason,” went on Mr. B, “will you listen to another offer?”

-

-“What is it?”

-

-“We’ll give you a million for a half share in the invention.”

-

-“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Tom, getting ready to leave.

-

-“A million and a half!” offered Mr. B.

-

-“Your figure is too low,” replied Tom, who began to see daylight ahead

-for Ned Newton’s financial embarrassment. “Why, you movie men put a

-million dollars in a single feature picture.”

-

-“Oh, quit being pikers!” put in another magnate. “Say two millions and

-be done with it! Come, what about two, young man?”

-

-Tom made some rapid calculations. Two million dollars was a tempting

-offer for half an interest in the invention. He knew it would be on the

-market a long time before he would take in that much. Also he must have

-capital to manufacture the machines. But he still had a card to play.

-

-“I can’t accept that offer,” he said, still moving toward the door.

-

-“Oh, let’s get this over with!” exclaimed Mr. X who, evidently, was used

-to having his own way. “We’ll give you three millions for a half

-interest, Tom Swift, let you remain in virtual control, and we’ll start

-manufacturing as soon as you demonstrate that it’s a success. What do

-you say to that—three millions?”

-

-“And that’s our limit,” put in another of the men, a tall, lean New

-Englander.

-

-For a moment Tom Swift did not reply. To a casual observer it might have

-looked as though he was about to refuse that offer. He had made up his

-mind, but he did not want to seem too hasty. It was well that these men

-should know he was their master when it came to plotting and dickering.

-

-“Well, how about it?” asked Mr. B anxiously. “Come, Mr. Tom Swift. Three

-millions aren’t to be sneezed at.”

-

-“And I don’t intend to sneeze!” said Tom suddenly, with a little

-chuckle. “Gentlemen, I accept your offer. Put it in writing and we’ll

-call the conference over!”

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XXIV

-                              A FINAL TEST

-

-

-THERE was a relieved air about the men gathered in the old house on

-Rattlesnake Island now that Tom Swift had made terms with them. Truth to

-tell, they had been more than a little afraid of this clear-eyed, keen

-young man who was able to dictate terms to them.

-

-“Now let there be no mistake about this,” said Tom. “We can draw up a

-new agreement, incorporating in it the terms of this one,” and he

-produced the rough draft in which the men had agreed to molest him no

-longer.

-

-“What do you want put in?” asked Mr. X, producing paper and a fountain

-pen.

-

-“I want this three-million-dollar offer for a half interest in my

-invention put into an ironclad agreement. I also want your written

-promise to interfere with me no longer.”

-

-“We aren’t likely to bother you, considering that we are now associated

-with you in this thing,” observed Mr. B.

-

-“Well, it will do no harm to put it in,” decided Tom. “Also, I want you

-to acknowledge full responsibility for the actions of your men,

-Greenbaum and the others, and your promise to send them far away from

-here.”

-

-“That’s no more than fair,” agreed Mr. X. “Those men went further than

-we told them to do. We had no sympathy with Greenbaum’s attempt to blow

-you up and——”

-

-“It was more than an attempt,” interrupted Tom, with a grim smile.

-“There really was a disastrous explosion and I expect to be paid damages

-for that out of your share of the profits. I want that in the agreement,

-too.”

-

-“You shall have it,” promised Mr. X, though some of his colleagues made

-rather wry faces at Tom’s exaction of his “pound of flesh.” But he was

-within his rights, and he knew it.

-

-In a short time the agreement was drawn up and signed by all of them,

-and then Mr. X remarked:

-

-“Of course this is contingent upon your invention being a success, Mr.

-Swift. Your broadcasting of songs and music must be clear, the images of

-the performers on the attached screen must be very plain, not shadowy

-forms, and the two must synchronize. You must remember that we have not

-seen your invention. All we know is what we have heard of it.”

-

-“From your spies, doubtless,” Tom responded bitterly. “And they could

-find out very little. But don’t worry. The machine must be perfect

-before I put it on the market. I am going to have a final test and you

-may witness it in person or you may send any one you like to report.”

-

-“Some of us will probably be on hand when you give a final showing,”

-said Mr. X. “And now, as it is getting late, I suggest that we adjourn.

-We want to get back to our homes and you do also, I suppose, Mr. Swift?”

-

-“Yes, I don’t feel like spending another night on Rattlesnake Island,”

-replied Tom, with a smile. “One was enough. I’ll call in my friends and

-you can come to my final test—say a week from to-night in my private

-laboratory.”

-

-“Thank you,” said Mr. X.

-

-Tom bade the men good-night and went out into the darkness, leaving the

-conspirators to growl somewhat among themselves at having been beaten by

-a mere youth.

-

-“At the same time,” said Mr. X, “I can’t help admiring Tom Swift for the

-manner in which he turned the tables on us.”

-

-“That’s right,” chimed in another. “He’s the pluckiest fellow I ever had

-any dealings with. And to think, if we’d persisted, he could have had us

-all arrested and our names and our pictures would have been in the

-papers. Whew!”

-

-“Oh my!” wailed Mr. B. “It’s cost us a pretty penny, but maybe it will

-be worth it.”

-

-Meanwhile Tom, outside the old house, was signaling with his flashlight

-to call his friends in from their posts about the place.

-

-“Is everything all right?” asked Ned, who led one of the four parties.

-He glided to his chum’s side from the darkness.

-

-“Everything is settled, and we get three million dollars for a half

-interest,” said Tom, producing the agreement.

-

-“Hot dog!” gleefully cried Ned. “That’s the best news yet! We sure will

-need that money, Tom! I couldn’t have held the banks off much longer.

-Good for you!”

-

-In a short time Tom and Ned, with Mr. Damon, Koku and Eradicate were on

-their way back across Lake Carlopa, leaving the other members of the

-Swift party to follow in other boats as they pleased.

-

-Though Tom Swift had gone to Rattlesnake Island alone as he had been

-bidden, the setting of his trap called for many of his most trusted men

-to precede him to the rendezvous. They had gone at intervals so no

-suspicions would be aroused.

-

-So, during the day before the night of the meeting, several parties of

-seemingly innocent fishermen might have been seen landing on the island

-at a point farthest removed from the dock used by Tom. These parties

-were posted in the woods on four sides of the frame house and there they

-waited for Tom’s signal. Ned was in charge of one party and Mr. Damon of

-another. Garret Jackson and his assistant took command of the two

-remaining squads.

-

-“And bless my fountain pen!” exclaimed Mr. Damon as they were talking

-matters over on their way home in Tom’s boat, “I thought you were never

-going to flash the signals, Tom.”

-

-“It took a little time to get things where I wanted them,” the young

-inventor said. “But it worked out all right. They certainly were

-astonished.”

-

-“Do you think they’ll play square with you, Tom?” asked Ned.

-

-“They’ll have to, for their own safety. I’ve got them where they can’t

-help themselves. After the final demonstration, a week from to-night, we

-get the three millions.”

-

-“I suppose there is no doubt, Tom, as to the success of the thing?”

-ventured Ned.

-

-“Not the slightest!” Tom’s voice was full of confidence.

-

-Grumblings and growlings were heard issuing from the throat of Koku. Tom

-asked what the trouble was.

-

-“He’s complaining because there was no fight!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He

-says Ned promised him that he could get hold of some of your enemies,

-Tom, but it all fizzled out.”

-

-“Me want smash um!” growled the giant, clenching his big fists.

-

-“Too bad!” chuckled Tom. “But I couldn’t pull off the fight, Koku.

-Better luck next time.”

-

-Tom made his motorboat fast to his own private dock and went home to

-tell his father the good news—that all matters were satisfactorily

-settled. He knew the aged inventor would be worried.

-

-“I’m glad you’re back, Tom,” Mr. Swift said when he saw his son. “Now

-you can take it easy. You’ve been working too hard.”

-

-“The hard work isn’t over yet,” the young inventor answered. “I still

-have to give a perfect final test.”

-

-To this end he and Ned and the workmen bent all their energies during

-the next six days. Mr. Swift aided where he could and Mr. Damon was

-again called on to do his funny song and dance. Now that the invention

-was about to be made public and Tom had no fear about his patents being

-stolen from him, the affair could be openly talked about.

-

-“Are you going to ask us to the dress rehearsal?” inquired Mary, when

-Tom was spending an evening with her.

-

-“Better than that—I want you to be in it,” he said.

-

-“In it?”

-

-“Yes, you and Helen. I want to see how ladies’ garments will be shown on

-the screen. Ned and Mr. Damon balk at becoming female impersonators.

-Will you help?”

-

-“Delighted! Oh, Tom, I do hope it will be a success!”

-

-The night of the final test came at last. Several changes had been made

-both in the projecting machine and in the broadcasting studio since

-Tom’s last attempt to show talking pictures. He had put a metallic

-curtain with reflecting mirrors in the room where Mr. Damon and Ned had

-done their part and the results were better.

-

-“Though some day, Ned,” Tom said to his chum, after a preliminary test,

-“I’ll show these images without the use of any screen at all. I’ll pick

-the electric impulses right out of the air just as wireless sound waves

-come now.”

-

-“That will mean you can broadcast from any theater without the use of

-this sort of curtain,” Ned remarked, pointing to the one in the

-broadcasting room.

-

-“That’s right. All that will be needed in the theater will be a small

-cabinet, out of sight, on the stage. But more of that later. Now we’ll

-go ahead with the test.”

-

-The moving picture and theatrical men, representing the syndicate that

-had bought a half interest in Tom’s invention, were on hand in the

-studio. They had brought with them some experts who were to pass on

-certain phases of the machine. Mr. Damon, with Ned and the two girls

-were in the studio. Tom Swift, with Mr. Jackson and some men to assist

-him, was busy at the projecting machine by means of which the audience

-hoped to hear the distant music and see the performers through several

-solid walls.

-

-“All ready, Ned?” Tom asked over the private telephone.

-

-“All set,” was the answer.

-

-“Then get going!” ordered Tom in a low voice.

-

-He turned the switch for the final test, knowing that a great deal

-depended on it. Those three million dollars were sorely needed to save

-the Swift fortunes.

-

-

-

-

-                              CHAPTER XXV

-                            A BRIGHT FUTURE

-

-

-THERE was a hissing, buzzing sound in the studio where, on an improvised

-stage, Ned, Mr. Damon, Mary Nestor and Helen Morton were going through a

-hastily sketched act.

-

-Tom Swift had so improved his lighting arrangements, by using screen

-filters, that there was no restriction as to the color of the garments

-worn by the performers. The girls’ dresses were particularly gay and of

-many hues, for Tom wanted a bright picture on the screen. Mr. Damon had

-attired himself as a clown while Ned was a pirate with a red

-handkerchief on his head.

-

-“Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” sang Ned, and so on with the rest of the

-song while the girls and Mr. Damon joined in.

-

-On his part, in the laboratory room, Tom had adjusted the switches and

-stood near his machine. Ranged in a semicircle in front of him was the

-audience.

-

-“Everything is ready, gentlemen,” said the young inventor in a low

-voice. “You will now see and hear what I have to offer.”

-

-Suddenly, through the loud speaker, came the voices of the performers,

-as clear and distinct as though they were in the same room. There was no

-blasting effect, no tinny, horn-like element in the music.

-

-A moment later the metallic glass screen attached to the apparatus

-glowed with a white light and before the eyes of the astonished

-gathering there appeared, in reduced form, but plainly and clearly, the

-images of the performers in a room several hundred feet away. Just as on

-a moving picture screen, only not as large, but beautifully colored and

-clearer than ever moving pictures had been, the images of Mary, Helen,

-Mr. Damon and Ned were observed. They smiled, gestured and went through

-various motions, not one of which was obscured and not one but

-synchronized exactly with the words they used.

-

-“That’s my invention,” said Tom Swift simply. “If you think it is a

-success we can complete the deal.”

-

-“I guess there’s no question of it,” said Mr. X. “I, for one, am

-satisfied and as soon as——”

-

-He ceased speaking, for suddenly, in the midst of a song by the

-performers in the studio, the voices died away and the images faded from

-the screen.

-

-“Don’t cut it off!” begged Mr. B. “I was just beginning to enjoy it.”

-

-“I didn’t cut it off!” Tom answered quickly. “There’s something wrong!”

-

-Then, from the corridor without, the voice of Koku was heard crying:

-

-“I cotch him! I got him! Now I make him like jelly!”

-

-Like an echo came a frightened voice begging:

-

-“Let me go! Oh, let me go!”

-

-“Greenbaum!” shouted Tom, springing to the door in time to see the giant

-holding the plotting man in a grasp that made him helpless.

-

-“I cotch him!” cried Koku. “I be on watch out here like Mr. Tom always

-tell me. I see him sneak along and cut wire. He have big ball in his

-hand, too, but I knock it down. Over there in corner!”

-

-Garret Jackson made a jump for the corner indicated and picked up

-something which made him utter an exclamation of dismay.

-

-“It’s a bomb!” the superintendent shouted.

-

-There was a pail of water near by and into that the infernal machine was

-dropped just in time, for the fuse was spluttering and burning down.

-

-Greenbaum, choked into senselessness by Koku’s powerful grip, sank to

-the floor. Tom turned to the assembled moving picture and theater men.

-There was an implied accusation in his glance.

-

-“I hope you will believe us when I say we had absolutely nothing to do

-with this,” said Mr. X. “We have not seen Greenbaum since his former

-unauthorized attack on you. This is a terrible surprise to us.”

-

-“And to me, also,” said Tom. “I don’t know what damage he has done,

-but——”

-

-“He not do much!” chuckled Koku. “Me cotch him in time.”

-

-And so it proved. Greenbaum had managed to sneak into the laboratory

-because vigilance was somewhat relaxed, now that all danger seemed over.

-He had cut one of the electrical wires that carried power to Tom’s

-machine, hoping, in the confusion he knew would follow, to be able to

-plant his infernal machine and get away. But the giant was too quick for

-him.

-

-“Is the machine ruined?” asked Ned, coming from the broadcasting studio,

-followed by the other performers.

-

-“Bless my apple pie! And just when I was going to sing my song!”

-complained Mr. Damon.

-

-But a quick examination showed nothing more wrong than a severed wire,

-which was soon spliced, so that the machine could work again, and after

-Greenbaum had been handed over to the police, first needing the

-attention of a doctor, however, the interrupted performance went on to a

-successful conclusion.

-

-When the little playlet was ended, and the men engaged by Mr. X and his

-colleagues had made their report, the leader of the theatrical interests

-announced:

-

-“We are satisfied, Mr. Swift. The deal can go through. You will be paid

-the three million to-morrow and we will at once form a company for

-manufacturing these machines and put them on the market. But I am afraid

-you still feel that we sent Greenbaum here.”

-

-“No,” Tom answered, “I have good reasons for knowing you did not.”

-

-“What reasons?” asked Mr. X in surprise.

-

-“Because the man is insane. The doctor told me so just before he was

-taken away. You told me his losses in a moving picture deal had so

-turned his brain that he did more than you wanted him to when you first

-set him to spy on me. Well, his insanity is of a progressive form, and

-he is much worse now. He probably imagined that I was the cause of all

-his troubles, and so came to be revenged on me. I know you had nothing

-to do with it.”

-

-“I am glad you are convinced of that,” said Mr. X. “And we have to thank

-you for treating us even better than, perhaps, we deserved. But from now

-on we will work in harmony.”

-

-This promise was faithfully kept. Much to Ned Newton’s relief the sum of

-three millions was placed to the credit of the Swift concern the next

-day, and certain maturing notes were taken up. There was a goodly

-capital left, however, to start the manufacture of the talking-picture

-machines and they were soon put on the market, meeting with a big

-success. The radio and moving picture people, as well as several big

-theatrical interests, bought stock in the new company that was formed,

-and because of Tom’s invention, by means of which only authorized

-purchasers of his machine could view the broadcast scenes and listen to

-the music, there was no “bootlegging,” which meant that all the revenues

-would come to those entitled to them.

-

-Tom was glad to learn, later, that Greenbaum’s insanity was not

-permanent, and that after the man was assured of a chance to make

-another fortune in the new business, his mind became calm and he was

-himself again. He was totally unaware of the outrages he had committed,

-though when told of them asked Tom’s forgiveness.

-

-Snogg, Janner and Torpy were not heard of again, and the house on

-Rattlesnake Island, which was the property of the moving picture men,

-was made over to Tom as a sort of bonus. He and Ned spent many hours

-there, relaxing from their hard work.

-

-It was after Greenbaum’s recovery, when certain things were recalled to

-him, that he explained what for a time had puzzled Ned and Tom. The man,

-who was an expert electrician, had found a means of neutralizing certain

-parts of the electrified fence. Hence he was able to get over, after the

-discovery of the planted bombs, to commit petty depredations that so

-annoyed Tom.

-

-It was Greenbaum, also, who provided the fash melon that had thrown Koku

-off his guard. As Tom had guessed, the fruit was discovered in South

-America by a party of travelogue movie men who brought some back with

-them. Greenbaum, learning of Koku’s fondness for fash, used it to play

-what was nearly a fatal trick on the giant. Greenbaum had also been

-responsible for the “warning” Eradicate brought to Tom. That was just a

-bluff—intended to scare Tom, but it worked the other way.

-

-The secret passage in the house on Rattlesnake Island was easily

-accounted for. The place had been built some years before to be used in

-making a certain moving picture, where a secret staircase played a part.

-Later the house was acquired by Mr. X and his colleagues to use as a

-prison and also as a meeting place for Tom.

-

-Tom suitably rewarded Bill Tagg, the tramp, and that individual had his

-long ardent wish fulfilled. He rode in one of Tom’s aeroplanes and

-received the thrill of his life.

-

-“Well, everything came out all right, didn’t it?” asked Ned of his chum

-as they sat in the house on Rattlesnake Island one evening after a

-successful day’s fishing. “Your talking pictures are making a hit.”

-

-“They seem to be,” admitted Tom modestly. “Though when Greenbaum cut the

-wire that night of the final test I thought everything had gone bad.

-But, as you say, everything came out all right, and the future looks

-rosy to me. I’ve got another scheme in my mind.”

-

-“Aren’t you ever going to stop?” chuckled Ned as he leaned lazily back

-in his chair.

-

-“Not as long as I feel as well as I do now,” replied Tom Swift.

-

-Whether he carried out his new idea or not remains to be seen.

-

-                                THE END

-

-

-

-

-                           =This Isn’t All!=

-

-    Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have

-    made in this book?

-

-    Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures

-    and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the

-    same author?

-

-    On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book,

-    you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at

-    the same store where you got this book.

-

-                      Don’t throw away the Wrapper

-

-    _Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to

-    have. But in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for

-    a complete catalog._

-

-

-

-

-

-

-                T H E   T O M   S W I F T   S E R I E S

-                           By VICTOR APPLETON

-                   Author of “The Don Sturdy Series.”

-

-

-    Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is a

-    bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the

-    most interesting kind of reading.

-

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT

-    TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS

-    TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE

-    TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER

-    TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL

-    TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH

-    TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS

-    TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS HOUSE ON WHEELS

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG DIRIGIBLE

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY TRAIN

-    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT MAGNET

-

-

-                 GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-                        WESTERN STORIES FOR BOYS

-                          By JAMES CODY FERRIS

-

-

-            Individual Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by

-                            WALTER S. ROGERS

-                    Each Volume Complete in Itself.

-

-

-

-    Thrilling tales of the great west, told primarily for boys but

-    which will be read by all who love mystery, rapid action, and

-    adventures in the great open spaces.

-

-    The Manly Boys, Roy and Teddy, are the sons of an old ranchman, the

-    owner of many thousands of heads of cattle. The lads know how to

-    ride, how to shoot, and how to take care of themselves under any

-    and all circumstances.

-

-    The cowboys of the X Bar X Ranch are real cowboys, on the job when

-    required, but full of fun and daring—a bunch any reader will be

-    delighted to know.

-

-    THE X BAR X BOYS ON THE RANCH

-    THE X BAR X BOYS IN THUNDER CANYON

-    THE X BAR X BOYS ON WHIRLPOOL RIVER

-    THE X BAR X BOYS ON BIG BISON TRAIL

-    THE X BAR X BOYS AT THE ROUND-UP

-    THE X BAR X BOYS AT NUGGET CAMP

-    THE X BAR X BOYS AT RUSTLER’S GAP

-    THE X BAR X BOYS AT GRIZZLY PASS

-    THE X BAR X BOYS LOST IN THE ROCKIES

-    THE X BAR X BOYS RIDING FOR LIFE

-

-                GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-                        TED SCOTT FLYING STORIES

-                          By FRANKLIN W. DIXON

-

-            =Illustrated.  Each Volume Complete in Itself.=

-

-

-    No subject has so thoroughly caught the imagination of young

-    America as aviation. This series has been inspired by recent daring

-    feats of the air, and is dedicated to Lindbergh, Byrd, Chamberlin

-    and other heroes of the skies.

-

-    OVER THE OCEAN TO PARIS;

-    _or, Ted Scott’s Daring Long Distance Flight._

-

-    RESCUED IN THE CLOUDS;

-    _or, Ted Scott, Hero of the Air._

-

-    OVER THE ROCKIES WITH THE AIR MAIL;

-    _or, Ted Scott, Lost in the Wilderness._

-

-    FIRST STOP HONOLULU;

-    _or, Ted Scott Over the Pacific._

-

-    THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST FLYERS;

-    _or, Ted Scott Over the West Indies._

-

-    SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE;

-    _or, Ted Scott On a Secret Mission._

-

-    ACROSS THE PACIFIC;

-    _or, Ted Scott’s Hop to Australia._

-

-    THE LONE EAGLE OF THE BORDER;

-    or, Ted Scott and the Diamond Smugglers.

-

-    FLYING AGAINST TIME;

-    _or, Breaking the Ocean to Ocean Record._

-

-    OVER THE JUNGLE TRAILS;

-    _or, Ted Scott and the Missing Explorers._

-

-    LOST AT THE SOUTH POLE;

-    _or, Ted Scott in Blizzard Land._

-

-    THROUGH THE AIR TO ALASKA;

-    _or, Ted Scott’s Search in Nugget Valley._

-

-    FLYING TO THE RESCUE;

-    _or, Ted Scott and the Big Dirigible._

-

-    DANGER TRAILS OF THE SKY;

-    _or, Ted Scott’s Great Mountain Climb._

-

-    FOLLOWING THE SUN SHADOW;

-    _or, Ted Scott and the Great Eclipse._

-

-

-

-                 GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

-

-

-

-

-

-

-                           TRANSCRIBER NOTES

-

-Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. Where multiple

-spellings occur, majority use has been employed.

-

-Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious printer errors

-occur.

-

-[The end of _Tom Swift and his Talking Pictures, or, The Greatest

-Invention on Record_ by Howard Roger Garis (as Victor Appleton)]

