TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE

OR THE PICTURE THAT SAVED A FORTUNE

BY VICTOR APPLETON

AUTHOR OF "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE, " "TOM SWIFT AND HISGIANT CANNON, " "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS, " "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYSIN THE JUNGLE, " "THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' FIRST VENTURE, " ETC. 

CONTENTS

 I. A MAN ON THE ROOF II. BAD NEWS III. TOM'S FAILURE IV. RUN DOWN V. SHARP WORDS VI. A WARNING VII. SOFT WORDS VIII. TOM IS BAFFLED IX. A GLEAM OF HOPE X. MIDNIGHT VISITORS XI. THE AIRSHIP IS TAKEN XII. A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE XIII. THE TELEPHONE PICTURE XIV. MAKING IMPROVEMENTS XV. THE AIRSHIP CLUE XVI. SUCCESS XVII. THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE XVIII. ANOTHER CALL XIX. THE BUZZING SOUND XX. SETTING THE TRAP XXI. THE PHOTO TELEPHONE XXII. THE ESCAPE XXIII. ON THE TRAIL XXIV. THE LONELY HOUSE XXV. THE AIRSHIP CAPTURE

TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE

CHAPTER I

A MAN ON THE ROOF

"Tom, I don't believe it can be done!"

"But, Dad, I'm sure it can!"

Tom Swift looked over at his father, who was seated in an easychair in the library. The elderly gentleman--his hair was quitewhite now--slowly shook his head, as he murmured again:

"It can't be done, Tom! It can't be done! I admit that you've madea lot of wonderful things--things I never dreamed of--but this istoo much. To transmit pictures over a telephone wire, so thatpersons cannot only see to whom they are talking, as well as hearthem--well, to be frank with you, Tom, I should be sorry to seeyou waste your time trying to invent such a thing. "

"I don't agree with you. Not only do I think it can be done, butI'm going to do it. In fact, I've already started on it. As forwasting my time, well, I haven't anything in particular to do, nowthat my giant cannon has been perfected, so I might as well beworking on my new photo telephone instead of sitting around idle. "

"Yes, Tom, I agree with you there, " said Mr. Swift. "Sittingaround idle isn't good for anyone--man or boy, young or old. Sodon't think I'm finding fault because you're busy. "

"It's only that I don't want to see you throw away your efforts, only to be disappointed in the end. It can't be done, Tom, itcan't be done, " and the aged inventor shook his head in pityingdoubt. 

Tom only smiled confidently, and went on:

"Well, Dad, all you'll have to do will be to wait and see. Itisn't going to be easy--I grant that. In fact, I've run up againstmore snags, the little way I've gone so far, than I like to admit. But I'm going to stick at it, and before this year is out I'llguarantee, Father, that you can be at one end of the telephonewire, talking to me, at the other, and I'll see you and you'll seeme--if not as plainly as we see each other now, at least plainlyenough to make sure of each other. "

Mr. Swift chuckled silently, gradually breaking into a louderlaugh. Instead of being angry, Tom only regarded his father withan indulgent smile, and continued:

"All right, Dad. Go ahead, laugh!"

"Well, Tom, I'm not exactly laughing at YOU--it's more at theidea than anything else. The idea of talking over a wire and, atthe same time, having light waves, as well as electrical wavespassing on the same conductor!"

"All right, Dad, go ahead and laugh. I don't mind, " said Tom, good-naturedly. "Folks laughed at Bell, when he said he could senda human voice over a copper spring; but Bell went ahead and to-daywe can talk over a thousand miles by wire. That was the telephone. "

"Folks laughed at Morse when he said he could send a message overthe wire. He let 'em laugh, but we have the telegraph. Folkslaughed at Edison, when he said he could take the human voice--orany other sound--and fix it on a wax cylinder or a hard-rubberplate--but he did it, and we have the phonograph. And folkslaughed at Santos Dumont, at the Wrights, and at all the otherfellows, who said they could take a heavier-than-air machine, andskim above the clouds like a bird; but we do it--I've done it--you'vedone it. "