-

-

-

+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***
+
+
+
+
+
+                          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS
+                           TALKING  PICTURES
+                                   OR
+                    The Greatest Invention on Record
+
+
+                                   BY
+                            VICTOR APPLETON
+                               AUTHOR OF
+                    “TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE,”
+                 “TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS,”
+                    “TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE,”
+                        “THE DON STURDY SERIES,”
+                                  ETC.
+
+                              ILLUSTRATED
+
+                                NEW YORK
+                            GROSSET & DUNLAP
+                               PUBLISHERS
+                 ‾Made in the United States of America‾
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: TOM SWIFT WAS THROWN OVERBOARD.]
+
+    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+                       B O O K S   F O R   B O Y S
+                           By VICTOR APPLETON
+                     12mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated.
+
+                          THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
+        TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
+        TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
+        TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
+        TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
+        TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
+        TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS
+        TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE
+        TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES
+
+                          THE DON STURDY SERIES
+        DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY
+        DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS
+        DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD
+        DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE
+        DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES
+        DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS
+        DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS
+        DON STURDY CAPTURED BY HEAD HUNTERS
+
+                 Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.
+
+    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+                          Copyright, 1928, by
+                         GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc.
+
+                   Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures
+
+
+
+
+                                CONTENTS
+
+          CHAPTER                                          PAGE
+               I. BLASTING FIRE...........................    1
+              II. NED DISAPPEARS..........................   12
+             III. SUSPICIONS..............................   24
+              IV. A STRANGE MESSAGE.......................   33
+               V. ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL...................   45
+              VI. TOO LATE................................   55
+             VII. A WILD CHASE............................   64
+            VIII. TWO CAPTIVES............................   72
+              IX. ON THE ISLAND...........................   78
+               X. THE ESCAPE..............................   90
+              XI. RESCUED.................................  100
+             XII. GREENBAUM THREATENS.....................  109
+            XIII. MR. DAMON DANCES........................  115
+             XIV. KOKU IS DRUGGED.........................  125
+              XV. A SINISTER WARNING......................  133
+             XVI. A STARTLING DISCOVERY...................  143
+            XVII. USELESS PLEADINGS.......................  151
+           XVIII. AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT..............  159
+             XIX. THE MEETING.............................  166
+              XX. MASKED MEN..............................  171
+             XXI. A TEMPTING OFFER........................  179
+            XXII. FLASHING LIGHTS.........................  186
+           XXIII. TOM ACCEPTS.............................  194
+            XXIV. A FINAL TEST............................  201
+             XXV. A BRIGHT FUTURE.........................  209
+
+
+
+
+                           TOM SWIFT AND HIS
+                            TALKING PICTURES
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I
+                             BLASTING FIRE
+
+
+ENTERING Tom Swift’s private laboratory from a room farther down the
+hall, Ned Newton, who seemed somewhat out of breath, glanced at the
+young inventor and asked:
+
+“Do you seem to be getting anywhere with it, Tom?”
+
+For a moment there was no reply. Tom, who had been leaning over a
+complicated apparatus of wires, switches, and radio bulbs that glowed
+dimly, was slowly turning a dial. Ned repeated his question, adding:
+
+“What seems to be the trouble?”
+
+“Trouble?” queried Tom, looking at Ned with eyes, however, that did not
+see him.
+
+“There must be some trouble,” insisted Ned, “or you’d have been capering
+around here on one leg when I came in after doing my stuff back there,”
+and he nodded toward the room farther down the hall. “How about it?”
+
+Tom Swift glanced away from the apparatus, which very much resembled a
+radio receiving set, to a yard-square burnished sheet of metal hanging
+in front of him and connected to the other mechanism by several wires.
+This burnished sheet appeared to be made of a mirror of some metal with
+a square of heavy plate glass covering it.
+
+“Can’t you answer?” inquired Ned, with a chuckle. “Boy, I certainly did
+some acting back there all by myself! And I’d like to know whether I got
+it through to you. Did I? Bet I did that song and dance for the fiftieth
+time just now. Come on—wake up—did it come through? What’s the matter,
+anyhow?”
+
+“I—I’m thinking,” said Tom slowly.
+
+“Don’t need an interpreter to tell me that!” and again Ned chuckled. “I
+can see it with half an eye. But was it a success?”
+
+“Yes, and no,” replied Tom, turning a switch which seemed to cut off
+some electrical current, for at once a faint hum that had been audible
+in the laboratory ceased. “Yes, and no. It came through all right; that
+is, part of it did, but the rest——”
+
+Tom ceased speaking and bent over his apparatus. He adjusted some set
+screws, turned a couple of dials, and changed three of the radio tubes
+which, now that the power was cut off, no longer glowed with light
+beneath the quicksilver coatings on the thin glass.
+
+“Do you want me to go back there and do it over?” asked Ned. “I’m
+willing, if you say so,” and he started for the room he had just left—a
+room wherein, under the focused rays of a battery of powerful lights and
+close to a box containing a strange assortment of tubes and
+transmitters, Ned had done his “stunt,” which consisted of singing and
+dancing about on a small stage. He performed alone—there was no
+audience but the distant one of Tom Swift in his laboratory several
+hundred feet away.
+
+“Wait a minute, Ned!” Tom Swift called sharply, when his chum, who was
+also the financial manager of the Swift Construction Company, was about
+to leave the room. “I guess we might as well call it a day’s work and
+quit.”
+
+“A night’s work, you mean!” retorted Ned, pointing to the window which
+reflected the darkness outside. “Must be past twelve.”
+
+“I guess it is,” admitted the young inventor, somewhat wearily. “I
+didn’t notice. It’s a shame to keep you at it so long, Ned.”
+
+“Oh, I don’t mind!” said the other quickly. “Not as long as it’s going
+to be a success. But is it?”
+
+Tom Swift hesitated, looked at the complicated machine in front of him
+and slowly shook his head.
+
+“Frankly, Ned, I can’t say,” he admitted. “You came through in a
+measure. Of course I heard you plainly enough over the radio—that part
+is simple enough. But the picture of you was too shadowy to be
+satisfactory. It’s coming, though. I’ll make it come!” and Tom, in spite
+of his weariness, showed some fighting spirit in his voice and manner.
+
+“Could you identify me there?” and Ned pointed to that burnished metal
+mirror with its covering of glass in the lower edge of which were fused
+several wires.
+
+“Oh, yes, I knew it was you, Ned, of course. But, as I say, the
+projected picture was too visionary. It didn’t stand out clearly and
+with depth the way I want it to. It was like a moving picture when the
+man up in the booth goes to sleep on the job and the projector gets out
+of focus. I’m rather disappointed.”
+
+“I don’t mind going back and going through my stunt again, even for the
+fifty-first performance,” offered Ned, with enthusiasm. “I don’t care
+how late it is. Helen won’t expect me now.”
+
+“Did you have an engagement?” asked Tom, looking sharply at his friend.
+“And I kept you here doing a song and dance act half the night when
+Helen expected you! That’s too bad! If I’d known——”
+
+“Keep your hair on!” chuckled Ned. “I didn’t _really_ have a date with
+Helen. I said I might drop around if there wasn’t anything to do here.
+But she knows you well enough to make allowances for emergency work—and
+this was just that.”
+
+“Yes, it is an emergency all right,” returned Tom slowly. “But I shall
+give it up for the night. No use keeping you any longer, Ned. Go on home
+and I’ll try it again to-morrow with a different wave length. I think
+that’s where the difficulty is. We’ll tackle it again in the morning.”
+
+“All right,” assented Ned Newton, and he could not keep out of his voice
+a little note of satisfaction and relief. Truth to tell, he was a bit
+tired. For several weeks now he had been helping Tom Swift on the
+latter’s newest idea—an invention, Tom declared, that would be the
+greatest on record and one that would tend to revolutionize the radio
+and moving picture industries.
+
+This was a daring plan Tom had conceived of making a radio machine, both
+sending and receiving, that would enable a person or any number of
+persons not only to hear a distant performance in their own home, but
+also see those taking part.
+
+“I’ll make it possible,” declared Tom Swift, “for a man to sit in his
+easy chair, smoking a cigar in his library, and, by a turn of a switch,
+not only to hear the latest opera but also to see each and every
+performer and witness the whole play.”
+
+When Ned had asked how the vision would appear to the man, Tom had
+replied:
+
+“On an electrified screen attached to his radio receiver by which he
+listens to the songs and music.”
+
+As Tom said, the problem of transmitting an entire opera through the air
+was simple enough. That had been done many times. So had the
+transmitting of photographs by wireless. Also, in a limited way,
+television had made it possible for a person in a dark room to be
+visible to lookers-on in another apartment some distance away.
+
+“But I am going to combine the two!” declared Tom Swift. “I want to make
+it possible for a synchronized performance of seeing and hearing to take
+place. Thus when a theater is equipped with my sending apparatus and I
+have perfected my receiver, one need never go outside the house to enjoy
+a theatrical performance or a concert.”
+
+“But even if you’re successful, you won’t make any money out of it,”
+declared Ned Newton, after first hearing of his chum’s ambitions. “Look
+at the radio people! The air is free. Anybody who wants to can tune in
+and listen to a million dollar concert without paying a cent. They don’t
+even have to buy any special kind of receiver—they can roll their own,
+so to speak. What’s to prevent them from stealing your stuff—your—what
+do you call it, anyhow?”
+
+“I haven’t settled on a name,” Tom said, with a smile. “Call it talking
+pictures for the time being. Of course it’s entirely different from
+moving pictures with phonograph attachment.”
+
+“Well, what’s to prevent any one from tuning in on your talking
+pictures?” asked Ned.
+
+“This,” answered Tom, pointing to a small tube on one side of the
+receiving apparatus. “This is a new device. Without it no one can see
+and hear my pictures that will talk. This is protected by patents and no
+one can use it without my sanction. That’s the secret.”
+
+“Well, maybe you’ve got something there,” Ned admitted.
+
+So, during the past months, he had helped Tom Swift bring the new
+apparatus to such perfection as it now had.
+
+The present night’s performance was only one of many. At first there had
+been only blank failure. But by using different kinds of receiving
+screens, finally settling on a mirror covered with electrified glass,
+Tom had achieved a measure of success. Still, even now, the projected
+image of the singing or talking performer in a distant room was too dim
+to be commercially successful.
+
+“We’ll go at it again to-morrow,” Tom told his chum as he let him out of
+the laboratory and locked the door after him.
+
+“It’s the biggest thing I ever attempted,” he said to himself, when Ned
+had gone and he was alone in the room, “the very biggest, and I’m not
+going to have it stolen from me. No one suspects as yet what I am
+working on—no one except dad and Ned. But I wish I were nearer success.
+I thought the image would come through clear to-night, but there was
+that same haze—that same haze. I wonder——”
+
+He paused and listened intently. Outside his door he heard
+footsteps—cautious footsteps.
+
+“Is that you, Ned?” he called. “Anything wrong?”
+
+Tom did not open the door—he was taking no chances.
+
+“That you, Ned?” he asked again, more sharply.
+
+“No, Mr. Swift,” came back a voice with a foreign accent. “I am just
+leaving my own laboratory. I think I have perfected that new magnetic
+gear shift we have been working on.”
+
+“That’s good,” Tom responded. He recognized the voice of Jacob
+Greenbaum, a clever inventor whom he had recently engaged to work on
+some side lines that occupied the Swift factory. Tom had an idea for a
+new device to make easier the shifting of gears on automobiles. It was
+an adaptation of the old magnetic selection that has often been tried
+and which, up to date, had not been successful.
+
+“Do you want to take a look at it?” asked Greenbaum, and from the
+nearness of the voice Tom knew that the man was just outside the locked
+door.
+
+“No, thank you, Greenbaum, not now,” the young inventor replied. “I am
+busy at something else. I’ll see you in the morning.”
+
+“You are working late, Mr. Swift,” went on the man. “Could I be of any
+service to you? I should be glad——”
+
+“No, thank you,” Tom said. “As for lateness, you are doing a bit of
+overtime yourself.”
+
+“Oh, yes; but I do not mind. I think I am on the right track. If you
+would take a look——”
+
+“No, not now,” and Tom’s voice was a bit sharp. “I am busy. Good night!”
+
+There was no response for a moment, and then came a short:
+
+“Good night!”
+
+Greenbaum, however, did not immediately move away from the door and a
+look of annoyance passed over Tom’s face as he bent over his secret
+apparatus.
+
+“What’s he hanging around for?” thought Tom. “I wonder if he can be a
+spy? Two or three times I’ve caught him lurking around my private
+laboratory. But he can’t get in since I put on the new lock, and I know
+he hasn’t so much as poked his nose in during the times I have been here
+experimenting. Still, I wonder——”
+
+He was about to call out, to tell the man to go away when footsteps were
+heard moving down the corridor and toward the outer door of the small
+shop where most of the experimental work was carried on.
+
+“Good riddance,” murmured Tom Swift. “I don’t want to be unjust to a
+good workman, and Greenbaum is all of that, but I must confess I don’t
+like the way he hangs around me. As soon as he finishes that magnetic
+gear shift I’ll pay him well and let him go. Now let’s see if I can
+think up another way of doing this. Perhaps if I hooked up the wave
+distributor to the vibratory selector instead of to the polarizer we’d
+get better vision. I’ll try that and have Ned perform again to-morrow.
+Now I’ll take a look to see that my wire connections are all right and
+then I think I’ll go to bed. I’m tired.”
+
+Tom spent perhaps another half hour in getting things in readiness for
+some new experiments, and, having made sure that everything connected
+with his secret was put out of sight of possible prying eyes, the young
+inventor started toward the door.
+
+He inspected the new combination lock he had had put on, noting that it
+was properly set, and then opened the door to step out. The experimental
+laboratory was only a short walk from Tom’s home, the back of the Swift
+Construction plant being some distance away.
+
+As Tom opened the door there was a click, followed at once by a blinding
+flash of blasting fire. Then a dull explosion shook the building. Tom
+had no chance to leap back. The force of the blast hurled him forward,
+across the corridor and out through a wire-screened window into the
+yard. He fell heavily, uttered an inarticulate cry, and then seemed to
+be sinking down into a pit of dense blackness.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER II
+                             NED DISAPPEARS
+
+
+SCARCELY had the echoes of the explosion in Tom Swift’s laboratory died
+away, being swallowed up in the blackness and silence of the night, than
+members of the Swift household began stirring.
+
+Mr. Swift, Tom’s aged and rather infirm father, sat up in bed and
+called:
+
+“What was that? Thunder?”
+
+“No, Massa Swift,” answered Eradicate, the faithful colored servant,
+who, now that Mr. Swift had declined so, was his personal attendant,
+sleeping in the next room. “No, Massa Swift,” he repeated. “Dat wa’n’t
+no thunder.”
+
+By this time Eradicate was moving about and fumbling for a light. Mr.
+Swift, however, had reached up and switched on the reading lamp attached
+to the head of his bed.
+
+“What was it then?” asked the aged inventor, for Mr. Swift had begun
+invention work when Tom was a mere baby.
+
+“I spects, Massa, dat it was somethin’ Tom been doin’ out in his
+lab’tory,” the colored man answered. He had his own light on now and was
+beginning to dress, preparatory to making an investigation.
+
+“If Tom was in the midst of anything that made a noise like that he must
+be hurt!” declared Mr. Swift. “That was a sharp explosion. Hurry, Rad,
+and see what it was.”
+
+“Yes, sah, Massa Swift, I’s a-hurryin’!” answered Eradicate.
+
+From a room farther down the hall in the Swift home came a deep, heavy
+voice exclaiming:
+
+“Fire! Fire! Koku see much blaze!”
+
+Koku was a gigantic specimen of a man whom Tom had brought back with him
+from an airship trip to a distant, mysterious land. The giant was rather
+simple, and never seemed to be able to master the English language. But
+he was a faithful servant and, because of his enormous strength, Tom
+frequently used Koku as a guard about the plant.
+
+“Fire?” cried Mr. Swift, fumbling for his clothes. “Is there a fire,
+Koku?”
+
+“Much blaze in Master Tom’s workshop,” the giant replied. He could not
+twist his tongue around “laboratory.”
+
+“Dey suah is a fire!” cried Eradicate, running to his window. “By golly,
+whole place looks like it was burnin’!”
+
+By this time Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, several other servants, and
+Garret Jackson, the shop manager and superintendent, who was spending
+the night at the Swift home, had been aroused. Several workmen in the
+Swift plant, who lived not far from the experimental laboratory, had
+also been aroused by the explosion and the glare of flames and were now
+running to help, adding their voices to the others giving the alarm.
+
+By this time Mr. Swift, with Eradicate and Koku, had descended to the
+yard that was between the laboratory and the house, and by the glare of
+the flames Tom’s inert body was seen stretched out on the grass.
+
+Eradicate and Koku bent over the body of the young inventor. Koku felt
+for the heart and found it beating.
+
+“Master Tom no dead,” said the giant simply.
+
+“Then carry him into the house, and send for a doctor at once,” directed
+Mr. Swift. “Oh, what could have happened? The whole place will go up in
+flames and Tom’s valuable new invention will be destroyed!”
+
+“Dat fire’ll soon be out!” predicted Eradicate, and Koku, lifting Tom
+like a child, started toward the house with him. “Fire not so bad, after
+all, Massa Swift!”
+
+While the injured inventor is being ministered to I shall take a brief
+moment to acquaint new readers with, a few facts regarding Tom Swift.
+
+He was a young man, well set up physically, and in spite of the fact
+that he was young, had to his credit many important inventions, not a
+few of which had been adopted by the United States Government.
+
+Tom’s mother was dead, but he and his father, were well looked after by
+Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper. As related in the first volume of this
+series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Motorcycle,” the youth began his
+inventive activities early. Wakefield Damon, who lived in the
+neighboring town of Waterfield, had, some years before this present
+story opens, bought a motorcycle. Not knowing much about such machines,
+Mr. Damon soon found himself climbing a tree near Tom’s home.
+
+Tom rescued the eccentric individual and, “blessing” many animate and
+inanimate objects from his rubber boots to his collar button, Mr. Damon
+declared he was through with motorcycles. Tom bought the damaged
+machine, repaired and improved it and had several thrilling adventures
+on it. From then on his inventions followed one another and they were
+not yet ended. In the volume immediately preceding this and named “Tom
+Swift Circling the Globe,” you may read of the further doings of the
+young inventor.
+
+Tom had many friends and not a few enemies, the latter chiefly
+unscrupulous men who had tried to steal his inventions but who had been
+worsted by Tom, with the aid of Mr. Damon, Ned Newton, Eradicate and
+Koku.
+
+Tom always insisted that Mary Nestor, a beautiful girl to whom the young
+inventor was practically engaged, had a lot to do with his success, but
+Mary always smiled tolerantly when her friend said this.
+
+“What do I do, Tom?” she would ask.
+
+“You give me inspiration,” he would answer, “and that, to an inventor,
+is the one thing needed.”
+
+Whether Mary Nestor was the inspiration for Tom’s latest talking-picture
+invention does not matter, but the fact remains that Tom was in the
+midst of perfecting that machine when the explosion occurred.
+
+While the fire was being brought under control by several of the shop
+men, under the direction of Mr. Jackson, the young inventor was
+hurriedly carried into his home and laid on a bed. Mrs. Baggert, sensing
+that medical aid might be needed, had, almost as soon as she got up
+after the alarm, telephoned for the nearest doctor. So it was not long
+after the explosion before Tom was in the care of the medical man.
+
+“Is he badly hurt?” asked Mr. Swift, anxiously hovering around the room.
+
+“I think not,” was the cheerful reply of Dr. Layton. “He has had a shock
+and is suffering more from that than from actual injuries, though he is
+cut and bruised and has some nasty burns. But we will soon make him
+comfortable.”
+
+“He is still unconscious, though, isn’t he?” asked Mr. Swift.
+
+“Yes,” Dr. Layton admitted. “But that is nothing to worry about. Nature
+will take care of that. It is better to let his senses come back
+gradually rather than to give some strong stimulant that will shock him
+into wakefulness and perhaps do more harm than good. I’ll make him as
+comfortable as I can and we’ll just wait for him to rouse.”
+
+The burns and cuts were dressed, Koku being of great service because he
+could lift and move Tom as if the young man were a baby. Yet Tom was of
+husky build, strong and muscular. The giant made an ideal nurse in a
+case like this, though Eradicate, who had a deep love for Tom Swift,
+fluttered eagerly about, anxious to do something to help. Mrs. Baggert
+had him bring hot water and bandages, and this gave Eradicate as much
+pleasure as Koku found in ministering more personally to his young
+master.
+
+After the first alarm over Tom’s condition was over and when it was
+apparent that there was no immediate danger, Mr. Swift went out to see
+what damage had been done and if there was any further danger from the
+fire and explosion.
+
+The flames, by this time, were subdued. There had been a second but
+slight, explosion. This, however, did little damage, as the force of it
+was directed toward the outer corridor, part of the wall of which was
+blown away. The greatest force of the first explosion, likewise, had
+been in the same direction, and though the door of Tom’s private
+laboratory had been stove in and some of his valuable apparatus
+scattered about and burned, fortunately no great damage was done to the
+secret room.
+
+Ascertaining this and knowing how jealously Tom guarded the new secret,
+Mr. Swift had some of the men nail the laboratory up, an improvised door
+being made and boards being fastened over the shattered windows.
+
+Tom had been blown through a window in the corridor outside his
+laboratory. But, luckily, the window was up at the bottom, and Tom had
+shot through a wire mosquito screen instead of through the glass. In
+spite of this, and the fact that he had landed in a clump of deep, thick
+grass, the young inventor had not come off scatheless from the accident.
+
+“Things aren’t as bad as they seemed at first, Mr. Swift,” reported Mr.
+Jackson a few hours after the explosion. “The fire is all out now and
+Tom’s things don’t seem to be much damaged. I’ve got several men on
+guard. They’ll stay there the rest of the night.”
+
+“It will soon be morning,” murmured the old gentleman. “Thank you,
+Jackson.”
+
+“I wonder how much longer Tom will remain unconscious?” Mr. Swift said,
+entering the sickroom and glancing toward the bed on which his son lay.
+
+“I think he is coming around now,” said the doctor softly, as he moved
+to his patient’s side. “Yes, he is coming out of it,” he added. “How do
+you feel?” he asked as Tom opened his eyes and stared about.
+
+“Pretty—pretty—rocky,” was the husky answer. “What—what happened?” he
+asked in a stronger voice. Then, as recollection came back to him, Tom
+went on: “I remember now. There was an explosion just as I was coming
+out of my laboratory. Is it gone? Is everything gone?” and he tried to
+get up. Dr. Layton pushed him back.
+
+“Now lie still,” said the doctor. “Things aren’t half as bad as you
+think, and you’re not much hurt.”
+
+“I don’t care about myself!” declared Tom fiercely. “But if that
+new—that machine is blown up—” He looked anxiously at his father, the
+only other person in the room who knew about the secret of the
+talking-picture invention.
+
+“It’s all right, Tom,” the aged inventor made haste to say. “The door
+and windows of your laboratory were blown out and some of your apparatus
+damaged by the fire and explosion. But your—the main object is all
+right,” he finished, and Tom understood.
+
+Before Tom could ask any more questions, Dr. Layton administered a
+sedative to quiet his patient’s nerves, and, after a few more questions
+had been answered to the satisfaction of the young inventor, he sank
+back into a sleep.
+
+Not before, however, he had told his father and the others that he had
+no idea what had caused the explosion and fire.
+
+“Was it an electrical blast?” Mr. Swift wanted to know. He was aware
+that often a high tension current may act almost like a blast of
+dynamite.
+
+“I think not,” Tom had said. “I examined my wires the last thing, after
+Greenbaum had left the building, and they were all right. The explosion
+seemed to be coincident with my opening of the door.”
+
+“It were a bomb! Dat’s whut it were—a bomb!” declared Eradicate. “An’
+ef I kotches de feller whut done planted it I——”
+
+“That will do now, Rad,” whispered Mrs. Baggert. “Tom must be kept
+quiet.”
+
+The injured young inventor was now sleeping quietly, and Dr. Layton said
+he would remain until morning to see how Tom was when he awakened again.
+Then, the fire being out and no more danger appearing, the house became
+quiet.
+
+But Mr. Swift had a worried, anxious air. He could not account for that
+explosion. Some more of Tom’s enemies must be at work, was the
+conclusion of the aged inventor.
+
+The sun was rising and Tom was just awakening again when the telephone
+rang. Mrs. Baggert, answering it, brought word that Mary Nestor was on
+the wire and wanted to know how badly Tom was hurt.
+
+“How’d she hear about it?” Tom demanded when he was prevented from
+answering the call in person.
+
+“Why, it seems,” reported the housekeeper, “that the town
+fire-department responded to the alarm. However, they weren’t needed, as
+your own men put out the blaze, Mr. Swift. However, it was rumored that
+you were hurt and Mary heard of it. What shall I tell her?”
+
+“Tell her I’m all right and that I’ll be over as soon as I can get
+dressed,” Tom answered.
+
+“No you won’t!” chuckled Dr. Layton. “You’re not badly hurt, but I’m
+taking no chances with you and you’ll stay in bed all day. Miss Nestor
+can call here if she likes,” he conceded, with a smile.
+
+“Thanks for that favor,” and Tom smiled in answer. “Tell her, please,
+Mrs. Baggert.”
+
+“I will,” and the housekeeper hurried back to the telephone.
+
+A further inspection of Tom’s injuries by daylight did not reveal them
+as any worse than the first diagnosis indicated and Dr. Layton said that
+his patient would be up and about in a few days.
+
+“And when I am things are going to hum!” declared Tom.
+
+He had finished a light breakfast and the medical man was preparing to
+depart when the telephone rang again.
+
+“If that’s Mary I’m going to speak to her!” exclaimed Tom.
+
+“But it isn’t,” said Mrs. Baggert, with a smile, coming in from the hall
+outside Tom’s room, the telephone being installed in a booth in the
+corridor. “It’s Mr. Newton.”
+
+“Ned?” exclaimed Tom Swift.
+
+“No, not Ned—his father,” replied the housekeeper. “He wants to know
+when Ned will be home.”
+
+“When Ned will be home!” exclaimed Tom, in bewildered surprise. “Why, I
+thought he was at home now. He left me before midnight to go home.”
+
+“He isn’t there,” said Mrs. Baggert. “Mr. Newton says Ned hasn’t been
+home all night and he thought he must be here, as he often stays all
+night, you know.”
+
+“Yes, I know,” admitted Tom, with a puzzled look on his face. “But he
+didn’t stay last night. He started for home. He was dead tired from
+helping me. Ask Mr. Newton if he is sure Ned isn’t sleeping soundly in
+his own room.”
+
+Mrs. Baggert went back to the telephone. In a few moments she came back.
+
+“Ned seems to have disappeared,” she announced. “He didn’t come home or
+send any word. Mr. Newton is quite worried. He wants to talk to you.”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III
+                               SUSPICIONS
+
+
+TOM SWIFT looked at Dr. Layton. The medical man had paused in his
+departure on hearing the telephone bell and the ensuing talk.
+
+“Doctor,” began Tom, “I don’t want to disobey your advice, but I’ve
+simply got to talk to Ned’s father. Something may have happened. I’m
+beginning to get worried. There may be more at the bottom of this than
+just an accidental explosion in my laboratory.”
+
+“I’d rather you stayed in bed,” said the physician. “You oughtn’t to
+move around so soon after such a shock. Can’t you move the telephone in
+here?”
+
+“I’ll get an extension wire that I have in my room and plug it in,”
+offered Mr. Swift, and while Mrs. Baggert was telling Mr. Newton that
+Tom would soon speak to him, Mr. Swift, with the help of Eradicate,
+quickly had an extension telephone rigged up at Tom’s bedside. Then the
+young inventor talked to the father of his business manager.
+
+“Are you sure, Mr. Newton, that Ned isn’t in the house, sleeping his
+head off?” was Tom’s first question.
+
+“No, he isn’t here,” was the worried answer. “When he didn’t come down
+to breakfast we didn’t think anything of it at first, as he was going to
+be at your place late, he said, and we wanted to let him get as much
+rest as he could.
+
+“But when we looked into his room a little while ago to see how he was
+sleeping, he wasn’t there. His mother said that she hadn’t heard him
+come in during the night, but even then we weren’t alarmed. We thought
+he had spent the night with you, as he so often does.”
+
+“No,” Tom said slowly, “Ned isn’t here. He left my laboratory somewhere
+around midnight and I thought he was going straight home. But wait a
+minute!” Tom exclaimed as a new idea came to him. “I just happened to
+think. He might have gone to see Miss Morton and have stayed there all
+night, being too tired to pull up and head for home.”
+
+Ned Newton was engaged to Miss Morton and, more than once after calling
+there and finding himself stormbound, he had been persuaded by her
+parents to remain over night.
+
+“I think you’ll find him there,” suggested Tom, though in his heart he
+remembered that Ned had said it was too late to go to see Helen.
+Besides, he had had no positive engagement with her. “Call up the
+Mortons,” was Tom’s final suggestion.
+
+“I will,” agreed Mr. Newton. “Thanks.”
+
+Tom had no sooner finished his breakfast, following the departure of Dr.
+Layton, than the extension telephone rang again, and once more Mr.
+Newton was on the line.
+
+“Ned wasn’t at Helen’s,” the father of the mysteriously missing young
+man reported. “Oh, Tom, what do you think could have happened?”
+
+The young inventor was at a loss for an answer. Rapidly he reviewed the
+situation in his mind. Ned had left the laboratory, he was sure of
+that—or, wait a moment, was he? He had not seen Ned go out, but had
+taken it for granted that such had occurred. Then Tom had puzzled a bit
+over his latest invention before starting for his house. Then had come
+the explosion and——
+
+Perhaps Ned had not left the laboratory. He may have gone to one of the
+private rooms and turned in there. Tom kept two bedrooms in this
+building for the use of himself and his manager when they were working
+late at night and did not want to disturb the main household. That might
+be it. Ned might be asleep in the laboratory.
+
+“Wait a few minutes, Mr. Newton,” Tom advised over the wire. “I have
+just thought of something. It is barely possible that Ned didn’t start
+for home after all last night. He isn’t at our house, but he may be in
+the laboratory. I’ll send out and have a search made. I’ll call you up
+in a few minutes.”
+
+“All right, Tom. But what’s this I’ve heard about a fire at your place
+last night?”
+
+“Oh, there was a little blaze—it didn’t amount to anything,” was the
+reply. Tom said nothing about the explosion. He wanted to minimize the
+damage, and he believed what had been told him, that it really did not
+amount to much.
+
+“Koku,” he called to the giant, “you and Rad hurry out to my laboratory
+and look for Mr. Newton. He may be in one of the bedrooms, asleep.”
+
+“Asleep, Tom, after that explosion?” exclaimed Mr. Swift incredulously.
+
+The telephone receiver had been hung back on the hook, so Mr. Newton
+heard none of this talk.
+
+“It doesn’t seem possible,” Tom had to admit to his father; “but still I
+can’t account for Ned’s disappearance in any other way. He was dead
+tired and he may have slept through the fire and explosion. We’ll soon
+find out. I wish I could go and take a look for myself.”
+
+“No, you stay here!” his father ordered. “Obey the doctor’s advice. Koku
+and Rad will find Ned if he’s to be found.”
+
+The giant and negro came back soon, to report that there was no sign of
+Ned in the laboratory.
+
+“Perhaps he may have returned home by this time,” suggested Mr. Swift.
+“Better call up and find out.”
+
+“There is just a bare possibility—” said Tom musingly, as he reached
+for the ’phone, “there is just a bare chance that Ned took the midnight
+train for New York to get the selenium.”
+
+“Took the midnight train to get selenium!” exclaimed Mr. Swift. “What do
+you mean?”
+
+“Well, I needed some more sensitive selenium for my—for my—new
+experiment,” Tom said, knowing his father would understand he was
+speaking of the talking-picture machine. “Ned knew about it and planned
+to go after it to-day. When he left me last night he may have decided
+suddenly to keep right on to New York. I think I’ll tell his father
+that.”
+
+“Do you really believe it, Tom?”
+
+“No, Dad, I don’t. But I don’t want Mr. Newton to give up hope until I
+can get on the job myself and help hunt for Ned. Even at that there is a
+bare chance he did go to New York. I’ll suggest that to his father.”
+
+Mr. Newton received this ray of hope gratefully and Tom was glad he had
+thought of it, though he knew it was only a shadow. If Ned really had
+taken the midnight train, which was possible, there ought to come a
+message from him soon reporting on the selenium matter. Also, Ned, being
+a home-loving young man, would naturally be expected to send word to his
+family about his return.
+
+“It will only hold matters back for a short time at best,” said Tom to
+his father. “But I didn’t imagine my laboratory was burned enough to
+destroy the bedrooms. Do you think there is much more damage, Jackson?”
+
+“Not to your laboratory,” was the reassuring reply. “You see, after the
+explosion the flames shot up at the back before we knew it, and the
+draft sucked them in through the bedroom windows. So the upper part of
+the place was worse burned than the lower. But Ned Newton was not in
+there.”
+
+“I’m glad of that,” Tom said.
+
+He was beginning to feel the strain of what he had gone through, and he
+was glad when, a little later, Mary Nestor and her father motored over
+to see him.
+
+Mr. Nestor had some time before taken a long trip North for his health,
+a trip that had greatly improved his condition.
+
+“Oh, Tom, what happened?” exclaimed Mary when she saw him in bed, all
+bandaged up.
+
+“That’s what I’d like to know,” he answered, with a smile. “It was like
+a premature Fourth of July celebration.”
+
+“Are you much hurt?” the girl faltered.
+
+“Nothing more than shock and scratches,” Tom answered. “I’ll be up and
+around in another day.”
+
+However, it was three days before Dr. Layton would allow Tom to get out
+of bed. Meanwhile nothing had been heard from Ned Newton. He had not
+gone to New York, that was evident, unless something had happened to him
+there, and he was not around Shopton, the town on Lake Carlopa where the
+Swifts’ large plant was located.
+
+“It’s mighty queer,” said the worried Mr. Newton, when Tom was forced to
+admit that his New York theory was useless. “Where could he be keeping
+himself?”
+
+“I can’t imagine,” Tom said. He was much broken up over the
+disappearance of his chum. He knew Ned well enough to know that he was
+not staying away from choice, though Tom did not communicate his
+suspicions to Mr. Newton.
+
+As soon as Tom was able, he went out to the laboratory. The scene of
+ruin on the lower floor was not so bad as he had feared, but the back
+and upper part of the laboratory was pretty well burned away. Then Tom
+had the improvised nailed-up door removed so he might enter the room
+where he had set up his talking-picture machine.
+
+“I hope it’s all right,” the young inventor murmured as he approached
+the apparatus. “They said it was, after the fire and explosion, but——”
+
+He gave a cry of dismay as he saw that, though the main part of the
+marvelous new machine was intact, the force of the explosion had wrecked
+the delicate mechanism that he depended on to prevent any but authorized
+owners of the apparatus from using it. Tom’s secret invention was badly
+damaged. In addition, all the new radio tubes, of a kind never before
+used, had been shattered by the blast.
+
+“This sure is tough luck!” murmured Tom Swift. “This knocks me out! The
+fire wasn’t so bad, but the explosion—whew! This certainly is tough!
+But I’ll work double time and soon have it in shape again, and better
+than ever. Luckily, I have duplicate parts of that secret check
+apparatus, and I can get new tubes, though it will take time.”
+
+“You’d better go slow, Tom,” advised his father, who had come into the
+partly wrecked private room with his son. “First thing you know, you’ll
+blow yourself to pieces with these experiments of yours.”
+
+“It was no experiment of mine, Dad, that caused the explosion here!”
+said Tom decidedly.
+
+“It wasn’t?”
+
+“No. All my wires were in good shape. It was some outside force that did
+the damage. I believe some one planted an infernal machine in here,
+Dad!”
+
+“You do, Tom? Whom do you suspect?”
+
+“I—I hardly know what to say,” was the slow answer. “But I have one man
+in mind. Where’s Clark?” he asked suddenly, naming a young workman who
+was much in Tom’s confidence.
+
+“I’ll send him to you,” Mr. Swift offered. “What’s the matter, Tom? What
+are you going to have Clark do?”
+
+“Some detective work,” was the low answer.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV
+                           A STRANGE MESSAGE
+
+
+TOM SWIFT sank wearily into a chair, facing his damaged talking-picture
+machine. That it was very seriously damaged was plainer to the eyes of
+the young inventor than to those even of his father, who was one of
+three persons aware of what great changes the new machine was destined
+to bring about. But Tom rallied and from the ruins of his invention saw
+mentally, rising like the fabled Phoenix from its own ashes, a new and
+better piece of apparatus.
+
+“Maybe, after all,” mused Tom, “this will turn out better than it looked
+at first sight. I already have an idea for some improvements in the new
+machine I’m going to start—as soon as I’m able,” he added somewhat
+grimly.
+
+“Tom, you’d better go back to bed!” exclaimed his father anxiously. “You
+know Dr. Layton said——”
+
+“Oh, I’m all right!” protested the young inventor. “I’m going slow. I do
+feel a bit pulled out, but I don’t intend to do any work. However, I’m
+on the track of something, and it’s got to be followed up.”
+
+“Then you think this was deliberately done, Tom?” asked Mr. Swift as he
+finished sending a message to have Jim Clark sent to Tom’s private
+quarters.
+
+“I’m almost positive of it,” was the reply. “And I have under suspicion
+a certain man.”
+
+“Who?” asked Mr. Swift in a low voice, making sure no one was near the
+shattered door.
+
+“Greenbaum,” was the equally low answer.
+
+“Why, I thought he was one of your best workers, Tom!” exclaimed Mr.
+Swift in surprise.
+
+“So he is, in his own particular line. But now that I think matters
+over, I see that there is a chance he had something to do with this
+explosion. He was here in the laboratory just before it happened. He and
+I and Ned Newton were the only ones here, as a matter of fact. Ned has
+disappeared, and that’s worrying me, but I’ll come to that feature in
+due time. I guess Ned can look after himself, though his disappearance
+is certainly mysterious, coupled with everything else that’s happened.
+But when I stop to think about Greenbaum being here just before the
+explosion——”
+
+“But, Tom,” interrupted his father, “I thought you said Greenbaum went
+before you locked up and came home.”
+
+“Apparently he did. But he may have come back. That’s what I want Clark
+to do—a bit of detective work to find out if Greenbaum went to his
+boarding house and stayed there. If he did——”
+
+The entrance, at that moment, of the young workman in whom Tom placed
+much confidence brought a sudden end to the talk.
+
+“You sent for me, Mr. Swift?” asked Clark, with a smile. “Is it about
+the new negative gravity machine I’m working on?”
+
+“Not this time, Clark,” answered Tom, motioning the young fellow to take
+a chair near the scorched desk which was not far from the shattered
+talking-picture machine. That apparatus had, however, been covered from
+prying eyes. “I want you to do a bit of detective work, if you will,”
+went on the young inventor.
+
+Without telling just why he wanted the information, Tom instructed his
+agent to find out in secret something about Greenbaum, seeking to learn
+just what the man did on the night of the explosion.
+
+“I get you!” exclaimed Clark, with ready wit. “I’m wise all right. I’ll
+shadow him if you want me to.”
+
+“No, don’t dog him,” objected Tom. “Just trace his movements. You can
+tell your foreman you’re working for me and it will be all right.”
+
+With Clark dispatched on this mission, Tom took from the partial wreck
+of his new apparatus such pieces as were vital for rebuilding it and
+then, asking his father to have the laboratory cleaned up and put in
+working shape again, Tom went back to his bedroom.
+
+Truth to tell, he was pretty well fagged out, not so much physically as
+mentally. The shock both to his hopes and his body, as well as worry
+over Ned’s disappearance, was beginning to tell.
+
+“Hadn’t you better give this up, Tom?” asked his father as, having set
+men to putting the laboratory to rights, he went to his son’s room where
+he found Tom stretched out on a long sofa.
+
+“Give what up, Dad? You mean trying to find out who blew me up and why
+Ned is missing? Give those problems up?”
+
+“No, I mean work on this new talking-picture machine of yours. I don’t
+believe it will ever work, Tom.”
+
+“But it has worked, Dad!” exclaimed the young man, with enthusiasm.
+“Only about an hour before Ned left and the explosion happened, I got a
+pretty fine record of what Ned did in the theater room,” for so Tom
+called the apartment with its battery of bright lights where the young
+manager had sung and danced.
+
+“You heard Ned’s voice?” asked Mr. Swift.
+
+“Perfectly,” declared Tom. “Saw him, too. But the vision was not as
+clear as it’s got to be to make this a commercial success. But I know
+how to improve it, and I’m going to. I can’t give that up, Dad!”
+
+“It might be better if you did, Tom.”
+
+“Better? How?”
+
+“Well, for your own safety. You’re using powerful electrical currents
+and you’ve had one explosion already; so——”
+
+“But didn’t I tell you, Dad,” and Tom smiled tolerantly, “that this
+explosion was none of my doing? Nothing went wrong with the wires. They
+were all in shape and I was just opening the door when something went
+off. It was something that was set, too—a bomb, if I guess aright.”
+
+“All the more reason for giving it up, Tom.”
+
+“What do you mean, Dad?”
+
+“I mean that perhaps some one, or perhaps a number of persons, don’t
+want this new invention to succeed. Think what it will mean to the
+moving picture industry if you can give people in their own homes
+entertainment such as the big theaters present. And where will the
+theaters come out if their high-priced shows can be picked up by every
+one who buys one of your machines?”
+
+“That’s their lookout,” said Tom. “It was said that the radio would kill
+the phonograph; and it nearly did, but the phonograph folks came back
+strong.”
+
+“This is different, Tom.”
+
+“Yes, I know it is—different and better. No, I’m not going to back out,
+bombs or no bombs! Besides, Dad, you must realize that we are in this
+thing pretty deep.”
+
+“Deep, Tom? What do you mean?”
+
+“I mean we have a large amount of money tied up in this thing—more than
+I like to think about. I’ve just got to come through with it to break
+even.”
+
+“Well, Tom, I suppose you know best,” said the aged inventor, with
+rather a weary smile. “But be careful of yourself.”
+
+When Mrs. Baggert had put new bandages on some of Tom’s burns and he had
+taken a little rest, he called up Ned’s home, only to learn that no word
+had come from him. His parents were greatly worried, for Ned was not
+selfish and was not the kind of young man to remain long away from home
+without sending word.
+
+“He may have decided to take a little unannounced vacation,” Tom told
+Mr. Newton, “and have gone to the country. He may have sent word and the
+letter or the message has failed to arrive. Shall I notify the police?”
+
+“No, not yet,” decided Mr. Newton. “Ned may be all right and he’d hate
+any police notoriety. We’ll wait a few days.”
+
+The few days that followed were anxious ones, not only for Ned’s
+parents, but also for Tom Swift. He had a double worry, divided between
+the disappearance of his trusted chum and manager and concern over the
+wreck of his new apparatus. The latter worry was more easily disposed
+of, however, though it meant hard work and delay.
+
+Tom set some of his most trusted men at the labor of reconstructing the
+new apparatus, but in such a way that the secret could not be come at.
+Only certain unimportant parts were given out, and Tom and his father
+would make the more vital sections.
+
+Since Tom already had on the market a telephoto machine and had also
+made several varieties of moving picture projectors, it was not a hard
+matter to let it casually be known that the new apparatus was an attempt
+to improve either or both of the old inventions. Thus was gossip stilled
+about the big Swift plant.
+
+Tom, however, did not know what to think about Greenbaum. The day after
+the explosion the man was lamenting loudly that some of his own
+experimental apparatus, which he was working on for the Swift firm, had
+been destroyed in the fire and blast.
+
+“And,” said Tom, telling his father about it, “since I have promised him
+a large bonus if he works out that magnetic gear shift, it doesn’t seem
+reasonable that he would set a bomb that might destroy the results of
+his own hard work.”
+
+“No, Tom, it doesn’t.”
+
+“And yet I can’t help suspecting him,” mused the young inventor. “He is
+as friendly as ever, and seems anxious to help me. But there is
+something furtive in his manner and in his looks.”
+
+“Did Clark find out anything?”
+
+“Only that Greenbaum went straight to his boarding place from here and
+did not go out again that night. He was at home when the explosion took
+place.”
+
+“Then that clears him, Tom.”
+
+“No, Dad, it doesn’t. He could easily have planted a time bomb or rigged
+one up that was operated when I opened the door. I shall still suspect
+him. But I’ve got something else to do now.”
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“I want to see how Jackson is coming on with the new radio tubes he is
+making for the talking-picture machine and I’ve got to do something
+about Ned. His unexplained absence for so long a time is getting serious
+now. It doesn’t seem possible that he is remaining away voluntarily
+without sending some word.”
+
+“No, Tom, it doesn’t. What do you think?” and Mr. Swift looked up from
+his work. He was making some delicate tests with a galvanometer in the
+laboratory, which had been cleaned out and temporarily fitted up to be
+used again.
+
+“I’m thinking, Dad, that perhaps Ned, in some way, was concerned with
+the fire and explosion.”
+
+“Tom! You don’t mean that Ned——”
+
+“Oh, of course I don’t mean that he set it, Dad!” and Tom laughed at his
+father’s shocked face. “I mean that the same rascals who tried to blow
+me up kidnapped Ned.”
+
+“Kidnapped a young man like Ned Newton! A strong, husky chap——”
+
+“They may have caught him napping,” said Tom. “Anyhow, I’ve got to do
+something. Ned’s folks are much worried.”
+
+“Why don’t you go to the police?”
+
+“I think a private detective would be better. Or, best of all, I’ll get
+Clark and set out on the trail myself. I’ve got things begun on the
+rebuilding of my new machine now, and I’ve really got to do something
+about Ned.”
+
+“I agree with you, Tom. I was just wondering——”
+
+What he wondered Mr. Swift never stated, as at that moment a voice was
+heard out in the corridor, saying:
+
+“Bless my storage battery, you needn’t show me the way in, Eradicate! I
+guess I can find Tom Swift, or what’s left of him! My! My! It must have
+been terrible! Bless my stick of dynamite! So they tried to blow Tom
+up!”
+
+“It’s Mr. Damon!” said Mr. Swift, smiling at his son.
+
+“No need for him to send in a card!” chuckled the young inventor. “His
+voice and talk give him away. Come in, Mr. Damon!” he called, and the
+door opened to give entrance to the eccentric, kindly old gentleman who,
+indirectly, had been the means of Tom’s starting on his great inventive
+career.
+
+“Bless my handkerchief, Tom!” exclaimed Mr. Damon, vigorously mopping
+his face with the linen article in question, while he held out one hand
+to the young inventor. “What’s all this I hear about you? I just got
+back from a Western trip and my wife tells me you were blown sky high,
+that your plant was demolished, and that the whole business is in ruins.
+Bless my insurance policies! Whew!”
+
+“Not quite so bad as that,” Tom answered, with a laugh.
+
+“But something happened, bless my thermometer if it didn’t!” declared
+Mr. Damon, pointing to a bandage on Tom’s left hand.
+
+“Yes, there was an accident,” and in a few words Tom told what had
+happened, without, however, making mention of the new machine, which was
+too deep a secret as yet for even so close a friend as the eccentric man
+to share. “But it might have been worse,” concluded the young man. “And,
+as a matter of fact, that isn’t the worst that’s happened.”
+
+“No, Tom? What else? Bless my spectacles!”
+
+“Ned Newton has mysteriously vanished,” said Tom, with a serious face,
+and he told as much as he knew about the strange occurrence.
+
+“That’s terrible!” declared Mr. Damon. “It’s the worst outrage I ever
+heard of! But I came back just in time, Tom Swift.”
+
+“Time for what?”
+
+“To help you hunt for Ned! Now, don’t stop me! I’m going to do it. I’ll
+devote all my time and half my fortune to finding my young friend and
+your chum. Tell me more about it.”
+
+“I’ve told you all I know, which isn’t much,” Tom answered. “But suppose
+we go to the house. I’m about through here,” and he looked around the
+laboratory, asking his father to close and lock it when he left. “We’ll
+go over to the house, Mr. Damon.”
+
+“Yes, I want to pay my respects to Mrs. Baggert. But I can’t get over
+your accident and the kidnapping of Ned. Why, bless my——”
+
+But Mr. Damon had no time to complete his pet phrase, for half way up
+the path to the house Tom and his friend saw an old man coming toward
+them, ragged and unkempt—a veritable tramp. He held in his outstretched
+hand a dirty piece of paper.
+
+“Is this Mr. Tom Swift?” asked the ragged man, looking at Mr. Damon.
+
+“No, I am,” answered the owner of the name.
+
+“Then I have a strange message for you,” went on the tramp in whining
+tones. “And if you see fit to reward me for bringing it, I’d be glad,
+for I’m a poor old codger and I’m hungry——”
+
+Tom Swift hastily took the dirty piece of paper and uttered an
+exclamation of surprise as he read what was scrawled on it.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V
+                         ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL
+
+
+“WHAT’S the matter, Tom?” asked Mr. Damon, for he could not fail to note
+the agitation of the young inventor on reading the strange message
+brought by so strange a messenger. “Bless my favorite detective story,
+but you act as though you had news!”
+
+“I hope it proves to be good news and true news,” said Tom, looking
+sharply at the whining old man. “Read that, Mr. Damon!”
+
+Tom thrust the dirty piece of paper into the extended hand of the
+eccentric man. Slowly, for the writing was not very clear, Mr. Damon
+read:
+
+    “Take this to Tom Swift and receive ten dollars. Help. Am
+    prisoner at Smith place. Brick house—flat roof—three cherry
+    trees—old stone well. Ned Newton.”
+
+“Why—why—” faltered Mr. Damon, turning the paper over, “it’s
+from—from Ned Newton, who’s missing. It’s from him!”
+
+“It _purports_ to be,” said Tom in a low voice, looking at the old man
+who was rubbing with a lean hand a chin very much in need of the good
+offices of a razor. “But it may be a hoax.”
+
+“Is it Ned’s writing?” asked Mr. Damon.
+
+“Let me look at it again,” suggested the young inventor. “I was so
+surprised by the import of the message that I didn’t pay much attention
+to the handwriting.” He scrutinized it closely and said in a low voice
+to his odd friend: “It’s Ned’s scribbling all right. No one else makes a
+capital N just like Ned. Where did you get this?” he asked the old man
+sharply.
+
+“In a field, boss. I picked it up and I made out to read it. I saw your
+name on it and I made some inquiries and folks directed me here. It’s
+been a long walk, and I’m tired and hungry and——”
+
+“We’ll see that you don’t lose anything by what you did if this turns
+out to be no fake,” said Tom, still a bit sternly. “It will be worth a
+good deal more than ten dollars to you if this leads to the finding of
+my helper. Now tell me straight, where did you get this?”
+
+“In the field, boss, I told you.”
+
+“What field?”
+
+“About five miles from here, over Cherry Valley way. I’m on the
+tramp—there’s no use lying to you—I’m a sort of a bum, but it ain’t
+all my fault. I work at helping on a farm when I can, but there’s been
+so much rain lately I couldn’t get much to do.”
+
+“He’s right there—it has rained a lot,” said Mr. Damon.
+
+“Sure it has, boss. I’ve been tramping around and I was cooking a little
+meal in a field over Cherry Valley way when I picked up this paper. I
+can read—I went to school once,” he said, with a flash of pride, but it
+was only a brief flash. “I read what it said and I asked my way here.”
+
+“How did the paper get in the field?” asked Tom. “Did it blow there?”
+
+“No, boss, it come down on a kite.”
+
+“On a _kite_?” cried Mr. Damon. “Bless my phonograph, but he’s hoaxing
+you, Tom! Pay no attention to him. It’s all a trick to get money out of
+you.”
+
+But the old man did not appear to be one who would play a joke, and his
+face was grave as he made the surprising statement about the kite. Also
+there was about him a pathetic, hungry, hoping look as he glanced at Tom
+Swift.
+
+“You say this message came down in a field on a _kite_?” asked Tom, and
+his voice though at first stern, was now kinder, for he felt sorry for
+the old codger.
+
+“Yes, boss, in a field where I was roasting some ears of corn a farmer
+said I could have. They was almost roasted when down out of the air
+swooped this kite. First I thought some boys must ’a’ been playing
+around there and it got away from them. But I didn’t see no boys. Then I
+picked up the kite and this message was on it.”
+
+“You mean this message was tied to the tail or to the string of the kite
+itself?”
+
+“No, it wasn’t tied on. It was part of the kite—part of the paper the
+kite was made of. There wasn’t no string to speak of. Looked to me like
+the kite broke away. This message was writ right on the paper of the
+kite. It was partly tore off so I finished ripping it loose, and put it
+in my pocket.”
+
+“Where’s the remainder of the kite?” asked Tom. He was going to prove
+this strange tale to the very bottom.
+
+“Here ’tis.” The shuffling old tramp drew from a pocket of his ragged
+coat a tangled mass of broken sticks, brown paper and string.
+
+Tom took the tattered stuff and smoothed it out. Slowly he assembled it
+into a small kite of the kind that needs no tail to be sent up, a curve
+of the cross stick and the consequent bellying of the loose paper
+serving to hold the wind against the kite’s surface. From the center of
+the kite a piece of the paper had been torn. This piece was represented
+by the fragment containing the message appealing for help. Tom fitted it
+in and proved that this part of the old tramp’s tale was true.
+
+“It looks as if there might be something in it, Tom,” said Mr. Damon.
+
+“Yes. But whether this will help us find Ned or not is another question.
+You say this kite was blown to where you were in the field?” Tom asked
+the old fellow.
+
+“Yes, boss. It come down right near my fire.”
+
+“From which direction?”
+
+The tramp considered for a moment and answered.
+
+“Right from the south.”
+
+Tom knew that the prevailing winds at this time of year in the vicinity
+of Shopton, where he lived, were from the south. So far the tramp had
+not tripped himself up.
+
+“What do you make of it, Tom?” asked the eccentric man as he began an
+examination of the remains of the kite.
+
+“I don’t know what to think,” was the reply. “This is most certainly
+from Ned, and he seems to be a prisoner on the ‘Smith place,’ wherever
+that is.”
+
+“Maybe I can help you out there,” broke in the tramp. “I asked some
+questions before I started off to locate you, and I heard that about a
+mile from Cherry Valley is an abandoned farm known as the Smith place.”
+
+“Good!” cried Tom. “I’m beginning to believe you, my man. If this works
+out it will be the best day’s work you’ve done for a long time.”
+
+“But, Tom!” objected Mr. Damon who, in spite of his eccentricities was
+hard-headed when it came to business. “Assuming, Tom, that Ned is a
+prisoner on the Smith place, how could he fly this kite to ask for help?
+Maybe this man is just making up that part of the story. He may be one
+of those who helped kidnap Ned and have brought this message from the
+captors.”
+
+“No, boss, honest to goodness I don’t know nothin’ about no kidnappin’!”
+cried the tramp, with vehement earnestness. “It was just as I told
+you—I picked that kite up in the field at Cherry Valley.”
+
+“It may have happened as this man says,” Tom said to Mr. Damon. “If Ned
+is a prisoner in some old farmhouse, he may be confined in an upper
+room. From there he could loose this kite and, on a windy day, it might
+be blown several miles.”
+
+“But how could he make a kite and fly it without being seen?” asked Mr.
+Damon. “And, when it comes to that, how could he make a kite, anyhow, if
+he’s a prisoner?”
+
+“It wasn’t much of a trick to make this kite,” replied Tom as he
+examined the remains of it again. “It’s made of a section torn from a
+paper bag, with sticks whittled off a window casing, I should say. Ned
+could do the whittling with his knife—he always carries one. Probably
+they brought him food in a paper bag, tied with a string. This looks
+like grocery store string,” he added, pulling out some strands from the
+tangled mess of sticks and paper.
+
+“I see, Tom.”
+
+“Well, having decided to the best of our knowledge that this message
+really comes from Ned and that he is a prisoner at the Smith place, the
+next thing to do is to rescue him. Will you come with us and show us
+just where you picked up this message kite?” he asked the old tramp.
+
+“Sure I will, boss, but I’m——”
+
+“I know! You’re tired and hungry!” interrupted the young inventor. “I’ll
+see that you get a rest and some food, and you’ll be paid well. We can’t
+start at once—a few preparations are necessary. We’ve got to organize a
+searching party and hit the trail after Ned.”
+
+“And I’m going with you!” cried Mr. Damon. “No, not a word—don’t forbid
+me!” he begged as he saw Tom hesitate. “I’m going!”
+
+“As you think best,” Tom Swift agreed. “But we’ll have to do
+considerable before we can get ready. I think I’ll take Koku along,” he
+said.
+
+“Good idea!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He’ll be a match for any four men that
+may be holding Ned a prisoner. But why did they capture him, Tom? Answer
+me that!”
+
+“I wish I could,” was the musing answer. “I don’t know what to think.
+I’m afraid there’s a deeper plot in all this than I had any idea of at
+first. Starting with the attempt to blow me up, then Ned’s
+disappearance—I’m afraid it means that some one objects, very strongly,
+to my perfecting—well, what I am perfecting,” Tom concluded, not
+wishing to name his latest invention.
+
+“Well, let’s get going!” begged Mr. Damon, with the eagerness and
+enthusiasm of a boy. “Now don’t you run away!” he playfully ordered the
+old tramp.
+
+“Not much chance of that, boss. I’m too weak hardly to walk, let alone
+running.”
+
+“We’ll soon fix you up,” declared Tom, “in the way of food, anyhow. And
+you won’t need to walk. We’ll go in my electric runabout to the Smith
+place and get Ned out of the hands of these scoundrels.”
+
+In spite of Tom’s haste in making preparations, it was not until the
+next morning that he was able to take the mysterious trail that he hoped
+would lead to his kidnapped chum. In the first place, the old tramp was
+really so weak from lack of food and from his long walk that Dr. Layton
+said it would not be wise to start out with him as a guide until he had
+had a night’s rest and plenty of nourishing food.
+
+Then a slight accident occurred in one of the shops and Tom had to
+straighten that out. It was not serious, however. So, early the morning
+following the receipt of the kite message, Tom, with Mr. Damon, Koku and
+Bill Tagg, as the tramp called himself, started off in the speedy
+electric runabout for Cherry Valley.
+
+Just as they were about to leave, Jacob Greenbaum came hurrying out of
+the private laboratory.
+
+“Are you going away, Mr. Swift?” the man asked.
+
+“Yes,” Tom answered, though he gave no further particulars. The attempt
+to rescue Ned was being kept secret. No information was given out
+concerning the identity of the strange tramp, Bill Tagg, and, aside from
+a private message conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Newton that Ned had been
+heard from, nothing was said about the strange clue. “Yes, Greenbaum, I
+am going away for a little trip. Is there anything you wanted to see me
+about?”
+
+“Yes, Mr. Swift, there is. I’ve reached a critical point in this
+magnetic gear shift model and if you could come in my room——”
+
+There was a strange look in the man’s eyes—a look Tom Swift did not
+like. The man seemed unduly eager to get Tom out of the auto and back
+into the laboratory.
+
+“I haven’t time, Greenbaum,” the young inventor said. “I’ll see you when
+I get back. That gear shift will keep.” With that Tom turned on the
+current and the runabout speeded down the drive. A look back over his
+shoulder showed the man still standing there, with that same eager,
+tense look on his face.
+
+“I think,” said Tom to himself, “that my suspicions of you will soon be
+justified, Greenbaum. But just now I’m on the trail of Ned Newton!”
+
+The motors hummed more shrilly as the runabout gathered speed.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VI
+                                TOO LATE
+
+
+“THIS is a pretty slick little car, boss,” said Tagg when they had
+passed the confines of Shopton and were heading out into the country.
+“She sure can go! Beats old Shanks’ mare,” and he looked down at his
+legs which had carried him to Tom’s home with the mysterious message.
+
+The tramp had been provided with some decent clothes, he had taken a
+bath and shaved, and was quite a different looking man from the one who
+first encountered Mr. Damon and Tom.
+
+“Yes,” admitted the young inventor as he listened to the hum of the
+small but powerful motors as they received their impulses from the
+storage battery Tom had evolved. “At one time this was the speediest car
+on the road, but I have some now that can beat this.”
+
+“And they aren’t in it with some of the airships Mr. Swift has,”
+remarked Mr. Damon.
+
+“That’s what I want to do before I die, boss,” murmured the tramp. “I
+want to ride in an airship.”
+
+“Well, if we rescue my friend through your help, I’ll see that you have
+your wish,” promised the head of the Swift plant. “It’s easily done.”
+
+“Gee, boss, but I sure would love that!” murmured Bill Tagg.
+
+“Airship—him lots good!” grunted Koku, who sat stolidly on the rear
+seat with the tramp, listening to the talk. Koku was not much given to
+conversation, but when it came to fighting he was as wide awake and as
+lively as heart could wish. Tom had brought the giant along in case
+there should be a fight, which seemed likely. Men who go to the length
+of kidnapping seldom stop there in their desperate ventures. “Lots
+good—airships!” rumbled Koku in his deep voice.
+
+“You ought to know. You came from your country of giants in one,”
+chuckled Mr. Damon, for he well remembered that exciting trip, the
+details of which will be found set down in another volume.
+
+Tom knew the road to Cherry Valley, and it did not take long, in his
+speedy car, to arrive in the vicinity. The entrance to the valley led up
+a long hill, and the car was half way over this rather stiff climb when
+there was a sudden grinding noise from the machinery and the runabout
+stopped.
+
+“Something wrong!” cried Mr. Damon.
+
+“Sounds that way,” admitted Tom as he made a quick turn and let the car
+back slowly down against a tree at the side of the road where it was
+held safely from rolling farther in case the brakes did not hold. In an
+instant the young inventor was out and peering into the interior of his
+runabout.
+
+“Dirty work here!” he exclaimed as he pulled out a twisted piece of
+metal. “See what was in the gears!”
+
+“What?” asked Mr. Damon, who did not know much about machinery, as you
+can guess when you read how he managed the first motorcycle he bought.
+“What is it?”
+
+“A screw driver!” exclaimed Tom. “It was put in here, suspended on a
+piece of rope in such a manner that the rope would gradually wear
+through, letting the screw driver drop into the gears. And that’s just
+what happened! One set of gears is chewed to nothing!”
+
+“That’s bad!” said Mr. Damon. His scant knowledge of machinery was
+sufficient for him to understand that something vitally wrong had
+happened to the car, even if the serious look on Tom’s face had not
+informed him of the same fact. “How did it happen?”
+
+“It didn’t happen—it was caused!” was the answer. “Some one, just
+before we started out, suspended this screw driver in the gear box
+knowing that after we had run a few miles the rope would wear through
+and the thing would drop. Dirty work!”
+
+“You seem to be getting a lot of bad breaks lately, Tom,” said the odd
+man. “Who do you suppose did this?”
+
+“I think it’s the same man I suspect of other things,” was the reply.
+“I’m going to find out.”
+
+“Are we stuck, Tom? Can’t we go on and rescue Ned?” Mr. Damon inquired.
+
+“Oh, yes, we can go on, but we can’t make much speed. I’ll have to run
+in third. Fourth and fifth gears are all chewed up.” It was because of
+its five selective speeds that the electric runabout was such a
+wonderful machine.
+
+“Whoever did this made a little mistake,” chuckled Tom, for he had a
+saving sense of humor. “If they’d fixed it so the screw driver dropped
+into the lower gears we never could have started again once we stopped.
+As it is, we can go on, but we can’t make speed.”
+
+It did not take him long to cut out the two higher gearing mechanism
+attachments, and then the runabout proceeded again. Even at the lowered
+rate its speed was better than that of many gasoline automobiles. And in
+due time the head of the slope was reached. Before the searchers lay
+Cherry Valley which, they hoped, contained the Smith place and the
+captive Ned Newton.
+
+“Now, Tagg, show us the field where you saw the kite come down,”
+requested Tom when they were driving along a level road.
+
+“It’s about a mile farther on,” the tramp said, looking about for
+landmarks. “Yes, just about a mile.”
+
+This distance was soon covered, and when the car was stopped Tagg led
+the way into the field and showed where he had built a fire to roast
+ears of corn. The blackened ashes and the remains of his feast proved
+that, so far, he had spoken the truth. Then he showed just where he had
+picked up the broken kite, and some fragments of the brown-bag paper
+which bore Ned’s message were found among the hills of corn.
+
+“It looks as if we were on the right track,” said Mr. Damon.
+
+“I hope so,” murmured Tom. “Now to locate the Smith place.”
+
+“It’s south of here, about a mile and a half,” said the tramp. “’Tisn’t
+a very good road, though.”
+
+“That won’t keep us back,” declared Tom, and once more they were on the
+way. The runabout was doing fairly well in spite of the handicap of two
+stripped gears.
+
+Cherry Valley was rather a sparsely settled part of the country and as
+Tom and his friends advanced they noticed that it grew more and more
+deserted. They passed one ramshackle farmhouse and learned, on inquiry,
+that they were headed right for the old Smith homestead.
+
+“But they don’t nobody live there now, mister,” said a slattern of a
+woman who shuffled to the door in response to Tom’s knock. “They ain’t
+been nobody livin’ in the Smith place nigh onto four years now.”
+
+“That’s all right—we’ll find it I guess,” responded the young inventor,
+and once more he drove his electric car onward.
+
+Near the end of the valley and adjoining a patch of dense woods, they
+came upon the Smith house. It had once been the home of a prosperous
+farmer, but he had fallen upon evil days and the place had long been
+deserted.
+
+“That’s it!” cried Mr. Damon, catching sight of the old brick house.
+“There it is, three cherry trees, old stone well, and everything just as
+Ned described it.”
+
+“Hush, please! Not so loud!” begged Tom, slowing up his car and guiding
+it behind a clump of trees not far from the house. “If we’re going to
+make a rescue it might be well to take these kidnappers by surprise.”
+
+“Bless my ear trumpet, I never thought of that!” whispered the odd man.
+“Of course! Certainly! Yes! Quiet does it!”
+
+“Can you use a gun?” asked Tom curtly of the tramp.
+
+“Well, boss, I’m not a very good shot, but——”
+
+“I don’t believe there’ll be any need of shooting,” interrupted Tom,
+“but there’s no use taking any chances. Here,” and he handed the tramp
+an automatic pistol, reserving one for himself and giving Mr. Damon
+another. “We may have an easy time and we may have a hard one,” said
+Tom. “But, whatever it is, I’m going to rescue Ned!”
+
+“Doesn’t Koku want a gun?” asked the tramp, noting that the giant
+carried no weapon.
+
+“Me no shoot. Me scrunch um in my hands me catch!” muttered the giant,
+opening and closing his immense fists. It was answer enough.
+
+“We’ll approach from four sides at once,” decided Tom as they began to
+creep cautiously toward the old farmhouse. “Separate now. You to the
+east, Mr. Damon; you west, Tagg; you south, Koku; and I’ll take the
+north side. When I whistle we’ll rush the place.”
+
+“Correct!” said Mr. Damon in a low voice.
+
+Waiting until he was sure they were in their places, Tom looked toward
+the old house. It seemed deserted, quiet and lonely. But from behind the
+sagging shutters of the grimy and broken windows evil eyes might be
+peering out.
+
+Tom gave a low whistle. On his left he could hear Mr. Damon beginning to
+run forward and on his right he caught the sound of the advance of Tagg.
+Then Tom began to run, and beyond the house he caught a glimpse of the
+giant lurching forward.
+
+Together the four searchers reached the four sides of the old house, but
+still there was no sign of life. The front door was on Tom’s side and,
+his weapon ready, he ran up the steps. He tried the door. To his
+surprise, it gave and he pushed it open. At the same time he heard Koku
+crash through the open door on the south.
+
+“This way!” cried Tom to Mr. Damon and the tramp. “Rush ’em!”
+
+An instant later they were in the house.
+
+“Surrender!” yelled Tom, though he saw no one. “You’re surrounded!
+Surrender!”
+
+Still no reply.
+
+A hurried search of the first floor revealed no one. A look through the
+second floor was likewise unsuccessful. The attic revealed not a soul
+and the cellar was tenantless.
+
+“We’re too late!” exclaimed Tom Swift. “They’ve gone! But they have been
+here!” he declared, pointing into a room with iron bars over the only
+window. “They’ve been here and I believe Ned was a prisoner here. Yes,
+he was!” he cried, picking something up in a corner.
+
+“How do you know Ned was here?” asked Mr. Damon.
+
+“This is his stickpin,” Tom replied, showing a scarf ornament of silver
+and jade. “Ned’s been here all right. But they have taken him away.
+We’re too late!”
+
+“What’s to be done now?” asked Tagg.
+
+“Follow them!” cried Tom. “We’ve got to get Ned back. Let’s have another
+look around.”
+
+They looked, but found little to aid them in their search.
+
+“They haven’t been gone long!” cried Tom, as they came out of the
+kitchen.
+
+“How do you know?” asked Mr. Damon.
+
+“The stove is still warm,” was the answer. “Come on! We’ve got to trail
+them and get Ned!”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VII
+                              A WILD CHASE
+
+
+TOM SWIFT was the first of the four searchers to rush out of the old
+brick farmhouse, ready to take up the trail once more in the search. Mr.
+Damon followed, then came Bill Tagg, and lastly the big, lumbering Koku.
+
+“Me find nobody can smash,” the giant complained as he clenched his
+immense fists. “Master say maybe I fight. No fight?” and he looked at
+Tom questioningly.
+
+“There may be a fight yet, if we can catch them,” said the young
+inventor, pausing a moment in the front to look back at the house.
+“They’ve given us the slip. If it hadn’t been for the accident to my
+electric runabout we’d have been here sooner and we’d have caught them.”
+
+“Yes,” agreed Mr. Damon. “It looks, Tom, as if the somebody who tried to
+wreck your machine had an interest in preventing your getting here
+sooner. They, whoever it was, wanted to delay you so word could be sent
+here to get Ned out of the way.”
+
+“That’s very probable,” admitted the young inventor.
+
+Again he looked up at the window of what had been his chum’s prison
+room, and Tom tried to picture how Ned, in his desperation, had secretly
+constructed the kite of wrapping paper, whittled sticks and string. Then
+the young manager had waited until a stiff wind was blowing and had
+loosed the silent messenger into the air.
+
+The electric runabout was in the road a short distance away from the
+deserted farmhouse. Tom wished he had time to repair it so the machine
+would show some of the former speed, but this was out of the question.
+They would have to go along as best they could.
+
+The vicinity of the farmhouse was lonesome and no other building was in
+view save a tumbledown barn. Tom, therefore, and his companions were
+rather surprised when, on coming out of the yard, they saw a ragged boy
+in the road walking around the runabout and admiring it.
+
+“Hello!” called Tom genially. “Do you live near here?”
+
+“Just down the road a piece.” The boy dug his dirty, bare toes into the
+soft dust of the road.
+
+“Know anybody who lives in here?” went on the young inventor, seeing a
+possible chance to get some information.
+
+“Don’t nobody live here,” the boy replied. “But there’s been some men in
+here the last few days, only they’re gone now. They went away a little
+while ago in an auto, but it was bigger’n what yours is.”
+
+“Oh, so some men went away from here a little while ago in a big auto,
+did they?” asked Tom. “We’re on the track!” he whispered to Mr. Damon.
+Then to the boy again: “What kind of men were they and how many of them
+were there?”
+
+“They was just men,” the boy replied. “Men like you,” and he comprised
+the four in a roving glance. “But they wasn’t dressed so good as what
+you are—you three I mean,” and he indicated Tom, Mr. Damon and Koku. He
+seemed to omit Tagg, and a moment later the reason was obvious. For the
+boy added: “They was dressed more like what he is,” and he pointed
+directly at the tramp. In spite of the fact that Bill Tagg had been
+freshened up considerably since he shuffled to Tom with Ned’s message,
+there was still an air of vagrancy about the wanderer. It stuck out all
+over him. He did not seem to mind being made use of for this not very
+flattering comparison.
+
+“How many men were there?” asked Tom.
+
+“Three well ones and a sick one,” the boy answered.
+
+“A sick man!” exclaimed Mr. Damon. “What do you mean?”
+
+“Well, his head was tied up in rags and the other men carried him out on
+a cot. He didn’t say nothin’, the sick man didn’t.”
+
+“That was Ned!” murmured Mr. Damon. “Bless my doctor’s bill, Tom, but do
+you think they’ve done for poor Ned?”
+
+“No, I don’t think so,” was the reply. “I think they gagged Ned so he
+couldn’t call for help, and they probably bound him with rope. Naturally
+he couldn’t walk, and they had to carry him out. So he would appear to
+be a sick person. Well, we know how many we have to fight—three men,”
+he concluded. “Can you tell me anything more about the men who were
+here, son?” asked Tom, tossing the boy a quarter which the lad picked up
+in his toes after it had fallen in the dust near him. “Did you see them
+often?”
+
+“I sneaked down here pretty near every day after they come to this old
+house,” the boy answered. “They didn’t see me, ’cause I hid in the
+bushes. But they was funny men.”
+
+“How do you mean—funny?”
+
+“They used to fly kites out of the window—anyhow, one of ’em did. But I
+couldn’t see him plain, ’cause there’s iron bars over that window—up
+there,” and he pointed to the casement of the room where Tom had found
+Ned’s stick pin.
+
+“So one of the men flew kites out of that window, did he?” encouraged
+Tom. “What happened to them?”
+
+“Most of ’em fell in the weeds,” the boy said. “They wasn’t very good
+kites—just made of old, brown-bag paper. I can make better kites ’n
+them. They was made of old sticks. I picked some of ’em up, but they
+wasn’t any good. One flew a long way off, though. I couldn’t find that.”
+
+“I can see just what happened,” Tom spoke in a low voice to Mr. Damon.
+“Poor Ned tried two or three kite messengers before he finally got one
+into a stiff breeze that carried it to Cherry Valley. But we are losing
+valuable time. Which way did the three well men take the sick man in
+their big auto?” Tom asked the barefooted lad.
+
+“Down there,” and he pointed to the western road.
+
+“Where does that lead to?”
+
+“Lake Carlopa, ’bout ten miles farther on.”
+
+“Lake Carlopa!” cried Tom. “That’s where they’re heading for. Come on!
+We may catch them yet!”
+
+Tossing the lad another quarter, Tom led his friends toward his car and
+they were soon off again on the wild chase. They had a definite object
+now, for the lad had given them such a description of the other auto as
+to make it easy for them to inquire about it along the way.
+
+Their inquiries were fruitful to the extent that at several garages and
+hot-dog stands along the highway the pursuers learned that the machine
+in question, containing three men and one who appeared to be ill or
+injured had passed not long before.
+
+“We’re catching up to them!” Tom exulted, when they had covered half the
+distance to Lake Carlopa. This was evident by the information given at
+different garages. Whereas at first the fleeing car had been half an
+hour ahead, it was now but ten minutes. “We’ll get them!” cried the
+young inventor.
+
+Though Tom got every inch of speed possible out of his crippled
+runabout, when Lake Carlopa was reached they found the kidnappers’ car
+abandoned on the shore of the lake.
+
+“Just too late again!” sighed Mr. Damon. “We’ll never get Ned!”
+
+“We may!” shouted Tom. “Look!” He pointed across the lake, and about
+half a mile out was discerned a motorboat containing three men. “There
+they are—I’m sure of it!” cried Tom. “Now if we only had another boat
+to chase them!”
+
+“There’s a feller a little farther on who rents motorboats,” volunteered
+Bill Tagg.
+
+“Good!” cried Tom. “We’ll chase them in their own way. Where’s that
+motorboat chap?”
+
+The tramp pointed out the dock, and in a short time, leaving his
+runabout in charge of the boat proprietor, Tom and his friends were in a
+sturdy gasoline craft giving chase to the other, which was now but a
+speck amid the blue waters of Lake Carlopa.
+
+“Do you think they have Ned with them?” asked Mr. Damon while Tom
+hastily adjusted the motor so as to get the maximum speed from the boat.
+
+“I hope so,” was the reply. “We’ll soon find out, if this old tub can
+stand the pace.”
+
+“Have we a chance?” asked Bill, who was taking quite an interest in this
+pursuit.
+
+Tom looked at the fleeing boat. Then he calculated the speed of the
+craft he had hired. A few minutes of observation caused him to make this
+remark:
+
+“We’re gaining on them—slowly. Whether we catch up to them before they
+get to the other side is a question. We’ll do our best to catch ’em,
+however.”
+
+He made a slight adjustment in the carburetor to get a few more
+revolutions per minute from the flywheel and then the four settled back
+for the chase.
+
+Tom’s statement about their speed proved true. In a short time it was
+discerned that his craft was overhauling the other. The three men could
+be plainly seen now, and a muffled object could be made out in the
+bottom of the boat.
+
+“Bless my cranberry sauce, there’s Ned!” cried Mr. Damon.
+
+“I hope so,” murmured Tom.
+
+The chase was now becoming exciting. Every moment they were drawing
+nearer the fleeing boat.
+
+“Hold on there, you fellows!” shouted Tom. “We want to speak to you!”
+
+“Haven’t got time!” sneered one of the three rascals. “See you later!”
+
+Suddenly the boat in front swerved off to one side. But Tom was ready
+for this and shifted his own wheel to intercept the other craft.
+
+“Look out! Rocks!” suddenly cried Mr. Damon.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VIII
+                              TWO CAPTIVES
+
+
+“WHAT’S that? What’s the matter?” cried Tom Swift, hearing Mr. Damon’s
+shout. “Are they going to ram us?”
+
+Tom had been bending over the gasoline throttle in an endeavor to coax a
+little more speed out of their craft. Now he looked up to see that they
+were very near the fleeing boat.
+
+“No, I said rocks ahead! Look! Bless my life preserver, we’re going to
+hit them!” yelled the eccentric man. “Look out!”
+
+Then, but too late, Tom saw and realized why the other boat had swerved
+so suddenly. It was to avoid the rocks. And now the _Gull_, which was
+the name of the boat Tom had hired, was headed directly for the black,
+sharp rocks that reared their ugly heads out of the blue water of Lake
+Carlopa.
+
+“Hand me that boat hook and maybe I can fend us off,” called out the
+tramp.
+
+Tom, however, was sure this would be of no service, so he did not obey
+the request. He was trying with all his might to pull the wheel around
+far enough to steer the _Gull_ away from the rocks. But the craft was a
+heavy one, rather clumsy, and did not respond readily.
+
+“See if she’ll reverse, Mr. Damon!” panted Tom, who had to use both
+hands on the wheel. “Throw that lever back!” and he pointed to one with
+his foot.
+
+“Yes, I know how!” Mr. Damon replied. He grasped the gear lever and
+began straining on it. Suddenly there was a sharp report.
+
+“Did it break?” cried Tom, looking at the rocks on to which they seemed
+about to crash.
+
+“No. They’re shooting at us!” yelled Bill Tagg. “There they go again!”
+he added, ducking down into the bottom of the boat.
+
+Tom and Mr. Damon were both occupied with trying to save the _Gull_ from
+going on the rocks and they could not draw their weapons. The tramp,
+however, aimed his automatic and sent a couple of answering shots toward
+the boat containing Ned.
+
+“Look out you don’t hit our friend,” warned Tom, who felt the rudder
+gradually coming around, so that he had hopes of saving the _Gull_ from
+a direct crash.
+
+“I fired over their heads,” explained Bill Tagg. “They’re doing the
+same, I guess—trying to bluff us!” He fired again, high enough to clear
+those in the fleeing craft, and again came a response. This time the
+bullet was lower and Tom instinctively ducked, though he knew the
+missile must have passed him before his ear caught the vicious whine of
+its passage through the air.
+
+Then, so suddenly that no warning was given, the _Gull_ struck on a rock
+just beneath the surface. It was a glancing blow, and the rock, luckily,
+was smooth, or the craft might have been shattered. As it was, the
+_Gull_ careened to one side, and so sharply that Tom Swift was thrown
+overboard, landing in the lake with a great splash.
+
+Instinctively, he took a long breath and held it, closing his mouth that
+had been opened preparatory to shouting further directions to Mr. Damon
+about reversing the craft.
+
+Down into the depths sank Tom, while the _Gull_, whose speed was not
+slackened, slued around from her impact on the rock and shot off on a
+tangent in a direction directly opposite from that taken by the
+_Turtle_, the boat containing the three roughly attired men and that
+silent, wrapped figure in the bottom—a figure that was supposed to be
+Ned Newton.
+
+“Bless my steamship ticket!” yelled Mr. Damon, “where’s Tom?”
+
+“Overboard!” yelled the tramp. “And I can’t swim!”
+
+“Me get him!” shouted Koku, peeling off his coat preparatory to a dive
+over the side.
+
+“Stay where you are!” came the stern command from the other boat which
+had circled around and was now headed for the place where Tom Swift’s
+head appeared in the watery circles caused by his plunge. “We’ll drill
+the first man that goes overboard!”
+
+Two of the rascals stood in the bow with leveled weapons, while the
+third was steering the boat straight toward Tom.
+
+“They’re going to ram him!” gasped the tramp. He did not seem capable of
+doing anything to help, and Koku, being now without a weapon, was of no
+service. Mr. Damon had laid aside his pistol to work the reverse lever
+and, even if he could have recovered it, there was a question as to his
+ability to use it.
+
+Thus fate favored the rascals, and Mr. Damon and his two companions were
+forced to see themselves being carried farther and farther away from the
+_Turtle_ as the _Gull_, whose engine was still running, headed away from
+the rocks. Apparently little damage had been done by striking the
+obstruction.
+
+From a distance Mr. Damon, the tramp, and the giant watched to see what
+would happen to Tom Swift. At first it seemed as though he was going to
+be run down by the unprincipled men in the _Turtle_. But they had other
+plans in mind and, reaching the swimming inventor, the two men in the
+bow reached over, grasped him, and pulled him in. He could not fight
+back, and, indeed, having gone overboard with all his clothes on, was
+having a hard struggle to keep afloat. Rescue, even at the hands of the
+enemy, was welcome.
+
+“They’ve got him!” gasped Mr. Damon.
+
+“We go take him away!” growled Koku. “Make boat go odder way, Mr.
+Damon—we get Master Tom.”
+
+“I—I’m afraid I don’t know how to operate this craft,” confessed the
+eccentric man. “I might run it back on the rocks.”
+
+Once Tom was hauled, dripping wet, aboard the _Turtle_, the boat was put
+about and went speeding off and away from the _Gull_ which, to tell the
+truth, was headed back toward her own dock.
+
+Tom, as he was pulled over the side, had a glimpse of the _Gull_ going
+back where she came from. He remembered that neither Mr. Damon nor Koku
+could operate the craft without some one along to advise them, and the
+young inventor had doubts about the tramp’s navigating ability in the
+emergency.
+
+“Well, anyhow, she’ll get to shore and they’ll be all right,” reasoned
+Tom.
+
+Then he gave thought to his own situation.
+
+“Well, we’ve sure got him now!” chuckled one of the three men.
+
+“You said it!” echoed another. “We didn’t make no mistake this time!”
+
+Tom almost fell on the gagged and bound body of another young man, and
+it needed but a glance to show him that here was Ned Newton, a prisoner
+like himself. Ned could not speak and could hardly move, but his eyes
+flashed a greeting to Tom.
+
+“They’ve got us both!” said Tom in a low voice to his chum, as he
+crawled alongside of Ned. “But they won’t keep us long. Are you hurt,
+Ned?”
+
+A shake of the head in negation was the only way Ned could reply.
+
+Then further talk on Tom’s part was stopped, for one of the men,
+standing over the two captives with an automatic in one hand, growled:
+
+“Shut up down there!”
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IX
+                             ON THE ISLAND
+
+
+NOT one to submit tamely to indignities, Tom Swift, instead of complying
+with the command, struggled to his feet and advanced toward the two
+rough men standing in the bow of the boat. The third member was at the
+wheel and, Tom noticed, was heading the boat out toward the wider part
+of the lake.
+
+“Look here!” said Tom boldly, for his nerve, somewhat shaken by his
+sudden plunge into the water, was coming back to him. “What’s your game,
+anyhow? What do you mean by keeping Mr. Newton and me on this boat? I
+demand that you set us ashore at once!”
+
+“Oh, you do, eh?” chuckled one of the men.
+
+“Yes, I do! And if you do it within a reasonable time I may overlook
+what you’ve done. But if you don’t at once release us I’ll cause your
+arrest, and it will go hard with you!”
+
+“Listen to him!” sneered one of the scoundrels. “You’d think he was
+chief of police or something like that!”
+
+“Ha! Ha!” chuckled another. “We’ve got Tom Swift right where we want him
+this time. No mistake now!”
+
+Tom was beginning to understand some things in connection with the
+kidnapping—things hitherto a mystery to him. He looked at the men. They
+were burly, brutal fellows and Tom knew that even if Ned were free to
+help him, they would not be able to fight these fellows. Perhaps
+subterfuge and craft were better than a show of force. Tom decided on
+other tactics.
+
+“Look here!” he said again. “I don’t know what your game is, but you’re
+bound to lose out in the end. My friends will soon rescue us and you’ll
+be jailed for this. Kidnapping is a serious offense.”
+
+“We took one chance and we got the wrong man,” said one of the fellows,
+thus confirming Tom’s new suspicions. “Now we have the right one—that’s
+you—and we’re going to hold on to you. We don’t worry none about
+getting jailed.”
+
+“We’ve rich friends that’ll soon get us out,” said the man at the wheel.
+
+“Shut up, Torpy!” commanded one of the two in the bow. “Close your trap!
+You talk too much!”
+
+“Aw, you make me tired!” complained the one addressed as Torpy.
+
+“You can’t bluff us, Tom Swift!” went on the largest of the three
+scoundrels. “We got you dead to rights now and you’ll tell us what we
+want to know before we let you go.”
+
+“Oh, so you’re after information, are you?” asked Tom, hoping to draw
+the men out.
+
+“Yes, we are.”
+
+“What kind?” Tom inquired, trying to wring some of the water out of his
+coat.
+
+“You’ll find out soon enough when we get to the island.”
+
+“What island?” the young inventor wanted to know.
+
+“You ask too many questions. You’re as bad as Torpy—you talk too much!”
+complained one of the two in the bow.
+
+Tom glanced down at Ned and, guessing how his friend must be suffering,
+bound and gagged as he was, decided on a new plan.
+
+“All right,” he seemed to agree, “I’ll stop asking questions. But as
+long as you’ve got me safe, as you seem to have, there’s no object in
+keeping my chum trussed up as he is. Why don’t you loosen him and take
+that rag out of his mouth? Be decent, can’t you?”
+
+“We might as well let up on him a bit,” said the big man. “As he says,
+we got him now and the other can’t do any harm if he does yell. We’re
+out of the way now—soon be at the island.”
+
+“Sure,” assented his companion, and they at once loosened Ned’s ropes
+and removed the gag, for which relief he was very grateful.
+
+“What happened, old man?” asked Tom in a low voice, as he sat down on
+the bottom of the boat beside his now unbound chum. “We’ve been all
+upset over you.”
+
+“I’ve been a bit upset myself,” admitted Ned, whose tongue was thick
+from the effects of the gag. “But, in brief, I was set upon that night
+after I left your laboratory, a cloth was thrown over my head at a dark
+corner, not far from your place, and, before I knew what was happening,
+I was gagged, bound, and bundled into an auto. I was taken some distance
+and brought to that old farmhouse. The men hustled me out of there a
+little while ago, and after a wild ride put me in this boat. You know
+the rest.”
+
+“Have you been kept in the old Smith place ever since you were kidnapped
+up until a little while ago?” asked Tom.
+
+“Yes, they held me a prisoner there. But it didn’t take them long to
+find out I was the wrong man. They mistook me for you, and thought they
+were kidnapping the great inventor.”
+
+“I had begun to suspect that,” said Tom. “Well, what happened?”
+
+“Oh, they were pretty much upset when they learned who I was,” chuckled
+Ned. “They asked me a lot of questions about your inventions, and wanted
+to know how the new talking-picture projector worked. But of course I
+was as mum as an oyster.”
+
+“Did they ask specifically about my new patent?” asked Tom, somewhat
+excited by this news.
+
+“That’s what they did.”
+
+“How did they know about it? I supposed that was a dead secret from all
+but you, dad and me.”
+
+“So did I,” responded Ned. “But there must be a leak somewhere around
+your shop. Perhaps a spy.”
+
+“I believe there is!” exclaimed Tom.
+
+“I tried to escape, but I couldn’t,” said Ned. “Even though they found
+out I was the wrong man, they still held me. I was kept in an upper room
+with barred windows. Then, when they brought me food in paper bags, I
+thought of the kite idea. I sent out half a dozen, but I guess they
+didn’t blow far. I wrote messages to you, hoping some one would pick
+them up and take them to you. But I began to think nothing would come of
+it until one day a kite that I’d made went high up in the air and I knew
+it would travel a long way.”
+
+“It did,” said Tom. “All the way to Cherry Valley where a tramp picked
+it up and brought it to me. That was yesterday, and I came as soon as I
+could.”
+
+“I thought you would,” Ned responded. “But when, a little while ago,
+they bundled me up again and took me away, I thought it was all up with
+me. They must have had some warning you were on their trail, they got
+off in such a hurry.”
+
+“I think the same man who tried to blow me up gave the warning,” stated
+Tom.
+
+“Tried to blow you up!” gasped Ned. “What do you mean?”
+
+Tom told of the explosion and fire, relating the sad tale of the
+wrecking of the talking-picture machine, but in words that would mean
+nothing to the three men even if they should hear. But they did not
+appear to be listening.
+
+“Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “You were as badly off as I was!”
+
+“Pretty near,” agreed Tom. “We couldn’t imagine what had become of you.
+Your folks were worried, but I sent word to them about your kite message
+and that relieved their minds.”
+
+“Did you start to swim after me?” asked Ned, with a smile, noting Tom’s
+wet clothes.
+
+“Swim? No. Oh, I see what you mean! You couldn’t see what happened
+because you were down on the bottom here. Well, I was chasing these
+fellows in a motorboat I’d hired, with Mr. Damon, Koku and the tramp
+that picked up your kite. We hit a rock and I went overboard. Then they
+hauled me in, for my boat slued off and I guess headed back for her own
+dock.”
+
+“Tough luck!” murmured Ned. “Well, what’s the next item on the bill, I
+wonder?”
+
+They were not left long in doubt. A few minutes later the speed of the
+boat began to slacken and, looking ahead, Tom and Ned saw that the craft
+was approaching a large island. It was known to the young men as a
+rendezvous for criminals and other unsavory characters. Tom had not
+visited Rattlesnake Island, as it was called, for a number of years, nor
+had his chum.
+
+“Are you going to land us there?” Tom demanded, as he saw that the boat
+was heading for a dilapidated dock.
+
+“You said it!” chuckled one of the men who, Ned said, was named Snogg.
+The other, and larger, was addressed as Janner. Those two, with Torpy,
+comprised the kidnapping gang.
+
+“If you leave us here, will you be decent enough to send some one to
+take us off after you get away?” asked Tom.
+
+“Don’t worry—we’re not going away!” sneered Janner. “We’ll be right
+with you all the while, boys!”
+
+It was plain, then, that Tom and Ned were to be held captive on the
+island with the three unscrupulous men as guards.
+
+“Now you can walk along quiet if you choose, or, if you want to kick up
+a fuss, we’ll bind, gag and carry you,” said Snogg, when the boat was
+made fast to the dock. “Which’ll it be?”
+
+“Since we can’t help ourselves,” replied Tom bitterly, “we’ll go
+quietly. But we won’t submit to any indignities!”
+
+“You won’t be any worse treated than you have been,” said Janner. “And
+if you come across and answer my questions you’ll get home all the
+sooner. It’s up to you.”
+
+To this Tom Swift made no answer and a little later he and Ned were led
+toward a rough, two-story house, situated near the middle of Rattlesnake
+Island, and left to themselves, locked in a room.
+
+“Well, this is that!” said Ned as he sank down on a chair near the bed,
+for there was some furniture in the room. “What do you think they’ll do
+to us, Tom?”
+
+“Hard to say. I don’t quite fathom their game, unless it’s to make me
+give up the secret of——”
+
+He did not finish, but Ned knew what was meant.
+
+“I hope they feed us, anyhow,” sighed Tom’s manager. “They gave me
+pretty decent food back in the farmhouse, but I haven’t had any
+breakfast, and I need it.”
+
+After this there was silence. A few minutes later the door was unlocked
+and Torpy came in with two trays of fairly good food.
+
+“The boss says you’re to eat and then he’ll be up and question you,” the
+man reported.
+
+“He won’t get much out of me,” snapped Tom.
+
+“Nor me!” added Ned.
+
+“You’d better not r’ile the boss,” was Torpy’s advice as he put the
+trays down on a chair.
+
+Ned was very hungry, and Tom Swift, in spite of his rage, anxiety, and
+his recent ducking, was also beginning to feel an appetite. So the young
+men ate and then, casually, Tom began strolling around the room seeking
+a possible chance to escape. To his disappointment the apartment was
+more solid than it looked. The door was heavy and securely locked and
+the window covered with a heavy wire screen and iron bars. Evidently the
+room had been used before as a prison.
+
+But Tom Swift did not give up very easily, and now he had still several
+cards to play in the desperate game with the three men. When the food
+had been satisfactorily disposed of, the door opened again and big
+Janner came swaggering in.
+
+“Well, I see you had your appetites with you, boys,” he remarked. “And
+now we’ll get down to business. It’s you I want to talk with, Tom Swift,
+and not your manager that we took away in a hurry by mistake for you. He
+don’t know the answers to some of the questions I’m going to ask.”
+
+“Maybe I don’t, either,” observed Tom.
+
+“Oh, yes you do!” was the quick retort. “And you’ll tell me, too, or
+I’ll find a way to make you!” The man’s voice was an ugly snarl now.
+
+“We’ll see,” was all Tom said.
+
+Then began a rapid series of questions concerning some of Tom’s recent
+inventions, including his _Air Monarch_ in which he had circled the
+globe. As this machine had lately been turned over to the Government for
+use in the Air Service, there was no secret about it, and Tom had no
+hesitation in telling things concerning it. He thought it might put
+Janner in a better humor.
+
+From the _Air Monarch_, the man switched to other machines about which
+greater secrecy was desirable, and Tom refused to answer inquiries,
+though his refusals did not appear to anger Janner much.
+
+“How’s your photo telephone doing these days?” the man suddenly
+inquired.
+
+“That? Why, most people know all there’s to be known about that. It’s an
+old invention of mine,” said Tom.
+
+“Is it? But I understand you’re using something like it now to make
+pictures appear inside a radio machine!” Janner suddenly shot at Tom.
+
+At once the young inventor saw the drift of the inquiries. There had
+been some leak in connection with his recent work on the talking-picture
+machine, and these men, or this man, knew about it. Tom did some quick
+thinking just then.
+
+“I haven’t any machine that will make pictures appear in a radio
+receiver,” Tom said calmly.
+
+This was true enough. The fire and blast had destroyed the best part of
+the new invention, though Tom had plans for rebuilding and perfecting
+it.
+
+“Oh, you haven’t got such a machine, eh?” sneered Janner. “Well, I know
+you have. We’re not going to let you spoil our business.”
+
+“What business is that?” asked Tom.
+
+“Never you mind. We’re not going to let you make a machine that will
+permit folks to sit at home and see and hear a show without paying the
+admission price. Not in a thousand years!”
+
+In a flash Tom knew now who were at the bottom of the plot against him.
+Powerful moving picture and theater interests would not want to see such
+an invention as Tom Swift planned put on the market. It would bring ruin
+to many of them.
+
+“You’ve got such a machine, or you’ll soon have one, and I know it!”
+stormed Janner. Tom knew, then, that he had been spied upon. “And I’m
+going to make you tell all about it and promise to drop it!” fairly
+shouted Janner.
+
+“You’ve got a big contract on your hands,” stated Tom calmly. “I’ll tell
+you nothing and there isn’t a man or a company living that can make me
+drop anything I undertake until I’m ready to let go of it!”
+
+“Oh, is that so?”
+
+“Yes, that’s so!”
+
+“Well, I guess we can find ways and means to make you!” said Janner in a
+snarling voice as he advanced toward Tom Swift.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X
+                               THE ESCAPE
+
+
+INSTINCTIVELY Ned Newton, who had pretty well recovered from the harsh
+treatment accorded him while bound and gagged, started to Tom’s side.
+
+The young inventor, seeing that a fight was imminent, also prepared for
+it. Though he still felt the effects of the shock and injuries attendant
+upon the attempt to blow him up, he was in a fighting mood and did not
+shrink from it.
+
+“I’ll make you tell what I want to know!” snarled Janner. “You haven’t
+anybody here to help you now, Tom Swift. You’ll either give up that
+secret and give the plans to me or you’ll wish you’d never fallen into
+my hands.”
+
+“I wish that now,” replied Tom coolly. “Not that I’m afraid of your
+hands,” he added, bracing himself for the struggle he felt sure was
+coming, “but I don’t like your company nor that of your gang. So you
+have my regrets already, though as for any secrets I may have, or any
+new inventions, they remain my exclusive property!”
+
+“Oh, they do, do they?” sneered the man. “Well, we’ll see——”
+
+He was about to rush upon Tom and Ned, who stood side by side ready to
+ward off the assault, when there came a call from the hall outside.
+
+“Hey, Janner! Hop to it!”
+
+“What’s the matter?” asked the big ruffian. “Don’t bother me!”
+
+“The Chief is on the wire!” came the answer, and Tom and Ned recognized
+Snogg’s voice. “He wants to talk to you. Step on it—the Chief’s in a
+hurry!”
+
+“In that case your affair can wait,” said the big fellow, with a
+threatening gesture toward the two young men. “Don’t think you’re going
+to get away,” he added. “I’ll be back!”
+
+He walked to the door, still facing the two, tapped on it without
+turning about and, when it was opened from the hall, evidently by Snogg,
+the big plotter stepped outside and quickly locked the door again before
+Tom and Ned had a chance to rush him, which Janner evidently expected
+would happen.
+
+“There was a chance we missed!” exclaimed Ned, when he heard the lock
+click. “We might have bowled them over, Tom, and gotten away.”
+
+“Yes, that idea occurred to me. But it was too risky. These fellows may
+not intend to kill us, but even if they only shot at us to cripple us
+something might go wrong and we’d get a bullet where it would do a lot
+of damage. I think we can get the best of them in another way.”
+
+“How?”
+
+“We’ll have a look around this place and see if we can’t escape—perhaps
+not now, but after dark. It will soon be night. This room looks strong,
+but from the outside the house didn’t look either strongly built or in
+good repair. We’ll have a go at it.”
+
+“I’m with you, Tom. But what do you think’s going on now? What was that
+talk about the Chief being on the wire?”
+
+“It bears out what I have been thinking for some time,” replied the
+young inventor. “These fellows who have kidnapped us are not the
+principals in this matter. They are an organized gang, but they are
+working at the behest of others. I could tell, from the way Janner asked
+questions about my inventions, that he had no real, scientific
+knowledge. He had been told to ask those questions by some one who did
+know, however. He made several breaks that I passed over. I wanted to
+see how far he would go.”
+
+“What’s the game, Tom? They went to a good deal of preliminary
+trouble—I mean kidnapping me for you.”
+
+“Admittedly on their part, that was a mistake,” said Tom. “It was me
+they were after all the time, only you happened to leave the laboratory
+first and they pounced on you. Then came the explosion. Whether that was
+set to go off and destroy my laboratory after I was supposed to be out
+of it or whether they really wanted to do me up, I don’t know. But
+they’ve got both of us now.”
+
+“Any idea who they may be, Tom—I mean these men?”
+
+“They might be the Hussy and Kilborn crowd.”
+
+“You mean that bunch of the _Red Arrow_ who tried to stop us from
+circling the globe?”
+
+“That’s who I mean. However, it’s only a guess. It may turn out to be an
+entirely different gang. But now that we have a little time to
+ourselves, let’s look around and see what the chances are for getting
+away.”
+
+It was dusk, but by the last rays of the setting sun which shone through
+the window, the young men began a tour of the apartment, seeking any
+possible means of exit. Naturally, they first gave their attention to
+the window and door. As stated before, the former was screened not only
+with a wire mesh, but also with strong iron bars. A search through the
+pockets of Tom and Ned revealed, in the way of tools, only two knives.
+Tom’s knife contained a small screw driver, and at first he thought he
+might be able to loosen the fastenings of the screen and window bars.
+But it did not take long to demonstrate that a much more powerful
+instrument would be needed for this work.
+
+“Anyhow, if we did get the bars off we’d have a big drop to the ground,”
+said Ned. “We’re higher up than I thought.”
+
+“We could improvise a rope from the bed-clothes,” suggested Tom,
+indicating them. “That would be the easiest part of it. But those bars
+were put there to stay.”
+
+“Maybe we can whittle away the wood enough to loosen the screws,”
+suggested Ned. They tried this, but the space to work in was cramped,
+the wood was tough, and when Ned broke the largest blade of his knife
+and cut his hand rather severely in so doing, Tom insisted that they
+give up this attempt.
+
+“Let’s try the door,” he said.
+
+It was now dark in the room, but both young men had matches, Tom’s being
+in a waterproof case which had kept dry during his sudden bath, and with
+these they made as good an examination of the door and its frame as was
+possible.
+
+The lock defied picking with the poor tools at their disposal, and when
+this had been proved Tom said:
+
+“We can cut a hole through the door near the lock, big enough for a hand
+to get through, and maybe we can turn the lock that way.”
+
+“It’s worth trying,” Ned declared. “We’ll work at it in shifts.”
+
+Their captors seemed to have made up their minds to leave the prisoners
+alone, though voices and movements in the rooms below indicated that the
+three men were still on guard. Perhaps orders had come from the
+mysterious “Chief” not to attempt violence.
+
+There was more than enough food in the supply which had been brought to
+provide a late supper and even breakfast for the captives, and there was
+a large jug of water.
+
+Throughout the hours of the night, Tom Swift and Ned Newton toiled
+desperately to cut a hole through the door. With only pocket knives to
+work with, it was tremendously difficult labor.
+
+It was long past midnight when Tom, whose turn it was at the task,
+uttered an exclamation of dismay.
+
+“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, who had thrown himself on the bed to
+rest. “Break your knife or cut yourself?”
+
+“Neither,” Tom replied. “But we’ll have to give this up.”
+
+“Why?”
+
+“There’s an iron plate outside this door. I’ve cut through the wood and
+come to the iron. It’s all off.”
+
+It was a bitter disappointment.
+
+“We’ll try something else in the morning,” decided Tom after a moment,
+closing his knife with a snap. “Meanwhile, I’m going to get some rest.”
+
+“Yes, we both need it,” admitted Ned, with a weary sigh. “But when they
+come in here in the morning and see what we’ve done in the way of
+spoiling their door, they may take us to another room.”
+
+“No use crossing a bridge until we come to it,” Tom responded. “I’m
+going to get some sleep.”
+
+They ate a little of the food, and then, bracing a chair under the knob
+of the door to prevent an entrance without causing noise enough to
+arouse them, the two threw themselves on the bed and slept the sleep of
+exhaustion.
+
+Faint daylight was struggling through the barred window next morning
+when Tom awoke and sat up. There was a peculiar noise for which at first
+he could not account. He looked toward the casement and then recognized
+the dash of rain against the glass and heard the roar of wind. It was
+this that caused the racket.
+
+“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, turning over.
+
+“Big storm,” Tom answered. He jumped out of bed and walked to the
+window. A moment later he uttered an exclamation.
+
+“What’s doing?” asked Ned, stretching lazily.
+
+“Those three fellows are down on the shore doing something to their
+motorboat,” reported Tom. “Looks as if it had been damaged in the storm,
+which is a fierce one, let me tell you. They seem to be making repairs.”
+
+“Maybe they’re going away and leave us alone,” suggested Ned.
+
+“They may be going away,” assented Tom. “But they won’t leave us, I’m
+thinking. They’ll take us with them. But something evidently has
+happened.”
+
+In his eagerness to see what was going on at the shore of the lake
+within view of the barred window, Ned jumped out of bed. In doing so he
+overbalanced himself and in order not to fall he had to do a hop, skip
+and a jump across the room. He brought up hard against the opposite
+wall, fairly jarring the place. As he stopped his somewhat mad and
+erratic career he uttered a cry.
+
+“Hurt yourself?” asked Tom anxiously.
+
+“No! But look! Man dear, look!”
+
+Ned’s voice was excited, and no wonder! It was evident that in his
+collision against the wall he had struck a hidden spring which operated
+the mechanism of a secret sliding door. For there, before the eyes of
+the two captives, was an opening, large enough for them to pass through,
+in a stooping position, and leading to the top of a flight of stairs.
+
+“A secret door!” cried Tom. “How’d you discover it?”
+
+“I didn’t,” Ned answered. “It just happened. I bumped against the wall
+and must have struck the spring. What’s it for, Tom?”
+
+Into the eyes of the young inventor shone a new and hopeful light.
+
+“I don’t know what its original use was,” he said slowly. “But for us it
+offers a way of escape. Come on, Ned! We’ll light out while those
+fellows are busy down at the boat. Grab up some food and come on.”
+
+Tom began stuffing some bread and meat into his pockets after hastily
+dressing, which was a short operation, as the young men had not removed
+all of their clothes the night before. Then Tom took another look
+through the window.
+
+“They’re still tinkering over the motor,” he reported. “It’s now or
+never, Ned! This storm came just at the right time. Come on!”
+
+“But we don’t know where that secret staircase leads,” objected Ned
+Newton as he followed his chum’s example about the food.
+
+“And it doesn’t make much difference, either. It leads out of this room.
+That’s all we have to know now. I think it must have been put in to
+allow the secret removal of smuggled or stolen goods—possibly bootleg
+liquor. Probably the stairway ends in one of the rooms below. But as
+those three scoundrels are out of the way we can leave.”
+
+“Maybe we’ll be trapped at the bottom, Tom. There must be a door there,
+too.”
+
+“Probably there is; but it’s likely to be a sliding, secret door, and,
+consequently, won’t be very strong. We can burst it out, maybe. Anyhow
+it’s worth trying. Come on!”
+
+Then, as the storm rose to new heights of fury, the two prisoners
+slipped into the secret opening and began descending the dark stairs on
+their way to escape.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XI
+                                RESCUED
+
+
+USING the utmost caution, though they felt quite certain their movements
+would be muffled by the noise of the storm that raged about the lonely
+house, Tom Swift and Ned Newton made their way through the narrow, dark
+passage. It was so low that they had to stoop and, as the way was
+strange to them, Tom, who was in the lead, proceeded carefully. He kept
+his hands outstretched, one in front of him and the other pressed
+against a side wall. Nor did he let his weight bear on his feet when
+descending from one step to another until he was sure it was firm and
+solid.
+
+The house was not large, therefore the secret stairway built in the
+walls could not be very long. So in a comparatively short time, though
+to the two young men it seemed long enough, the inventor came to the end
+of the passage and stopped.
+
+“Well?” whispered Ned, behind his chum, after waiting impatiently for a
+short time.
+
+“I don’t know whether it’s well or ill,” Tom answered. “But I’ve come to
+a wall or a door and I can find no means of opening it—if it is a door.
+So we can’t go any farther without breaking through.”
+
+“Burst it open, then!” advised Ned with force. “We’ve got to get loose!”
+
+“It’s bound to make a noise,” Tom went on, trying the second secret door
+by pushing on it, thus determining that it was not of very solid
+construction. “But I think the racket of the storm will cover it. Are
+you ready for a dash?”
+
+“Sure!” replied Ned. “We’re going to get good and wet, though.”
+
+Even in the secret passage where they were crouched, the noise of the
+storm came to them, and it seemed to be increasing in fury. The wind
+moaned, shrieked, and whistled around the island house and the rain came
+down in rattling sheets that played a tattoo on the sides and roof of
+the building.
+
+“Here goes!” murmured Tom in a tense voice.
+
+He drew back a little and when a sudden and louder burst of the storm’s
+fury enveloped the house, the young inventor hurled himself, back
+foremost, against the door.
+
+There was a crackling and splintering of wood and Tom almost fell, so
+suddenly was he precipitated through the broken door. Recovering himself
+as best he could, Tom Swift saw that he had come out into a small
+passageway.
+
+There was another door in front of him—an ordinary one fastened with
+bolts in plain view, and the passage was lighted by a window near the
+ceiling. Ned followed his chum through the broken secret door and the
+two stood for a moment, listening for anything which might indicate that
+their escape had been discovered.
+
+But no sounds came to them save the noise of the storm, more in evidence
+now that they were closer to the outer air. Then Tom stepped to the
+locked door and, pushing back the bolts, swung it open. He had a
+momentary fear that it might lead into another strong room, but, to his
+own delighted surprise, as well as that of Ned, it gave out of doors and
+a moment later the two escaping captives stood in the wind and rain
+beneath the forest trees, free!
+
+“That was luck!” murmured Ned.
+
+“But we aren’t out of the woods yet,” replied Tom.
+
+This was true in a double sense. The island in Lake Carlopa was densely
+wooded, and, so far as the young men knew, uninhabited save by the
+unscrupulous men who had kidnapped them. The sinister name of the
+place—Rattlesnake Island—kept away many campers who otherwise might
+have made the place popular. Perhaps, years before, there had been many
+of the deadly reptiles in the thickets, but it was doubtful if many were
+there now.
+
+However, Tom and Ned did not give this a thought. Their main idea was to
+get as far as possible away from the house before Janner, Snogg and
+Torpy discovered that the prisoners had escaped.
+
+“Come on!” murmured Tom, plunging off into the rain-drenched woods,
+followed by Ned. “They may be after us at any minute.”
+
+But evidently the scoundrels were too much occupied with repairing their
+motorboat, for the two escaping captives had a glimpse of the unsavory
+trio grouped about it on the beach as they threaded their way through
+the forest.
+
+“Whew, but I’m getting wet!” gasped Ned, as they crossed a little
+clearing and caught the full force of the downpour.
+
+“This storm was the best thing that could happen to us,” Tom said.
+
+“How come?”
+
+“Except for the noise it made, the racket I produced when I broke that
+door would have given the alarm. Yes, this storm saved us. Don’t mind a
+little wetting.”
+
+“A little wetting!” good-naturedly chuckled Ned. “This is about the
+biggest drenching I ever saw—except when you went into the lake.”
+
+On they plunged, taking little heed of whither they went so long as they
+put distance between themselves and the three men. Then, when it was
+evident there was to be no immediate pursuit, they slackened their pace
+and began to make plans.
+
+“What are we going to do, Tom?” Ned asked, pausing beneath a shelving
+ledge of rock that afforded partial shelter from the dashing rain and
+wind. “We’re still far from safe.”
+
+“We ought to get to the shore—as far away from those fellows as we
+can—and signal some passing boat. There ought to be plenty of craft
+passing up and down the lake, though there’ll be more after this storm
+lets up. We’ve got to get back to the mainland. There’s no telling what
+mischief this gang may be up to at my works. The three scoundrels here
+are only part of the crowd.”
+
+“I guess you’re right there, Tom. A boat headed for the mainland would
+just about suit me now. I’d like to let my folks know I’m all right.”
+
+“So should I,” agreed Tom. “Dad will be in a fit when Koku and Mr. Damon
+go back and tell him I fell overboard.”
+
+“They must have seen those fellows haul you into their boat,” Ned
+suggested.
+
+“Naturally, they did. But that won’t make dad feel any easier. Yes, we
+want to get back home!”
+
+However, there seemed to be no prospect of that in the immediate future.
+The storm continued unabated and no boats passed Rattlesnake Island, at
+least near the shore the two captives dared approach. They might have
+had better luck on the other side, for there lay the usual channel, but
+the scoundrels’ motorboat was there and the fugitives, therefore, must
+keep away.
+
+At last, Ned’s watch, which had not been taken from him, indicated noon.
+
+“Whew!” exclaimed the young manager when he saw the time. “We ought to
+eat, Tom, and get into some kind of shelter.”
+
+“Yes, that’s so,” agreed Tom, who was as miserable as was his chum. “And
+if I’m not mistaken, we passed some sort of a cave back there. Let’s
+head for it.”
+
+They came to a small cavern under an overhanging ledge of rock, and into
+this the two wanderers gratefully crawled. They did not explore to see
+how far back the cave extended, but when they found some dry wood near
+the entrance they built a fire and took off some of their wet garments.
+As these were hung on sticks near the blaze, to dry out, the young men,
+sitting near the grateful heat, took out their packages of food.
+
+Luckily, they had wrapped the victuals in waxed paper taken from some of
+the cracker boxes supplied them for their first meal by their captors.
+So that now the improvised lunch was fairly dry. It was rather limited
+in its bill of fare, however, and Tom and Ned would gladly have parted
+with all the spare change in their pockets for a cup of hot coffee.
+However, such a luxury was beyond their reach, so they made the best of
+what they had.
+
+The rain kept up all that afternoon, and once the two were warm from
+their cave fire and their garments fairly dry, they decided against
+venturing out again into the downpour.
+
+“It may stop by morning,” Tom suggested, “and by morning more boats will
+be out and we’ll have a better chance of signaling one.”
+
+“What! Stay here all night?”
+
+“Why not?” chuckled Tom. “Do you know a better place?”
+
+“You win!” agreed Ned. “We’ll camp out here.”
+
+This they did, gathering some dried leaves farther back in the cave, and
+in these they burrowed, finding the warmth grateful from the chill of
+the storm.
+
+It was still raining in the morning, but not as hard as before, when Tom
+and Ned awakened and made a very light breakfast. Then, when they were
+able to catch a glimpse of the sun, which came out about an hour after
+they had finished their limited meal, they again made a trail toward the
+shore farthest removed from the dock to which the scoundrels had tied
+up.
+
+They soon came out on a sandy beach and into the full glare of a hot sun
+after the storm. The cheering beams of Old Sol both warmed and
+invigorated them.
+
+“Now if we can only see a boat we’ll be all right,” said Tom.
+
+They did not have long to wait. A motor craft came chugging into view
+and by dint of shouts and the waving of Ned’s shirt, which that young
+man gladly stripped off as a signal flag, the man in the boat saw the
+castaways and headed in toward them. The boatman proved to be Gill
+Marsh, a fisherman for whom Tom had more than once done favors, and Mr.
+Marsh gladly agreed to take the young men to Shopton.
+
+“Though what you were doin’ on Rattlesnake Island is more’n I can figger
+out,” said the mystified Mr. Marsh.
+
+“We’re not very good at figuring, ourselves, this morning,” said Tom,
+with a glance at Ned. They saw no reason for telling what had happened
+until they had had a chance to capture the scoundrels, for to attempt
+this they were determined.
+
+In a short time they were landed at a dock not far from the Swift shops,
+and Tom was soon in telephonic communication with Mr. Jackson, who was
+both surprised and delighted to hear from his missing employer.
+
+“Ned’s safe, too!” Tom said. “Get word to his folks as soon as you can.”
+
+“That’s what I’ll do, Mr. Swift!” said the shop superintendent. “But
+where have you been? We’ve had the police for miles around looking for
+you two. What happened?”
+
+“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” Tom said. “But how are things
+at the shop?”
+
+“Well, we’ve had some trouble, and that fellow Greenbaum——”
+
+But there, to Tom’s disgust, the connection was broken, nor, do what he
+would to attract the operator, could he restore it again.
+
+“We’ve got to hurry back, Ned!” exclaimed the young inventor. “Those
+scoundrels are still at their tricks!”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII
+                          GREENBAUM THREATENS
+
+
+More than ever anxious, as much by what Mr. Jackson had left unsaid as
+by what had come to him over the wire before the interruption, Tom Swift
+hailed a taxicab and in it rode to his home, stopping, since it was on
+his way, to let Ned Newton off at the latter’s home.
+
+“Don’t talk too much—outside your own family circle—of what happened,
+Ned,” was the warning Tom gave his chum as they parted.
+
+“I won’t. But you aren’t going to let the matter drop here, are you?”
+
+“I should say not! But I want to swoop down on those fellows before they
+know it.”
+
+Tom found his father excited by the sudden news over his son’s safety,
+but it was a joyous reaction after the dismal news brought back by Mr.
+Damon and Koku, following the episode of the motorboat chase.
+
+“What happened after I left you?” Tom asked Mr. Damon, who had been
+pretty constantly at the Swift home following the kidnapping of the
+young inventor and his manager.
+
+“After you _left_ us?” repeated the eccentric man somewhat dazedly. “You
+mean——?”
+
+“I mean after I fell overboard,” said Tom, with a smile.
+
+“Oh, yes. Well, neither Koku nor I knew how to manage the _Gull_, and
+your friend Bill Tagg wasn’t any better off, bless my rudder!” said Mr.
+Damon. “So we just let her run, and she slued around so much and acted
+so queerly after you were taken aboard the other boat that some fellows
+in a sailboat came to our aid. We told them what had happened—without
+going too much into your private affairs, Tom—and one of the men got
+aboard the _Gull_ and brought us back to the dock where we started from.
+Then I hurried here to tell your father.”
+
+“Then I got in touch with the police,” said Mr. Swift, taking up the
+story, “for I guessed that those aboard that other boat were your
+enemies, Tom. But the police didn’t know where to look. So what with you
+gone and nothing heard of Ned, we were in a great stew.”
+
+“I can imagine it,” Tom said. “Of course you had no way of really
+knowing Ned was aboard the other boat, though I suppose from what
+happened and the sight of the bound figure in the bottom of the
+_Turtle_, you might have guessed Ned was aboard.”
+
+“I surmised it,” assented Mr. Damon. “But we had no idea where they were
+taking you.”
+
+“No, you couldn’t know that,” said Tom. “Well, we got away from the
+scoundrels, and the next thing is to catch them.”
+
+Having given his father and Mr. Damon a hasty description of what had
+happened to him and Ned, Tom Swift set about the work of running down
+the miscreants.
+
+The police were notified of the return of the young inventor, and a
+squad of officers was sent to Rattlesnake Island. Tom did not go, for he
+felt the need of rest. Besides, there were things at home which needed
+his attention.
+
+“What was it you started to tell me when we were cut off, Mr. Jackson?”
+Tom asked his superintendent after the police had departed for the
+island.
+
+“You mean about Greenbaum?”
+
+“Yes. Is he still here?”
+
+“Well, he is, Mr. Swift; and I hope I’m not going against your wishes
+when I say I wish he wasn’t.”
+
+“Not at all, Mr. Jackson. I have no desire to keep that man if he isn’t
+doing what is right, though I must admit that he is a good workman.”
+
+“I agree with you there. But after what happened you must use your own
+judgment about keeping him on.”
+
+“What happened?”
+
+“Well, he and I quarreled.”
+
+“What did Greenbaum do?” Tom asked. He knew he need not ask what his
+superintendent had done, for Garret Jackson was thoroughly dependable.
+
+“I found him sneaking around your private room, Tom—the room where you
+have been doing those experiments of late. I don’t know what they are
+and I don’t want to know until the right time comes. But I felt pretty
+sure you didn’t want Greenbaum to be prying in there.”
+
+“No more I do!”
+
+“That’s what I thought. So when I saw him come out of that room the
+second time, after you had gone to find Ned, I called him to account for
+it.”
+
+“What did he say?”
+
+“That you told him to go in there to experiment.”
+
+“That was untrue!” cried Tom.
+
+“So I guessed. So I took the liberty of putting a new lock on the
+place—a lock that fellow couldn’t pick if he wanted to, and he came at
+me hot and heavy. We had a quarrel, and I’m glad you’re here to settle
+it.”
+
+“And I’ll settle it mighty quick!” exclaimed Tom. He was in his private
+office now, in a part of the shop somewhat removed from his secret
+experimental laboratory. Pushing a button that summoned a messenger, Tom
+bade the boy send Greenbaum in. And when the man sauntered in, smiling
+and seeming very confident of himself, the young inventor said:
+
+“Get your time from the cashier and pack your things.”
+
+“What for?” demanded Greenbaum, with a quick change of countenance.
+
+“Because you’re through here.”
+
+“Through, Mr. Swift! Why, you gave me a contract and you can’t fire me
+off-hand this way without telling me why! It isn’t fair!”
+
+“It’s fair enough, and you know it!” declared Tom. “The only contract
+you had was that I said I’d keep you as long as your work was
+satisfactory. Well, it isn’t. It’s far from satisfactory.”
+
+“You mean on that magnetic gear shift? I can show you, Mr. Swift,
+that——”
+
+“No, it isn’t the gear shift. I’m going to drop that. It’s your own
+private work of trying to sneak in and fathom my secrets. That’s all.
+You are through. Get your time and clear out! Mr. Jackson was right in
+his surmise.”
+
+“Oh, so Jackson has been talking about me, has he?”
+
+“I’m not answering any of your questions,” retorted Tom. “The sooner you
+leave the premises the better. And don’t come back!”
+
+For a moment Greenbaum stood looking squarely at Tom Swift whose eyes
+never faltered under the gaze of the angry man. Then Greenbaum asked
+with great deliberation:
+
+“Is that your last word, Mr. Swift?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Well, all I’ve got to say is that maybe you’ll be sorry for this some
+day! Maybe you’ll be sorry!”
+
+There was a distinct threat in Greenbaum’s words.
+
+“What do you mean?” cried Tom in anger starting from his chair. “How
+dare you threaten me?”
+
+Greenbaum made no answer, but turned and went out of the office. Tom was
+about to follow, for he did not want the fellow to think he could thus
+defy him, when the telephone on the desk rang out sharply.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIII
+                            MR. DAMON DANCES
+
+
+“HELLO! Hello!” the young inventor called into the transmitter. “What is
+it?”
+
+He did not recognize the voice at first, but the speaker soon identified
+himself as Joe Corrigan, the officer in charge of the squad of men who
+had gone to Rattlesnake Island in an endeavor to apprehend the three
+men.
+
+“But they had flew the coop, Mr. Swift,” reported Joe Corrigan. “Not
+hide nor hair of ’em on the place.”
+
+“Did you find the house?”
+
+“Oh, sure! And we saw where you and Mr. Newton broke out. But the men
+must have skipped right after they found you had got away.”
+
+“I suppose so. What about their boat?”
+
+“No trace of that, either. I’m sorry we didn’t get ’em!”
+
+“I hardly thought you would—it was just a chance,” Tom retorted.
+
+“But we’re not going to give up,” declared Corrigan. “We’ll catch ’em
+yet!”
+
+Tom had his doubts on this subject, but he did not express them.
+
+“Wish you lots of luck!” he called over the wire.
+
+He was sure, however, that Snogg, Janner and Torpy were but the tools in
+the hands of more powerful men, men who would keep themselves well
+hidden, and that though the ruffians might be apprehended in time,
+little or nothing would be learned from them. They would take the blame
+and say nothing of the men who had hired them, probably being well paid
+for any punishment they might suffer.
+
+“Well, so much for that,” said Tom when he had ruminated over what
+Corrigan had reported. “Now about Greenbaum. That’s more serious. I
+can’t let him get away with threatening me like that.”
+
+However, when Tom hurried out to intercept Greenbaum he found that the
+fellow had packed his belongings and hurried away.
+
+“That was quick work,” reflected Tom. Then, as he thought the matter
+over, he was pretty sure that Greenbaum had anticipated what was coming
+to him and had accordingly made his arrangements for a speedy departure.
+“I only hope he didn’t get into the laboratory to do more damage to my
+talking-picture machine before he lighted out.”
+
+He was reassured, however, when he found Koku on guard at the door of
+the laboratory which still needed a bit of work to restore it to the
+spick-and-span condition it was in before the explosion.
+
+“Did anybody try to get in here just now, Koku?” asked Tom, thinking the
+giant might have prevented Greenbaum from a last and dangerous call.
+
+“Nobody come right away,” the giant reported. “But yesterday him try
+come in and Mr. Jackson say I to stay here. So Koku stay.”
+
+“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Tom approvingly. “Don’t let any one in here
+except my father, Ned Newton or me—not even Mr. Jackson for a while.
+Those scoundrels might get hold of my superintendent and try to torture
+something out of him if they thought he knew,” Tom said to himself.
+“It’s best to keep the secret among as few as possible until I’m ready
+to spring it. I want you to guard this place well, Koku,” went on Tom.
+“Especially at night.”
+
+“Me guard!” grunted the giant. “Nobody git past without me punch
+him—but no punch you, Master, nor Mr. Ned.”
+
+“No, please don’t punch us, or my father,” begged Tom, with a smile.
+Well he knew the weight of that mighty fist.
+
+Thinking it not worth while to follow the man, Tom posted a notice to
+the effect that Greenbaum had been discharged and gave orders that he
+was not again to be admitted to the works on any pretext.
+
+For the last few years the Swift plant had been surrounded by a high and
+strong fence, which was further defended against marauders by
+electrically charged wires. These wires did not carry a high enough
+current, under ordinary circumstances, to cause death, but the shock
+they could administer to unauthorized persons seeking to gain admittance
+was severe enough to deter them.
+
+Having seen to the safety of the plant in general, Tom, after
+telephoning to Ned the result of the police visit to Rattlesnake Island,
+began to prepare for the resumption of work on his talking-picture
+apparatus. It was not long before the destroyed parts had been remade
+and he was about ready to start experimenting again.
+
+“Well, Ned,” said Tom to his helper one day about two weeks after their
+strenuous experiences, “are you ready to be an actor again?”
+
+“You mean in the song and dance line—trying to make my voice and image
+come through solid walls?”
+
+“That’s the idea. I have my machine set up again after the explosion,
+and I think I’m nearer the solution than ever before. I’ve made a lot of
+changes. In a way, the fire and blast didn’t mean such a total loss,
+after all. It helped put me on a new track.”
+
+“That’s good. Well, I’m ready for you as soon as I get this statement
+off to the bank. What’s the idea, Tom, borrowing so much money on
+notes?”
+
+“Got to have it, Ned,” and the young inventor seemed a bit put out by
+the question.
+
+“Is it for this new invention?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Well, why not sell some of your securities? Money is high now, and to
+borrow it I’ve got to make statements to the bank that disclose a lot of
+your private dealings. Of course, they’re in safe hands, but——”
+
+“Go ahead and get the money, Ned. We’ll need all that and more. I’ve
+sunk a lot in this invention, but I’ll get it all back again, and more
+too. No use spoiling the ship for a pennyworth of tar, you know.”
+
+“Yes, I know, Tom. And if you’re sure you’re on the right track——”
+
+“I’m never sure of anything in this world, Ned. But I know one thing, if
+I don’t pull out of this a winner, the banks will be asking a lot more
+questions than they have.”
+
+“As bad as that?” asked Ned, struck by his friend’s serious manner.
+
+“As bad—or as good. It depends on how you look at it. But I’ll leave
+the finances to you. I’m going to try out some new ideas now as soon as
+you can get into the broadcasting room.”
+
+Tom called the room where Ned did his acting under the battery of
+electric lights his “broadcasting studio.” In a measure this was what it
+was, for vocal sounds and instrumental music were broadcast from it in
+the manner familiar to all who own a radio set.
+
+But what Tom was trying to do, and which he found not at all easy, was
+to broadcast the sight of Ned and the song, making sight and sound
+synchronized. He wanted to perfect a radio receiver with an added
+apparatus by which, on a screen attached to the sounding cabinet, a
+person could view the person or persons doing the singing, dancing, or
+whatever form of activity was being presented.
+
+This of course was not to be confounded with some moving and “talking”
+pictures, which are a combination of films and phonograph records,
+working simultaneously. By Tom’s machine, when perfected, one would be
+enabled to see and hear an actual theater play, a complete vaudeville
+show, or even a complete operatic performance.
+
+When Ned finished his financial work he went to the studio and there he
+remained until far into the night while Tom, in his laboratory, watched
+the metallic glass screen and changed and adjusted switches,
+eliminators, tubes and different forms of electrical currents,
+endeavoring to capture not only Ned’s voice but his image.
+
+“Well, how did it go, Tom?” asked Ned, coming to the laboratory after a
+bell signal told him work for the night was over.
+
+“Somewhat better, I’m glad to say. I could see you much more plainly.
+Your voice was very clear. It’s only the vision apparatus that needs
+improving. How did you make out?”
+
+“Oh, I don’t mind it. But why did you send some one to look through the
+windows at me?”
+
+“Look through the windows at you?” exclaimed Tom. “I didn’t! You must be
+dreaming!”
+
+“Indeed, I’m not. Two or three times, while I was singing and dancing, I
+saw faces peering in at me. I thought you had some men checking up.”
+
+“No, indeed!” cried Tom. “Ned, I believe the spies are at work again!”
+
+This seemed very possible when the two compared notes. Though Koku on
+guard outside the laboratory had reported no suspicious persons around,
+this much could not be said of the room where Ned performed.
+
+“We’ll guard that, too!” decided Tom, and the next time when a “show”
+was put on, Eradicate was on duty to see that no one approached the
+windows.
+
+Who the unbidden spectators could have been Tom had no idea, but he
+guessed they were emissaries from the men seeking to discover his
+secret.
+
+As the days went on Tom Swift became more and more convinced that he was
+being closely watched by men who had a vital reason for discovering his
+secret. That these men were those interested in moving pictures and
+theatrical shows was certain. Tom realized what it would mean if their
+form of entertainment could be presented in even the humblest home in
+connection with the broadcasting of music, once his invention was
+successful.
+
+It was one night when Ned had been performing a long time and when the
+results were not as satisfactory as at first that Tom, sinking wearily
+back in his chair and wondering what was wrong, heard a commotion in the
+corridor outside his private laboratory.
+
+“No go in! No go in!” Koku’s big voice boomed.
+
+“Nonsense! Of course I’m going in!” another voice responded. “Bless my
+toothbrush, but I want to see Tom.”
+
+“Come on in, Mr. Damon!” called out the young inventor, as a new and
+daring idea came to him. “It’s all right, Koku,” he went on to the
+giant. “Let Mr. Damon in. Look here,” said Tom, addressing his eccentric
+friend, “can you sing and dance?”
+
+“Why—bless—well, I don’t know, Tom. I used to,” and Mr. Damon
+chuckled. “I once was given to taking part in amateur minstrels. But is
+this a joke or a serious question?”
+
+“It’s serious business. Just as you came along I happened to think that
+perhaps what I need at the visual sending end is a contrast of color.
+That might solve the problem, the difference in light rays—red at one
+end of the spectrum and violet at the other. It’s worth trying. But I
+need two performers. Ned’s in there now. He has on a violet
+suit—regular clown’s outfit. Will you put on a red one and help?”
+
+“I’ll do anything, Tom, but eat onions. I hate ’em! Never could touch
+the things. So outside of that I’m at your service. I just stopped in
+casually on my way home and——”
+
+“You’re just in time!” interrupted Tom. “This thing is giving me the
+dingbats, or it will if I don’t solve it soon. Come on, I’ll have to
+pass you in, for Eradicate is on guard.”
+
+Ned, who was resting after his singing and dancing, attired in a
+violet-colored suit, as Tom had said, welcomed Mr. Damon. Tom quickly
+explained his new plan, and when Koku and Eradicate had made sure no
+interlopers were around, the new experiments were begun.
+
+“But what’s it all about?” asked Mr. Damon as, in his red suit, he
+joined Ned in the song and dance. It may be said, in passing, that Mr.
+Damon was much funnier than he suspected. In spite of his anxiety over
+the outcome, Tom could not help chuckling as he watched the little
+rehearsal before going back to his laboratory.
+
+“That’ll do excellently,” he said, as he observed his eccentric friend
+shuffle about the improvised stage. “Keep it up now, and I’ll see how it
+comes through.”
+
+Under the glare of the powerful lights in the broadcasting studio, Mr.
+Damon and Ned danced and sang while with an anxious heart Tom Swift
+hurried back to the laboratory to see if the faint image on the metallic
+glass screen was any brighter.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV
+                            KOKU IS DRUGGED
+
+
+THE young inventor, hastening along the corridor between his
+broadcasting studio and the laboratory where the new machine was set up,
+passed the giant Koku who sat on a stool not far from Tom’s door. Here
+the big man had taken his place each night while the testing was going
+on. With him on guard, Tom felt secure against intrusion by any of the
+plotters.
+
+“Getting tired, Koku?” asked Tom, pausing on the threshold of his
+laboratory. “It isn’t much fun for you to be sitting there.”
+
+“Not much tired. Master,” was the reply, “But Koku like do
+something—smash somebody—fight. No fun sit here nodding do.”
+
+“No, it isn’t much fun doing nothing, I’ll admit,” said Tom. “And if it
+ever comes to a fight, Koku, you shall have a share in it. But it looks
+now as though the rascals would leave us alone. It won’t be much longer
+now, I think, I’m on the verge of success.”
+
+“That good,” Koku answered. He did not, perhaps, understand all Tom had
+said, but he had been associated with the young inventor long enough to
+know when Tom spoke of success that it meant pleasure for the “Master.”
+For this Koku was glad. “Maybe you make new airship go back Koku’s
+country?” the giant asked.
+
+“No, this isn’t an airship I’m working on now,” Tom said, knowing it
+would be of no use to explain to the simple mind of the giant what the
+invention really was. “But would you like to go back to your own land of
+giants, Koku?”
+
+“Sometimes Koku think maybe he like to go,” was the slow answer. “But
+Koku like it here, too. Sometimes get hungry for fash,” and he named a
+peculiar fruit that the giants of his land were especially fond of. Tom
+and Ned, on their voyage which had resulted in the capture of Koku, had
+seen how passionately eager the big men were for this fruit. They would
+go to almost any length to get it. And Tom had an idea how Koku must
+long for some now and then in a land where no fash was to be had. It Was
+a species of melon with a peculiar taste and odor. Neither Tom nor Ned
+had any liking for fash, but the giants seemed to thrive upon it.
+
+“Some day, Koku,” the young inventor half promised as he stepped into
+his laboratory to start anew the test, this time under different
+circumstances, “I may take another airship trip to your country and let
+you have all the fash you want.”
+
+“By golly, Master, that be good time for me!” cried the giant with a
+happy laugh.
+
+As Tom walked over to the apparatus by which he hoped to produce such
+startling results, the telephone bell on the instrument that connected
+the laboratory with the broadcasting studio rang hard.
+
+“Hello! What’s the matter?” Tom asked, over the wire.
+
+“How long do you want us to keep at this thing?” asked the laughing
+voice of Ned Newton. “I—oh, dear—whew—I can’t stand this much longer,
+Tom!” and he went off into another fit of merriment.
+
+“Why, what’s the matter?” asked the wondering inventor.
+
+“Oh, it’s my partner in the red suit!” chuckled Ned. “He’s cutting up
+such funny antics that I can’t dance or sing for laughing. How is it
+coming through?”
+
+“I haven’t connected up yet,” Tom answered. “I will in a minute. I was
+talking to Koku. He’s hungry for fash.”
+
+“For fash!” exclaimed Ned wonderingly.
+
+“Yes. Don’t you remember those peculiar melons that had such a funny
+smell and taste? The giants were crazy about them.”
+
+“Oh, yes,” Ned answered. “I’d forgotten all about them. But get on with
+the show. I happen to have a date with Helen to-night.”
+
+“I’ll soon release you,” promised Tom. “So Mr. Damon is cutting loose,
+is he?”
+
+“You ought to see him!” chuckled the other performer, and even then Tom
+caught, over the telephone, snatches of comic songs Mr. Damon was
+practicing—recollections of his amateur minstrel days.
+
+“All right—get set!” advised the inventor. “I’m going to turn on the
+power now. Keep toward the middle of the stage, for I haven’t got a very
+wide screen and the focus is narrow. If you get too far to either side I
+may lose the image and can’t tell whether I’m getting you or not.”
+
+“Sure!” was the succinct answer of Ned. Then Tom made the adjustments,
+turned on the power, and waited.
+
+A moment later there came from his loud speaker the tones of Ned and Mr.
+Damon singing a selection from one of the latest comic operas. The
+musical accompaniment came from an electrical piano in the studio.
+
+“That’s the best and clearest broadcasting I’ve gotten yet!” said Tom,
+with satisfaction.
+
+“But that’s the easiest part of it. Now will the images of the
+performers come on the screen clearly? That’s the decisive test.”
+
+Anxiously, he turned the switch that controlled the projection of moving
+objects. There was a hissing sound, a slight humming, and then a soft
+glow illuminated the metallic glass screen in front of Tom Swift. It
+suffused to a milky whiteness and then, as upon the silver screen in a
+moving picture theater, but in miniature size, there was projected
+before Tom’s eyes the figures of Ned and Mr. Damon going through the
+movements of an eccentric dance as they sang.
+
+For a moment Tom wanted to shout in delight, for, perhaps due to the
+fact that the performers wore contrasting garments of red and violet,
+the images projected were clearer than any Tom had yet succeeded in
+getting through by means of his new wireless apparatus.
+
+“I believe I’ve struck it!” he whispered.
+
+Then he began to laugh, for Mr. Damon certainly was funny. He even
+seemed to know that Tom, in a distant room, could see him, for the odd
+man winked one eye and made gestures at Tom as though the young inventor
+were personally before him.
+
+“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Tom. “I must get dad in to see this. He’ll believe in
+it now.” For, up to this time, Mr. Swift had been rather skeptical,
+though he was fully in sympathy with Tom’s aims. “And I’d like to show
+it to Mary,” mused the young inventor, as he sat there enjoying what
+really was a team vaudeville sketch without either of the artists being
+in the room with him. Their song, the music, and even the shuffling of
+their feet came plainly to him through the loud speaker, while the image
+was shimmering on the metallic glass screen almost as plainly as though
+Tom had been in the studio. Of course the image was in reduced size. The
+screen was about three feet square, and life-sized figures cannot be
+shown on that.
+
+“But in time I can get them full size,” Tom decided. “Oh, but this is
+good! I can see success now, though it still must be a little clearer to
+make it a positive thing and in natural colors.”
+
+Then he bethought him that Ned and Mr. Damon must be tired, for they had
+been keeping steadily at it for nearly an hour while Tom tried different
+combinations of lights and currents of various intensities in order to
+get the best effects.
+
+“Guess I’ll ’phone them that they can let up now,” decided the young
+inventor. “They must be tired. And Ned wants to go see Helen. By the
+same token I’d better give Mary a call, I guess. I’ve been rather
+neglecting her of late—too busy over this invention.”
+
+Then another thought came to Tom—that he would have the girls and
+perhaps their parents come to the studio to take a look at the result he
+had accomplished. True, it was not yet perfected; but he knew his
+friends would keep his secret until he could complete the patent
+applications.
+
+“Yes, I’ll give the girls a show,” decided Tom. “They sure will enjoy
+Mr. Damon’s singing and dancing. Gosh, but he’s funny!”
+
+Tom shut off the power. The image faded from the screen which turned
+from milky whiteness to the blackness of pitch. Then the voices of the
+performers died away as Tom cut off the radio.
+
+He was about to step to the telephone to advise his friends of his
+almost complete success and to tell them to cease their efforts when a
+noise out in the corridor attracted his attention.
+
+“Maybe they’ve decided to quit of their own accord,” mused Tom.
+
+He opened the door of his laboratory and stepped into the hall. He saw
+nothing of Ned or Mr. Damon approaching and at once became aware of a
+peculiar odor. At first he could not account for it, thinking, for a
+moment, that his father might be at work in the chemical laboratory
+farther down the corridor. But after a second deep breath Tom knew it
+was no chemical he smelled.
+
+“It—it’s—fash!” he murmured. “The peculiar melon fruit that Koku was
+wishing for. But how in the world could that smell get here? There isn’t
+any fash within hundreds of miles—yes, even thousands! How Koku could
+get any——”
+
+He paused. There was a dark object on the floor near where the giant had
+been sitting on guard. Tom switched on a brilliant overhead light. It
+illuminated the place where Koku had been sitting, but the giant was no
+longer in his chair. He was sprawled on the floor, an inert lump of
+flesh, while, not far from him, was one of those peculiar melons, or
+fash fruits, of which the giants of that far-off, strange land were so
+fond.
+
+“Can I be dreaming?” gasped Tom. “How did this happen? Koku must be
+drugged! How did he get that fash? And what does it all mean?”
+
+As he started forward a noise behind him attracted his attention.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XV
+                           A SINISTER WARNING
+
+
+LIKE an electrical flash it came into the mind of Tom Swift that there
+was something wrong here—something terribly and dangerously wrong. The
+drugged giant—nothing less than a drug could account for the
+helplessness of Koku—the appearance of that strange fruit, the noise
+behind—all these were warnings not to be ignored.
+
+So, though his first impulse was to hasten to the aid of the giant, when
+he heard that noise back of him Tom turned.
+
+He was only just in time. He had a glimpse of a figure gliding toward
+him out of the shadows, for that part of the corridor was not brightly
+lighted. And the figure was that of the man lately
+discharged—Greenbaum!
+
+With uplifted hand, in which was some sort of a weapon Tom could not
+distinguish, Greenbaum glided toward him. Tom was taken so by surprise
+and was so off his guard because of what had happened to Koku that he
+might have fallen a victim to Greenbaum.
+
+But at that moment occurred an interruption and a diversion that saved
+the situation, and perhaps Tom’s life. The door farther down the
+corridor opened and Mr. Damon and Ned, preceded by Eradicate, who had
+been serving as guard there, came out. The two performers, receiving no
+answer to their telephonic signal, had rightly concluded that Tom had
+finished experimenting for the night.
+
+“At the same time I thought something might be wrong when you didn’t
+answer,” Ned explained later.
+
+At any rate, the two performers and Eradicate were now hastening toward
+the young inventor. In a trice they realized that Tom was about to be
+attacked. But before the knife in Greenbaum’s hand could descend, the
+man received some missile full in the face with such crashing force that
+he staggered back. He dropped the knife, and with a cry of pain darted
+away, being lost to sight in the shadows of the hall.
+
+“Good shot!” cried Ned.
+
+“Bless my rubber boot, Eradicate hit the scoundrel with a shoe!”
+exclaimed Mr. Damon.
+
+“Dat’s whut I done!” chuckled the negro. “I didn’t have nothin’ else, so
+I tuck off mah shoe!”
+
+Eradicate had big feet and wore heavy brogans, so the hobnailed sole and
+heel made as effective a weapon for the purpose as could be desired.
+
+Recovering from the astonishment into which the unexpected attempt on
+his life had thrown him, Tom Swift turned about and darted into the
+lower part of the hall in pursuit of Greenbaum. But he was too late. The
+slight start which the man had, served him in good stead and he made his
+escape. Though Tom sounded the alarm and got many of his night watchmen
+on the job, they could not capture the intruder.
+
+Not until it was made certain that he was no longer on the premises did
+Tom turn his attention to Koku. Eradicate, however, had begun to
+minister to his fellow guard. Though there was jealousy between the two
+because each one desired to serve Tom alone, when one was in trouble the
+other always showed a friendly spirit.
+
+“Somebody done chlo’fo’m him!” was Eradicate’s opinion, when Tom and Ned
+came back from the unsuccessful chase after Greenbaum, to find the giant
+just recovering consciousness. There was a dazed look on his face, but
+his eyes opened wider as he saw the fash melon on the floor near where
+he had fallen from his chair.
+
+“Koku no dream then,” he murmured.
+
+“What happened?” asked Tom, when he had sent several men to find out, if
+possible, how Greenbaum had eluded the guard and the electrically
+charged fence and so had gained entrance to the private laboratory.
+
+Then the giant, whose immense bulk was proof against any ordinary means
+of making him unconscious, told what had taken place. He had been
+sitting in his chair on guard near Tom’s door after the little talk he
+had with the young inventor about his desire to have a fash melon once
+more. Then, as Koku explained it, a little later, there came rolling
+along the corridor toward his chair one of the very same fruits for
+which he had such a longing.
+
+In a transport of joy at the sight and smell of the dainty, not stopping
+to consider how strange it was that the fruit should have appeared at
+such an opportune time, Koku stooped to pick it up. But he never got his
+hands on it, so he said, for a moment later he “went to sleep,” as he
+expressed it.
+
+“You were drugged,” declared Tom. “Whoever rolled that fash in to
+attract your attention and keep you from being suspicious, whoever did
+that, must have sprayed some chloroform or ether up your nose. You went
+down and out.”
+
+“Maybe so, Master,” admitted the giant humbly. “Koku very sorry.”
+
+“Greenbaum brought it,” declared Tom. “He wanted to get Koku out of the
+way and then he thought he’d get me. Guess he didn’t count on Ned and
+Mr. Damon being so near.”
+
+“He didn’t figure on Eradicate’s shoe, either,” chuckled Mr. Damon.
+“Bless my trolley fare, but that was a good shot!”
+
+“But look here,” persisted Ned. “It’s all right enough for you to say
+that Greenbaum brought that fash here to tempt Koku. So much is evident
+and plain. What isn’t plain is how Greenbaum knew about the fash and
+where he got it. That’s what puzzles me.”
+
+“It’s a small problem compared to the others we have to solve,” said
+Tom, with a serious look on his face. “What worries me is how Greenbaum
+passed the guard lines. It also worries me to know that the men who seem
+bent on preventing me from completing this invention are still on my
+trail.”
+
+“Those are greater problems,” agreed Ned. “Very likely we are wrong in
+thinking these peculiar melons grow only in Koku’s country. This may
+have come from South America or Africa in a shipment of fruit. You know
+we get pears, or maybe it’s peaches I’m thinking of—anyhow, it’s
+something, from Australia. And if they can ship things that far, it
+wouldn’t be impossible to bring fash from where we got Koku. Only what
+puzzles me is how anybody knew of these melons.”
+
+“We’ll consider that later,” suggested Tom. “But it occurs to me that
+the moving picture people have of late been sending men into all sorts
+of strange countries for travel news. It is entirely within the bounds
+of reason to suppose that some of them have penetrated to the land where
+Koku came from and where the fash grows. Some exploring movie men may
+have brought a few of the melons back with him. You know Koku said they
+keep an astonishingly long time.”
+
+“Yes,” agreed Ned. “But that one won’t keep long,” he added, with a
+chuckle, for the giant was already opening his big pocket knife
+preparatory to cutting the melon.
+
+“Not in here, Koku, if you please,” said Tom, motioning to the giant to
+go outside to cut the fruit.
+
+It had a disagreeable odor when whole, but the aroma was tripled when
+the fash was cut. Koku had speedily recovered from the effects of the
+drug and was preparing for a feast. If Tom had been a few minutes later
+in opening his door, the giant might have been dead and the young
+inventor himself would have been in grave danger.
+
+“Well, let Koku enjoy his fash,” Tom said as the big man went out into
+the night with his treasure, having first, however, offered to share it
+with his master. The offer was politely turned down. “We’ve got to
+investigate what happened.”
+
+They could not find out how Greenbaum got in, and Tom began to fear
+there was still another spy in his working force. He resolved to have a
+strict inquiry next morning and made a note to charge Mr. Jackson with
+this.
+
+“But how did the talking-picture work, Tom?” asked Ned when they were
+ready to close the laboratory and disperse for the night.
+
+“Fine! Almost perfect! I’m on the verge of success!”
+
+“That’s why those plotters are getting desperate, I guess,” suggested
+the manager. “They’re out to do you, Tom. Better clean this thing up and
+sell it. Then they’ll let you alone.”
+
+“I’m thinking of that. But I want to make one more demonstration and
+have Mary, Helen, and some of their folks see it. There are one or two
+little improvements that occur to me that can be made, and then I’ll be
+ready for a final showing before I get my last patents. After that I’ll
+be ready to market my invention.”
+
+“Going to give a sort of dress rehearsal?” asked Ned, with a smile.
+
+“That’s it.”
+
+A search next morning revealed little more than had been found out the
+night before. Nor was the strict inquiry the superintendent conducted
+fruitful of results. No spies were uncovered among Tom’s factory forces.
+
+But, omitting no precautions, the young inventor took even greater pains
+to insure privacy in his personal laboratory. There he worked hard to
+perfect his invention, taking hardly any sleep for a week, so that he
+was almost exhausted. His father and Ned helped and so did Mr. Damon.
+Koku and Eradicate were kept on guard, and the giant, having satisfied
+his longing for fash, declared that he would not move from his chair
+again to pick up a dozen of the odorous melons.
+
+And, laboring hard, Tom brought to what he thought would be perfection
+his newest invention. Mr. Swift was greatly interested in it, though he
+begged his son to proceed cautiously.
+
+“You evidently have powerful enemies, Tom,” said the aged man. “They
+must think you will ruin part of their business in moving pictures and
+theatrical performances and that is why they are so anxious to get you
+out of the way. Be careful!”
+
+“I will,” promised the young man. “But they can’t stop me now. Success
+is just across the line.”
+
+He had entirely rebuilt the machine after the fire and blast, and it was
+larger and better than ever. Mary and Helen, with their families, had
+been taken into Tom’s confidence and he had promised them that they
+should see and hear the performance of Ned and Mr. Damon.
+
+“It’s quite thrilling!” said Mary, with a fond look at Tom.
+
+“I hope you’ll say so after the demonstration,” was his answer. “I may
+ask you and Helen to perform, also.”
+
+“Oh, we’ll be glad to,” said Helen. “I can’t let Ned get away with all
+the honors.”
+
+It was the day on which the final demonstration was to take place. Tom
+had arranged his apparatus and had invited the two girls and their
+families to come to the laboratory for the evening.
+
+In the afternoon, about six hours before the time set, Tom was in his
+workroom putting some finishing touches to the machinery and testing the
+electrical wires when he heard Eradicate coming along the corridor.
+Something in the colored man’s step and the fact that he was muttering
+excitedly to himself, roused Tom’s curiosity and fears.
+
+“What’s the matter, Rad?” he asked, opening the door in response to the
+faithful black man’s knock.
+
+“Man jest give me dis,” answered Eradicate, holding out a letter.
+
+“Where did you get it?”
+
+“Out in de yard,” was the answer. “I was walkin’ round like yo’ done
+tole me watchin’ fo’ strangers, when de man come up an’ handed me dis.
+He were a stranger—I was goin’ to tell him to make his se’f skurse when
+he done hand me dat.”
+
+Eradicate nodded toward the note which Tom held.
+
+“Did he say anything when he gave it to you?” asked Tom.
+
+“He say ‘gib dat to Tom Swift. It may be life or death to him,’” quoted
+Eradicate.
+
+Tom hastily tore open the envelope. As he read the message a cry of rage
+and astonishment came to his lips.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI
+                         A STARTLING DISCOVERY
+
+
+“WHAT’S the matter?” asked Ned Newton. He had been making the
+broadcasting studio ready for the performance he and Mr. Damon would
+soon give in there, so Tom could show his assembled party of guests what
+the new invention would do. “What’s wrong, Tom?” he asked again,
+entering the laboratory just as his chum finished reading the sinister
+message that Eradicate had handed him.
+
+“Wrong is the word,” murmured Tom, again reading the warning. “What do
+you think of that?” and he handed the paper to his financial manager.
+
+Ned scanned the scrawl—it was only that—words hastily scribbled on a
+piece of wrapping paper and enclosed in a dirty envelope.
+
+“Whew!” whistled Ned as he read. And this is what his eyes took in:
+
+    “Tom Swift: If you exhibit your new talking pictures your whole
+    plant will be blown to atoms. Take warning in time.”
+
+“There’s no name signed to it,” remarked Ned.
+
+“There doesn’t need be,” responded his chum. “It’s easy to guess that
+this comes from the same crowd who kidnapped you and me—the same men
+who tried to blow me up. There’s no need for a name.”
+
+“No, I guess you’re right,” Ned agreed. “Still, if we could trace these
+fellows——”
+
+“Oh, I’m going to try!” exclaimed Tom. “I’m not going to sit idly down
+and let them think they have us scared. Eradicate, show me just where
+you met this man and tell me what he looked like.”
+
+The negro did his best, but he was getting old and his memory was not
+what it had been. He gave a rather hazy description of the bearer of the
+sinister warning, but he was able to point out the place where he had
+come upon the intruder. Intruder was exactly what the messenger was,
+for, since beginning work on his latest invention, Tom had taken
+precautions to admit none but his own men to the plant.
+
+“He met me heah,” said Eradicate pointing to a clump of bushes near the
+electrically charged fence. That is, it was electrically charged at
+night. During the day, when many watchmen were on the alert, Tom did not
+have the current turned on.
+
+“But I’m going to have it on after this,” he decided, when a search of
+the grounds in the vicinity of the place where Eradicate had received
+the note revealed no one. “He must have gotten over the fence in some
+way, didn’t he, Rad?”
+
+“I didn’t see him shinny ober de fence, no, Massa Tom.”
+
+“Well, I think he must have come in that way. Where did he go after he
+left the note with you?”
+
+“He jes’ disappeared, dat’s whut he done! He jes’ vanished like!”
+
+“He must be a voodoo man,” suggested Ned jokingly.
+
+Eradicate’s eyes grew round and his jaw dropped.
+
+“No,” said Tom glancing warningly at Ned, “what I think happened was
+that when Rad was looking at the note and trying to adjust himself to
+the life or death twist the fellow gave to it, the scoundrel jumped back
+over the fence before Rad saw him.”
+
+“He’d have to be a pretty good jumper to get over this fence,” Ned
+commented.
+
+“Yes, but it could be done,” said Tom. “But from now on the electric
+current will be on duty twenty-four hours a day. I’ll put a stop to this
+nonsense!”
+
+“What are you going to do?” asked Ned.
+
+“Well, I’m going to take no chances, for one thing,” was the reply. “I
+don’t know whether this message is genuine or a hoax. But I can’t afford
+to take any chances. There are too many men in this plant to risk having
+even one of the smaller buildings blown up. If only my own laboratory
+were involved I wouldn’t think so much of it. Though of course a lot of
+damage could be done to my new invention now that it’s practically
+finished. However, we’ll have the most thorough investigation possible.
+I’ll shut down work for the rest of the day and turn the force into an
+investigating body.”
+
+“I think it’s a wise thing to do,” agreed Ned.
+
+A little later the big factory whistle sounded the signal of alarm. Men
+dropped their tools, shut down their machines, and gathered at the
+appointed places. It was as if, on a ship, the signal had been given for
+boat drill. Tom had organized his men this way to respond to the alarm
+in case of emergency.
+
+In a short time several hundred indignant employees of the Swift
+Construction Company were listening to Tom tell of the latest outrage.
+He did not need to go into details of his secret invention which, until
+it was perfected, he would not give to the world. It was enough to state
+that enemies were trying to intimidate the head of the firm in an
+endeavor to steal some of the valuable secrets.
+
+“There may be a spy and traitor among us,” declared Tom. “I doubt that.
+But there is some way for my enemies to gain entrance to the plant that
+I can’t discover. Now I want you to go over the place. Look for a secret
+means of entering. Look for hidden wires that may connect with planted
+mines. In short, go over the plant with a fine toothed comb and let me
+know what you find.”
+
+“That’s what we’ll do, Mr. Swift!” came the reassuring chorus.
+
+“And if we find any of the scoundrels we’ll string ’em up!” yelled one
+enthusiastic and indignant workman.
+
+“No, don’t do anything rash or unlawful!” warned the young inventor.
+“Make any intruder you catch a prisoner and bring him to me.”
+
+The men scattered to make a thorough search, and then Tom went into his
+private laboratory where his father and Ned had preceded him. He wanted
+to talk the situation over with them.
+
+“What do you think, Dad?” asked Tom, when he had related to his parent
+the latest attempt.
+
+“Well,” was the careful answer, “to me it looks like a deep-laid plot
+against you. They don’t want you to put these talking pictures on the
+market.”
+
+“But how is it their business?” asked Ned. “I mean the business of
+whoever is doing these tricks.”
+
+“It concerns them vitally,” replied Mr. Swift. “Why, just think what it
+would mean if a whole theatrical performance could be thrown on the
+screen in private homes!”
+
+“That’s what I’m going to make possible!” declared the young inventor.
+“Those who buy my machine will not only hear but, on the screen attached
+to the apparatus, they will see the performers!”
+
+“It may mean ruin to many regular theaters and moving picture houses,
+Tom,” warned Mr. Swift. “Those people have millions of dollars invested
+in their projects. They evidently mean business,” and he tapped the
+warning letter Eradicate had received.
+
+“Yes, they mean business; but so do I!” cried Tom in a ringing voice.
+“The question is who means the most business. You don’t want me to quit,
+do you, Dad?”
+
+“No, Tom, I can’t say I do. Yet I want you to be careful.”
+
+“What’s your idea, Ned? Should I knuckle under to these scoundrels and
+tell them I’ll throw overboard the machine I’ve been working on so hard
+for the last year? Shall I admit I’m beaten?”
+
+For a moment Ned Newton did not answer. Then something of Tom’s ringing
+spirit was communicated and, banging his fist on the table with such
+force that he knocked over a rack of test tubes, the manager cried:
+
+“No, Tom! We’ll fight ’em to a finish!”
+
+“I thought you’d say that,” was Tom’s quiet comment.
+
+“And you can count on me,” said Mr. Swift, “though I’m not much good
+when it comes to a fight.”
+
+“Oh, I’ve got men enough to fight for me physically,” said Tom. “What I
+need is moral backing, and now that I have it I’m going ahead. I’ve been
+trying to fight this thing too much in the dark. From now on I’ll use
+not only my own men, but also the regular police force of Shopton. Ned,
+get the chief on the wire!”
+
+In a short time a squad of police were on guard around Tom’s big plant,
+while, as the day drew to a close and the hour approached for the test
+demonstration, the regular workmen searched for anything that might give
+color to the threat to blow the place up.
+
+Just when it seemed that nothing would be found, several of the men,
+under the leadership of Mr. Jackson, made a startling discovery.
+
+They found where the big outside fence had been tunneled under and,
+working from there, came upon several mines that were planted near
+important buildings in a manner that would have done credit to a wartime
+mining party. From the mines buried wires led outside the fence to a
+little gully. There, beneath a clump of bushes, the ends of the wires
+lay. All that remained was to connect them to a detonating battery. Then
+the mines could all be set off at once and the Swift plant surely would
+be terribly damaged, if not wholly destroyed.
+
+“They’re regular fiends!” gasped Ned, when the extent of the vile plot
+had been laid bare.
+
+“Yes, they could easily have blown us up but for that warning,” Tom
+admitted. “Yet it may all have been a bluff. They might not have gone to
+extremes. But I dared not take a chance.”
+
+“No,” agreed his chum. “Well, what’s the next move?”
+
+Tom Swift did not answer immediately.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVII
+                           USELESS PLEADINGS
+
+
+TOM SWIFT was profoundly disturbed by the momentous discoveries that had
+taken place around the Swift Construction Company’s plant. He did not
+believe it possible, with all his precautions, that so deep and
+dangerous a plot could have been brought so near to fruition as it had
+been.
+
+“Well?” asked Ned remindingly.
+
+“Oh!” and Tom appeared to come out of a disagreeable reverie. “Well,
+there are several things that must be done, Ned. In the first place we
+must take newer and better precautions to keep these rascals out.”
+
+“That’s plain enough.”
+
+“Then the next thing to do is to go ahead with this thing and push it to
+a conclusion.”
+
+“You mean the talking-picture machine?”
+
+“That’s it. After that we’ll consider what is next to be done. But you
+and Mr. Damon had better be getting ready,” and Tom smiled for the first
+time since Eradicate had given him the threatening note that proved to
+be such a timely warning.
+
+“Ready for what?” Ned wanted to know.
+
+“For the performance you are to give for the benefit of Mary, Helen, and
+the other visitors. They’ll be here soon. It’s getting late.”
+
+“Do you mean, in the face of what happened, that you’re going to put on
+a program of songs and dances?” asked Ned, in astonishment.
+
+“Why not?” Tom questioned. “Nothing really happened. There was no
+blowing up of the plant.”
+
+“No, but it came mighty close to it. We don’t know what hour those
+fellows set for attaching the detonator to the ends of the wires, and
+then it would have been a skyrocket trip for us.”
+
+“Yes, but it _didn’t_ happen,” insisted Tom, with another smile. “‘A
+miss is as good as a mile,’ you know. We’re safe and sound. We are well
+guarded now and I want to see if my machine will do what I hope it
+will.”
+
+“Very well,” assented Ned, with a shake of his head. “On with the dance,
+let Mr. Damon and myself be unconfined. I’m game if you are, Tom.”
+
+“Bless my dominoes, so am I!” added the odd man.
+
+“There really is no danger now,” Tom insisted. “I’m not saying but what
+the scoundrels may try it again. But, for the time being, we are safe.
+It’s just as it is after a hard thunder storm,” he went on. “There’ll be
+no danger from the lightning for some time.”
+
+“You may be right there,” agreed Ned. “Well, come on, Mr. Damon. We’ll
+do our part to make the entertainment a success.”
+
+Shortly after this Mary Nestor and her parents arrived in answer to the
+invitation Tom had sent them, and they were followed soon by Helen
+Morton, whom Ned greeted with a warm smile.
+
+“But what’s going on?” Mary wanted to know of Tom. “We were stopped two
+or three times on our way through your grounds and made to show the
+passes you sent us. What’s the cause? Is it war?”
+
+“Something like that,” admitted Tom. “We’re having a little trouble with
+some men who don’t like what I’m doing. But I think the worst is over.”
+
+Then, not telling what danger he and Ned had been in, Tom Swift gave his
+friends a brief description of the new talking-picture machine and
+prepared them for what they were going to see.
+
+Mary, Helen and their parents took their seats in the laboratory with
+Mr. Swift and Tom, while Ned and Mr. Damon went to the broadcasting
+studio, there to don their red and violet robes. Tom had not yet
+succeeded in making it possible to render sharp and clear performers
+attired in garments of other colors or combination of colors, though he
+hoped, by the use of filter screens, to bring this about later.
+
+Eradicate and another man were instructed to keep strict guard on all
+approaches to the broadcasting room while the performance was going on.
+Koku, armed with a big club, and another man with a gun were stationed
+outside the private laboratory. But Tom did not have Koku and the other
+guard stationed until Mary and the others were in the room, so the
+visitors did not see these warlike preparations.
+
+The switches were turned, the wires hummed, the tubes glowed with their
+strange lights and the black screen became milky white. Then, as over
+the loud speaker, came the words of the song rendered by Ned and Mr.
+Damon in the distant room, there also appeared very plain images of the
+two performers. The transmission was the best Tom had ever succeeded in
+producing.
+
+“Why, Tom, it’s wonderful!” exclaimed Mary.
+
+“Marvelous!” echoed Helen.
+
+“Finest thing I ever saw!” declared Mr. Nestor. “If you’re selling stock
+in this, Tom, put me down for a good subscription.”
+
+“Same here!” added Mr. Morton. “It’s going to be epoch-making, Tom
+Swift.”
+
+“That’s what I’m afraid of—it’s too epoch-making,” said Mr. Swift, but
+he did not explain what he meant nor did his visitors ask. They were too
+much interested in listening to and looking at Ned Newton and Mr. Damon.
+
+Ned’s earlier description of the odd man’s performance was fully borne
+out by what happened. At one time Ned had to quit from sheer exhaustion
+in laughing, but Mr. Damon went on alone, singing, dancing, improvising,
+telling jokes and funny stories until he had his unseen audience in
+gales of laughter.
+
+“Well, Tom, how was it?” asked Ned, when the performance was over and
+they were all together again.
+
+“Very good! But it must be better yet. I don’t want to limit the
+performers to red and violet robes. But I have thought of a simple
+method of getting around that. Color filters, such as are used in
+printing photography, will do the trick. I’m not worried about that.”
+
+The little laboratory was rather close and stuffy, so the door leading
+into the hall was opened for air. Mary looked out. She screamed, and
+turned quickly toward Tom.
+
+“What’s the matter?” asked Tom instantly. “Is there—” He thought
+Greenbaum might be trying some other trick.
+
+“Why is Koku armed with that big club and the other man with a gun?”
+asked Mary suspiciously. “Is there some danger? Oh, Tom——”
+
+The memory of the kidnapping of the two young men came vividly into her
+mind.
+
+“There’s danger—terrible danger!” exclaimed Helen. “I can tell by the
+boys’ faces,” she added, looking from Tom and Ned to Mary. “They are
+trying to hide it from us; but there’s danger, and I know it.”
+
+As Ned remarked later, “the beans were spilled then and there,” and
+though he and Tom tried to put the girls and their parents off, there
+was no denying that something unusual was afoot. The upshot of it was
+that the whole story of the buried mines came out.
+
+“Tom, you’ve got to give this thing up!” urged Mary, taking him by the
+arm. “It’s a wonderful invention, undoubtedly, but it isn’t worth your
+life, nor Ned’s. You must give it up! Let those men have it to destroy
+if they want to.”
+
+“Never!” cried Tom. “I’m going through with it.”
+
+Then followed earnest but useless pleadings on the part of the young
+ladies and their parents. Seeing how firm Tom was, Helen and Mary turned
+their attention to Ned, seeking to get him to prevail upon his chum to
+cast the invention aside. But Ned was as firm as his friend.
+
+“No, I’m going ahead with it no matter what comes!” was Tom’s final
+decision. “But I’m going to set a trap for these scoundrels and I think
+I’ll catch them. The talking-picture machine must be perfected, in spite
+of these fellows. But they’ll find two can play at the same game. I’m
+going to set a trap!”
+
+Somewhat reassured by Tom’s confident manner, the girls and their
+parents felt better, though they could not shake off the fear that
+something would happen. Nor was Tom as easy in his mind as he seemed.
+
+There were refreshments after the demonstration, which had been a
+success in spite of the excitement preceding it, and then Tom and Ned
+took the girls home, their parents having gone on ahead.
+
+“Well, Tom,” remarked Ned when the two young men were on their way back
+to the laboratory to make sure it was carefully locked and guarded for
+the night, “I thought, once, that Mary was going to prevail on you to
+give it up.”
+
+“Not in a hundred years! I’m going through with it. Why, I’ve got to or
+face ruin of another sort.”
+
+“You mean financially?”
+
+“Yes. You know how much money I’ve got tied up in this machine. It’s all
+we could beg or borrow or spare from my other ventures. If I scrapped it
+now, all that cash would be lost. As it is, if I go on and put the
+machine on the market, I stand a chance to get it back with a profit.”
+
+“Yes, I suppose so. The banks have begun to ask questions. I guess it’s
+sink or swim from now on.”
+
+“But we’re going to _swim_!” declared Tom Swift, with a confident smile.
+“Give me an even break, and I’ll beat those fellows at their own game!”
+
+“I hope you do, Tom. But what sort of trap are you going to set?”
+
+“Tell you in the morning. I want to sleep over it,” and with that Tom
+turned into the house.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII
+                       AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT
+
+
+“WELL, they didn’t blow us up,” remarked Ned Newton to his chum the
+following morning after having awakened in the Swift home, having
+occupied the room next to his friend during the night.
+
+“No, and I suppose we can be thankful for that,” agreed Tom. “But they
+might just as well have had a bomb under my bed for all the rest I got.”
+
+“Didn’t you sleep well?” Ned wanted to know, though a look at his
+friend’s face was enough to tell the story. Tom’s eyes had dark half
+circles under them and it was plain that he had not rested enough.
+
+“Hardly any,” was the answer. “This thing is getting on my nerves, Ned.
+I’ve got to do something!” and the voice was a bit irritable.
+
+“Seems to me you’ve done a lot, Tom.”
+
+“In what way?”
+
+“Well, you’ve invented one of the most wonderful machines in the
+world—one that will make it possible for a man not only to sit at home
+in a comfortable chair and listen to the best music that’s played, but
+he can, by a turn of a switch, see theatrical plays. And, not only have
+you done that, but you’ve called the turn on the scoundrels who tried to
+stop you half way.”
+
+“I haven’t quite called the turn, as you call it, Ned. There is still a
+lot to do to uncover the acts of those fellows. One of the first things
+I want to do is to find out how they got in and did their work so
+secretly. They must have had help from inside,” added Tom.
+
+His first step was to set Ned at work on financial matters, to ascertain
+just how much longer the Swift Construction Company could operate
+without going to the wall. Its credit was excellent, which was a great
+deal in its favor. And Tom hoped soon to have his talking pictures in
+shape to offer some of the machines for sale, or at least to sell stock
+in a company that might market them to the retail trade. In this way he
+would be assured soon of a large amount of ready cash. He knew several
+firms who would be willing to underwrite an issue of bonds, once he
+could demonstrate that his machine was a success.
+
+Having attended to these money matters, which were always more or less
+of a bore to Tom, the young inventor turned his attention to matters of
+more interest to him. One was to see that the delicate mechanism of his
+invention had not been disturbed during the night, and the other was to
+make a more careful examination with a view to finding out how his plant
+had been mined by the conspirators.
+
+Koku and Eradicate had both slept in the private laboratory, and on
+Tom’s entrance they reported that nothing unusual had occurred during
+the night. It was the fear that, after all, something untoward might
+take place that had prompted Ned to spend the night with his chum.
+
+“So far so good!” mused Tom, after he had made sure his invention was in
+working order. “Now for a look around the grounds.”
+
+He soon saw what had been apparent at the casual inspection the night
+before, namely, that the plotters had tunneled under the fence in order
+to plant their bombs. Doubtless, they had found out to their sorrow that
+the wires on top of the barrier carried a disabling current of
+electricity.
+
+And it was in that way that the gang had gained entrance to the grounds.
+They had worked in secret, by night it was likely, and had thus been
+able to plant several dangerous bombs and run wires attached to them
+outside the fence and into the little gully mentioned before. All that
+was needed was the exploding spark and the Swift plant would have been a
+mass of ruins.
+
+The bombs had been carefully taken up and soaked in water. They were
+then—and this work was only now finished—dissected in an effort to
+learn some clue as to the constructors. But the work had been cunningly
+done. Tom suspected that the gang had hired some band of anarchists to
+make the bombs for them, probably keeping the makers in ignorance of
+what the deadly machines were to be used for.
+
+Once the bombs were removed, the connecting wires pulled up and all
+traces of the work removed, Tom had some of his men arrange matters so
+that a recurrence of the danger was impossible. At intervals along the
+fence metal rods were driven into the earth and so arranged, by means of
+electric wires, that any disturbance of the earth near them would be
+registered on dials in the central watch tower.
+
+“That will keep them out, or at least give warning of their attempts,”
+said Tom.
+
+In truth, as the fence was still guarded on top by the powerful current
+and now was protected from beneath, there was little likelihood that any
+plotters could get in. Double guards were posted night and day at all
+entrance gates and not until then did Tom Swift feel secure.
+
+He then set to work with redoubled energy to put the finishing touches
+to his newest patent and felt sure he had solved the one remaining
+problem—that of making visible all colors on his screen. This he
+accomplished by filters of glass, something after the manner in which
+colored moving pictures are taken, but using a process of his own that
+he had only recently discovered.
+
+Though Tom was kept busy putting the finishing touches to his machine,
+he was not freed from trouble. Every now and then he would get a report
+from some of his many shops that the place had been entered and things
+turned upside down, evidently in a search for some of the young
+inventor’s secrets.
+
+“Why don’t they lay off and let me alone?” exclaimed Tom angrily one
+morning after some particularly annoying damage had been done in his
+airship shop the night before. “What’s their game, anyhow?”
+
+“To make you give up, I guess,” answered Ned. “They can’t get at your
+talking-picture machine, you’ve got that too well guarded. But to guard
+the rest of the plant you’d have to keep a full force here day and
+night, and that’s out of the question with our bank balance as low as it
+is.”
+
+“I realize that, Ned. Yet I’ve got to do something desperate. It may
+take some money, too.”
+
+“Oh, we aren’t down to our last dollar, when it comes to that,” Ned
+replied. “But it would be ruinous to be paying a night force as well as
+a day force, particularly when the former would only be used as guards.”
+
+“I’m not going to do that,” declared Tom. “It’s time, I think, to put
+into operation my other scheme—the one I had in mind the night we
+discovered the bombs.”
+
+“What plan is that, Tom?”
+
+“It’s an anonymous advertisement in the papers, making certain offers
+and proposing certain terms to my enemies. Here, I’ll show you what I
+mean.”
+
+Tom thought for a few moments with pencil poised over a pad. Then he
+wrote rapidly and handed the sheet of paper to Ned. This is what his
+chum read:
+
+    RAPID young man, who is being held back in his work by threats
+    and annoying, sneaking night attacks, will pay any reasonable
+    sum just to be let alone so that he may proceed with his
+    inventions. He wants to be swift in completing his work and it
+    can easily be pictured how this talk about making trouble annoys
+    him. A large sum will be paid for freedom from future annoyance.
+    Answer in confidence, QUICK, Box 123 Evening Graphic Office.
+
+“Do you intend to insert this advertisement in the _Graphic_?” asked
+Ned, naming the Shopton evening paper.
+
+“That’s what I do. Don’t you think they will understand it even without
+my name being to it?”
+
+“I should think the scoundrels might,” chuckled Ned. “You have as good
+as told them by the use of the words rapid, swift and quick, to say
+nothing of mentioning your talking-picture machine. Do you think that is
+wise?”
+
+“Oh, they know I’m working on it,” said Tom. “It’s no use to pretend
+they don’t. The secret is out, but I don’t care. I’ve got the patent
+rights sewed up now. But I must be let alone in order to finish the last
+details. Take that ad in, Ned.”
+
+“I will. I hope it brings results.”
+
+“I think it will,” said Tom, with a significant smile. “It’s bait for a
+trap, and there will be some surprises when it springs shut!”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX
+                              THE MEETING
+
+
+DISAPPOINTMENT would have been in store for Tom Swift and his close
+associates if they had expected any immediate results from the insertion
+of the anonymous advertisement. Ned Newton went to the designated box in
+the newspaper office several times following the printing of the
+cunningly worded request for an interview with the unknown scoundrels,
+but there were no letters addressed to Mr. Quick.
+
+“I’m afraid it isn’t going to work, Tom,” remarked Ned, after the fourth
+day.
+
+“Give ’em time,” was the calm reply of the young inventor. “Rome wasn’t
+built in a day and you can’t catch these rascals in the first trap you
+set.”
+
+“Then you still intend to catch them?”
+
+“I sure do.”
+
+“Aren’t you disappointed that they haven’t taken the bait?”
+
+“Not yet. In fact, I’m better pleased than if they had put in a reply at
+once. It shows that there are big and important men back of this
+movement. If they had been petty grafters or fellows who were just
+working to get a certain sum out of me—a comparatively small sum—they
+would have answered right off. As it is, the delay shows they are taking
+their time and considering the thing from all angles. But I think
+they’ll bite sooner or later and grant me the interview I desire.”
+
+“Is that what you want—just an interview?”
+
+“Well, that’s part of it,” was Tom’s answer, given with a peculiar
+smile. “Once I’m face to face with this gang I’ll know what to do. I’ve
+pretty well settled it in my own mind that there are big interests
+fighting me, and, like large bodies, they move slowly. It will be all
+the better for the success of my plans if they don’t bite too quickly.”
+
+“Then you’re not quite ready for them?”
+
+“Not quite, but I shall be in a day or so. Meanwhile, let the ad run.
+They’ve seen it and are a bit puzzled over what course to take, I’m
+sure.”
+
+“Well, I’ll leave it to you,” Ned remarked. “I’ve got my own troubles,
+Tom.”
+
+“You mean about finances?”
+
+“Yes. We’re sailing pretty close to the wind. You’ve sunk much money in
+these talking pictures.”
+
+“I realized that when you showed me the figures. But, as I said, it’s
+sink or swim now, and I think we’ll swim after I get through with these
+fellows who are hounding me.”
+
+It was three days after this that Ned, coming away from a bank the
+president of which had suggested that some of the Swift loan had better
+be reduced soon, stopped in at the _Graphic_ office. He presented the
+slip calling for any replies that might have been received for Mr. Quick
+of Box 123, and, somewhat to his surprise, he was handed an envelope.
+The paper was of good quality, though perfectly plain, and the address
+was neatly printed.
+
+“They’re taking no chances of handwriting being traced,” remarked Ned,
+as he hurried back to the laboratory with the missive.
+
+“This may mean business, Tom,” he said to his chum, “or it may be a
+suggestion from some other paper that you would do well to put the ad in
+their columns. That’s a newspaper trick, you know.”
+
+“I know it is,” assented the young inventor. “However, this may mean
+business.” He tore the envelope open and he had no sooner scanned the
+few lines on a single sheet of paper within than he cried: “Hurray!”
+
+“Is it from your enemies?” asked Ned.
+
+“I think it is. Read it!”
+
+Ned let his eyes rove over this:
+
+    “If Mr. Quick will present himself at a certain house on
+    Rattlesnake Island he will learn something to his advantage. Mr.
+    Quick must present himself absolutely alone. If there is any
+    attempt at trickery all negotiations will be called off and
+    vigorous retaliatory measures at once undertaken. Come this
+    midnight.”
+
+“Are you going, Tom?” asked Ned.
+
+“I certainly am!”
+
+“Alone—and to Rattlesnake Island where we were held prisoners?” cried
+Ned.
+
+“Why not? They won’t try any trick like that again. They’ll know I
+wouldn’t walk into a trap like that without leaving word where I am
+bound for and my non-appearance in due time would mean a search. They
+aren’t such fools as that. I’ll go and see what they have to say. I’ll
+be there when the clock strikes twelve.”
+
+“They aren’t giving you much time for preparation. It’s after two
+o’clock now.”
+
+“It’s all the time I need. I’ve been anticipating this and I’m ready.
+Now, Ned, I’ll let you into some of my secrets that I’ve been holding
+out on you.”
+
+Thereupon Tom told Ned something which made that young man open his
+eyes. But even at the end, when the plans were all detailed, the
+business manager was a bit doubtful.
+
+“It’s risky, Tom,” he said. “I’m afraid to have you go there alone to
+meet these fellows.”
+
+“There’s no danger, I tell you. I’m not afraid. My plans have been too
+carefully made to permit of failure.”
+
+But Ned’s face was serious, and when Mr. Swift heard of what his son
+proposed to do he added his appeals to the young inventor, asking him to
+try some other and less risky method.
+
+“This is the only way,” declared Tom. “I’m going to that midnight
+meeting.”
+
+When the time came, Tom Swift set off in one of his motorboats alone,
+heading across Lake Carlopa in the darkness, guiding his craft toward
+the sinister black shape of Rattlesnake Island.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XX
+                               MASKED MEN
+
+
+TOM SWIFT sat at the wheel of his craft, his hands on the spokes and his
+eyes gazing ahead through the darkness. He had set a straight course for
+Rattlesnake Island and wondered what would happen after he arrived. In
+spite of his bold words to Ned Newton, the young inventor was a little
+apprehensive, as well he might be.
+
+He scanned the water on either side of him for a possible sight of other
+craft that might be heading in the same direction. But though in the
+distance he saw and heard other motorboats, none seemed to be laying a
+course for Rattlesnake Island.
+
+“I wonder if they’ll be there—and on time,” mused Tom. He did not
+whisper, even to the unoccupied darkness about him, any designation of
+those he had in mind. He merely said: “I wonder if they’ll be there.”
+
+It was not a long run, in Tom’s speedy craft, to the sinister, dark
+island where he and Ned had lately been prisoners, and almost before he
+had finished going over in his mind the various occurrences that had
+taken place since he had begun working on his talking-picture machine,
+the young inventor found himself approaching the place.
+
+“Wonder if I’m to land at the dock where Snogg and Janner tied up the
+_Turtle_. Or am I to circle the island until I get a sign?” mused Tom.
+“From the fact that they have named as a rendezvous the old house, I
+should think it would be at the same dock where Ned and I saw those
+rascals working on their boat the time we gave them the slip. Think I’ll
+try there first, anyhow.”
+
+Tom was a good navigator, and it did not take him long to get his
+bearings and head for the dock in question. As he approached it, he saw
+a dim light on it and this convinced him that he was to tie up there.
+Slowing his boat to half speed, for he was not sure about the state of
+water, and thinking there might be rocks, the young man stood up and
+strained his eyes to pierce the gloom. The single lantern on the end of
+the dock gave illumination enough to make certain that the way was
+clear, as far as obstructions in the water were concerned.
+
+“Well, here I go—for better or for worse,” said Tom grimly to himself
+as he shut off power and allowed his craft to glide up to the
+stringpiece. The dock was rather a ruin, but he found a ring in a beam
+and made his rope fast there.
+
+Then, before getting out of the boat, Tom looked sharply about as well
+as he could by such illumination as a smoking lantern gave. There was no
+sight nor sound of any other visitor to Rattlesnake Island. Tom seemed
+to be the only one there. Yet he knew there were others.
+
+“I suppose I’m to go right up and knock at the front door,” and Tom
+chuckled a little. “They don’t seem to have appointed a reception
+committee with a brass band. Guess those fellows don’t do business that
+way. Well, might as well get started.”
+
+Before getting out of his boat, however, he made sure that the mooring
+rope was tied in such a way that, if need be, he could make a running
+jump into the craft, pull the knot out with one tug of the free end and
+so be loosed from the dock. Also he made certain that his motor would
+start at once. It was a powerful and speedy craft in which Tom had come
+to the island—one that would start with a throw of a switch, not
+needing any laborious cranking.
+
+“I might want to get away in a hurry,” he had reasoned.
+
+Thus having taken all precautions to serve him in case of emergency, Tom
+clambered up on the dock and started for the shore end.
+
+As he left the circle of friendly rays from the lantern, he could not
+prevent a slight feeling of uneasiness creeping over him. After all, it
+was a risky thing that he was doing—trusting himself alone to unknown
+men who had every motive for wishing him out of the way or, if not
+exactly out of the way, at least prevented from pursuing his activities
+in certain directions.
+
+“But I think I’m going to beat them at their own game,” mused Tom, as he
+walked along.
+
+His feet made ghostly echoes on the rattling planks of the old dock,
+and, now and then, he paused to ascertain if any one else in the
+neighborhood were stirring. However, he appeared to be the only one.
+
+“Let’s see,” mused the young inventor as he was about to step off the
+dock to the shore. “As I remember it, the dock was to the east of the
+house when Ned and I looked out of the window and saw the three men. So
+I must turn right now.”
+
+Accordingly he swung in that direction as he started up a path that was
+partly overgrown with weeds. It was quite dark, once he had left the
+glow of the dock lantern, and Tom was glad he had brought a pocket
+flashlight with him.
+
+Switching this on, he let the bright rays fall in front of him to guide
+his steps so he would not get off the path. For he had in mind the
+sinister name of the island to which he was paying a midnight visit.
+
+“They say the rattlesnakes are all gone,” mused Tom, as he kept as
+nearly as he could to the middle of the path, “but I’m taking no chances
+of stepping on one. I don’t want to tread on a tail and be bitten. Even
+if their bite isn’t always deadly, it’s bad enough.”
+
+In spite of himself, Tom could not prevent a creepy feeling coming over
+him at times as he walked along on the path. He almost wished he had not
+selected this means of tricking the plotters. But it was too late to
+turn back now. He had made his choice.
+
+Suddenly, when he judged that he was half way to the old house, Tom
+heard a noise in the bushes just ahead of him and off to the left. For a
+moment he had a fear that it might be the rustle caused by the passage
+of a rattlesnake through the underbrush. He flashed his light in that
+direction, but instead of the beams picking up the gliding form of a
+serpent they illuminated the feet and legs of a man.
+
+Before Tom could cry out or step back, he heard another noise on his
+right, and there, too, his flashlight revealed the feet and legs of
+another man.
+
+Suddenly the four feet and four legs made a rush and Tom felt himself
+caught by the arm on either side. His flashlight was knocked from his
+hand, but, falling to the ground, still glowed and its rays showed Tom
+that he had been caught by two Negroes.
+
+“Let me go!” he cried, fiercely struggling to free himself. But the
+black men held him fast.
+
+Then one spoke, in rather soothing accents, saying:
+
+“It’s all right, sir. We don’t aim to be rough with you, but we got our
+orders. I’m sorry I knocked your light down. I’ll pick it up for you,”
+and, stooping, he retrieved the flashlight which he gave to Tom.
+
+“Better put it in your pocket, sir,” suggested the other Negro. “You
+won’t need it where you’re going. We know the path in the dark. And
+don’t be worried. We aren’t going to hurt you.”
+
+“I’m not worried,” declared Tom boldly. “But this is an outrage! I came
+here of my own free will for a conference and——”
+
+“That’s all right, sir,” went on the first black man, still soothingly.
+“You’re going to be taken to the conference. That’s what we came down
+for—to meet you and show you the way.”
+
+Tom was at once struck by the fact that the language of these Negroes
+was above the average. They did not talk like poor, old Eradicate.
+Rather their talk was that of the man who has seen service in wealthy
+families. As this was in line with Tom’s theories regarding the identity
+of the men persecuting him, he ceased to struggle and said:
+
+“Very well. Lead me to the men with whom I have an appointment.”
+
+“That’s just what we’ll do, sir,” said the man who had picked up the
+flashlight. “It’s just a bit farther on.”
+
+The Negroes seemed able to find their way in the dark, which, Tom
+reflected, was more than he could have done. In a short time they led
+him, gently enough, into a little clearing and there, showing dimly in
+the light of the stars, was the house where Tom and Ned had been
+prisoners.
+
+If Tom had any compunctions about entering the house again he had no
+time to exercise them. Nor, be it known, had he the inclination. He was
+there for a purpose and intended to carry it out.
+
+“Right this way, sir,” said one of the Negroes, letting go of Tom’s
+right arm and preceding him to the front door. “They’re expecting you.”
+
+He knocked—whether in a signal code or not Tom was unable to
+determine—and the door was opened, letting out a flood of light. The
+place seemed to have been prepared for the reception of the young
+inventor.
+
+“Go straight ahead,” said the Negro who had opened the door, as he
+stepped back to allow Tom to enter.
+
+Tom walked into a hall, furnished only with a chair. One of the three
+Negroes—which he could not determine—glided ahead of him, tapped on a
+door at the end of the corridor, and opened it in response to a voice
+that said:
+
+“Enter!”
+
+Tom Swift saw before him a brilliantly lighted room. Gathered around a
+table in the middle were half a dozen men. Each one wore a black mask
+and through the eye-holes in them Tom felt himself being sharply
+scrutinized.
+
+“You may go, Richard,” said one of the men in cultured tones to the
+Negro who had opened the door.
+
+Then the masked faces silently regarded the young inventor.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI
+                            A TEMPTING OFFER
+
+
+“SIT down, please!”
+
+The masked man at the head of the table—who seemed to be the
+leader—thus spoke to Tom and motioned to a chair, the only one in the
+room that was not occupied. Tom looked at it a bit suspiciously at
+first. He knew something of trick chairs—seats that, once occupied,
+gripped the sitter in arms of steel. Also this chair might be over some
+trapdoor which opened into a pit or into a tunnel that led to the lake.
+
+But Tom reflected that if the men had contemplated treachery they could
+have exercised their will upon him when he first landed on the island.
+They need not have waited until now.
+
+The chair seemed an ordinary one, and as the leader motioned toward it
+another of the masked men pulled it slightly forward. Clearly it had no
+mechanism connected with it.
+
+“Well, I’m here,” said Tom, as he settled back in the chair, noting that
+it felt all right.
+
+“So we see, and we are glad of this chance to do business with you,”
+remarked one, who, for want of a better designation at present, shall be
+denominated Mr. X. “It did not occur to us,” he went on in cultured
+tones, “that you would care for this method of arriving at a settlement.
+But, since you have, it appears to be a very good one. We are ready to
+do business with you.”
+
+Tom was at once impressed by something that was very evident. These were
+substantial business men—men of some culture and presumably position in
+the world—though they did stoop to desperate means to gain their ends.
+They were of an entirely different class from Snogg and Janner who had
+kidnapped Tom and Ned. Nor were they like Greenbaum, though from two or
+three little signs Tom had an idea that some of these men were very
+wealthy.
+
+“Yes, I am here,” went on Tom, holding himself well in hand and gazing
+from one masked face to the other. “And I am glad to hear that you are
+ready to talk business. But there is one objection.”
+
+“What is it, Mr. Swift?” asked Mr. X courteously. “If you object to the
+method of meeting us, remember it was your own suggestion.”
+
+“I am not complaining of the place of meeting nor the manner in which I
+was received,” stated Tom. “But I’m not used to doing business in the
+dark.”
+
+“In the dark?” wonderingly exclaimed a heavy-set man on the left of Mr.
+X. “Why, it’s light here. Should we spend a lot more money in having
+more electricity? No!”
+
+“I was not referring to the actual lighting of the place,” returned Tom,
+with a little smile. “It’s bright enough in one way. But when I said I
+was not in the habit of doing business in the dark, I referred to your
+masks. I like to see to whom I am talking.”
+
+“Oh, so he means that!” exclaimed the heavy man.
+
+“I am sorry, Mr. Swift,” put in Mr. X, who seemed affable enough. “But
+you will realize that at present we must, for obvious reasons, remain
+unknown to you. Perhaps you would not recognize us if we laid aside our
+masks, but that we cannot do. There are too many interests, aside from
+our own, involved in this to allow it. So if you feel that you cannot
+talk freely under the present circumstances you are at liberty to depart
+as you came and matters will be the same as before.”
+
+“Do you mean,” asked Tom sharply, “that I shall be subjected to the same
+spying observations and attempts made to destroy my plant and my
+talking-picture machine?”
+
+“I have not said so,” was the calm answer. “You are at liberty to put
+any construction you like on my decision.”
+
+“There can be but one decision!” snapped Tom.
+
+Mr. X nodded his head in assent.
+
+“You must take us or leave us just as you find us—masked,” he said
+slowly. “But I, repeat my offer that you may withdraw at any time and
+you will not be harmed in the least.”
+
+“No! No!” exclaimed the heavy man, with a gesture of dissent. “We want
+to settle this business now. It is a big business—it must be settled! I
+cannot sleep nights thinking what I may lose. It is terrible!”
+
+“You will please let me conduct these negotiations,” said Mr. X coldly,
+turning to the interrupter. “Mr. Swift must decide for himself. He asked
+for this interview and he must accept our conditions of granting it. Our
+masks remain!”
+
+“Very well,” replied Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders. “It is a small
+matter, perhaps. We will talk business, as you suggest. You read my
+advertisement?” he questioned.
+
+“Doubtless, or we should not be here, nor you, either,” replied Mr. X,
+lightly.
+
+“And you said you would pay a good sum to be let alone!” broke in the
+stout man, who might be called Mr. B, for he resembled that letter in
+build.
+
+“Yes, I said that,” answered Tom. “And I am willing to keep my word. But
+I may as well say, here and now, that I am not prepared to pay cash. I
+have used so much money in perfecting my machine for showing in private
+homes talking pictures of theatrical plays and the broadcasting of opera
+and vaudeville that——”
+
+“Oh, is it perfect? Will it work?” anxiously gasped Mr. B.
+
+“It works!” answered Tom. “All I need do now is to put it on the market
+and——”
+
+“That is just what we do not intend to let you do!” broke in Mr. X. “You
+will not be allowed to do that.”
+
+“Not allowed?” came from Tom quietly. “Those are big words.”
+
+“And we are big men in more senses than one,” said Mr. X, still softly.
+“There is no use beating about the bush. We know who you are, it is only
+fair you should know who we are, Mr. Swift.”
+
+“Then you will unmask, after all?” inquired Tom.
+
+“No, but we will tell you what interests we represent—if you have not
+already guessed it.”
+
+“I think I can guess,” stated Tom. “You are a big syndicate of moving
+picture operators.”
+
+“The guess does credit to your intelligence, Tom Swift,” said Mr. X. “We
+represent many large moving picture and theatrical interests of the
+United States, and we are frank to say that we see ruin ahead of us if
+your invention goes on the market uncontrolled, at least in part, by our
+interests. I admit that your invention may revolutionize our industry.
+If a man can sit in his own home and listen to a radio program, and, at
+the same time, see the performers, he certainly won’t put on a starched
+shirt and a stiff collar and pay from two to seven dollars for a seat in
+the theater.”
+
+“And he won’t even come to a fifty cent movie!” lamented Mr. B.
+
+“True enough,” agreed Mr. X.
+
+“You seem to know something of my affairs,” said Tom, with a rueful
+smile. “You have not missed much.”
+
+“We know more than you think we do,” boasted Mr. X. “At the same time we
+realize that you are far from beaten, so we wish to suggest a
+compromise.”
+
+“We are going to make you a handsome offer!” broke in Mr. B, much to the
+evident annoyance of his colleague. “You will be tempted by it, I am
+sure. In short——”
+
+“I thought I was to do the talking,” interrupted Mr. X.
+
+“That’s right. Let him do it,” put in two others of the masked men. Each
+looked like a hard-headed American business man.
+
+“I’ll listen to any offer you wish to make,” Tom stated. “I came here
+prepared to make an offer myself. But I will first listen to yours.”
+
+He could not help admitting that the men knew more than he had
+suspected. In spite of the fact that he had tried to keep his invention
+a secret, the general principle of it had become known to these
+theatrical and moving picture men. Doubtless they had paid their spies
+and plotters well.
+
+“To get down to business,” resumed Mr. X, “we are prepared to offer you
+a million dollars, Tom Swift. A million dollars!” he repeated
+unctuously.
+
+“Think of that, my friend!” broke in Mr. B, who could not keep still. “A
+whole million!” His voice capitalized the word. “All your own to do as
+you like with! A million dollars! Think of it!”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXII
+                            FLASHING LIGHTS
+
+
+GRAVE though the situation was, Tom Swift could not help smiling a
+little at the evident sincerity and anxiety of Mr. B. Nor were the
+others less vitally interested. They leaned forward over the table,
+staring at Tom’s face, which was in the full glare of a powerful light.
+They wanted to see if Tom would give under the strain.
+
+But the young inventor held himself well in hand. Though he was not
+quite prepared for the offer, it did not catch him napping. He still had
+some cards to play.
+
+“Well,” asked Mr. X, slowly, when there had been a few seconds of
+silence following his offer, “what do you say?”
+
+“I’d like to ask a few questions,” Tom replied.
+
+“That’s only fair,” conceded Mr. X. “We’ll not promise to answer
+anything you want to know, however,” he stipulated.
+
+“I think you’ll answer this one,” said Tom, with a smile. “There are
+always two sides to an offer,” he went on. “One is money, or some other
+payment. You have that on your side. Now what am I to give in exchange
+for this million dollars? That’s a fair question, isn’t it?”
+
+“Very much so,” agreed Mr. X. “And a natural one. In exchange for the
+million we will agree to give you, you, on your part, will hand over to
+us all patent and other papers, including sketches, designs, patterns
+and blue prints of your so-called talking-picture machine. In short, you
+will turn the complete invention over to us, and further make a
+promise.”
+
+“What sort of a promise?”
+
+“A promise to go no farther in that field. In other words, you will
+forget that such a machine is capable of being made. You will wipe it
+out of your mind after you have turned all your rights in it over to
+us.”
+
+“And may I inquire what you will do with my machine when you get it?”
+asked Tom, with a curious smile as he shifted about in his chair, as
+though it was no longer comfortable. “If you do get it in exchange for a
+million dollars,” he added.
+
+“We’ll burn it up—destroy it!” excitedly cried Mr. B.
+
+Tom Swift could not help starting in surprise. The answer was not quite
+what he had expected. He looked for confirmation toward the masked Mr.
+X, thinking the big man might have spoken impulsively. But, somewhat to
+the astonishment of the young inventor, the leader nodded in assent.
+
+“Once you turn your invention over to us in exchange for the million
+dollars,” stated Mr. X, “it becomes our exclusive property for us to do
+with as we please. And, very likely, we shall destroy it.”
+
+“What for?” Tom could not help impulsively asking.
+
+“To prevent our business from being ruined, young man! That’s why!”
+burst out Mr. B. “Do you think,” he went on in spite of the effort Mr. X
+made to silence him, “we want people to stay at home listening to music
+and seeing pictures of a performance on your screen? Where would we be
+if millions of people did about pictures what they are doing right now
+with their radio receivers? We’d be ruined in six months and we have
+millions tied up in our theaters—millions! No, sir. Once we get your
+machine we’ll destroy it!”
+
+“You haven’t got it yet,” Tom saw fit to remind him quietly. “And now,
+since you have been frank with me I will be the same with you. Your
+offer of a million dollars seems big to you. But let me tell you this.
+If you offered me ten millions with the proviso that my machine be
+destroyed I’d snap my fingers at you as I do now!” and Tom suited the
+action to his words, rising from the chair as he did so.
+
+“Gentlemen, I shall bid you good evening!” he went on. “I have found out
+what I wanted to know.”
+
+Suddenly Mr. B’s fingers went to the mask on his face. Evidently he
+feared it had slipped and revealed his identity. Tom could not help
+smiling as he said:
+
+“Oh, I don’t know who you are personally, and I don’t know that I care.
+It may make no difference. But I can discover your identities if I
+choose. That is neither here nor there. The point is I refuse your offer
+and I’m going back to my laboratory and perfect my machine. Inside of a
+month it will be on the market!”
+
+“Oh! oh!” wailed Mr. B. Some of the others showed evidence of
+perturbation, but Mr. X remained calm.
+
+“Sit down again, Mr. Swift,” he said, and his tone was not as smooth as
+before.
+
+“Is that a command or an invitation?” asked Tom sharply.
+
+“You may regard it either way you like,” was the reply. And Tom did not
+need to be told that the playing was over—stern reality was now to the
+fore. The men still had masks on their faces, but they no longer masked
+their intentions.
+
+“Just a minute,” said Tom, still standing by the chair. “You said, at
+the beginning that I was here of my own free will—that I could walk out
+of here any time I wished.”
+
+“That was true at the time it was stated,” said Mr. X. “I may withdraw
+my offer any time.”
+
+“Have you withdrawn it?”
+
+There was a moment’s pause and then came the low reply:
+
+“I have. Yes.”
+
+“Then I am not free to go?”
+
+“Not until you listen further to me,” said Mr. X. “I think you are very
+unwise, Tom Swift. We have made you a liberal offer. It is much more
+than you can make for a long time if you market your apparatus. We are
+interested in controlling it. What difference does it make to you
+whether we buy the machine and manufacture it in such quantities as we
+please or if we buy it and destroy it—as long as you get your price?”
+
+“That’s just it!” replied Tom angrily. “I’m not getting my price.”
+
+“We might increase our offer,” suggested Mr. X.
+
+“A certain man once said,” remarked Tom slowly, “that he was poor, but,
+poor as he was, the King of England was not rich enough to buy him. I
+say the same to you now. I am in need of funds—I do not hesitate to
+admit that. But, slender as my bank balance is, there is not enough cash
+among you masked men to pay me for destroying a machine I have worked so
+hard over—a machine which I hope will prove to be a delight to
+humanity. That’s my answer. In other words, I defy you! I’m through! I’m
+going to walk out of here now. This conference is ended!”
+
+“Oh, no, it isn’t ended yet,” said Mr. X in sinister tones as he arose
+and stepped toward a push button on the wall. “We have something else to
+say to you, Tom Swift. I didn’t want to resort to harsh means, but there
+seems to be no hope for it.”
+
+“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the young inventor. “I think I understand
+your game. Perhaps you think you can torture me into giving in. Or you
+may even have it in mind to kill me, thinking, thereby, to prevent my
+machine from being perfected and going on the market.
+
+“Listen to what I say. If you do away with me it will make no difference
+to that machine. It is complete and will be made and marketed. Full
+details of the invention are already in Washington to be patented. More
+than this—four models have been made. One is in my laboratory where you
+may get at it and destroy it—I don’t say you can’t.
+
+“But there are three other complete and working models in the hands of
+three friends of mine in different parts of the country. They have
+orders in case I do not reappear by a certain time to make public all
+the facts and to put the machine on the market.”
+
+“Oh! oh! He’s got us beat!” lamented the big man.
+
+“No, he hasn’t!” snarled Mr. X. “I’ll force him to do as we want him
+to.”
+
+“Oh, so you talk of force now, do you?” asked Tom.
+
+“Since you compel me—yes.”
+
+“Then it is time for me to play the same game,” went on the young
+inventor, with a tantalizing smile.
+
+“What do you mean?” came from three of the men, in evident alarm.
+
+“My instructions were,” said Tom, “to come to this island alone. I did
+so, as you doubtless know. But early this morning a number of my friends
+preceded me here—and they are here now. Gentlemen, this house is
+entirely surrounded. None of you can possibly escape—neither you nor
+your Negro thugs. If I am not permitted to walk out of here unmolested
+whenever I please, I will give the signal and you will at once be
+arrested.”
+
+“You think we will believe such a foolish statement as that?” scoffed
+Mr. X. “I tell you that you are at our mercy, Tom Swift! This house
+surrounded? Bosh!”
+
+For answer Tom went to a window and raised the shade. At the same time
+he pressed the wall switch and plunged the room in darkness.
+
+“Look!” cried Tom, and from the darkness outside, shining through the
+now dulled window glass, came a flashing light, thrice repeated.
+
+There was a gasp of surprise from the masked men in the dark room.
+
+“Look here!” went on Tom, moving to a window on the other side of the
+room. From the gloom without there shone another of the thrice flashing
+lights.
+
+“It is the same on the other two sides of the house,” remarked Tom.
+
+The masked men sat silent, seemingly dazed.
+
+“What is your answer now?” triumphantly asked the young inventor as it
+was made plain to the plotters that they were surrounded.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII
+                              TOM ACCEPTS
+
+
+“GENTLEMEN,” and Tom Swift put a peculiar emphasis on the word, “I
+repeat—what is your answer now?”
+
+“Oh, the rascal! He’s got us beat!” lamented the fat man. “Let’s make
+terms with him.”
+
+“Make terms, nothing!” sneered Mr. X. “Those are nothing but lightning
+bugs! It’s all a clever bluff!”
+
+“Oh, is it?” asked Tom.
+
+Again he stood in front of a window and, as he had done before, though
+unseen by the plotters, Tom raised and flashed the pocket electric torch
+he had brought with him. Once more, in answer to his signal, came more
+flashes from without. Tom’s friends were on the alert.
+
+“I guess that settles it,” Mr. X was forced to admit. “Turn on the light
+here, Tom Swift, and we’ll talk this matter over again.”
+
+“No!” exclaimed the young inventor in ringing tones. “I’ll do the
+talking now—you’ll do the listening. I’m in a position to dictate my
+terms, and I’ll do it. I owe you something for the manner in which you
+had me and my manager kidnapped and brought to this place, also for what
+your tool Greenbaum did.”
+
+“Now listen here!” broke in Mr. B, his whole, fat body quivering with
+fear as Tom switched on the main light again. “That Greenbaum fellow, he
+went farther than we told him to. We never told him to try to blow you
+up, and we immediately discharged him when we learned of it.”
+
+“That is correct,” assented Mr. X. “We do not countenance deeds of
+violence. Greenbaum, whom we have since discharged, went beyond his
+instructions—far beyond. But he was half crazy.”
+
+“Half crazy?” inquired Tom. “He always impressed me as being very
+level-headed—too much so.”
+
+“Still he was not right in his head,” said Mr. B. “He lost a small
+fortune in a moving picture investment, and when he learned your
+invention might spell the ruin of that industry, so he could never
+recoup his losses, he went to desperate lengths.”
+
+“I should say he did,” agreed Tom, with a grim smile, as he remembered
+his ruined laboratory and the pains he had suffered. “But I will exact
+payment for what he did.”
+
+“You would be within your rights there,” said Mr. X.
+
+“And for the indignities Mr. Newton and I suffered at the hands of
+Snogg, Janner and Torpy,” went on the young inventor. “I suppose you
+will not deny that they acted for you?” he suggested.
+
+“No, they were our agents,” admitted Mr. B. “But we told them to treat
+you with respect, merely to hold you until we could get in touch with
+you. It was a mistake that Mr. Newton was kidnapped. We wanted you held.
+What terms do you offer?”
+
+“I offer no terms at all. I demand unconditional surrender!” exclaimed
+Tom. “If you don’t agree to that, I propose, to use a war term, to move
+immediately upon you. In other words, I’ll give the signal for your
+arrest.”
+
+“Don’t! Don’t!” begged Mr. B shakingly.
+
+“We are here to make terms, Mr. Swift,” said a third masked man.
+
+“What do you want us to do?” asked Mr. X, and there was no more threat
+or defiance in his voice. “You can name your own terms.”
+
+“In the first place,” stipulated Tom, “I want you all to unmask. I don’t
+care to do business with men I can’t see. You might as well,” he added,
+as he saw them hesitate. “If you’re arrested you will be known.”
+
+“Gentlemen, he is right!” said Mr. B. “Unmask!”
+
+He set the example by doffing the black silk that covered the upper part
+of his face. One after another the five followed and Tom gasped in
+surprise when he saw who the men were. They were all important figures
+in the theatrical and moving picture business.
+
+“So that’s the combination I’ve been up against!” exclaimed the young
+inventor, as he looked from one face to another. “I suppose I should
+consider it quite an honor to have you against me.”
+
+“In a way, yes,” admitted the one still to be designated as Mr. X. “You
+are a mighty lucky and clever young man. Now we have met your first
+stipulation, what is the next?”
+
+“The next,” stated Tom, “is that you must sign a paper which I shall
+draw up, admitting your share in all that has been done against me and
+agreeing that all persecutions shall cease.”
+
+“Yes, that is no more than fair under the circumstances,” agreed Mr. X.
+
+“But you won’t make that paper public—with our names on it, will you?”
+asked Mr. B.
+
+“Not if you let me entirely alone,” promised Tom. “But I want it to
+protect myself. Hands off and that paper remains in my safe.”
+
+“Draw it up and we’ll sign it,” agreed Mr. X, after a hasty conference
+in one corner with his colleagues. “But what about the men you have
+posted out in the woods? Will they come in here and arrest us?”
+
+“Not unless I give the signal,” Tom answered. “It will not be given when
+you have signed that paper and I am allowed to walk out of here
+unmolested.”
+
+“Oh, let him go! Let him go!” begged Mr. B. “He’ll have our watches and
+pocketbooks next! Let him go!”
+
+Tom smiled grimly as he drew up the paper. He had the plotters entirely
+at his mercy. One after another they affixed their names to the
+document, and as he folded it and put it in his pocket, Mr. B said:
+
+“Perhaps we can still talk business?”
+
+“What do you mean?” asked Tom.
+
+“Well, we made you an offer of a million dollars for the complete rights
+to your talking-picture invention that we might destroy it to save our
+business from ruin. You saw fit to decline that and you got the better
+of us in what followed. Now, since it seems that the invention is going
+on the market, the next best thing for us to do is to buy into the
+exploiting company and have a share in the profits. I suppose there will
+be profits?” he asked, with a somewhat quizzical smile. He was a big
+business man, as Tom knew.
+
+“I hope there will be,” Tom answered.
+
+“Well, now that we’ve backed down—because you made us and for no other
+reason,” went on Mr. B, “will you listen to another offer?”
+
+“What is it?”
+
+“We’ll give you a million for a half share in the invention.”
+
+“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Tom, getting ready to leave.
+
+“A million and a half!” offered Mr. B.
+
+“Your figure is too low,” replied Tom, who began to see daylight ahead
+for Ned Newton’s financial embarrassment. “Why, you movie men put a
+million dollars in a single feature picture.”
+
+“Oh, quit being pikers!” put in another magnate. “Say two millions and
+be done with it! Come, what about two, young man?”
+
+Tom made some rapid calculations. Two million dollars was a tempting
+offer for half an interest in the invention. He knew it would be on the
+market a long time before he would take in that much. Also he must have
+capital to manufacture the machines. But he still had a card to play.
+
+“I can’t accept that offer,” he said, still moving toward the door.
+
+“Oh, let’s get this over with!” exclaimed Mr. X who, evidently, was used
+to having his own way. “We’ll give you three millions for a half
+interest, Tom Swift, let you remain in virtual control, and we’ll start
+manufacturing as soon as you demonstrate that it’s a success. What do
+you say to that—three millions?”
+
+“And that’s our limit,” put in another of the men, a tall, lean New
+Englander.
+
+For a moment Tom Swift did not reply. To a casual observer it might have
+looked as though he was about to refuse that offer. He had made up his
+mind, but he did not want to seem too hasty. It was well that these men
+should know he was their master when it came to plotting and dickering.
+
+“Well, how about it?” asked Mr. B anxiously. “Come, Mr. Tom Swift. Three
+millions aren’t to be sneezed at.”
+
+“And I don’t intend to sneeze!” said Tom suddenly, with a little
+chuckle. “Gentlemen, I accept your offer. Put it in writing and we’ll
+call the conference over!”
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIV
+                              A FINAL TEST
+
+
+THERE was a relieved air about the men gathered in the old house on
+Rattlesnake Island now that Tom Swift had made terms with them. Truth to
+tell, they had been more than a little afraid of this clear-eyed, keen
+young man who was able to dictate terms to them.
+
+“Now let there be no mistake about this,” said Tom. “We can draw up a
+new agreement, incorporating in it the terms of this one,” and he
+produced the rough draft in which the men had agreed to molest him no
+longer.
+
+“What do you want put in?” asked Mr. X, producing paper and a fountain
+pen.
+
+“I want this three-million-dollar offer for a half interest in my
+invention put into an ironclad agreement. I also want your written
+promise to interfere with me no longer.”
+
+“We aren’t likely to bother you, considering that we are now associated
+with you in this thing,” observed Mr. B.
+
+“Well, it will do no harm to put it in,” decided Tom. “Also, I want you
+to acknowledge full responsibility for the actions of your men,
+Greenbaum and the others, and your promise to send them far away from
+here.”
+
+“That’s no more than fair,” agreed Mr. X. “Those men went further than
+we told them to do. We had no sympathy with Greenbaum’s attempt to blow
+you up and——”
+
+“It was more than an attempt,” interrupted Tom, with a grim smile.
+“There really was a disastrous explosion and I expect to be paid damages
+for that out of your share of the profits. I want that in the agreement,
+too.”
+
+“You shall have it,” promised Mr. X, though some of his colleagues made
+rather wry faces at Tom’s exaction of his “pound of flesh.” But he was
+within his rights, and he knew it.
+
+In a short time the agreement was drawn up and signed by all of them,
+and then Mr. X remarked:
+
+“Of course this is contingent upon your invention being a success, Mr.
+Swift. Your broadcasting of songs and music must be clear, the images of
+the performers on the attached screen must be very plain, not shadowy
+forms, and the two must synchronize. You must remember that we have not
+seen your invention. All we know is what we have heard of it.”
+
+“From your spies, doubtless,” Tom responded bitterly. “And they could
+find out very little. But don’t worry. The machine must be perfect
+before I put it on the market. I am going to have a final test and you
+may witness it in person or you may send any one you like to report.”
+
+“Some of us will probably be on hand when you give a final showing,”
+said Mr. X. “And now, as it is getting late, I suggest that we adjourn.
+We want to get back to our homes and you do also, I suppose, Mr. Swift?”
+
+“Yes, I don’t feel like spending another night on Rattlesnake Island,”
+replied Tom, with a smile. “One was enough. I’ll call in my friends and
+you can come to my final test—say a week from to-night in my private
+laboratory.”
+
+“Thank you,” said Mr. X.
+
+Tom bade the men good-night and went out into the darkness, leaving the
+conspirators to growl somewhat among themselves at having been beaten by
+a mere youth.
+
+“At the same time,” said Mr. X, “I can’t help admiring Tom Swift for the
+manner in which he turned the tables on us.”
+
+“That’s right,” chimed in another. “He’s the pluckiest fellow I ever had
+any dealings with. And to think, if we’d persisted, he could have had us
+all arrested and our names and our pictures would have been in the
+papers. Whew!”
+
+“Oh my!” wailed Mr. B. “It’s cost us a pretty penny, but maybe it will
+be worth it.”
+
+Meanwhile Tom, outside the old house, was signaling with his flashlight
+to call his friends in from their posts about the place.
+
+“Is everything all right?” asked Ned, who led one of the four parties.
+He glided to his chum’s side from the darkness.
+
+“Everything is settled, and we get three million dollars for a half
+interest,” said Tom, producing the agreement.
+
+“Hot dog!” gleefully cried Ned. “That’s the best news yet! We sure will
+need that money, Tom! I couldn’t have held the banks off much longer.
+Good for you!”
+
+In a short time Tom and Ned, with Mr. Damon, Koku and Eradicate were on
+their way back across Lake Carlopa, leaving the other members of the
+Swift party to follow in other boats as they pleased.
+
+Though Tom Swift had gone to Rattlesnake Island alone as he had been
+bidden, the setting of his trap called for many of his most trusted men
+to precede him to the rendezvous. They had gone at intervals so no
+suspicions would be aroused.
+
+So, during the day before the night of the meeting, several parties of
+seemingly innocent fishermen might have been seen landing on the island
+at a point farthest removed from the dock used by Tom. These parties
+were posted in the woods on four sides of the frame house and there they
+waited for Tom’s signal. Ned was in charge of one party and Mr. Damon of
+another. Garret Jackson and his assistant took command of the two
+remaining squads.
+
+“And bless my fountain pen!” exclaimed Mr. Damon as they were talking
+matters over on their way home in Tom’s boat, “I thought you were never
+going to flash the signals, Tom.”
+
+“It took a little time to get things where I wanted them,” the young
+inventor said. “But it worked out all right. They certainly were
+astonished.”
+
+“Do you think they’ll play square with you, Tom?” asked Ned.
+
+“They’ll have to, for their own safety. I’ve got them where they can’t
+help themselves. After the final demonstration, a week from to-night, we
+get the three millions.”
+
+“I suppose there is no doubt, Tom, as to the success of the thing?”
+ventured Ned.
+
+“Not the slightest!” Tom’s voice was full of confidence.
+
+Grumblings and growlings were heard issuing from the throat of Koku. Tom
+asked what the trouble was.
+
+“He’s complaining because there was no fight!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He
+says Ned promised him that he could get hold of some of your enemies,
+Tom, but it all fizzled out.”
+
+“Me want smash um!” growled the giant, clenching his big fists.
+
+“Too bad!” chuckled Tom. “But I couldn’t pull off the fight, Koku.
+Better luck next time.”
+
+Tom made his motorboat fast to his own private dock and went home to
+tell his father the good news—that all matters were satisfactorily
+settled. He knew the aged inventor would be worried.
+
+“I’m glad you’re back, Tom,” Mr. Swift said when he saw his son. “Now
+you can take it easy. You’ve been working too hard.”
+
+“The hard work isn’t over yet,” the young inventor answered. “I still
+have to give a perfect final test.”
+
+To this end he and Ned and the workmen bent all their energies during
+the next six days. Mr. Swift aided where he could and Mr. Damon was
+again called on to do his funny song and dance. Now that the invention
+was about to be made public and Tom had no fear about his patents being
+stolen from him, the affair could be openly talked about.
+
+“Are you going to ask us to the dress rehearsal?” inquired Mary, when
+Tom was spending an evening with her.
+
+“Better than that—I want you to be in it,” he said.
+
+“In it?”
+
+“Yes, you and Helen. I want to see how ladies’ garments will be shown on
+the screen. Ned and Mr. Damon balk at becoming female impersonators.
+Will you help?”
+
+“Delighted! Oh, Tom, I do hope it will be a success!”
+
+The night of the final test came at last. Several changes had been made
+both in the projecting machine and in the broadcasting studio since
+Tom’s last attempt to show talking pictures. He had put a metallic
+curtain with reflecting mirrors in the room where Mr. Damon and Ned had
+done their part and the results were better.
+
+“Though some day, Ned,” Tom said to his chum, after a preliminary test,
+“I’ll show these images without the use of any screen at all. I’ll pick
+the electric impulses right out of the air just as wireless sound waves
+come now.”
+
+“That will mean you can broadcast from any theater without the use of
+this sort of curtain,” Ned remarked, pointing to the one in the
+broadcasting room.
+
+“That’s right. All that will be needed in the theater will be a small
+cabinet, out of sight, on the stage. But more of that later. Now we’ll
+go ahead with the test.”
+
+The moving picture and theatrical men, representing the syndicate that
+had bought a half interest in Tom’s invention, were on hand in the
+studio. They had brought with them some experts who were to pass on
+certain phases of the machine. Mr. Damon, with Ned and the two girls
+were in the studio. Tom Swift, with Mr. Jackson and some men to assist
+him, was busy at the projecting machine by means of which the audience
+hoped to hear the distant music and see the performers through several
+solid walls.
+
+“All ready, Ned?” Tom asked over the private telephone.
+
+“All set,” was the answer.
+
+“Then get going!” ordered Tom in a low voice.
+
+He turned the switch for the final test, knowing that a great deal
+depended on it. Those three million dollars were sorely needed to save
+the Swift fortunes.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV
+                            A BRIGHT FUTURE
+
+
+THERE was a hissing, buzzing sound in the studio where, on an improvised
+stage, Ned, Mr. Damon, Mary Nestor and Helen Morton were going through a
+hastily sketched act.
+
+Tom Swift had so improved his lighting arrangements, by using screen
+filters, that there was no restriction as to the color of the garments
+worn by the performers. The girls’ dresses were particularly gay and of
+many hues, for Tom wanted a bright picture on the screen. Mr. Damon had
+attired himself as a clown while Ned was a pirate with a red
+handkerchief on his head.
+
+“Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” sang Ned, and so on with the rest of the
+song while the girls and Mr. Damon joined in.
+
+On his part, in the laboratory room, Tom had adjusted the switches and
+stood near his machine. Ranged in a semicircle in front of him was the
+audience.
+
+“Everything is ready, gentlemen,” said the young inventor in a low
+voice. “You will now see and hear what I have to offer.”
+
+Suddenly, through the loud speaker, came the voices of the performers,
+as clear and distinct as though they were in the same room. There was no
+blasting effect, no tinny, horn-like element in the music.
+
+A moment later the metallic glass screen attached to the apparatus
+glowed with a white light and before the eyes of the astonished
+gathering there appeared, in reduced form, but plainly and clearly, the
+images of the performers in a room several hundred feet away. Just as on
+a moving picture screen, only not as large, but beautifully colored and
+clearer than ever moving pictures had been, the images of Mary, Helen,
+Mr. Damon and Ned were observed. They smiled, gestured and went through
+various motions, not one of which was obscured and not one but
+synchronized exactly with the words they used.
+
+“That’s my invention,” said Tom Swift simply. “If you think it is a
+success we can complete the deal.”
+
+“I guess there’s no question of it,” said Mr. X. “I, for one, am
+satisfied and as soon as——”
+
+He ceased speaking, for suddenly, in the midst of a song by the
+performers in the studio, the voices died away and the images faded from
+the screen.
+
+“Don’t cut it off!” begged Mr. B. “I was just beginning to enjoy it.”
+
+“I didn’t cut it off!” Tom answered quickly. “There’s something wrong!”
+
+Then, from the corridor without, the voice of Koku was heard crying:
+
+“I cotch him! I got him! Now I make him like jelly!”
+
+Like an echo came a frightened voice begging:
+
+“Let me go! Oh, let me go!”
+
+“Greenbaum!” shouted Tom, springing to the door in time to see the giant
+holding the plotting man in a grasp that made him helpless.
+
+“I cotch him!” cried Koku. “I be on watch out here like Mr. Tom always
+tell me. I see him sneak along and cut wire. He have big ball in his
+hand, too, but I knock it down. Over there in corner!”
+
+Garret Jackson made a jump for the corner indicated and picked up
+something which made him utter an exclamation of dismay.
+
+“It’s a bomb!” the superintendent shouted.
+
+There was a pail of water near by and into that the infernal machine was
+dropped just in time, for the fuse was spluttering and burning down.
+
+Greenbaum, choked into senselessness by Koku’s powerful grip, sank to
+the floor. Tom turned to the assembled moving picture and theater men.
+There was an implied accusation in his glance.
+
+“I hope you will believe us when I say we had absolutely nothing to do
+with this,” said Mr. X. “We have not seen Greenbaum since his former
+unauthorized attack on you. This is a terrible surprise to us.”
+
+“And to me, also,” said Tom. “I don’t know what damage he has done,
+but——”
+
+“He not do much!” chuckled Koku. “Me cotch him in time.”
+
+And so it proved. Greenbaum had managed to sneak into the laboratory
+because vigilance was somewhat relaxed, now that all danger seemed over.
+He had cut one of the electrical wires that carried power to Tom’s
+machine, hoping, in the confusion he knew would follow, to be able to
+plant his infernal machine and get away. But the giant was too quick for
+him.
+
+“Is the machine ruined?” asked Ned, coming from the broadcasting studio,
+followed by the other performers.
+
+“Bless my apple pie! And just when I was going to sing my song!”
+complained Mr. Damon.
+
+But a quick examination showed nothing more wrong than a severed wire,
+which was soon spliced, so that the machine could work again, and after
+Greenbaum had been handed over to the police, first needing the
+attention of a doctor, however, the interrupted performance went on to a
+successful conclusion.
+
+When the little playlet was ended, and the men engaged by Mr. X and his
+colleagues had made their report, the leader of the theatrical interests
+announced:
+
+“We are satisfied, Mr. Swift. The deal can go through. You will be paid
+the three million to-morrow and we will at once form a company for
+manufacturing these machines and put them on the market. But I am afraid
+you still feel that we sent Greenbaum here.”
+
+“No,” Tom answered, “I have good reasons for knowing you did not.”
+
+“What reasons?” asked Mr. X in surprise.
+
+“Because the man is insane. The doctor told me so just before he was
+taken away. You told me his losses in a moving picture deal had so
+turned his brain that he did more than you wanted him to when you first
+set him to spy on me. Well, his insanity is of a progressive form, and
+he is much worse now. He probably imagined that I was the cause of all
+his troubles, and so came to be revenged on me. I know you had nothing
+to do with it.”
+
+“I am glad you are convinced of that,” said Mr. X. “And we have to thank
+you for treating us even better than, perhaps, we deserved. But from now
+on we will work in harmony.”
+
+This promise was faithfully kept. Much to Ned Newton’s relief the sum of
+three millions was placed to the credit of the Swift concern the next
+day, and certain maturing notes were taken up. There was a goodly
+capital left, however, to start the manufacture of the talking-picture
+machines and they were soon put on the market, meeting with a big
+success. The radio and moving picture people, as well as several big
+theatrical interests, bought stock in the new company that was formed,
+and because of Tom’s invention, by means of which only authorized
+purchasers of his machine could view the broadcast scenes and listen to
+the music, there was no “bootlegging,” which meant that all the revenues
+would come to those entitled to them.
+
+Tom was glad to learn, later, that Greenbaum’s insanity was not
+permanent, and that after the man was assured of a chance to make
+another fortune in the new business, his mind became calm and he was
+himself again. He was totally unaware of the outrages he had committed,
+though when told of them asked Tom’s forgiveness.
+
+Snogg, Janner and Torpy were not heard of again, and the house on
+Rattlesnake Island, which was the property of the moving picture men,
+was made over to Tom as a sort of bonus. He and Ned spent many hours
+there, relaxing from their hard work.
+
+It was after Greenbaum’s recovery, when certain things were recalled to
+him, that he explained what for a time had puzzled Ned and Tom. The man,
+who was an expert electrician, had found a means of neutralizing certain
+parts of the electrified fence. Hence he was able to get over, after the
+discovery of the planted bombs, to commit petty depredations that so
+annoyed Tom.
+
+It was Greenbaum, also, who provided the fash melon that had thrown Koku
+off his guard. As Tom had guessed, the fruit was discovered in South
+America by a party of travelogue movie men who brought some back with
+them. Greenbaum, learning of Koku’s fondness for fash, used it to play
+what was nearly a fatal trick on the giant. Greenbaum had also been
+responsible for the “warning” Eradicate brought to Tom. That was just a
+bluff—intended to scare Tom, but it worked the other way.
+
+The secret passage in the house on Rattlesnake Island was easily
+accounted for. The place had been built some years before to be used in
+making a certain moving picture, where a secret staircase played a part.
+Later the house was acquired by Mr. X and his colleagues to use as a
+prison and also as a meeting place for Tom.
+
+Tom suitably rewarded Bill Tagg, the tramp, and that individual had his
+long ardent wish fulfilled. He rode in one of Tom’s aeroplanes and
+received the thrill of his life.
+
+“Well, everything came out all right, didn’t it?” asked Ned of his chum
+as they sat in the house on Rattlesnake Island one evening after a
+successful day’s fishing. “Your talking pictures are making a hit.”
+
+“They seem to be,” admitted Tom modestly. “Though when Greenbaum cut the
+wire that night of the final test I thought everything had gone bad.
+But, as you say, everything came out all right, and the future looks
+rosy to me. I’ve got another scheme in my mind.”
+
+“Aren’t you ever going to stop?” chuckled Ned as he leaned lazily back
+in his chair.
+
+“Not as long as I feel as well as I do now,” replied Tom Swift.
+
+Whether he carried out his new idea or not remains to be seen.
+
+                                THE END
+
+
+
+
+                           =This Isn’t All!=
+
+    Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have
+    made in this book?
+
+    Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures
+    and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the
+    same author?
+
+    On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book,
+    you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at
+    the same store where you got this book.
+
+                      Don’t throw away the Wrapper
+
+    _Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to
+    have. But in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for
+    a complete catalog._
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                T H E   T O M   S W I F T   S E R I E S
+                           By VICTOR APPLETON
+                   Author of “The Don Sturdy Series.”
+
+
+    Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is a
+    bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the
+    most interesting kind of reading.
+
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
+    TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
+    TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
+    TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
+    TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
+    TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
+    TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS
+    TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS HOUSE ON WHEELS
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG DIRIGIBLE
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY TRAIN
+    TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT MAGNET
+
+
+                 GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                        WESTERN STORIES FOR BOYS
+                          By JAMES CODY FERRIS
+
+
+            Individual Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by
+                            WALTER S. ROGERS
+                    Each Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+
+
+    Thrilling tales of the great west, told primarily for boys but
+    which will be read by all who love mystery, rapid action, and
+    adventures in the great open spaces.
+
+    The Manly Boys, Roy and Teddy, are the sons of an old ranchman, the
+    owner of many thousands of heads of cattle. The lads know how to
+    ride, how to shoot, and how to take care of themselves under any
+    and all circumstances.
+
+    The cowboys of the X Bar X Ranch are real cowboys, on the job when
+    required, but full of fun and daring—a bunch any reader will be
+    delighted to know.
+
+    THE X BAR X BOYS ON THE RANCH
+    THE X BAR X BOYS IN THUNDER CANYON
+    THE X BAR X BOYS ON WHIRLPOOL RIVER
+    THE X BAR X BOYS ON BIG BISON TRAIL
+    THE X BAR X BOYS AT THE ROUND-UP
+    THE X BAR X BOYS AT NUGGET CAMP
+    THE X BAR X BOYS AT RUSTLER’S GAP
+    THE X BAR X BOYS AT GRIZZLY PASS
+    THE X BAR X BOYS LOST IN THE ROCKIES
+    THE X BAR X BOYS RIDING FOR LIFE
+
+                GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                        TED SCOTT FLYING STORIES
+                          By FRANKLIN W. DIXON
+
+            =Illustrated.  Each Volume Complete in Itself.=
+
+
+    No subject has so thoroughly caught the imagination of young
+    America as aviation. This series has been inspired by recent daring
+    feats of the air, and is dedicated to Lindbergh, Byrd, Chamberlin
+    and other heroes of the skies.
+
+    OVER THE OCEAN TO PARIS;
+    _or, Ted Scott’s Daring Long Distance Flight._
+
+    RESCUED IN THE CLOUDS;
+    _or, Ted Scott, Hero of the Air._
+
+    OVER THE ROCKIES WITH THE AIR MAIL;
+    _or, Ted Scott, Lost in the Wilderness._
+
+    FIRST STOP HONOLULU;
+    _or, Ted Scott Over the Pacific._
+
+    THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST FLYERS;
+    _or, Ted Scott Over the West Indies._
+
+    SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE;
+    _or, Ted Scott On a Secret Mission._
+
+    ACROSS THE PACIFIC;
+    _or, Ted Scott’s Hop to Australia._
+
+    THE LONE EAGLE OF THE BORDER;
+    or, Ted Scott and the Diamond Smugglers.
+
+    FLYING AGAINST TIME;
+    _or, Breaking the Ocean to Ocean Record._
+
+    OVER THE JUNGLE TRAILS;
+    _or, Ted Scott and the Missing Explorers._
+
+    LOST AT THE SOUTH POLE;
+    _or, Ted Scott in Blizzard Land._
+
+    THROUGH THE AIR TO ALASKA;
+    _or, Ted Scott’s Search in Nugget Valley._
+
+    FLYING TO THE RESCUE;
+    _or, Ted Scott and the Big Dirigible._
+
+    DANGER TRAILS OF THE SKY;
+    _or, Ted Scott’s Great Mountain Climb._
+
+    FOLLOWING THE SUN SHADOW;
+    _or, Ted Scott and the Great Eclipse._
+
+
+
+                 GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           TRANSCRIBER NOTES
+
+Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. Where multiple
+spellings occur, majority use has been employed.
+
+Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious printer errors
+occur.
+
+[The end of _Tom Swift and his Talking Pictures, or, The Greatest
+Invention on Record_ by Howard Roger Garis (as Victor Appleton)]
+
+
+
 *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***
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-<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***</div>

-

-<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop">

-  <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt="cover">

-</div>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<div class="titlepage">

-

-<h1>TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS TALKING  PICTURES</h1>

-

-<h2>OR<br>

-The Greatest Invention on Record</h2>

-

-<p class="ph1">BY

-VICTOR APPLETON</p>

-

-<p>AUTHOR OF<br>

-“TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE,”<br>

-“TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS,”<br>

-“TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE,”<br>

-“THE DON STURDY SERIES,”<br>

-ETC.</p>

-

-<p>ILLUSTRATED</p>

-

-<p>NEW YORK<br>

-GROSSET & DUNLAP<br>

-PUBLISHERS<br>

-Made in the United States of America</p>

-

-<p>Copyright, 1928, by<br>

-GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc.</p>

-

-<p>Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<div class="figcenter">

-  <img src="images/front.jpg" alt="">

-  <div class="caption">

-    <p>TOM SWIFT WAS THROWN OVERBOARD.</p>

-  </div>

-</div>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph1">BOOKS FOR BOYS<br>

-By VICTOR APPLETON</p>

-<p class="ph2">12mo.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cloth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Illustrated.</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">THE TOM SWIFT SERIES</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH<br>

-TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS<br>

-TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">THE DON STURDY SERIES</p>

-<p class="ph2">DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY<br>

-DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS<br>

-DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD<br>

-DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE<br>

-DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES<br>

-DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS<br>

-DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS<br>

-DON STURDY CAPTURED BY HEAD HUNTERS</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.</p>

-

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2>CONTENTS</h2>

-

-<table>

-<tr><td class="tdr">I.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">BLASTING FIRE</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">II.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">NED DISAPPEARS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">III.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">SUSPICIONS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">IV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">A STRANGE MESSAGE</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">V.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">VI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">TOO LATE</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">VII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">A WILD CHASE</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">VIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">TWO CAPTIVES</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">IX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">ON THE ISLAND</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">X.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">THE ESCAPE</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">RESCUED</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">GREENBAUM THREATENS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">MR. DAMON DANCES</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XIV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">KOKU IS DRUGGED</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">A SINISTER WARNING</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XVI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">A STARTLING DISCOVERY</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XVII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">USELESS PLEADINGS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XIX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">THE MEETING</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">MASKED MEN</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XXI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">A TEMPTING OFFER</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XXII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">FLASHING LIGHTS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">TOM ACCEPTS</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">A FINAL TEST</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">XXV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">A BRIGHT FUTURE</a></td></tr>

-</table>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2>TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES</h2>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</h2>

-<h3>BLASTING FIRE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Entering</span> Tom Swift’s private laboratory

-from a room farther down the hall, Ned Newton,

-who seemed somewhat out of breath, glanced at

-the young inventor and asked:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you seem to be getting anywhere with it,

-Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For a moment there was no reply. Tom, who

-had been leaning over a complicated apparatus

-of wires, switches, and radio bulbs that glowed

-dimly, was slowly turning a dial. Ned repeated

-his question, adding:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What seems to be the trouble?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Trouble?” queried Tom, looking at Ned with

-eyes, however, that did not see him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There must be some trouble,” insisted Ned,

-“or you’d have been capering around here on

-one leg when I came in after doing my stuff back

-there,” and he nodded toward the room farther

-down the hall. “How about it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift glanced away from the apparatus,

-which very much resembled a radio receiving set,

-to a yard-square burnished sheet of metal hanging

-in front of him and connected to the other

-mechanism by several wires. This burnished

-sheet appeared to be made of a mirror of some

-metal with a square of heavy plate glass covering

-it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Can’t you answer?” inquired Ned, with a

-chuckle. “Boy, I certainly did some acting back

-there all by myself! And I’d like to know

-whether I got it through to you. Did I? Bet

-I did that song and dance for the fiftieth time

-just now. Come on—wake up—did it come

-through? What’s the matter, anyhow?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I—I’m thinking,” said Tom slowly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t need an interpreter to tell me that!”

-and again Ned chuckled. “I can see it with half

-an eye. But was it a success?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and no,” replied Tom, turning a switch

-which seemed to cut off some electrical current,

-for at once a faint hum that had been audible in

-the laboratory ceased. “Yes, and no. It came

-through all right; that is, part of it did, but the

-rest——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom ceased speaking and bent over his apparatus.

-He adjusted some set screws, turned a

-couple of dials, and changed three of the radio

-tubes which, now that the power was cut off, no

-longer glowed with light beneath the quicksilver

-coatings on the thin glass.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you want me to go back there and do it

-over?” asked Ned. “I’m willing, if you say so,”

-and he started for the room he had just left—a

-room wherein, under the focused rays of a

-battery of powerful lights and close to a box

-containing a strange assortment of tubes and

-transmitters, Ned had done his “stunt,” which

-consisted of singing and dancing about on a

-small stage. He performed alone—there was no

-audience but the distant one of Tom Swift in his

-laboratory several hundred feet away.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute, Ned!” Tom Swift called

-sharply, when his chum, who was also the financial

-manager of the Swift Construction Company,

-was about to leave the room. “I guess we

-might as well call it a day’s work and quit.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A night’s work, you mean!” retorted Ned,

-pointing to the window which reflected the darkness

-outside. “Must be past twelve.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I guess it is,” admitted the young inventor,

-somewhat wearily. “I didn’t notice. It’s a

-shame to keep you at it so long, Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t mind!” said the other quickly.

-“Not as long as it’s going to be a success. But

-is it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift hesitated, looked at the complicated

-machine in front of him and slowly shook

-his head.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Frankly, Ned, I can’t say,” he admitted.

-“You came through in a measure. Of course I

-heard you plainly enough over the radio—that

-part is simple enough. But the picture of you

-was too shadowy to be satisfactory. It’s coming,

-though. I’ll make it come!” and Tom, in

-spite of his weariness, showed some fighting

-spirit in his voice and manner.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Could you identify me there?” and Ned

-pointed to that burnished metal mirror with its

-covering of glass in the lower edge of which were

-fused several wires.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, I knew it was you, Ned, of course.

-But, as I say, the projected picture was too

-visionary. It didn’t stand out clearly and with

-depth the way I want it to. It was like a moving

-picture when the man up in the booth goes to

-sleep on the job and the projector gets out of

-focus. I’m rather disappointed.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t mind going back and going through

-my stunt again, even for the fifty-first performance,”

-offered Ned, with enthusiasm. “I don’t

-care how late it is. Helen won’t expect me

-now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did you have an engagement?” asked Tom,

-looking sharply at his friend. “And I kept you

-here doing a song and dance act half the night

-when Helen expected you! That’s too bad! If

-I’d known——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Keep your hair on!” chuckled Ned. “I

-didn’t <i>really</i> have a date with Helen. I said I

-might drop around if there wasn’t anything to

-do here. But she knows you well enough to

-make allowances for emergency work—and this

-was just that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it is an emergency all right,” returned

-Tom slowly. “But I shall give it up for the

-night. No use keeping you any longer, Ned.

-Go on home and I’ll try it again to-morrow with

-a different wave length. I think that’s where

-the difficulty is. We’ll tackle it again in the

-morning.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All right,” assented Ned Newton, and he

-could not keep out of his voice a little note of

-satisfaction and relief. Truth to tell, he was

-a bit tired. For several weeks now he had been

-helping Tom Swift on the latter’s newest idea—an

-invention, Tom declared, that would be the

-greatest on record and one that would tend to

-revolutionize the radio and moving picture industries.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This was a daring plan Tom had conceived of

-making a radio machine, both sending and receiving,

-that would enable a person or any number

-of persons not only to hear a distant performance

-in their own home, but also see those

-taking part.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll make it possible,” declared Tom Swift,

-“for a man to sit in his easy chair, smoking a

-cigar in his library, and, by a turn of a switch,

-not only to hear the latest opera but also to see

-each and every performer and witness the whole

-play.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>When Ned had asked how the vision would

-appear to the man, Tom had replied:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“On an electrified screen attached to his radio

-receiver by which he listens to the songs and

-music.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As Tom said, the problem of transmitting an

-entire opera through the air was simple enough.

-That had been done many times. So had the

-transmitting of photographs by wireless. Also,

-in a limited way, television had made it possible

-for a person in a dark room to be visible to

-lookers-on in another apartment some distance

-away.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But I am going to combine the two!” declared

-Tom Swift. “I want to make it possible

-for a synchronized performance of seeing and

-hearing to take place. Thus when a theater is

-equipped with my sending apparatus and I have

-perfected my receiver, one need never go outside

-the house to enjoy a theatrical performance or a

-concert.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But even if you’re successful, you won’t make

-any money out of it,” declared Ned Newton,

-after first hearing of his chum’s ambitions.

-“Look at the radio people! The air is free.

-Anybody who wants to can tune in and listen to

-a million dollar concert without paying a cent.

-They don’t even have to buy any special kind of

-receiver—they can roll their own, so to speak.

-What’s to prevent them from stealing your stuff—your—what

-do you call it, anyhow?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t settled on a name,” Tom said, with

-a smile. “Call it talking pictures for the time

-being. Of course it’s entirely different from

-moving pictures with phonograph attachment.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, what’s to prevent any one from tuning

-in on your talking pictures?” asked Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This,” answered Tom, pointing to a small

-tube on one side of the receiving apparatus.

-“This is a new device. Without it no one can

-see and hear my pictures that will talk. This is

-protected by patents and no one can use it without

-my sanction. That’s the secret.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, maybe you’ve got something there,”

-Ned admitted.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>So, during the past months, he had helped

-Tom Swift bring the new apparatus to such perfection

-as it now had.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The present night’s performance was only one

-of many. At first there had been only blank

-failure. But by using different kinds of receiving

-screens, finally settling on a mirror covered

-with electrified glass, Tom had achieved a measure

-of success. Still, even now, the projected

-image of the singing or talking performer in a

-distant room was too dim to be commercially

-successful.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll go at it again to-morrow,” Tom told

-his chum as he let him out of the laboratory and

-locked the door after him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s the biggest thing I ever attempted,” he

-said to himself, when Ned had gone and he was

-alone in the room, “the very biggest, and I’m

-not going to have it stolen from me. No one

-suspects as yet what I am working on—no one

-except dad and Ned. But I wish I were nearer

-success. I thought the image would come

-through clear to-night, but there was that same

-haze—that same haze. I wonder——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He paused and listened intently. Outside his

-door he heard footsteps—cautious footsteps.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is that you, Ned?” he called. “Anything

-wrong?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom did not open the door—he was taking no

-chances.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That you, Ned?” he asked again, more

-sharply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Mr. Swift,” came back a voice with a

-foreign accent. “I am just leaving my own

-laboratory. I think I have perfected that new

-magnetic gear shift we have been working on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s good,” Tom responded. He recognized

-the voice of Jacob Greenbaum, a clever

-inventor whom he had recently engaged to work

-on some side lines that occupied the Swift factory.

-Tom had an idea for a new device to

-make easier the shifting of gears on automobiles.

-It was an adaptation of the old magnetic selection

-that has often been tried and which, up to

-date, had not been successful.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you want to take a look at it?” asked

-Greenbaum, and from the nearness of the voice

-Tom knew that the man was just outside the

-locked door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you, Greenbaum, not now,” the

-young inventor replied. “I am busy at something

-else. I’ll see you in the morning.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You are working late, Mr. Swift,” went on

-the man. “Could I be of any service to you?

-I should be glad——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you,” Tom said. “As for lateness,

-you are doing a bit of overtime yourself.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes; but I do not mind. I think I am on

-the right track. If you would take a look——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, not now,” and Tom’s voice was a bit

-sharp. “I am busy. Good night!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was no response for a moment, and then

-came a short:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good night!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum, however, did not immediately

-move away from the door and a look of annoyance

-passed over Tom’s face as he bent over his

-secret apparatus.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s he hanging around for?” thought

-Tom. “I wonder if he can be a spy? Two or

-three times I’ve caught him lurking around my

-private laboratory. But he can’t get in since I

-put on the new lock, and I know he hasn’t so

-much as poked his nose in during the times I

-have been here experimenting. Still, I wonder——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was about to call out, to tell the man to go

-away when footsteps were heard moving down

-the corridor and toward the outer door of the

-small shop where most of the experimental work

-was carried on.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good riddance,” murmured Tom Swift. “I

-don’t want to be unjust to a good workman, and

-Greenbaum is all of that, but I must confess I

-don’t like the way he hangs around me. As

-soon as he finishes that magnetic gear shift I’ll

-pay him well and let him go. Now let’s see if I

-can think up another way of doing this. Perhaps

-if I hooked up the wave distributor to the

-vibratory selector instead of to the polarizer

-we’d get better vision. I’ll try that and have

-Ned perform again to-morrow. Now I’ll take a

-look to see that my wire connections are all right

-and then I think I’ll go to bed. I’m tired.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom spent perhaps another half hour in getting

-things in readiness for some new experiments,

-and, having made sure that everything

-connected with his secret was put out of sight of

-possible prying eyes, the young inventor started

-toward the door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He inspected the new combination lock he had

-had put on, noting that it was properly set, and

-then opened the door to step out. The experimental

-laboratory was only a short walk from

-Tom’s home, the back of the Swift Construction

-plant being some distance away.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As Tom opened the door there was a click, followed

-at once by a blinding flash of blasting fire.

-Then a dull explosion shook the building. Tom

-had no chance to leap back. The force of the

-blast hurled him forward, across the corridor

-and out through a wire-screened window into the

-yard. He fell heavily, uttered an inarticulate

-cry, and then seemed to be sinking down into a

-pit of dense blackness.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</h2>

-<h3>NED DISAPPEARS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Scarcely</span> had the echoes of the explosion in

-Tom Swift’s laboratory died away, being swallowed

-up in the blackness and silence of the

-night, than members of the Swift household began

-stirring.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mr. Swift, Tom’s aged and rather infirm father,

-sat up in bed and called:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What was that? Thunder?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Massa Swift,” answered Eradicate, the

-faithful colored servant, who, now that Mr.

-Swift had declined so, was his personal attendant,

-sleeping in the next room. “No, Massa

-Swift,” he repeated. “Dat wa’n’t no thunder.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>By this time Eradicate was moving about and

-fumbling for a light. Mr. Swift, however, had

-reached up and switched on the reading lamp attached

-to the head of his bed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What was it then?” asked the aged inventor,

-for Mr. Swift had begun invention work when

-Tom was a mere baby.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I spects, Massa, dat it was somethin’ Tom

-been doin’ out in his lab’tory,” the colored man

-answered. He had his own light on now and

-was beginning to dress, preparatory to making

-an investigation.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“If Tom was in the midst of anything that

-made a noise like that he must be hurt!” declared

-Mr. Swift. “That was a sharp explosion.

-Hurry, Rad, and see what it was.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sah, Massa Swift, I’s a-hurryin’!” answered

-Eradicate.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>From a room farther down the hall in the

-Swift home came a deep, heavy voice exclaiming:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Fire! Fire! Koku see much blaze!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Koku was a gigantic specimen of a man whom

-Tom had brought back with him from an airship

-trip to a distant, mysterious land. The

-giant was rather simple, and never seemed to be

-able to master the English language. But he

-was a faithful servant and, because of his enormous

-strength, Tom frequently used Koku as a

-guard about the plant.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Fire?” cried Mr. Swift, fumbling for his

-clothes. “Is there a fire, Koku?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Much blaze in Master Tom’s workshop,” the

-giant replied. He could not twist his tongue

-around “laboratory.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Dey suah is a fire!” cried Eradicate, running

-to his window. “By golly, whole place looks

-like it was burnin’!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>By this time Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper,

-several other servants, and Garret Jackson, the

-shop manager and superintendent, who was

-spending the night at the Swift home, had been

-aroused. Several workmen in the Swift plant,

-who lived not far from the experimental laboratory,

-had also been aroused by the explosion and

-the glare of flames and were now running to

-help, adding their voices to the others giving the

-alarm.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>By this time Mr. Swift, with Eradicate and

-Koku, had descended to the yard that was between

-the laboratory and the house, and by the

-glare of the flames Tom’s inert body was seen

-stretched out on the grass.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Eradicate and Koku bent over the body of the

-young inventor. Koku felt for the heart and

-found it beating.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Master Tom no dead,” said the giant simply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then carry him into the house, and send for

-a doctor at once,” directed Mr. Swift. “Oh,

-what could have happened? The whole place

-will go up in flames and Tom’s valuable new invention

-will be destroyed!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Dat fire’ll soon be out!” predicted Eradicate,

-and Koku, lifting Tom like a child, started toward

-the house with him. “Fire not so bad,

-after all, Massa Swift!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>While the injured inventor is being ministered

-to I shall take a brief moment to acquaint new

-readers with, a few facts regarding Tom Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was a young man, well set up physically,

-and in spite of the fact that he was young, had

-to his credit many important inventions, not

-a few of which had been adopted by the United

-States Government.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom’s mother was dead, but he and his father,

-were well looked after by Mrs. Baggert, the

-housekeeper. As related in the first volume of

-this series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Motorcycle,”

-the youth began his inventive activities

-early. Wakefield Damon, who lived in the

-neighboring town of Waterfield, had, some years

-before this present story opens, bought a motorcycle.

-Not knowing much about such machines,

-Mr. Damon soon found himself climbing

-a tree near Tom’s home.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom rescued the eccentric individual and,

-“blessing” many animate and inanimate objects

-from his rubber boots to his collar button, Mr.

-Damon declared he was through with motorcycles.

-Tom bought the damaged machine, repaired

-and improved it and had several thrilling

-adventures on it. From then on his inventions

-followed one another and they were not yet

-ended. In the volume immediately preceding

-this and named “Tom Swift Circling the Globe,”

-you may read of the further doings of the young

-inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom had many friends and not a few enemies,

-the latter chiefly unscrupulous men who had

-tried to steal his inventions but who had been

-worsted by Tom, with the aid of Mr. Damon,

-Ned Newton, Eradicate and Koku.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom always insisted that Mary Nestor, a

-beautiful girl to whom the young inventor was

-practically engaged, had a lot to do with his

-success, but Mary always smiled tolerantly when

-her friend said this.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do I do, Tom?” she would ask.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You give me inspiration,” he would answer,

-“and that, to an inventor, is the one thing

-needed.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Whether Mary Nestor was the inspiration for

-Tom’s latest talking-picture invention does not

-matter, but the fact remains that Tom was in

-the midst of perfecting that machine when the

-explosion occurred.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>While the fire was being brought under control

-by several of the shop men, under the direction

-of Mr. Jackson, the young inventor was

-hurriedly carried into his home and laid on a

-bed. Mrs. Baggert, sensing that medical aid

-might be needed, had, almost as soon as she got

-up after the alarm, telephoned for the nearest

-doctor. So it was not long after the explosion

-before Tom was in the care of the medical

-man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is he badly hurt?” asked Mr. Swift, anxiously

-hovering around the room.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think not,” was the cheerful reply of Dr.

-Layton. “He has had a shock and is suffering

-more from that than from actual injuries,

-though he is cut and bruised and has some nasty

-burns. But we will soon make him comfortable.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He is still unconscious, though, isn’t he?”

-asked Mr. Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” Dr. Layton admitted. “But that is

-nothing to worry about. Nature will take care

-of that. It is better to let his senses come back

-gradually rather than to give some strong stimulant

-that will shock him into wakefulness and

-perhaps do more harm than good. I’ll make

-him as comfortable as I can and we’ll just wait

-for him to rouse.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The burns and cuts were dressed, Koku being

-of great service because he could lift and move

-Tom as if the young man were a baby. Yet

-Tom was of husky build, strong and muscular.

-The giant made an ideal nurse in a case like

-this, though Eradicate, who had a deep love for

-Tom Swift, fluttered eagerly about, anxious to

-do something to help. Mrs. Baggert had him

-bring hot water and bandages, and this gave

-Eradicate as much pleasure as Koku found in

-ministering more personally to his young master.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>After the first alarm over Tom’s condition

-was over and when it was apparent that there

-was no immediate danger, Mr. Swift went out to

-see what damage had been done and if there

-was any further danger from the fire and explosion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The flames, by this time, were subdued.

-There had been a second but slight, explosion.

-This, however, did little damage, as the force

-of it was directed toward the outer corridor, part

-of the wall of which was blown away. The

-greatest force of the first explosion, likewise, had

-been in the same direction, and though the door

-of Tom’s private laboratory had been stove in

-and some of his valuable apparatus scattered

-about and burned, fortunately no great damage

-was done to the secret room.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ascertaining this and knowing how jealously

-Tom guarded the new secret, Mr. Swift had

-some of the men nail the laboratory up, an improvised

-door being made and boards being fastened

-over the shattered windows.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom had been blown through a window in the

-corridor outside his laboratory. But, luckily,

-the window was up at the bottom, and Tom had

-shot through a wire mosquito screen instead of

-through the glass. In spite of this, and the fact

-that he had landed in a clump of deep, thick

-grass, the young inventor had not come off

-scatheless from the accident.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Things aren’t as bad as they seemed at first,

-Mr. Swift,” reported Mr. Jackson a few hours

-after the explosion. “The fire is all out now

-and Tom’s things don’t seem to be much damaged.

-I’ve got several men on guard. They’ll

-stay there the rest of the night.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It will soon be morning,” murmured the old

-gentleman. “Thank you, Jackson.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I wonder how much longer Tom will remain

-unconscious?” Mr. Swift said, entering the sickroom

-and glancing toward the bed on which his

-son lay.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think he is coming around now,” said the

-doctor softly, as he moved to his patient’s side.

-“Yes, he is coming out of it,” he added. “How

-do you feel?” he asked as Tom opened his eyes

-and stared about.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Pretty—pretty—rocky,” was the husky answer.

-“What—what happened?” he asked in a

-stronger voice. Then, as recollection came back

-to him, Tom went on: “I remember now.

-There was an explosion just as I was coming out

-of my laboratory. Is it gone? Is everything

-gone?” and he tried to get up. Dr. Layton

-pushed him back.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now lie still,” said the doctor. “Things

-aren’t half as bad as you think, and you’re not

-much hurt.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t care about myself!” declared Tom

-fiercely. “But if that new—that machine is

-blown up—” He looked anxiously at his father,

-the only other person in the room who knew

-about the secret of the talking-picture invention.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s all right, Tom,” the aged inventor made

-haste to say. “The door and windows of your

-laboratory were blown out and some of your apparatus

-damaged by the fire and explosion.

-But your—the main object is all right,” he finished,

-and Tom understood.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Before Tom could ask any more questions,

-Dr. Layton administered a sedative to quiet his

-patient’s nerves, and, after a few more questions

-had been answered to the satisfaction of the

-young inventor, he sank back into a sleep.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Not before, however, he had told his father

-and the others that he had no idea what had

-caused the explosion and fire.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Was it an electrical blast?” Mr. Swift wanted

-to know. He was aware that often a high tension

-current may act almost like a blast of

-dynamite.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think not,” Tom had said. “I examined

-my wires the last thing, after Greenbaum had

-left the building, and they were all right. The

-explosion seemed to be coincident with my opening

-of the door.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It were a bomb! Dat’s whut it were—a

-bomb!” declared Eradicate. “An’ ef I kotches

-de feller whut done planted it I——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That will do now, Rad,” whispered Mrs.

-Baggert. “Tom must be kept quiet.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The injured young inventor was now sleeping

-quietly, and Dr. Layton said he would remain

-until morning to see how Tom was when he

-awakened again. Then, the fire being out and

-no more danger appearing, the house became

-quiet.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But Mr. Swift had a worried, anxious air. He

-could not account for that explosion. Some

-more of Tom’s enemies must be at work, was the

-conclusion of the aged inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The sun was rising and Tom was just awakening

-again when the telephone rang. Mrs. Baggert,

-answering it, brought word that Mary

-Nestor was on the wire and wanted to know how

-badly Tom was hurt.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How’d she hear about it?” Tom demanded

-when he was prevented from answering the call

-in person.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why, it seems,” reported the housekeeper,

-“that the town fire-department responded to the

-alarm. However, they weren’t needed, as your

-own men put out the blaze, Mr. Swift. However,

-it was rumored that you were hurt and

-Mary heard of it. What shall I tell her?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tell her I’m all right and that I’ll be over as

-soon as I can get dressed,” Tom answered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No you won’t!” chuckled Dr. Layton.

-“You’re not badly hurt, but I’m taking no

-chances with you and you’ll stay in bed all day.

-Miss Nestor can call here if she likes,” he conceded,

-with a smile.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Thanks for that favor,” and Tom smiled in

-answer. “Tell her, please, Mrs. Baggert.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I will,” and the housekeeper hurried back to

-the telephone.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A further inspection of Tom’s injuries by daylight

-did not reveal them as any worse than the

-first diagnosis indicated and Dr. Layton said

-that his patient would be up and about in a few

-days.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And when I am things are going to hum!”

-declared Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He had finished a light breakfast and the

-medical man was preparing to depart when the

-telephone rang again.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“If that’s Mary I’m going to speak to her!”

-exclaimed Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But it isn’t,” said Mrs. Baggert, with a smile,

-coming in from the hall outside Tom’s room, the

-telephone being installed in a booth in the corridor.

-“It’s Mr. Newton.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ned?” exclaimed Tom Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, not Ned—his father,” replied the housekeeper.

-“He wants to know when Ned will be

-home.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“When Ned will be home!” exclaimed Tom, in

-bewildered surprise. “Why, I thought he was

-at home now. He left me before midnight to go

-home.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He isn’t there,” said Mrs. Baggert. “Mr.

-Newton says Ned hasn’t been home all night and

-he thought he must be here, as he often stays

-all night, you know.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know,” admitted Tom, with a puzzled

-look on his face. “But he didn’t stay last night.

-He started for home. He was dead tired from

-helping me. Ask Mr. Newton if he is sure Ned

-isn’t sleeping soundly in his own room.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Baggert went back to the telephone. In

-a few moments she came back.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ned seems to have disappeared,” she announced.

-“He didn’t come home or send any

-word. Mr. Newton is quite worried. He wants

-to talk to you.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</h2>

-<h3>SUSPICIONS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> looked at Dr. Layton. The

-medical man had paused in his departure on

-hearing the telephone bell and the ensuing talk.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Doctor,” began Tom, “I don’t want to disobey

-your advice, but I’ve simply got to talk to

-Ned’s father. Something may have happened.

-I’m beginning to get worried. There may be

-more at the bottom of this than just an accidental

-explosion in my laboratory.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’d rather you stayed in bed,” said the physician.

-“You oughtn’t to move around so soon

-after such a shock. Can’t you move the telephone

-in here?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll get an extension wire that I have in my

-room and plug it in,” offered Mr. Swift, and

-while Mrs. Baggert was telling Mr. Newton that

-Tom would soon speak to him, Mr. Swift, with

-the help of Eradicate, quickly had an extension

-telephone rigged up at Tom’s bedside. Then

-the young inventor talked to the father of his

-business manager.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you sure, Mr. Newton, that Ned isn’t in

-the house, sleeping his head off?” was Tom’s

-first question.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, he isn’t here,” was the worried answer.

-“When he didn’t come down to breakfast we

-didn’t think anything of it at first, as he was going

-to be at your place late, he said, and we

-wanted to let him get as much rest as he could.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But when we looked into his room a little

-while ago to see how he was sleeping, he wasn’t

-there. His mother said that she hadn’t heard

-him come in during the night, but even then we

-weren’t alarmed. We thought he had spent the

-night with you, as he so often does.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No,” Tom said slowly, “Ned isn’t here. He

-left my laboratory somewhere around midnight

-and I thought he was going straight home. But

-wait a minute!” Tom exclaimed as a new idea

-came to him. “I just happened to think. He

-might have gone to see Miss Morton and have

-stayed there all night, being too tired to pull

-up and head for home.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned Newton was engaged to Miss Morton

-and, more than once after calling there and finding

-himself stormbound, he had been persuaded

-by her parents to remain over night.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think you’ll find him there,” suggested

-Tom, though in his heart he remembered that

-Ned had said it was too late to go to see Helen.

-Besides, he had had no positive engagement

-with her. “Call up the Mortons,” was Tom’s

-final suggestion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I will,” agreed Mr. Newton. “Thanks.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom had no sooner finished his breakfast, following

-the departure of Dr. Layton, than the extension

-telephone rang again, and once more Mr.

-Newton was on the line.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ned wasn’t at Helen’s,” the father of the

-mysteriously missing young man reported.

-“Oh, Tom, what do you think could have happened?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The young inventor was at a loss for an answer.

-Rapidly he reviewed the situation in his

-mind. Ned had left the laboratory, he was sure

-of that—or, wait a moment, was he? He had

-not seen Ned go out, but had taken it for granted

-that such had occurred. Then Tom had puzzled

-a bit over his latest invention before starting

-for his house. Then had come the explosion

-and——</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Perhaps Ned had not left the laboratory. He

-may have gone to one of the private rooms and

-turned in there. Tom kept two bedrooms in

-this building for the use of himself and his manager

-when they were working late at night and

-did not want to disturb the main household.

-That might be it. Ned might be asleep in the

-laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wait a few minutes, Mr. Newton,” Tom advised

-over the wire. “I have just thought of

-something. It is barely possible that Ned

-didn’t start for home after all last night. He

-isn’t at our house, but he may be in the laboratory.

-I’ll send out and have a search made.

-I’ll call you up in a few minutes.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All right, Tom. But what’s this I’ve heard

-about a fire at your place last night?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, there was a little blaze—it didn’t amount

-to anything,” was the reply. Tom said nothing

-about the explosion. He wanted to minimize

-the damage, and he believed what had been told

-him, that it really did not amount to much.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Koku,” he called to the giant, “you and Rad

-hurry out to my laboratory and look for Mr.

-Newton. He may be in one of the bedrooms,

-asleep.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Asleep, Tom, after that explosion?” exclaimed

-Mr. Swift incredulously.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The telephone receiver had been hung back

-on the hook, so Mr. Newton heard none of this

-talk.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It doesn’t seem possible,” Tom had to admit

-to his father; “but still I can’t account for

-Ned’s disappearance in any other way. He was

-dead tired and he may have slept through the

-fire and explosion. We’ll soon find out. I wish

-I could go and take a look for myself.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, you stay here!” his father ordered.

-“Obey the doctor’s advice. Koku and Rad will

-find Ned if he’s to be found.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The giant and negro came back soon, to report

-that there was no sign of Ned in the laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps he may have returned home by

-this time,” suggested Mr. Swift. “Better call

-up and find out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There is just a bare possibility—” said Tom

-musingly, as he reached for the ’phone, “there is

-just a bare chance that Ned took the midnight

-train for New York to get the selenium.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Took the midnight train to get selenium!”

-exclaimed Mr. Swift. “What do you mean?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I needed some more sensitive selenium

-for my—for my—new experiment,” Tom said,

-knowing his father would understand he was

-speaking of the talking-picture machine. “Ned

-knew about it and planned to go after it to-day.

-When he left me last night he may have decided

-suddenly to keep right on to New York. I think

-I’ll tell his father that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you really believe it, Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Dad, I don’t. But I don’t want Mr.

-Newton to give up hope until I can get on the

-job myself and help hunt for Ned. Even at

-that there is a bare chance he did go to New

-York. I’ll suggest that to his father.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mr. Newton received this ray of hope gratefully

-and Tom was glad he had thought of it,

-though he knew it was only a shadow. If Ned

-really had taken the midnight train, which was

-possible, there ought to come a message from

-him soon reporting on the selenium matter.

-Also, Ned, being a home-loving young man,

-would naturally be expected to send word to his

-family about his return.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It will only hold matters back for a short

-time at best,” said Tom to his father. “But

-I didn’t imagine my laboratory was burned

-enough to destroy the bedrooms. Do you think

-there is much more damage, Jackson?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not to your laboratory,” was the reassuring

-reply. “You see, after the explosion the flames

-shot up at the back before we knew it, and the

-draft sucked them in through the bedroom windows.

-So the upper part of the place was worse

-burned than the lower. But Ned Newton was

-not in there.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad of that,” Tom said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was beginning to feel the strain of what he

-had gone through, and he was glad when, a little

-later, Mary Nestor and her father motored

-over to see him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mr. Nestor had some time before taken a long

-trip North for his health, a trip that had greatly

-improved his condition.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Tom, what happened?” exclaimed Mary

-when she saw him in bed, all bandaged up.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’d like to know,” he answered,

-with a smile. “It was like a premature Fourth

-of July celebration.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you much hurt?” the girl faltered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Nothing more than shock and scratches,”

-Tom answered. “I’ll be up and around in another

-day.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>However, it was three days before Dr. Layton

-would allow Tom to get out of bed. Meanwhile

-nothing had been heard from Ned Newton. He

-had not gone to New York, that was evident, unless

-something had happened to him there, and

-he was not around Shopton, the town on Lake

-Carlopa where the Swifts’ large plant was

-located.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s mighty queer,” said the worried Mr.

-Newton, when Tom was forced to admit that his

-New York theory was useless. “Where could

-he be keeping himself?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I can’t imagine,” Tom said. He was much

-broken up over the disappearance of his chum.

-He knew Ned well enough to know that he was

-not staying away from choice, though Tom did

-not communicate his suspicions to Mr. Newton.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As soon as Tom was able, he went out to the

-laboratory. The scene of ruin on the lower floor

-was not so bad as he had feared, but the back

-and upper part of the laboratory was pretty well

-burned away. Then Tom had the improvised

-nailed-up door removed so he might enter the

-room where he had set up his talking-picture

-machine.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope it’s all right,” the young inventor

-murmured as he approached the apparatus.

-“They said it was, after the fire and explosion,

-but——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He gave a cry of dismay as he saw that,

-though the main part of the marvelous new machine

-was intact, the force of the explosion had

-wrecked the delicate mechanism that he depended

-on to prevent any but authorized owners

-of the apparatus from using it. Tom’s secret

-invention was badly damaged. In addition, all

-the new radio tubes, of a kind never before used,

-had been shattered by the blast.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This sure is tough luck!” murmured Tom

-Swift. “This knocks me out! The fire wasn’t

-so bad, but the explosion—whew! This certainly

-is tough! But I’ll work double time and

-soon have it in shape again, and better than

-ever. Luckily, I have duplicate parts of that

-secret check apparatus, and I can get new tubes,

-though it will take time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’d better go slow, Tom,” advised his

-father, who had come into the partly wrecked

-private room with his son. “First thing you

-know, you’ll blow yourself to pieces with these

-experiments of yours.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It was no experiment of mine, Dad, that

-caused the explosion here!” said Tom decidedly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It wasn’t?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No. All my wires were in good shape. It

-was some outside force that did the damage. I

-believe some one planted an infernal machine in

-here, Dad!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You do, Tom? Whom do you suspect?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I—I hardly know what to say,” was the slow

-answer. “But I have one man in mind.

-Where’s Clark?” he asked suddenly, naming a

-young workman who was much in Tom’s confidence.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll send him to you,” Mr. Swift offered.

-“What’s the matter, Tom? What are you going

-to have Clark do?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Some detective work,” was the low answer.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</h2>

-<h3>A STRANGE MESSAGE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> sank wearily into a chair, facing

-his damaged talking-picture machine. That it

-was very seriously damaged was plainer to the

-eyes of the young inventor than to those even of

-his father, who was one of three persons aware

-of what great changes the new machine was

-destined to bring about. But Tom rallied and

-from the ruins of his invention saw mentally,

-rising like the fabled Phoenix from its own ashes,

-a new and better piece of apparatus.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe, after all,” mused Tom, “this will

-turn out better than it looked at first sight. I already

-have an idea for some improvements in

-the new machine I’m going to start—as soon as

-I’m able,” he added somewhat grimly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tom, you’d better go back to bed!” exclaimed

-his father anxiously. “You know Dr.

-Layton said——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m all right!” protested the young inventor.

-“I’m going slow. I do feel a bit pulled

-out, but I don’t intend to do any work. However,

-I’m on the track of something, and it’s got

-to be followed up.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then you think this was deliberately done,

-Tom?” asked Mr. Swift as he finished sending a

-message to have Jim Clark sent to Tom’s private

-quarters.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m almost positive of it,” was the reply.

-“And I have under suspicion a certain man.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Who?” asked Mr. Swift in a low voice, making

-sure no one was near the shattered door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum,” was the equally low answer.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why, I thought he was one of your best

-workers, Tom!” exclaimed Mr. Swift in surprise.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So he is, in his own particular line. But now

-that I think matters over, I see that there is a

-chance he had something to do with this explosion.

-He was here in the laboratory just before

-it happened. He and I and Ned Newton

-were the only ones here, as a matter of fact.

-Ned has disappeared, and that’s worrying me,

-but I’ll come to that feature in due time. I

-guess Ned can look after himself, though his disappearance

-is certainly mysterious, coupled with

-everything else that’s happened. But when I

-stop to think about Greenbaum being here just

-before the explosion——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But, Tom,” interrupted his father, “I

-thought you said Greenbaum went before you

-locked up and came home.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Apparently he did. But he may have come

-back. That’s what I want Clark to do—a bit

-of detective work to find out if Greenbaum went

-to his boarding house and stayed there. If he

-did——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The entrance, at that moment, of the young

-workman in whom Tom placed much confidence

-brought a sudden end to the talk.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You sent for me, Mr. Swift?” asked Clark,

-with a smile. “Is it about the new negative

-gravity machine I’m working on?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not this time, Clark,” answered Tom, motioning

-the young fellow to take a chair near

-the scorched desk which was not far from the

-shattered talking-picture machine. That apparatus

-had, however, been covered from prying

-eyes. “I want you to do a bit of detective

-work, if you will,” went on the young inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Without telling just why he wanted the information,

-Tom instructed his agent to find out in

-secret something about Greenbaum, seeking to

-learn just what the man did on the night of the

-explosion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I get you!” exclaimed Clark, with ready wit.

-“I’m wise all right. I’ll shadow him if you want

-me to.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, don’t dog him,” objected Tom. “Just

-trace his movements. You can tell your foreman

-you’re working for me and it will be all

-right.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>With Clark dispatched on this mission, Tom

-took from the partial wreck of his new apparatus

-such pieces as were vital for rebuilding it

-and then, asking his father to have the laboratory

-cleaned up and put in working shape again,

-Tom went back to his bedroom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Truth to tell, he was pretty well fagged out,

-not so much physically as mentally. The shock

-both to his hopes and his body, as well as worry

-over Ned’s disappearance, was beginning to tell.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hadn’t you better give this up, Tom?” asked

-his father as, having set men to putting the laboratory

-to rights, he went to his son’s room

-where he found Tom stretched out on a long

-sofa.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Give what up, Dad? You mean trying to

-find out who blew me up and why Ned is missing?

-Give those problems up?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I mean work on this new talking-picture

-machine of yours. I don’t believe it will ever

-work, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But it has worked, Dad!” exclaimed the

-young man, with enthusiasm. “Only about an

-hour before Ned left and the explosion happened,

-I got a pretty fine record of what Ned did in the

-theater room,” for so Tom called the apartment

-with its battery of bright lights where the young

-manager had sung and danced.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You heard Ned’s voice?” asked Mr. Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Perfectly,” declared Tom. “Saw him, too.

-But the vision was not as clear as it’s got to be

-to make this a commercial success. But I know

-how to improve it, and I’m going to. I can’t

-give that up, Dad!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It might be better if you did, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Better? How?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, for your own safety. You’re using

-powerful electrical currents and you’ve had one

-explosion already; so——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But didn’t I tell you, Dad,” and Tom smiled

-tolerantly, “that this explosion was none of my

-doing? Nothing went wrong with the wires.

-They were all in shape and I was just opening

-the door when something went off. It was something

-that was set, too—a bomb, if I guess

-aright.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All the more reason for giving it up, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean, Dad?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I mean that perhaps some one, or perhaps

-a number of persons, don’t want this new invention

-to succeed. Think what it will mean to

-the moving picture industry if you can give

-people in their own homes entertainment such

-as the big theaters present. And where will the

-theaters come out if their high-priced shows can

-be picked up by every one who buys one of your

-machines?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s their lookout,” said Tom. “It was

-said that the radio would kill the phonograph;

-and it nearly did, but the phonograph folks

-came back strong.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This is different, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know it is—different and better. No,

-I’m not going to back out, bombs or no bombs!

-Besides, Dad, you must realize that we are in

-this thing pretty deep.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Deep, Tom? What do you mean?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I mean we have a large amount of money

-tied up in this thing—more than I like to think

-about. I’ve just got to come through with it

-to break even.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom, I suppose you know best,” said

-the aged inventor, with rather a weary smile.

-“But be careful of yourself.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>When Mrs. Baggert had put new bandages on

-some of Tom’s burns and he had taken a little

-rest, he called up Ned’s home, only to learn that

-no word had come from him. His parents were

-greatly worried, for Ned was not selfish and

-was not the kind of young man to remain long

-away from home without sending word.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He may have decided to take a little unannounced

-vacation,” Tom told Mr. Newton, “and

-have gone to the country. He may have sent

-word and the letter or the message has failed to

-arrive. Shall I notify the police?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, not yet,” decided Mr. Newton. “Ned

-may be all right and he’d hate any police notoriety.

-We’ll wait a few days.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The few days that followed were anxious ones,

-not only for Ned’s parents, but also for Tom

-Swift. He had a double worry, divided between

-the disappearance of his trusted chum and manager

-and concern over the wreck of his new apparatus.

-The latter worry was more easily disposed

-of, however, though it meant hard work

-and delay.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom set some of his most trusted men at the

-labor of reconstructing the new apparatus, but

-in such a way that the secret could not be come

-at. Only certain unimportant parts were given

-out, and Tom and his father would make the

-more vital sections.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Since Tom already had on the market a telephoto

-machine and had also made several varieties

-of moving picture projectors, it was not a

-hard matter to let it casually be known that the

-new apparatus was an attempt to improve either

-or both of the old inventions. Thus was gossip

-stilled about the big Swift plant.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom, however, did not know what to think

-about Greenbaum. The day after the explosion

-the man was lamenting loudly that some of

-his own experimental apparatus, which he was

-working on for the Swift firm, had been destroyed

-in the fire and blast.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And,” said Tom, telling his father about it,

-“since I have promised him a large bonus if he

-works out that magnetic gear shift, it doesn’t

-seem reasonable that he would set a bomb that

-might destroy the results of his own hard

-work.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, it doesn’t.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And yet I can’t help suspecting him,” mused

-the young inventor. “He is as friendly as ever,

-and seems anxious to help me. But there is

-something furtive in his manner and in his

-looks.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did Clark find out anything?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Only that Greenbaum went straight to his

-boarding place from here and did not go out

-again that night. He was at home when the

-explosion took place.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then that clears him, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Dad, it doesn’t. He could easily have

-planted a time bomb or rigged one up that was

-operated when I opened the door. I shall still

-suspect him. But I’ve got something else to

-do now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What is that?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I want to see how Jackson is coming on with

-the new radio tubes he is making for the talking-picture

-machine and I’ve got to do something

-about Ned. His unexplained absence for so

-long a time is getting serious now. It doesn’t

-seem possible that he is remaining away voluntarily

-without sending some word.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, it doesn’t. What do you think?”

-and Mr. Swift looked up from his work. He was

-making some delicate tests with a galvanometer

-in the laboratory, which had been cleaned out

-and temporarily fitted up to be used again.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m thinking, Dad, that perhaps Ned, in

-some way, was concerned with the fire and explosion.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tom! You don’t mean that Ned——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, of course I don’t mean that he set it,

-Dad!” and Tom laughed at his father’s shocked

-face. “I mean that the same rascals who tried

-to blow me up kidnapped Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Kidnapped a young man like Ned Newton!

-A strong, husky chap——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They may have caught him napping,” said

-Tom. “Anyhow, I’ve got to do something.

-Ned’s folks are much worried.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t you go to the police?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think a private detective would be better.

-Or, best of all, I’ll get Clark and set out on the

-trail myself. I’ve got things begun on the rebuilding

-of my new machine now, and I’ve really

-got to do something about Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I agree with you, Tom. I was just wondering——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>What he wondered Mr. Swift never stated, as

-at that moment a voice was heard out in the corridor,

-saying:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my storage battery, you needn’t show

-me the way in, Eradicate! I guess I can find

-Tom Swift, or what’s left of him! My! My!

-It must have been terrible! Bless my stick of

-dynamite! So they tried to blow Tom up!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s Mr. Damon!” said Mr. Swift, smiling at

-his son.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No need for him to send in a card!” chuckled

-the young inventor. “His voice and talk give

-him away. Come in, Mr. Damon!” he called,

-and the door opened to give entrance to the eccentric,

-kindly old gentleman who, indirectly,

-had been the means of Tom’s starting on his

-great inventive career.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my handkerchief, Tom!” exclaimed

-Mr. Damon, vigorously mopping his face with

-the linen article in question, while he held out

-one hand to the young inventor. “What’s all

-this I hear about you? I just got back from a

-Western trip and my wife tells me you were

-blown sky high, that your plant was demolished,

-and that the whole business is in ruins. Bless

-my insurance policies! Whew!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not quite so bad as that,” Tom answered,

-with a laugh.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But something happened, bless my thermometer

-if it didn’t!” declared Mr. Damon,

-pointing to a bandage on Tom’s left hand.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, there was an accident,” and in a few

-words Tom told what had happened, without,

-however, making mention of the new machine,

-which was too deep a secret as yet for even so

-close a friend as the eccentric man to share.

-“But it might have been worse,” concluded the

-young man. “And, as a matter of fact, that

-isn’t the worst that’s happened.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom? What else? Bless my spectacles!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ned Newton has mysteriously vanished,”

-said Tom, with a serious face, and he told as

-much as he knew about the strange occurrence.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s terrible!” declared Mr. Damon. “It’s

-the worst outrage I ever heard of! But I came

-back just in time, Tom Swift.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Time for what?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“To help you hunt for Ned! Now, don’t

-stop me! I’m going to do it. I’ll devote all

-my time and half my fortune to finding my

-young friend and your chum. Tell me more

-about it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ve told you all I know, which isn’t much,”

-Tom answered. “But suppose we go to the

-house. I’m about through here,” and he looked

-around the laboratory, asking his father to close

-and lock it when he left. “We’ll go over to the

-house, Mr. Damon.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I want to pay my respects to Mrs. Baggert.

-But I can’t get over your accident and

-the kidnapping of Ned. Why, bless my——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But Mr. Damon had no time to complete his

-pet phrase, for half way up the path to the

-house Tom and his friend saw an old man coming

-toward them, ragged and unkempt—a veritable

-tramp. He held in his outstretched hand

-a dirty piece of paper.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is this Mr. Tom Swift?” asked the ragged

-man, looking at Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I am,” answered the owner of the name.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then I have a strange message for you,”

-went on the tramp in whining tones. “And if

-you see fit to reward me for bringing it, I’d be

-glad, for I’m a poor old codger and I’m

-hungry——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift hastily took the dirty piece of

-paper and uttered an exclamation of surprise as

-he read what was scrawled on it.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</h2>

-<h3>ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> the matter, Tom?” asked Mr. Damon,

-for he could not fail to note the agitation

-of the young inventor on reading the strange

-message brought by so strange a messenger.

-“Bless my favorite detective story, but you act

-as though you had news!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope it proves to be good news and true

-news,” said Tom, looking sharply at the whining

-old man. “Read that, Mr. Damon!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom thrust the dirty piece of paper into the

-extended hand of the eccentric man. Slowly,

-for the writing was not very clear, Mr. Damon

-read:</p>

-

-<div class='blockquote'>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Take this to Tom Swift and receive ten dollars.

-Help. Am prisoner at Smith place.

-Brick house—flat roof—three cherry trees—old

-stone well. Ned Newton.”</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why—why—” faltered Mr. Damon, turning

-the paper over, “it’s from—from Ned Newton,

-who’s missing. It’s from him!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It <i>purports</i> to be,” said Tom in a low voice,

-looking at the old man who was rubbing with a

-lean hand a chin very much in need of the good

-offices of a razor. “But it may be a hoax.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is it Ned’s writing?” asked Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Let me look at it again,” suggested the young

-inventor. “I was so surprised by the import of

-the message that I didn’t pay much attention to

-the handwriting.” He scrutinized it closely and

-said in a low voice to his odd friend: “It’s

-Ned’s scribbling all right. No one else makes

-a capital N just like Ned. Where did you get

-this?” he asked the old man sharply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In a field, boss. I picked it up and I made

-out to read it. I saw your name on it and I

-made some inquiries and folks directed me

-here. It’s been a long walk, and I’m tired and

-hungry and——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll see that you don’t lose anything by

-what you did if this turns out to be no fake,”

-said Tom, still a bit sternly. “It will be worth

-a good deal more than ten dollars to you if

-this leads to the finding of my helper. Now tell

-me straight, where did you get this?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In the field, boss, I told you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What field?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“About five miles from here, over Cherry Valley

-way. I’m on the tramp—there’s no use lying

-to you—I’m a sort of a bum, but it ain’t all

-my fault. I work at helping on a farm when

-I can, but there’s been so much rain lately I

-couldn’t get much to do.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He’s right there—it has rained a lot,” said

-Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sure it has, boss. I’ve been tramping around

-and I was cooking a little meal in a field over

-Cherry Valley way when I picked up this paper.

-I can read—I went to school once,” he said,

-with a flash of pride, but it was only a brief flash.

-“I read what it said and I asked my way here.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How did the paper get in the field?” asked

-Tom. “Did it blow there?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, boss, it come down on a kite.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“On a <i>kite</i>?” cried Mr. Damon. “Bless my

-phonograph, but he’s hoaxing you, Tom! Pay

-no attention to him. It’s all a trick to get

-money out of you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But the old man did not appear to be one who

-would play a joke, and his face was grave as he

-made the surprising statement about the kite.

-Also there was about him a pathetic, hungry,

-hoping look as he glanced at Tom Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You say this message came down in a field

-on a <i>kite</i>?” asked Tom, and his voice though at

-first stern, was now kinder, for he felt sorry for

-the old codger.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, boss, in a field where I was roasting

-some ears of corn a farmer said I could have.

-They was almost roasted when down out of the

-air swooped this kite. First I thought some

-boys must ’a’ been playing around there and it

-got away from them. But I didn’t see no boys.

-Then I picked up the kite and this message was

-on it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean this message was tied to the tail

-or to the string of the kite itself?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, it wasn’t tied on. It was part of the

-kite—part of the paper the kite was made of.

-There wasn’t no string to speak of. Looked

-to me like the kite broke away. This message

-was writ right on the paper of the kite. It was

-partly tore off so I finished ripping it loose, and

-put it in my pocket.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Where’s the remainder of the kite?” asked

-Tom. He was going to prove this strange tale

-to the very bottom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Here ’tis.” The shuffling old tramp drew

-from a pocket of his ragged coat a tangled mass

-of broken sticks, brown paper and string.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom took the tattered stuff and smoothed it

-out. Slowly he assembled it into a small kite

-of the kind that needs no tail to be sent up, a

-curve of the cross stick and the consequent bellying

-of the loose paper serving to hold the wind

-against the kite’s surface. From the center of

-the kite a piece of the paper had been torn.

-This piece was represented by the fragment containing

-the message appealing for help. Tom

-fitted it in and proved that this part of the old

-tramp’s tale was true.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It looks as if there might be something in it,

-Tom,” said Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes. But whether this will help us find Ned

-or not is another question. You say this kite

-was blown to where you were in the field?” Tom

-asked the old fellow.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, boss. It come down right near my

-fire.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“From which direction?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The tramp considered for a moment and answered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Right from the south.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom knew that the prevailing winds at this

-time of year in the vicinity of Shopton, where

-he lived, were from the south. So far the

-tramp had not tripped himself up.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you make of it, Tom?” asked the

-eccentric man as he began an examination of

-the remains of the kite.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what to think,” was the reply.

-“This is most certainly from Ned, and he seems

-to be a prisoner on the ‘Smith place,’ wherever

-that is.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe I can help you out there,” broke in

-the tramp. “I asked some questions before I

-started off to locate you, and I heard that about

-a mile from Cherry Valley is an abandoned

-farm known as the Smith place.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good!” cried Tom. “I’m beginning to believe

-you, my man. If this works out it will be

-the best day’s work you’ve done for a long

-time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But, Tom!” objected Mr. Damon who, in

-spite of his eccentricities was hard-headed when

-it came to business. “Assuming, Tom, that Ned

-is a prisoner on the Smith place, how could he

-fly this kite to ask for help? Maybe this man

-is just making up that part of the story. He

-may be one of those who helped kidnap Ned and

-have brought this message from the captors.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, boss, honest to goodness I don’t know

-nothin’ about no kidnappin’!” cried the tramp,

-with vehement earnestness. “It was just as I

-told you—I picked that kite up in the field at

-Cherry Valley.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It may have happened as this man says,”

-Tom said to Mr. Damon. “If Ned is a prisoner

-in some old farmhouse, he may be confined in

-an upper room. From there he could loose this

-kite and, on a windy day, it might be blown

-several miles.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But how could he make a kite and fly it

-without being seen?” asked Mr. Damon. “And,

-when it comes to that, how could he make a

-kite, anyhow, if he’s a prisoner?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It wasn’t much of a trick to make this kite,”

-replied Tom as he examined the remains of it

-again. “It’s made of a section torn from a

-paper bag, with sticks whittled off a window

-casing, I should say. Ned could do the whittling

-with his knife—he always carries one.

-Probably they brought him food in a paper

-bag, tied with a string. This looks like grocery

-store string,” he added, pulling out some strands

-from the tangled mess of sticks and paper.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I see, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, having decided to the best of our

-knowledge that this message really comes from

-Ned and that he is a prisoner at the Smith

-place, the next thing to do is to rescue him.

-Will you come with us and show us just where

-you picked up this message kite?” he asked the

-old tramp.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sure I will, boss, but I’m——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I know! You’re tired and hungry!” interrupted

-the young inventor. “I’ll see that you

-get a rest and some food, and you’ll be paid

-well. We can’t start at once—a few preparations

-are necessary. We’ve got to organize a

-searching party and hit the trail after Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And I’m going with you!” cried Mr. Damon.

-“No, not a word—don’t forbid me!” he begged

-as he saw Tom hesitate. “I’m going!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“As you think best,” Tom Swift agreed.

-“But we’ll have to do considerable before we can

-get ready. I think I’ll take Koku along,” he

-said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good idea!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He’ll

-be a match for any four men that may be holding

-Ned a prisoner. But why did they capture

-him, Tom? Answer me that!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I wish I could,” was the musing answer.

-“I don’t know what to think. I’m afraid there’s

-a deeper plot in all this than I had any idea of

-at first. Starting with the attempt to blow

-me up, then Ned’s disappearance—I’m afraid

-it means that some one objects, very strongly,

-to my perfecting—well, what I am perfecting,”

-Tom concluded, not wishing to name his latest

-invention.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, let’s get going!” begged Mr. Damon,

-with the eagerness and enthusiasm of a boy.

-“Now don’t you run away!” he playfully ordered

-the old tramp.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not much chance of that, boss. I’m too

-weak hardly to walk, let alone running.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll soon fix you up,” declared Tom, “in

-the way of food, anyhow. And you won’t need

-to walk. We’ll go in my electric runabout to

-the Smith place and get Ned out of the hands

-of these scoundrels.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In spite of Tom’s haste in making preparations,

-it was not until the next morning that he

-was able to take the mysterious trail that he

-hoped would lead to his kidnapped chum. In

-the first place, the old tramp was really so weak

-from lack of food and from his long walk that

-Dr. Layton said it would not be wise to start

-out with him as a guide until he had had a

-night’s rest and plenty of nourishing food.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then a slight accident occurred in one of the

-shops and Tom had to straighten that out. It

-was not serious, however. So, early the morning

-following the receipt of the kite message,

-Tom, with Mr. Damon, Koku and Bill Tagg, as

-the tramp called himself, started off in the speedy

-electric runabout for Cherry Valley.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Just as they were about to leave, Jacob

-Greenbaum came hurrying out of the private

-laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you going away, Mr. Swift?” the man

-asked.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” Tom answered, though he gave no further

-particulars. The attempt to rescue Ned

-was being kept secret. No information was

-given out concerning the identity of the strange

-tramp, Bill Tagg, and, aside from a private

-message conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Newton that

-Ned had been heard from, nothing was said

-about the strange clue. “Yes, Greenbaum, I

-am going away for a little trip. Is there anything

-you wanted to see me about?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Swift, there is. I’ve reached a

-critical point in this magnetic gear shift model

-and if you could come in my room——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a strange look in the man’s eyes—a

-look Tom Swift did not like. The man seemed

-unduly eager to get Tom out of the auto and

-back into the laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t time, Greenbaum,” the young inventor

-said. “I’ll see you when I get back.

-That gear shift will keep.” With that Tom

-turned on the current and the runabout speeded

-down the drive. A look back over his shoulder

-showed the man still standing there, with that

-same eager, tense look on his face.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think,” said Tom to himself, “that my suspicions

-of you will soon be justified, Greenbaum.

-But just now I’m on the trail of Ned

-Newton!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The motors hummed more shrilly as the runabout

-gathered speed.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</h2>

-<h3>TOO LATE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“This</span> is a pretty slick little car, boss,” said

-Tagg when they had passed the confines of

-Shopton and were heading out into the country.

-“She sure can go! Beats old Shanks’ mare,”

-and he looked down at his legs which had carried

-him to Tom’s home with the mysterious

-message.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The tramp had been provided with some decent

-clothes, he had taken a bath and shaved,

-and was quite a different looking man from the

-one who first encountered Mr. Damon and Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” admitted the young inventor as he

-listened to the hum of the small but powerful

-motors as they received their impulses from the

-storage battery Tom had evolved. “At one

-time this was the speediest car on the road, but

-I have some now that can beat this.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And they aren’t in it with some of the airships

-Mr. Swift has,” remarked Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I want to do before I die, boss,”

-murmured the tramp. “I want to ride in an airship.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, if we rescue my friend through your

-help, I’ll see that you have your wish,” promised

-the head of the Swift plant. “It’s easily

-done.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Gee, boss, but I sure would love that!” murmured

-Bill Tagg.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Airship—him lots good!” grunted Koku,

-who sat stolidly on the rear seat with the tramp,

-listening to the talk. Koku was not much given

-to conversation, but when it came to fighting

-he was as wide awake and as lively as heart

-could wish. Tom had brought the giant along

-in case there should be a fight, which seemed

-likely. Men who go to the length of kidnapping

-seldom stop there in their desperate ventures.

-“Lots good—airships!” rumbled Koku in his

-deep voice.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You ought to know. You came from your

-country of giants in one,” chuckled Mr. Damon,

-for he well remembered that exciting trip, the

-details of which will be found set down in another

-volume.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom knew the road to Cherry Valley, and it

-did not take long, in his speedy car, to arrive in

-the vicinity. The entrance to the valley led up

-a long hill, and the car was half way over this

-rather stiff climb when there was a sudden

-grinding noise from the machinery and the runabout

-stopped.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Something wrong!” cried Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sounds that way,” admitted Tom as he made

-a quick turn and let the car back slowly down

-against a tree at the side of the road where it

-was held safely from rolling farther in case the

-brakes did not hold. In an instant the young

-inventor was out and peering into the interior

-of his runabout.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Dirty work here!” he exclaimed as he pulled

-out a twisted piece of metal. “See what was in

-the gears!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What?” asked Mr. Damon, who did not

-know much about machinery, as you can guess

-when you read how he managed the first motorcycle

-he bought. “What is it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A screw driver!” exclaimed Tom. “It was

-put in here, suspended on a piece of rope in

-such a manner that the rope would gradually

-wear through, letting the screw driver drop into

-the gears. And that’s just what happened!

-One set of gears is chewed to nothing!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s bad!” said Mr. Damon. His scant

-knowledge of machinery was sufficient for him

-to understand that something vitally wrong had

-happened to the car, even if the serious look on

-Tom’s face had not informed him of the same

-fact. “How did it happen?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It didn’t happen—it was caused!” was the

-answer. “Some one, just before we started out,

-suspended this screw driver in the gear box

-knowing that after we had run a few miles the

-rope would wear through and the thing would

-drop. Dirty work!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You seem to be getting a lot of bad breaks

-lately, Tom,” said the odd man. “Who do you

-suppose did this?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s the same man I suspect of other

-things,” was the reply. “I’m going to find out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are we stuck, Tom? Can’t we go on and

-rescue Ned?” Mr. Damon inquired.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, we can go on, but we can’t make

-much speed. I’ll have to run in third. Fourth

-and fifth gears are all chewed up.” It was because

-of its five selective speeds that the electric

-runabout was such a wonderful machine.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Whoever did this made a little mistake,”

-chuckled Tom, for he had a saving sense of

-humor. “If they’d fixed it so the screw driver

-dropped into the lower gears we never could have

-started again once we stopped. As it is, we can

-go on, but we can’t make speed.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It did not take him long to cut out the two

-higher gearing mechanism attachments, and then

-the runabout proceeded again. Even at the

-lowered rate its speed was better than that of

-many gasoline automobiles. And in due time

-the head of the slope was reached. Before the

-searchers lay Cherry Valley which, they hoped,

-contained the Smith place and the captive Ned

-Newton.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now, Tagg, show us the field where you saw

-the kite come down,” requested Tom when they

-were driving along a level road.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s about a mile farther on,” the tramp said,

-looking about for landmarks. “Yes, just about

-a mile.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This distance was soon covered, and when the

-car was stopped Tagg led the way into the field

-and showed where he had built a fire to roast

-ears of corn. The blackened ashes and the remains

-of his feast proved that, so far, he had

-spoken the truth. Then he showed just where

-he had picked up the broken kite, and some

-fragments of the brown-bag paper which bore

-Ned’s message were found among the hills of

-corn.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It looks as if we were on the right track,”

-said Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” murmured Tom. “Now to locate

-the Smith place.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s south of here, about a mile and a half,”

-said the tramp. “ ’Tisn’t a very good road,

-though.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That won’t keep us back,” declared Tom, and

-once more they were on the way. The runabout

-was doing fairly well in spite of the handicap

-of two stripped gears.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Cherry Valley was rather a sparsely settled

-part of the country and as Tom and his friends

-advanced they noticed that it grew more and

-more deserted. They passed one ramshackle

-farmhouse and learned, on inquiry, that they

-were headed right for the old Smith homestead.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But they don’t nobody live there now, mister,”

-said a slattern of a woman who shuffled to

-the door in response to Tom’s knock. “They

-ain’t been nobody livin’ in the Smith place nigh

-onto four years now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s all right—we’ll find it I guess,” responded

-the young inventor, and once more he

-drove his electric car onward.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Near the end of the valley and adjoining a

-patch of dense woods, they came upon the Smith

-house. It had once been the home of a prosperous

-farmer, but he had fallen upon evil days

-and the place had long been deserted.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s it!” cried Mr. Damon, catching sight

-of the old brick house. “There it is, three

-cherry trees, old stone well, and everything just

-as Ned described it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hush, please! Not so loud!” begged Tom,

-slowing up his car and guiding it behind a clump

-of trees not far from the house. “If we’re going

-to make a rescue it might be well to take

-these kidnappers by surprise.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my ear trumpet, I never thought of

-that!” whispered the odd man. “Of course!

-Certainly! Yes! Quiet does it!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Can you use a gun?” asked Tom curtly of

-the tramp.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, boss, I’m not a very good shot,

-but——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t believe there’ll be any need of shooting,”

-interrupted Tom, “but there’s no use taking

-any chances. Here,” and he handed the

-tramp an automatic pistol, reserving one for himself

-and giving Mr. Damon another. “We may

-have an easy time and we may have a hard one,”

-said Tom. “But, whatever it is, I’m going to

-rescue Ned!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Doesn’t Koku want a gun?” asked the tramp,

-noting that the giant carried no weapon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Me no shoot. Me scrunch um in my hands

-me catch!” muttered the giant, opening and

-closing his immense fists. It was answer

-enough.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll approach from four sides at once,” decided

-Tom as they began to creep cautiously

-toward the old farmhouse. “Separate now.

-You to the east, Mr. Damon; you west, Tagg;

-you south, Koku; and I’ll take the north side.

-When I whistle we’ll rush the place.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Correct!” said Mr. Damon in a low voice.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Waiting until he was sure they were in their

-places, Tom looked toward the old house. It

-seemed deserted, quiet and lonely. But from

-behind the sagging shutters of the grimy and

-broken windows evil eyes might be peering out.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom gave a low whistle. On his left he could

-hear Mr. Damon beginning to run forward and

-on his right he caught the sound of the advance

-of Tagg. Then Tom began to run, and

-beyond the house he caught a glimpse of the

-giant lurching forward.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Together the four searchers reached the four

-sides of the old house, but still there was no sign

-of life. The front door was on Tom’s side and,

-his weapon ready, he ran up the steps. He

-tried the door. To his surprise, it gave and he

-pushed it open. At the same time he heard

-Koku crash through the open door on the south.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This way!” cried Tom to Mr. Damon and

-the tramp. “Rush ’em!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>An instant later they were in the house.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Surrender!” yelled Tom, though he saw no

-one. “You’re surrounded! Surrender!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Still no reply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A hurried search of the first floor revealed no

-one. A look through the second floor was likewise

-unsuccessful. The attic revealed not a

-soul and the cellar was tenantless.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’re too late!” exclaimed Tom Swift.

-“They’ve gone! But they have been here!” he

-declared, pointing into a room with iron bars

-over the only window. “They’ve been here and

-I believe Ned was a prisoner here. Yes, he

-was!” he cried, picking something up in a corner.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How do you know Ned was here?” asked

-Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This is his stickpin,” Tom replied, showing

-a scarf ornament of silver and jade. “Ned’s

-been here all right. But they have taken him

-away. We’re too late!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s to be done now?” asked Tagg.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Follow them!” cried Tom. “We’ve got to

-get Ned back. Let’s have another look around.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They looked, but found little to aid them in

-their search.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They haven’t been gone long!” cried Tom,

-as they came out of the kitchen.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How do you know?” asked Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The stove is still warm,” was the answer.

-“Come on! We’ve got to trail them and get

-Ned!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</h2>

-<h3>A WILD CHASE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> was the first of the four searchers

-to rush out of the old brick farmhouse, ready

-to take up the trail once more in the search.

-Mr. Damon followed, then came Bill Tagg, and

-lastly the big, lumbering Koku.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Me find nobody can smash,” the giant complained

-as he clenched his immense fists. “Master

-say maybe I fight. No fight?” and he looked

-at Tom questioningly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There may be a fight yet, if we can catch

-them,” said the young inventor, pausing a moment

-in the front to look back at the house.

-“They’ve given us the slip. If it hadn’t been

-for the accident to my electric runabout we’d

-have been here sooner and we’d have caught

-them.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” agreed Mr. Damon. “It looks, Tom,

-as if the somebody who tried to wreck your machine

-had an interest in preventing your getting

-here sooner. They, whoever it was, wanted

-to delay you so word could be sent here to get

-Ned out of the way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s very probable,” admitted the young

-inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Again he looked up at the window of what had

-been his chum’s prison room, and Tom tried to

-picture how Ned, in his desperation, had secretly

-constructed the kite of wrapping paper,

-whittled sticks and string. Then the young

-manager had waited until a stiff wind was blowing

-and had loosed the silent messenger into the

-air.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The electric runabout was in the road a short

-distance away from the deserted farmhouse.

-Tom wished he had time to repair it so the machine

-would show some of the former speed, but

-this was out of the question. They would have

-to go along as best they could.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The vicinity of the farmhouse was lonesome

-and no other building was in view save a tumbledown

-barn. Tom, therefore, and his companions

-were rather surprised when, on coming out

-of the yard, they saw a ragged boy in the road

-walking around the runabout and admiring it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hello!” called Tom genially. “Do you live

-near here?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Just down the road a piece.” The boy dug

-his dirty, bare toes into the soft dust of the

-road.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Know anybody who lives in here?” went

-on the young inventor, seeing a possible chance

-to get some information.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t nobody live here,” the boy replied.

-“But there’s been some men in here the last few

-days, only they’re gone now. They went away

-a little while ago in an auto, but it was bigger’n

-what yours is.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so some men went away from here a little

-while ago in a big auto, did they?” asked Tom.

-“We’re on the track!” he whispered to Mr. Damon.

-Then to the boy again: “What kind of

-men were they and how many of them were

-there?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They was just men,” the boy replied. “Men

-like you,” and he comprised the four in a roving

-glance. “But they wasn’t dressed so good as

-what you are—you three I mean,” and he indicated

-Tom, Mr. Damon and Koku. He seemed

-to omit Tagg, and a moment later the reason

-was obvious. For the boy added: “They was

-dressed more like what he is,” and he pointed directly

-at the tramp. In spite of the fact that

-Bill Tagg had been freshened up considerably

-since he shuffled to Tom with Ned’s message,

-there was still an air of vagrancy about the

-wanderer. It stuck out all over him. He did

-not seem to mind being made use of for this not

-very flattering comparison.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How many men were there?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Three well ones and a sick one,” the boy answered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A sick man!” exclaimed Mr. Damon.

-“What do you mean?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, his head was tied up in rags and the

-other men carried him out on a cot. He didn’t

-say nothin’, the sick man didn’t.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That was Ned!” murmured Mr. Damon.

-“Bless my doctor’s bill, Tom, but do you think

-they’ve done for poor Ned?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I don’t think so,” was the reply. “I

-think they gagged Ned so he couldn’t call for

-help, and they probably bound him with rope.

-Naturally he couldn’t walk, and they had to

-carry him out. So he would appear to be a sick

-person. Well, we know how many we have to

-fight—three men,” he concluded. “Can you tell

-me anything more about the men who were here,

-son?” asked Tom, tossing the boy a quarter

-which the lad picked up in his toes after it had

-fallen in the dust near him. “Did you see them

-often?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I sneaked down here pretty near every day

-after they come to this old house,” the boy answered.

-“They didn’t see me, ’cause I hid in

-the bushes. But they was funny men.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How do you mean—funny?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They used to fly kites out of the window—anyhow,

-one of ’em did. But I couldn’t see him

-plain, ’cause there’s iron bars over that window—up

-there,” and he pointed to the casement of

-the room where Tom had found Ned’s stick pin.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So one of the men flew kites out of that window,

-did he?” encouraged Tom. “What happened

-to them?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Most of ’em fell in the weeds,” the boy

-said. “They wasn’t very good kites—just made

-of old, brown-bag paper. I can make better

-kites ’n them. They was made of old sticks. I

-picked some of ’em up, but they wasn’t any

-good. One flew a long way off, though. I

-couldn’t find that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I can see just what happened,” Tom spoke

-in a low voice to Mr. Damon. “Poor Ned tried

-two or three kite messengers before he finally

-got one into a stiff breeze that carried it to

-Cherry Valley. But we are losing valuable

-time. Which way did the three well men take

-the sick man in their big auto?” Tom asked

-the barefooted lad.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Down there,” and he pointed to the western

-road.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Where does that lead to?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Lake Carlopa, ’bout ten miles farther on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Lake Carlopa!” cried Tom. “That’s where

-they’re heading for. Come on! We may catch

-them yet!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tossing the lad another quarter, Tom led his

-friends toward his car and they were soon off

-again on the wild chase. They had a definite

-object now, for the lad had given them such a

-description of the other auto as to make it easy

-for them to inquire about it along the way.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Their inquiries were fruitful to the extent that

-at several garages and hot-dog stands along the

-highway the pursuers learned that the machine

-in question, containing three men and one who

-appeared to be ill or injured had passed not long

-before.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’re catching up to them!” Tom exulted,

-when they had covered half the distance to Lake

-Carlopa. This was evident by the information

-given at different garages. Whereas at first the

-fleeing car had been half an hour ahead, it was

-now but ten minutes. “We’ll get them!” cried

-the young inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Though Tom got every inch of speed possible

-out of his crippled runabout, when Lake Carlopa

-was reached they found the kidnappers’

-car abandoned on the shore of the lake.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Just too late again!” sighed Mr. Damon.

-“We’ll never get Ned!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We may!” shouted Tom. “Look!” He

-pointed across the lake, and about half a mile

-out was discerned a motorboat containing three

-men. “There they are—I’m sure of it!” cried

-Tom. “Now if we only had another boat to

-chase them!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There’s a feller a little farther on who rents

-motorboats,” volunteered Bill Tagg.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good!” cried Tom. “We’ll chase them in

-their own way. Where’s that motorboat chap?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The tramp pointed out the dock, and in a short

-time, leaving his runabout in charge of the boat

-proprietor, Tom and his friends were in a sturdy

-gasoline craft giving chase to the other, which

-was now but a speck amid the blue waters of

-Lake Carlopa.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you think they have Ned with them?”

-asked Mr. Damon while Tom hastily adjusted

-the motor so as to get the maximum speed from

-the boat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” was the reply. “We’ll soon find

-out, if this old tub can stand the pace.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Have we a chance?” asked Bill, who was taking

-quite an interest in this pursuit.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom looked at the fleeing boat. Then he calculated

-the speed of the craft he had hired. A

-few minutes of observation caused him to make

-this remark:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’re gaining on them—slowly. Whether

-we catch up to them before they get to the other

-side is a question. We’ll do our best to catch

-’em, however.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He made a slight adjustment in the carburetor

-to get a few more revolutions per minute

-from the flywheel and then the four settled back

-for the chase.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom’s statement about their speed proved

-true. In a short time it was discerned that his

-craft was overhauling the other. The three men

-could be plainly seen now, and a muffled object

-could be made out in the bottom of the boat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my cranberry sauce, there’s Ned!”

-cried Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” murmured Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The chase was now becoming exciting. Every

-moment they were drawing nearer the fleeing

-boat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hold on there, you fellows!” shouted Tom.

-“We want to speak to you!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Haven’t got time!” sneered one of the three

-rascals. “See you later!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Suddenly the boat in front swerved off to one

-side. But Tom was ready for this and shifted

-his own wheel to intercept the other craft.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look out! Rocks!” suddenly cried Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</h2>

-<h3>TWO CAPTIVES</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> that? What’s the matter?” cried

-Tom Swift, hearing Mr. Damon’s shout. “Are

-they going to ram us?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom had been bending over the gasoline throttle

-in an endeavor to coax a little more speed

-out of their craft. Now he looked up to see

-that they were very near the fleeing boat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I said rocks ahead! Look! Bless my

-life preserver, we’re going to hit them!” yelled

-the eccentric man. “Look out!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, but too late, Tom saw and realized why

-the other boat had swerved so suddenly. It was

-to avoid the rocks. And now the <i>Gull</i>, which

-was the name of the boat Tom had hired, was

-headed directly for the black, sharp rocks that

-reared their ugly heads out of the blue water of

-Lake Carlopa.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hand me that boat hook and maybe I can

-fend us off,” called out the tramp.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom, however, was sure this would be of no

-service, so he did not obey the request. He was

-trying with all his might to pull the wheel around

-far enough to steer the <i>Gull</i> away from the rocks.

-But the craft was a heavy one, rather clumsy,

-and did not respond readily.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“See if she’ll reverse, Mr. Damon!” panted

-Tom, who had to use both hands on the wheel.

-“Throw that lever back!” and he pointed to

-one with his foot.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know how!” Mr. Damon replied. He

-grasped the gear lever and began straining on

-it. Suddenly there was a sharp report.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did it break?” cried Tom, looking at the

-rocks on to which they seemed about to crash.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No. They’re shooting at us!” yelled Bill

-Tagg. “There they go again!” he added, ducking

-down into the bottom of the boat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom and Mr. Damon were both occupied

-with trying to save the <i>Gull</i> from going on the

-rocks and they could not draw their weapons.

-The tramp, however, aimed his automatic and

-sent a couple of answering shots toward the boat

-containing Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look out you don’t hit our friend,” warned

-Tom, who felt the rudder gradually coming

-around, so that he had hopes of saving the <i>Gull</i>

-from a direct crash.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I fired over their heads,” explained Bill Tagg.

-“They’re doing the same, I guess—trying to

-bluff us!” He fired again, high enough to clear

-those in the fleeing craft, and again came a response.

-This time the bullet was lower and

-Tom instinctively ducked, though he knew the

-missile must have passed him before his ear

-caught the vicious whine of its passage through

-the air.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, so suddenly that no warning was given,

-the <i>Gull</i> struck on a rock just beneath the surface.

-It was a glancing blow, and the rock,

-luckily, was smooth, or the craft might have

-been shattered. As it was, the <i>Gull</i> careened to

-one side, and so sharply that Tom Swift was

-thrown overboard, landing in the lake with a

-great splash.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Instinctively, he took a long breath and held

-it, closing his mouth that had been opened preparatory

-to shouting further directions to Mr.

-Damon about reversing the craft.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Down into the depths sank Tom, while the

-<i>Gull</i>, whose speed was not slackened, slued

-around from her impact on the rock and shot off

-on a tangent in a direction directly opposite

-from that taken by the <i>Turtle</i>, the boat containing

-the three roughly attired men and that silent,

-wrapped figure in the bottom—a figure that

-was supposed to be Ned Newton.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my steamship ticket!” yelled Mr. Damon,

-“where’s Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Overboard!” yelled the tramp. “And I can’t

-swim!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Me get him!” shouted Koku, peeling off his

-coat preparatory to a dive over the side.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Stay where you are!” came the stern command

-from the other boat which had circled

-around and was now headed for the place where

-Tom Swift’s head appeared in the watery circles

-caused by his plunge. “We’ll drill the first man

-that goes overboard!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Two of the rascals stood in the bow with

-leveled weapons, while the third was steering

-the boat straight toward Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’re going to ram him!” gasped the

-tramp. He did not seem capable of doing anything

-to help, and Koku, being now without a

-weapon, was of no service. Mr. Damon had laid

-aside his pistol to work the reverse lever and,

-even if he could have recovered it, there was a

-question as to his ability to use it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Thus fate favored the rascals, and Mr. Damon

-and his two companions were forced to see themselves

-being carried farther and farther away

-from the <i>Turtle</i> as the <i>Gull</i>, whose engine was

-still running, headed away from the rocks. Apparently

-little damage had been done by striking

-the obstruction.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>From a distance Mr. Damon, the tramp, and

-the giant watched to see what would happen to

-Tom Swift. At first it seemed as though he

-was going to be run down by the unprincipled

-men in the <i>Turtle</i>. But they had other plans in

-mind and, reaching the swimming inventor, the

-two men in the bow reached over, grasped him,

-and pulled him in. He could not fight back,

-and, indeed, having gone overboard with all his

-clothes on, was having a hard struggle to keep

-afloat. Rescue, even at the hands of the enemy,

-was welcome.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got him!” gasped Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We go take him away!” growled Koku.

-“Make boat go odder way, Mr. Damon—we get

-Master Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I—I’m afraid I don’t know how to operate

-this craft,” confessed the eccentric man. “I

-might run it back on the rocks.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Once Tom was hauled, dripping wet, aboard

-the <i>Turtle</i>, the boat was put about and went

-speeding off and away from the <i>Gull</i> which, to

-tell the truth, was headed back toward her own

-dock.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom, as he was pulled over the side, had a

-glimpse of the <i>Gull</i> going back where she came

-from. He remembered that neither Mr. Damon

-nor Koku could operate the craft without some

-one along to advise them, and the young inventor

-had doubts about the tramp’s navigating

-ability in the emergency.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, anyhow, she’ll get to shore and they’ll

-be all right,” reasoned Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then he gave thought to his own situation.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, we’ve sure got him now!” chuckled one

-of the three men.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You said it!” echoed another. “We didn’t

-make no mistake this time!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom almost fell on the gagged and bound

-body of another young man, and it needed but

-a glance to show him that here was Ned Newton,

-a prisoner like himself. Ned could not

-speak and could hardly move, but his eyes

-flashed a greeting to Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got us both!” said Tom in a low

-voice to his chum, as he crawled alongside of

-Ned. “But they won’t keep us long. Are you

-hurt, Ned?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A shake of the head in negation was the only

-way Ned could reply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then further talk on Tom’s part was stopped,

-for one of the men, standing over the two captives

-with an automatic in one hand, growled:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Shut up down there!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</h2>

-<h3>ON THE ISLAND</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Not</span> one to submit tamely to indignities, Tom

-Swift, instead of complying with the command,

-struggled to his feet and advanced toward the

-two rough men standing in the bow of the boat.

-The third member was at the wheel and, Tom

-noticed, was heading the boat out toward the

-wider part of the lake.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” said Tom boldly, for his nerve,

-somewhat shaken by his sudden plunge into the

-water, was coming back to him. “What’s your

-game, anyhow? What do you mean by keeping

-Mr. Newton and me on this boat? I demand

-that you set us ashore at once!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you do, eh?” chuckled one of the men.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I do! And if you do it within a reasonable

-time I may overlook what you’ve done.

-But if you don’t at once release us I’ll cause your

-arrest, and it will go hard with you!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Listen to him!” sneered one of the scoundrels.

-“You’d think he was chief of police or something

-like that!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ha! Ha!” chuckled another. “We’ve got

-Tom Swift right where we want him this time.

-No mistake now!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom was beginning to understand some things

-in connection with the kidnapping—things hitherto

-a mystery to him. He looked at the men.

-They were burly, brutal fellows and Tom knew

-that even if Ned were free to help him, they

-would not be able to fight these fellows. Perhaps

-subterfuge and craft were better than a

-show of force. Tom decided on other tactics.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” he said again. “I don’t know

-what your game is, but you’re bound to lose out

-in the end. My friends will soon rescue us and

-you’ll be jailed for this. Kidnapping is a serious

-offense.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We took one chance and we got the wrong

-man,” said one of the fellows, thus confirming

-Tom’s new suspicions. “Now we have the right

-one—that’s you—and we’re going to hold on to

-you. We don’t worry none about getting

-jailed.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ve rich friends that’ll soon get us out,”

-said the man at the wheel.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Shut up, Torpy!” commanded one of the two

-in the bow. “Close your trap! You talk too

-much!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Aw, you make me tired!” complained the

-one addressed as Torpy.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You can’t bluff us, Tom Swift!” went on the

-largest of the three scoundrels. “We got you

-dead to rights now and you’ll tell us what we

-want to know before we let you go.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so you’re after information, are you?”

-asked Tom, hoping to draw the men out.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we are.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What kind?” Tom inquired, trying to wring

-some of the water out of his coat.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’ll find out soon enough when we get to

-the island.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What island?” the young inventor wanted

-to know.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You ask too many questions. You’re as bad

-as Torpy—you talk too much!” complained one

-of the two in the bow.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom glanced down at Ned and, guessing how

-his friend must be suffering, bound and gagged

-as he was, decided on a new plan.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All right,” he seemed to agree, “I’ll stop asking

-questions. But as long as you’ve got me

-safe, as you seem to have, there’s no object in

-keeping my chum trussed up as he is. Why

-don’t you loosen him and take that rag out of

-his mouth? Be decent, can’t you?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We might as well let up on him a bit,” said

-the big man. “As he says, we got him now and

-the other can’t do any harm if he does yell.

-We’re out of the way now—soon be at the

-island.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sure,” assented his companion, and they at

-once loosened Ned’s ropes and removed the gag,

-for which relief he was very grateful.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What happened, old man?” asked Tom in a

-low voice, as he sat down on the bottom of the

-boat beside his now unbound chum. “We’ve

-been all upset over you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ve been a bit upset myself,” admitted Ned,

-whose tongue was thick from the effects of the

-gag. “But, in brief, I was set upon that night

-after I left your laboratory, a cloth was thrown

-over my head at a dark corner, not far from your

-place, and, before I knew what was happening, I

-was gagged, bound, and bundled into an auto.

-I was taken some distance and brought to that

-old farmhouse. The men hustled me out of

-there a little while ago, and after a wild ride put

-me in this boat. You know the rest.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Have you been kept in the old Smith place

-ever since you were kidnapped up until a little

-while ago?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they held me a prisoner there. But it

-didn’t take them long to find out I was the

-wrong man. They mistook me for you, and

-thought they were kidnapping the great inventor.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I had begun to suspect that,” said Tom.

-“Well, what happened?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they were pretty much upset when they

-learned who I was,” chuckled Ned. “They

-asked me a lot of questions about your inventions,

-and wanted to know how the new talking-picture

-projector worked. But of course I was

-as mum as an oyster.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did they ask specifically about my new patent?”

-asked Tom, somewhat excited by this

-news.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what they did.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How did they know about it? I supposed

-that was a dead secret from all but you, dad and

-me.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So did I,” responded Ned. “But there must

-be a leak somewhere around your shop. Perhaps

-a spy.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I believe there is!” exclaimed Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I tried to escape, but I couldn’t,” said Ned.

-“Even though they found out I was the wrong

-man, they still held me. I was kept in an upper

-room with barred windows. Then, when

-they brought me food in paper bags, I thought

-of the kite idea. I sent out half a dozen, but

-I guess they didn’t blow far. I wrote messages

-to you, hoping some one would pick them up

-and take them to you. But I began to think

-nothing would come of it until one day a kite

-that I’d made went high up in the air and I

-knew it would travel a long way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It did,” said Tom. “All the way to Cherry

-Valley where a tramp picked it up and brought

-it to me. That was yesterday, and I came as

-soon as I could.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I thought you would,” Ned responded.

-“But when, a little while ago, they bundled me

-up again and took me away, I thought it was

-all up with me. They must have had some

-warning you were on their trail, they got off in

-such a hurry.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think the same man who tried to blow me

-up gave the warning,” stated Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tried to blow you up!” gasped Ned. “What

-do you mean?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom told of the explosion and fire, relating

-the sad tale of the wrecking of the talking-picture

-machine, but in words that would mean

-nothing to the three men even if they should

-hear. But they did not appear to be listening.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “You were as

-badly off as I was!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Pretty near,” agreed Tom. “We couldn’t

-imagine what had become of you. Your folks

-were worried, but I sent word to them about your

-kite message and that relieved their minds.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did you start to swim after me?” asked Ned,

-with a smile, noting Tom’s wet clothes.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Swim? No. Oh, I see what you mean!

-You couldn’t see what happened because you

-were down on the bottom here. Well, I was

-chasing these fellows in a motorboat I’d hired,

-with Mr. Damon, Koku and the tramp that

-picked up your kite. We hit a rock and I went

-overboard. Then they hauled me in, for my

-boat slued off and I guess headed back for her

-own dock.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tough luck!” murmured Ned. “Well, what’s

-the next item on the bill, I wonder?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They were not left long in doubt. A few minutes

-later the speed of the boat began to slacken

-and, looking ahead, Tom and Ned saw that the

-craft was approaching a large island. It was

-known to the young men as a rendezvous for

-criminals and other unsavory characters. Tom

-had not visited Rattlesnake Island, as it was

-called, for a number of years, nor had his chum.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you going to land us there?” Tom demanded,

-as he saw that the boat was heading for

-a dilapidated dock.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You said it!” chuckled one of the men who,

-Ned said, was named Snogg. The other, and

-larger, was addressed as Janner. Those two,

-with Torpy, comprised the kidnapping gang.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“If you leave us here, will you be decent

-enough to send some one to take us off after you

-get away?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t worry—we’re not going away!” sneered

-Janner. “We’ll be right with you all the while,

-boys!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was plain, then, that Tom and Ned were to

-be held captive on the island with the three unscrupulous

-men as guards.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now you can walk along quiet if you choose,

-or, if you want to kick up a fuss, we’ll bind, gag

-and carry you,” said Snogg, when the boat was

-made fast to the dock. “Which’ll it be?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Since we can’t help ourselves,” replied Tom

-bitterly, “we’ll go quietly. But we won’t submit

-to any indignities!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You won’t be any worse treated than you

-have been,” said Janner. “And if you come

-across and answer my questions you’ll get home

-all the sooner. It’s up to you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>To this Tom Swift made no answer and a little

-later he and Ned were led toward a rough,

-two-story house, situated near the middle of

-Rattlesnake Island, and left to themselves,

-locked in a room.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, this is that!” said Ned as he sank

-down on a chair near the bed, for there was

-some furniture in the room. “What do you

-think they’ll do to us, Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hard to say. I don’t quite fathom their

-game, unless it’s to make me give up the secret

-of——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He did not finish, but Ned knew what was

-meant.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope they feed us, anyhow,” sighed Tom’s

-manager. “They gave me pretty decent food

-back in the farmhouse, but I haven’t had any

-breakfast, and I need it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>After this there was silence. A few minutes

-later the door was unlocked and Torpy came in

-with two trays of fairly good food.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The boss says you’re to eat and then he’ll

-be up and question you,” the man reported.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He won’t get much out of me,” snapped

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Nor me!” added Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’d better not r’ile the boss,” was Torpy’s

-advice as he put the trays down on a chair.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned was very hungry, and Tom Swift, in spite

-of his rage, anxiety, and his recent ducking, was

-also beginning to feel an appetite. So the young

-men ate and then, casually, Tom began strolling

-around the room seeking a possible chance to

-escape. To his disappointment the apartment

-was more solid than it looked. The door was

-heavy and securely locked and the window covered

-with a heavy wire screen and iron bars.

-Evidently the room had been used before as a

-prison.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But Tom Swift did not give up very easily,

-and now he had still several cards to play in the

-desperate game with the three men. When the

-food had been satisfactorily disposed of, the

-door opened again and big Janner came swaggering

-in.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I see you had your appetites with you,

-boys,” he remarked. “And now we’ll get down

-to business. It’s you I want to talk with, Tom

-Swift, and not your manager that we took away

-in a hurry by mistake for you. He don’t know

-the answers to some of the questions I’m going

-to ask.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe I don’t, either,” observed Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes you do!” was the quick retort.

-“And you’ll tell me, too, or I’ll find a way to

-make you!” The man’s voice was an ugly snarl

-now.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll see,” was all Tom said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then began a rapid series of questions concerning

-some of Tom’s recent inventions, including

-his <i>Air Monarch</i> in which he had circled the

-globe. As this machine had lately been turned

-over to the Government for use in the Air Service,

-there was no secret about it, and Tom had

-no hesitation in telling things concerning it. He

-thought it might put Janner in a better humor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>From the <i>Air Monarch</i>, the man switched to

-other machines about which greater secrecy was

-desirable, and Tom refused to answer inquiries,

-though his refusals did not appear to anger Janner

-much.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How’s your photo telephone doing these

-days?” the man suddenly inquired.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That? Why, most people know all there’s

-to be known about that. It’s an old invention

-of mine,” said Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is it? But I understand you’re using something

-like it now to make pictures appear inside

-a radio machine!” Janner suddenly shot at

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>At once the young inventor saw the drift of

-the inquiries. There had been some leak in connection

-with his recent work on the talking-picture

-machine, and these men, or this man,

-knew about it. Tom did some quick thinking

-just then.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t any machine that will make pictures

-appear in a radio receiver,” Tom said

-calmly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This was true enough. The fire and blast

-had destroyed the best part of the new invention,

-though Tom had plans for rebuilding and

-perfecting it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you haven’t got such a machine, eh?”

-sneered Janner. “Well, I know you have.

-We’re not going to let you spoil our business.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What business is that?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Never you mind. We’re not going to let you

-make a machine that will permit folks to sit at

-home and see and hear a show without paying

-the admission price. Not in a thousand years!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a flash Tom knew now who were at the bottom

-of the plot against him. Powerful moving

-picture and theater interests would not want to

-see such an invention as Tom Swift planned

-put on the market. It would bring ruin to

-many of them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got such a machine, or you’ll soon

-have one, and I know it!” stormed Janner.

-Tom knew, then, that he had been spied upon.

-“And I’m going to make you tell all about it

-and promise to drop it!” fairly shouted Janner.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got a big contract on your hands,”

-stated Tom calmly. “I’ll tell you nothing and

-there isn’t a man or a company living that can

-make me drop anything I undertake until I’m

-ready to let go of it!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is that so?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s so!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I guess we can find ways and means to

-make you!” said Janner in a snarling voice as

-he advanced toward Tom Swift.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</h2>

-<h3>THE ESCAPE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Instinctively</span> Ned Newton, who had pretty

-well recovered from the harsh treatment accorded

-him while bound and gagged, started to

-Tom’s side.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The young inventor, seeing that a fight was

-imminent, also prepared for it. Though he still

-felt the effects of the shock and injuries attendant

-upon the attempt to blow him up, he was in

-a fighting mood and did not shrink from it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll make you tell what I want to know!”

-snarled Janner. “You haven’t anybody here

-to help you now, Tom Swift. You’ll either give

-up that secret and give the plans to me or you’ll

-wish you’d never fallen into my hands.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I wish that now,” replied Tom coolly. “Not

-that I’m afraid of your hands,” he added, bracing

-himself for the struggle he felt sure was coming,

-“but I don’t like your company nor that

-of your gang. So you have my regrets already,

-though as for any secrets I may have, or any

-new inventions, they remain my exclusive property!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they do, do they?” sneered the man.

-“Well, we’ll see——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was about to rush upon Tom and Ned,

-who stood side by side ready to ward off the assault,

-when there came a call from the hall outside.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hey, Janner! Hop to it!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked the big ruffian.

-“Don’t bother me!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The Chief is on the wire!” came the answer,

-and Tom and Ned recognized Snogg’s voice.

-“He wants to talk to you. Step on it—the

-Chief’s in a hurry!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In that case your affair can wait,” said the

-big fellow, with a threatening gesture toward

-the two young men. “Don’t think you’re going

-to get away,” he added. “I’ll be back!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He walked to the door, still facing the two,

-tapped on it without turning about and, when it

-was opened from the hall, evidently by Snogg,

-the big plotter stepped outside and quickly

-locked the door again before Tom and Ned had

-a chance to rush him, which Janner evidently

-expected would happen.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There was a chance we missed!” exclaimed

-Ned, when he heard the lock click. “We might

-have bowled them over, Tom, and gotten away.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that idea occurred to me. But it was

-too risky. These fellows may not intend to kill

-us, but even if they only shot at us to cripple

-us something might go wrong and we’d get a

-bullet where it would do a lot of damage. I

-think we can get the best of them in another

-way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll have a look around this place and see

-if we can’t escape—perhaps not now, but after

-dark. It will soon be night. This room looks

-strong, but from the outside the house didn’t

-look either strongly built or in good repair.

-We’ll have a go at it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m with you, Tom. But what do you

-think’s going on now? What was that talk

-about the Chief being on the wire?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It bears out what I have been thinking for

-some time,” replied the young inventor. “These

-fellows who have kidnapped us are not the principals

-in this matter. They are an organized

-gang, but they are working at the behest of

-others. I could tell, from the way Janner asked

-questions about my inventions, that he had no

-real, scientific knowledge. He had been told to

-ask those questions by some one who did know,

-however. He made several breaks that I passed

-over. I wanted to see how far he would go.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the game, Tom? They went to a

-good deal of preliminary trouble—I mean kidnapping

-me for you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Admittedly on their part, that was a mistake,”

-said Tom. “It was me they were after

-all the time, only you happened to leave the laboratory

-first and they pounced on you. Then

-came the explosion. Whether that was set to go

-off and destroy my laboratory after I was supposed

-to be out of it or whether they really

-wanted to do me up, I don’t know. But they’ve

-got both of us now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Any idea who they may be, Tom—I mean

-these men?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They might be the Hussy and Kilborn

-crowd.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean that bunch of the <i>Red Arrow</i> who

-tried to stop us from circling the globe?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s who I mean. However, it’s only a

-guess. It may turn out to be an entirely different

-gang. But now that we have a little time

-to ourselves, let’s look around and see what the

-chances are for getting away.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was dusk, but by the last rays of the setting

-sun which shone through the window, the young

-men began a tour of the apartment, seeking any

-possible means of exit. Naturally, they first

-gave their attention to the window and door.

-As stated before, the former was screened not

-only with a wire mesh, but also with strong iron

-bars. A search through the pockets of Tom

-and Ned revealed, in the way of tools, only two

-knives. Tom’s knife contained a small screw

-driver, and at first he thought he might be able

-to loosen the fastenings of the screen and window

-bars. But it did not take long to demonstrate

-that a much more powerful instrument

-would be needed for this work.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Anyhow, if we did get the bars off we’d have

-a big drop to the ground,” said Ned. “We’re

-higher up than I thought.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We could improvise a rope from the

-bed-clothes,” suggested Tom, indicating them.

-“That would be the easiest part of it. But those

-bars were put there to stay.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe we can whittle away the wood enough

-to loosen the screws,” suggested Ned. They

-tried this, but the space to work in was cramped,

-the wood was tough, and when Ned broke the

-largest blade of his knife and cut his hand rather

-severely in so doing, Tom insisted that they

-give up this attempt.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Let’s try the door,” he said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was now dark in the room, but both young

-men had matches, Tom’s being in a waterproof

-case which had kept dry during his sudden bath,

-and with these they made as good an examination

-of the door and its frame as was possible.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The lock defied picking with the poor tools at

-their disposal, and when this had been proved

-Tom said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We can cut a hole through the door near the

-lock, big enough for a hand to get through, and

-maybe we can turn the lock that way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s worth trying,” Ned declared. “We’ll

-work at it in shifts.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Their captors seemed to have made up their

-minds to leave the prisoners alone, though

-voices and movements in the rooms below indicated

-that the three men were still on guard.

-Perhaps orders had come from the mysterious

-“Chief” not to attempt violence.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was more than enough food in the supply

-which had been brought to provide a late

-supper and even breakfast for the captives, and

-there was a large jug of water.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Throughout the hours of the night, Tom Swift

-and Ned Newton toiled desperately to cut a hole

-through the door. With only pocket knives to

-work with, it was tremendously difficult labor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was long past midnight when Tom, whose

-turn it was at the task, uttered an exclamation

-of dismay.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, who had

-thrown himself on the bed to rest. “Break your

-knife or cut yourself?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Neither,” Tom replied. “But we’ll have to

-give this up.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There’s an iron plate outside this door. I’ve

-cut through the wood and come to the iron. It’s

-all off.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was a bitter disappointment.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll try something else in the morning,”

-decided Tom after a moment, closing his knife

-with a snap. “Meanwhile, I’m going to get

-some rest.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we both need it,” admitted Ned, with a

-weary sigh. “But when they come in here in

-the morning and see what we’ve done in the way

-of spoiling their door, they may take us to another

-room.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No use crossing a bridge until we come to

-it,” Tom responded. “I’m going to get some

-sleep.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They ate a little of the food, and then, bracing

-a chair under the knob of the door to prevent an

-entrance without causing noise enough to arouse

-them, the two threw themselves on the bed and

-slept the sleep of exhaustion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Faint daylight was struggling through the

-barred window next morning when Tom awoke

-and sat up. There was a peculiar noise for

-which at first he could not account. He looked

-toward the casement and then recognized the

-dash of rain against the glass and heard the

-roar of wind. It was this that caused the racket.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, turning

-over.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Big storm,” Tom answered. He jumped out

-of bed and walked to the window. A moment

-later he uttered an exclamation.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s doing?” asked Ned, stretching lazily.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Those three fellows are down on the shore

-doing something to their motorboat,” reported

-Tom. “Looks as if it had been damaged in the

-storm, which is a fierce one, let me tell you.

-They seem to be making repairs.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe they’re going away and leave us

-alone,” suggested Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They may be going away,” assented Tom.

-“But they won’t leave us, I’m thinking. They’ll

-take us with them. But something evidently

-has happened.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In his eagerness to see what was going on at

-the shore of the lake within view of the barred

-window, Ned jumped out of bed. In doing so

-he overbalanced himself and in order not to fall

-he had to do a hop, skip and a jump across the

-room. He brought up hard against the opposite

-wall, fairly jarring the place. As he stopped

-his somewhat mad and erratic career he uttered

-a cry.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hurt yourself?” asked Tom anxiously.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No! But look! Man dear, look!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned’s voice was excited, and no wonder! It

-was evident that in his collision against the wall

-he had struck a hidden spring which operated

-the mechanism of a secret sliding door. For

-there, before the eyes of the two captives, was

-an opening, large enough for them to pass

-through, in a stooping position, and leading to

-the top of a flight of stairs.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A secret door!” cried Tom. “How’d you

-discover it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t,” Ned answered. “It just happened.

-I bumped against the wall and must

-have struck the spring. What’s it for, Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Into the eyes of the young inventor shone a

-new and hopeful light.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what its original use was,” he

-said slowly. “But for us it offers a way of escape.

-Come on, Ned! We’ll light out while

-those fellows are busy down at the boat. Grab

-up some food and come on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom began stuffing some bread and meat into

-his pockets after hastily dressing, which was a

-short operation, as the young men had not removed

-all of their clothes the night before.

-Then Tom took another look through the window.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’re still tinkering over the motor,” he

-reported. “It’s now or never, Ned! This

-storm came just at the right time. Come on!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But we don’t know where that secret staircase

-leads,” objected Ned Newton as he followed

-his chum’s example about the food.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And it doesn’t make much difference, either.

-It leads out of this room. That’s all we have to

-know now. I think it must have been put in to

-allow the secret removal of smuggled or stolen

-goods—possibly bootleg liquor. Probably the

-stairway ends in one of the rooms below. But

-as those three scoundrels are out of the way we

-can leave.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe we’ll be trapped at the bottom, Tom.

-There must be a door there, too.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Probably there is; but it’s likely to be a sliding,

-secret door, and, consequently, won’t be

-very strong. We can burst it out, maybe.

-Anyhow it’s worth trying. Come on!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, as the storm rose to new heights of

-fury, the two prisoners slipped into the secret

-opening and began descending the dark stairs

-on their way to escape.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</h2>

-<h3>RESCUED</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Using</span> the utmost caution, though they felt

-quite certain their movements would be muffled

-by the noise of the storm that raged about the

-lonely house, Tom Swift and Ned Newton made

-their way through the narrow, dark passage. It

-was so low that they had to stoop and, as the

-way was strange to them, Tom, who was in the

-lead, proceeded carefully. He kept his hands

-outstretched, one in front of him and the other

-pressed against a side wall. Nor did he let his

-weight bear on his feet when descending from

-one step to another until he was sure it was firm

-and solid.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The house was not large, therefore the secret

-stairway built in the walls could not be very

-long. So in a comparatively short time, though

-to the two young men it seemed long enough, the

-inventor came to the end of the passage and

-stopped.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well?” whispered Ned, behind his chum,

-after waiting impatiently for a short time.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know whether it’s well or ill,” Tom

-answered. “But I’ve come to a wall or a door

-and I can find no means of opening it—if it is

-a door. So we can’t go any farther without

-breaking through.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Burst it open, then!” advised Ned with

-force. “We’ve got to get loose!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s bound to make a noise,” Tom went on,

-trying the second secret door by pushing on it,

-thus determining that it was not of very solid

-construction. “But I think the racket of the

-storm will cover it. Are you ready for a dash?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sure!” replied Ned. “We’re going to get

-good and wet, though.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Even in the secret passage where they were

-crouched, the noise of the storm came to them,

-and it seemed to be increasing in fury. The

-wind moaned, shrieked, and whistled around the

-island house and the rain came down in rattling

-sheets that played a tattoo on the sides and roof

-of the building.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Here goes!” murmured Tom in a tense voice.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He drew back a little and when a sudden and

-louder burst of the storm’s fury enveloped the

-house, the young inventor hurled himself, back

-foremost, against the door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a crackling and splintering of wood

-and Tom almost fell, so suddenly was he precipitated

-through the broken door. Recovering

-himself as best he could, Tom Swift saw that

-he had come out into a small passageway.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was another door in front of him—an

-ordinary one fastened with bolts in plain view,

-and the passage was lighted by a window near

-the ceiling. Ned followed his chum through

-the broken secret door and the two stood for a

-moment, listening for anything which might

-indicate that their escape had been discovered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But no sounds came to them save the noise of

-the storm, more in evidence now that they were

-closer to the outer air. Then Tom stepped to

-the locked door and, pushing back the bolts,

-swung it open. He had a momentary fear that

-it might lead into another strong room, but, to

-his own delighted surprise, as well as that of

-Ned, it gave out of doors and a moment later

-the two escaping captives stood in the wind and

-rain beneath the forest trees, free!</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That was luck!” murmured Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But we aren’t out of the woods yet,” replied

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This was true in a double sense. The island

-in Lake Carlopa was densely wooded, and, so far

-as the young men knew, uninhabited save by the

-unscrupulous men who had kidnapped them.

-The sinister name of the place—Rattlesnake

-Island—kept away many campers who otherwise

-might have made the place popular. Perhaps,

-years before, there had been many of the

-deadly reptiles in the thickets, but it was doubtful

-if many were there now.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>However, Tom and Ned did not give this a

-thought. Their main idea was to get as far as

-possible away from the house before Janner,

-Snogg and Torpy discovered that the prisoners

-had escaped.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Come on!” murmured Tom, plunging off

-into the rain-drenched woods, followed by Ned.

-“They may be after us at any minute.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But evidently the scoundrels were too much

-occupied with repairing their motorboat, for the

-two escaping captives had a glimpse of the unsavory

-trio grouped about it on the beach as

-they threaded their way through the forest.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Whew, but I’m getting wet!” gasped Ned,

-as they crossed a little clearing and caught the

-full force of the downpour.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This storm was the best thing that could

-happen to us,” Tom said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How come?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Except for the noise it made, the racket I

-produced when I broke that door would have

-given the alarm. Yes, this storm saved us.

-Don’t mind a little wetting.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A little wetting!” good-naturedly chuckled

-Ned. “This is about the biggest drenching I

-ever saw—except when you went into the lake.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>On they plunged, taking little heed of whither

-they went so long as they put distance between

-themselves and the three men. Then, when it

-was evident there was to be no immediate pursuit,

-they slackened their pace and began to

-make plans.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What are we going to do, Tom?” Ned asked,

-pausing beneath a shelving ledge of rock that

-afforded partial shelter from the dashing rain

-and wind. “We’re still far from safe.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We ought to get to the shore—as far away

-from those fellows as we can—and signal some

-passing boat. There ought to be plenty of craft

-passing up and down the lake, though there’ll be

-more after this storm lets up. We’ve got to get

-back to the mainland. There’s no telling what

-mischief this gang may be up to at my works.

-The three scoundrels here are only part of the

-crowd.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I guess you’re right there, Tom. A boat

-headed for the mainland would just about suit

-me now. I’d like to let my folks know I’m all

-right.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So should I,” agreed Tom. “Dad will be in

-a fit when Koku and Mr. Damon go back and

-tell him I fell overboard.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They must have seen those fellows haul you

-into their boat,” Ned suggested.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Naturally, they did. But that won’t make

-dad feel any easier. Yes, we want to get back

-home!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>However, there seemed to be no prospect of

-that in the immediate future. The storm continued

-unabated and no boats passed Rattlesnake

-Island, at least near the shore the two

-captives dared approach. They might have

-had better luck on the other side, for there lay

-the usual channel, but the scoundrels’ motorboat

-was there and the fugitives, therefore, must keep

-away.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>At last, Ned’s watch, which had not been

-taken from him, indicated noon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” exclaimed the young manager when

-he saw the time. “We ought to eat, Tom, and

-get into some kind of shelter.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s so,” agreed Tom, who was as miserable

-as was his chum. “And if I’m not mistaken,

-we passed some sort of a cave back there.

-Let’s head for it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They came to a small cavern under an overhanging

-ledge of rock, and into this the two

-wanderers gratefully crawled. They did not

-explore to see how far back the cave extended,

-but when they found some dry wood near the

-entrance they built a fire and took off some of

-their wet garments. As these were hung on

-sticks near the blaze, to dry out, the young men,

-sitting near the grateful heat, took out their

-packages of food.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Luckily, they had wrapped the victuals in

-waxed paper taken from some of the cracker

-boxes supplied them for their first meal by their

-captors. So that now the improvised lunch was

-fairly dry. It was rather limited in its bill of

-fare, however, and Tom and Ned would gladly

-have parted with all the spare change in their

-pockets for a cup of hot coffee. However, such

-a luxury was beyond their reach, so they made

-the best of what they had.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The rain kept up all that afternoon, and once

-the two were warm from their cave fire and their

-garments fairly dry, they decided against venturing

-out again into the downpour.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It may stop by morning,” Tom suggested,

-“and by morning more boats will be out and

-we’ll have a better chance of signaling one.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What! Stay here all night?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why not?” chuckled Tom. “Do you know

-a better place?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You win!” agreed Ned. “We’ll camp out

-here.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This they did, gathering some dried leaves

-farther back in the cave, and in these they burrowed,

-finding the warmth grateful from the

-chill of the storm.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was still raining in the morning, but not as

-hard as before, when Tom and Ned awakened

-and made a very light breakfast. Then, when

-they were able to catch a glimpse of the sun,

-which came out about an hour after they had

-finished their limited meal, they again made a

-trail toward the shore farthest removed from

-the dock to which the scoundrels had tied up.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They soon came out on a sandy beach and

-into the full glare of a hot sun after the storm.

-The cheering beams of Old Sol both warmed and

-invigorated them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now if we can only see a boat we’ll be all

-right,” said Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They did not have long to wait. A motor

-craft came chugging into view and by dint of

-shouts and the waving of Ned’s shirt, which that

-young man gladly stripped off as a signal flag,

-the man in the boat saw the castaways and

-headed in toward them. The boatman proved

-to be Gill Marsh, a fisherman for whom Tom

-had more than once done favors, and Mr. Marsh

-gladly agreed to take the young men to Shopton.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Though what you were doin’ on Rattlesnake

-Island is more’n I can figger out,” said the mystified

-Mr. Marsh.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’re not very good at figuring, ourselves,

-this morning,” said Tom, with a glance at Ned.

-They saw no reason for telling what had happened

-until they had had a chance to capture the

-scoundrels, for to attempt this they were determined.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a short time they were landed at a dock not

-far from the Swift shops, and Tom was soon in

-telephonic communication with Mr. Jackson,

-who was both surprised and delighted to hear

-from his missing employer.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ned’s safe, too!” Tom said. “Get word to

-his folks as soon as you can.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’ll do, Mr. Swift!” said the

-shop superintendent. “But where have you

-been? We’ve had the police for miles around

-looking for you two. What happened?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” Tom

-said. “But how are things at the shop?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, we’ve had some trouble, and that fellow

-Greenbaum——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But there, to Tom’s disgust, the connection

-was broken, nor, do what he would to attract the

-operator, could he restore it again.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ve got to hurry back, Ned!” exclaimed

-the young inventor. “Those scoundrels are still

-at their tricks!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</h2>

-<h3>GREENBAUM THREATENS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>More</span> than ever anxious, as much by what

-Mr. Jackson had left unsaid as by what had

-come to him over the wire before the interruption,

-Tom Swift hailed a taxicab and in it rode

-to his home, stopping, since it was on his way,

-to let Ned Newton off at the latter’s home.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t talk too much—outside your own family

-circle—of what happened, Ned,” was the

-warning Tom gave his chum as they parted.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I won’t. But you aren’t going to let the

-matter drop here, are you?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I should say not! But I want to swoop

-down on those fellows before they know it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom found his father excited by the sudden

-news over his son’s safety, but it was a joyous

-reaction after the dismal news brought back by

-Mr. Damon and Koku, following the episode

-of the motorboat chase.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What happened after I left you?” Tom

-asked Mr. Damon, who had been pretty constantly

-at the Swift home following the kidnapping

-of the young inventor and his manager.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“After you <i>left</i> us?” repeated the eccentric

-man somewhat dazedly. “You mean——?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I mean after I fell overboard,” said Tom,

-with a smile.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes. Well, neither Koku nor I knew

-how to manage the <i>Gull</i>, and your friend Bill

-Tagg wasn’t any better off, bless my rudder!”

-said Mr. Damon. “So we just let her run, and

-she slued around so much and acted so queerly

-after you were taken aboard the other boat that

-some fellows in a sailboat came to our aid. We

-told them what had happened—without going

-too much into your private affairs, Tom—and

-one of the men got aboard the <i>Gull</i> and brought

-us back to the dock where we started from.

-Then I hurried here to tell your father.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then I got in touch with the police,” said

-Mr. Swift, taking up the story, “for I guessed

-that those aboard that other boat were your enemies,

-Tom. But the police didn’t know where

-to look. So what with you gone and nothing

-heard of Ned, we were in a great stew.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I can imagine it,” Tom said. “Of course

-you had no way of really knowing Ned was

-aboard the other boat, though I suppose from

-what happened and the sight of the bound figure

-in the bottom of the <i>Turtle</i>, you might have

-guessed Ned was aboard.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I surmised it,” assented Mr. Damon. “But

-we had no idea where they were taking you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, you couldn’t know that,” said Tom.

-“Well, we got away from the scoundrels, and

-the next thing is to catch them.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Having given his father and Mr. Damon a

-hasty description of what had happened to him

-and Ned, Tom Swift set about the work of running

-down the miscreants.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The police were notified of the return of the

-young inventor, and a squad of officers was sent

-to Rattlesnake Island. Tom did not go, for he

-felt the need of rest. Besides, there were things

-at home which needed his attention.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What was it you started to tell me when we

-were cut off, Mr. Jackson?” Tom asked his superintendent

-after the police had departed for

-the island.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean about Greenbaum?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes. Is he still here?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, he is, Mr. Swift; and I hope I’m not

-going against your wishes when I say I wish he

-wasn’t.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not at all, Mr. Jackson. I have no desire

-to keep that man if he isn’t doing what is right,

-though I must admit that he is a good workman.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I agree with you there. But after what happened

-you must use your own judgment about

-keeping him on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What happened?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, he and I quarreled.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What did Greenbaum do?” Tom asked. He

-knew he need not ask what his superintendent

-had done, for Garret Jackson was thoroughly

-dependable.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I found him sneaking around your private

-room, Tom—the room where you have been doing

-those experiments of late. I don’t know

-what they are and I don’t want to know until

-the right time comes. But I felt pretty sure

-you didn’t want Greenbaum to be prying in

-there.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No more I do!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I thought. So when I saw him

-come out of that room the second time, after you

-had gone to find Ned, I called him to account

-for it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What did he say?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That you told him to go in there to experiment.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That was untrue!” cried Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So I guessed. So I took the liberty of putting

-a new lock on the place—a lock that fellow

-couldn’t pick if he wanted to, and he came at me

-hot and heavy. We had a quarrel, and I’m glad

-you’re here to settle it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And I’ll settle it mighty quick!” exclaimed

-Tom. He was in his private office now, in a

-part of the shop somewhat removed from his

-secret experimental laboratory. Pushing a button

-that summoned a messenger, Tom bade the

-boy send Greenbaum in. And when the man

-sauntered in, smiling and seeming very confident

-of himself, the young inventor said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Get your time from the cashier and pack

-your things.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What for?” demanded Greenbaum, with a

-quick change of countenance.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Because you’re through here.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Through, Mr. Swift! Why, you gave me a

-contract and you can’t fire me off-hand this way

-without telling me why! It isn’t fair!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s fair enough, and you know it!” declared

-Tom. “The only contract you had was that I

-said I’d keep you as long as your work was satisfactory.

-Well, it isn’t. It’s far from satisfactory.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean on that magnetic gear shift? I

-can show you, Mr. Swift, that——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t the gear shift. I’m going to drop

-that. It’s your own private work of trying to

-sneak in and fathom my secrets. That’s all.

-You are through. Get your time and clear out!

-Mr. Jackson was right in his surmise.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so Jackson has been talking about me,

-has he?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m not answering any of your questions,”

-retorted Tom. “The sooner you leave the

-premises the better. And don’t come back!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For a moment Greenbaum stood looking

-squarely at Tom Swift whose eyes never faltered

-under the gaze of the angry man. Then Greenbaum

-asked with great deliberation:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is that your last word, Mr. Swift?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, all I’ve got to say is that maybe you’ll

-be sorry for this some day! Maybe you’ll be

-sorry!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a distinct threat in Greenbaum’s

-words.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” cried Tom in anger

-starting from his chair. “How dare you threaten

-me?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum made no answer, but turned and

-went out of the office. Tom was about to follow,

-for he did not want the fellow to think he could

-thus defy him, when the telephone on the desk

-rang out sharply.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</h2>

-<h3>MR. DAMON DANCES</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Hello!</span> Hello!” the young inventor called

-into the transmitter. “What is it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He did not recognize the voice at first, but the

-speaker soon identified himself as Joe Corrigan,

-the officer in charge of the squad of men who

-had gone to Rattlesnake Island in an endeavor

-to apprehend the three men.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But they had flew the coop, Mr. Swift,” reported

-Joe Corrigan. “Not hide nor hair of ’em

-on the place.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did you find the house?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, sure! And we saw where you and Mr.

-Newton broke out. But the men must have

-skipped right after they found you had got

-away.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I suppose so. What about their boat?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No trace of that, either. I’m sorry we didn’t

-get ’em!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hardly thought you would—it was just a

-chance,” Tom retorted.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But we’re not going to give up,” declared

-Corrigan. “We’ll catch ’em yet!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom had his doubts on this subject, but he

-did not express them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wish you lots of luck!” he called over the

-wire.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was sure, however, that Snogg, Janner and

-Torpy were but the tools in the hands of more

-powerful men, men who would keep themselves

-well hidden, and that though the ruffians might

-be apprehended in time, little or nothing would

-be learned from them. They would take the

-blame and say nothing of the men who had hired

-them, probably being well paid for any punishment

-they might suffer.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, so much for that,” said Tom when he

-had ruminated over what Corrigan had reported.

-“Now about Greenbaum. That’s more serious. I

-can’t let him get away with threatening me like

-that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>However, when Tom hurried out to intercept

-Greenbaum he found that the fellow had packed

-his belongings and hurried away.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That was quick work,” reflected Tom.

-Then, as he thought the matter over, he was

-pretty sure that Greenbaum had anticipated

-what was coming to him and had accordingly

-made his arrangements for a speedy departure.

-“I only hope he didn’t get into the laboratory to

-do more damage to my talking-picture machine

-before he lighted out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was reassured, however, when he found

-Koku on guard at the door of the laboratory

-which still needed a bit of work to restore it to

-the spick-and-span condition it was in before

-the explosion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did anybody try to get in here just now,

-Koku?” asked Tom, thinking the giant might

-have prevented Greenbaum from a last and dangerous

-call.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Nobody come right away,” the giant reported.

-“But yesterday him try come in and

-Mr. Jackson say I to stay here. So Koku stay.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Tom approvingly.

-“Don’t let any one in here except my

-father, Ned Newton or me—not even Mr. Jackson

-for a while. Those scoundrels might get

-hold of my superintendent and try to torture

-something out of him if they thought he knew,”

-Tom said to himself. “It’s best to keep the

-secret among as few as possible until I’m ready

-to spring it. I want you to guard this place

-well, Koku,” went on Tom. “Especially at

-night.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Me guard!” grunted the giant. “Nobody git

-past without me punch him—but no punch you,

-Master, nor Mr. Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, please don’t punch us, or my father,”

-begged Tom, with a smile. Well he knew the

-weight of that mighty fist.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Thinking it not worth while to follow the

-man, Tom posted a notice to the effect that

-Greenbaum had been discharged and gave orders

-that he was not again to be admitted to the

-works on any pretext.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For the last few years the Swift plant had

-been surrounded by a high and strong fence,

-which was further defended against marauders

-by electrically charged wires. These wires did

-not carry a high enough current, under ordinary

-circumstances, to cause death, but the shock

-they could administer to unauthorized persons

-seeking to gain admittance was severe enough to

-deter them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Having seen to the safety of the plant in general,

-Tom, after telephoning to Ned the result

-of the police visit to Rattlesnake Island, began

-to prepare for the resumption of work on his

-talking-picture apparatus. It was not long before

-the destroyed parts had been remade and

-he was about ready to start experimenting

-again.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, Ned,” said Tom to his helper one day

-about two weeks after their strenuous experiences,

-“are you ready to be an actor again?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean in the song and dance line—trying

-to make my voice and image come through solid

-walls?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s the idea. I have my machine set

-up again after the explosion, and I think I’m

-nearer the solution than ever before. I’ve made

-a lot of changes. In a way, the fire and blast

-didn’t mean such a total loss, after all. It

-helped put me on a new track.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s good. Well, I’m ready for you as

-soon as I get this statement off to the bank.

-What’s the idea, Tom, borrowing so much money

-on notes?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Got to have it, Ned,” and the young inventor

-seemed a bit put out by the question.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is it for this new invention?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, why not sell some of your securities?

-Money is high now, and to borrow it I’ve got to

-make statements to the bank that disclose a lot

-of your private dealings. Of course, they’re in

-safe hands, but——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Go ahead and get the money, Ned. We’ll

-need all that and more. I’ve sunk a lot in this

-invention, but I’ll get it all back again, and more

-too. No use spoiling the ship for a pennyworth

-of tar, you know.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know, Tom. And if you’re sure

-you’re on the right track——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m never sure of anything in this world,

-Ned. But I know one thing, if I don’t pull out

-of this a winner, the banks will be asking a lot

-more questions than they have.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“As bad as that?” asked Ned, struck by his

-friend’s serious manner.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“As bad—or as good. It depends on how you

-look at it. But I’ll leave the finances to you.

-I’m going to try out some new ideas now as soon

-as you can get into the broadcasting room.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom called the room where Ned did his acting

-under the battery of electric lights his “broadcasting

-studio.” In a measure this was what

-it was, for vocal sounds and instrumental music

-were broadcast from it in the manner familiar

-to all who own a radio set.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But what Tom was trying to do, and which

-he found not at all easy, was to broadcast the

-sight of Ned and the song, making sight and

-sound synchronized. He wanted to perfect a

-radio receiver with an added apparatus by

-which, on a screen attached to the sounding

-cabinet, a person could view the person or persons

-doing the singing, dancing, or whatever

-form of activity was being presented.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This of course was not to be confounded with

-some moving and “talking” pictures, which are

-a combination of films and phonograph records,

-working simultaneously. By Tom’s machine,

-when perfected, one would be enabled to see and

-hear an actual theater play, a complete vaudeville

-show, or even a complete operatic performance.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>When Ned finished his financial work he went

-to the studio and there he remained until far

-into the night while Tom, in his laboratory,

-watched the metallic glass screen and changed

-and adjusted switches, eliminators, tubes and

-different forms of electrical currents, endeavoring

-to capture not only Ned’s voice but his

-image.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, how did it go, Tom?” asked Ned, coming

-to the laboratory after a bell signal told him

-work for the night was over.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Somewhat better, I’m glad to say. I could

-see you much more plainly. Your voice was

-very clear. It’s only the vision apparatus that

-needs improving. How did you make out?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t mind it. But why did you send

-some one to look through the windows at

-me?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look through the windows at you?” exclaimed

-Tom. “I didn’t! You must be dreaming!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Indeed, I’m not. Two or three times, while

-I was singing and dancing, I saw faces peering

-in at me. I thought you had some men checking

-up.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, indeed!” cried Tom. “Ned, I believe

-the spies are at work again!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This seemed very possible when the two compared

-notes. Though Koku on guard outside

-the laboratory had reported no suspicious persons

-around, this much could not be said of the

-room where Ned performed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll guard that, too!” decided Tom, and the

-next time when a “show” was put on, Eradicate

-was on duty to see that no one approached the

-windows.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Who the unbidden spectators could have been

-Tom had no idea, but he guessed they were

-emissaries from the men seeking to discover his

-secret.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As the days went on Tom Swift became more

-and more convinced that he was being closely

-watched by men who had a vital reason for discovering

-his secret. That these men were those

-interested in moving pictures and theatrical

-shows was certain. Tom realized what it would

-mean if their form of entertainment could be

-presented in even the humblest home in connection

-with the broadcasting of music, once his

-invention was successful.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was one night when Ned had been performing

-a long time and when the results were not as

-satisfactory as at first that Tom, sinking wearily

-back in his chair and wondering what was wrong,

-heard a commotion in the corridor outside his

-private laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No go in! No go in!” Koku’s big voice

-boomed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Nonsense! Of course I’m going in!” another

-voice responded. “Bless my toothbrush,

-but I want to see Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Come on in, Mr. Damon!” called out the

-young inventor, as a new and daring idea came

-to him. “It’s all right, Koku,” he went on to

-the giant. “Let Mr. Damon in. Look here,”

-said Tom, addressing his eccentric friend, “can

-you sing and dance?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why—bless—well, I don’t know, Tom. I

-used to,” and Mr. Damon chuckled. “I once

-was given to taking part in amateur minstrels.

-But is this a joke or a serious question?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s serious business. Just as you came

-along I happened to think that perhaps what I

-need at the visual sending end is a contrast of

-color. That might solve the problem, the difference

-in light rays—red at one end of the spectrum

-and violet at the other. It’s worth trying.

-But I need two performers. Ned’s in there

-now. He has on a violet suit—regular clown’s

-outfit. Will you put on a red one and help?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll do anything, Tom, but eat onions. I

-hate ’em! Never could touch the things. So

-outside of that I’m at your service. I just

-stopped in casually on my way home and——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You’re just in time!” interrupted Tom.

-“This thing is giving me the dingbats, or it will

-if I don’t solve it soon. Come on, I’ll have to

-pass you in, for Eradicate is on guard.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned, who was resting after his singing and

-dancing, attired in a violet-colored suit, as Tom

-had said, welcomed Mr. Damon. Tom quickly

-explained his new plan, and when Koku and

-Eradicate had made sure no interlopers were

-around, the new experiments were begun.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But what’s it all about?” asked Mr. Damon

-as, in his red suit, he joined Ned in the song and

-dance. It may be said, in passing, that Mr.

-Damon was much funnier than he suspected.

-In spite of his anxiety over the outcome, Tom

-could not help chuckling as he watched the little

-rehearsal before going back to his laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’ll do excellently,” he said, as he observed

-his eccentric friend shuffle about the improvised

-stage. “Keep it up now, and I’ll see

-how it comes through.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Under the glare of the powerful lights in

-the broadcasting studio, Mr. Damon and Ned

-danced and sang while with an anxious heart

-Tom Swift hurried back to the laboratory to

-see if the faint image on the metallic glass screen

-was any brighter.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</h2>

-<h3>KOKU IS DRUGGED</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>The</span> young inventor, hastening along the corridor

-between his broadcasting studio and the

-laboratory where the new machine was set up,

-passed the giant Koku who sat on a stool not

-far from Tom’s door. Here the big man had

-taken his place each night while the testing was

-going on. With him on guard, Tom felt secure

-against intrusion by any of the plotters.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Getting tired, Koku?” asked Tom, pausing

-on the threshold of his laboratory. “It isn’t

-much fun for you to be sitting there.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not much tired. Master,” was the reply,

-“But Koku like do something—smash somebody—fight.

-No fun sit here nodding do.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t much fun doing nothing, I’ll admit,”

-said Tom. “And if it ever comes to a

-fight, Koku, you shall have a share in it. But it

-looks now as though the rascals would leave us

-alone. It won’t be much longer now, I think,

-I’m on the verge of success.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That good,” Koku answered. He did not,

-perhaps, understand all Tom had said, but he

-had been associated with the young inventor

-long enough to know when Tom spoke of success

-that it meant pleasure for the “Master.” For

-this Koku was glad. “Maybe you make new

-airship go back Koku’s country?” the giant

-asked.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, this isn’t an airship I’m working on

-now,” Tom said, knowing it would be of no use

-to explain to the simple mind of the giant what

-the invention really was. “But would you like

-to go back to your own land of giants, Koku?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes Koku think maybe he like to go,”

-was the slow answer. “But Koku like it here,

-too. Sometimes get hungry for fash,” and he

-named a peculiar fruit that the giants of his land

-were especially fond of. Tom and Ned, on their

-voyage which had resulted in the capture of

-Koku, had seen how passionately eager the big

-men were for this fruit. They would go to almost

-any length to get it. And Tom had an

-idea how Koku must long for some now and

-then in a land where no fash was to be had. It

-Was a species of melon with a peculiar taste and

-odor. Neither Tom nor Ned had any liking for

-fash, but the giants seemed to thrive upon it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Some day, Koku,” the young inventor half

-promised as he stepped into his laboratory to

-start anew the test, this time under different circumstances,

-“I may take another airship trip to

-your country and let you have all the fash you

-want.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“By golly, Master, that be good time for me!”

-cried the giant with a happy laugh.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As Tom walked over to the apparatus by

-which he hoped to produce such startling results,

-the telephone bell on the instrument that

-connected the laboratory with the broadcasting

-studio rang hard.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hello! What’s the matter?” Tom asked,

-over the wire.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“How long do you want us to keep at this

-thing?” asked the laughing voice of Ned Newton.

-“I—oh, dear—whew—I can’t stand this

-much longer, Tom!” and he went off into another

-fit of merriment.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why, what’s the matter?” asked the wondering

-inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s my partner in the red suit!” chuckled

-Ned. “He’s cutting up such funny antics

-that I can’t dance or sing for laughing. How

-is it coming through?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t connected up yet,” Tom answered.

-“I will in a minute. I was talking to Koku.

-He’s hungry for fash.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“For fash!” exclaimed Ned wonderingly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes. Don’t you remember those peculiar

-melons that had such a funny smell and taste?

-The giants were crazy about them.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes,” Ned answered. “I’d forgotten all

-about them. But get on with the show. I happen

-to have a date with Helen to-night.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll soon release you,” promised Tom. “So

-Mr. Damon is cutting loose, is he?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You ought to see him!” chuckled the other

-performer, and even then Tom caught, over the

-telephone, snatches of comic songs Mr. Damon

-was practicing—recollections of his amateur

-minstrel days.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All right—get set!” advised the inventor.

-“I’m going to turn on the power now. Keep

-toward the middle of the stage, for I haven’t got

-a very wide screen and the focus is narrow. If

-you get too far to either side I may lose the image

-and can’t tell whether I’m getting you or

-not.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sure!” was the succinct answer of Ned.

-Then Tom made the adjustments, turned on the

-power, and waited.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A moment later there came from his loud

-speaker the tones of Ned and Mr. Damon singing

-a selection from one of the latest comic

-operas. The musical accompaniment came

-from an electrical piano in the studio.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s the best and clearest broadcasting

-I’ve gotten yet!” said Tom, with satisfaction.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But that’s the easiest part of it. Now will the

-images of the performers come on the screen

-clearly? That’s the decisive test.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Anxiously, he turned the switch that controlled

-the projection of moving objects. There

-was a hissing sound, a slight humming, and then

-a soft glow illuminated the metallic glass screen

-in front of Tom Swift. It suffused to a milky

-whiteness and then, as upon the silver screen in

-a moving picture theater, but in miniature size,

-there was projected before Tom’s eyes the figures

-of Ned and Mr. Damon going through the movements

-of an eccentric dance as they sang.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For a moment Tom wanted to shout in delight,

-for, perhaps due to the fact that the performers

-wore contrasting garments of red and

-violet, the images projected were clearer than

-any Tom had yet succeeded in getting through

-by means of his new wireless apparatus.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I believe I’ve struck it!” he whispered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then he began to laugh, for Mr. Damon certainly

-was funny. He even seemed to know

-that Tom, in a distant room, could see him, for

-the odd man winked one eye and made gestures

-at Tom as though the young inventor were personally

-before him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Tom. “I must get dad

-in to see this. He’ll believe in it now.” For,

-up to this time, Mr. Swift had been rather skeptical,

-though he was fully in sympathy with

-Tom’s aims. “And I’d like to show it to Mary,”

-mused the young inventor, as he sat there enjoying

-what really was a team vaudeville sketch

-without either of the artists being in the room

-with him. Their song, the music, and even the

-shuffling of their feet came plainly to him

-through the loud speaker, while the image was

-shimmering on the metallic glass screen almost

-as plainly as though Tom had been in the studio.

-Of course the image was in reduced size. The

-screen was about three feet square, and life-sized

-figures cannot be shown on that.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But in time I can get them full size,” Tom

-decided. “Oh, but this is good! I can see success

-now, though it still must be a little clearer

-to make it a positive thing and in natural

-colors.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then he bethought him that Ned and Mr.

-Damon must be tired, for they had been keeping

-steadily at it for nearly an hour while Tom

-tried different combinations of lights and currents

-of various intensities in order to get the

-best effects.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Guess I’ll ’phone them that they can let up

-now,” decided the young inventor. “They must

-be tired. And Ned wants to go see Helen. By

-the same token I’d better give Mary a call, I

-guess. I’ve been rather neglecting her of late—too

-busy over this invention.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then another thought came to Tom—that he

-would have the girls and perhaps their parents

-come to the studio to take a look at the result

-he had accomplished. True, it was not yet perfected;

-but he knew his friends would keep his

-secret until he could complete the patent applications.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I’ll give the girls a show,” decided Tom.

-“They sure will enjoy Mr. Damon’s singing and

-dancing. Gosh, but he’s funny!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom shut off the power. The image faded

-from the screen which turned from milky whiteness

-to the blackness of pitch. Then the voices

-of the performers died away as Tom cut off the

-radio.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was about to step to the telephone to advise

-his friends of his almost complete success

-and to tell them to cease their efforts when a

-noise out in the corridor attracted his attention.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe they’ve decided to quit of their own

-accord,” mused Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He opened the door of his laboratory and

-stepped into the hall. He saw nothing of Ned

-or Mr. Damon approaching and at once became

-aware of a peculiar odor. At first he

-could not account for it, thinking, for a moment,

-that his father might be at work in the chemical

-laboratory farther down the corridor. But after

-a second deep breath Tom knew it was no chemical

-he smelled.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It—it’s—fash!” he murmured. “The peculiar

-melon fruit that Koku was wishing for. But

-how in the world could that smell get here?

-There isn’t any fash within hundreds of miles—yes,

-even thousands! How Koku could get

-any——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He paused. There was a dark object on the

-floor near where the giant had been sitting on

-guard. Tom switched on a brilliant overhead

-light. It illuminated the place where Koku had

-been sitting, but the giant was no longer in his

-chair. He was sprawled on the floor, an inert

-lump of flesh, while, not far from him, was one

-of those peculiar melons, or fash fruits, of which

-the giants of that far-off, strange land were so

-fond.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Can I be dreaming?” gasped Tom. “How

-did this happen? Koku must be drugged!

-How did he get that fash? And what does it

-all mean?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As he started forward a noise behind him attracted

-his attention.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</h2>

-<h3>A SINISTER WARNING</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Like</span> an electrical flash it came into the mind

-of Tom Swift that there was something wrong

-here—something terribly and dangerously

-wrong. The drugged giant—nothing less than

-a drug could account for the helplessness of

-Koku—the appearance of that strange fruit, the

-noise behind—all these were warnings not to be

-ignored.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>So, though his first impulse was to hasten to

-the aid of the giant, when he heard that noise

-back of him Tom turned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He was only just in time. He had a glimpse

-of a figure gliding toward him out of the shadows,

-for that part of the corridor was not

-brightly lighted. And the figure was that of

-the man lately discharged—Greenbaum!</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>With uplifted hand, in which was some sort

-of a weapon Tom could not distinguish, Greenbaum

-glided toward him. Tom was taken so

-by surprise and was so off his guard because of

-what had happened to Koku that he might have

-fallen a victim to Greenbaum.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But at that moment occurred an interruption

-and a diversion that saved the situation,

-and perhaps Tom’s life. The door farther down

-the corridor opened and Mr. Damon and Ned,

-preceded by Eradicate, who had been serving as

-guard there, came out. The two performers, receiving

-no answer to their telephonic signal, had

-rightly concluded that Tom had finished experimenting

-for the night.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“At the same time I thought something might

-be wrong when you didn’t answer,” Ned explained

-later.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>At any rate, the two performers and Eradicate

-were now hastening toward the young inventor.

-In a trice they realized that Tom was

-about to be attacked. But before the knife in

-Greenbaum’s hand could descend, the man received

-some missile full in the face with such

-crashing force that he staggered back. He

-dropped the knife, and with a cry of pain darted

-away, being lost to sight in the shadows of the

-hall.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Good shot!” cried Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my rubber boot, Eradicate hit the

-scoundrel with a shoe!” exclaimed Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Dat’s whut I done!” chuckled the negro. “I

-didn’t have nothin’ else, so I tuck off mah shoe!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Eradicate had big feet and wore heavy brogans,

-so the hobnailed sole and heel made as effective

-a weapon for the purpose as could be

-desired.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Recovering from the astonishment into which

-the unexpected attempt on his life had thrown

-him, Tom Swift turned about and darted into

-the lower part of the hall in pursuit of Greenbaum.

-But he was too late. The slight start

-which the man had, served him in good stead

-and he made his escape. Though Tom sounded

-the alarm and got many of his night watchmen

-on the job, they could not capture the intruder.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Not until it was made certain that he was no

-longer on the premises did Tom turn his attention

-to Koku. Eradicate, however, had begun

-to minister to his fellow guard. Though there

-was jealousy between the two because each one

-desired to serve Tom alone, when one was in

-trouble the other always showed a friendly

-spirit.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Somebody done chlo’fo’m him!” was Eradicate’s

-opinion, when Tom and Ned came back

-from the unsuccessful chase after Greenbaum,

-to find the giant just recovering consciousness.

-There was a dazed look on his face, but his eyes

-opened wider as he saw the fash melon on the

-floor near where he had fallen from his chair.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Koku no dream then,” he murmured.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What happened?” asked Tom, when he had

-sent several men to find out, if possible, how

-Greenbaum had eluded the guard and the electrically

-charged fence and so had gained entrance

-to the private laboratory.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then the giant, whose immense bulk was proof

-against any ordinary means of making him unconscious,

-told what had taken place. He had

-been sitting in his chair on guard near Tom’s

-door after the little talk he had with the young

-inventor about his desire to have a fash melon

-once more. Then, as Koku explained it, a little

-later, there came rolling along the corridor

-toward his chair one of the very same fruits for

-which he had such a longing.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a transport of joy at the sight and smell

-of the dainty, not stopping to consider how

-strange it was that the fruit should have appeared

-at such an opportune time, Koku stooped

-to pick it up. But he never got his hands on

-it, so he said, for a moment later he “went to

-sleep,” as he expressed it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You were drugged,” declared Tom. “Whoever

-rolled that fash in to attract your attention

-and keep you from being suspicious,

-whoever did that, must have sprayed some

-chloroform or ether up your nose. You went

-down and out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Maybe so, Master,” admitted the giant

-humbly. “Koku very sorry.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum brought it,” declared Tom. “He

-wanted to get Koku out of the way and then he

-thought he’d get me. Guess he didn’t count on

-Ned and Mr. Damon being so near.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He didn’t figure on Eradicate’s shoe, either,”

-chuckled Mr. Damon. “Bless my trolley fare,

-but that was a good shot!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But look here,” persisted Ned. “It’s all

-right enough for you to say that Greenbaum

-brought that fash here to tempt Koku. So much

-is evident and plain. What isn’t plain is how

-Greenbaum knew about the fash and where he

-got it. That’s what puzzles me.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s a small problem compared to the others

-we have to solve,” said Tom, with a serious

-look on his face. “What worries me is how

-Greenbaum passed the guard lines. It also worries

-me to know that the men who seem bent on

-preventing me from completing this invention

-are still on my trail.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Those are greater problems,” agreed Ned.

-“Very likely we are wrong in thinking these peculiar

-melons grow only in Koku’s country.

-This may have come from South America or

-Africa in a shipment of fruit. You know we

-get pears, or maybe it’s peaches I’m thinking of—anyhow,

-it’s something, from Australia. And

-if they can ship things that far, it wouldn’t be

-impossible to bring fash from where we got

-Koku. Only what puzzles me is how anybody

-knew of these melons.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll consider that later,” suggested Tom.

-“But it occurs to me that the moving picture

-people have of late been sending men into all

-sorts of strange countries for travel news. It is

-entirely within the bounds of reason to suppose

-that some of them have penetrated to the land

-where Koku came from and where the fash

-grows. Some exploring movie men may have

-brought a few of the melons back with him.

-You know Koku said they keep an astonishingly

-long time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” agreed Ned. “But that one won’t keep

-long,” he added, with a chuckle, for the giant

-was already opening his big pocket knife preparatory

-to cutting the melon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not in here, Koku, if you please,” said Tom,

-motioning to the giant to go outside to cut the

-fruit.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It had a disagreeable odor when whole, but

-the aroma was tripled when the fash was cut.

-Koku had speedily recovered from the effects

-of the drug and was preparing for a feast. If

-Tom had been a few minutes later in opening his

-door, the giant might have been dead and the

-young inventor himself would have been in grave

-danger.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, let Koku enjoy his fash,” Tom said as

-the big man went out into the night with his

-treasure, having first, however, offered to share

-it with his master. The offer was politely

-turned down. “We’ve got to investigate what

-happened.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They could not find out how Greenbaum got

-in, and Tom began to fear there was still another

-spy in his working force. He resolved to have

-a strict inquiry next morning and made a note

-to charge Mr. Jackson with this.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But how did the talking-picture work, Tom?”

-asked Ned when they were ready to close the laboratory

-and disperse for the night.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Fine! Almost perfect! I’m on the verge

-of success!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s why those plotters are getting desperate,

-I guess,” suggested the manager.

-“They’re out to do you, Tom. Better clean

-this thing up and sell it. Then they’ll let you

-alone.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m thinking of that. But I want to make

-one more demonstration and have Mary, Helen,

-and some of their folks see it. There are one or

-two little improvements that occur to me that

-can be made, and then I’ll be ready for a final

-showing before I get my last patents. After

-that I’ll be ready to market my invention.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Going to give a sort of dress rehearsal?”

-asked Ned, with a smile.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A search next morning revealed little more

-than had been found out the night before. Nor

-was the strict inquiry the superintendent conducted

-fruitful of results. No spies were uncovered

-among Tom’s factory forces.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But, omitting no precautions, the young inventor

-took even greater pains to insure privacy

-in his personal laboratory. There he worked

-hard to perfect his invention, taking hardly any

-sleep for a week, so that he was almost exhausted.

-His father and Ned helped and so did

-Mr. Damon. Koku and Eradicate were kept on

-guard, and the giant, having satisfied his longing

-for fash, declared that he would not move

-from his chair again to pick up a dozen of the

-odorous melons.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>And, laboring hard, Tom brought to what he

-thought would be perfection his newest invention.

-Mr. Swift was greatly interested in it,

-though he begged his son to proceed cautiously.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You evidently have powerful enemies, Tom,”

-said the aged man. “They must think you will

-ruin part of their business in moving pictures

-and theatrical performances and that is why

-they are so anxious to get you out of the way.

-Be careful!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I will,” promised the young man. “But they

-can’t stop me now. Success is just across the

-line.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He had entirely rebuilt the machine after the

-fire and blast, and it was larger and better than

-ever. Mary and Helen, with their families, had

-been taken into Tom’s confidence and he had

-promised them that they should see and hear

-the performance of Ned and Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s quite thrilling!” said Mary, with a fond

-look at Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope you’ll say so after the demonstration,”

-was his answer. “I may ask you and Helen to

-perform, also.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, we’ll be glad to,” said Helen. “I can’t

-let Ned get away with all the honors.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was the day on which the final demonstration

-was to take place. Tom had arranged his

-apparatus and had invited the two girls and

-their families to come to the laboratory for the

-evening.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In the afternoon, about six hours before the

-time set, Tom was in his workroom putting some

-finishing touches to the machinery and testing

-the electrical wires when he heard Eradicate

-coming along the corridor. Something in the

-colored man’s step and the fact that he was muttering

-excitedly to himself, roused Tom’s curiosity

-and fears.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter, Rad?” he asked, opening

-the door in response to the faithful black

-man’s knock.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Man jest give me dis,” answered Eradicate,

-holding out a letter.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Where did you get it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Out in de yard,” was the answer. “I was

-walkin’ round like yo’ done tole me watchin’ fo’

-strangers, when de man come up an’ handed me

-dis. He were a stranger—I was goin’ to tell

-him to make his se’f skurse when he done hand

-me dat.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Eradicate nodded toward the note which Tom

-held.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Did he say anything when he gave it to

-you?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He say ‘gib dat to Tom Swift. It may be

-life or death to him,’ ” quoted Eradicate.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom hastily tore open the envelope. As he

-read the message a cry of rage and astonishment

-came to his lips.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</h2>

-<h3>A STARTLING DISCOVERY</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> the matter?” asked Ned Newton.

-He had been making the broadcasting studio

-ready for the performance he and Mr. Damon

-would soon give in there, so Tom could show

-his assembled party of guests what the new invention

-would do. “What’s wrong, Tom?” he

-asked again, entering the laboratory just as his

-chum finished reading the sinister message that

-Eradicate had handed him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wrong is the word,” murmured Tom, again

-reading the warning. “What do you think of

-that?” and he handed the paper to his financial

-manager.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned scanned the scrawl—it was only that—words

-hastily scribbled on a piece of wrapping

-paper and enclosed in a dirty envelope.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” whistled Ned as he read. And this

-is what his eyes took in:</p>

-

-<div class='blockquote'>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tom Swift: If you exhibit your new talking

-pictures your whole plant will be blown to

-atoms. Take warning in time.”</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There’s no name signed to it,” remarked

-Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There doesn’t need be,” responded his chum.

-“It’s easy to guess that this comes from the same

-crowd who kidnapped you and me—the same

-men who tried to blow me up. There’s no need

-for a name.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I guess you’re right,” Ned agreed.

-“Still, if we could trace these fellows——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m going to try!” exclaimed Tom. “I’m

-not going to sit idly down and let them think

-they have us scared. Eradicate, show me just

-where you met this man and tell me what he

-looked like.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The negro did his best, but he was getting old

-and his memory was not what it had been. He

-gave a rather hazy description of the bearer of

-the sinister warning, but he was able to point out

-the place where he had come upon the intruder.

-Intruder was exactly what the messenger was,

-for, since beginning work on his latest invention,

-Tom had taken precautions to admit none

-but his own men to the plant.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He met me heah,” said Eradicate pointing to

-a clump of bushes near the electrically charged

-fence. That is, it was electrically charged at

-night. During the day, when many watchmen

-were on the alert, Tom did not have the current

-turned on.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But I’m going to have it on after this,” he

-decided, when a search of the grounds in the

-vicinity of the place where Eradicate had received

-the note revealed no one. “He must

-have gotten over the fence in some way, didn’t

-he, Rad?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t see him shinny ober de fence, no,

-Massa Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I think he must have come in that way.

-Where did he go after he left the note with you?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He jes’ disappeared, dat’s whut he done!

-He jes’ vanished like!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He must be a voodoo man,” suggested Ned

-jokingly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Eradicate’s eyes grew round and his jaw

-dropped.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Tom glancing warningly at Ned,

-“what I think happened was that when Rad was

-looking at the note and trying to adjust himself

-to the life or death twist the fellow gave to it, the

-scoundrel jumped back over the fence before

-Rad saw him.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He’d have to be a pretty good jumper to get

-over this fence,” Ned commented.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but it could be done,” said Tom. “But

-from now on the electric current will be on duty

-twenty-four hours a day. I’ll put a stop to this

-nonsense!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What are you going to do?” asked Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m going to take no chances, for one

-thing,” was the reply. “I don’t know whether

-this message is genuine or a hoax. But I can’t

-afford to take any chances. There are too many

-men in this plant to risk having even one of the

-smaller buildings blown up. If only my own

-laboratory were involved I wouldn’t think so

-much of it. Though of course a lot of damage

-could be done to my new invention now that it’s

-practically finished. However, we’ll have the

-most thorough investigation possible. I’ll shut

-down work for the rest of the day and turn the

-force into an investigating body.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s a wise thing to do,” agreed Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A little later the big factory whistle sounded

-the signal of alarm. Men dropped their tools,

-shut down their machines, and gathered at the

-appointed places. It was as if, on a ship, the

-signal had been given for boat drill. Tom had

-organized his men this way to respond to the

-alarm in case of emergency.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a short time several hundred indignant

-employees of the Swift Construction Company

-were listening to Tom tell of the latest outrage.

-He did not need to go into details of his secret

-invention which, until it was perfected, he would

-not give to the world. It was enough to state

-that enemies were trying to intimidate the head

-of the firm in an endeavor to steal some of the

-valuable secrets.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There may be a spy and traitor among us,”

-declared Tom. “I doubt that. But there is

-some way for my enemies to gain entrance to

-the plant that I can’t discover. Now I want

-you to go over the place. Look for a secret

-means of entering. Look for hidden wires that

-may connect with planted mines. In short, go

-over the plant with a fine toothed comb and let

-me know what you find.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what we’ll do, Mr. Swift!” came the

-reassuring chorus.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And if we find any of the scoundrels we’ll

-string ’em up!” yelled one enthusiastic and indignant

-workman.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, don’t do anything rash or unlawful!”

-warned the young inventor. “Make any intruder

-you catch a prisoner and bring him to

-me.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The men scattered to make a thorough search,

-and then Tom went into his private laboratory

-where his father and Ned had preceded him.

-He wanted to talk the situation over with them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you think, Dad?” asked Tom, when

-he had related to his parent the latest attempt.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well,” was the careful answer, “to me it looks

-like a deep-laid plot against you. They don’t

-want you to put these talking pictures on the

-market.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But how is it their business?” asked Ned.

-“I mean the business of whoever is doing these

-tricks.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It concerns them vitally,” replied Mr. Swift.

-“Why, just think what it would mean if a whole

-theatrical performance could be thrown on the

-screen in private homes!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’m going to make possible!”

-declared the young inventor. “Those who buy

-my machine will not only hear but, on the screen

-attached to the apparatus, they will see the performers!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It may mean ruin to many regular theaters

-and moving picture houses, Tom,” warned Mr.

-Swift. “Those people have millions of dollars

-invested in their projects. They evidently mean

-business,” and he tapped the warning letter

-Eradicate had received.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they mean business; but so do I!” cried

-Tom in a ringing voice. “The question is who

-means the most business. You don’t want me

-to quit, do you, Dad?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, I can’t say I do. Yet I want you

-to be careful.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s your idea, Ned? Should I knuckle

-under to these scoundrels and tell them I’ll

-throw overboard the machine I’ve been working

-on so hard for the last year? Shall I admit I’m

-beaten?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For a moment Ned Newton did not answer.

-Then something of Tom’s ringing spirit was

-communicated and, banging his fist on the table

-with such force that he knocked over a rack of

-test tubes, the manager cried:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom! We’ll fight ’em to a finish!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I thought you’d say that,” was Tom’s quiet

-comment.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And you can count on me,” said Mr. Swift,

-“though I’m not much good when it comes to a

-fight.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’ve got men enough to fight for me

-physically,” said Tom. “What I need is moral

-backing, and now that I have it I’m going ahead.

-I’ve been trying to fight this thing too much in

-the dark. From now on I’ll use not only my

-own men, but also the regular police force of

-Shopton. Ned, get the chief on the wire!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a short time a squad of police were on

-guard around Tom’s big plant, while, as the day

-drew to a close and the hour approached for

-the test demonstration, the regular workmen

-searched for anything that might give color to

-the threat to blow the place up.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Just when it seemed that nothing would be

-found, several of the men, under the leadership

-of Mr. Jackson, made a startling discovery.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>They found where the big outside fence had

-been tunneled under and, working from there,

-came upon several mines that were planted near

-important buildings in a manner that would

-have done credit to a wartime mining party.

-From the mines buried wires led outside the

-fence to a little gully. There, beneath a clump

-of bushes, the ends of the wires lay. All that

-remained was to connect them to a detonating

-battery. Then the mines could all be set off at

-once and the Swift plant surely would be terribly

-damaged, if not wholly destroyed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’re regular fiends!” gasped Ned, when

-the extent of the vile plot had been laid bare.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they could easily have blown us up but

-for that warning,” Tom admitted. “Yet it may

-all have been a bluff. They might not have

-gone to extremes. But I dared not take a

-chance.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No,” agreed his chum. “Well, what’s the

-next move?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift did not answer immediately.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</h2>

-<h3>USELESS PLEADINGS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> was profoundly disturbed by the

-momentous discoveries that had taken place

-around the Swift Construction Company’s plant.

-He did not believe it possible, with all his precautions,

-that so deep and dangerous a plot could

-have been brought so near to fruition as it had

-been.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well?” asked Ned remindingly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” and Tom appeared to come out of a

-disagreeable reverie. “Well, there are several

-things that must be done, Ned. In the first

-place we must take newer and better precautions

-to keep these rascals out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s plain enough.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then the next thing to do is to go ahead with

-this thing and push it to a conclusion.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean the talking-picture machine?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s it. After that we’ll consider what is

-next to be done. But you and Mr. Damon had

-better be getting ready,” and Tom smiled for

-the first time since Eradicate had given him the

-threatening note that proved to be such a timely

-warning.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Ready for what?” Ned wanted to know.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“For the performance you are to give for the

-benefit of Mary, Helen, and the other visitors.

-They’ll be here soon. It’s getting late.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean, in the face of what happened,

-that you’re going to put on a program of songs

-and dances?” asked Ned, in astonishment.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why not?” Tom questioned. “Nothing

-really happened. There was no blowing up of

-the plant.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, but it came mighty close to it. We

-don’t know what hour those fellows set for attaching

-the detonator to the ends of the wires,

-and then it would have been a skyrocket trip

-for us.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but it <i>didn’t</i> happen,” insisted Tom,

-with another smile. “ ‘A miss is as good as a

-mile,’ you know. We’re safe and sound. We

-are well guarded now and I want to see if my

-machine will do what I hope it will.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Very well,” assented Ned, with a shake of his

-head. “On with the dance, let Mr. Damon and

-myself be unconfined. I’m game if you are,

-Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my dominoes, so am I!” added the odd

-man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There really is no danger now,” Tom insisted.

-“I’m not saying but what the scoundrels may

-try it again. But, for the time being, we are

-safe. It’s just as it is after a hard thunder

-storm,” he went on. “There’ll be no danger

-from the lightning for some time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You may be right there,” agreed Ned.

-“Well, come on, Mr. Damon. We’ll do our part

-to make the entertainment a success.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Shortly after this Mary Nestor and her parents

-arrived in answer to the invitation Tom

-had sent them, and they were followed soon by

-Helen Morton, whom Ned greeted with a warm

-smile.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But what’s going on?” Mary wanted to know

-of Tom. “We were stopped two or three times

-on our way through your grounds and made to

-show the passes you sent us. What’s the cause?

-Is it war?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Something like that,” admitted Tom.

-“We’re having a little trouble with some men

-who don’t like what I’m doing. But I think the

-worst is over.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, not telling what danger he and Ned

-had been in, Tom Swift gave his friends a brief

-description of the new talking-picture machine

-and prepared them for what they were going to

-see.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mary, Helen and their parents took their

-seats in the laboratory with Mr. Swift and Tom,

-while Ned and Mr. Damon went to the broadcasting

-studio, there to don their red and violet

-robes. Tom had not yet succeeded in making it

-possible to render sharp and clear performers

-attired in garments of other colors or combination

-of colors, though he hoped, by the use of

-filter screens, to bring this about later.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Eradicate and another man were instructed

-to keep strict guard on all approaches to the

-broadcasting room while the performance was

-going on. Koku, armed with a big club, and

-another man with a gun were stationed outside

-the private laboratory. But Tom did not have

-Koku and the other guard stationed until Mary

-and the others were in the room, so the visitors

-did not see these warlike preparations.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The switches were turned, the wires hummed,

-the tubes glowed with their strange lights and

-the black screen became milky white. Then, as

-over the loud speaker, came the words of the

-song rendered by Ned and Mr. Damon in the

-distant room, there also appeared very plain

-images of the two performers. The transmission

-was the best Tom had ever succeeded in producing.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why, Tom, it’s wonderful!” exclaimed Mary.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Marvelous!” echoed Helen.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Finest thing I ever saw!” declared Mr. Nestor.

-“If you’re selling stock in this, Tom, put

-me down for a good subscription.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Same here!” added Mr. Morton. “It’s going

-to be epoch-making, Tom Swift.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’m afraid of—it’s too epoch-making,”

-said Mr. Swift, but he did not explain

-what he meant nor did his visitors ask. They

-were too much interested in listening to and

-looking at Ned Newton and Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned’s earlier description of the odd man’s

-performance was fully borne out by what happened.

-At one time Ned had to quit from sheer

-exhaustion in laughing, but Mr. Damon went on

-alone, singing, dancing, improvising, telling

-jokes and funny stories until he had his unseen

-audience in gales of laughter.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom, how was it?” asked Ned, when

-the performance was over and they were all together

-again.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Very good! But it must be better yet. I

-don’t want to limit the performers to red and

-violet robes. But I have thought of a simple

-method of getting around that. Color filters,

-such as are used in printing photography, will

-do the trick. I’m not worried about that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The little laboratory was rather close and

-stuffy, so the door leading into the hall was

-opened for air. Mary looked out. She

-screamed, and turned quickly toward Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Tom instantly.

-“Is there—” He thought Greenbaum might be

-trying some other trick.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why is Koku armed with that big club and

-the other man with a gun?” asked Mary

-suspiciously. “Is there some danger? Oh,

-Tom——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The memory of the kidnapping of the two

-young men came vividly into her mind.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There’s danger—terrible danger!” exclaimed

-Helen. “I can tell by the boys’ faces,” she

-added, looking from Tom and Ned to Mary.

-“They are trying to hide it from us; but there’s

-danger, and I know it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As Ned remarked later, “the beans were

-spilled then and there,” and though he and Tom

-tried to put the girls and their parents off, there

-was no denying that something unusual was

-afoot. The upshot of it was that the whole

-story of the buried mines came out.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tom, you’ve got to give this thing up!”

-urged Mary, taking him by the arm. “It’s a

-wonderful invention, undoubtedly, but it isn’t

-worth your life, nor Ned’s. You must give it

-up! Let those men have it to destroy if they

-want to.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Never!” cried Tom. “I’m going through

-with it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then followed earnest but useless pleadings

-on the part of the young ladies and their parents.

-Seeing how firm Tom was, Helen and

-Mary turned their attention to Ned, seeking

-to get him to prevail upon his chum to cast the

-invention aside. But Ned was as firm as his

-friend.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m going ahead with it no matter what

-comes!” was Tom’s final decision. “But I’m

-going to set a trap for these scoundrels and I

-think I’ll catch them. The talking-picture machine

-must be perfected, in spite of these fellows.

-But they’ll find two can play at the same game.

-I’m going to set a trap!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Somewhat reassured by Tom’s confident manner,

-the girls and their parents felt better, though

-they could not shake off the fear that something

-would happen. Nor was Tom as easy in his

-mind as he seemed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There were refreshments after the demonstration,

-which had been a success in spite of the excitement

-preceding it, and then Tom and Ned

-took the girls home, their parents having gone

-on ahead.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom,” remarked Ned when the two

-young men were on their way back to the laboratory

-to make sure it was carefully locked

-and guarded for the night, “I thought, once, that

-Mary was going to prevail on you to give it

-up.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not in a hundred years! I’m going

-through with it. Why, I’ve got to or face ruin

-of another sort.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean financially?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes. You know how much money I’ve got

-tied up in this machine. It’s all we could beg or

-borrow or spare from my other ventures. If I

-scrapped it now, all that cash would be lost.

-As it is, if I go on and put the machine on the

-market, I stand a chance to get it back with a

-profit.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I suppose so. The banks have begun

-to ask questions. I guess it’s sink or swim

-from now on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But we’re going to <i>swim</i>!” declared Tom

-Swift, with a confident smile. “Give me an even

-break, and I’ll beat those fellows at their own

-game!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope you do, Tom. But what sort of trap

-are you going to set?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Tell you in the morning. I want to sleep

-over it,” and with that Tom turned into the

-house.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</h2>

-<h3>AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Well</span>, they didn’t blow us up,” remarked

-Ned Newton to his chum the following morning

-after having awakened in the Swift home,

-having occupied the room next to his friend

-during the night.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, and I suppose we can be thankful for

-that,” agreed Tom. “But they might just as

-well have had a bomb under my bed for all the

-rest I got.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Didn’t you sleep well?” Ned wanted to know,

-though a look at his friend’s face was enough

-to tell the story. Tom’s eyes had dark half

-circles under them and it was plain that he had

-not rested enough.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hardly any,” was the answer. “This thing

-is getting on my nerves, Ned. I’ve got to do

-something!” and the voice was a bit irritable.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Seems to me you’ve done a lot, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In what way?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, you’ve invented one of the most wonderful

-machines in the world—one that will

-make it possible for a man not only to sit at

-home in a comfortable chair and listen to the

-best music that’s played, but he can, by a turn

-of a switch, see theatrical plays. And, not only

-have you done that, but you’ve called the turn

-on the scoundrels who tried to stop you half

-way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t quite called the turn, as you call

-it, Ned. There is still a lot to do to uncover the

-acts of those fellows. One of the first things

-I want to do is to find out how they got in and

-did their work so secretly. They must have

-had help from inside,” added Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>His first step was to set Ned at work on financial

-matters, to ascertain just how much longer

-the Swift Construction Company could operate

-without going to the wall. Its credit was excellent,

-which was a great deal in its favor.

-And Tom hoped soon to have his talking pictures

-in shape to offer some of the machines for

-sale, or at least to sell stock in a company that

-might market them to the retail trade. In this

-way he would be assured soon of a large amount

-of ready cash. He knew several firms who

-would be willing to underwrite an issue of bonds,

-once he could demonstrate that his machine was

-a success.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Having attended to these money matters,

-which were always more or less of a bore to Tom,

-the young inventor turned his attention to matters

-of more interest to him. One was to see

-that the delicate mechanism of his invention

-had not been disturbed during the night, and

-the other was to make a more careful examination

-with a view to finding out how his plant

-had been mined by the conspirators.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Koku and Eradicate had both slept in the

-private laboratory, and on Tom’s entrance they

-reported that nothing unusual had occurred during

-the night. It was the fear that, after all,

-something untoward might take place that had

-prompted Ned to spend the night with his chum.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So far so good!” mused Tom, after he had

-made sure his invention was in working order.

-“Now for a look around the grounds.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He soon saw what had been apparent at the

-casual inspection the night before, namely, that

-the plotters had tunneled under the fence in

-order to plant their bombs. Doubtless, they had

-found out to their sorrow that the wires on top

-of the barrier carried a disabling current of electricity.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>And it was in that way that the gang had

-gained entrance to the grounds. They had

-worked in secret, by night it was likely, and had

-thus been able to plant several dangerous bombs

-and run wires attached to them outside the fence

-and into the little gully mentioned before. All

-that was needed was the exploding spark and

-the Swift plant would have been a mass of ruins.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The bombs had been carefully taken up and

-soaked in water. They were then—and this

-work was only now finished—dissected in an

-effort to learn some clue as to the constructors.

-But the work had been cunningly done. Tom

-suspected that the gang had hired some band

-of anarchists to make the bombs for them, probably

-keeping the makers in ignorance of what

-the deadly machines were to be used for.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Once the bombs were removed, the connecting

-wires pulled up and all traces of the work

-removed, Tom had some of his men arrange

-matters so that a recurrence of the danger was

-impossible. At intervals along the fence metal

-rods were driven into the earth and so arranged,

-by means of electric wires, that any disturbance

-of the earth near them would be registered on

-dials in the central watch tower.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That will keep them out, or at least give

-warning of their attempts,” said Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In truth, as the fence was still guarded on top

-by the powerful current and now was protected

-from beneath, there was little likelihood that

-any plotters could get in. Double guards were

-posted night and day at all entrance gates and

-not until then did Tom Swift feel secure.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He then set to work with redoubled energy to

-put the finishing touches to his newest patent

-and felt sure he had solved the one remaining

-problem—that of making visible all colors on

-his screen. This he accomplished by filters of

-glass, something after the manner in which colored

-moving pictures are taken, but using a

-process of his own that he had only recently

-discovered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Though Tom was kept busy putting the finishing

-touches to his machine, he was not freed

-from trouble. Every now and then he would

-get a report from some of his many shops that

-the place had been entered and things turned

-upside down, evidently in a search for some of

-the young inventor’s secrets.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t they lay off and let me alone?”

-exclaimed Tom angrily one morning after some

-particularly annoying damage had been done in

-his airship shop the night before. “What’s their

-game, anyhow?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“To make you give up, I guess,” answered

-Ned. “They can’t get at your talking-picture

-machine, you’ve got that too well guarded. But

-to guard the rest of the plant you’d have to keep

-a full force here day and night, and that’s out

-of the question with our bank balance as low

-as it is.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I realize that, Ned. Yet I’ve got to do something

-desperate. It may take some money, too.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, we aren’t down to our last dollar, when

-it comes to that,” Ned replied. “But it would

-be ruinous to be paying a night force as well as

-a day force, particularly when the former would

-only be used as guards.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to do that,” declared Tom.

-“It’s time, I think, to put into operation my

-other scheme—the one I had in mind the night

-we discovered the bombs.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What plan is that, Tom?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s an anonymous advertisement in the papers,

-making certain offers and proposing certain

-terms to my enemies. Here, I’ll show you what

-I mean.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom thought for a few moments with pencil

-poised over a pad. Then he wrote rapidly and

-handed the sheet of paper to Ned. This is what

-his chum read:</p>

-

-<div class='blockquote'>

-

-<p class='pindent'>RAPID young man, who is being held back in

-his work by threats and annoying, sneaking

-night attacks, will pay any reasonable sum just

-to be let alone so that he may proceed with his

-inventions. He wants to be swift in completing

-his work and it can easily be pictured how this

-talk about making trouble annoys him. A

-large sum will be paid for freedom from future

-annoyance. Answer in confidence, QUICK,

-Box 123 Evening Graphic Office.</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you intend to insert this advertisement

-in the <i>Graphic</i>?” asked Ned, naming the Shopton

-evening paper.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I do. Don’t you think they

-will understand it even without my name being

-to it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I should think the scoundrels might,”

-chuckled Ned. “You have as good as told them

-by the use of the words rapid, swift and quick,

-to say nothing of mentioning your talking-picture

-machine. Do you think that is wise?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they know I’m working on it,” said Tom.

-“It’s no use to pretend they don’t. The secret

-is out, but I don’t care. I’ve got the patent

-rights sewed up now. But I must be let alone

-in order to finish the last details. Take that ad

-in, Ned.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I will. I hope it brings results.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think it will,” said Tom, with a significant

-smile. “It’s bait for a trap, and there will be

-some surprises when it springs shut!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</h2>

-<h3>THE MEETING</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Disappointment</span> would have been in store for

-Tom Swift and his close associates if they had

-expected any immediate results from the insertion

-of the anonymous advertisement. Ned

-Newton went to the designated box in the newspaper

-office several times following the printing

-of the cunningly worded request for an interview

-with the unknown scoundrels, but there

-were no letters addressed to Mr. Quick.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid it isn’t going to work, Tom,” remarked

-Ned, after the fourth day.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Give ’em time,” was the calm reply of the

-young inventor. “Rome wasn’t built in a day

-and you can’t catch these rascals in the first trap

-you set.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then you still intend to catch them?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I sure do.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you disappointed that they haven’t

-taken the bait?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not yet. In fact, I’m better pleased than

-if they had put in a reply at once. It shows

-that there are big and important men back of

-this movement. If they had been petty grafters

-or fellows who were just working to get a certain

-sum out of me—a comparatively small sum—they

-would have answered right off. As it is,

-the delay shows they are taking their time

-and considering the thing from all angles. But

-I think they’ll bite sooner or later and grant me

-the interview I desire.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is that what you want—just an interview?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, that’s part of it,” was Tom’s answer,

-given with a peculiar smile. “Once I’m face to

-face with this gang I’ll know what to do. I’ve

-pretty well settled it in my own mind that there

-are big interests fighting me, and, like large

-bodies, they move slowly. It will be all the

-better for the success of my plans if they don’t

-bite too quickly.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then you’re not quite ready for them?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not quite, but I shall be in a day or so.

-Meanwhile, let the ad run. They’ve seen it and

-are a bit puzzled over what course to take, I’m

-sure.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’ll leave it to you,” Ned remarked.

-“I’ve got my own troubles, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You mean about finances?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes. We’re sailing pretty close to the wind.

-You’ve sunk much money in these talking

-pictures.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I realized that when you showed me the figures.

-But, as I said, it’s sink or swim now, and

-I think we’ll swim after I get through with these

-fellows who are hounding me.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was three days after this that Ned, coming

-away from a bank the president of which had

-suggested that some of the Swift loan had better

-be reduced soon, stopped in at the <i>Graphic</i>

-office. He presented the slip calling for any

-replies that might have been received for Mr.

-Quick of Box 123, and, somewhat to his surprise,

-he was handed an envelope. The paper

-was of good quality, though perfectly plain, and

-the address was neatly printed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’re taking no chances of handwriting

-being traced,” remarked Ned, as he hurried back

-to the laboratory with the missive.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This may mean business, Tom,” he said to

-his chum, “or it may be a suggestion from some

-other paper that you would do well to put the ad

-in their columns. That’s a newspaper trick,

-you know.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I know it is,” assented the young inventor.

-“However, this may mean business.” He tore

-the envelope open and he had no sooner scanned

-the few lines on a single sheet of paper within

-than he cried: “Hurray!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is it from your enemies?” asked Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think it is. Read it!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Ned let his eyes rove over this:</p>

-

-<div class='blockquote'>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“If Mr. Quick will present himself at a certain

-house on Rattlesnake Island he will learn something

-to his advantage. Mr. Quick must present

-himself absolutely alone. If there is any

-attempt at trickery all negotiations will be

-called off and vigorous retaliatory measures at

-once undertaken. Come this midnight.”</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you going, Tom?” asked Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I certainly am!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Alone—and to Rattlesnake Island where we

-were held prisoners?” cried Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Why not? They won’t try any trick like

-that again. They’ll know I wouldn’t walk into

-a trap like that without leaving word where I

-am bound for and my non-appearance in due

-time would mean a search. They aren’t such

-fools as that. I’ll go and see what they have to

-say. I’ll be there when the clock strikes

-twelve.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They aren’t giving you much time for preparation.

-It’s after two o’clock now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s all the time I need. I’ve been anticipating

-this and I’m ready. Now, Ned, I’ll let

-you into some of my secrets that I’ve been holding

-out on you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Thereupon Tom told Ned something which

-made that young man open his eyes. But even

-at the end, when the plans were all detailed, the

-business manager was a bit doubtful.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s risky, Tom,” he said. “I’m afraid to

-have you go there alone to meet these fellows.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There’s no danger, I tell you. I’m not

-afraid. My plans have been too carefully made

-to permit of failure.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But Ned’s face was serious, and when Mr.

-Swift heard of what his son proposed to do he

-added his appeals to the young inventor, asking

-him to try some other and less risky method.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“This is the only way,” declared Tom. “I’m

-going to that midnight meeting.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>When the time came, Tom Swift set off in one

-of his motorboats alone, heading across Lake

-Carlopa in the darkness, guiding his craft toward

-the sinister black shape of Rattlesnake Island.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</h2>

-<h3>MASKED MEN</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> sat at the wheel of his craft, his

-hands on the spokes and his eyes gazing ahead

-through the darkness. He had set a straight

-course for Rattlesnake Island and wondered

-what would happen after he arrived. In spite

-of his bold words to Ned Newton, the young inventor

-was a little apprehensive, as well he

-might be.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He scanned the water on either side of him

-for a possible sight of other craft that might be

-heading in the same direction. But though in

-the distance he saw and heard other motorboats,

-none seemed to be laying a course for Rattlesnake

-Island.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if they’ll be there—and on time,”

-mused Tom. He did not whisper, even to the

-unoccupied darkness about him, any designation

-of those he had in mind. He merely said: “I

-wonder if they’ll be there.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was not a long run, in Tom’s speedy craft,

-to the sinister, dark island where he and Ned

-had lately been prisoners, and almost before he

-had finished going over in his mind the various

-occurrences that had taken place since he had

-begun working on his talking-picture machine,

-the young inventor found himself approaching

-the place.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wonder if I’m to land at the dock where

-Snogg and Janner tied up the <i>Turtle</i>. Or am I

-to circle the island until I get a sign?” mused

-Tom. “From the fact that they have named as

-a rendezvous the old house, I should think it

-would be at the same dock where Ned and I

-saw those rascals working on their boat the time

-we gave them the slip. Think I’ll try there first,

-anyhow.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom was a good navigator, and it did not take

-him long to get his bearings and head for the

-dock in question. As he approached it, he saw

-a dim light on it and this convinced him that

-he was to tie up there. Slowing his boat to half

-speed, for he was not sure about the state of

-water, and thinking there might be rocks, the

-young man stood up and strained his eyes to

-pierce the gloom. The single lantern on the end

-of the dock gave illumination enough to make

-certain that the way was clear, as far as obstructions

-in the water were concerned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, here I go—for better or for worse,” said

-Tom grimly to himself as he shut off power and

-allowed his craft to glide up to the stringpiece.

-The dock was rather a ruin, but he found a ring

-in a beam and made his rope fast there.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, before getting out of the boat, Tom

-looked sharply about as well as he could by such

-illumination as a smoking lantern gave. There

-was no sight nor sound of any other visitor to

-Rattlesnake Island. Tom seemed to be the only

-one there. Yet he knew there were others.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I suppose I’m to go right up and knock at

-the front door,” and Tom chuckled a little.

-“They don’t seem to have appointed a reception

-committee with a brass band. Guess those fellows

-don’t do business that way. Well, might

-as well get started.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Before getting out of his boat, however, he

-made sure that the mooring rope was tied in

-such a way that, if need be, he could make a

-running jump into the craft, pull the knot out

-with one tug of the free end and so be loosed

-from the dock. Also he made certain that his

-motor would start at once. It was a powerful

-and speedy craft in which Tom had come to

-the island—one that would start with a throw

-of a switch, not needing any laborious cranking.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I might want to get away in a hurry,” he had

-reasoned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Thus having taken all precautions to serve

-him in case of emergency, Tom clambered up on

-the dock and started for the shore end.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>As he left the circle of friendly rays from the

-lantern, he could not prevent a slight feeling of

-uneasiness creeping over him. After all, it was

-a risky thing that he was doing—trusting himself

-alone to unknown men who had every motive

-for wishing him out of the way or, if not

-exactly out of the way, at least prevented from

-pursuing his activities in certain directions.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But I think I’m going to beat them at their

-own game,” mused Tom, as he walked along.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>His feet made ghostly echoes on the rattling

-planks of the old dock, and, now and then, he

-paused to ascertain if any one else in the neighborhood

-were stirring. However, he appeared

-to be the only one.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Let’s see,” mused the young inventor as he

-was about to step off the dock to the shore.

-“As I remember it, the dock was to the east of

-the house when Ned and I looked out of the

-window and saw the three men. So I must turn

-right now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Accordingly he swung in that direction as

-he started up a path that was partly overgrown

-with weeds. It was quite dark, once he had

-left the glow of the dock lantern, and Tom was

-glad he had brought a pocket flashlight with him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Switching this on, he let the bright rays fall

-in front of him to guide his steps so he would

-not get off the path. For he had in mind the

-sinister name of the island to which he was paying

-a midnight visit.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They say the rattlesnakes are all gone,”

-mused Tom, as he kept as nearly as he could to

-the middle of the path, “but I’m taking no

-chances of stepping on one. I don’t want to

-tread on a tail and be bitten. Even if their bite

-isn’t always deadly, it’s bad enough.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In spite of himself, Tom could not prevent a

-creepy feeling coming over him at times as he

-walked along on the path. He almost wished

-he had not selected this means of tricking the

-plotters. But it was too late to turn back now.

-He had made his choice.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Suddenly, when he judged that he was half

-way to the old house, Tom heard a noise in the

-bushes just ahead of him and off to the left.

-For a moment he had a fear that it might be the

-rustle caused by the passage of a rattlesnake

-through the underbrush. He flashed his light in

-that direction, but instead of the beams picking

-up the gliding form of a serpent they illuminated

-the feet and legs of a man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Before Tom could cry out or step back, he

-heard another noise on his right, and there, too,

-his flashlight revealed the feet and legs of another

-man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Suddenly the four feet and four legs made a

-rush and Tom felt himself caught by the arm on

-either side. His flashlight was knocked from his

-hand, but, falling to the ground, still glowed and

-its rays showed Tom that he had been caught by

-two Negroes.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Let me go!” he cried, fiercely struggling

-to free himself. But the black men held him

-fast.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then one spoke, in rather soothing accents,

-saying:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s all right, sir. We don’t aim to be rough

-with you, but we got our orders. I’m sorry I

-knocked your light down. I’ll pick it up for

-you,” and, stooping, he retrieved the flashlight

-which he gave to Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Better put it in your pocket, sir,” suggested

-the other Negro. “You won’t need it where

-you’re going. We know the path in the dark.

-And don’t be worried. We aren’t going to hurt

-you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m not worried,” declared Tom boldly.

-“But this is an outrage! I came here of my own

-free will for a conference and——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s all right, sir,” went on the first black

-man, still soothingly. “You’re going to be

-taken to the conference. That’s what we came

-down for—to meet you and show you the way.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom was at once struck by the fact that the

-language of these Negroes was above the average.

-They did not talk like poor, old Eradicate.

-Rather their talk was that of the man who has

-seen service in wealthy families. As this was

-in line with Tom’s theories regarding the identity

-of the men persecuting him, he ceased to

-struggle and said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Very well. Lead me to the men with whom

-I have an appointment.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s just what we’ll do, sir,” said the man

-who had picked up the flashlight. “It’s just a

-bit farther on.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The Negroes seemed able to find their way in

-the dark, which, Tom reflected, was more than

-he could have done. In a short time they led

-him, gently enough, into a little clearing and

-there, showing dimly in the light of the stars,

-was the house where Tom and Ned had been

-prisoners.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>If Tom had any compunctions about entering

-the house again he had no time to exercise

-them. Nor, be it known, had he the inclination.

-He was there for a purpose and intended

-to carry it out.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Right this way, sir,” said one of the Negroes,

-letting go of Tom’s right arm and preceding him

-to the front door. “They’re expecting you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He knocked—whether in a signal code or not

-Tom was unable to determine—and the door

-was opened, letting out a flood of light. The

-place seemed to have been prepared for the reception

-of the young inventor.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Go straight ahead,” said the Negro who had

-opened the door, as he stepped back to allow

-Tom to enter.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom walked into a hall, furnished only with

-a chair. One of the three Negroes—which he

-could not determine—glided ahead of him,

-tapped on a door at the end of the corridor, and

-opened it in response to a voice that said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Enter!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift saw before him a brilliantly

-lighted room. Gathered around a table in the

-middle were half a dozen men. Each one wore

-a black mask and through the eye-holes in them

-Tom felt himself being sharply scrutinized.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You may go, Richard,” said one of the men

-in cultured tones to the Negro who had opened

-the door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then the masked faces silently regarded the

-young inventor.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</h2>

-<h3>A TEMPTING OFFER</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Sit</span> down, please!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The masked man at the head of the table—who

-seemed to be the leader—thus spoke to

-Tom and motioned to a chair, the only one in

-the room that was not occupied. Tom looked

-at it a bit suspiciously at first. He knew something

-of trick chairs—seats that, once occupied,

-gripped the sitter in arms of steel. Also this

-chair might be over some trapdoor which opened

-into a pit or into a tunnel that led to the lake.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But Tom reflected that if the men had contemplated

-treachery they could have exercised

-their will upon him when he first landed on the

-island. They need not have waited until now.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The chair seemed an ordinary one, and as the

-leader motioned toward it another of the masked

-men pulled it slightly forward. Clearly it had

-no mechanism connected with it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m here,” said Tom, as he settled back

-in the chair, noting that it felt all right.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So we see, and we are glad of this chance to

-do business with you,” remarked one, who, for

-want of a better designation at present, shall be

-denominated Mr. X. “It did not occur to us,”

-he went on in cultured tones, “that you would

-care for this method of arriving at a settlement.

-But, since you have, it appears to be a very good

-one. We are ready to do business with you.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom was at once impressed by something

-that was very evident. These were substantial

-business men—men of some culture and presumably

-position in the world—though they did

-stoop to desperate means to gain their ends.

-They were of an entirely different class from

-Snogg and Janner who had kidnapped Tom

-and Ned. Nor were they like Greenbaum,

-though from two or three little signs Tom had

-an idea that some of these men were very

-wealthy.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I am here,” went on Tom, holding himself

-well in hand and gazing from one masked

-face to the other. “And I am glad to hear that

-you are ready to talk business. But there is one

-objection.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What is it, Mr. Swift?” asked Mr. X courteously.

-“If you object to the method of meeting

-us, remember it was your own suggestion.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I am not complaining of the place of meeting

-nor the manner in which I was received,”

-stated Tom. “But I’m not used to doing business

-in the dark.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In the dark?” wonderingly exclaimed a

-heavy-set man on the left of Mr. X. “Why, it’s

-light here. Should we spend a lot more money

-in having more electricity? No!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I was not referring to the actual lighting of

-the place,” returned Tom, with a little smile.

-“It’s bright enough in one way. But when I

-said I was not in the habit of doing business in

-the dark, I referred to your masks. I like to

-see to whom I am talking.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so he means that!” exclaimed the heavy

-man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I am sorry, Mr. Swift,” put in Mr. X, who

-seemed affable enough. “But you will realize

-that at present we must, for obvious reasons,

-remain unknown to you. Perhaps you would

-not recognize us if we laid aside our masks, but

-that we cannot do. There are too many interests,

-aside from our own, involved in this to allow

-it. So if you feel that you cannot talk

-freely under the present circumstances you are

-at liberty to depart as you came and matters will

-be the same as before.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean,” asked Tom sharply, “that I

-shall be subjected to the same spying observations

-and attempts made to destroy my plant

-and my talking-picture machine?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I have not said so,” was the calm answer.

-“You are at liberty to put any construction you

-like on my decision.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“There can be but one decision!” snapped

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Mr. X nodded his head in assent.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You must take us or leave us just as you

-find us—masked,” he said slowly. “But I, repeat

-my offer that you may withdraw at any

-time and you will not be harmed in the least.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No! No!” exclaimed the heavy man, with

-a gesture of dissent. “We want to settle this

-business now. It is a big business—it must be

-settled! I cannot sleep nights thinking what I

-may lose. It is terrible!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You will please let me conduct these negotiations,”

-said Mr. X coldly, turning to the interrupter.

-“Mr. Swift must decide for himself.

-He asked for this interview and he must accept

-our conditions of granting it. Our masks remain!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Very well,” replied Tom, with a shrug of his

-shoulders. “It is a small matter, perhaps. We

-will talk business, as you suggest. You read my

-advertisement?” he questioned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Doubtless, or we should not be here, nor you,

-either,” replied Mr. X, lightly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And you said you would pay a good sum to

-be let alone!” broke in the stout man, who might

-be called Mr. B, for he resembled that letter in

-build.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I said that,” answered Tom. “And I

-am willing to keep my word. But I may as well

-say, here and now, that I am not prepared to

-pay cash. I have used so much money in perfecting

-my machine for showing in private

-homes talking pictures of theatrical plays and

-the broadcasting of opera and vaudeville

-that——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is it perfect? Will it work?” anxiously

-gasped Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It works!” answered Tom. “All I need do

-now is to put it on the market and——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That is just what we do not intend to let you

-do!” broke in Mr. X. “You will not be allowed

-to do that.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not allowed?” came from Tom quietly.

-“Those are big words.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And we are big men in more senses than

-one,” said Mr. X, still softly. “There is no use

-beating about the bush. We know who you

-are, it is only fair you should know who we are,

-Mr. Swift.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then you will unmask, after all?” inquired

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, but we will tell you what interests we

-represent—if you have not already guessed

-it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think I can guess,” stated Tom. “You are

-a big syndicate of moving picture operators.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The guess does credit to your intelligence,

-Tom Swift,” said Mr. X. “We represent many

-large moving picture and theatrical interests of

-the United States, and we are frank to say that

-we see ruin ahead of us if your invention goes

-on the market uncontrolled, at least in part, by

-our interests. I admit that your invention may

-revolutionize our industry. If a man can sit

-in his own home and listen to a radio program,

-and, at the same time, see the performers, he

-certainly won’t put on a starched shirt and a

-stiff collar and pay from two to seven dollars for

-a seat in the theater.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And he won’t even come to a fifty cent

-movie!” lamented Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“True enough,” agreed Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You seem to know something of my affairs,”

-said Tom, with a rueful smile. “You have not

-missed much.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We know more than you think we do,”

-boasted Mr. X. “At the same time we realize

-that you are far from beaten, so we wish to suggest

-a compromise.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We are going to make you a handsome offer!”

-broke in Mr. B, much to the evident annoyance

-of his colleague. “You will be tempted

-by it, I am sure. In short——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I thought I was to do the talking,” interrupted

-Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. Let him do it,” put in two

-others of the masked men. Each looked like a

-hard-headed American business man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’ll listen to any offer you wish to make,”

-Tom stated. “I came here prepared to make an

-offer myself. But I will first listen to yours.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He could not help admitting that the men

-knew more than he had suspected. In spite of

-the fact that he had tried to keep his invention a

-secret, the general principle of it had become

-known to these theatrical and moving picture

-men. Doubtless they had paid their spies and

-plotters well.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“To get down to business,” resumed Mr. X,

-“we are prepared to offer you a million dollars,

-Tom Swift. A million dollars!” he repeated

-unctuously.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Think of that, my friend!” broke in Mr. B,

-who could not keep still. “A whole million!”

-His voice capitalized the word. “All your own

-to do as you like with! A million dollars!

-Think of it!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</h2>

-<h3>FLASHING LIGHTS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Grave</span> though the situation was, Tom Swift

-could not help smiling a little at the evident sincerity

-and anxiety of Mr. B. Nor were the

-others less vitally interested. They leaned forward

-over the table, staring at Tom’s face, which

-was in the full glare of a powerful light. They

-wanted to see if Tom would give under the

-strain.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But the young inventor held himself well in

-hand. Though he was not quite prepared for

-the offer, it did not catch him napping. He

-still had some cards to play.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well,” asked Mr. X, slowly, when there had

-been a few seconds of silence following his offer,

-“what do you say?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to ask a few questions,” Tom replied.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s only fair,” conceded Mr. X. “We’ll

-not promise to answer anything you want to

-know, however,” he stipulated.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I think you’ll answer this one,” said Tom,

-with a smile. “There are always two sides to

-an offer,” he went on. “One is money, or some

-other payment. You have that on your side.

-Now what am I to give in exchange for this million

-dollars? That’s a fair question, isn’t it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Very much so,” agreed Mr. X. “And a natural

-one. In exchange for the million we will

-agree to give you, you, on your part, will hand

-over to us all patent and other papers, including

-sketches, designs, patterns and blue prints of

-your so-called talking-picture machine. In

-short, you will turn the complete invention over

-to us, and further make a promise.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What sort of a promise?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A promise to go no farther in that field. In

-other words, you will forget that such a machine

-is capable of being made. You will wipe it out

-of your mind after you have turned all your

-rights in it over to us.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And may I inquire what you will do with my

-machine when you get it?” asked Tom, with a

-curious smile as he shifted about in his chair, as

-though it was no longer comfortable. “If you

-do get it in exchange for a million dollars,” he

-added.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll burn it up—destroy it!” excitedly cried

-Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift could not help starting in surprise.

-The answer was not quite what he had expected.

-He looked for confirmation toward the masked

-Mr. X, thinking the big man might have spoken

-impulsively. But, somewhat to the astonishment

-of the young inventor, the leader nodded

-in assent.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Once you turn your invention over to us in

-exchange for the million dollars,” stated Mr. X,

-“it becomes our exclusive property for us to do

-with as we please. And, very likely, we shall

-destroy it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What for?” Tom could not help impulsively

-asking.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“To prevent our business from being ruined,

-young man! That’s why!” burst out Mr. B.

-“Do you think,” he went on in spite of the effort

-Mr. X made to silence him, “we want people to

-stay at home listening to music and seeing pictures

-of a performance on your screen? Where

-would we be if millions of people did about pictures

-what they are doing right now with their

-radio receivers? We’d be ruined in six months

-and we have millions tied up in our theaters—millions!

-No, sir. Once we get your machine

-we’ll destroy it!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You haven’t got it yet,” Tom saw fit to remind

-him quietly. “And now, since you have

-been frank with me I will be the same with you.

-Your offer of a million dollars seems big to you.

-But let me tell you this. If you offered me ten

-millions with the proviso that my machine be

-destroyed I’d snap my fingers at you as I do

-now!” and Tom suited the action to his words,

-rising from the chair as he did so.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Gentlemen, I shall bid you good evening!”

-he went on. “I have found out what I wanted

-to know.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Suddenly Mr. B’s fingers went to the mask on

-his face. Evidently he feared it had slipped and

-revealed his identity. Tom could not help smiling

-as he said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t know who you are personally,

-and I don’t know that I care. It may make no

-difference. But I can discover your identities

-if I choose. That is neither here nor there.

-The point is I refuse your offer and I’m going

-back to my laboratory and perfect my machine.

-Inside of a month it will be on the market!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh! oh!” wailed Mr. B. Some of the others

-showed evidence of perturbation, but Mr. X remained

-calm.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Sit down again, Mr. Swift,” he said, and his

-tone was not as smooth as before.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is that a command or an invitation?” asked

-Tom sharply.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You may regard it either way you like,” was

-the reply. And Tom did not need to be told

-that the playing was over—stern reality was

-now to the fore. The men still had masks on

-their faces, but they no longer masked their intentions.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Just a minute,” said Tom, still standing by

-the chair. “You said, at the beginning that I

-was here of my own free will—that I could walk

-out of here any time I wished.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That was true at the time it was stated,” said

-Mr. X. “I may withdraw my offer any time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Have you withdrawn it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a moment’s pause and then came

-the low reply:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I have. Yes.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then I am not free to go?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not until you listen further to me,” said Mr.

-X. “I think you are very unwise, Tom Swift.

-We have made you a liberal offer. It is much

-more than you can make for a long time if you

-market your apparatus. We are interested in

-controlling it. What difference does it make

-to you whether we buy the machine and manufacture

-it in such quantities as we please or if

-we buy it and destroy it—as long as you get

-your price?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s just it!” replied Tom angrily. “I’m

-not getting my price.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We might increase our offer,” suggested

-Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A certain man once said,” remarked Tom

-slowly, “that he was poor, but, poor as he was,

-the King of England was not rich enough to buy

-him. I say the same to you now. I am in need

-of funds—I do not hesitate to admit that. But,

-slender as my bank balance is, there is not

-enough cash among you masked men to pay me

-for destroying a machine I have worked so hard

-over—a machine which I hope will prove to be a

-delight to humanity. That’s my answer. In

-other words, I defy you! I’m through! I’m

-going to walk out of here now. This conference

-is ended!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no, it isn’t ended yet,” said Mr. X in

-sinister tones as he arose and stepped toward a

-push button on the wall. “We have something

-else to say to you, Tom Swift. I didn’t want

-to resort to harsh means, but there seems to be

-no hope for it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the young inventor.

-“I think I understand your game.

-Perhaps you think you can torture me into giving

-in. Or you may even have it in mind to kill

-me, thinking, thereby, to prevent my machine

-from being perfected and going on the market.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Listen to what I say. If you do away with

-me it will make no difference to that machine.

-It is complete and will be made and marketed.

-Full details of the invention are already in

-Washington to be patented. More than this—four

-models have been made. One is in my laboratory

-where you may get at it and destroy it—I

-don’t say you can’t.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But there are three other complete and working

-models in the hands of three friends of mine

-in different parts of the country. They have

-orders in case I do not reappear by a certain

-time to make public all the facts and to put the

-machine on the market.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh! oh! He’s got us beat!” lamented the

-big man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, he hasn’t!” snarled Mr. X. “I’ll force

-him to do as we want him to.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so you talk of force now, do you?” asked

-Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Since you compel me—yes.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then it is time for me to play the same

-game,” went on the young inventor, with a tantalizing

-smile.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” came from three of the

-men, in evident alarm.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“My instructions were,” said Tom, “to come

-to this island alone. I did so, as you doubtless

-know. But early this morning a number of my

-friends preceded me here—and they are here

-now. Gentlemen, this house is entirely surrounded.

-None of you can possibly escape—neither

-you nor your Negro thugs. If I am not

-permitted to walk out of here unmolested whenever

-I please, I will give the signal and you

-will at once be arrested.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You think we will believe such a foolish

-statement as that?” scoffed Mr. X. “I tell you

-that you are at our mercy, Tom Swift! This

-house surrounded? Bosh!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For answer Tom went to a window and raised

-the shade. At the same time he pressed the wall

-switch and plunged the room in darkness.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look!” cried Tom, and from the darkness

-outside, shining through the now dulled window

-glass, came a flashing light, thrice repeated.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a gasp of surprise from the masked

-men in the dark room.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” went on Tom, moving to a window

-on the other side of the room. From the

-gloom without there shone another of the thrice

-flashing lights.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It is the same on the other two sides of the

-house,” remarked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The masked men sat silent, seemingly dazed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What is your answer now?” triumphantly

-asked the young inventor as it was made plain

-to the plotters that they were surrounded.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</h2>

-<h3>TOM ACCEPTS</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“<span class='sc'>Gentlemen</span>,” and Tom Swift put a peculiar

-emphasis on the word, “I repeat—what is your

-answer now?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, the rascal! He’s got us beat!” lamented

-the fat man. “Let’s make terms with him.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Make terms, nothing!” sneered Mr. X.

-“Those are nothing but lightning bugs! It’s all

-a clever bluff!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is it?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Again he stood in front of a window and, as

-he had done before, though unseen by the plotters,

-Tom raised and flashed the pocket electric

-torch he had brought with him. Once more,

-in answer to his signal, came more flashes from

-without. Tom’s friends were on the alert.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I guess that settles it,” Mr. X was forced

-to admit. “Turn on the light here, Tom Swift,

-and we’ll talk this matter over again.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No!” exclaimed the young inventor in ringing

-tones. “I’ll do the talking now—you’ll do

-the listening. I’m in a position to dictate my

-terms, and I’ll do it. I owe you something for

-the manner in which you had me and my manager

-kidnapped and brought to this place, also

-for what your tool Greenbaum did.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now listen here!” broke in Mr. B, his whole,

-fat body quivering with fear as Tom switched

-on the main light again. “That Greenbaum

-fellow, he went farther than we told him to.

-We never told him to try to blow you up, and we

-immediately discharged him when we learned of

-it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That is correct,” assented Mr. X. “We do

-not countenance deeds of violence. Greenbaum,

-whom we have since discharged, went beyond

-his instructions—far beyond. But he was half

-crazy.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Half crazy?” inquired Tom. “He always

-impressed me as being very level-headed—too

-much so.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Still he was not right in his head,” said Mr.

-B. “He lost a small fortune in a moving picture

-investment, and when he learned your invention

-might spell the ruin of that industry,

-so he could never recoup his losses, he went to

-desperate lengths.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I should say he did,” agreed Tom, with a

-grim smile, as he remembered his ruined laboratory

-and the pains he had suffered. “But I

-will exact payment for what he did.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You would be within your rights there,” said

-Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And for the indignities Mr. Newton and I

-suffered at the hands of Snogg, Janner and

-Torpy,” went on the young inventor. “I suppose

-you will not deny that they acted for you?”

-he suggested.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No, they were our agents,” admitted Mr. B.

-“But we told them to treat you with respect,

-merely to hold you until we could get in touch

-with you. It was a mistake that Mr. Newton

-was kidnapped. We wanted you held. What

-terms do you offer?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I offer no terms at all. I demand unconditional

-surrender!” exclaimed Tom. “If you

-don’t agree to that, I propose, to use a war term,

-to move immediately upon you. In other

-words, I’ll give the signal for your arrest.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t! Don’t!” begged Mr. B shakingly.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We are here to make terms, Mr. Swift,” said

-a third masked man.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you want us to do?” asked Mr. X,

-and there was no more threat or defiance in his

-voice. “You can name your own terms.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In the first place,” stipulated Tom, “I want

-you all to unmask. I don’t care to do business

-with men I can’t see. You might as well,” he

-added, as he saw them hesitate. “If you’re arrested

-you will be known.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Gentlemen, he is right!” said Mr. B. “Unmask!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He set the example by doffing the black silk

-that covered the upper part of his face. One

-after another the five followed and Tom gasped

-in surprise when he saw who the men were.

-They were all important figures in the theatrical

-and moving picture business.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“So that’s the combination I’ve been up

-against!” exclaimed the young inventor, as he

-looked from one face to another. “I suppose I

-should consider it quite an honor to have you

-against me.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In a way, yes,” admitted the one still to be

-designated as Mr. X. “You are a mighty lucky

-and clever young man. Now we have met your

-first stipulation, what is the next?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The next,” stated Tom, “is that you must

-sign a paper which I shall draw up, admitting

-your share in all that has been done against me

-and agreeing that all persecutions shall cease.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is no more than fair under the circumstances,”

-agreed Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“But you won’t make that paper public—with

-our names on it, will you?” asked Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not if you let me entirely alone,” promised

-Tom. “But I want it to protect myself.

-Hands off and that paper remains in my safe.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Draw it up and we’ll sign it,” agreed Mr. X,

-after a hasty conference in one corner with his

-colleagues. “But what about the men you have

-posted out in the woods? Will they come in

-here and arrest us?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not unless I give the signal,” Tom answered.

-“It will not be given when you have signed that

-paper and I am allowed to walk out of here unmolested.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, let him go! Let him go!” begged Mr. B.

-“He’ll have our watches and pocketbooks next!

-Let him go!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom smiled grimly as he drew up the paper.

-He had the plotters entirely at his mercy. One

-after another they affixed their names to the

-document, and as he folded it and put it in his

-pocket, Mr. B said:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps we can still talk business?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” asked Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, we made you an offer of a million dollars

-for the complete rights to your talking-picture

-invention that we might destroy it to

-save our business from ruin. You saw fit to

-decline that and you got the better of us in what

-followed. Now, since it seems that the invention

-is going on the market, the next best thing

-for us to do is to buy into the exploiting company

-and have a share in the profits. I suppose

-there will be profits?” he asked, with a somewhat

-quizzical smile. He was a big business man,

-as Tom knew.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope there will be,” Tom answered.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, now that we’ve backed down—because

-you made us and for no other reason,”

-went on Mr. B, “will you listen to another

-offer?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What is it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We’ll give you a million for a half share in

-the invention.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Tom, getting

-ready to leave.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“A million and a half!” offered Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Your figure is too low,” replied Tom, who

-began to see daylight ahead for Ned Newton’s

-financial embarrassment. “Why, you movie

-men put a million dollars in a single feature picture.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, quit being pikers!” put in another magnate.

-“Say two millions and be done with it!

-Come, what about two, young man?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom made some rapid calculations. Two

-million dollars was a tempting offer for half an

-interest in the invention. He knew it would be

-on the market a long time before he would take

-in that much. Also he must have capital to

-manufacture the machines. But he still had a

-card to play.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I can’t accept that offer,” he said, still moving

-toward the door.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, let’s get this over with!” exclaimed Mr.

-X who, evidently, was used to having his own

-way. “We’ll give you three millions for a half

-interest, Tom Swift, let you remain in virtual

-control, and we’ll start manufacturing as soon as

-you demonstrate that it’s a success. What do

-you say to that—three millions?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And that’s our limit,” put in another of the

-men, a tall, lean New Englander.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>For a moment Tom Swift did not reply. To

-a casual observer it might have looked as though

-he was about to refuse that offer. He had made

-up his mind, but he did not want to seem too

-hasty. It was well that these men should know

-he was their master when it came to plotting and

-dickering.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, how about it?” asked Mr. B anxiously.

-“Come, Mr. Tom Swift. Three millions aren’t

-to be sneezed at.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And I don’t intend to sneeze!” said Tom suddenly,

-with a little chuckle. “Gentlemen, I accept

-your offer. Put it in writing and we’ll call

-the conference over!”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</h2>

-<h3>A FINAL TEST</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>There</span> was a relieved air about the men gathered

-in the old house on Rattlesnake Island now

-that Tom Swift had made terms with them.

-Truth to tell, they had been more than a little

-afraid of this clear-eyed, keen young man who

-was able to dictate terms to them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Now let there be no mistake about this,” said

-Tom. “We can draw up a new agreement, incorporating

-in it the terms of this one,” and he

-produced the rough draft in which the men had

-agreed to molest him no longer.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What do you want put in?” asked Mr. X,

-producing paper and a fountain pen.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I want this three-million-dollar offer for a

-half interest in my invention put into an ironclad

-agreement. I also want your written

-promise to interfere with me no longer.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We aren’t likely to bother you, considering

-that we are now associated with you in this

-thing,” observed Mr. B.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, it will do no harm to put it in,” decided

-Tom. “Also, I want you to acknowledge

-full responsibility for the actions of your men,

-Greenbaum and the others, and your promise

-to send them far away from here.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s no more than fair,” agreed Mr. X.

-“Those men went further than we told them to

-do. We had no sympathy with Greenbaum’s

-attempt to blow you up and——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It was more than an attempt,” interrupted

-Tom, with a grim smile. “There really was a

-disastrous explosion and I expect to be paid

-damages for that out of your share of the profits.

-I want that in the agreement, too.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“You shall have it,” promised Mr. X, though

-some of his colleagues made rather wry faces at

-Tom’s exaction of his “pound of flesh.” But he

-was within his rights, and he knew it.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a short time the agreement was drawn up

-and signed by all of them, and then Mr. X remarked:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Of course this is contingent upon your invention

-being a success, Mr. Swift. Your broadcasting

-of songs and music must be clear, the

-images of the performers on the attached screen

-must be very plain, not shadowy forms, and the

-two must synchronize. You must remember

-that we have not seen your invention. All we

-know is what we have heard of it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“From your spies, doubtless,” Tom responded

-bitterly. “And they could find out very little.

-But don’t worry. The machine must be perfect

-before I put it on the market. I am going to

-have a final test and you may witness it in person

-or you may send any one you like to report.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Some of us will probably be on hand when

-you give a final showing,” said Mr. X. “And

-now, as it is getting late, I suggest that we adjourn.

-We want to get back to our homes and

-you do also, I suppose, Mr. Swift?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I don’t feel like spending another night

-on Rattlesnake Island,” replied Tom, with a

-smile. “One was enough. I’ll call in my

-friends and you can come to my final test—say

-a week from to-night in my private laboratory.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” said Mr. X.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom bade the men good-night and went out

-into the darkness, leaving the conspirators to

-growl somewhat among themselves at having

-been beaten by a mere youth.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“At the same time,” said Mr. X, “I can’t help

-admiring Tom Swift for the manner in which he

-turned the tables on us.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s right,” chimed in another. “He’s the

-pluckiest fellow I ever had any dealings with.

-And to think, if we’d persisted, he could have

-had us all arrested and our names and our pictures

-would have been in the papers. Whew!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh my!” wailed Mr. B. “It’s cost us a

-pretty penny, but maybe it will be worth it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Meanwhile Tom, outside the old house, was

-signaling with his flashlight to call his friends in

-from their posts about the place.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is everything all right?” asked Ned, who led

-one of the four parties. He glided to his chum’s

-side from the darkness.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Everything is settled, and we get three million

-dollars for a half interest,” said Tom, producing

-the agreement.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Hot dog!” gleefully cried Ned. “That’s the

-best news yet! We sure will need that money,

-Tom! I couldn’t have held the banks off much

-longer. Good for you!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>In a short time Tom and Ned, with Mr.

-Damon, Koku and Eradicate were on their way

-back across Lake Carlopa, leaving the other

-members of the Swift party to follow in other

-boats as they pleased.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Though Tom Swift had gone to Rattlesnake

-Island alone as he had been bidden, the setting

-of his trap called for many of his most trusted

-men to precede him to the rendezvous. They

-had gone at intervals so no suspicions would be

-aroused.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>So, during the day before the night of the

-meeting, several parties of seemingly innocent

-fishermen might have been seen landing on the

-island at a point farthest removed from the

-dock used by Tom. These parties were posted

-in the woods on four sides of the frame house

-and there they waited for Tom’s signal. Ned

-was in charge of one party and Mr. Damon of

-another. Garret Jackson and his assistant took

-command of the two remaining squads.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And bless my fountain pen!” exclaimed Mr.

-Damon as they were talking matters over on

-their way home in Tom’s boat, “I thought you

-were never going to flash the signals, Tom.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It took a little time to get things where I

-wanted them,” the young inventor said. “But

-it worked out all right. They certainly were

-astonished.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Do you think they’ll play square with you,

-Tom?” asked Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They’ll have to, for their own safety. I’ve

-got them where they can’t help themselves.

-After the final demonstration, a week from to-night,

-we get the three millions.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I suppose there is no doubt, Tom, as to the

-success of the thing?” ventured Ned.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not the slightest!” Tom’s voice was full

-of confidence.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Grumblings and growlings were heard issuing

-from the throat of Koku. Tom asked what the

-trouble was.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He’s complaining because there was no

-fight!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He says Ned

-promised him that he could get hold of some of

-your enemies, Tom, but it all fizzled out.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Me want smash um!” growled the giant,

-clenching his big fists.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Too bad!” chuckled Tom. “But I couldn’t

-pull off the fight, Koku. Better luck next time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom made his motorboat fast to his own private

-dock and went home to tell his father the

-good news—that all matters were satisfactorily

-settled. He knew the aged inventor would be

-worried.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad you’re back, Tom,” Mr. Swift said

-when he saw his son. “Now you can take it

-easy. You’ve been working too hard.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“The hard work isn’t over yet,” the young inventor

-answered. “I still have to give a perfect

-final test.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>To this end he and Ned and the workmen bent

-all their energies during the next six days. Mr.

-Swift aided where he could and Mr. Damon was

-again called on to do his funny song and dance.

-Now that the invention was about to be made

-public and Tom had no fear about his patents

-being stolen from him, the affair could be openly

-talked about.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Are you going to ask us to the dress rehearsal?”

-inquired Mary, when Tom was spending

-an evening with her.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Better than that—I want you to be in it,”

-he said.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“In it?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Yes, you and Helen. I want to see how

-ladies’ garments will be shown on the screen.

-Ned and Mr. Damon balk at becoming female

-impersonators. Will you help?”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Delighted! Oh, Tom, I do hope it will be a

-success!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The night of the final test came at last. Several

-changes had been made both in the projecting

-machine and in the broadcasting studio

-since Tom’s last attempt to show talking pictures.

-He had put a metallic curtain with reflecting

-mirrors in the room where Mr. Damon

-and Ned had done their part and the results were

-better.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Though some day, Ned,” Tom said to his

-chum, after a preliminary test, “I’ll show these

-images without the use of any screen at all.

-I’ll pick the electric impulses right out of

-the air just as wireless sound waves come

-now.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That will mean you can broadcast from

-any theater without the use of this sort of curtain,”

-Ned remarked, pointing to the one in the

-broadcasting room.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. All that will be needed in the

-theater will be a small cabinet, out of sight, on

-the stage. But more of that later. Now we’ll

-go ahead with the test.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The moving picture and theatrical men, representing

-the syndicate that had bought a half

-interest in Tom’s invention, were on hand in the

-studio. They had brought with them some experts

-who were to pass on certain phases of the

-machine. Mr. Damon, with Ned and the two

-girls were in the studio. Tom Swift, with Mr.

-Jackson and some men to assist him, was busy

-at the projecting machine by means of which the

-audience hoped to hear the distant music and see

-the performers through several solid walls.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All ready, Ned?” Tom asked over the private

-telephone.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“All set,” was the answer.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Then get going!” ordered Tom in a low

-voice.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He turned the switch for the final test, knowing

-that a great deal depended on it. Those

-three million dollars were sorely needed to save

-the Swift fortunes.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</h2>

-<h3>A BRIGHT FUTURE</h3>

-

-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>There</span> was a hissing, buzzing sound in the

-studio where, on an improvised stage, Ned, Mr.

-Damon, Mary Nestor and Helen Morton were

-going through a hastily sketched act.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift had so improved his lighting arrangements,

-by using screen filters, that there

-was no restriction as to the color of the garments

-worn by the performers. The girls’ dresses were

-particularly gay and of many hues, for Tom

-wanted a bright picture on the screen. Mr. Damon

-had attired himself as a clown while Ned

-was a pirate with a red handkerchief on his head.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” sang Ned, and so

-on with the rest of the song while the girls and

-Mr. Damon joined in.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>On his part, in the laboratory room, Tom had

-adjusted the switches and stood near his machine.

-Ranged in a semicircle in front of him

-was the audience.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Everything is ready, gentlemen,” said the

-young inventor in a low voice. “You will now

-see and hear what I have to offer.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Suddenly, through the loud speaker, came the

-voices of the performers, as clear and distinct

-as though they were in the same room. There

-was no blasting effect, no tinny, horn-like element

-in the music.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>A moment later the metallic glass screen attached

-to the apparatus glowed with a white

-light and before the eyes of the astonished gathering

-there appeared, in reduced form, but

-plainly and clearly, the images of the performers

-in a room several hundred feet away. Just

-as on a moving picture screen, only not as large,

-but beautifully colored and clearer than ever

-moving pictures had been, the images of Mary,

-Helen, Mr. Damon and Ned were observed.

-They smiled, gestured and went through various

-motions, not one of which was obscured

-and not one but synchronized exactly with the

-words they used.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“That’s my invention,” said Tom Swift simply.

-“If you think it is a success we can complete

-the deal.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I guess there’s no question of it,” said

-Mr. X. “I, for one, am satisfied and as soon

-as——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>He ceased speaking, for suddenly, in the

-midst of a song by the performers in the studio,

-the voices died away and the images faded from

-the screen.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Don’t cut it off!” begged Mr. B. “I was just

-beginning to enjoy it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t cut it off!” Tom answered quickly.

-“There’s something wrong!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Then, from the corridor without, the voice

-of Koku was heard crying:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I cotch him! I got him! Now I make him

-like jelly!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Like an echo came a frightened voice begging:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Let me go! Oh, let me go!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum!” shouted Tom, springing to the

-door in time to see the giant holding the plotting

-man in a grasp that made him helpless.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I cotch him!” cried Koku. “I be on watch

-out here like Mr. Tom always tell me. I see

-him sneak along and cut wire. He have big

-ball in his hand, too, but I knock it down.

-Over there in corner!”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Garret Jackson made a jump for the corner

-indicated and picked up something which made

-him utter an exclamation of dismay.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“It’s a bomb!” the superintendent shouted.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>There was a pail of water near by and into

-that the infernal machine was dropped just in

-time, for the fuse was spluttering and burning

-down.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum, choked into senselessness by

-Koku’s powerful grip, sank to the floor. Tom

-turned to the assembled moving picture and

-theater men. There was an implied accusation

-in his glance.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I hope you will believe us when I say we had

-absolutely nothing to do with this,” said Mr.

-X. “We have not seen Greenbaum since his

-former unauthorized attack on you. This is a

-terrible surprise to us.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“And to me, also,” said Tom. “I don’t know

-what damage he has done, but——”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“He not do much!” chuckled Koku. “Me

-cotch him in time.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>And so it proved. Greenbaum had managed

-to sneak into the laboratory because vigilance

-was somewhat relaxed, now that all danger

-seemed over. He had cut one of the electrical

-wires that carried power to Tom’s machine, hoping,

-in the confusion he knew would follow, to

-be able to plant his infernal machine and get

-away. But the giant was too quick for him.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Is the machine ruined?” asked Ned, coming

-from the broadcasting studio, followed by the

-other performers.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Bless my apple pie! And just when I was

-going to sing my song!” complained Mr. Damon.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>But a quick examination showed nothing

-more wrong than a severed wire, which was

-soon spliced, so that the machine could work

-again, and after Greenbaum had been handed

-over to the police, first needing the attention of

-a doctor, however, the interrupted performance

-went on to a successful conclusion.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>When the little playlet was ended, and the

-men engaged by Mr. X and his colleagues had

-made their report, the leader of the theatrical

-interests announced:</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“We are satisfied, Mr. Swift. The deal can

-go through. You will be paid the three million

-to-morrow and we will at once form a company

-for manufacturing these machines and put them

-on the market. But I am afraid you still feel

-that we sent Greenbaum here.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“No,” Tom answered, “I have good reasons

-for knowing you did not.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“What reasons?” asked Mr. X in surprise.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Because the man is insane. The doctor told

-me so just before he was taken away. You told

-me his losses in a moving picture deal had so

-turned his brain that he did more than you

-wanted him to when you first set him to spy on

-me. Well, his insanity is of a progressive form,

-and he is much worse now. He probably imagined

-that I was the cause of all his troubles,

-and so came to be revenged on me. I know

-you had nothing to do with it.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“I am glad you are convinced of that,” said

-Mr. X. “And we have to thank you for treating

-us even better than, perhaps, we deserved.

-But from now on we will work in harmony.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>This promise was faithfully kept. Much to

-Ned Newton’s relief the sum of three millions

-was placed to the credit of the Swift concern

-the next day, and certain maturing notes were

-taken up. There was a goodly capital left,

-however, to start the manufacture of the talking-picture

-machines and they were soon put on

-the market, meeting with a big success. The

-radio and moving picture people, as well as several

-big theatrical interests, bought stock in the

-new company that was formed, and because of

-Tom’s invention, by means of which only authorized

-purchasers of his machine could view

-the broadcast scenes and listen to the music,

-there was no “bootlegging,” which meant that

-all the revenues would come to those entitled to

-them.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom was glad to learn, later, that Greenbaum’s

-insanity was not permanent, and that

-after the man was assured of a chance to make

-another fortune in the new business, his mind

-became calm and he was himself again. He

-was totally unaware of the outrages he had committed,

-though when told of them asked Tom’s

-forgiveness.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Snogg, Janner and Torpy were not heard of

-again, and the house on Rattlesnake Island,

-which was the property of the moving picture

-men, was made over to Tom as a sort of bonus.

-He and Ned spent many hours there, relaxing

-from their hard work.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was after Greenbaum’s recovery, when certain

-things were recalled to him, that he explained

-what for a time had puzzled Ned and

-Tom. The man, who was an expert electrician,

-had found a means of neutralizing certain parts

-of the electrified fence. Hence he was able to

-get over, after the discovery of the planted

-bombs, to commit petty depredations that so

-annoyed Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>It was Greenbaum, also, who provided the

-fash melon that had thrown Koku off his guard.

-As Tom had guessed, the fruit was discovered in

-South America by a party of travelogue movie

-men who brought some back with them. Greenbaum,

-learning of Koku’s fondness for fash,

-used it to play what was nearly a fatal trick on

-the giant. Greenbaum had also been responsible

-for the “warning” Eradicate brought to

-Tom. That was just a bluff—intended to scare

-Tom, but it worked the other way.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The secret passage in the house on Rattlesnake

-Island was easily accounted for. The

-place had been built some years before to be

-used in making a certain moving picture, where

-a secret staircase played a part. Later the

-house was acquired by Mr. X and his colleagues

-to use as a prison and also as a meeting place

-for Tom.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Tom suitably rewarded Bill Tagg, the tramp,

-and that individual had his long ardent wish

-fulfilled. He rode in one of Tom’s aeroplanes

-and received the thrill of his life.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Well, everything came out all right, didn’t

-it?” asked Ned of his chum as they sat in the

-house on Rattlesnake Island one evening after

-a successful day’s fishing. “Your talking pictures

-are making a hit.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“They seem to be,” admitted Tom modestly.

-“Though when Greenbaum cut the wire that

-night of the final test I thought everything had

-gone bad. But, as you say, everything came

-out all right, and the future looks rosy to me.

-I’ve got another scheme in my mind.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you ever going to stop?” chuckled

-Ned as he leaned lazily back in his chair.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>“Not as long as I feel as well as I do now,”

-replied Tom Swift.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Whether he carried out his new idea or not

-remains to be seen.</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">THE END</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph2">This Isn’t All!</p>

-

-<div class='blockquot'>

-

-<p class='noindent'>Would you like to know what

-became of the good friends you

-have made in this book?</p>

-

-<p class='noindent'>Would you like to read other

-stories continuing their adventures

-and experiences, or other books

-quite as entertaining by the same

-author?</p>

-

-<p class='noindent'>On the reverse side of the wrapper

-which comes with this book,

-you will find a wonderful list of

-stories which you can buy at the

-same store where you got this book.</p>

-

-</div>

-

-<p class="ph2">Don’t throw away the Wrapper</p>

-

-<div class='blockquot'>

-

-<p class='noindent'><i>Use it as a handy catalog of the books

-you want some day to have. But in

-case you do mislay it, write to the

-Publishers for a complete catalog.</i></p>

-

-</div>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph2">THE TOM SWIFT SERIES<br>

-By VICTOR APPLETON<br>

-Author of “The Don Sturdy Series.”</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is

-a bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the

-most interesting kind of reading.</p>

-

-

-<p class="ph2">TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL<br>

-TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH<br>

-TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS<br>

-TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS HOUSE ON WHEELS<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG DIRIGIBLE<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY TRAIN<br>

-TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT MAGNET</p>

-

-

-<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph2">WESTERN STORIES FOR BOYS<br>

-By JAMES CODY FERRIS</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">Individual Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by<br>

-WALTER S. ROGERS<br>

-Each Volume Complete in Itself.</p>

-

-

-<p class='pindent'>Thrilling tales of the great west, told primarily for boys

-but which will be read by all who love mystery, rapid

-action, and adventures in the great open spaces.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The Manly Boys, Roy and Teddy, are the sons of an old

-ranchman, the owner of many thousands of heads of cattle.

-The lads know how to ride, how to shoot, and how to

-take care of themselves under any and all circumstances.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>The cowboys of the X Bar X Ranch are real cowboys,

-on the job when required, but full of fun and daring—a

-bunch any reader will be delighted to know.</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">THE X BAR X BOYS ON THE RANCH<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS IN THUNDER CANYON<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS ON WHIRLPOOL RIVER<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS ON BIG BISON TRAIL<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS AT THE ROUND-UP<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS AT NUGGET CAMP<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS AT RUSTLER’S GAP<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS AT GRIZZLY PASS<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS LOST IN THE ROCKIES<br>

-THE X BAR X BOYS RIDING FOR LIFE</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph2">TED SCOTT FLYING STORIES</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">By FRANKLIN W. DIXON</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">Illustrated.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each Volume Complete in Itself.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>No subject has so thoroughly caught the imagination of young

-America as aviation. This series has been inspired by recent daring

-feats of the air, and is dedicated to Lindbergh, Byrd, Chamberlin

-and other heroes of the skies.</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">OVER THE OCEAN TO PARIS;<br>

-or, Ted Scott’s Daring Long Distance Flight.</p>

-<p class="ph2">RESCUED IN THE CLOUDS;<br>

-or, Ted Scott, Hero of the Air.</p>

-<p class="ph2">OVER THE ROCKIES WITH THE AIR MAIL;<br>

-or, Ted Scott, Lost in the Wilderness.</p>

-<p class="ph2">FIRST STOP HONOLULU;<br>

-or, Ted Scott Over the Pacific.</p>

-<p class="ph2">THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST FLYERS;<br>

-or, Ted Scott Over the West Indies.</p>

-<p class="ph2">SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE;<br>

-or, Ted Scott On a Secret Mission.</p>

-<p class="ph2">ACROSS THE PACIFIC;<br>

-or, Ted Scott’s Hop to Australia.</p>

-<p class="ph2">THE LONE EAGLE OF THE BORDER;<br>

-or, Ted Scott and the Diamond Smugglers.</p>

-<p class="ph2">FLYING AGAINST TIME;<br>

-or, Breaking the Ocean to Ocean Record.</p>

-<p class="ph2">OVER THE JUNGLE TRAILS;<br>

-or, Ted Scott and the Missing Explorers.</p>

-<p class="ph2">LOST AT THE SOUTH POLE;<br>

-or, Ted Scott in Blizzard Land.</p>

-<p class="ph2">THROUGH THE AIR TO ALASKA;<br>

-or, Ted Scott’s Search in Nugget Valley.</p>

-<p class="ph2">FLYING TO THE RESCUE;<br>

-or, Ted Scott and the Big Dirigible.</p>

-<p class="ph2">DANGER TRAILS OF THE SKY;<br>

-or, Ted Scott’s Great Mountain Climb.</p>

-<p class="ph2">FOLLOWING THE SUN SHADOW;<br>

-or, Ted Scott and the Great Eclipse.</p>

-

-<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>

-

-<hr class="chap">

-

-<p class="ph2">TRANSCRIBER NOTES</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected.

-Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been

-employed.</p>

-

-<p class='pindent'>Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious

-printer errors occur.</p>

-

-<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***</div>

- </body>

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+      Tom  Swift  and  His Talking  Pictures Or the Greatest Invention on Record | Project Gutenberg
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+<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop">
+  <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt="cover">
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<div class="titlepage">
+
+<h1>TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS TALKING  PICTURES</h1>
+
+<h2>OR<br>
+The Greatest Invention on Record</h2>
+
+<p class="ph1">BY
+VICTOR APPLETON</p>
+
+<p>AUTHOR OF<br>
+“TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE,”<br>
+“TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS,”<br>
+“TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE,”<br>
+“THE DON STURDY SERIES,”<br>
+ETC.</p>
+
+<p>ILLUSTRATED</p>
+
+<p>NEW YORK<br>
+GROSSET & DUNLAP<br>
+PUBLISHERS<br>
+Made in the United States of America</p>
+
+<p>Copyright, 1928, by<br>
+GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc.</p>
+
+<p>Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+  <img src="images/front.jpg" alt="">
+  <div class="caption">
+    <p>TOM SWIFT WAS THROWN OVERBOARD.</p>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph1">BOOKS FOR BOYS<br>
+By VICTOR APPLETON</p>
+<p class="ph2">12mo.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cloth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Illustrated.</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">THE TOM SWIFT SERIES</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH<br>
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS<br>
+TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">THE DON STURDY SERIES</p>
+<p class="ph2">DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY<br>
+DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS<br>
+DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD<br>
+DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE<br>
+DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES<br>
+DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS<br>
+DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS<br>
+DON STURDY CAPTURED BY HEAD HUNTERS</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.</p>
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table>
+<tr><td class="tdr">I.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">BLASTING FIRE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">II.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">NED DISAPPEARS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">III.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">SUSPICIONS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">IV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">A STRANGE MESSAGE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">V.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">VI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">TOO LATE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">VII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">A WILD CHASE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">VIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">TWO CAPTIVES</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">IX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">ON THE ISLAND</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">X.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">THE ESCAPE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">RESCUED</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">GREENBAUM THREATENS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">MR. DAMON DANCES</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">KOKU IS DRUGGED</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">A SINISTER WARNING</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">A STARTLING DISCOVERY</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">USELESS PLEADINGS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">THE MEETING</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XX.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">MASKED MEN</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXI.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">A TEMPTING OFFER</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">FLASHING LIGHTS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">TOM ACCEPTS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">A FINAL TEST</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXV.</td> <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">A BRIGHT FUTURE</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2>TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES</h2>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</h2>
+<h3>BLASTING FIRE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Entering</span> Tom Swift’s private laboratory
+from a room farther down the hall, Ned Newton,
+who seemed somewhat out of breath, glanced at
+the young inventor and asked:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you seem to be getting anywhere with it,
+Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For a moment there was no reply. Tom, who
+had been leaning over a complicated apparatus
+of wires, switches, and radio bulbs that glowed
+dimly, was slowly turning a dial. Ned repeated
+his question, adding:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What seems to be the trouble?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Trouble?” queried Tom, looking at Ned with
+eyes, however, that did not see him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There must be some trouble,” insisted Ned,
+“or you’d have been capering around here on
+one leg when I came in after doing my stuff back
+there,” and he nodded toward the room farther
+down the hall. “How about it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift glanced away from the apparatus,
+which very much resembled a radio receiving set,
+to a yard-square burnished sheet of metal hanging
+in front of him and connected to the other
+mechanism by several wires. This burnished
+sheet appeared to be made of a mirror of some
+metal with a square of heavy plate glass covering
+it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Can’t you answer?” inquired Ned, with a
+chuckle. “Boy, I certainly did some acting back
+there all by myself! And I’d like to know
+whether I got it through to you. Did I? Bet
+I did that song and dance for the fiftieth time
+just now. Come on—wake up—did it come
+through? What’s the matter, anyhow?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I—I’m thinking,” said Tom slowly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t need an interpreter to tell me that!”
+and again Ned chuckled. “I can see it with half
+an eye. But was it a success?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and no,” replied Tom, turning a switch
+which seemed to cut off some electrical current,
+for at once a faint hum that had been audible in
+the laboratory ceased. “Yes, and no. It came
+through all right; that is, part of it did, but the
+rest——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom ceased speaking and bent over his apparatus.
+He adjusted some set screws, turned a
+couple of dials, and changed three of the radio
+tubes which, now that the power was cut off, no
+longer glowed with light beneath the quicksilver
+coatings on the thin glass.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you want me to go back there and do it
+over?” asked Ned. “I’m willing, if you say so,”
+and he started for the room he had just left—a
+room wherein, under the focused rays of a
+battery of powerful lights and close to a box
+containing a strange assortment of tubes and
+transmitters, Ned had done his “stunt,” which
+consisted of singing and dancing about on a
+small stage. He performed alone—there was no
+audience but the distant one of Tom Swift in his
+laboratory several hundred feet away.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute, Ned!” Tom Swift called
+sharply, when his chum, who was also the financial
+manager of the Swift Construction Company,
+was about to leave the room. “I guess we
+might as well call it a day’s work and quit.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A night’s work, you mean!” retorted Ned,
+pointing to the window which reflected the darkness
+outside. “Must be past twelve.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I guess it is,” admitted the young inventor,
+somewhat wearily. “I didn’t notice. It’s a
+shame to keep you at it so long, Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t mind!” said the other quickly.
+“Not as long as it’s going to be a success. But
+is it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift hesitated, looked at the complicated
+machine in front of him and slowly shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Frankly, Ned, I can’t say,” he admitted.
+“You came through in a measure. Of course I
+heard you plainly enough over the radio—that
+part is simple enough. But the picture of you
+was too shadowy to be satisfactory. It’s coming,
+though. I’ll make it come!” and Tom, in
+spite of his weariness, showed some fighting
+spirit in his voice and manner.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Could you identify me there?” and Ned
+pointed to that burnished metal mirror with its
+covering of glass in the lower edge of which were
+fused several wires.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, I knew it was you, Ned, of course.
+But, as I say, the projected picture was too
+visionary. It didn’t stand out clearly and with
+depth the way I want it to. It was like a moving
+picture when the man up in the booth goes to
+sleep on the job and the projector gets out of
+focus. I’m rather disappointed.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t mind going back and going through
+my stunt again, even for the fifty-first performance,”
+offered Ned, with enthusiasm. “I don’t
+care how late it is. Helen won’t expect me
+now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did you have an engagement?” asked Tom,
+looking sharply at his friend. “And I kept you
+here doing a song and dance act half the night
+when Helen expected you! That’s too bad! If
+I’d known——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Keep your hair on!” chuckled Ned. “I
+didn’t <i>really</i> have a date with Helen. I said I
+might drop around if there wasn’t anything to
+do here. But she knows you well enough to
+make allowances for emergency work—and this
+was just that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it is an emergency all right,” returned
+Tom slowly. “But I shall give it up for the
+night. No use keeping you any longer, Ned.
+Go on home and I’ll try it again to-morrow with
+a different wave length. I think that’s where
+the difficulty is. We’ll tackle it again in the
+morning.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All right,” assented Ned Newton, and he
+could not keep out of his voice a little note of
+satisfaction and relief. Truth to tell, he was
+a bit tired. For several weeks now he had been
+helping Tom Swift on the latter’s newest idea—an
+invention, Tom declared, that would be the
+greatest on record and one that would tend to
+revolutionize the radio and moving picture industries.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This was a daring plan Tom had conceived of
+making a radio machine, both sending and receiving,
+that would enable a person or any number
+of persons not only to hear a distant performance
+in their own home, but also see those
+taking part.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll make it possible,” declared Tom Swift,
+“for a man to sit in his easy chair, smoking a
+cigar in his library, and, by a turn of a switch,
+not only to hear the latest opera but also to see
+each and every performer and witness the whole
+play.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>When Ned had asked how the vision would
+appear to the man, Tom had replied:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“On an electrified screen attached to his radio
+receiver by which he listens to the songs and
+music.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As Tom said, the problem of transmitting an
+entire opera through the air was simple enough.
+That had been done many times. So had the
+transmitting of photographs by wireless. Also,
+in a limited way, television had made it possible
+for a person in a dark room to be visible to
+lookers-on in another apartment some distance
+away.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But I am going to combine the two!” declared
+Tom Swift. “I want to make it possible
+for a synchronized performance of seeing and
+hearing to take place. Thus when a theater is
+equipped with my sending apparatus and I have
+perfected my receiver, one need never go outside
+the house to enjoy a theatrical performance or a
+concert.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But even if you’re successful, you won’t make
+any money out of it,” declared Ned Newton,
+after first hearing of his chum’s ambitions.
+“Look at the radio people! The air is free.
+Anybody who wants to can tune in and listen to
+a million dollar concert without paying a cent.
+They don’t even have to buy any special kind of
+receiver—they can roll their own, so to speak.
+What’s to prevent them from stealing your stuff—your—what
+do you call it, anyhow?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t settled on a name,” Tom said, with
+a smile. “Call it talking pictures for the time
+being. Of course it’s entirely different from
+moving pictures with phonograph attachment.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, what’s to prevent any one from tuning
+in on your talking pictures?” asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This,” answered Tom, pointing to a small
+tube on one side of the receiving apparatus.
+“This is a new device. Without it no one can
+see and hear my pictures that will talk. This is
+protected by patents and no one can use it without
+my sanction. That’s the secret.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, maybe you’ve got something there,”
+Ned admitted.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>So, during the past months, he had helped
+Tom Swift bring the new apparatus to such perfection
+as it now had.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The present night’s performance was only one
+of many. At first there had been only blank
+failure. But by using different kinds of receiving
+screens, finally settling on a mirror covered
+with electrified glass, Tom had achieved a measure
+of success. Still, even now, the projected
+image of the singing or talking performer in a
+distant room was too dim to be commercially
+successful.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll go at it again to-morrow,” Tom told
+his chum as he let him out of the laboratory and
+locked the door after him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s the biggest thing I ever attempted,” he
+said to himself, when Ned had gone and he was
+alone in the room, “the very biggest, and I’m
+not going to have it stolen from me. No one
+suspects as yet what I am working on—no one
+except dad and Ned. But I wish I were nearer
+success. I thought the image would come
+through clear to-night, but there was that same
+haze—that same haze. I wonder——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He paused and listened intently. Outside his
+door he heard footsteps—cautious footsteps.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is that you, Ned?” he called. “Anything
+wrong?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom did not open the door—he was taking no
+chances.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That you, Ned?” he asked again, more
+sharply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Mr. Swift,” came back a voice with a
+foreign accent. “I am just leaving my own
+laboratory. I think I have perfected that new
+magnetic gear shift we have been working on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s good,” Tom responded. He recognized
+the voice of Jacob Greenbaum, a clever
+inventor whom he had recently engaged to work
+on some side lines that occupied the Swift factory.
+Tom had an idea for a new device to
+make easier the shifting of gears on automobiles.
+It was an adaptation of the old magnetic selection
+that has often been tried and which, up to
+date, had not been successful.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you want to take a look at it?” asked
+Greenbaum, and from the nearness of the voice
+Tom knew that the man was just outside the
+locked door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you, Greenbaum, not now,” the
+young inventor replied. “I am busy at something
+else. I’ll see you in the morning.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You are working late, Mr. Swift,” went on
+the man. “Could I be of any service to you?
+I should be glad——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you,” Tom said. “As for lateness,
+you are doing a bit of overtime yourself.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes; but I do not mind. I think I am on
+the right track. If you would take a look——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, not now,” and Tom’s voice was a bit
+sharp. “I am busy. Good night!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was no response for a moment, and then
+came a short:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good night!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum, however, did not immediately
+move away from the door and a look of annoyance
+passed over Tom’s face as he bent over his
+secret apparatus.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s he hanging around for?” thought
+Tom. “I wonder if he can be a spy? Two or
+three times I’ve caught him lurking around my
+private laboratory. But he can’t get in since I
+put on the new lock, and I know he hasn’t so
+much as poked his nose in during the times I
+have been here experimenting. Still, I wonder——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was about to call out, to tell the man to go
+away when footsteps were heard moving down
+the corridor and toward the outer door of the
+small shop where most of the experimental work
+was carried on.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good riddance,” murmured Tom Swift. “I
+don’t want to be unjust to a good workman, and
+Greenbaum is all of that, but I must confess I
+don’t like the way he hangs around me. As
+soon as he finishes that magnetic gear shift I’ll
+pay him well and let him go. Now let’s see if I
+can think up another way of doing this. Perhaps
+if I hooked up the wave distributor to the
+vibratory selector instead of to the polarizer
+we’d get better vision. I’ll try that and have
+Ned perform again to-morrow. Now I’ll take a
+look to see that my wire connections are all right
+and then I think I’ll go to bed. I’m tired.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom spent perhaps another half hour in getting
+things in readiness for some new experiments,
+and, having made sure that everything
+connected with his secret was put out of sight of
+possible prying eyes, the young inventor started
+toward the door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He inspected the new combination lock he had
+had put on, noting that it was properly set, and
+then opened the door to step out. The experimental
+laboratory was only a short walk from
+Tom’s home, the back of the Swift Construction
+plant being some distance away.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As Tom opened the door there was a click, followed
+at once by a blinding flash of blasting fire.
+Then a dull explosion shook the building. Tom
+had no chance to leap back. The force of the
+blast hurled him forward, across the corridor
+and out through a wire-screened window into the
+yard. He fell heavily, uttered an inarticulate
+cry, and then seemed to be sinking down into a
+pit of dense blackness.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</h2>
+<h3>NED DISAPPEARS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Scarcely</span> had the echoes of the explosion in
+Tom Swift’s laboratory died away, being swallowed
+up in the blackness and silence of the
+night, than members of the Swift household began
+stirring.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mr. Swift, Tom’s aged and rather infirm father,
+sat up in bed and called:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What was that? Thunder?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Massa Swift,” answered Eradicate, the
+faithful colored servant, who, now that Mr.
+Swift had declined so, was his personal attendant,
+sleeping in the next room. “No, Massa
+Swift,” he repeated. “Dat wa’n’t no thunder.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>By this time Eradicate was moving about and
+fumbling for a light. Mr. Swift, however, had
+reached up and switched on the reading lamp attached
+to the head of his bed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What was it then?” asked the aged inventor,
+for Mr. Swift had begun invention work when
+Tom was a mere baby.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I spects, Massa, dat it was somethin’ Tom
+been doin’ out in his lab’tory,” the colored man
+answered. He had his own light on now and
+was beginning to dress, preparatory to making
+an investigation.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“If Tom was in the midst of anything that
+made a noise like that he must be hurt!” declared
+Mr. Swift. “That was a sharp explosion.
+Hurry, Rad, and see what it was.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sah, Massa Swift, I’s a-hurryin’!” answered
+Eradicate.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>From a room farther down the hall in the
+Swift home came a deep, heavy voice exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Fire! Fire! Koku see much blaze!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Koku was a gigantic specimen of a man whom
+Tom had brought back with him from an airship
+trip to a distant, mysterious land. The
+giant was rather simple, and never seemed to be
+able to master the English language. But he
+was a faithful servant and, because of his enormous
+strength, Tom frequently used Koku as a
+guard about the plant.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Fire?” cried Mr. Swift, fumbling for his
+clothes. “Is there a fire, Koku?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Much blaze in Master Tom’s workshop,” the
+giant replied. He could not twist his tongue
+around “laboratory.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Dey suah is a fire!” cried Eradicate, running
+to his window. “By golly, whole place looks
+like it was burnin’!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>By this time Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper,
+several other servants, and Garret Jackson, the
+shop manager and superintendent, who was
+spending the night at the Swift home, had been
+aroused. Several workmen in the Swift plant,
+who lived not far from the experimental laboratory,
+had also been aroused by the explosion and
+the glare of flames and were now running to
+help, adding their voices to the others giving the
+alarm.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>By this time Mr. Swift, with Eradicate and
+Koku, had descended to the yard that was between
+the laboratory and the house, and by the
+glare of the flames Tom’s inert body was seen
+stretched out on the grass.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Eradicate and Koku bent over the body of the
+young inventor. Koku felt for the heart and
+found it beating.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Master Tom no dead,” said the giant simply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then carry him into the house, and send for
+a doctor at once,” directed Mr. Swift. “Oh,
+what could have happened? The whole place
+will go up in flames and Tom’s valuable new invention
+will be destroyed!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Dat fire’ll soon be out!” predicted Eradicate,
+and Koku, lifting Tom like a child, started toward
+the house with him. “Fire not so bad,
+after all, Massa Swift!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>While the injured inventor is being ministered
+to I shall take a brief moment to acquaint new
+readers with, a few facts regarding Tom Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was a young man, well set up physically,
+and in spite of the fact that he was young, had
+to his credit many important inventions, not
+a few of which had been adopted by the United
+States Government.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom’s mother was dead, but he and his father,
+were well looked after by Mrs. Baggert, the
+housekeeper. As related in the first volume of
+this series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Motorcycle,”
+the youth began his inventive activities
+early. Wakefield Damon, who lived in the
+neighboring town of Waterfield, had, some years
+before this present story opens, bought a motorcycle.
+Not knowing much about such machines,
+Mr. Damon soon found himself climbing
+a tree near Tom’s home.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom rescued the eccentric individual and,
+“blessing” many animate and inanimate objects
+from his rubber boots to his collar button, Mr.
+Damon declared he was through with motorcycles.
+Tom bought the damaged machine, repaired
+and improved it and had several thrilling
+adventures on it. From then on his inventions
+followed one another and they were not yet
+ended. In the volume immediately preceding
+this and named “Tom Swift Circling the Globe,”
+you may read of the further doings of the young
+inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom had many friends and not a few enemies,
+the latter chiefly unscrupulous men who had
+tried to steal his inventions but who had been
+worsted by Tom, with the aid of Mr. Damon,
+Ned Newton, Eradicate and Koku.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom always insisted that Mary Nestor, a
+beautiful girl to whom the young inventor was
+practically engaged, had a lot to do with his
+success, but Mary always smiled tolerantly when
+her friend said this.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do I do, Tom?” she would ask.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You give me inspiration,” he would answer,
+“and that, to an inventor, is the one thing
+needed.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Whether Mary Nestor was the inspiration for
+Tom’s latest talking-picture invention does not
+matter, but the fact remains that Tom was in
+the midst of perfecting that machine when the
+explosion occurred.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>While the fire was being brought under control
+by several of the shop men, under the direction
+of Mr. Jackson, the young inventor was
+hurriedly carried into his home and laid on a
+bed. Mrs. Baggert, sensing that medical aid
+might be needed, had, almost as soon as she got
+up after the alarm, telephoned for the nearest
+doctor. So it was not long after the explosion
+before Tom was in the care of the medical
+man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is he badly hurt?” asked Mr. Swift, anxiously
+hovering around the room.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think not,” was the cheerful reply of Dr.
+Layton. “He has had a shock and is suffering
+more from that than from actual injuries,
+though he is cut and bruised and has some nasty
+burns. But we will soon make him comfortable.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He is still unconscious, though, isn’t he?”
+asked Mr. Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” Dr. Layton admitted. “But that is
+nothing to worry about. Nature will take care
+of that. It is better to let his senses come back
+gradually rather than to give some strong stimulant
+that will shock him into wakefulness and
+perhaps do more harm than good. I’ll make
+him as comfortable as I can and we’ll just wait
+for him to rouse.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The burns and cuts were dressed, Koku being
+of great service because he could lift and move
+Tom as if the young man were a baby. Yet
+Tom was of husky build, strong and muscular.
+The giant made an ideal nurse in a case like
+this, though Eradicate, who had a deep love for
+Tom Swift, fluttered eagerly about, anxious to
+do something to help. Mrs. Baggert had him
+bring hot water and bandages, and this gave
+Eradicate as much pleasure as Koku found in
+ministering more personally to his young master.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>After the first alarm over Tom’s condition
+was over and when it was apparent that there
+was no immediate danger, Mr. Swift went out to
+see what damage had been done and if there
+was any further danger from the fire and explosion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The flames, by this time, were subdued.
+There had been a second but slight, explosion.
+This, however, did little damage, as the force
+of it was directed toward the outer corridor, part
+of the wall of which was blown away. The
+greatest force of the first explosion, likewise, had
+been in the same direction, and though the door
+of Tom’s private laboratory had been stove in
+and some of his valuable apparatus scattered
+about and burned, fortunately no great damage
+was done to the secret room.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ascertaining this and knowing how jealously
+Tom guarded the new secret, Mr. Swift had
+some of the men nail the laboratory up, an improvised
+door being made and boards being fastened
+over the shattered windows.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom had been blown through a window in the
+corridor outside his laboratory. But, luckily,
+the window was up at the bottom, and Tom had
+shot through a wire mosquito screen instead of
+through the glass. In spite of this, and the fact
+that he had landed in a clump of deep, thick
+grass, the young inventor had not come off
+scatheless from the accident.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Things aren’t as bad as they seemed at first,
+Mr. Swift,” reported Mr. Jackson a few hours
+after the explosion. “The fire is all out now
+and Tom’s things don’t seem to be much damaged.
+I’ve got several men on guard. They’ll
+stay there the rest of the night.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It will soon be morning,” murmured the old
+gentleman. “Thank you, Jackson.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I wonder how much longer Tom will remain
+unconscious?” Mr. Swift said, entering the sickroom
+and glancing toward the bed on which his
+son lay.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think he is coming around now,” said the
+doctor softly, as he moved to his patient’s side.
+“Yes, he is coming out of it,” he added. “How
+do you feel?” he asked as Tom opened his eyes
+and stared about.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Pretty—pretty—rocky,” was the husky answer.
+“What—what happened?” he asked in a
+stronger voice. Then, as recollection came back
+to him, Tom went on: “I remember now.
+There was an explosion just as I was coming out
+of my laboratory. Is it gone? Is everything
+gone?” and he tried to get up. Dr. Layton
+pushed him back.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now lie still,” said the doctor. “Things
+aren’t half as bad as you think, and you’re not
+much hurt.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t care about myself!” declared Tom
+fiercely. “But if that new—that machine is
+blown up—” He looked anxiously at his father,
+the only other person in the room who knew
+about the secret of the talking-picture invention.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s all right, Tom,” the aged inventor made
+haste to say. “The door and windows of your
+laboratory were blown out and some of your apparatus
+damaged by the fire and explosion.
+But your—the main object is all right,” he finished,
+and Tom understood.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Before Tom could ask any more questions,
+Dr. Layton administered a sedative to quiet his
+patient’s nerves, and, after a few more questions
+had been answered to the satisfaction of the
+young inventor, he sank back into a sleep.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Not before, however, he had told his father
+and the others that he had no idea what had
+caused the explosion and fire.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Was it an electrical blast?” Mr. Swift wanted
+to know. He was aware that often a high tension
+current may act almost like a blast of
+dynamite.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think not,” Tom had said. “I examined
+my wires the last thing, after Greenbaum had
+left the building, and they were all right. The
+explosion seemed to be coincident with my opening
+of the door.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It were a bomb! Dat’s whut it were—a
+bomb!” declared Eradicate. “An’ ef I kotches
+de feller whut done planted it I——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That will do now, Rad,” whispered Mrs.
+Baggert. “Tom must be kept quiet.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The injured young inventor was now sleeping
+quietly, and Dr. Layton said he would remain
+until morning to see how Tom was when he
+awakened again. Then, the fire being out and
+no more danger appearing, the house became
+quiet.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But Mr. Swift had a worried, anxious air. He
+could not account for that explosion. Some
+more of Tom’s enemies must be at work, was the
+conclusion of the aged inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The sun was rising and Tom was just awakening
+again when the telephone rang. Mrs. Baggert,
+answering it, brought word that Mary
+Nestor was on the wire and wanted to know how
+badly Tom was hurt.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How’d she hear about it?” Tom demanded
+when he was prevented from answering the call
+in person.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why, it seems,” reported the housekeeper,
+“that the town fire-department responded to the
+alarm. However, they weren’t needed, as your
+own men put out the blaze, Mr. Swift. However,
+it was rumored that you were hurt and
+Mary heard of it. What shall I tell her?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tell her I’m all right and that I’ll be over as
+soon as I can get dressed,” Tom answered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No you won’t!” chuckled Dr. Layton.
+“You’re not badly hurt, but I’m taking no
+chances with you and you’ll stay in bed all day.
+Miss Nestor can call here if she likes,” he conceded,
+with a smile.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Thanks for that favor,” and Tom smiled in
+answer. “Tell her, please, Mrs. Baggert.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I will,” and the housekeeper hurried back to
+the telephone.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A further inspection of Tom’s injuries by daylight
+did not reveal them as any worse than the
+first diagnosis indicated and Dr. Layton said
+that his patient would be up and about in a few
+days.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And when I am things are going to hum!”
+declared Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He had finished a light breakfast and the
+medical man was preparing to depart when the
+telephone rang again.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“If that’s Mary I’m going to speak to her!”
+exclaimed Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But it isn’t,” said Mrs. Baggert, with a smile,
+coming in from the hall outside Tom’s room, the
+telephone being installed in a booth in the corridor.
+“It’s Mr. Newton.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ned?” exclaimed Tom Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, not Ned—his father,” replied the housekeeper.
+“He wants to know when Ned will be
+home.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“When Ned will be home!” exclaimed Tom, in
+bewildered surprise. “Why, I thought he was
+at home now. He left me before midnight to go
+home.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He isn’t there,” said Mrs. Baggert. “Mr.
+Newton says Ned hasn’t been home all night and
+he thought he must be here, as he often stays
+all night, you know.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know,” admitted Tom, with a puzzled
+look on his face. “But he didn’t stay last night.
+He started for home. He was dead tired from
+helping me. Ask Mr. Newton if he is sure Ned
+isn’t sleeping soundly in his own room.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Baggert went back to the telephone. In
+a few moments she came back.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ned seems to have disappeared,” she announced.
+“He didn’t come home or send any
+word. Mr. Newton is quite worried. He wants
+to talk to you.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</h2>
+<h3>SUSPICIONS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> looked at Dr. Layton. The
+medical man had paused in his departure on
+hearing the telephone bell and the ensuing talk.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Doctor,” began Tom, “I don’t want to disobey
+your advice, but I’ve simply got to talk to
+Ned’s father. Something may have happened.
+I’m beginning to get worried. There may be
+more at the bottom of this than just an accidental
+explosion in my laboratory.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’d rather you stayed in bed,” said the physician.
+“You oughtn’t to move around so soon
+after such a shock. Can’t you move the telephone
+in here?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll get an extension wire that I have in my
+room and plug it in,” offered Mr. Swift, and
+while Mrs. Baggert was telling Mr. Newton that
+Tom would soon speak to him, Mr. Swift, with
+the help of Eradicate, quickly had an extension
+telephone rigged up at Tom’s bedside. Then
+the young inventor talked to the father of his
+business manager.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you sure, Mr. Newton, that Ned isn’t in
+the house, sleeping his head off?” was Tom’s
+first question.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, he isn’t here,” was the worried answer.
+“When he didn’t come down to breakfast we
+didn’t think anything of it at first, as he was going
+to be at your place late, he said, and we
+wanted to let him get as much rest as he could.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But when we looked into his room a little
+while ago to see how he was sleeping, he wasn’t
+there. His mother said that she hadn’t heard
+him come in during the night, but even then we
+weren’t alarmed. We thought he had spent the
+night with you, as he so often does.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No,” Tom said slowly, “Ned isn’t here. He
+left my laboratory somewhere around midnight
+and I thought he was going straight home. But
+wait a minute!” Tom exclaimed as a new idea
+came to him. “I just happened to think. He
+might have gone to see Miss Morton and have
+stayed there all night, being too tired to pull
+up and head for home.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned Newton was engaged to Miss Morton
+and, more than once after calling there and finding
+himself stormbound, he had been persuaded
+by her parents to remain over night.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think you’ll find him there,” suggested
+Tom, though in his heart he remembered that
+Ned had said it was too late to go to see Helen.
+Besides, he had had no positive engagement
+with her. “Call up the Mortons,” was Tom’s
+final suggestion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I will,” agreed Mr. Newton. “Thanks.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom had no sooner finished his breakfast, following
+the departure of Dr. Layton, than the extension
+telephone rang again, and once more Mr.
+Newton was on the line.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ned wasn’t at Helen’s,” the father of the
+mysteriously missing young man reported.
+“Oh, Tom, what do you think could have happened?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The young inventor was at a loss for an answer.
+Rapidly he reviewed the situation in his
+mind. Ned had left the laboratory, he was sure
+of that—or, wait a moment, was he? He had
+not seen Ned go out, but had taken it for granted
+that such had occurred. Then Tom had puzzled
+a bit over his latest invention before starting
+for his house. Then had come the explosion
+and——</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Perhaps Ned had not left the laboratory. He
+may have gone to one of the private rooms and
+turned in there. Tom kept two bedrooms in
+this building for the use of himself and his manager
+when they were working late at night and
+did not want to disturb the main household.
+That might be it. Ned might be asleep in the
+laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wait a few minutes, Mr. Newton,” Tom advised
+over the wire. “I have just thought of
+something. It is barely possible that Ned
+didn’t start for home after all last night. He
+isn’t at our house, but he may be in the laboratory.
+I’ll send out and have a search made.
+I’ll call you up in a few minutes.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All right, Tom. But what’s this I’ve heard
+about a fire at your place last night?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, there was a little blaze—it didn’t amount
+to anything,” was the reply. Tom said nothing
+about the explosion. He wanted to minimize
+the damage, and he believed what had been told
+him, that it really did not amount to much.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Koku,” he called to the giant, “you and Rad
+hurry out to my laboratory and look for Mr.
+Newton. He may be in one of the bedrooms,
+asleep.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Asleep, Tom, after that explosion?” exclaimed
+Mr. Swift incredulously.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The telephone receiver had been hung back
+on the hook, so Mr. Newton heard none of this
+talk.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It doesn’t seem possible,” Tom had to admit
+to his father; “but still I can’t account for
+Ned’s disappearance in any other way. He was
+dead tired and he may have slept through the
+fire and explosion. We’ll soon find out. I wish
+I could go and take a look for myself.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, you stay here!” his father ordered.
+“Obey the doctor’s advice. Koku and Rad will
+find Ned if he’s to be found.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The giant and negro came back soon, to report
+that there was no sign of Ned in the laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps he may have returned home by
+this time,” suggested Mr. Swift. “Better call
+up and find out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There is just a bare possibility—” said Tom
+musingly, as he reached for the ’phone, “there is
+just a bare chance that Ned took the midnight
+train for New York to get the selenium.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Took the midnight train to get selenium!”
+exclaimed Mr. Swift. “What do you mean?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I needed some more sensitive selenium
+for my—for my—new experiment,” Tom said,
+knowing his father would understand he was
+speaking of the talking-picture machine. “Ned
+knew about it and planned to go after it to-day.
+When he left me last night he may have decided
+suddenly to keep right on to New York. I think
+I’ll tell his father that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you really believe it, Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Dad, I don’t. But I don’t want Mr.
+Newton to give up hope until I can get on the
+job myself and help hunt for Ned. Even at
+that there is a bare chance he did go to New
+York. I’ll suggest that to his father.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mr. Newton received this ray of hope gratefully
+and Tom was glad he had thought of it,
+though he knew it was only a shadow. If Ned
+really had taken the midnight train, which was
+possible, there ought to come a message from
+him soon reporting on the selenium matter.
+Also, Ned, being a home-loving young man,
+would naturally be expected to send word to his
+family about his return.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It will only hold matters back for a short
+time at best,” said Tom to his father. “But
+I didn’t imagine my laboratory was burned
+enough to destroy the bedrooms. Do you think
+there is much more damage, Jackson?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not to your laboratory,” was the reassuring
+reply. “You see, after the explosion the flames
+shot up at the back before we knew it, and the
+draft sucked them in through the bedroom windows.
+So the upper part of the place was worse
+burned than the lower. But Ned Newton was
+not in there.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad of that,” Tom said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was beginning to feel the strain of what he
+had gone through, and he was glad when, a little
+later, Mary Nestor and her father motored
+over to see him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mr. Nestor had some time before taken a long
+trip North for his health, a trip that had greatly
+improved his condition.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Tom, what happened?” exclaimed Mary
+when she saw him in bed, all bandaged up.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’d like to know,” he answered,
+with a smile. “It was like a premature Fourth
+of July celebration.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you much hurt?” the girl faltered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Nothing more than shock and scratches,”
+Tom answered. “I’ll be up and around in another
+day.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>However, it was three days before Dr. Layton
+would allow Tom to get out of bed. Meanwhile
+nothing had been heard from Ned Newton. He
+had not gone to New York, that was evident, unless
+something had happened to him there, and
+he was not around Shopton, the town on Lake
+Carlopa where the Swifts’ large plant was
+located.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s mighty queer,” said the worried Mr.
+Newton, when Tom was forced to admit that his
+New York theory was useless. “Where could
+he be keeping himself?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I can’t imagine,” Tom said. He was much
+broken up over the disappearance of his chum.
+He knew Ned well enough to know that he was
+not staying away from choice, though Tom did
+not communicate his suspicions to Mr. Newton.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As soon as Tom was able, he went out to the
+laboratory. The scene of ruin on the lower floor
+was not so bad as he had feared, but the back
+and upper part of the laboratory was pretty well
+burned away. Then Tom had the improvised
+nailed-up door removed so he might enter the
+room where he had set up his talking-picture
+machine.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope it’s all right,” the young inventor
+murmured as he approached the apparatus.
+“They said it was, after the fire and explosion,
+but——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He gave a cry of dismay as he saw that,
+though the main part of the marvelous new machine
+was intact, the force of the explosion had
+wrecked the delicate mechanism that he depended
+on to prevent any but authorized owners
+of the apparatus from using it. Tom’s secret
+invention was badly damaged. In addition, all
+the new radio tubes, of a kind never before used,
+had been shattered by the blast.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This sure is tough luck!” murmured Tom
+Swift. “This knocks me out! The fire wasn’t
+so bad, but the explosion—whew! This certainly
+is tough! But I’ll work double time and
+soon have it in shape again, and better than
+ever. Luckily, I have duplicate parts of that
+secret check apparatus, and I can get new tubes,
+though it will take time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’d better go slow, Tom,” advised his
+father, who had come into the partly wrecked
+private room with his son. “First thing you
+know, you’ll blow yourself to pieces with these
+experiments of yours.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It was no experiment of mine, Dad, that
+caused the explosion here!” said Tom decidedly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It wasn’t?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No. All my wires were in good shape. It
+was some outside force that did the damage. I
+believe some one planted an infernal machine in
+here, Dad!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You do, Tom? Whom do you suspect?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I—I hardly know what to say,” was the slow
+answer. “But I have one man in mind.
+Where’s Clark?” he asked suddenly, naming a
+young workman who was much in Tom’s confidence.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll send him to you,” Mr. Swift offered.
+“What’s the matter, Tom? What are you going
+to have Clark do?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Some detective work,” was the low answer.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</h2>
+<h3>A STRANGE MESSAGE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> sank wearily into a chair, facing
+his damaged talking-picture machine. That it
+was very seriously damaged was plainer to the
+eyes of the young inventor than to those even of
+his father, who was one of three persons aware
+of what great changes the new machine was
+destined to bring about. But Tom rallied and
+from the ruins of his invention saw mentally,
+rising like the fabled Phoenix from its own ashes,
+a new and better piece of apparatus.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe, after all,” mused Tom, “this will
+turn out better than it looked at first sight. I already
+have an idea for some improvements in
+the new machine I’m going to start—as soon as
+I’m able,” he added somewhat grimly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tom, you’d better go back to bed!” exclaimed
+his father anxiously. “You know Dr.
+Layton said——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m all right!” protested the young inventor.
+“I’m going slow. I do feel a bit pulled
+out, but I don’t intend to do any work. However,
+I’m on the track of something, and it’s got
+to be followed up.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then you think this was deliberately done,
+Tom?” asked Mr. Swift as he finished sending a
+message to have Jim Clark sent to Tom’s private
+quarters.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m almost positive of it,” was the reply.
+“And I have under suspicion a certain man.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Who?” asked Mr. Swift in a low voice, making
+sure no one was near the shattered door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum,” was the equally low answer.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why, I thought he was one of your best
+workers, Tom!” exclaimed Mr. Swift in surprise.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So he is, in his own particular line. But now
+that I think matters over, I see that there is a
+chance he had something to do with this explosion.
+He was here in the laboratory just before
+it happened. He and I and Ned Newton
+were the only ones here, as a matter of fact.
+Ned has disappeared, and that’s worrying me,
+but I’ll come to that feature in due time. I
+guess Ned can look after himself, though his disappearance
+is certainly mysterious, coupled with
+everything else that’s happened. But when I
+stop to think about Greenbaum being here just
+before the explosion——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But, Tom,” interrupted his father, “I
+thought you said Greenbaum went before you
+locked up and came home.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Apparently he did. But he may have come
+back. That’s what I want Clark to do—a bit
+of detective work to find out if Greenbaum went
+to his boarding house and stayed there. If he
+did——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The entrance, at that moment, of the young
+workman in whom Tom placed much confidence
+brought a sudden end to the talk.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You sent for me, Mr. Swift?” asked Clark,
+with a smile. “Is it about the new negative
+gravity machine I’m working on?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not this time, Clark,” answered Tom, motioning
+the young fellow to take a chair near
+the scorched desk which was not far from the
+shattered talking-picture machine. That apparatus
+had, however, been covered from prying
+eyes. “I want you to do a bit of detective
+work, if you will,” went on the young inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Without telling just why he wanted the information,
+Tom instructed his agent to find out in
+secret something about Greenbaum, seeking to
+learn just what the man did on the night of the
+explosion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I get you!” exclaimed Clark, with ready wit.
+“I’m wise all right. I’ll shadow him if you want
+me to.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, don’t dog him,” objected Tom. “Just
+trace his movements. You can tell your foreman
+you’re working for me and it will be all
+right.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>With Clark dispatched on this mission, Tom
+took from the partial wreck of his new apparatus
+such pieces as were vital for rebuilding it
+and then, asking his father to have the laboratory
+cleaned up and put in working shape again,
+Tom went back to his bedroom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Truth to tell, he was pretty well fagged out,
+not so much physically as mentally. The shock
+both to his hopes and his body, as well as worry
+over Ned’s disappearance, was beginning to tell.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hadn’t you better give this up, Tom?” asked
+his father as, having set men to putting the laboratory
+to rights, he went to his son’s room
+where he found Tom stretched out on a long
+sofa.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Give what up, Dad? You mean trying to
+find out who blew me up and why Ned is missing?
+Give those problems up?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I mean work on this new talking-picture
+machine of yours. I don’t believe it will ever
+work, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But it has worked, Dad!” exclaimed the
+young man, with enthusiasm. “Only about an
+hour before Ned left and the explosion happened,
+I got a pretty fine record of what Ned did in the
+theater room,” for so Tom called the apartment
+with its battery of bright lights where the young
+manager had sung and danced.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You heard Ned’s voice?” asked Mr. Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Perfectly,” declared Tom. “Saw him, too.
+But the vision was not as clear as it’s got to be
+to make this a commercial success. But I know
+how to improve it, and I’m going to. I can’t
+give that up, Dad!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It might be better if you did, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Better? How?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, for your own safety. You’re using
+powerful electrical currents and you’ve had one
+explosion already; so——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But didn’t I tell you, Dad,” and Tom smiled
+tolerantly, “that this explosion was none of my
+doing? Nothing went wrong with the wires.
+They were all in shape and I was just opening
+the door when something went off. It was something
+that was set, too—a bomb, if I guess
+aright.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All the more reason for giving it up, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean, Dad?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I mean that perhaps some one, or perhaps
+a number of persons, don’t want this new invention
+to succeed. Think what it will mean to
+the moving picture industry if you can give
+people in their own homes entertainment such
+as the big theaters present. And where will the
+theaters come out if their high-priced shows can
+be picked up by every one who buys one of your
+machines?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s their lookout,” said Tom. “It was
+said that the radio would kill the phonograph;
+and it nearly did, but the phonograph folks
+came back strong.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This is different, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know it is—different and better. No,
+I’m not going to back out, bombs or no bombs!
+Besides, Dad, you must realize that we are in
+this thing pretty deep.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Deep, Tom? What do you mean?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I mean we have a large amount of money
+tied up in this thing—more than I like to think
+about. I’ve just got to come through with it
+to break even.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom, I suppose you know best,” said
+the aged inventor, with rather a weary smile.
+“But be careful of yourself.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>When Mrs. Baggert had put new bandages on
+some of Tom’s burns and he had taken a little
+rest, he called up Ned’s home, only to learn that
+no word had come from him. His parents were
+greatly worried, for Ned was not selfish and
+was not the kind of young man to remain long
+away from home without sending word.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He may have decided to take a little unannounced
+vacation,” Tom told Mr. Newton, “and
+have gone to the country. He may have sent
+word and the letter or the message has failed to
+arrive. Shall I notify the police?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, not yet,” decided Mr. Newton. “Ned
+may be all right and he’d hate any police notoriety.
+We’ll wait a few days.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The few days that followed were anxious ones,
+not only for Ned’s parents, but also for Tom
+Swift. He had a double worry, divided between
+the disappearance of his trusted chum and manager
+and concern over the wreck of his new apparatus.
+The latter worry was more easily disposed
+of, however, though it meant hard work
+and delay.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom set some of his most trusted men at the
+labor of reconstructing the new apparatus, but
+in such a way that the secret could not be come
+at. Only certain unimportant parts were given
+out, and Tom and his father would make the
+more vital sections.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Since Tom already had on the market a telephoto
+machine and had also made several varieties
+of moving picture projectors, it was not a
+hard matter to let it casually be known that the
+new apparatus was an attempt to improve either
+or both of the old inventions. Thus was gossip
+stilled about the big Swift plant.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom, however, did not know what to think
+about Greenbaum. The day after the explosion
+the man was lamenting loudly that some of
+his own experimental apparatus, which he was
+working on for the Swift firm, had been destroyed
+in the fire and blast.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And,” said Tom, telling his father about it,
+“since I have promised him a large bonus if he
+works out that magnetic gear shift, it doesn’t
+seem reasonable that he would set a bomb that
+might destroy the results of his own hard
+work.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, it doesn’t.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And yet I can’t help suspecting him,” mused
+the young inventor. “He is as friendly as ever,
+and seems anxious to help me. But there is
+something furtive in his manner and in his
+looks.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did Clark find out anything?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Only that Greenbaum went straight to his
+boarding place from here and did not go out
+again that night. He was at home when the
+explosion took place.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then that clears him, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Dad, it doesn’t. He could easily have
+planted a time bomb or rigged one up that was
+operated when I opened the door. I shall still
+suspect him. But I’ve got something else to
+do now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What is that?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I want to see how Jackson is coming on with
+the new radio tubes he is making for the talking-picture
+machine and I’ve got to do something
+about Ned. His unexplained absence for so
+long a time is getting serious now. It doesn’t
+seem possible that he is remaining away voluntarily
+without sending some word.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, it doesn’t. What do you think?”
+and Mr. Swift looked up from his work. He was
+making some delicate tests with a galvanometer
+in the laboratory, which had been cleaned out
+and temporarily fitted up to be used again.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m thinking, Dad, that perhaps Ned, in
+some way, was concerned with the fire and explosion.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tom! You don’t mean that Ned——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, of course I don’t mean that he set it,
+Dad!” and Tom laughed at his father’s shocked
+face. “I mean that the same rascals who tried
+to blow me up kidnapped Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Kidnapped a young man like Ned Newton!
+A strong, husky chap——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They may have caught him napping,” said
+Tom. “Anyhow, I’ve got to do something.
+Ned’s folks are much worried.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t you go to the police?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think a private detective would be better.
+Or, best of all, I’ll get Clark and set out on the
+trail myself. I’ve got things begun on the rebuilding
+of my new machine now, and I’ve really
+got to do something about Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I agree with you, Tom. I was just wondering——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>What he wondered Mr. Swift never stated, as
+at that moment a voice was heard out in the corridor,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my storage battery, you needn’t show
+me the way in, Eradicate! I guess I can find
+Tom Swift, or what’s left of him! My! My!
+It must have been terrible! Bless my stick of
+dynamite! So they tried to blow Tom up!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s Mr. Damon!” said Mr. Swift, smiling at
+his son.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No need for him to send in a card!” chuckled
+the young inventor. “His voice and talk give
+him away. Come in, Mr. Damon!” he called,
+and the door opened to give entrance to the eccentric,
+kindly old gentleman who, indirectly,
+had been the means of Tom’s starting on his
+great inventive career.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my handkerchief, Tom!” exclaimed
+Mr. Damon, vigorously mopping his face with
+the linen article in question, while he held out
+one hand to the young inventor. “What’s all
+this I hear about you? I just got back from a
+Western trip and my wife tells me you were
+blown sky high, that your plant was demolished,
+and that the whole business is in ruins. Bless
+my insurance policies! Whew!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not quite so bad as that,” Tom answered,
+with a laugh.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But something happened, bless my thermometer
+if it didn’t!” declared Mr. Damon,
+pointing to a bandage on Tom’s left hand.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, there was an accident,” and in a few
+words Tom told what had happened, without,
+however, making mention of the new machine,
+which was too deep a secret as yet for even so
+close a friend as the eccentric man to share.
+“But it might have been worse,” concluded the
+young man. “And, as a matter of fact, that
+isn’t the worst that’s happened.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom? What else? Bless my spectacles!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ned Newton has mysteriously vanished,”
+said Tom, with a serious face, and he told as
+much as he knew about the strange occurrence.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s terrible!” declared Mr. Damon. “It’s
+the worst outrage I ever heard of! But I came
+back just in time, Tom Swift.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Time for what?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“To help you hunt for Ned! Now, don’t
+stop me! I’m going to do it. I’ll devote all
+my time and half my fortune to finding my
+young friend and your chum. Tell me more
+about it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ve told you all I know, which isn’t much,”
+Tom answered. “But suppose we go to the
+house. I’m about through here,” and he looked
+around the laboratory, asking his father to close
+and lock it when he left. “We’ll go over to the
+house, Mr. Damon.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I want to pay my respects to Mrs. Baggert.
+But I can’t get over your accident and
+the kidnapping of Ned. Why, bless my——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But Mr. Damon had no time to complete his
+pet phrase, for half way up the path to the
+house Tom and his friend saw an old man coming
+toward them, ragged and unkempt—a veritable
+tramp. He held in his outstretched hand
+a dirty piece of paper.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is this Mr. Tom Swift?” asked the ragged
+man, looking at Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I am,” answered the owner of the name.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then I have a strange message for you,”
+went on the tramp in whining tones. “And if
+you see fit to reward me for bringing it, I’d be
+glad, for I’m a poor old codger and I’m
+hungry——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift hastily took the dirty piece of
+paper and uttered an exclamation of surprise as
+he read what was scrawled on it.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</h2>
+<h3>ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> the matter, Tom?” asked Mr. Damon,
+for he could not fail to note the agitation
+of the young inventor on reading the strange
+message brought by so strange a messenger.
+“Bless my favorite detective story, but you act
+as though you had news!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope it proves to be good news and true
+news,” said Tom, looking sharply at the whining
+old man. “Read that, Mr. Damon!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom thrust the dirty piece of paper into the
+extended hand of the eccentric man. Slowly,
+for the writing was not very clear, Mr. Damon
+read:</p>
+
+<div class='blockquote'>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Take this to Tom Swift and receive ten dollars.
+Help. Am prisoner at Smith place.
+Brick house—flat roof—three cherry trees—old
+stone well. Ned Newton.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why—why—” faltered Mr. Damon, turning
+the paper over, “it’s from—from Ned Newton,
+who’s missing. It’s from him!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It <i>purports</i> to be,” said Tom in a low voice,
+looking at the old man who was rubbing with a
+lean hand a chin very much in need of the good
+offices of a razor. “But it may be a hoax.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is it Ned’s writing?” asked Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Let me look at it again,” suggested the young
+inventor. “I was so surprised by the import of
+the message that I didn’t pay much attention to
+the handwriting.” He scrutinized it closely and
+said in a low voice to his odd friend: “It’s
+Ned’s scribbling all right. No one else makes
+a capital N just like Ned. Where did you get
+this?” he asked the old man sharply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In a field, boss. I picked it up and I made
+out to read it. I saw your name on it and I
+made some inquiries and folks directed me
+here. It’s been a long walk, and I’m tired and
+hungry and——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll see that you don’t lose anything by
+what you did if this turns out to be no fake,”
+said Tom, still a bit sternly. “It will be worth
+a good deal more than ten dollars to you if
+this leads to the finding of my helper. Now tell
+me straight, where did you get this?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In the field, boss, I told you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What field?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“About five miles from here, over Cherry Valley
+way. I’m on the tramp—there’s no use lying
+to you—I’m a sort of a bum, but it ain’t all
+my fault. I work at helping on a farm when
+I can, but there’s been so much rain lately I
+couldn’t get much to do.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He’s right there—it has rained a lot,” said
+Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sure it has, boss. I’ve been tramping around
+and I was cooking a little meal in a field over
+Cherry Valley way when I picked up this paper.
+I can read—I went to school once,” he said,
+with a flash of pride, but it was only a brief flash.
+“I read what it said and I asked my way here.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How did the paper get in the field?” asked
+Tom. “Did it blow there?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, boss, it come down on a kite.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“On a <i>kite</i>?” cried Mr. Damon. “Bless my
+phonograph, but he’s hoaxing you, Tom! Pay
+no attention to him. It’s all a trick to get
+money out of you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But the old man did not appear to be one who
+would play a joke, and his face was grave as he
+made the surprising statement about the kite.
+Also there was about him a pathetic, hungry,
+hoping look as he glanced at Tom Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You say this message came down in a field
+on a <i>kite</i>?” asked Tom, and his voice though at
+first stern, was now kinder, for he felt sorry for
+the old codger.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, boss, in a field where I was roasting
+some ears of corn a farmer said I could have.
+They was almost roasted when down out of the
+air swooped this kite. First I thought some
+boys must ’a’ been playing around there and it
+got away from them. But I didn’t see no boys.
+Then I picked up the kite and this message was
+on it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean this message was tied to the tail
+or to the string of the kite itself?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, it wasn’t tied on. It was part of the
+kite—part of the paper the kite was made of.
+There wasn’t no string to speak of. Looked
+to me like the kite broke away. This message
+was writ right on the paper of the kite. It was
+partly tore off so I finished ripping it loose, and
+put it in my pocket.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Where’s the remainder of the kite?” asked
+Tom. He was going to prove this strange tale
+to the very bottom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Here ’tis.” The shuffling old tramp drew
+from a pocket of his ragged coat a tangled mass
+of broken sticks, brown paper and string.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom took the tattered stuff and smoothed it
+out. Slowly he assembled it into a small kite
+of the kind that needs no tail to be sent up, a
+curve of the cross stick and the consequent bellying
+of the loose paper serving to hold the wind
+against the kite’s surface. From the center of
+the kite a piece of the paper had been torn.
+This piece was represented by the fragment containing
+the message appealing for help. Tom
+fitted it in and proved that this part of the old
+tramp’s tale was true.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It looks as if there might be something in it,
+Tom,” said Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes. But whether this will help us find Ned
+or not is another question. You say this kite
+was blown to where you were in the field?” Tom
+asked the old fellow.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, boss. It come down right near my
+fire.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“From which direction?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The tramp considered for a moment and answered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Right from the south.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom knew that the prevailing winds at this
+time of year in the vicinity of Shopton, where
+he lived, were from the south. So far the
+tramp had not tripped himself up.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you make of it, Tom?” asked the
+eccentric man as he began an examination of
+the remains of the kite.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what to think,” was the reply.
+“This is most certainly from Ned, and he seems
+to be a prisoner on the ‘Smith place,’ wherever
+that is.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe I can help you out there,” broke in
+the tramp. “I asked some questions before I
+started off to locate you, and I heard that about
+a mile from Cherry Valley is an abandoned
+farm known as the Smith place.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good!” cried Tom. “I’m beginning to believe
+you, my man. If this works out it will be
+the best day’s work you’ve done for a long
+time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But, Tom!” objected Mr. Damon who, in
+spite of his eccentricities was hard-headed when
+it came to business. “Assuming, Tom, that Ned
+is a prisoner on the Smith place, how could he
+fly this kite to ask for help? Maybe this man
+is just making up that part of the story. He
+may be one of those who helped kidnap Ned and
+have brought this message from the captors.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, boss, honest to goodness I don’t know
+nothin’ about no kidnappin’!” cried the tramp,
+with vehement earnestness. “It was just as I
+told you—I picked that kite up in the field at
+Cherry Valley.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It may have happened as this man says,”
+Tom said to Mr. Damon. “If Ned is a prisoner
+in some old farmhouse, he may be confined in
+an upper room. From there he could loose this
+kite and, on a windy day, it might be blown
+several miles.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But how could he make a kite and fly it
+without being seen?” asked Mr. Damon. “And,
+when it comes to that, how could he make a
+kite, anyhow, if he’s a prisoner?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It wasn’t much of a trick to make this kite,”
+replied Tom as he examined the remains of it
+again. “It’s made of a section torn from a
+paper bag, with sticks whittled off a window
+casing, I should say. Ned could do the whittling
+with his knife—he always carries one.
+Probably they brought him food in a paper
+bag, tied with a string. This looks like grocery
+store string,” he added, pulling out some strands
+from the tangled mess of sticks and paper.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I see, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, having decided to the best of our
+knowledge that this message really comes from
+Ned and that he is a prisoner at the Smith
+place, the next thing to do is to rescue him.
+Will you come with us and show us just where
+you picked up this message kite?” he asked the
+old tramp.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sure I will, boss, but I’m——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I know! You’re tired and hungry!” interrupted
+the young inventor. “I’ll see that you
+get a rest and some food, and you’ll be paid
+well. We can’t start at once—a few preparations
+are necessary. We’ve got to organize a
+searching party and hit the trail after Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And I’m going with you!” cried Mr. Damon.
+“No, not a word—don’t forbid me!” he begged
+as he saw Tom hesitate. “I’m going!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“As you think best,” Tom Swift agreed.
+“But we’ll have to do considerable before we can
+get ready. I think I’ll take Koku along,” he
+said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good idea!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He’ll
+be a match for any four men that may be holding
+Ned a prisoner. But why did they capture
+him, Tom? Answer me that!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I wish I could,” was the musing answer.
+“I don’t know what to think. I’m afraid there’s
+a deeper plot in all this than I had any idea of
+at first. Starting with the attempt to blow
+me up, then Ned’s disappearance—I’m afraid
+it means that some one objects, very strongly,
+to my perfecting—well, what I am perfecting,”
+Tom concluded, not wishing to name his latest
+invention.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, let’s get going!” begged Mr. Damon,
+with the eagerness and enthusiasm of a boy.
+“Now don’t you run away!” he playfully ordered
+the old tramp.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not much chance of that, boss. I’m too
+weak hardly to walk, let alone running.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll soon fix you up,” declared Tom, “in
+the way of food, anyhow. And you won’t need
+to walk. We’ll go in my electric runabout to
+the Smith place and get Ned out of the hands
+of these scoundrels.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In spite of Tom’s haste in making preparations,
+it was not until the next morning that he
+was able to take the mysterious trail that he
+hoped would lead to his kidnapped chum. In
+the first place, the old tramp was really so weak
+from lack of food and from his long walk that
+Dr. Layton said it would not be wise to start
+out with him as a guide until he had had a
+night’s rest and plenty of nourishing food.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then a slight accident occurred in one of the
+shops and Tom had to straighten that out. It
+was not serious, however. So, early the morning
+following the receipt of the kite message,
+Tom, with Mr. Damon, Koku and Bill Tagg, as
+the tramp called himself, started off in the speedy
+electric runabout for Cherry Valley.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Just as they were about to leave, Jacob
+Greenbaum came hurrying out of the private
+laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you going away, Mr. Swift?” the man
+asked.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” Tom answered, though he gave no further
+particulars. The attempt to rescue Ned
+was being kept secret. No information was
+given out concerning the identity of the strange
+tramp, Bill Tagg, and, aside from a private
+message conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Newton that
+Ned had been heard from, nothing was said
+about the strange clue. “Yes, Greenbaum, I
+am going away for a little trip. Is there anything
+you wanted to see me about?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Swift, there is. I’ve reached a
+critical point in this magnetic gear shift model
+and if you could come in my room——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a strange look in the man’s eyes—a
+look Tom Swift did not like. The man seemed
+unduly eager to get Tom out of the auto and
+back into the laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t time, Greenbaum,” the young inventor
+said. “I’ll see you when I get back.
+That gear shift will keep.” With that Tom
+turned on the current and the runabout speeded
+down the drive. A look back over his shoulder
+showed the man still standing there, with that
+same eager, tense look on his face.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think,” said Tom to himself, “that my suspicions
+of you will soon be justified, Greenbaum.
+But just now I’m on the trail of Ned
+Newton!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The motors hummed more shrilly as the runabout
+gathered speed.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</h2>
+<h3>TOO LATE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“This</span> is a pretty slick little car, boss,” said
+Tagg when they had passed the confines of
+Shopton and were heading out into the country.
+“She sure can go! Beats old Shanks’ mare,”
+and he looked down at his legs which had carried
+him to Tom’s home with the mysterious
+message.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The tramp had been provided with some decent
+clothes, he had taken a bath and shaved,
+and was quite a different looking man from the
+one who first encountered Mr. Damon and Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” admitted the young inventor as he
+listened to the hum of the small but powerful
+motors as they received their impulses from the
+storage battery Tom had evolved. “At one
+time this was the speediest car on the road, but
+I have some now that can beat this.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And they aren’t in it with some of the airships
+Mr. Swift has,” remarked Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I want to do before I die, boss,”
+murmured the tramp. “I want to ride in an airship.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, if we rescue my friend through your
+help, I’ll see that you have your wish,” promised
+the head of the Swift plant. “It’s easily
+done.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Gee, boss, but I sure would love that!” murmured
+Bill Tagg.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Airship—him lots good!” grunted Koku,
+who sat stolidly on the rear seat with the tramp,
+listening to the talk. Koku was not much given
+to conversation, but when it came to fighting
+he was as wide awake and as lively as heart
+could wish. Tom had brought the giant along
+in case there should be a fight, which seemed
+likely. Men who go to the length of kidnapping
+seldom stop there in their desperate ventures.
+“Lots good—airships!” rumbled Koku in his
+deep voice.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You ought to know. You came from your
+country of giants in one,” chuckled Mr. Damon,
+for he well remembered that exciting trip, the
+details of which will be found set down in another
+volume.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom knew the road to Cherry Valley, and it
+did not take long, in his speedy car, to arrive in
+the vicinity. The entrance to the valley led up
+a long hill, and the car was half way over this
+rather stiff climb when there was a sudden
+grinding noise from the machinery and the runabout
+stopped.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Something wrong!” cried Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sounds that way,” admitted Tom as he made
+a quick turn and let the car back slowly down
+against a tree at the side of the road where it
+was held safely from rolling farther in case the
+brakes did not hold. In an instant the young
+inventor was out and peering into the interior
+of his runabout.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Dirty work here!” he exclaimed as he pulled
+out a twisted piece of metal. “See what was in
+the gears!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What?” asked Mr. Damon, who did not
+know much about machinery, as you can guess
+when you read how he managed the first motorcycle
+he bought. “What is it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A screw driver!” exclaimed Tom. “It was
+put in here, suspended on a piece of rope in
+such a manner that the rope would gradually
+wear through, letting the screw driver drop into
+the gears. And that’s just what happened!
+One set of gears is chewed to nothing!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s bad!” said Mr. Damon. His scant
+knowledge of machinery was sufficient for him
+to understand that something vitally wrong had
+happened to the car, even if the serious look on
+Tom’s face had not informed him of the same
+fact. “How did it happen?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It didn’t happen—it was caused!” was the
+answer. “Some one, just before we started out,
+suspended this screw driver in the gear box
+knowing that after we had run a few miles the
+rope would wear through and the thing would
+drop. Dirty work!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You seem to be getting a lot of bad breaks
+lately, Tom,” said the odd man. “Who do you
+suppose did this?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s the same man I suspect of other
+things,” was the reply. “I’m going to find out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are we stuck, Tom? Can’t we go on and
+rescue Ned?” Mr. Damon inquired.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, we can go on, but we can’t make
+much speed. I’ll have to run in third. Fourth
+and fifth gears are all chewed up.” It was because
+of its five selective speeds that the electric
+runabout was such a wonderful machine.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Whoever did this made a little mistake,”
+chuckled Tom, for he had a saving sense of
+humor. “If they’d fixed it so the screw driver
+dropped into the lower gears we never could have
+started again once we stopped. As it is, we can
+go on, but we can’t make speed.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It did not take him long to cut out the two
+higher gearing mechanism attachments, and then
+the runabout proceeded again. Even at the
+lowered rate its speed was better than that of
+many gasoline automobiles. And in due time
+the head of the slope was reached. Before the
+searchers lay Cherry Valley which, they hoped,
+contained the Smith place and the captive Ned
+Newton.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now, Tagg, show us the field where you saw
+the kite come down,” requested Tom when they
+were driving along a level road.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s about a mile farther on,” the tramp said,
+looking about for landmarks. “Yes, just about
+a mile.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This distance was soon covered, and when the
+car was stopped Tagg led the way into the field
+and showed where he had built a fire to roast
+ears of corn. The blackened ashes and the remains
+of his feast proved that, so far, he had
+spoken the truth. Then he showed just where
+he had picked up the broken kite, and some
+fragments of the brown-bag paper which bore
+Ned’s message were found among the hills of
+corn.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It looks as if we were on the right track,”
+said Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” murmured Tom. “Now to locate
+the Smith place.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s south of here, about a mile and a half,”
+said the tramp. “ ’Tisn’t a very good road,
+though.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That won’t keep us back,” declared Tom, and
+once more they were on the way. The runabout
+was doing fairly well in spite of the handicap
+of two stripped gears.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Cherry Valley was rather a sparsely settled
+part of the country and as Tom and his friends
+advanced they noticed that it grew more and
+more deserted. They passed one ramshackle
+farmhouse and learned, on inquiry, that they
+were headed right for the old Smith homestead.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But they don’t nobody live there now, mister,”
+said a slattern of a woman who shuffled to
+the door in response to Tom’s knock. “They
+ain’t been nobody livin’ in the Smith place nigh
+onto four years now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s all right—we’ll find it I guess,” responded
+the young inventor, and once more he
+drove his electric car onward.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Near the end of the valley and adjoining a
+patch of dense woods, they came upon the Smith
+house. It had once been the home of a prosperous
+farmer, but he had fallen upon evil days
+and the place had long been deserted.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s it!” cried Mr. Damon, catching sight
+of the old brick house. “There it is, three
+cherry trees, old stone well, and everything just
+as Ned described it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hush, please! Not so loud!” begged Tom,
+slowing up his car and guiding it behind a clump
+of trees not far from the house. “If we’re going
+to make a rescue it might be well to take
+these kidnappers by surprise.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my ear trumpet, I never thought of
+that!” whispered the odd man. “Of course!
+Certainly! Yes! Quiet does it!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Can you use a gun?” asked Tom curtly of
+the tramp.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, boss, I’m not a very good shot,
+but——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t believe there’ll be any need of shooting,”
+interrupted Tom, “but there’s no use taking
+any chances. Here,” and he handed the
+tramp an automatic pistol, reserving one for himself
+and giving Mr. Damon another. “We may
+have an easy time and we may have a hard one,”
+said Tom. “But, whatever it is, I’m going to
+rescue Ned!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Doesn’t Koku want a gun?” asked the tramp,
+noting that the giant carried no weapon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Me no shoot. Me scrunch um in my hands
+me catch!” muttered the giant, opening and
+closing his immense fists. It was answer
+enough.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll approach from four sides at once,” decided
+Tom as they began to creep cautiously
+toward the old farmhouse. “Separate now.
+You to the east, Mr. Damon; you west, Tagg;
+you south, Koku; and I’ll take the north side.
+When I whistle we’ll rush the place.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Correct!” said Mr. Damon in a low voice.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Waiting until he was sure they were in their
+places, Tom looked toward the old house. It
+seemed deserted, quiet and lonely. But from
+behind the sagging shutters of the grimy and
+broken windows evil eyes might be peering out.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom gave a low whistle. On his left he could
+hear Mr. Damon beginning to run forward and
+on his right he caught the sound of the advance
+of Tagg. Then Tom began to run, and
+beyond the house he caught a glimpse of the
+giant lurching forward.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Together the four searchers reached the four
+sides of the old house, but still there was no sign
+of life. The front door was on Tom’s side and,
+his weapon ready, he ran up the steps. He
+tried the door. To his surprise, it gave and he
+pushed it open. At the same time he heard
+Koku crash through the open door on the south.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This way!” cried Tom to Mr. Damon and
+the tramp. “Rush ’em!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>An instant later they were in the house.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Surrender!” yelled Tom, though he saw no
+one. “You’re surrounded! Surrender!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Still no reply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A hurried search of the first floor revealed no
+one. A look through the second floor was likewise
+unsuccessful. The attic revealed not a
+soul and the cellar was tenantless.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’re too late!” exclaimed Tom Swift.
+“They’ve gone! But they have been here!” he
+declared, pointing into a room with iron bars
+over the only window. “They’ve been here and
+I believe Ned was a prisoner here. Yes, he
+was!” he cried, picking something up in a corner.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How do you know Ned was here?” asked
+Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This is his stickpin,” Tom replied, showing
+a scarf ornament of silver and jade. “Ned’s
+been here all right. But they have taken him
+away. We’re too late!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s to be done now?” asked Tagg.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Follow them!” cried Tom. “We’ve got to
+get Ned back. Let’s have another look around.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They looked, but found little to aid them in
+their search.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They haven’t been gone long!” cried Tom,
+as they came out of the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How do you know?” asked Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The stove is still warm,” was the answer.
+“Come on! We’ve got to trail them and get
+Ned!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</h2>
+<h3>A WILD CHASE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> was the first of the four searchers
+to rush out of the old brick farmhouse, ready
+to take up the trail once more in the search.
+Mr. Damon followed, then came Bill Tagg, and
+lastly the big, lumbering Koku.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Me find nobody can smash,” the giant complained
+as he clenched his immense fists. “Master
+say maybe I fight. No fight?” and he looked
+at Tom questioningly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There may be a fight yet, if we can catch
+them,” said the young inventor, pausing a moment
+in the front to look back at the house.
+“They’ve given us the slip. If it hadn’t been
+for the accident to my electric runabout we’d
+have been here sooner and we’d have caught
+them.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” agreed Mr. Damon. “It looks, Tom,
+as if the somebody who tried to wreck your machine
+had an interest in preventing your getting
+here sooner. They, whoever it was, wanted
+to delay you so word could be sent here to get
+Ned out of the way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s very probable,” admitted the young
+inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Again he looked up at the window of what had
+been his chum’s prison room, and Tom tried to
+picture how Ned, in his desperation, had secretly
+constructed the kite of wrapping paper,
+whittled sticks and string. Then the young
+manager had waited until a stiff wind was blowing
+and had loosed the silent messenger into the
+air.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The electric runabout was in the road a short
+distance away from the deserted farmhouse.
+Tom wished he had time to repair it so the machine
+would show some of the former speed, but
+this was out of the question. They would have
+to go along as best they could.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The vicinity of the farmhouse was lonesome
+and no other building was in view save a tumbledown
+barn. Tom, therefore, and his companions
+were rather surprised when, on coming out
+of the yard, they saw a ragged boy in the road
+walking around the runabout and admiring it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hello!” called Tom genially. “Do you live
+near here?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Just down the road a piece.” The boy dug
+his dirty, bare toes into the soft dust of the
+road.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Know anybody who lives in here?” went
+on the young inventor, seeing a possible chance
+to get some information.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t nobody live here,” the boy replied.
+“But there’s been some men in here the last few
+days, only they’re gone now. They went away
+a little while ago in an auto, but it was bigger’n
+what yours is.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so some men went away from here a little
+while ago in a big auto, did they?” asked Tom.
+“We’re on the track!” he whispered to Mr. Damon.
+Then to the boy again: “What kind of
+men were they and how many of them were
+there?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They was just men,” the boy replied. “Men
+like you,” and he comprised the four in a roving
+glance. “But they wasn’t dressed so good as
+what you are—you three I mean,” and he indicated
+Tom, Mr. Damon and Koku. He seemed
+to omit Tagg, and a moment later the reason
+was obvious. For the boy added: “They was
+dressed more like what he is,” and he pointed directly
+at the tramp. In spite of the fact that
+Bill Tagg had been freshened up considerably
+since he shuffled to Tom with Ned’s message,
+there was still an air of vagrancy about the
+wanderer. It stuck out all over him. He did
+not seem to mind being made use of for this not
+very flattering comparison.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How many men were there?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Three well ones and a sick one,” the boy answered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A sick man!” exclaimed Mr. Damon.
+“What do you mean?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, his head was tied up in rags and the
+other men carried him out on a cot. He didn’t
+say nothin’, the sick man didn’t.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That was Ned!” murmured Mr. Damon.
+“Bless my doctor’s bill, Tom, but do you think
+they’ve done for poor Ned?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I don’t think so,” was the reply. “I
+think they gagged Ned so he couldn’t call for
+help, and they probably bound him with rope.
+Naturally he couldn’t walk, and they had to
+carry him out. So he would appear to be a sick
+person. Well, we know how many we have to
+fight—three men,” he concluded. “Can you tell
+me anything more about the men who were here,
+son?” asked Tom, tossing the boy a quarter
+which the lad picked up in his toes after it had
+fallen in the dust near him. “Did you see them
+often?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I sneaked down here pretty near every day
+after they come to this old house,” the boy answered.
+“They didn’t see me, ’cause I hid in
+the bushes. But they was funny men.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How do you mean—funny?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They used to fly kites out of the window—anyhow,
+one of ’em did. But I couldn’t see him
+plain, ’cause there’s iron bars over that window—up
+there,” and he pointed to the casement of
+the room where Tom had found Ned’s stick pin.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So one of the men flew kites out of that window,
+did he?” encouraged Tom. “What happened
+to them?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Most of ’em fell in the weeds,” the boy
+said. “They wasn’t very good kites—just made
+of old, brown-bag paper. I can make better
+kites ’n them. They was made of old sticks. I
+picked some of ’em up, but they wasn’t any
+good. One flew a long way off, though. I
+couldn’t find that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I can see just what happened,” Tom spoke
+in a low voice to Mr. Damon. “Poor Ned tried
+two or three kite messengers before he finally
+got one into a stiff breeze that carried it to
+Cherry Valley. But we are losing valuable
+time. Which way did the three well men take
+the sick man in their big auto?” Tom asked
+the barefooted lad.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Down there,” and he pointed to the western
+road.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Where does that lead to?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Lake Carlopa, ’bout ten miles farther on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Lake Carlopa!” cried Tom. “That’s where
+they’re heading for. Come on! We may catch
+them yet!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tossing the lad another quarter, Tom led his
+friends toward his car and they were soon off
+again on the wild chase. They had a definite
+object now, for the lad had given them such a
+description of the other auto as to make it easy
+for them to inquire about it along the way.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Their inquiries were fruitful to the extent that
+at several garages and hot-dog stands along the
+highway the pursuers learned that the machine
+in question, containing three men and one who
+appeared to be ill or injured had passed not long
+before.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’re catching up to them!” Tom exulted,
+when they had covered half the distance to Lake
+Carlopa. This was evident by the information
+given at different garages. Whereas at first the
+fleeing car had been half an hour ahead, it was
+now but ten minutes. “We’ll get them!” cried
+the young inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Though Tom got every inch of speed possible
+out of his crippled runabout, when Lake Carlopa
+was reached they found the kidnappers’
+car abandoned on the shore of the lake.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Just too late again!” sighed Mr. Damon.
+“We’ll never get Ned!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We may!” shouted Tom. “Look!” He
+pointed across the lake, and about half a mile
+out was discerned a motorboat containing three
+men. “There they are—I’m sure of it!” cried
+Tom. “Now if we only had another boat to
+chase them!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There’s a feller a little farther on who rents
+motorboats,” volunteered Bill Tagg.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good!” cried Tom. “We’ll chase them in
+their own way. Where’s that motorboat chap?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The tramp pointed out the dock, and in a short
+time, leaving his runabout in charge of the boat
+proprietor, Tom and his friends were in a sturdy
+gasoline craft giving chase to the other, which
+was now but a speck amid the blue waters of
+Lake Carlopa.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you think they have Ned with them?”
+asked Mr. Damon while Tom hastily adjusted
+the motor so as to get the maximum speed from
+the boat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” was the reply. “We’ll soon find
+out, if this old tub can stand the pace.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Have we a chance?” asked Bill, who was taking
+quite an interest in this pursuit.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom looked at the fleeing boat. Then he calculated
+the speed of the craft he had hired. A
+few minutes of observation caused him to make
+this remark:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’re gaining on them—slowly. Whether
+we catch up to them before they get to the other
+side is a question. We’ll do our best to catch
+’em, however.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He made a slight adjustment in the carburetor
+to get a few more revolutions per minute
+from the flywheel and then the four settled back
+for the chase.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom’s statement about their speed proved
+true. In a short time it was discerned that his
+craft was overhauling the other. The three men
+could be plainly seen now, and a muffled object
+could be made out in the bottom of the boat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my cranberry sauce, there’s Ned!”
+cried Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” murmured Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The chase was now becoming exciting. Every
+moment they were drawing nearer the fleeing
+boat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hold on there, you fellows!” shouted Tom.
+“We want to speak to you!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Haven’t got time!” sneered one of the three
+rascals. “See you later!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Suddenly the boat in front swerved off to one
+side. But Tom was ready for this and shifted
+his own wheel to intercept the other craft.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look out! Rocks!” suddenly cried Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+<h3>TWO CAPTIVES</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> that? What’s the matter?” cried
+Tom Swift, hearing Mr. Damon’s shout. “Are
+they going to ram us?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom had been bending over the gasoline throttle
+in an endeavor to coax a little more speed
+out of their craft. Now he looked up to see
+that they were very near the fleeing boat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I said rocks ahead! Look! Bless my
+life preserver, we’re going to hit them!” yelled
+the eccentric man. “Look out!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, but too late, Tom saw and realized why
+the other boat had swerved so suddenly. It was
+to avoid the rocks. And now the <i>Gull</i>, which
+was the name of the boat Tom had hired, was
+headed directly for the black, sharp rocks that
+reared their ugly heads out of the blue water of
+Lake Carlopa.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hand me that boat hook and maybe I can
+fend us off,” called out the tramp.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom, however, was sure this would be of no
+service, so he did not obey the request. He was
+trying with all his might to pull the wheel around
+far enough to steer the <i>Gull</i> away from the rocks.
+But the craft was a heavy one, rather clumsy,
+and did not respond readily.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“See if she’ll reverse, Mr. Damon!” panted
+Tom, who had to use both hands on the wheel.
+“Throw that lever back!” and he pointed to
+one with his foot.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know how!” Mr. Damon replied. He
+grasped the gear lever and began straining on
+it. Suddenly there was a sharp report.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did it break?” cried Tom, looking at the
+rocks on to which they seemed about to crash.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No. They’re shooting at us!” yelled Bill
+Tagg. “There they go again!” he added, ducking
+down into the bottom of the boat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom and Mr. Damon were both occupied
+with trying to save the <i>Gull</i> from going on the
+rocks and they could not draw their weapons.
+The tramp, however, aimed his automatic and
+sent a couple of answering shots toward the boat
+containing Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look out you don’t hit our friend,” warned
+Tom, who felt the rudder gradually coming
+around, so that he had hopes of saving the <i>Gull</i>
+from a direct crash.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I fired over their heads,” explained Bill Tagg.
+“They’re doing the same, I guess—trying to
+bluff us!” He fired again, high enough to clear
+those in the fleeing craft, and again came a response.
+This time the bullet was lower and
+Tom instinctively ducked, though he knew the
+missile must have passed him before his ear
+caught the vicious whine of its passage through
+the air.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, so suddenly that no warning was given,
+the <i>Gull</i> struck on a rock just beneath the surface.
+It was a glancing blow, and the rock,
+luckily, was smooth, or the craft might have
+been shattered. As it was, the <i>Gull</i> careened to
+one side, and so sharply that Tom Swift was
+thrown overboard, landing in the lake with a
+great splash.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Instinctively, he took a long breath and held
+it, closing his mouth that had been opened preparatory
+to shouting further directions to Mr.
+Damon about reversing the craft.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Down into the depths sank Tom, while the
+<i>Gull</i>, whose speed was not slackened, slued
+around from her impact on the rock and shot off
+on a tangent in a direction directly opposite
+from that taken by the <i>Turtle</i>, the boat containing
+the three roughly attired men and that silent,
+wrapped figure in the bottom—a figure that
+was supposed to be Ned Newton.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my steamship ticket!” yelled Mr. Damon,
+“where’s Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Overboard!” yelled the tramp. “And I can’t
+swim!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Me get him!” shouted Koku, peeling off his
+coat preparatory to a dive over the side.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Stay where you are!” came the stern command
+from the other boat which had circled
+around and was now headed for the place where
+Tom Swift’s head appeared in the watery circles
+caused by his plunge. “We’ll drill the first man
+that goes overboard!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Two of the rascals stood in the bow with
+leveled weapons, while the third was steering
+the boat straight toward Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’re going to ram him!” gasped the
+tramp. He did not seem capable of doing anything
+to help, and Koku, being now without a
+weapon, was of no service. Mr. Damon had laid
+aside his pistol to work the reverse lever and,
+even if he could have recovered it, there was a
+question as to his ability to use it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Thus fate favored the rascals, and Mr. Damon
+and his two companions were forced to see themselves
+being carried farther and farther away
+from the <i>Turtle</i> as the <i>Gull</i>, whose engine was
+still running, headed away from the rocks. Apparently
+little damage had been done by striking
+the obstruction.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>From a distance Mr. Damon, the tramp, and
+the giant watched to see what would happen to
+Tom Swift. At first it seemed as though he
+was going to be run down by the unprincipled
+men in the <i>Turtle</i>. But they had other plans in
+mind and, reaching the swimming inventor, the
+two men in the bow reached over, grasped him,
+and pulled him in. He could not fight back,
+and, indeed, having gone overboard with all his
+clothes on, was having a hard struggle to keep
+afloat. Rescue, even at the hands of the enemy,
+was welcome.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got him!” gasped Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We go take him away!” growled Koku.
+“Make boat go odder way, Mr. Damon—we get
+Master Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I—I’m afraid I don’t know how to operate
+this craft,” confessed the eccentric man. “I
+might run it back on the rocks.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Once Tom was hauled, dripping wet, aboard
+the <i>Turtle</i>, the boat was put about and went
+speeding off and away from the <i>Gull</i> which, to
+tell the truth, was headed back toward her own
+dock.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom, as he was pulled over the side, had a
+glimpse of the <i>Gull</i> going back where she came
+from. He remembered that neither Mr. Damon
+nor Koku could operate the craft without some
+one along to advise them, and the young inventor
+had doubts about the tramp’s navigating
+ability in the emergency.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, anyhow, she’ll get to shore and they’ll
+be all right,” reasoned Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then he gave thought to his own situation.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, we’ve sure got him now!” chuckled one
+of the three men.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You said it!” echoed another. “We didn’t
+make no mistake this time!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom almost fell on the gagged and bound
+body of another young man, and it needed but
+a glance to show him that here was Ned Newton,
+a prisoner like himself. Ned could not
+speak and could hardly move, but his eyes
+flashed a greeting to Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got us both!” said Tom in a low
+voice to his chum, as he crawled alongside of
+Ned. “But they won’t keep us long. Are you
+hurt, Ned?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A shake of the head in negation was the only
+way Ned could reply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then further talk on Tom’s part was stopped,
+for one of the men, standing over the two captives
+with an automatic in one hand, growled:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Shut up down there!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</h2>
+<h3>ON THE ISLAND</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Not</span> one to submit tamely to indignities, Tom
+Swift, instead of complying with the command,
+struggled to his feet and advanced toward the
+two rough men standing in the bow of the boat.
+The third member was at the wheel and, Tom
+noticed, was heading the boat out toward the
+wider part of the lake.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” said Tom boldly, for his nerve,
+somewhat shaken by his sudden plunge into the
+water, was coming back to him. “What’s your
+game, anyhow? What do you mean by keeping
+Mr. Newton and me on this boat? I demand
+that you set us ashore at once!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you do, eh?” chuckled one of the men.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I do! And if you do it within a reasonable
+time I may overlook what you’ve done.
+But if you don’t at once release us I’ll cause your
+arrest, and it will go hard with you!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Listen to him!” sneered one of the scoundrels.
+“You’d think he was chief of police or something
+like that!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ha! Ha!” chuckled another. “We’ve got
+Tom Swift right where we want him this time.
+No mistake now!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom was beginning to understand some things
+in connection with the kidnapping—things hitherto
+a mystery to him. He looked at the men.
+They were burly, brutal fellows and Tom knew
+that even if Ned were free to help him, they
+would not be able to fight these fellows. Perhaps
+subterfuge and craft were better than a
+show of force. Tom decided on other tactics.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” he said again. “I don’t know
+what your game is, but you’re bound to lose out
+in the end. My friends will soon rescue us and
+you’ll be jailed for this. Kidnapping is a serious
+offense.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We took one chance and we got the wrong
+man,” said one of the fellows, thus confirming
+Tom’s new suspicions. “Now we have the right
+one—that’s you—and we’re going to hold on to
+you. We don’t worry none about getting
+jailed.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ve rich friends that’ll soon get us out,”
+said the man at the wheel.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Shut up, Torpy!” commanded one of the two
+in the bow. “Close your trap! You talk too
+much!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Aw, you make me tired!” complained the
+one addressed as Torpy.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You can’t bluff us, Tom Swift!” went on the
+largest of the three scoundrels. “We got you
+dead to rights now and you’ll tell us what we
+want to know before we let you go.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so you’re after information, are you?”
+asked Tom, hoping to draw the men out.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we are.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What kind?” Tom inquired, trying to wring
+some of the water out of his coat.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’ll find out soon enough when we get to
+the island.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What island?” the young inventor wanted
+to know.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You ask too many questions. You’re as bad
+as Torpy—you talk too much!” complained one
+of the two in the bow.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom glanced down at Ned and, guessing how
+his friend must be suffering, bound and gagged
+as he was, decided on a new plan.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All right,” he seemed to agree, “I’ll stop asking
+questions. But as long as you’ve got me
+safe, as you seem to have, there’s no object in
+keeping my chum trussed up as he is. Why
+don’t you loosen him and take that rag out of
+his mouth? Be decent, can’t you?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We might as well let up on him a bit,” said
+the big man. “As he says, we got him now and
+the other can’t do any harm if he does yell.
+We’re out of the way now—soon be at the
+island.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sure,” assented his companion, and they at
+once loosened Ned’s ropes and removed the gag,
+for which relief he was very grateful.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What happened, old man?” asked Tom in a
+low voice, as he sat down on the bottom of the
+boat beside his now unbound chum. “We’ve
+been all upset over you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ve been a bit upset myself,” admitted Ned,
+whose tongue was thick from the effects of the
+gag. “But, in brief, I was set upon that night
+after I left your laboratory, a cloth was thrown
+over my head at a dark corner, not far from your
+place, and, before I knew what was happening, I
+was gagged, bound, and bundled into an auto.
+I was taken some distance and brought to that
+old farmhouse. The men hustled me out of
+there a little while ago, and after a wild ride put
+me in this boat. You know the rest.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Have you been kept in the old Smith place
+ever since you were kidnapped up until a little
+while ago?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they held me a prisoner there. But it
+didn’t take them long to find out I was the
+wrong man. They mistook me for you, and
+thought they were kidnapping the great inventor.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I had begun to suspect that,” said Tom.
+“Well, what happened?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they were pretty much upset when they
+learned who I was,” chuckled Ned. “They
+asked me a lot of questions about your inventions,
+and wanted to know how the new talking-picture
+projector worked. But of course I was
+as mum as an oyster.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did they ask specifically about my new patent?”
+asked Tom, somewhat excited by this
+news.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what they did.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How did they know about it? I supposed
+that was a dead secret from all but you, dad and
+me.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So did I,” responded Ned. “But there must
+be a leak somewhere around your shop. Perhaps
+a spy.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I believe there is!” exclaimed Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I tried to escape, but I couldn’t,” said Ned.
+“Even though they found out I was the wrong
+man, they still held me. I was kept in an upper
+room with barred windows. Then, when
+they brought me food in paper bags, I thought
+of the kite idea. I sent out half a dozen, but
+I guess they didn’t blow far. I wrote messages
+to you, hoping some one would pick them up
+and take them to you. But I began to think
+nothing would come of it until one day a kite
+that I’d made went high up in the air and I
+knew it would travel a long way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It did,” said Tom. “All the way to Cherry
+Valley where a tramp picked it up and brought
+it to me. That was yesterday, and I came as
+soon as I could.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I thought you would,” Ned responded.
+“But when, a little while ago, they bundled me
+up again and took me away, I thought it was
+all up with me. They must have had some
+warning you were on their trail, they got off in
+such a hurry.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think the same man who tried to blow me
+up gave the warning,” stated Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tried to blow you up!” gasped Ned. “What
+do you mean?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom told of the explosion and fire, relating
+the sad tale of the wrecking of the talking-picture
+machine, but in words that would mean
+nothing to the three men even if they should
+hear. But they did not appear to be listening.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “You were as
+badly off as I was!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Pretty near,” agreed Tom. “We couldn’t
+imagine what had become of you. Your folks
+were worried, but I sent word to them about your
+kite message and that relieved their minds.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did you start to swim after me?” asked Ned,
+with a smile, noting Tom’s wet clothes.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Swim? No. Oh, I see what you mean!
+You couldn’t see what happened because you
+were down on the bottom here. Well, I was
+chasing these fellows in a motorboat I’d hired,
+with Mr. Damon, Koku and the tramp that
+picked up your kite. We hit a rock and I went
+overboard. Then they hauled me in, for my
+boat slued off and I guess headed back for her
+own dock.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tough luck!” murmured Ned. “Well, what’s
+the next item on the bill, I wonder?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They were not left long in doubt. A few minutes
+later the speed of the boat began to slacken
+and, looking ahead, Tom and Ned saw that the
+craft was approaching a large island. It was
+known to the young men as a rendezvous for
+criminals and other unsavory characters. Tom
+had not visited Rattlesnake Island, as it was
+called, for a number of years, nor had his chum.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you going to land us there?” Tom demanded,
+as he saw that the boat was heading for
+a dilapidated dock.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You said it!” chuckled one of the men who,
+Ned said, was named Snogg. The other, and
+larger, was addressed as Janner. Those two,
+with Torpy, comprised the kidnapping gang.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“If you leave us here, will you be decent
+enough to send some one to take us off after you
+get away?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t worry—we’re not going away!” sneered
+Janner. “We’ll be right with you all the while,
+boys!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was plain, then, that Tom and Ned were to
+be held captive on the island with the three unscrupulous
+men as guards.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now you can walk along quiet if you choose,
+or, if you want to kick up a fuss, we’ll bind, gag
+and carry you,” said Snogg, when the boat was
+made fast to the dock. “Which’ll it be?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Since we can’t help ourselves,” replied Tom
+bitterly, “we’ll go quietly. But we won’t submit
+to any indignities!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You won’t be any worse treated than you
+have been,” said Janner. “And if you come
+across and answer my questions you’ll get home
+all the sooner. It’s up to you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>To this Tom Swift made no answer and a little
+later he and Ned were led toward a rough,
+two-story house, situated near the middle of
+Rattlesnake Island, and left to themselves,
+locked in a room.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, this is that!” said Ned as he sank
+down on a chair near the bed, for there was
+some furniture in the room. “What do you
+think they’ll do to us, Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hard to say. I don’t quite fathom their
+game, unless it’s to make me give up the secret
+of——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He did not finish, but Ned knew what was
+meant.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope they feed us, anyhow,” sighed Tom’s
+manager. “They gave me pretty decent food
+back in the farmhouse, but I haven’t had any
+breakfast, and I need it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>After this there was silence. A few minutes
+later the door was unlocked and Torpy came in
+with two trays of fairly good food.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The boss says you’re to eat and then he’ll
+be up and question you,” the man reported.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He won’t get much out of me,” snapped
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Nor me!” added Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’d better not r’ile the boss,” was Torpy’s
+advice as he put the trays down on a chair.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned was very hungry, and Tom Swift, in spite
+of his rage, anxiety, and his recent ducking, was
+also beginning to feel an appetite. So the young
+men ate and then, casually, Tom began strolling
+around the room seeking a possible chance to
+escape. To his disappointment the apartment
+was more solid than it looked. The door was
+heavy and securely locked and the window covered
+with a heavy wire screen and iron bars.
+Evidently the room had been used before as a
+prison.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But Tom Swift did not give up very easily,
+and now he had still several cards to play in the
+desperate game with the three men. When the
+food had been satisfactorily disposed of, the
+door opened again and big Janner came swaggering
+in.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I see you had your appetites with you,
+boys,” he remarked. “And now we’ll get down
+to business. It’s you I want to talk with, Tom
+Swift, and not your manager that we took away
+in a hurry by mistake for you. He don’t know
+the answers to some of the questions I’m going
+to ask.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe I don’t, either,” observed Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes you do!” was the quick retort.
+“And you’ll tell me, too, or I’ll find a way to
+make you!” The man’s voice was an ugly snarl
+now.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll see,” was all Tom said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then began a rapid series of questions concerning
+some of Tom’s recent inventions, including
+his <i>Air Monarch</i> in which he had circled the
+globe. As this machine had lately been turned
+over to the Government for use in the Air Service,
+there was no secret about it, and Tom had
+no hesitation in telling things concerning it. He
+thought it might put Janner in a better humor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>From the <i>Air Monarch</i>, the man switched to
+other machines about which greater secrecy was
+desirable, and Tom refused to answer inquiries,
+though his refusals did not appear to anger Janner
+much.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How’s your photo telephone doing these
+days?” the man suddenly inquired.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That? Why, most people know all there’s
+to be known about that. It’s an old invention
+of mine,” said Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is it? But I understand you’re using something
+like it now to make pictures appear inside
+a radio machine!” Janner suddenly shot at
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>At once the young inventor saw the drift of
+the inquiries. There had been some leak in connection
+with his recent work on the talking-picture
+machine, and these men, or this man,
+knew about it. Tom did some quick thinking
+just then.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t any machine that will make pictures
+appear in a radio receiver,” Tom said
+calmly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This was true enough. The fire and blast
+had destroyed the best part of the new invention,
+though Tom had plans for rebuilding and
+perfecting it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you haven’t got such a machine, eh?”
+sneered Janner. “Well, I know you have.
+We’re not going to let you spoil our business.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What business is that?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Never you mind. We’re not going to let you
+make a machine that will permit folks to sit at
+home and see and hear a show without paying
+the admission price. Not in a thousand years!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a flash Tom knew now who were at the bottom
+of the plot against him. Powerful moving
+picture and theater interests would not want to
+see such an invention as Tom Swift planned
+put on the market. It would bring ruin to
+many of them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got such a machine, or you’ll soon
+have one, and I know it!” stormed Janner.
+Tom knew, then, that he had been spied upon.
+“And I’m going to make you tell all about it
+and promise to drop it!” fairly shouted Janner.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got a big contract on your hands,”
+stated Tom calmly. “I’ll tell you nothing and
+there isn’t a man or a company living that can
+make me drop anything I undertake until I’m
+ready to let go of it!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is that so?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s so!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I guess we can find ways and means to
+make you!” said Janner in a snarling voice as
+he advanced toward Tom Swift.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</h2>
+<h3>THE ESCAPE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Instinctively</span> Ned Newton, who had pretty
+well recovered from the harsh treatment accorded
+him while bound and gagged, started to
+Tom’s side.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The young inventor, seeing that a fight was
+imminent, also prepared for it. Though he still
+felt the effects of the shock and injuries attendant
+upon the attempt to blow him up, he was in
+a fighting mood and did not shrink from it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll make you tell what I want to know!”
+snarled Janner. “You haven’t anybody here
+to help you now, Tom Swift. You’ll either give
+up that secret and give the plans to me or you’ll
+wish you’d never fallen into my hands.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I wish that now,” replied Tom coolly. “Not
+that I’m afraid of your hands,” he added, bracing
+himself for the struggle he felt sure was coming,
+“but I don’t like your company nor that
+of your gang. So you have my regrets already,
+though as for any secrets I may have, or any
+new inventions, they remain my exclusive property!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they do, do they?” sneered the man.
+“Well, we’ll see——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was about to rush upon Tom and Ned,
+who stood side by side ready to ward off the assault,
+when there came a call from the hall outside.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hey, Janner! Hop to it!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked the big ruffian.
+“Don’t bother me!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The Chief is on the wire!” came the answer,
+and Tom and Ned recognized Snogg’s voice.
+“He wants to talk to you. Step on it—the
+Chief’s in a hurry!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In that case your affair can wait,” said the
+big fellow, with a threatening gesture toward
+the two young men. “Don’t think you’re going
+to get away,” he added. “I’ll be back!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He walked to the door, still facing the two,
+tapped on it without turning about and, when it
+was opened from the hall, evidently by Snogg,
+the big plotter stepped outside and quickly
+locked the door again before Tom and Ned had
+a chance to rush him, which Janner evidently
+expected would happen.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There was a chance we missed!” exclaimed
+Ned, when he heard the lock click. “We might
+have bowled them over, Tom, and gotten away.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that idea occurred to me. But it was
+too risky. These fellows may not intend to kill
+us, but even if they only shot at us to cripple
+us something might go wrong and we’d get a
+bullet where it would do a lot of damage. I
+think we can get the best of them in another
+way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll have a look around this place and see
+if we can’t escape—perhaps not now, but after
+dark. It will soon be night. This room looks
+strong, but from the outside the house didn’t
+look either strongly built or in good repair.
+We’ll have a go at it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m with you, Tom. But what do you
+think’s going on now? What was that talk
+about the Chief being on the wire?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It bears out what I have been thinking for
+some time,” replied the young inventor. “These
+fellows who have kidnapped us are not the principals
+in this matter. They are an organized
+gang, but they are working at the behest of
+others. I could tell, from the way Janner asked
+questions about my inventions, that he had no
+real, scientific knowledge. He had been told to
+ask those questions by some one who did know,
+however. He made several breaks that I passed
+over. I wanted to see how far he would go.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the game, Tom? They went to a
+good deal of preliminary trouble—I mean kidnapping
+me for you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Admittedly on their part, that was a mistake,”
+said Tom. “It was me they were after
+all the time, only you happened to leave the laboratory
+first and they pounced on you. Then
+came the explosion. Whether that was set to go
+off and destroy my laboratory after I was supposed
+to be out of it or whether they really
+wanted to do me up, I don’t know. But they’ve
+got both of us now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Any idea who they may be, Tom—I mean
+these men?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They might be the Hussy and Kilborn
+crowd.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean that bunch of the <i>Red Arrow</i> who
+tried to stop us from circling the globe?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s who I mean. However, it’s only a
+guess. It may turn out to be an entirely different
+gang. But now that we have a little time
+to ourselves, let’s look around and see what the
+chances are for getting away.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was dusk, but by the last rays of the setting
+sun which shone through the window, the young
+men began a tour of the apartment, seeking any
+possible means of exit. Naturally, they first
+gave their attention to the window and door.
+As stated before, the former was screened not
+only with a wire mesh, but also with strong iron
+bars. A search through the pockets of Tom
+and Ned revealed, in the way of tools, only two
+knives. Tom’s knife contained a small screw
+driver, and at first he thought he might be able
+to loosen the fastenings of the screen and window
+bars. But it did not take long to demonstrate
+that a much more powerful instrument
+would be needed for this work.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Anyhow, if we did get the bars off we’d have
+a big drop to the ground,” said Ned. “We’re
+higher up than I thought.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We could improvise a rope from the
+bed-clothes,” suggested Tom, indicating them.
+“That would be the easiest part of it. But those
+bars were put there to stay.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe we can whittle away the wood enough
+to loosen the screws,” suggested Ned. They
+tried this, but the space to work in was cramped,
+the wood was tough, and when Ned broke the
+largest blade of his knife and cut his hand rather
+severely in so doing, Tom insisted that they
+give up this attempt.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Let’s try the door,” he said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was now dark in the room, but both young
+men had matches, Tom’s being in a waterproof
+case which had kept dry during his sudden bath,
+and with these they made as good an examination
+of the door and its frame as was possible.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The lock defied picking with the poor tools at
+their disposal, and when this had been proved
+Tom said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We can cut a hole through the door near the
+lock, big enough for a hand to get through, and
+maybe we can turn the lock that way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s worth trying,” Ned declared. “We’ll
+work at it in shifts.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Their captors seemed to have made up their
+minds to leave the prisoners alone, though
+voices and movements in the rooms below indicated
+that the three men were still on guard.
+Perhaps orders had come from the mysterious
+“Chief” not to attempt violence.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was more than enough food in the supply
+which had been brought to provide a late
+supper and even breakfast for the captives, and
+there was a large jug of water.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Throughout the hours of the night, Tom Swift
+and Ned Newton toiled desperately to cut a hole
+through the door. With only pocket knives to
+work with, it was tremendously difficult labor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was long past midnight when Tom, whose
+turn it was at the task, uttered an exclamation
+of dismay.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, who had
+thrown himself on the bed to rest. “Break your
+knife or cut yourself?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Neither,” Tom replied. “But we’ll have to
+give this up.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There’s an iron plate outside this door. I’ve
+cut through the wood and come to the iron. It’s
+all off.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was a bitter disappointment.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll try something else in the morning,”
+decided Tom after a moment, closing his knife
+with a snap. “Meanwhile, I’m going to get
+some rest.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we both need it,” admitted Ned, with a
+weary sigh. “But when they come in here in
+the morning and see what we’ve done in the way
+of spoiling their door, they may take us to another
+room.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No use crossing a bridge until we come to
+it,” Tom responded. “I’m going to get some
+sleep.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They ate a little of the food, and then, bracing
+a chair under the knob of the door to prevent an
+entrance without causing noise enough to arouse
+them, the two threw themselves on the bed and
+slept the sleep of exhaustion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Faint daylight was struggling through the
+barred window next morning when Tom awoke
+and sat up. There was a peculiar noise for
+which at first he could not account. He looked
+toward the casement and then recognized the
+dash of rain against the glass and heard the
+roar of wind. It was this that caused the racket.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Ned, turning
+over.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Big storm,” Tom answered. He jumped out
+of bed and walked to the window. A moment
+later he uttered an exclamation.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s doing?” asked Ned, stretching lazily.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Those three fellows are down on the shore
+doing something to their motorboat,” reported
+Tom. “Looks as if it had been damaged in the
+storm, which is a fierce one, let me tell you.
+They seem to be making repairs.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe they’re going away and leave us
+alone,” suggested Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They may be going away,” assented Tom.
+“But they won’t leave us, I’m thinking. They’ll
+take us with them. But something evidently
+has happened.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In his eagerness to see what was going on at
+the shore of the lake within view of the barred
+window, Ned jumped out of bed. In doing so
+he overbalanced himself and in order not to fall
+he had to do a hop, skip and a jump across the
+room. He brought up hard against the opposite
+wall, fairly jarring the place. As he stopped
+his somewhat mad and erratic career he uttered
+a cry.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hurt yourself?” asked Tom anxiously.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No! But look! Man dear, look!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned’s voice was excited, and no wonder! It
+was evident that in his collision against the wall
+he had struck a hidden spring which operated
+the mechanism of a secret sliding door. For
+there, before the eyes of the two captives, was
+an opening, large enough for them to pass
+through, in a stooping position, and leading to
+the top of a flight of stairs.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A secret door!” cried Tom. “How’d you
+discover it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t,” Ned answered. “It just happened.
+I bumped against the wall and must
+have struck the spring. What’s it for, Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Into the eyes of the young inventor shone a
+new and hopeful light.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what its original use was,” he
+said slowly. “But for us it offers a way of escape.
+Come on, Ned! We’ll light out while
+those fellows are busy down at the boat. Grab
+up some food and come on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom began stuffing some bread and meat into
+his pockets after hastily dressing, which was a
+short operation, as the young men had not removed
+all of their clothes the night before.
+Then Tom took another look through the window.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’re still tinkering over the motor,” he
+reported. “It’s now or never, Ned! This
+storm came just at the right time. Come on!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But we don’t know where that secret staircase
+leads,” objected Ned Newton as he followed
+his chum’s example about the food.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And it doesn’t make much difference, either.
+It leads out of this room. That’s all we have to
+know now. I think it must have been put in to
+allow the secret removal of smuggled or stolen
+goods—possibly bootleg liquor. Probably the
+stairway ends in one of the rooms below. But
+as those three scoundrels are out of the way we
+can leave.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe we’ll be trapped at the bottom, Tom.
+There must be a door there, too.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Probably there is; but it’s likely to be a sliding,
+secret door, and, consequently, won’t be
+very strong. We can burst it out, maybe.
+Anyhow it’s worth trying. Come on!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, as the storm rose to new heights of
+fury, the two prisoners slipped into the secret
+opening and began descending the dark stairs
+on their way to escape.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</h2>
+<h3>RESCUED</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Using</span> the utmost caution, though they felt
+quite certain their movements would be muffled
+by the noise of the storm that raged about the
+lonely house, Tom Swift and Ned Newton made
+their way through the narrow, dark passage. It
+was so low that they had to stoop and, as the
+way was strange to them, Tom, who was in the
+lead, proceeded carefully. He kept his hands
+outstretched, one in front of him and the other
+pressed against a side wall. Nor did he let his
+weight bear on his feet when descending from
+one step to another until he was sure it was firm
+and solid.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The house was not large, therefore the secret
+stairway built in the walls could not be very
+long. So in a comparatively short time, though
+to the two young men it seemed long enough, the
+inventor came to the end of the passage and
+stopped.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well?” whispered Ned, behind his chum,
+after waiting impatiently for a short time.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know whether it’s well or ill,” Tom
+answered. “But I’ve come to a wall or a door
+and I can find no means of opening it—if it is
+a door. So we can’t go any farther without
+breaking through.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Burst it open, then!” advised Ned with
+force. “We’ve got to get loose!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s bound to make a noise,” Tom went on,
+trying the second secret door by pushing on it,
+thus determining that it was not of very solid
+construction. “But I think the racket of the
+storm will cover it. Are you ready for a dash?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sure!” replied Ned. “We’re going to get
+good and wet, though.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Even in the secret passage where they were
+crouched, the noise of the storm came to them,
+and it seemed to be increasing in fury. The
+wind moaned, shrieked, and whistled around the
+island house and the rain came down in rattling
+sheets that played a tattoo on the sides and roof
+of the building.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Here goes!” murmured Tom in a tense voice.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He drew back a little and when a sudden and
+louder burst of the storm’s fury enveloped the
+house, the young inventor hurled himself, back
+foremost, against the door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a crackling and splintering of wood
+and Tom almost fell, so suddenly was he precipitated
+through the broken door. Recovering
+himself as best he could, Tom Swift saw that
+he had come out into a small passageway.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was another door in front of him—an
+ordinary one fastened with bolts in plain view,
+and the passage was lighted by a window near
+the ceiling. Ned followed his chum through
+the broken secret door and the two stood for a
+moment, listening for anything which might
+indicate that their escape had been discovered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But no sounds came to them save the noise of
+the storm, more in evidence now that they were
+closer to the outer air. Then Tom stepped to
+the locked door and, pushing back the bolts,
+swung it open. He had a momentary fear that
+it might lead into another strong room, but, to
+his own delighted surprise, as well as that of
+Ned, it gave out of doors and a moment later
+the two escaping captives stood in the wind and
+rain beneath the forest trees, free!</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That was luck!” murmured Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But we aren’t out of the woods yet,” replied
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This was true in a double sense. The island
+in Lake Carlopa was densely wooded, and, so far
+as the young men knew, uninhabited save by the
+unscrupulous men who had kidnapped them.
+The sinister name of the place—Rattlesnake
+Island—kept away many campers who otherwise
+might have made the place popular. Perhaps,
+years before, there had been many of the
+deadly reptiles in the thickets, but it was doubtful
+if many were there now.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>However, Tom and Ned did not give this a
+thought. Their main idea was to get as far as
+possible away from the house before Janner,
+Snogg and Torpy discovered that the prisoners
+had escaped.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Come on!” murmured Tom, plunging off
+into the rain-drenched woods, followed by Ned.
+“They may be after us at any minute.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But evidently the scoundrels were too much
+occupied with repairing their motorboat, for the
+two escaping captives had a glimpse of the unsavory
+trio grouped about it on the beach as
+they threaded their way through the forest.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Whew, but I’m getting wet!” gasped Ned,
+as they crossed a little clearing and caught the
+full force of the downpour.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This storm was the best thing that could
+happen to us,” Tom said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How come?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Except for the noise it made, the racket I
+produced when I broke that door would have
+given the alarm. Yes, this storm saved us.
+Don’t mind a little wetting.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A little wetting!” good-naturedly chuckled
+Ned. “This is about the biggest drenching I
+ever saw—except when you went into the lake.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>On they plunged, taking little heed of whither
+they went so long as they put distance between
+themselves and the three men. Then, when it
+was evident there was to be no immediate pursuit,
+they slackened their pace and began to
+make plans.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What are we going to do, Tom?” Ned asked,
+pausing beneath a shelving ledge of rock that
+afforded partial shelter from the dashing rain
+and wind. “We’re still far from safe.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We ought to get to the shore—as far away
+from those fellows as we can—and signal some
+passing boat. There ought to be plenty of craft
+passing up and down the lake, though there’ll be
+more after this storm lets up. We’ve got to get
+back to the mainland. There’s no telling what
+mischief this gang may be up to at my works.
+The three scoundrels here are only part of the
+crowd.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I guess you’re right there, Tom. A boat
+headed for the mainland would just about suit
+me now. I’d like to let my folks know I’m all
+right.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So should I,” agreed Tom. “Dad will be in
+a fit when Koku and Mr. Damon go back and
+tell him I fell overboard.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They must have seen those fellows haul you
+into their boat,” Ned suggested.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Naturally, they did. But that won’t make
+dad feel any easier. Yes, we want to get back
+home!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>However, there seemed to be no prospect of
+that in the immediate future. The storm continued
+unabated and no boats passed Rattlesnake
+Island, at least near the shore the two
+captives dared approach. They might have
+had better luck on the other side, for there lay
+the usual channel, but the scoundrels’ motorboat
+was there and the fugitives, therefore, must keep
+away.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>At last, Ned’s watch, which had not been
+taken from him, indicated noon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” exclaimed the young manager when
+he saw the time. “We ought to eat, Tom, and
+get into some kind of shelter.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s so,” agreed Tom, who was as miserable
+as was his chum. “And if I’m not mistaken,
+we passed some sort of a cave back there.
+Let’s head for it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They came to a small cavern under an overhanging
+ledge of rock, and into this the two
+wanderers gratefully crawled. They did not
+explore to see how far back the cave extended,
+but when they found some dry wood near the
+entrance they built a fire and took off some of
+their wet garments. As these were hung on
+sticks near the blaze, to dry out, the young men,
+sitting near the grateful heat, took out their
+packages of food.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Luckily, they had wrapped the victuals in
+waxed paper taken from some of the cracker
+boxes supplied them for their first meal by their
+captors. So that now the improvised lunch was
+fairly dry. It was rather limited in its bill of
+fare, however, and Tom and Ned would gladly
+have parted with all the spare change in their
+pockets for a cup of hot coffee. However, such
+a luxury was beyond their reach, so they made
+the best of what they had.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The rain kept up all that afternoon, and once
+the two were warm from their cave fire and their
+garments fairly dry, they decided against venturing
+out again into the downpour.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It may stop by morning,” Tom suggested,
+“and by morning more boats will be out and
+we’ll have a better chance of signaling one.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What! Stay here all night?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why not?” chuckled Tom. “Do you know
+a better place?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You win!” agreed Ned. “We’ll camp out
+here.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This they did, gathering some dried leaves
+farther back in the cave, and in these they burrowed,
+finding the warmth grateful from the
+chill of the storm.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was still raining in the morning, but not as
+hard as before, when Tom and Ned awakened
+and made a very light breakfast. Then, when
+they were able to catch a glimpse of the sun,
+which came out about an hour after they had
+finished their limited meal, they again made a
+trail toward the shore farthest removed from
+the dock to which the scoundrels had tied up.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They soon came out on a sandy beach and
+into the full glare of a hot sun after the storm.
+The cheering beams of Old Sol both warmed and
+invigorated them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now if we can only see a boat we’ll be all
+right,” said Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They did not have long to wait. A motor
+craft came chugging into view and by dint of
+shouts and the waving of Ned’s shirt, which that
+young man gladly stripped off as a signal flag,
+the man in the boat saw the castaways and
+headed in toward them. The boatman proved
+to be Gill Marsh, a fisherman for whom Tom
+had more than once done favors, and Mr. Marsh
+gladly agreed to take the young men to Shopton.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Though what you were doin’ on Rattlesnake
+Island is more’n I can figger out,” said the mystified
+Mr. Marsh.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’re not very good at figuring, ourselves,
+this morning,” said Tom, with a glance at Ned.
+They saw no reason for telling what had happened
+until they had had a chance to capture the
+scoundrels, for to attempt this they were determined.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a short time they were landed at a dock not
+far from the Swift shops, and Tom was soon in
+telephonic communication with Mr. Jackson,
+who was both surprised and delighted to hear
+from his missing employer.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ned’s safe, too!” Tom said. “Get word to
+his folks as soon as you can.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’ll do, Mr. Swift!” said the
+shop superintendent. “But where have you
+been? We’ve had the police for miles around
+looking for you two. What happened?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” Tom
+said. “But how are things at the shop?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, we’ve had some trouble, and that fellow
+Greenbaum——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But there, to Tom’s disgust, the connection
+was broken, nor, do what he would to attract the
+operator, could he restore it again.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ve got to hurry back, Ned!” exclaimed
+the young inventor. “Those scoundrels are still
+at their tricks!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</h2>
+<h3>GREENBAUM THREATENS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>More</span> than ever anxious, as much by what
+Mr. Jackson had left unsaid as by what had
+come to him over the wire before the interruption,
+Tom Swift hailed a taxicab and in it rode
+to his home, stopping, since it was on his way,
+to let Ned Newton off at the latter’s home.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t talk too much—outside your own family
+circle—of what happened, Ned,” was the
+warning Tom gave his chum as they parted.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I won’t. But you aren’t going to let the
+matter drop here, are you?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I should say not! But I want to swoop
+down on those fellows before they know it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom found his father excited by the sudden
+news over his son’s safety, but it was a joyous
+reaction after the dismal news brought back by
+Mr. Damon and Koku, following the episode
+of the motorboat chase.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What happened after I left you?” Tom
+asked Mr. Damon, who had been pretty constantly
+at the Swift home following the kidnapping
+of the young inventor and his manager.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“After you <i>left</i> us?” repeated the eccentric
+man somewhat dazedly. “You mean——?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I mean after I fell overboard,” said Tom,
+with a smile.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes. Well, neither Koku nor I knew
+how to manage the <i>Gull</i>, and your friend Bill
+Tagg wasn’t any better off, bless my rudder!”
+said Mr. Damon. “So we just let her run, and
+she slued around so much and acted so queerly
+after you were taken aboard the other boat that
+some fellows in a sailboat came to our aid. We
+told them what had happened—without going
+too much into your private affairs, Tom—and
+one of the men got aboard the <i>Gull</i> and brought
+us back to the dock where we started from.
+Then I hurried here to tell your father.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then I got in touch with the police,” said
+Mr. Swift, taking up the story, “for I guessed
+that those aboard that other boat were your enemies,
+Tom. But the police didn’t know where
+to look. So what with you gone and nothing
+heard of Ned, we were in a great stew.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I can imagine it,” Tom said. “Of course
+you had no way of really knowing Ned was
+aboard the other boat, though I suppose from
+what happened and the sight of the bound figure
+in the bottom of the <i>Turtle</i>, you might have
+guessed Ned was aboard.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I surmised it,” assented Mr. Damon. “But
+we had no idea where they were taking you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, you couldn’t know that,” said Tom.
+“Well, we got away from the scoundrels, and
+the next thing is to catch them.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Having given his father and Mr. Damon a
+hasty description of what had happened to him
+and Ned, Tom Swift set about the work of running
+down the miscreants.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The police were notified of the return of the
+young inventor, and a squad of officers was sent
+to Rattlesnake Island. Tom did not go, for he
+felt the need of rest. Besides, there were things
+at home which needed his attention.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What was it you started to tell me when we
+were cut off, Mr. Jackson?” Tom asked his superintendent
+after the police had departed for
+the island.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean about Greenbaum?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes. Is he still here?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, he is, Mr. Swift; and I hope I’m not
+going against your wishes when I say I wish he
+wasn’t.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not at all, Mr. Jackson. I have no desire
+to keep that man if he isn’t doing what is right,
+though I must admit that he is a good workman.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I agree with you there. But after what happened
+you must use your own judgment about
+keeping him on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What happened?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, he and I quarreled.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What did Greenbaum do?” Tom asked. He
+knew he need not ask what his superintendent
+had done, for Garret Jackson was thoroughly
+dependable.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I found him sneaking around your private
+room, Tom—the room where you have been doing
+those experiments of late. I don’t know
+what they are and I don’t want to know until
+the right time comes. But I felt pretty sure
+you didn’t want Greenbaum to be prying in
+there.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No more I do!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I thought. So when I saw him
+come out of that room the second time, after you
+had gone to find Ned, I called him to account
+for it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What did he say?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That you told him to go in there to experiment.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That was untrue!” cried Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So I guessed. So I took the liberty of putting
+a new lock on the place—a lock that fellow
+couldn’t pick if he wanted to, and he came at me
+hot and heavy. We had a quarrel, and I’m glad
+you’re here to settle it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And I’ll settle it mighty quick!” exclaimed
+Tom. He was in his private office now, in a
+part of the shop somewhat removed from his
+secret experimental laboratory. Pushing a button
+that summoned a messenger, Tom bade the
+boy send Greenbaum in. And when the man
+sauntered in, smiling and seeming very confident
+of himself, the young inventor said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Get your time from the cashier and pack
+your things.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What for?” demanded Greenbaum, with a
+quick change of countenance.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Because you’re through here.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Through, Mr. Swift! Why, you gave me a
+contract and you can’t fire me off-hand this way
+without telling me why! It isn’t fair!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s fair enough, and you know it!” declared
+Tom. “The only contract you had was that I
+said I’d keep you as long as your work was satisfactory.
+Well, it isn’t. It’s far from satisfactory.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean on that magnetic gear shift? I
+can show you, Mr. Swift, that——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t the gear shift. I’m going to drop
+that. It’s your own private work of trying to
+sneak in and fathom my secrets. That’s all.
+You are through. Get your time and clear out!
+Mr. Jackson was right in his surmise.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so Jackson has been talking about me,
+has he?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m not answering any of your questions,”
+retorted Tom. “The sooner you leave the
+premises the better. And don’t come back!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For a moment Greenbaum stood looking
+squarely at Tom Swift whose eyes never faltered
+under the gaze of the angry man. Then Greenbaum
+asked with great deliberation:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is that your last word, Mr. Swift?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, all I’ve got to say is that maybe you’ll
+be sorry for this some day! Maybe you’ll be
+sorry!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a distinct threat in Greenbaum’s
+words.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” cried Tom in anger
+starting from his chair. “How dare you threaten
+me?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum made no answer, but turned and
+went out of the office. Tom was about to follow,
+for he did not want the fellow to think he could
+thus defy him, when the telephone on the desk
+rang out sharply.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+<h3>MR. DAMON DANCES</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Hello!</span> Hello!” the young inventor called
+into the transmitter. “What is it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He did not recognize the voice at first, but the
+speaker soon identified himself as Joe Corrigan,
+the officer in charge of the squad of men who
+had gone to Rattlesnake Island in an endeavor
+to apprehend the three men.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But they had flew the coop, Mr. Swift,” reported
+Joe Corrigan. “Not hide nor hair of ’em
+on the place.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did you find the house?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, sure! And we saw where you and Mr.
+Newton broke out. But the men must have
+skipped right after they found you had got
+away.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I suppose so. What about their boat?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No trace of that, either. I’m sorry we didn’t
+get ’em!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hardly thought you would—it was just a
+chance,” Tom retorted.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But we’re not going to give up,” declared
+Corrigan. “We’ll catch ’em yet!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom had his doubts on this subject, but he
+did not express them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wish you lots of luck!” he called over the
+wire.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was sure, however, that Snogg, Janner and
+Torpy were but the tools in the hands of more
+powerful men, men who would keep themselves
+well hidden, and that though the ruffians might
+be apprehended in time, little or nothing would
+be learned from them. They would take the
+blame and say nothing of the men who had hired
+them, probably being well paid for any punishment
+they might suffer.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, so much for that,” said Tom when he
+had ruminated over what Corrigan had reported.
+“Now about Greenbaum. That’s more serious. I
+can’t let him get away with threatening me like
+that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>However, when Tom hurried out to intercept
+Greenbaum he found that the fellow had packed
+his belongings and hurried away.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That was quick work,” reflected Tom.
+Then, as he thought the matter over, he was
+pretty sure that Greenbaum had anticipated
+what was coming to him and had accordingly
+made his arrangements for a speedy departure.
+“I only hope he didn’t get into the laboratory to
+do more damage to my talking-picture machine
+before he lighted out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was reassured, however, when he found
+Koku on guard at the door of the laboratory
+which still needed a bit of work to restore it to
+the spick-and-span condition it was in before
+the explosion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did anybody try to get in here just now,
+Koku?” asked Tom, thinking the giant might
+have prevented Greenbaum from a last and dangerous
+call.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Nobody come right away,” the giant reported.
+“But yesterday him try come in and
+Mr. Jackson say I to stay here. So Koku stay.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Tom approvingly.
+“Don’t let any one in here except my
+father, Ned Newton or me—not even Mr. Jackson
+for a while. Those scoundrels might get
+hold of my superintendent and try to torture
+something out of him if they thought he knew,”
+Tom said to himself. “It’s best to keep the
+secret among as few as possible until I’m ready
+to spring it. I want you to guard this place
+well, Koku,” went on Tom. “Especially at
+night.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Me guard!” grunted the giant. “Nobody git
+past without me punch him—but no punch you,
+Master, nor Mr. Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, please don’t punch us, or my father,”
+begged Tom, with a smile. Well he knew the
+weight of that mighty fist.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Thinking it not worth while to follow the
+man, Tom posted a notice to the effect that
+Greenbaum had been discharged and gave orders
+that he was not again to be admitted to the
+works on any pretext.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For the last few years the Swift plant had
+been surrounded by a high and strong fence,
+which was further defended against marauders
+by electrically charged wires. These wires did
+not carry a high enough current, under ordinary
+circumstances, to cause death, but the shock
+they could administer to unauthorized persons
+seeking to gain admittance was severe enough to
+deter them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Having seen to the safety of the plant in general,
+Tom, after telephoning to Ned the result
+of the police visit to Rattlesnake Island, began
+to prepare for the resumption of work on his
+talking-picture apparatus. It was not long before
+the destroyed parts had been remade and
+he was about ready to start experimenting
+again.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, Ned,” said Tom to his helper one day
+about two weeks after their strenuous experiences,
+“are you ready to be an actor again?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean in the song and dance line—trying
+to make my voice and image come through solid
+walls?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s the idea. I have my machine set
+up again after the explosion, and I think I’m
+nearer the solution than ever before. I’ve made
+a lot of changes. In a way, the fire and blast
+didn’t mean such a total loss, after all. It
+helped put me on a new track.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s good. Well, I’m ready for you as
+soon as I get this statement off to the bank.
+What’s the idea, Tom, borrowing so much money
+on notes?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Got to have it, Ned,” and the young inventor
+seemed a bit put out by the question.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is it for this new invention?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, why not sell some of your securities?
+Money is high now, and to borrow it I’ve got to
+make statements to the bank that disclose a lot
+of your private dealings. Of course, they’re in
+safe hands, but——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Go ahead and get the money, Ned. We’ll
+need all that and more. I’ve sunk a lot in this
+invention, but I’ll get it all back again, and more
+too. No use spoiling the ship for a pennyworth
+of tar, you know.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I know, Tom. And if you’re sure
+you’re on the right track——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m never sure of anything in this world,
+Ned. But I know one thing, if I don’t pull out
+of this a winner, the banks will be asking a lot
+more questions than they have.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“As bad as that?” asked Ned, struck by his
+friend’s serious manner.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“As bad—or as good. It depends on how you
+look at it. But I’ll leave the finances to you.
+I’m going to try out some new ideas now as soon
+as you can get into the broadcasting room.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom called the room where Ned did his acting
+under the battery of electric lights his “broadcasting
+studio.” In a measure this was what
+it was, for vocal sounds and instrumental music
+were broadcast from it in the manner familiar
+to all who own a radio set.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But what Tom was trying to do, and which
+he found not at all easy, was to broadcast the
+sight of Ned and the song, making sight and
+sound synchronized. He wanted to perfect a
+radio receiver with an added apparatus by
+which, on a screen attached to the sounding
+cabinet, a person could view the person or persons
+doing the singing, dancing, or whatever
+form of activity was being presented.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This of course was not to be confounded with
+some moving and “talking” pictures, which are
+a combination of films and phonograph records,
+working simultaneously. By Tom’s machine,
+when perfected, one would be enabled to see and
+hear an actual theater play, a complete vaudeville
+show, or even a complete operatic performance.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>When Ned finished his financial work he went
+to the studio and there he remained until far
+into the night while Tom, in his laboratory,
+watched the metallic glass screen and changed
+and adjusted switches, eliminators, tubes and
+different forms of electrical currents, endeavoring
+to capture not only Ned’s voice but his
+image.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, how did it go, Tom?” asked Ned, coming
+to the laboratory after a bell signal told him
+work for the night was over.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Somewhat better, I’m glad to say. I could
+see you much more plainly. Your voice was
+very clear. It’s only the vision apparatus that
+needs improving. How did you make out?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t mind it. But why did you send
+some one to look through the windows at
+me?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look through the windows at you?” exclaimed
+Tom. “I didn’t! You must be dreaming!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Indeed, I’m not. Two or three times, while
+I was singing and dancing, I saw faces peering
+in at me. I thought you had some men checking
+up.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, indeed!” cried Tom. “Ned, I believe
+the spies are at work again!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This seemed very possible when the two compared
+notes. Though Koku on guard outside
+the laboratory had reported no suspicious persons
+around, this much could not be said of the
+room where Ned performed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll guard that, too!” decided Tom, and the
+next time when a “show” was put on, Eradicate
+was on duty to see that no one approached the
+windows.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Who the unbidden spectators could have been
+Tom had no idea, but he guessed they were
+emissaries from the men seeking to discover his
+secret.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As the days went on Tom Swift became more
+and more convinced that he was being closely
+watched by men who had a vital reason for discovering
+his secret. That these men were those
+interested in moving pictures and theatrical
+shows was certain. Tom realized what it would
+mean if their form of entertainment could be
+presented in even the humblest home in connection
+with the broadcasting of music, once his
+invention was successful.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was one night when Ned had been performing
+a long time and when the results were not as
+satisfactory as at first that Tom, sinking wearily
+back in his chair and wondering what was wrong,
+heard a commotion in the corridor outside his
+private laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No go in! No go in!” Koku’s big voice
+boomed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Nonsense! Of course I’m going in!” another
+voice responded. “Bless my toothbrush,
+but I want to see Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Come on in, Mr. Damon!” called out the
+young inventor, as a new and daring idea came
+to him. “It’s all right, Koku,” he went on to
+the giant. “Let Mr. Damon in. Look here,”
+said Tom, addressing his eccentric friend, “can
+you sing and dance?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why—bless—well, I don’t know, Tom. I
+used to,” and Mr. Damon chuckled. “I once
+was given to taking part in amateur minstrels.
+But is this a joke or a serious question?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s serious business. Just as you came
+along I happened to think that perhaps what I
+need at the visual sending end is a contrast of
+color. That might solve the problem, the difference
+in light rays—red at one end of the spectrum
+and violet at the other. It’s worth trying.
+But I need two performers. Ned’s in there
+now. He has on a violet suit—regular clown’s
+outfit. Will you put on a red one and help?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll do anything, Tom, but eat onions. I
+hate ’em! Never could touch the things. So
+outside of that I’m at your service. I just
+stopped in casually on my way home and——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You’re just in time!” interrupted Tom.
+“This thing is giving me the dingbats, or it will
+if I don’t solve it soon. Come on, I’ll have to
+pass you in, for Eradicate is on guard.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned, who was resting after his singing and
+dancing, attired in a violet-colored suit, as Tom
+had said, welcomed Mr. Damon. Tom quickly
+explained his new plan, and when Koku and
+Eradicate had made sure no interlopers were
+around, the new experiments were begun.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But what’s it all about?” asked Mr. Damon
+as, in his red suit, he joined Ned in the song and
+dance. It may be said, in passing, that Mr.
+Damon was much funnier than he suspected.
+In spite of his anxiety over the outcome, Tom
+could not help chuckling as he watched the little
+rehearsal before going back to his laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’ll do excellently,” he said, as he observed
+his eccentric friend shuffle about the improvised
+stage. “Keep it up now, and I’ll see
+how it comes through.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Under the glare of the powerful lights in
+the broadcasting studio, Mr. Damon and Ned
+danced and sang while with an anxious heart
+Tom Swift hurried back to the laboratory to
+see if the faint image on the metallic glass screen
+was any brighter.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+<h3>KOKU IS DRUGGED</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>The</span> young inventor, hastening along the corridor
+between his broadcasting studio and the
+laboratory where the new machine was set up,
+passed the giant Koku who sat on a stool not
+far from Tom’s door. Here the big man had
+taken his place each night while the testing was
+going on. With him on guard, Tom felt secure
+against intrusion by any of the plotters.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Getting tired, Koku?” asked Tom, pausing
+on the threshold of his laboratory. “It isn’t
+much fun for you to be sitting there.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not much tired. Master,” was the reply,
+“But Koku like do something—smash somebody—fight.
+No fun sit here nodding do.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t much fun doing nothing, I’ll admit,”
+said Tom. “And if it ever comes to a
+fight, Koku, you shall have a share in it. But it
+looks now as though the rascals would leave us
+alone. It won’t be much longer now, I think,
+I’m on the verge of success.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That good,” Koku answered. He did not,
+perhaps, understand all Tom had said, but he
+had been associated with the young inventor
+long enough to know when Tom spoke of success
+that it meant pleasure for the “Master.” For
+this Koku was glad. “Maybe you make new
+airship go back Koku’s country?” the giant
+asked.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, this isn’t an airship I’m working on
+now,” Tom said, knowing it would be of no use
+to explain to the simple mind of the giant what
+the invention really was. “But would you like
+to go back to your own land of giants, Koku?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes Koku think maybe he like to go,”
+was the slow answer. “But Koku like it here,
+too. Sometimes get hungry for fash,” and he
+named a peculiar fruit that the giants of his land
+were especially fond of. Tom and Ned, on their
+voyage which had resulted in the capture of
+Koku, had seen how passionately eager the big
+men were for this fruit. They would go to almost
+any length to get it. And Tom had an
+idea how Koku must long for some now and
+then in a land where no fash was to be had. It
+Was a species of melon with a peculiar taste and
+odor. Neither Tom nor Ned had any liking for
+fash, but the giants seemed to thrive upon it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Some day, Koku,” the young inventor half
+promised as he stepped into his laboratory to
+start anew the test, this time under different circumstances,
+“I may take another airship trip to
+your country and let you have all the fash you
+want.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“By golly, Master, that be good time for me!”
+cried the giant with a happy laugh.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As Tom walked over to the apparatus by
+which he hoped to produce such startling results,
+the telephone bell on the instrument that
+connected the laboratory with the broadcasting
+studio rang hard.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hello! What’s the matter?” Tom asked,
+over the wire.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“How long do you want us to keep at this
+thing?” asked the laughing voice of Ned Newton.
+“I—oh, dear—whew—I can’t stand this
+much longer, Tom!” and he went off into another
+fit of merriment.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why, what’s the matter?” asked the wondering
+inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s my partner in the red suit!” chuckled
+Ned. “He’s cutting up such funny antics
+that I can’t dance or sing for laughing. How
+is it coming through?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t connected up yet,” Tom answered.
+“I will in a minute. I was talking to Koku.
+He’s hungry for fash.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“For fash!” exclaimed Ned wonderingly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes. Don’t you remember those peculiar
+melons that had such a funny smell and taste?
+The giants were crazy about them.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes,” Ned answered. “I’d forgotten all
+about them. But get on with the show. I happen
+to have a date with Helen to-night.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll soon release you,” promised Tom. “So
+Mr. Damon is cutting loose, is he?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You ought to see him!” chuckled the other
+performer, and even then Tom caught, over the
+telephone, snatches of comic songs Mr. Damon
+was practicing—recollections of his amateur
+minstrel days.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All right—get set!” advised the inventor.
+“I’m going to turn on the power now. Keep
+toward the middle of the stage, for I haven’t got
+a very wide screen and the focus is narrow. If
+you get too far to either side I may lose the image
+and can’t tell whether I’m getting you or
+not.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sure!” was the succinct answer of Ned.
+Then Tom made the adjustments, turned on the
+power, and waited.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A moment later there came from his loud
+speaker the tones of Ned and Mr. Damon singing
+a selection from one of the latest comic
+operas. The musical accompaniment came
+from an electrical piano in the studio.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s the best and clearest broadcasting
+I’ve gotten yet!” said Tom, with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But that’s the easiest part of it. Now will the
+images of the performers come on the screen
+clearly? That’s the decisive test.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Anxiously, he turned the switch that controlled
+the projection of moving objects. There
+was a hissing sound, a slight humming, and then
+a soft glow illuminated the metallic glass screen
+in front of Tom Swift. It suffused to a milky
+whiteness and then, as upon the silver screen in
+a moving picture theater, but in miniature size,
+there was projected before Tom’s eyes the figures
+of Ned and Mr. Damon going through the movements
+of an eccentric dance as they sang.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For a moment Tom wanted to shout in delight,
+for, perhaps due to the fact that the performers
+wore contrasting garments of red and
+violet, the images projected were clearer than
+any Tom had yet succeeded in getting through
+by means of his new wireless apparatus.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I believe I’ve struck it!” he whispered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then he began to laugh, for Mr. Damon certainly
+was funny. He even seemed to know
+that Tom, in a distant room, could see him, for
+the odd man winked one eye and made gestures
+at Tom as though the young inventor were personally
+before him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Tom. “I must get dad
+in to see this. He’ll believe in it now.” For,
+up to this time, Mr. Swift had been rather skeptical,
+though he was fully in sympathy with
+Tom’s aims. “And I’d like to show it to Mary,”
+mused the young inventor, as he sat there enjoying
+what really was a team vaudeville sketch
+without either of the artists being in the room
+with him. Their song, the music, and even the
+shuffling of their feet came plainly to him
+through the loud speaker, while the image was
+shimmering on the metallic glass screen almost
+as plainly as though Tom had been in the studio.
+Of course the image was in reduced size. The
+screen was about three feet square, and life-sized
+figures cannot be shown on that.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But in time I can get them full size,” Tom
+decided. “Oh, but this is good! I can see success
+now, though it still must be a little clearer
+to make it a positive thing and in natural
+colors.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then he bethought him that Ned and Mr.
+Damon must be tired, for they had been keeping
+steadily at it for nearly an hour while Tom
+tried different combinations of lights and currents
+of various intensities in order to get the
+best effects.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Guess I’ll ’phone them that they can let up
+now,” decided the young inventor. “They must
+be tired. And Ned wants to go see Helen. By
+the same token I’d better give Mary a call, I
+guess. I’ve been rather neglecting her of late—too
+busy over this invention.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then another thought came to Tom—that he
+would have the girls and perhaps their parents
+come to the studio to take a look at the result
+he had accomplished. True, it was not yet perfected;
+but he knew his friends would keep his
+secret until he could complete the patent applications.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I’ll give the girls a show,” decided Tom.
+“They sure will enjoy Mr. Damon’s singing and
+dancing. Gosh, but he’s funny!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom shut off the power. The image faded
+from the screen which turned from milky whiteness
+to the blackness of pitch. Then the voices
+of the performers died away as Tom cut off the
+radio.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was about to step to the telephone to advise
+his friends of his almost complete success
+and to tell them to cease their efforts when a
+noise out in the corridor attracted his attention.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe they’ve decided to quit of their own
+accord,” mused Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He opened the door of his laboratory and
+stepped into the hall. He saw nothing of Ned
+or Mr. Damon approaching and at once became
+aware of a peculiar odor. At first he
+could not account for it, thinking, for a moment,
+that his father might be at work in the chemical
+laboratory farther down the corridor. But after
+a second deep breath Tom knew it was no chemical
+he smelled.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It—it’s—fash!” he murmured. “The peculiar
+melon fruit that Koku was wishing for. But
+how in the world could that smell get here?
+There isn’t any fash within hundreds of miles—yes,
+even thousands! How Koku could get
+any——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He paused. There was a dark object on the
+floor near where the giant had been sitting on
+guard. Tom switched on a brilliant overhead
+light. It illuminated the place where Koku had
+been sitting, but the giant was no longer in his
+chair. He was sprawled on the floor, an inert
+lump of flesh, while, not far from him, was one
+of those peculiar melons, or fash fruits, of which
+the giants of that far-off, strange land were so
+fond.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Can I be dreaming?” gasped Tom. “How
+did this happen? Koku must be drugged!
+How did he get that fash? And what does it
+all mean?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As he started forward a noise behind him attracted
+his attention.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</h2>
+<h3>A SINISTER WARNING</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Like</span> an electrical flash it came into the mind
+of Tom Swift that there was something wrong
+here—something terribly and dangerously
+wrong. The drugged giant—nothing less than
+a drug could account for the helplessness of
+Koku—the appearance of that strange fruit, the
+noise behind—all these were warnings not to be
+ignored.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>So, though his first impulse was to hasten to
+the aid of the giant, when he heard that noise
+back of him Tom turned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He was only just in time. He had a glimpse
+of a figure gliding toward him out of the shadows,
+for that part of the corridor was not
+brightly lighted. And the figure was that of
+the man lately discharged—Greenbaum!</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>With uplifted hand, in which was some sort
+of a weapon Tom could not distinguish, Greenbaum
+glided toward him. Tom was taken so
+by surprise and was so off his guard because of
+what had happened to Koku that he might have
+fallen a victim to Greenbaum.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But at that moment occurred an interruption
+and a diversion that saved the situation,
+and perhaps Tom’s life. The door farther down
+the corridor opened and Mr. Damon and Ned,
+preceded by Eradicate, who had been serving as
+guard there, came out. The two performers, receiving
+no answer to their telephonic signal, had
+rightly concluded that Tom had finished experimenting
+for the night.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“At the same time I thought something might
+be wrong when you didn’t answer,” Ned explained
+later.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>At any rate, the two performers and Eradicate
+were now hastening toward the young inventor.
+In a trice they realized that Tom was
+about to be attacked. But before the knife in
+Greenbaum’s hand could descend, the man received
+some missile full in the face with such
+crashing force that he staggered back. He
+dropped the knife, and with a cry of pain darted
+away, being lost to sight in the shadows of the
+hall.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Good shot!” cried Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my rubber boot, Eradicate hit the
+scoundrel with a shoe!” exclaimed Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Dat’s whut I done!” chuckled the negro. “I
+didn’t have nothin’ else, so I tuck off mah shoe!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Eradicate had big feet and wore heavy brogans,
+so the hobnailed sole and heel made as effective
+a weapon for the purpose as could be
+desired.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Recovering from the astonishment into which
+the unexpected attempt on his life had thrown
+him, Tom Swift turned about and darted into
+the lower part of the hall in pursuit of Greenbaum.
+But he was too late. The slight start
+which the man had, served him in good stead
+and he made his escape. Though Tom sounded
+the alarm and got many of his night watchmen
+on the job, they could not capture the intruder.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Not until it was made certain that he was no
+longer on the premises did Tom turn his attention
+to Koku. Eradicate, however, had begun
+to minister to his fellow guard. Though there
+was jealousy between the two because each one
+desired to serve Tom alone, when one was in
+trouble the other always showed a friendly
+spirit.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Somebody done chlo’fo’m him!” was Eradicate’s
+opinion, when Tom and Ned came back
+from the unsuccessful chase after Greenbaum,
+to find the giant just recovering consciousness.
+There was a dazed look on his face, but his eyes
+opened wider as he saw the fash melon on the
+floor near where he had fallen from his chair.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Koku no dream then,” he murmured.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What happened?” asked Tom, when he had
+sent several men to find out, if possible, how
+Greenbaum had eluded the guard and the electrically
+charged fence and so had gained entrance
+to the private laboratory.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then the giant, whose immense bulk was proof
+against any ordinary means of making him unconscious,
+told what had taken place. He had
+been sitting in his chair on guard near Tom’s
+door after the little talk he had with the young
+inventor about his desire to have a fash melon
+once more. Then, as Koku explained it, a little
+later, there came rolling along the corridor
+toward his chair one of the very same fruits for
+which he had such a longing.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a transport of joy at the sight and smell
+of the dainty, not stopping to consider how
+strange it was that the fruit should have appeared
+at such an opportune time, Koku stooped
+to pick it up. But he never got his hands on
+it, so he said, for a moment later he “went to
+sleep,” as he expressed it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You were drugged,” declared Tom. “Whoever
+rolled that fash in to attract your attention
+and keep you from being suspicious,
+whoever did that, must have sprayed some
+chloroform or ether up your nose. You went
+down and out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Maybe so, Master,” admitted the giant
+humbly. “Koku very sorry.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum brought it,” declared Tom. “He
+wanted to get Koku out of the way and then he
+thought he’d get me. Guess he didn’t count on
+Ned and Mr. Damon being so near.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He didn’t figure on Eradicate’s shoe, either,”
+chuckled Mr. Damon. “Bless my trolley fare,
+but that was a good shot!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But look here,” persisted Ned. “It’s all
+right enough for you to say that Greenbaum
+brought that fash here to tempt Koku. So much
+is evident and plain. What isn’t plain is how
+Greenbaum knew about the fash and where he
+got it. That’s what puzzles me.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s a small problem compared to the others
+we have to solve,” said Tom, with a serious
+look on his face. “What worries me is how
+Greenbaum passed the guard lines. It also worries
+me to know that the men who seem bent on
+preventing me from completing this invention
+are still on my trail.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Those are greater problems,” agreed Ned.
+“Very likely we are wrong in thinking these peculiar
+melons grow only in Koku’s country.
+This may have come from South America or
+Africa in a shipment of fruit. You know we
+get pears, or maybe it’s peaches I’m thinking of—anyhow,
+it’s something, from Australia. And
+if they can ship things that far, it wouldn’t be
+impossible to bring fash from where we got
+Koku. Only what puzzles me is how anybody
+knew of these melons.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll consider that later,” suggested Tom.
+“But it occurs to me that the moving picture
+people have of late been sending men into all
+sorts of strange countries for travel news. It is
+entirely within the bounds of reason to suppose
+that some of them have penetrated to the land
+where Koku came from and where the fash
+grows. Some exploring movie men may have
+brought a few of the melons back with him.
+You know Koku said they keep an astonishingly
+long time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” agreed Ned. “But that one won’t keep
+long,” he added, with a chuckle, for the giant
+was already opening his big pocket knife preparatory
+to cutting the melon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not in here, Koku, if you please,” said Tom,
+motioning to the giant to go outside to cut the
+fruit.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It had a disagreeable odor when whole, but
+the aroma was tripled when the fash was cut.
+Koku had speedily recovered from the effects
+of the drug and was preparing for a feast. If
+Tom had been a few minutes later in opening his
+door, the giant might have been dead and the
+young inventor himself would have been in grave
+danger.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, let Koku enjoy his fash,” Tom said as
+the big man went out into the night with his
+treasure, having first, however, offered to share
+it with his master. The offer was politely
+turned down. “We’ve got to investigate what
+happened.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They could not find out how Greenbaum got
+in, and Tom began to fear there was still another
+spy in his working force. He resolved to have
+a strict inquiry next morning and made a note
+to charge Mr. Jackson with this.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But how did the talking-picture work, Tom?”
+asked Ned when they were ready to close the laboratory
+and disperse for the night.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Fine! Almost perfect! I’m on the verge
+of success!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s why those plotters are getting desperate,
+I guess,” suggested the manager.
+“They’re out to do you, Tom. Better clean
+this thing up and sell it. Then they’ll let you
+alone.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m thinking of that. But I want to make
+one more demonstration and have Mary, Helen,
+and some of their folks see it. There are one or
+two little improvements that occur to me that
+can be made, and then I’ll be ready for a final
+showing before I get my last patents. After
+that I’ll be ready to market my invention.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Going to give a sort of dress rehearsal?”
+asked Ned, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A search next morning revealed little more
+than had been found out the night before. Nor
+was the strict inquiry the superintendent conducted
+fruitful of results. No spies were uncovered
+among Tom’s factory forces.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But, omitting no precautions, the young inventor
+took even greater pains to insure privacy
+in his personal laboratory. There he worked
+hard to perfect his invention, taking hardly any
+sleep for a week, so that he was almost exhausted.
+His father and Ned helped and so did
+Mr. Damon. Koku and Eradicate were kept on
+guard, and the giant, having satisfied his longing
+for fash, declared that he would not move
+from his chair again to pick up a dozen of the
+odorous melons.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>And, laboring hard, Tom brought to what he
+thought would be perfection his newest invention.
+Mr. Swift was greatly interested in it,
+though he begged his son to proceed cautiously.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You evidently have powerful enemies, Tom,”
+said the aged man. “They must think you will
+ruin part of their business in moving pictures
+and theatrical performances and that is why
+they are so anxious to get you out of the way.
+Be careful!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I will,” promised the young man. “But they
+can’t stop me now. Success is just across the
+line.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He had entirely rebuilt the machine after the
+fire and blast, and it was larger and better than
+ever. Mary and Helen, with their families, had
+been taken into Tom’s confidence and he had
+promised them that they should see and hear
+the performance of Ned and Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s quite thrilling!” said Mary, with a fond
+look at Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope you’ll say so after the demonstration,”
+was his answer. “I may ask you and Helen to
+perform, also.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, we’ll be glad to,” said Helen. “I can’t
+let Ned get away with all the honors.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was the day on which the final demonstration
+was to take place. Tom had arranged his
+apparatus and had invited the two girls and
+their families to come to the laboratory for the
+evening.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In the afternoon, about six hours before the
+time set, Tom was in his workroom putting some
+finishing touches to the machinery and testing
+the electrical wires when he heard Eradicate
+coming along the corridor. Something in the
+colored man’s step and the fact that he was muttering
+excitedly to himself, roused Tom’s curiosity
+and fears.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter, Rad?” he asked, opening
+the door in response to the faithful black
+man’s knock.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Man jest give me dis,” answered Eradicate,
+holding out a letter.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Where did you get it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Out in de yard,” was the answer. “I was
+walkin’ round like yo’ done tole me watchin’ fo’
+strangers, when de man come up an’ handed me
+dis. He were a stranger—I was goin’ to tell
+him to make his se’f skurse when he done hand
+me dat.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Eradicate nodded toward the note which Tom
+held.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Did he say anything when he gave it to
+you?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He say ‘gib dat to Tom Swift. It may be
+life or death to him,’ ” quoted Eradicate.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom hastily tore open the envelope. As he
+read the message a cry of rage and astonishment
+came to his lips.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+<h3>A STARTLING DISCOVERY</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“What’s</span> the matter?” asked Ned Newton.
+He had been making the broadcasting studio
+ready for the performance he and Mr. Damon
+would soon give in there, so Tom could show
+his assembled party of guests what the new invention
+would do. “What’s wrong, Tom?” he
+asked again, entering the laboratory just as his
+chum finished reading the sinister message that
+Eradicate had handed him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wrong is the word,” murmured Tom, again
+reading the warning. “What do you think of
+that?” and he handed the paper to his financial
+manager.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned scanned the scrawl—it was only that—words
+hastily scribbled on a piece of wrapping
+paper and enclosed in a dirty envelope.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Whew!” whistled Ned as he read. And this
+is what his eyes took in:</p>
+
+<div class='blockquote'>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tom Swift: If you exhibit your new talking
+pictures your whole plant will be blown to
+atoms. Take warning in time.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There’s no name signed to it,” remarked
+Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There doesn’t need be,” responded his chum.
+“It’s easy to guess that this comes from the same
+crowd who kidnapped you and me—the same
+men who tried to blow me up. There’s no need
+for a name.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I guess you’re right,” Ned agreed.
+“Still, if we could trace these fellows——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m going to try!” exclaimed Tom. “I’m
+not going to sit idly down and let them think
+they have us scared. Eradicate, show me just
+where you met this man and tell me what he
+looked like.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The negro did his best, but he was getting old
+and his memory was not what it had been. He
+gave a rather hazy description of the bearer of
+the sinister warning, but he was able to point out
+the place where he had come upon the intruder.
+Intruder was exactly what the messenger was,
+for, since beginning work on his latest invention,
+Tom had taken precautions to admit none
+but his own men to the plant.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He met me heah,” said Eradicate pointing to
+a clump of bushes near the electrically charged
+fence. That is, it was electrically charged at
+night. During the day, when many watchmen
+were on the alert, Tom did not have the current
+turned on.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But I’m going to have it on after this,” he
+decided, when a search of the grounds in the
+vicinity of the place where Eradicate had received
+the note revealed no one. “He must
+have gotten over the fence in some way, didn’t
+he, Rad?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t see him shinny ober de fence, no,
+Massa Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I think he must have come in that way.
+Where did he go after he left the note with you?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He jes’ disappeared, dat’s whut he done!
+He jes’ vanished like!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He must be a voodoo man,” suggested Ned
+jokingly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Eradicate’s eyes grew round and his jaw
+dropped.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Tom glancing warningly at Ned,
+“what I think happened was that when Rad was
+looking at the note and trying to adjust himself
+to the life or death twist the fellow gave to it, the
+scoundrel jumped back over the fence before
+Rad saw him.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He’d have to be a pretty good jumper to get
+over this fence,” Ned commented.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but it could be done,” said Tom. “But
+from now on the electric current will be on duty
+twenty-four hours a day. I’ll put a stop to this
+nonsense!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What are you going to do?” asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m going to take no chances, for one
+thing,” was the reply. “I don’t know whether
+this message is genuine or a hoax. But I can’t
+afford to take any chances. There are too many
+men in this plant to risk having even one of the
+smaller buildings blown up. If only my own
+laboratory were involved I wouldn’t think so
+much of it. Though of course a lot of damage
+could be done to my new invention now that it’s
+practically finished. However, we’ll have the
+most thorough investigation possible. I’ll shut
+down work for the rest of the day and turn the
+force into an investigating body.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s a wise thing to do,” agreed Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A little later the big factory whistle sounded
+the signal of alarm. Men dropped their tools,
+shut down their machines, and gathered at the
+appointed places. It was as if, on a ship, the
+signal had been given for boat drill. Tom had
+organized his men this way to respond to the
+alarm in case of emergency.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a short time several hundred indignant
+employees of the Swift Construction Company
+were listening to Tom tell of the latest outrage.
+He did not need to go into details of his secret
+invention which, until it was perfected, he would
+not give to the world. It was enough to state
+that enemies were trying to intimidate the head
+of the firm in an endeavor to steal some of the
+valuable secrets.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There may be a spy and traitor among us,”
+declared Tom. “I doubt that. But there is
+some way for my enemies to gain entrance to
+the plant that I can’t discover. Now I want
+you to go over the place. Look for a secret
+means of entering. Look for hidden wires that
+may connect with planted mines. In short, go
+over the plant with a fine toothed comb and let
+me know what you find.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what we’ll do, Mr. Swift!” came the
+reassuring chorus.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And if we find any of the scoundrels we’ll
+string ’em up!” yelled one enthusiastic and indignant
+workman.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, don’t do anything rash or unlawful!”
+warned the young inventor. “Make any intruder
+you catch a prisoner and bring him to
+me.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The men scattered to make a thorough search,
+and then Tom went into his private laboratory
+where his father and Ned had preceded him.
+He wanted to talk the situation over with them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you think, Dad?” asked Tom, when
+he had related to his parent the latest attempt.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well,” was the careful answer, “to me it looks
+like a deep-laid plot against you. They don’t
+want you to put these talking pictures on the
+market.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But how is it their business?” asked Ned.
+“I mean the business of whoever is doing these
+tricks.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It concerns them vitally,” replied Mr. Swift.
+“Why, just think what it would mean if a whole
+theatrical performance could be thrown on the
+screen in private homes!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’m going to make possible!”
+declared the young inventor. “Those who buy
+my machine will not only hear but, on the screen
+attached to the apparatus, they will see the performers!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It may mean ruin to many regular theaters
+and moving picture houses, Tom,” warned Mr.
+Swift. “Those people have millions of dollars
+invested in their projects. They evidently mean
+business,” and he tapped the warning letter
+Eradicate had received.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they mean business; but so do I!” cried
+Tom in a ringing voice. “The question is who
+means the most business. You don’t want me
+to quit, do you, Dad?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom, I can’t say I do. Yet I want you
+to be careful.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s your idea, Ned? Should I knuckle
+under to these scoundrels and tell them I’ll
+throw overboard the machine I’ve been working
+on so hard for the last year? Shall I admit I’m
+beaten?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For a moment Ned Newton did not answer.
+Then something of Tom’s ringing spirit was
+communicated and, banging his fist on the table
+with such force that he knocked over a rack of
+test tubes, the manager cried:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, Tom! We’ll fight ’em to a finish!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I thought you’d say that,” was Tom’s quiet
+comment.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And you can count on me,” said Mr. Swift,
+“though I’m not much good when it comes to a
+fight.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’ve got men enough to fight for me
+physically,” said Tom. “What I need is moral
+backing, and now that I have it I’m going ahead.
+I’ve been trying to fight this thing too much in
+the dark. From now on I’ll use not only my
+own men, but also the regular police force of
+Shopton. Ned, get the chief on the wire!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a short time a squad of police were on
+guard around Tom’s big plant, while, as the day
+drew to a close and the hour approached for
+the test demonstration, the regular workmen
+searched for anything that might give color to
+the threat to blow the place up.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Just when it seemed that nothing would be
+found, several of the men, under the leadership
+of Mr. Jackson, made a startling discovery.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>They found where the big outside fence had
+been tunneled under and, working from there,
+came upon several mines that were planted near
+important buildings in a manner that would
+have done credit to a wartime mining party.
+From the mines buried wires led outside the
+fence to a little gully. There, beneath a clump
+of bushes, the ends of the wires lay. All that
+remained was to connect them to a detonating
+battery. Then the mines could all be set off at
+once and the Swift plant surely would be terribly
+damaged, if not wholly destroyed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’re regular fiends!” gasped Ned, when
+the extent of the vile plot had been laid bare.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they could easily have blown us up but
+for that warning,” Tom admitted. “Yet it may
+all have been a bluff. They might not have
+gone to extremes. But I dared not take a
+chance.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No,” agreed his chum. “Well, what’s the
+next move?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift did not answer immediately.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+<h3>USELESS PLEADINGS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> was profoundly disturbed by the
+momentous discoveries that had taken place
+around the Swift Construction Company’s plant.
+He did not believe it possible, with all his precautions,
+that so deep and dangerous a plot could
+have been brought so near to fruition as it had
+been.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well?” asked Ned remindingly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” and Tom appeared to come out of a
+disagreeable reverie. “Well, there are several
+things that must be done, Ned. In the first
+place we must take newer and better precautions
+to keep these rascals out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s plain enough.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then the next thing to do is to go ahead with
+this thing and push it to a conclusion.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean the talking-picture machine?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s it. After that we’ll consider what is
+next to be done. But you and Mr. Damon had
+better be getting ready,” and Tom smiled for
+the first time since Eradicate had given him the
+threatening note that proved to be such a timely
+warning.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Ready for what?” Ned wanted to know.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“For the performance you are to give for the
+benefit of Mary, Helen, and the other visitors.
+They’ll be here soon. It’s getting late.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean, in the face of what happened,
+that you’re going to put on a program of songs
+and dances?” asked Ned, in astonishment.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why not?” Tom questioned. “Nothing
+really happened. There was no blowing up of
+the plant.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, but it came mighty close to it. We
+don’t know what hour those fellows set for attaching
+the detonator to the ends of the wires,
+and then it would have been a skyrocket trip
+for us.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but it <i>didn’t</i> happen,” insisted Tom,
+with another smile. “ ‘A miss is as good as a
+mile,’ you know. We’re safe and sound. We
+are well guarded now and I want to see if my
+machine will do what I hope it will.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Very well,” assented Ned, with a shake of his
+head. “On with the dance, let Mr. Damon and
+myself be unconfined. I’m game if you are,
+Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my dominoes, so am I!” added the odd
+man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There really is no danger now,” Tom insisted.
+“I’m not saying but what the scoundrels may
+try it again. But, for the time being, we are
+safe. It’s just as it is after a hard thunder
+storm,” he went on. “There’ll be no danger
+from the lightning for some time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You may be right there,” agreed Ned.
+“Well, come on, Mr. Damon. We’ll do our part
+to make the entertainment a success.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Shortly after this Mary Nestor and her parents
+arrived in answer to the invitation Tom
+had sent them, and they were followed soon by
+Helen Morton, whom Ned greeted with a warm
+smile.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But what’s going on?” Mary wanted to know
+of Tom. “We were stopped two or three times
+on our way through your grounds and made to
+show the passes you sent us. What’s the cause?
+Is it war?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Something like that,” admitted Tom.
+“We’re having a little trouble with some men
+who don’t like what I’m doing. But I think the
+worst is over.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, not telling what danger he and Ned
+had been in, Tom Swift gave his friends a brief
+description of the new talking-picture machine
+and prepared them for what they were going to
+see.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mary, Helen and their parents took their
+seats in the laboratory with Mr. Swift and Tom,
+while Ned and Mr. Damon went to the broadcasting
+studio, there to don their red and violet
+robes. Tom had not yet succeeded in making it
+possible to render sharp and clear performers
+attired in garments of other colors or combination
+of colors, though he hoped, by the use of
+filter screens, to bring this about later.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Eradicate and another man were instructed
+to keep strict guard on all approaches to the
+broadcasting room while the performance was
+going on. Koku, armed with a big club, and
+another man with a gun were stationed outside
+the private laboratory. But Tom did not have
+Koku and the other guard stationed until Mary
+and the others were in the room, so the visitors
+did not see these warlike preparations.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The switches were turned, the wires hummed,
+the tubes glowed with their strange lights and
+the black screen became milky white. Then, as
+over the loud speaker, came the words of the
+song rendered by Ned and Mr. Damon in the
+distant room, there also appeared very plain
+images of the two performers. The transmission
+was the best Tom had ever succeeded in producing.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why, Tom, it’s wonderful!” exclaimed Mary.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Marvelous!” echoed Helen.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Finest thing I ever saw!” declared Mr. Nestor.
+“If you’re selling stock in this, Tom, put
+me down for a good subscription.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Same here!” added Mr. Morton. “It’s going
+to be epoch-making, Tom Swift.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I’m afraid of—it’s too epoch-making,”
+said Mr. Swift, but he did not explain
+what he meant nor did his visitors ask. They
+were too much interested in listening to and
+looking at Ned Newton and Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned’s earlier description of the odd man’s
+performance was fully borne out by what happened.
+At one time Ned had to quit from sheer
+exhaustion in laughing, but Mr. Damon went on
+alone, singing, dancing, improvising, telling
+jokes and funny stories until he had his unseen
+audience in gales of laughter.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom, how was it?” asked Ned, when
+the performance was over and they were all together
+again.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Very good! But it must be better yet. I
+don’t want to limit the performers to red and
+violet robes. But I have thought of a simple
+method of getting around that. Color filters,
+such as are used in printing photography, will
+do the trick. I’m not worried about that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The little laboratory was rather close and
+stuffy, so the door leading into the hall was
+opened for air. Mary looked out. She
+screamed, and turned quickly toward Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter?” asked Tom instantly.
+“Is there—” He thought Greenbaum might be
+trying some other trick.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why is Koku armed with that big club and
+the other man with a gun?” asked Mary
+suspiciously. “Is there some danger? Oh,
+Tom——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The memory of the kidnapping of the two
+young men came vividly into her mind.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There’s danger—terrible danger!” exclaimed
+Helen. “I can tell by the boys’ faces,” she
+added, looking from Tom and Ned to Mary.
+“They are trying to hide it from us; but there’s
+danger, and I know it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As Ned remarked later, “the beans were
+spilled then and there,” and though he and Tom
+tried to put the girls and their parents off, there
+was no denying that something unusual was
+afoot. The upshot of it was that the whole
+story of the buried mines came out.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tom, you’ve got to give this thing up!”
+urged Mary, taking him by the arm. “It’s a
+wonderful invention, undoubtedly, but it isn’t
+worth your life, nor Ned’s. You must give it
+up! Let those men have it to destroy if they
+want to.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Never!” cried Tom. “I’m going through
+with it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then followed earnest but useless pleadings
+on the part of the young ladies and their parents.
+Seeing how firm Tom was, Helen and
+Mary turned their attention to Ned, seeking
+to get him to prevail upon his chum to cast the
+invention aside. But Ned was as firm as his
+friend.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m going ahead with it no matter what
+comes!” was Tom’s final decision. “But I’m
+going to set a trap for these scoundrels and I
+think I’ll catch them. The talking-picture machine
+must be perfected, in spite of these fellows.
+But they’ll find two can play at the same game.
+I’m going to set a trap!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Somewhat reassured by Tom’s confident manner,
+the girls and their parents felt better, though
+they could not shake off the fear that something
+would happen. Nor was Tom as easy in his
+mind as he seemed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There were refreshments after the demonstration,
+which had been a success in spite of the excitement
+preceding it, and then Tom and Ned
+took the girls home, their parents having gone
+on ahead.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tom,” remarked Ned when the two
+young men were on their way back to the laboratory
+to make sure it was carefully locked
+and guarded for the night, “I thought, once, that
+Mary was going to prevail on you to give it
+up.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not in a hundred years! I’m going
+through with it. Why, I’ve got to or face ruin
+of another sort.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean financially?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes. You know how much money I’ve got
+tied up in this machine. It’s all we could beg or
+borrow or spare from my other ventures. If I
+scrapped it now, all that cash would be lost.
+As it is, if I go on and put the machine on the
+market, I stand a chance to get it back with a
+profit.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I suppose so. The banks have begun
+to ask questions. I guess it’s sink or swim
+from now on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But we’re going to <i>swim</i>!” declared Tom
+Swift, with a confident smile. “Give me an even
+break, and I’ll beat those fellows at their own
+game!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope you do, Tom. But what sort of trap
+are you going to set?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Tell you in the morning. I want to sleep
+over it,” and with that Tom turned into the
+house.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+<h3>AN ANONYMOUS ADVERTISEMENT</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Well</span>, they didn’t blow us up,” remarked
+Ned Newton to his chum the following morning
+after having awakened in the Swift home,
+having occupied the room next to his friend
+during the night.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, and I suppose we can be thankful for
+that,” agreed Tom. “But they might just as
+well have had a bomb under my bed for all the
+rest I got.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Didn’t you sleep well?” Ned wanted to know,
+though a look at his friend’s face was enough
+to tell the story. Tom’s eyes had dark half
+circles under them and it was plain that he had
+not rested enough.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hardly any,” was the answer. “This thing
+is getting on my nerves, Ned. I’ve got to do
+something!” and the voice was a bit irritable.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Seems to me you’ve done a lot, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In what way?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, you’ve invented one of the most wonderful
+machines in the world—one that will
+make it possible for a man not only to sit at
+home in a comfortable chair and listen to the
+best music that’s played, but he can, by a turn
+of a switch, see theatrical plays. And, not only
+have you done that, but you’ve called the turn
+on the scoundrels who tried to stop you half
+way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t quite called the turn, as you call
+it, Ned. There is still a lot to do to uncover the
+acts of those fellows. One of the first things
+I want to do is to find out how they got in and
+did their work so secretly. They must have
+had help from inside,” added Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>His first step was to set Ned at work on financial
+matters, to ascertain just how much longer
+the Swift Construction Company could operate
+without going to the wall. Its credit was excellent,
+which was a great deal in its favor.
+And Tom hoped soon to have his talking pictures
+in shape to offer some of the machines for
+sale, or at least to sell stock in a company that
+might market them to the retail trade. In this
+way he would be assured soon of a large amount
+of ready cash. He knew several firms who
+would be willing to underwrite an issue of bonds,
+once he could demonstrate that his machine was
+a success.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Having attended to these money matters,
+which were always more or less of a bore to Tom,
+the young inventor turned his attention to matters
+of more interest to him. One was to see
+that the delicate mechanism of his invention
+had not been disturbed during the night, and
+the other was to make a more careful examination
+with a view to finding out how his plant
+had been mined by the conspirators.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Koku and Eradicate had both slept in the
+private laboratory, and on Tom’s entrance they
+reported that nothing unusual had occurred during
+the night. It was the fear that, after all,
+something untoward might take place that had
+prompted Ned to spend the night with his chum.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So far so good!” mused Tom, after he had
+made sure his invention was in working order.
+“Now for a look around the grounds.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He soon saw what had been apparent at the
+casual inspection the night before, namely, that
+the plotters had tunneled under the fence in
+order to plant their bombs. Doubtless, they had
+found out to their sorrow that the wires on top
+of the barrier carried a disabling current of electricity.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>And it was in that way that the gang had
+gained entrance to the grounds. They had
+worked in secret, by night it was likely, and had
+thus been able to plant several dangerous bombs
+and run wires attached to them outside the fence
+and into the little gully mentioned before. All
+that was needed was the exploding spark and
+the Swift plant would have been a mass of ruins.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The bombs had been carefully taken up and
+soaked in water. They were then—and this
+work was only now finished—dissected in an
+effort to learn some clue as to the constructors.
+But the work had been cunningly done. Tom
+suspected that the gang had hired some band
+of anarchists to make the bombs for them, probably
+keeping the makers in ignorance of what
+the deadly machines were to be used for.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Once the bombs were removed, the connecting
+wires pulled up and all traces of the work
+removed, Tom had some of his men arrange
+matters so that a recurrence of the danger was
+impossible. At intervals along the fence metal
+rods were driven into the earth and so arranged,
+by means of electric wires, that any disturbance
+of the earth near them would be registered on
+dials in the central watch tower.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That will keep them out, or at least give
+warning of their attempts,” said Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In truth, as the fence was still guarded on top
+by the powerful current and now was protected
+from beneath, there was little likelihood that
+any plotters could get in. Double guards were
+posted night and day at all entrance gates and
+not until then did Tom Swift feel secure.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He then set to work with redoubled energy to
+put the finishing touches to his newest patent
+and felt sure he had solved the one remaining
+problem—that of making visible all colors on
+his screen. This he accomplished by filters of
+glass, something after the manner in which colored
+moving pictures are taken, but using a
+process of his own that he had only recently
+discovered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Though Tom was kept busy putting the finishing
+touches to his machine, he was not freed
+from trouble. Every now and then he would
+get a report from some of his many shops that
+the place had been entered and things turned
+upside down, evidently in a search for some of
+the young inventor’s secrets.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t they lay off and let me alone?”
+exclaimed Tom angrily one morning after some
+particularly annoying damage had been done in
+his airship shop the night before. “What’s their
+game, anyhow?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“To make you give up, I guess,” answered
+Ned. “They can’t get at your talking-picture
+machine, you’ve got that too well guarded. But
+to guard the rest of the plant you’d have to keep
+a full force here day and night, and that’s out
+of the question with our bank balance as low
+as it is.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I realize that, Ned. Yet I’ve got to do something
+desperate. It may take some money, too.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, we aren’t down to our last dollar, when
+it comes to that,” Ned replied. “But it would
+be ruinous to be paying a night force as well as
+a day force, particularly when the former would
+only be used as guards.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to do that,” declared Tom.
+“It’s time, I think, to put into operation my
+other scheme—the one I had in mind the night
+we discovered the bombs.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What plan is that, Tom?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s an anonymous advertisement in the papers,
+making certain offers and proposing certain
+terms to my enemies. Here, I’ll show you what
+I mean.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom thought for a few moments with pencil
+poised over a pad. Then he wrote rapidly and
+handed the sheet of paper to Ned. This is what
+his chum read:</p>
+
+<div class='blockquote'>
+
+<p class='pindent'>RAPID young man, who is being held back in
+his work by threats and annoying, sneaking
+night attacks, will pay any reasonable sum just
+to be let alone so that he may proceed with his
+inventions. He wants to be swift in completing
+his work and it can easily be pictured how this
+talk about making trouble annoys him. A
+large sum will be paid for freedom from future
+annoyance. Answer in confidence, QUICK,
+Box 123 Evening Graphic Office.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you intend to insert this advertisement
+in the <i>Graphic</i>?” asked Ned, naming the Shopton
+evening paper.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I do. Don’t you think they
+will understand it even without my name being
+to it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I should think the scoundrels might,”
+chuckled Ned. “You have as good as told them
+by the use of the words rapid, swift and quick,
+to say nothing of mentioning your talking-picture
+machine. Do you think that is wise?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they know I’m working on it,” said Tom.
+“It’s no use to pretend they don’t. The secret
+is out, but I don’t care. I’ve got the patent
+rights sewed up now. But I must be let alone
+in order to finish the last details. Take that ad
+in, Ned.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I will. I hope it brings results.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think it will,” said Tom, with a significant
+smile. “It’s bait for a trap, and there will be
+some surprises when it springs shut!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+<h3>THE MEETING</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Disappointment</span> would have been in store for
+Tom Swift and his close associates if they had
+expected any immediate results from the insertion
+of the anonymous advertisement. Ned
+Newton went to the designated box in the newspaper
+office several times following the printing
+of the cunningly worded request for an interview
+with the unknown scoundrels, but there
+were no letters addressed to Mr. Quick.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid it isn’t going to work, Tom,” remarked
+Ned, after the fourth day.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Give ’em time,” was the calm reply of the
+young inventor. “Rome wasn’t built in a day
+and you can’t catch these rascals in the first trap
+you set.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then you still intend to catch them?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I sure do.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you disappointed that they haven’t
+taken the bait?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not yet. In fact, I’m better pleased than
+if they had put in a reply at once. It shows
+that there are big and important men back of
+this movement. If they had been petty grafters
+or fellows who were just working to get a certain
+sum out of me—a comparatively small sum—they
+would have answered right off. As it is,
+the delay shows they are taking their time
+and considering the thing from all angles. But
+I think they’ll bite sooner or later and grant me
+the interview I desire.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is that what you want—just an interview?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, that’s part of it,” was Tom’s answer,
+given with a peculiar smile. “Once I’m face to
+face with this gang I’ll know what to do. I’ve
+pretty well settled it in my own mind that there
+are big interests fighting me, and, like large
+bodies, they move slowly. It will be all the
+better for the success of my plans if they don’t
+bite too quickly.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then you’re not quite ready for them?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not quite, but I shall be in a day or so.
+Meanwhile, let the ad run. They’ve seen it and
+are a bit puzzled over what course to take, I’m
+sure.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’ll leave it to you,” Ned remarked.
+“I’ve got my own troubles, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You mean about finances?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes. We’re sailing pretty close to the wind.
+You’ve sunk much money in these talking
+pictures.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I realized that when you showed me the figures.
+But, as I said, it’s sink or swim now, and
+I think we’ll swim after I get through with these
+fellows who are hounding me.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was three days after this that Ned, coming
+away from a bank the president of which had
+suggested that some of the Swift loan had better
+be reduced soon, stopped in at the <i>Graphic</i>
+office. He presented the slip calling for any
+replies that might have been received for Mr.
+Quick of Box 123, and, somewhat to his surprise,
+he was handed an envelope. The paper
+was of good quality, though perfectly plain, and
+the address was neatly printed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’re taking no chances of handwriting
+being traced,” remarked Ned, as he hurried back
+to the laboratory with the missive.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This may mean business, Tom,” he said to
+his chum, “or it may be a suggestion from some
+other paper that you would do well to put the ad
+in their columns. That’s a newspaper trick,
+you know.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I know it is,” assented the young inventor.
+“However, this may mean business.” He tore
+the envelope open and he had no sooner scanned
+the few lines on a single sheet of paper within
+than he cried: “Hurray!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is it from your enemies?” asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think it is. Read it!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Ned let his eyes rove over this:</p>
+
+<div class='blockquote'>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“If Mr. Quick will present himself at a certain
+house on Rattlesnake Island he will learn something
+to his advantage. Mr. Quick must present
+himself absolutely alone. If there is any
+attempt at trickery all negotiations will be
+called off and vigorous retaliatory measures at
+once undertaken. Come this midnight.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you going, Tom?” asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I certainly am!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Alone—and to Rattlesnake Island where we
+were held prisoners?” cried Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Why not? They won’t try any trick like
+that again. They’ll know I wouldn’t walk into
+a trap like that without leaving word where I
+am bound for and my non-appearance in due
+time would mean a search. They aren’t such
+fools as that. I’ll go and see what they have to
+say. I’ll be there when the clock strikes
+twelve.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They aren’t giving you much time for preparation.
+It’s after two o’clock now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s all the time I need. I’ve been anticipating
+this and I’m ready. Now, Ned, I’ll let
+you into some of my secrets that I’ve been holding
+out on you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Thereupon Tom told Ned something which
+made that young man open his eyes. But even
+at the end, when the plans were all detailed, the
+business manager was a bit doubtful.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s risky, Tom,” he said. “I’m afraid to
+have you go there alone to meet these fellows.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There’s no danger, I tell you. I’m not
+afraid. My plans have been too carefully made
+to permit of failure.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But Ned’s face was serious, and when Mr.
+Swift heard of what his son proposed to do he
+added his appeals to the young inventor, asking
+him to try some other and less risky method.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“This is the only way,” declared Tom. “I’m
+going to that midnight meeting.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>When the time came, Tom Swift set off in one
+of his motorboats alone, heading across Lake
+Carlopa in the darkness, guiding his craft toward
+the sinister black shape of Rattlesnake Island.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</h2>
+<h3>MASKED MEN</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Tom Swift</span> sat at the wheel of his craft, his
+hands on the spokes and his eyes gazing ahead
+through the darkness. He had set a straight
+course for Rattlesnake Island and wondered
+what would happen after he arrived. In spite
+of his bold words to Ned Newton, the young inventor
+was a little apprehensive, as well he
+might be.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He scanned the water on either side of him
+for a possible sight of other craft that might be
+heading in the same direction. But though in
+the distance he saw and heard other motorboats,
+none seemed to be laying a course for Rattlesnake
+Island.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if they’ll be there—and on time,”
+mused Tom. He did not whisper, even to the
+unoccupied darkness about him, any designation
+of those he had in mind. He merely said: “I
+wonder if they’ll be there.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was not a long run, in Tom’s speedy craft,
+to the sinister, dark island where he and Ned
+had lately been prisoners, and almost before he
+had finished going over in his mind the various
+occurrences that had taken place since he had
+begun working on his talking-picture machine,
+the young inventor found himself approaching
+the place.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wonder if I’m to land at the dock where
+Snogg and Janner tied up the <i>Turtle</i>. Or am I
+to circle the island until I get a sign?” mused
+Tom. “From the fact that they have named as
+a rendezvous the old house, I should think it
+would be at the same dock where Ned and I
+saw those rascals working on their boat the time
+we gave them the slip. Think I’ll try there first,
+anyhow.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom was a good navigator, and it did not take
+him long to get his bearings and head for the
+dock in question. As he approached it, he saw
+a dim light on it and this convinced him that
+he was to tie up there. Slowing his boat to half
+speed, for he was not sure about the state of
+water, and thinking there might be rocks, the
+young man stood up and strained his eyes to
+pierce the gloom. The single lantern on the end
+of the dock gave illumination enough to make
+certain that the way was clear, as far as obstructions
+in the water were concerned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, here I go—for better or for worse,” said
+Tom grimly to himself as he shut off power and
+allowed his craft to glide up to the stringpiece.
+The dock was rather a ruin, but he found a ring
+in a beam and made his rope fast there.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, before getting out of the boat, Tom
+looked sharply about as well as he could by such
+illumination as a smoking lantern gave. There
+was no sight nor sound of any other visitor to
+Rattlesnake Island. Tom seemed to be the only
+one there. Yet he knew there were others.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I suppose I’m to go right up and knock at
+the front door,” and Tom chuckled a little.
+“They don’t seem to have appointed a reception
+committee with a brass band. Guess those fellows
+don’t do business that way. Well, might
+as well get started.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Before getting out of his boat, however, he
+made sure that the mooring rope was tied in
+such a way that, if need be, he could make a
+running jump into the craft, pull the knot out
+with one tug of the free end and so be loosed
+from the dock. Also he made certain that his
+motor would start at once. It was a powerful
+and speedy craft in which Tom had come to
+the island—one that would start with a throw
+of a switch, not needing any laborious cranking.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I might want to get away in a hurry,” he had
+reasoned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Thus having taken all precautions to serve
+him in case of emergency, Tom clambered up on
+the dock and started for the shore end.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>As he left the circle of friendly rays from the
+lantern, he could not prevent a slight feeling of
+uneasiness creeping over him. After all, it was
+a risky thing that he was doing—trusting himself
+alone to unknown men who had every motive
+for wishing him out of the way or, if not
+exactly out of the way, at least prevented from
+pursuing his activities in certain directions.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But I think I’m going to beat them at their
+own game,” mused Tom, as he walked along.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>His feet made ghostly echoes on the rattling
+planks of the old dock, and, now and then, he
+paused to ascertain if any one else in the neighborhood
+were stirring. However, he appeared
+to be the only one.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Let’s see,” mused the young inventor as he
+was about to step off the dock to the shore.
+“As I remember it, the dock was to the east of
+the house when Ned and I looked out of the
+window and saw the three men. So I must turn
+right now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Accordingly he swung in that direction as
+he started up a path that was partly overgrown
+with weeds. It was quite dark, once he had
+left the glow of the dock lantern, and Tom was
+glad he had brought a pocket flashlight with him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Switching this on, he let the bright rays fall
+in front of him to guide his steps so he would
+not get off the path. For he had in mind the
+sinister name of the island to which he was paying
+a midnight visit.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They say the rattlesnakes are all gone,”
+mused Tom, as he kept as nearly as he could to
+the middle of the path, “but I’m taking no
+chances of stepping on one. I don’t want to
+tread on a tail and be bitten. Even if their bite
+isn’t always deadly, it’s bad enough.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In spite of himself, Tom could not prevent a
+creepy feeling coming over him at times as he
+walked along on the path. He almost wished
+he had not selected this means of tricking the
+plotters. But it was too late to turn back now.
+He had made his choice.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Suddenly, when he judged that he was half
+way to the old house, Tom heard a noise in the
+bushes just ahead of him and off to the left.
+For a moment he had a fear that it might be the
+rustle caused by the passage of a rattlesnake
+through the underbrush. He flashed his light in
+that direction, but instead of the beams picking
+up the gliding form of a serpent they illuminated
+the feet and legs of a man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Before Tom could cry out or step back, he
+heard another noise on his right, and there, too,
+his flashlight revealed the feet and legs of another
+man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Suddenly the four feet and four legs made a
+rush and Tom felt himself caught by the arm on
+either side. His flashlight was knocked from his
+hand, but, falling to the ground, still glowed and
+its rays showed Tom that he had been caught by
+two Negroes.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Let me go!” he cried, fiercely struggling
+to free himself. But the black men held him
+fast.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then one spoke, in rather soothing accents,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s all right, sir. We don’t aim to be rough
+with you, but we got our orders. I’m sorry I
+knocked your light down. I’ll pick it up for
+you,” and, stooping, he retrieved the flashlight
+which he gave to Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Better put it in your pocket, sir,” suggested
+the other Negro. “You won’t need it where
+you’re going. We know the path in the dark.
+And don’t be worried. We aren’t going to hurt
+you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m not worried,” declared Tom boldly.
+“But this is an outrage! I came here of my own
+free will for a conference and——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s all right, sir,” went on the first black
+man, still soothingly. “You’re going to be
+taken to the conference. That’s what we came
+down for—to meet you and show you the way.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom was at once struck by the fact that the
+language of these Negroes was above the average.
+They did not talk like poor, old Eradicate.
+Rather their talk was that of the man who has
+seen service in wealthy families. As this was
+in line with Tom’s theories regarding the identity
+of the men persecuting him, he ceased to
+struggle and said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Very well. Lead me to the men with whom
+I have an appointment.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s just what we’ll do, sir,” said the man
+who had picked up the flashlight. “It’s just a
+bit farther on.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The Negroes seemed able to find their way in
+the dark, which, Tom reflected, was more than
+he could have done. In a short time they led
+him, gently enough, into a little clearing and
+there, showing dimly in the light of the stars,
+was the house where Tom and Ned had been
+prisoners.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>If Tom had any compunctions about entering
+the house again he had no time to exercise
+them. Nor, be it known, had he the inclination.
+He was there for a purpose and intended
+to carry it out.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Right this way, sir,” said one of the Negroes,
+letting go of Tom’s right arm and preceding him
+to the front door. “They’re expecting you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He knocked—whether in a signal code or not
+Tom was unable to determine—and the door
+was opened, letting out a flood of light. The
+place seemed to have been prepared for the reception
+of the young inventor.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Go straight ahead,” said the Negro who had
+opened the door, as he stepped back to allow
+Tom to enter.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom walked into a hall, furnished only with
+a chair. One of the three Negroes—which he
+could not determine—glided ahead of him,
+tapped on a door at the end of the corridor, and
+opened it in response to a voice that said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Enter!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift saw before him a brilliantly
+lighted room. Gathered around a table in the
+middle were half a dozen men. Each one wore
+a black mask and through the eye-holes in them
+Tom felt himself being sharply scrutinized.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You may go, Richard,” said one of the men
+in cultured tones to the Negro who had opened
+the door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then the masked faces silently regarded the
+young inventor.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+<h3>A TEMPTING OFFER</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>“Sit</span> down, please!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The masked man at the head of the table—who
+seemed to be the leader—thus spoke to
+Tom and motioned to a chair, the only one in
+the room that was not occupied. Tom looked
+at it a bit suspiciously at first. He knew something
+of trick chairs—seats that, once occupied,
+gripped the sitter in arms of steel. Also this
+chair might be over some trapdoor which opened
+into a pit or into a tunnel that led to the lake.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But Tom reflected that if the men had contemplated
+treachery they could have exercised
+their will upon him when he first landed on the
+island. They need not have waited until now.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The chair seemed an ordinary one, and as the
+leader motioned toward it another of the masked
+men pulled it slightly forward. Clearly it had
+no mechanism connected with it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m here,” said Tom, as he settled back
+in the chair, noting that it felt all right.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So we see, and we are glad of this chance to
+do business with you,” remarked one, who, for
+want of a better designation at present, shall be
+denominated Mr. X. “It did not occur to us,”
+he went on in cultured tones, “that you would
+care for this method of arriving at a settlement.
+But, since you have, it appears to be a very good
+one. We are ready to do business with you.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom was at once impressed by something
+that was very evident. These were substantial
+business men—men of some culture and presumably
+position in the world—though they did
+stoop to desperate means to gain their ends.
+They were of an entirely different class from
+Snogg and Janner who had kidnapped Tom
+and Ned. Nor were they like Greenbaum,
+though from two or three little signs Tom had
+an idea that some of these men were very
+wealthy.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I am here,” went on Tom, holding himself
+well in hand and gazing from one masked
+face to the other. “And I am glad to hear that
+you are ready to talk business. But there is one
+objection.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What is it, Mr. Swift?” asked Mr. X courteously.
+“If you object to the method of meeting
+us, remember it was your own suggestion.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I am not complaining of the place of meeting
+nor the manner in which I was received,”
+stated Tom. “But I’m not used to doing business
+in the dark.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In the dark?” wonderingly exclaimed a
+heavy-set man on the left of Mr. X. “Why, it’s
+light here. Should we spend a lot more money
+in having more electricity? No!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I was not referring to the actual lighting of
+the place,” returned Tom, with a little smile.
+“It’s bright enough in one way. But when I
+said I was not in the habit of doing business in
+the dark, I referred to your masks. I like to
+see to whom I am talking.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so he means that!” exclaimed the heavy
+man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I am sorry, Mr. Swift,” put in Mr. X, who
+seemed affable enough. “But you will realize
+that at present we must, for obvious reasons,
+remain unknown to you. Perhaps you would
+not recognize us if we laid aside our masks, but
+that we cannot do. There are too many interests,
+aside from our own, involved in this to allow
+it. So if you feel that you cannot talk
+freely under the present circumstances you are
+at liberty to depart as you came and matters will
+be the same as before.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean,” asked Tom sharply, “that I
+shall be subjected to the same spying observations
+and attempts made to destroy my plant
+and my talking-picture machine?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I have not said so,” was the calm answer.
+“You are at liberty to put any construction you
+like on my decision.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“There can be but one decision!” snapped
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Mr. X nodded his head in assent.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You must take us or leave us just as you
+find us—masked,” he said slowly. “But I, repeat
+my offer that you may withdraw at any
+time and you will not be harmed in the least.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No! No!” exclaimed the heavy man, with
+a gesture of dissent. “We want to settle this
+business now. It is a big business—it must be
+settled! I cannot sleep nights thinking what I
+may lose. It is terrible!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You will please let me conduct these negotiations,”
+said Mr. X coldly, turning to the interrupter.
+“Mr. Swift must decide for himself.
+He asked for this interview and he must accept
+our conditions of granting it. Our masks remain!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Very well,” replied Tom, with a shrug of his
+shoulders. “It is a small matter, perhaps. We
+will talk business, as you suggest. You read my
+advertisement?” he questioned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Doubtless, or we should not be here, nor you,
+either,” replied Mr. X, lightly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And you said you would pay a good sum to
+be let alone!” broke in the stout man, who might
+be called Mr. B, for he resembled that letter in
+build.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I said that,” answered Tom. “And I
+am willing to keep my word. But I may as well
+say, here and now, that I am not prepared to
+pay cash. I have used so much money in perfecting
+my machine for showing in private
+homes talking pictures of theatrical plays and
+the broadcasting of opera and vaudeville
+that——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is it perfect? Will it work?” anxiously
+gasped Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It works!” answered Tom. “All I need do
+now is to put it on the market and——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That is just what we do not intend to let you
+do!” broke in Mr. X. “You will not be allowed
+to do that.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not allowed?” came from Tom quietly.
+“Those are big words.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And we are big men in more senses than
+one,” said Mr. X, still softly. “There is no use
+beating about the bush. We know who you
+are, it is only fair you should know who we are,
+Mr. Swift.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then you will unmask, after all?” inquired
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, but we will tell you what interests we
+represent—if you have not already guessed
+it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think I can guess,” stated Tom. “You are
+a big syndicate of moving picture operators.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The guess does credit to your intelligence,
+Tom Swift,” said Mr. X. “We represent many
+large moving picture and theatrical interests of
+the United States, and we are frank to say that
+we see ruin ahead of us if your invention goes
+on the market uncontrolled, at least in part, by
+our interests. I admit that your invention may
+revolutionize our industry. If a man can sit
+in his own home and listen to a radio program,
+and, at the same time, see the performers, he
+certainly won’t put on a starched shirt and a
+stiff collar and pay from two to seven dollars for
+a seat in the theater.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And he won’t even come to a fifty cent
+movie!” lamented Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“True enough,” agreed Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You seem to know something of my affairs,”
+said Tom, with a rueful smile. “You have not
+missed much.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We know more than you think we do,”
+boasted Mr. X. “At the same time we realize
+that you are far from beaten, so we wish to suggest
+a compromise.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We are going to make you a handsome offer!”
+broke in Mr. B, much to the evident annoyance
+of his colleague. “You will be tempted
+by it, I am sure. In short——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I thought I was to do the talking,” interrupted
+Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. Let him do it,” put in two
+others of the masked men. Each looked like a
+hard-headed American business man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’ll listen to any offer you wish to make,”
+Tom stated. “I came here prepared to make an
+offer myself. But I will first listen to yours.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He could not help admitting that the men
+knew more than he had suspected. In spite of
+the fact that he had tried to keep his invention a
+secret, the general principle of it had become
+known to these theatrical and moving picture
+men. Doubtless they had paid their spies and
+plotters well.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“To get down to business,” resumed Mr. X,
+“we are prepared to offer you a million dollars,
+Tom Swift. A million dollars!” he repeated
+unctuously.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Think of that, my friend!” broke in Mr. B,
+who could not keep still. “A whole million!”
+His voice capitalized the word. “All your own
+to do as you like with! A million dollars!
+Think of it!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+<h3>FLASHING LIGHTS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Grave</span> though the situation was, Tom Swift
+could not help smiling a little at the evident sincerity
+and anxiety of Mr. B. Nor were the
+others less vitally interested. They leaned forward
+over the table, staring at Tom’s face, which
+was in the full glare of a powerful light. They
+wanted to see if Tom would give under the
+strain.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But the young inventor held himself well in
+hand. Though he was not quite prepared for
+the offer, it did not catch him napping. He
+still had some cards to play.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well,” asked Mr. X, slowly, when there had
+been a few seconds of silence following his offer,
+“what do you say?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to ask a few questions,” Tom replied.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s only fair,” conceded Mr. X. “We’ll
+not promise to answer anything you want to
+know, however,” he stipulated.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I think you’ll answer this one,” said Tom,
+with a smile. “There are always two sides to
+an offer,” he went on. “One is money, or some
+other payment. You have that on your side.
+Now what am I to give in exchange for this million
+dollars? That’s a fair question, isn’t it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Very much so,” agreed Mr. X. “And a natural
+one. In exchange for the million we will
+agree to give you, you, on your part, will hand
+over to us all patent and other papers, including
+sketches, designs, patterns and blue prints of
+your so-called talking-picture machine. In
+short, you will turn the complete invention over
+to us, and further make a promise.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What sort of a promise?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A promise to go no farther in that field. In
+other words, you will forget that such a machine
+is capable of being made. You will wipe it out
+of your mind after you have turned all your
+rights in it over to us.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And may I inquire what you will do with my
+machine when you get it?” asked Tom, with a
+curious smile as he shifted about in his chair, as
+though it was no longer comfortable. “If you
+do get it in exchange for a million dollars,” he
+added.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll burn it up—destroy it!” excitedly cried
+Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift could not help starting in surprise.
+The answer was not quite what he had expected.
+He looked for confirmation toward the masked
+Mr. X, thinking the big man might have spoken
+impulsively. But, somewhat to the astonishment
+of the young inventor, the leader nodded
+in assent.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Once you turn your invention over to us in
+exchange for the million dollars,” stated Mr. X,
+“it becomes our exclusive property for us to do
+with as we please. And, very likely, we shall
+destroy it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What for?” Tom could not help impulsively
+asking.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“To prevent our business from being ruined,
+young man! That’s why!” burst out Mr. B.
+“Do you think,” he went on in spite of the effort
+Mr. X made to silence him, “we want people to
+stay at home listening to music and seeing pictures
+of a performance on your screen? Where
+would we be if millions of people did about pictures
+what they are doing right now with their
+radio receivers? We’d be ruined in six months
+and we have millions tied up in our theaters—millions!
+No, sir. Once we get your machine
+we’ll destroy it!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You haven’t got it yet,” Tom saw fit to remind
+him quietly. “And now, since you have
+been frank with me I will be the same with you.
+Your offer of a million dollars seems big to you.
+But let me tell you this. If you offered me ten
+millions with the proviso that my machine be
+destroyed I’d snap my fingers at you as I do
+now!” and Tom suited the action to his words,
+rising from the chair as he did so.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Gentlemen, I shall bid you good evening!”
+he went on. “I have found out what I wanted
+to know.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Suddenly Mr. B’s fingers went to the mask on
+his face. Evidently he feared it had slipped and
+revealed his identity. Tom could not help smiling
+as he said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t know who you are personally,
+and I don’t know that I care. It may make no
+difference. But I can discover your identities
+if I choose. That is neither here nor there.
+The point is I refuse your offer and I’m going
+back to my laboratory and perfect my machine.
+Inside of a month it will be on the market!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh! oh!” wailed Mr. B. Some of the others
+showed evidence of perturbation, but Mr. X remained
+calm.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Sit down again, Mr. Swift,” he said, and his
+tone was not as smooth as before.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is that a command or an invitation?” asked
+Tom sharply.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You may regard it either way you like,” was
+the reply. And Tom did not need to be told
+that the playing was over—stern reality was
+now to the fore. The men still had masks on
+their faces, but they no longer masked their intentions.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Just a minute,” said Tom, still standing by
+the chair. “You said, at the beginning that I
+was here of my own free will—that I could walk
+out of here any time I wished.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That was true at the time it was stated,” said
+Mr. X. “I may withdraw my offer any time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Have you withdrawn it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a moment’s pause and then came
+the low reply:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I have. Yes.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then I am not free to go?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not until you listen further to me,” said Mr.
+X. “I think you are very unwise, Tom Swift.
+We have made you a liberal offer. It is much
+more than you can make for a long time if you
+market your apparatus. We are interested in
+controlling it. What difference does it make
+to you whether we buy the machine and manufacture
+it in such quantities as we please or if
+we buy it and destroy it—as long as you get
+your price?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s just it!” replied Tom angrily. “I’m
+not getting my price.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We might increase our offer,” suggested
+Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A certain man once said,” remarked Tom
+slowly, “that he was poor, but, poor as he was,
+the King of England was not rich enough to buy
+him. I say the same to you now. I am in need
+of funds—I do not hesitate to admit that. But,
+slender as my bank balance is, there is not
+enough cash among you masked men to pay me
+for destroying a machine I have worked so hard
+over—a machine which I hope will prove to be a
+delight to humanity. That’s my answer. In
+other words, I defy you! I’m through! I’m
+going to walk out of here now. This conference
+is ended!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no, it isn’t ended yet,” said Mr. X in
+sinister tones as he arose and stepped toward a
+push button on the wall. “We have something
+else to say to you, Tom Swift. I didn’t want
+to resort to harsh means, but there seems to be
+no hope for it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the young inventor.
+“I think I understand your game.
+Perhaps you think you can torture me into giving
+in. Or you may even have it in mind to kill
+me, thinking, thereby, to prevent my machine
+from being perfected and going on the market.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Listen to what I say. If you do away with
+me it will make no difference to that machine.
+It is complete and will be made and marketed.
+Full details of the invention are already in
+Washington to be patented. More than this—four
+models have been made. One is in my laboratory
+where you may get at it and destroy it—I
+don’t say you can’t.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But there are three other complete and working
+models in the hands of three friends of mine
+in different parts of the country. They have
+orders in case I do not reappear by a certain
+time to make public all the facts and to put the
+machine on the market.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh! oh! He’s got us beat!” lamented the
+big man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, he hasn’t!” snarled Mr. X. “I’ll force
+him to do as we want him to.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, so you talk of force now, do you?” asked
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Since you compel me—yes.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then it is time for me to play the same
+game,” went on the young inventor, with a tantalizing
+smile.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” came from three of the
+men, in evident alarm.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“My instructions were,” said Tom, “to come
+to this island alone. I did so, as you doubtless
+know. But early this morning a number of my
+friends preceded me here—and they are here
+now. Gentlemen, this house is entirely surrounded.
+None of you can possibly escape—neither
+you nor your Negro thugs. If I am not
+permitted to walk out of here unmolested whenever
+I please, I will give the signal and you
+will at once be arrested.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You think we will believe such a foolish
+statement as that?” scoffed Mr. X. “I tell you
+that you are at our mercy, Tom Swift! This
+house surrounded? Bosh!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For answer Tom went to a window and raised
+the shade. At the same time he pressed the wall
+switch and plunged the room in darkness.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look!” cried Tom, and from the darkness
+outside, shining through the now dulled window
+glass, came a flashing light, thrice repeated.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a gasp of surprise from the masked
+men in the dark room.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Look here!” went on Tom, moving to a window
+on the other side of the room. From the
+gloom without there shone another of the thrice
+flashing lights.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It is the same on the other two sides of the
+house,” remarked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The masked men sat silent, seemingly dazed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What is your answer now?” triumphantly
+asked the young inventor as it was made plain
+to the plotters that they were surrounded.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+<h3>TOM ACCEPTS</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“<span class='sc'>Gentlemen</span>,” and Tom Swift put a peculiar
+emphasis on the word, “I repeat—what is your
+answer now?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, the rascal! He’s got us beat!” lamented
+the fat man. “Let’s make terms with him.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Make terms, nothing!” sneered Mr. X.
+“Those are nothing but lightning bugs! It’s all
+a clever bluff!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, is it?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Again he stood in front of a window and, as
+he had done before, though unseen by the plotters,
+Tom raised and flashed the pocket electric
+torch he had brought with him. Once more,
+in answer to his signal, came more flashes from
+without. Tom’s friends were on the alert.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I guess that settles it,” Mr. X was forced
+to admit. “Turn on the light here, Tom Swift,
+and we’ll talk this matter over again.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No!” exclaimed the young inventor in ringing
+tones. “I’ll do the talking now—you’ll do
+the listening. I’m in a position to dictate my
+terms, and I’ll do it. I owe you something for
+the manner in which you had me and my manager
+kidnapped and brought to this place, also
+for what your tool Greenbaum did.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now listen here!” broke in Mr. B, his whole,
+fat body quivering with fear as Tom switched
+on the main light again. “That Greenbaum
+fellow, he went farther than we told him to.
+We never told him to try to blow you up, and we
+immediately discharged him when we learned of
+it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That is correct,” assented Mr. X. “We do
+not countenance deeds of violence. Greenbaum,
+whom we have since discharged, went beyond
+his instructions—far beyond. But he was half
+crazy.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Half crazy?” inquired Tom. “He always
+impressed me as being very level-headed—too
+much so.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Still he was not right in his head,” said Mr.
+B. “He lost a small fortune in a moving picture
+investment, and when he learned your invention
+might spell the ruin of that industry,
+so he could never recoup his losses, he went to
+desperate lengths.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I should say he did,” agreed Tom, with a
+grim smile, as he remembered his ruined laboratory
+and the pains he had suffered. “But I
+will exact payment for what he did.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You would be within your rights there,” said
+Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And for the indignities Mr. Newton and I
+suffered at the hands of Snogg, Janner and
+Torpy,” went on the young inventor. “I suppose
+you will not deny that they acted for you?”
+he suggested.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No, they were our agents,” admitted Mr. B.
+“But we told them to treat you with respect,
+merely to hold you until we could get in touch
+with you. It was a mistake that Mr. Newton
+was kidnapped. We wanted you held. What
+terms do you offer?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I offer no terms at all. I demand unconditional
+surrender!” exclaimed Tom. “If you
+don’t agree to that, I propose, to use a war term,
+to move immediately upon you. In other
+words, I’ll give the signal for your arrest.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t! Don’t!” begged Mr. B shakingly.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We are here to make terms, Mr. Swift,” said
+a third masked man.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you want us to do?” asked Mr. X,
+and there was no more threat or defiance in his
+voice. “You can name your own terms.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In the first place,” stipulated Tom, “I want
+you all to unmask. I don’t care to do business
+with men I can’t see. You might as well,” he
+added, as he saw them hesitate. “If you’re arrested
+you will be known.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Gentlemen, he is right!” said Mr. B. “Unmask!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He set the example by doffing the black silk
+that covered the upper part of his face. One
+after another the five followed and Tom gasped
+in surprise when he saw who the men were.
+They were all important figures in the theatrical
+and moving picture business.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“So that’s the combination I’ve been up
+against!” exclaimed the young inventor, as he
+looked from one face to another. “I suppose I
+should consider it quite an honor to have you
+against me.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In a way, yes,” admitted the one still to be
+designated as Mr. X. “You are a mighty lucky
+and clever young man. Now we have met your
+first stipulation, what is the next?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The next,” stated Tom, “is that you must
+sign a paper which I shall draw up, admitting
+your share in all that has been done against me
+and agreeing that all persecutions shall cease.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is no more than fair under the circumstances,”
+agreed Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“But you won’t make that paper public—with
+our names on it, will you?” asked Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not if you let me entirely alone,” promised
+Tom. “But I want it to protect myself.
+Hands off and that paper remains in my safe.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Draw it up and we’ll sign it,” agreed Mr. X,
+after a hasty conference in one corner with his
+colleagues. “But what about the men you have
+posted out in the woods? Will they come in
+here and arrest us?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not unless I give the signal,” Tom answered.
+“It will not be given when you have signed that
+paper and I am allowed to walk out of here unmolested.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, let him go! Let him go!” begged Mr. B.
+“He’ll have our watches and pocketbooks next!
+Let him go!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom smiled grimly as he drew up the paper.
+He had the plotters entirely at his mercy. One
+after another they affixed their names to the
+document, and as he folded it and put it in his
+pocket, Mr. B said:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps we can still talk business?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” asked Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, we made you an offer of a million dollars
+for the complete rights to your talking-picture
+invention that we might destroy it to
+save our business from ruin. You saw fit to
+decline that and you got the better of us in what
+followed. Now, since it seems that the invention
+is going on the market, the next best thing
+for us to do is to buy into the exploiting company
+and have a share in the profits. I suppose
+there will be profits?” he asked, with a somewhat
+quizzical smile. He was a big business man,
+as Tom knew.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope there will be,” Tom answered.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, now that we’ve backed down—because
+you made us and for no other reason,”
+went on Mr. B, “will you listen to another
+offer?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What is it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We’ll give you a million for a half share in
+the invention.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Tom, getting
+ready to leave.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“A million and a half!” offered Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Your figure is too low,” replied Tom, who
+began to see daylight ahead for Ned Newton’s
+financial embarrassment. “Why, you movie
+men put a million dollars in a single feature picture.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, quit being pikers!” put in another magnate.
+“Say two millions and be done with it!
+Come, what about two, young man?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom made some rapid calculations. Two
+million dollars was a tempting offer for half an
+interest in the invention. He knew it would be
+on the market a long time before he would take
+in that much. Also he must have capital to
+manufacture the machines. But he still had a
+card to play.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I can’t accept that offer,” he said, still moving
+toward the door.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, let’s get this over with!” exclaimed Mr.
+X who, evidently, was used to having his own
+way. “We’ll give you three millions for a half
+interest, Tom Swift, let you remain in virtual
+control, and we’ll start manufacturing as soon as
+you demonstrate that it’s a success. What do
+you say to that—three millions?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And that’s our limit,” put in another of the
+men, a tall, lean New Englander.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>For a moment Tom Swift did not reply. To
+a casual observer it might have looked as though
+he was about to refuse that offer. He had made
+up his mind, but he did not want to seem too
+hasty. It was well that these men should know
+he was their master when it came to plotting and
+dickering.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, how about it?” asked Mr. B anxiously.
+“Come, Mr. Tom Swift. Three millions aren’t
+to be sneezed at.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And I don’t intend to sneeze!” said Tom suddenly,
+with a little chuckle. “Gentlemen, I accept
+your offer. Put it in writing and we’ll call
+the conference over!”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+<h3>A FINAL TEST</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>There</span> was a relieved air about the men gathered
+in the old house on Rattlesnake Island now
+that Tom Swift had made terms with them.
+Truth to tell, they had been more than a little
+afraid of this clear-eyed, keen young man who
+was able to dictate terms to them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Now let there be no mistake about this,” said
+Tom. “We can draw up a new agreement, incorporating
+in it the terms of this one,” and he
+produced the rough draft in which the men had
+agreed to molest him no longer.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What do you want put in?” asked Mr. X,
+producing paper and a fountain pen.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I want this three-million-dollar offer for a
+half interest in my invention put into an ironclad
+agreement. I also want your written
+promise to interfere with me no longer.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We aren’t likely to bother you, considering
+that we are now associated with you in this
+thing,” observed Mr. B.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, it will do no harm to put it in,” decided
+Tom. “Also, I want you to acknowledge
+full responsibility for the actions of your men,
+Greenbaum and the others, and your promise
+to send them far away from here.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s no more than fair,” agreed Mr. X.
+“Those men went further than we told them to
+do. We had no sympathy with Greenbaum’s
+attempt to blow you up and——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It was more than an attempt,” interrupted
+Tom, with a grim smile. “There really was a
+disastrous explosion and I expect to be paid
+damages for that out of your share of the profits.
+I want that in the agreement, too.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“You shall have it,” promised Mr. X, though
+some of his colleagues made rather wry faces at
+Tom’s exaction of his “pound of flesh.” But he
+was within his rights, and he knew it.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a short time the agreement was drawn up
+and signed by all of them, and then Mr. X remarked:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Of course this is contingent upon your invention
+being a success, Mr. Swift. Your broadcasting
+of songs and music must be clear, the
+images of the performers on the attached screen
+must be very plain, not shadowy forms, and the
+two must synchronize. You must remember
+that we have not seen your invention. All we
+know is what we have heard of it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“From your spies, doubtless,” Tom responded
+bitterly. “And they could find out very little.
+But don’t worry. The machine must be perfect
+before I put it on the market. I am going to
+have a final test and you may witness it in person
+or you may send any one you like to report.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Some of us will probably be on hand when
+you give a final showing,” said Mr. X. “And
+now, as it is getting late, I suggest that we adjourn.
+We want to get back to our homes and
+you do also, I suppose, Mr. Swift?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I don’t feel like spending another night
+on Rattlesnake Island,” replied Tom, with a
+smile. “One was enough. I’ll call in my
+friends and you can come to my final test—say
+a week from to-night in my private laboratory.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” said Mr. X.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom bade the men good-night and went out
+into the darkness, leaving the conspirators to
+growl somewhat among themselves at having
+been beaten by a mere youth.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“At the same time,” said Mr. X, “I can’t help
+admiring Tom Swift for the manner in which he
+turned the tables on us.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s right,” chimed in another. “He’s the
+pluckiest fellow I ever had any dealings with.
+And to think, if we’d persisted, he could have
+had us all arrested and our names and our pictures
+would have been in the papers. Whew!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh my!” wailed Mr. B. “It’s cost us a
+pretty penny, but maybe it will be worth it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Meanwhile Tom, outside the old house, was
+signaling with his flashlight to call his friends in
+from their posts about the place.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is everything all right?” asked Ned, who led
+one of the four parties. He glided to his chum’s
+side from the darkness.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Everything is settled, and we get three million
+dollars for a half interest,” said Tom, producing
+the agreement.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Hot dog!” gleefully cried Ned. “That’s the
+best news yet! We sure will need that money,
+Tom! I couldn’t have held the banks off much
+longer. Good for you!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>In a short time Tom and Ned, with Mr.
+Damon, Koku and Eradicate were on their way
+back across Lake Carlopa, leaving the other
+members of the Swift party to follow in other
+boats as they pleased.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Though Tom Swift had gone to Rattlesnake
+Island alone as he had been bidden, the setting
+of his trap called for many of his most trusted
+men to precede him to the rendezvous. They
+had gone at intervals so no suspicions would be
+aroused.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>So, during the day before the night of the
+meeting, several parties of seemingly innocent
+fishermen might have been seen landing on the
+island at a point farthest removed from the
+dock used by Tom. These parties were posted
+in the woods on four sides of the frame house
+and there they waited for Tom’s signal. Ned
+was in charge of one party and Mr. Damon of
+another. Garret Jackson and his assistant took
+command of the two remaining squads.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And bless my fountain pen!” exclaimed Mr.
+Damon as they were talking matters over on
+their way home in Tom’s boat, “I thought you
+were never going to flash the signals, Tom.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It took a little time to get things where I
+wanted them,” the young inventor said. “But
+it worked out all right. They certainly were
+astonished.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Do you think they’ll play square with you,
+Tom?” asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They’ll have to, for their own safety. I’ve
+got them where they can’t help themselves.
+After the final demonstration, a week from to-night,
+we get the three millions.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I suppose there is no doubt, Tom, as to the
+success of the thing?” ventured Ned.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not the slightest!” Tom’s voice was full
+of confidence.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Grumblings and growlings were heard issuing
+from the throat of Koku. Tom asked what the
+trouble was.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He’s complaining because there was no
+fight!” chuckled Mr. Damon. “He says Ned
+promised him that he could get hold of some of
+your enemies, Tom, but it all fizzled out.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Me want smash um!” growled the giant,
+clenching his big fists.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Too bad!” chuckled Tom. “But I couldn’t
+pull off the fight, Koku. Better luck next time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom made his motorboat fast to his own private
+dock and went home to tell his father the
+good news—that all matters were satisfactorily
+settled. He knew the aged inventor would be
+worried.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad you’re back, Tom,” Mr. Swift said
+when he saw his son. “Now you can take it
+easy. You’ve been working too hard.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“The hard work isn’t over yet,” the young inventor
+answered. “I still have to give a perfect
+final test.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>To this end he and Ned and the workmen bent
+all their energies during the next six days. Mr.
+Swift aided where he could and Mr. Damon was
+again called on to do his funny song and dance.
+Now that the invention was about to be made
+public and Tom had no fear about his patents
+being stolen from him, the affair could be openly
+talked about.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Are you going to ask us to the dress rehearsal?”
+inquired Mary, when Tom was spending
+an evening with her.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Better than that—I want you to be in it,”
+he said.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“In it?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Yes, you and Helen. I want to see how
+ladies’ garments will be shown on the screen.
+Ned and Mr. Damon balk at becoming female
+impersonators. Will you help?”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Delighted! Oh, Tom, I do hope it will be a
+success!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The night of the final test came at last. Several
+changes had been made both in the projecting
+machine and in the broadcasting studio
+since Tom’s last attempt to show talking pictures.
+He had put a metallic curtain with reflecting
+mirrors in the room where Mr. Damon
+and Ned had done their part and the results were
+better.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Though some day, Ned,” Tom said to his
+chum, after a preliminary test, “I’ll show these
+images without the use of any screen at all.
+I’ll pick the electric impulses right out of
+the air just as wireless sound waves come
+now.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That will mean you can broadcast from
+any theater without the use of this sort of curtain,”
+Ned remarked, pointing to the one in the
+broadcasting room.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. All that will be needed in the
+theater will be a small cabinet, out of sight, on
+the stage. But more of that later. Now we’ll
+go ahead with the test.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The moving picture and theatrical men, representing
+the syndicate that had bought a half
+interest in Tom’s invention, were on hand in the
+studio. They had brought with them some experts
+who were to pass on certain phases of the
+machine. Mr. Damon, with Ned and the two
+girls were in the studio. Tom Swift, with Mr.
+Jackson and some men to assist him, was busy
+at the projecting machine by means of which the
+audience hoped to hear the distant music and see
+the performers through several solid walls.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All ready, Ned?” Tom asked over the private
+telephone.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“All set,” was the answer.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Then get going!” ordered Tom in a low
+voice.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He turned the switch for the final test, knowing
+that a great deal depended on it. Those
+three million dollars were sorely needed to save
+the Swift fortunes.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2  id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</h2>
+<h3>A BRIGHT FUTURE</h3>
+
+<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>There</span> was a hissing, buzzing sound in the
+studio where, on an improvised stage, Ned, Mr.
+Damon, Mary Nestor and Helen Morton were
+going through a hastily sketched act.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom Swift had so improved his lighting arrangements,
+by using screen filters, that there
+was no restriction as to the color of the garments
+worn by the performers. The girls’ dresses were
+particularly gay and of many hues, for Tom
+wanted a bright picture on the screen. Mr. Damon
+had attired himself as a clown while Ned
+was a pirate with a red handkerchief on his head.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” sang Ned, and so
+on with the rest of the song while the girls and
+Mr. Damon joined in.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>On his part, in the laboratory room, Tom had
+adjusted the switches and stood near his machine.
+Ranged in a semicircle in front of him
+was the audience.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Everything is ready, gentlemen,” said the
+young inventor in a low voice. “You will now
+see and hear what I have to offer.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Suddenly, through the loud speaker, came the
+voices of the performers, as clear and distinct
+as though they were in the same room. There
+was no blasting effect, no tinny, horn-like element
+in the music.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>A moment later the metallic glass screen attached
+to the apparatus glowed with a white
+light and before the eyes of the astonished gathering
+there appeared, in reduced form, but
+plainly and clearly, the images of the performers
+in a room several hundred feet away. Just
+as on a moving picture screen, only not as large,
+but beautifully colored and clearer than ever
+moving pictures had been, the images of Mary,
+Helen, Mr. Damon and Ned were observed.
+They smiled, gestured and went through various
+motions, not one of which was obscured
+and not one but synchronized exactly with the
+words they used.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“That’s my invention,” said Tom Swift simply.
+“If you think it is a success we can complete
+the deal.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I guess there’s no question of it,” said
+Mr. X. “I, for one, am satisfied and as soon
+as——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>He ceased speaking, for suddenly, in the
+midst of a song by the performers in the studio,
+the voices died away and the images faded from
+the screen.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Don’t cut it off!” begged Mr. B. “I was just
+beginning to enjoy it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t cut it off!” Tom answered quickly.
+“There’s something wrong!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Then, from the corridor without, the voice
+of Koku was heard crying:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I cotch him! I got him! Now I make him
+like jelly!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Like an echo came a frightened voice begging:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Let me go! Oh, let me go!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Greenbaum!” shouted Tom, springing to the
+door in time to see the giant holding the plotting
+man in a grasp that made him helpless.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I cotch him!” cried Koku. “I be on watch
+out here like Mr. Tom always tell me. I see
+him sneak along and cut wire. He have big
+ball in his hand, too, but I knock it down.
+Over there in corner!”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Garret Jackson made a jump for the corner
+indicated and picked up something which made
+him utter an exclamation of dismay.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“It’s a bomb!” the superintendent shouted.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>There was a pail of water near by and into
+that the infernal machine was dropped just in
+time, for the fuse was spluttering and burning
+down.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Greenbaum, choked into senselessness by
+Koku’s powerful grip, sank to the floor. Tom
+turned to the assembled moving picture and
+theater men. There was an implied accusation
+in his glance.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I hope you will believe us when I say we had
+absolutely nothing to do with this,” said Mr.
+X. “We have not seen Greenbaum since his
+former unauthorized attack on you. This is a
+terrible surprise to us.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“And to me, also,” said Tom. “I don’t know
+what damage he has done, but——”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“He not do much!” chuckled Koku. “Me
+cotch him in time.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>And so it proved. Greenbaum had managed
+to sneak into the laboratory because vigilance
+was somewhat relaxed, now that all danger
+seemed over. He had cut one of the electrical
+wires that carried power to Tom’s machine, hoping,
+in the confusion he knew would follow, to
+be able to plant his infernal machine and get
+away. But the giant was too quick for him.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Is the machine ruined?” asked Ned, coming
+from the broadcasting studio, followed by the
+other performers.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Bless my apple pie! And just when I was
+going to sing my song!” complained Mr. Damon.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>But a quick examination showed nothing
+more wrong than a severed wire, which was
+soon spliced, so that the machine could work
+again, and after Greenbaum had been handed
+over to the police, first needing the attention of
+a doctor, however, the interrupted performance
+went on to a successful conclusion.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>When the little playlet was ended, and the
+men engaged by Mr. X and his colleagues had
+made their report, the leader of the theatrical
+interests announced:</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“We are satisfied, Mr. Swift. The deal can
+go through. You will be paid the three million
+to-morrow and we will at once form a company
+for manufacturing these machines and put them
+on the market. But I am afraid you still feel
+that we sent Greenbaum here.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“No,” Tom answered, “I have good reasons
+for knowing you did not.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“What reasons?” asked Mr. X in surprise.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Because the man is insane. The doctor told
+me so just before he was taken away. You told
+me his losses in a moving picture deal had so
+turned his brain that he did more than you
+wanted him to when you first set him to spy on
+me. Well, his insanity is of a progressive form,
+and he is much worse now. He probably imagined
+that I was the cause of all his troubles,
+and so came to be revenged on me. I know
+you had nothing to do with it.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“I am glad you are convinced of that,” said
+Mr. X. “And we have to thank you for treating
+us even better than, perhaps, we deserved.
+But from now on we will work in harmony.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>This promise was faithfully kept. Much to
+Ned Newton’s relief the sum of three millions
+was placed to the credit of the Swift concern
+the next day, and certain maturing notes were
+taken up. There was a goodly capital left,
+however, to start the manufacture of the talking-picture
+machines and they were soon put on
+the market, meeting with a big success. The
+radio and moving picture people, as well as several
+big theatrical interests, bought stock in the
+new company that was formed, and because of
+Tom’s invention, by means of which only authorized
+purchasers of his machine could view
+the broadcast scenes and listen to the music,
+there was no “bootlegging,” which meant that
+all the revenues would come to those entitled to
+them.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom was glad to learn, later, that Greenbaum’s
+insanity was not permanent, and that
+after the man was assured of a chance to make
+another fortune in the new business, his mind
+became calm and he was himself again. He
+was totally unaware of the outrages he had committed,
+though when told of them asked Tom’s
+forgiveness.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Snogg, Janner and Torpy were not heard of
+again, and the house on Rattlesnake Island,
+which was the property of the moving picture
+men, was made over to Tom as a sort of bonus.
+He and Ned spent many hours there, relaxing
+from their hard work.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was after Greenbaum’s recovery, when certain
+things were recalled to him, that he explained
+what for a time had puzzled Ned and
+Tom. The man, who was an expert electrician,
+had found a means of neutralizing certain parts
+of the electrified fence. Hence he was able to
+get over, after the discovery of the planted
+bombs, to commit petty depredations that so
+annoyed Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>It was Greenbaum, also, who provided the
+fash melon that had thrown Koku off his guard.
+As Tom had guessed, the fruit was discovered in
+South America by a party of travelogue movie
+men who brought some back with them. Greenbaum,
+learning of Koku’s fondness for fash,
+used it to play what was nearly a fatal trick on
+the giant. Greenbaum had also been responsible
+for the “warning” Eradicate brought to
+Tom. That was just a bluff—intended to scare
+Tom, but it worked the other way.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The secret passage in the house on Rattlesnake
+Island was easily accounted for. The
+place had been built some years before to be
+used in making a certain moving picture, where
+a secret staircase played a part. Later the
+house was acquired by Mr. X and his colleagues
+to use as a prison and also as a meeting place
+for Tom.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Tom suitably rewarded Bill Tagg, the tramp,
+and that individual had his long ardent wish
+fulfilled. He rode in one of Tom’s aeroplanes
+and received the thrill of his life.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Well, everything came out all right, didn’t
+it?” asked Ned of his chum as they sat in the
+house on Rattlesnake Island one evening after
+a successful day’s fishing. “Your talking pictures
+are making a hit.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“They seem to be,” admitted Tom modestly.
+“Though when Greenbaum cut the wire that
+night of the final test I thought everything had
+gone bad. But, as you say, everything came
+out all right, and the future looks rosy to me.
+I’ve got another scheme in my mind.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you ever going to stop?” chuckled
+Ned as he leaned lazily back in his chair.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>“Not as long as I feel as well as I do now,”
+replied Tom Swift.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Whether he carried out his new idea or not
+remains to be seen.</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">THE END</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph2">This Isn’t All!</p>
+
+<div class='blockquot'>
+
+<p class='noindent'>Would you like to know what
+became of the good friends you
+have made in this book?</p>
+
+<p class='noindent'>Would you like to read other
+stories continuing their adventures
+and experiences, or other books
+quite as entertaining by the same
+author?</p>
+
+<p class='noindent'>On the reverse side of the wrapper
+which comes with this book,
+you will find a wonderful list of
+stories which you can buy at the
+same store where you got this book.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class="ph2">Don’t throw away the Wrapper</p>
+
+<div class='blockquot'>
+
+<p class='noindent'><i>Use it as a handy catalog of the books
+you want some day to have. But in
+case you do mislay it, write to the
+Publishers for a complete catalog.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph2">THE TOM SWIFT SERIES<br>
+By VICTOR APPLETON<br>
+Author of “The Don Sturdy Series.”</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is
+a bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the
+most interesting kind of reading.</p>
+
+
+<p class="ph2">TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL<br>
+TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH<br>
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS<br>
+TOM SWIFT CIRCLING THE GLOBE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS HOUSE ON WHEELS<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG DIRIGIBLE<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY TRAIN<br>
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT MAGNET</p>
+
+
+<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph2">WESTERN STORIES FOR BOYS<br>
+By JAMES CODY FERRIS</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">Individual Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by<br>
+WALTER S. ROGERS<br>
+Each Volume Complete in Itself.</p>
+
+
+<p class='pindent'>Thrilling tales of the great west, told primarily for boys
+but which will be read by all who love mystery, rapid
+action, and adventures in the great open spaces.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The Manly Boys, Roy and Teddy, are the sons of an old
+ranchman, the owner of many thousands of heads of cattle.
+The lads know how to ride, how to shoot, and how to
+take care of themselves under any and all circumstances.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>The cowboys of the X Bar X Ranch are real cowboys,
+on the job when required, but full of fun and daring—a
+bunch any reader will be delighted to know.</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">THE X BAR X BOYS ON THE RANCH<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS IN THUNDER CANYON<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS ON WHIRLPOOL RIVER<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS ON BIG BISON TRAIL<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS AT THE ROUND-UP<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS AT NUGGET CAMP<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS AT RUSTLER’S GAP<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS AT GRIZZLY PASS<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS LOST IN THE ROCKIES<br>
+THE X BAR X BOYS RIDING FOR LIFE</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph2">TED SCOTT FLYING STORIES</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">By FRANKLIN W. DIXON</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">Illustrated.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each Volume Complete in Itself.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>No subject has so thoroughly caught the imagination of young
+America as aviation. This series has been inspired by recent daring
+feats of the air, and is dedicated to Lindbergh, Byrd, Chamberlin
+and other heroes of the skies.</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">OVER THE OCEAN TO PARIS;<br>
+or, Ted Scott’s Daring Long Distance Flight.</p>
+<p class="ph2">RESCUED IN THE CLOUDS;<br>
+or, Ted Scott, Hero of the Air.</p>
+<p class="ph2">OVER THE ROCKIES WITH THE AIR MAIL;<br>
+or, Ted Scott, Lost in the Wilderness.</p>
+<p class="ph2">FIRST STOP HONOLULU;<br>
+or, Ted Scott Over the Pacific.</p>
+<p class="ph2">THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST FLYERS;<br>
+or, Ted Scott Over the West Indies.</p>
+<p class="ph2">SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE;<br>
+or, Ted Scott On a Secret Mission.</p>
+<p class="ph2">ACROSS THE PACIFIC;<br>
+or, Ted Scott’s Hop to Australia.</p>
+<p class="ph2">THE LONE EAGLE OF THE BORDER;<br>
+or, Ted Scott and the Diamond Smugglers.</p>
+<p class="ph2">FLYING AGAINST TIME;<br>
+or, Breaking the Ocean to Ocean Record.</p>
+<p class="ph2">OVER THE JUNGLE TRAILS;<br>
+or, Ted Scott and the Missing Explorers.</p>
+<p class="ph2">LOST AT THE SOUTH POLE;<br>
+or, Ted Scott in Blizzard Land.</p>
+<p class="ph2">THROUGH THE AIR TO ALASKA;<br>
+or, Ted Scott’s Search in Nugget Valley.</p>
+<p class="ph2">FLYING TO THE RESCUE;<br>
+or, Ted Scott and the Big Dirigible.</p>
+<p class="ph2">DANGER TRAILS OF THE SKY;<br>
+or, Ted Scott’s Great Mountain Climb.</p>
+<p class="ph2">FOLLOWING THE SUN SHADOW;<br>
+or, Ted Scott and the Great Eclipse.</p>
+
+<p class="ph2">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<p class="ph2">TRANSCRIBER NOTES</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected.
+Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been
+employed.</p>
+
+<p class='pindent'>Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious
+printer errors occur.</p>
+
+<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND HIS TALKING PICTURES ***</div>
+ </body>
+</html>