"Hold on, Tom!" protested Mr. Swift. "I give up! Don't rub it inon your old dad. I admit that folks did laugh at those inventors, with their seemingly impossible schemes, but they made good. Andyou've made good lots of times where I thought you wouldn't. Butjust stop to consider for a moment. This thing of sending apicture over a telephone wire is totally out of the question, andentirely opposed to all the principles of science. "

"What do I care for principles of science?" cried Tom, and hestrode about the room so rapidly that Eradicate, the old coloredservant, who came in with the mail, skipped out of the librarywith the remark:

"Deed, an' Massa Tom must be pow'fully preragitated dis mawnin'!"

"Some of the scientists said it was totally opposed to all naturallaws when I planned my electric rifle, " went on Tom. "But I madeit, and it shot. They said my air glider would never stay up, butshe did. "

"But, Tom, this is different. You are talking of sending lightwaves--one of the most delicate forms of motion in the world--overa material wire. It can't be done!"

"Look here, Dad!" exclaimed Tom, coming to a halt in front of hisparent. "What is light, anyhow? Merely another form of motion;isn't it?"

"Well, yes, Tom, I suppose it is. "

"Of course it is, " said Tom. "With vibrations of a certain lengthand rapidity we get sound--the faster the vibration per second thehigher the sound note. Now, then, we have sound waves, orvibrations, traveling at the rate of a mile in a little less thanfive seconds; that is, with the air at a temperature of sixtydegrees. With each increase of a degree of temperature we get anincrease of about a foot per second in the rapidity with whichsound travels. "

"Now, then, light shoots along at the rate of 186, 000, 000 miles asecond. That is more than many times around the earth in a secondof time. So we have sound, one kind of wave motion, or energy; wehave light, a higher degree of vibration or wave motion, and thenwe come to electricity--and nobody has ever yet exactly measuredthe intensity or speed of the electric vibrations. "

"But what I'm getting at is this--that electricity must travelpretty nearly as fast as light--if not faster. So I believe thatelectricity and light have about the same kind of vibrations, orwave motion. "

"Now, then, if they do have--and I admit it's up to me to proveit, " went on Tom, earnestly--"why can't I send light-waves over awire, as well as electrical waves?"

Mr. Swift was silent for a moment. Then he said, slowly:

"Well, Tom, I never heard it argued just that way before. Maybethere's something in your photo telephone after all. But it neverhas been done. You can't deny that!"

He looked at his son triumphantly. It was not because he wanted toget the better of him in argument, that Mr. Swift held to his ownviews; but he wanted to bring out the best that was in hisoffspring. Tom accepted the challenge instantly. 

"Yes, Dad, it has been done, in a way!" he said, earnestly. "Noone has sent a picture over a telephone wire, as far as I know, but during the recent hydroplane tests at Monte Carlo, photographstaken of some of the events in the morning, and afternoon, weredeveloped in the evening, and transmitted over five hundred milesof wire to Paris, and those same photographs were published in theParis newspapers the next morning. "

"Is that right, Tom?"

"It certainly is. The photographs weren't so very clear, but youcould make out what they were. Of course that is a differentsystem than the one I'm thinking of. In that case they took aphotograph, and made a copper plate of it, as they would for ahalf-tone illustration. This gave them a picture with ridges anddepressions in copper, little hills and valleys, so to speak, according to whether there were light or dark tints in thepicture. The dark places meant that the copper lines stood uphigher there than where there were light colors. "

"Now, by putting this copper plate on a wooden drum, and revolvingthis drum, with an electrical needle pressing lightly on theridges of copper, they got a varying degree of electrical current. Where the needle touched a high place in the copper plate thecontact was good, and there was a strong current. When the needlegot to a light place in the copper--a depression, so to speak--thecontact was not so good, and there was only a weak current. "

"At the receiving end of the apparatus there was a sensitized filmplaced on a similar wooden drum. This was to receive the imagethat came over the five hundred miles of wire. Now then, as theelectrical needle, moving across the copper plate, made electricalcontacts of different degrees of strength, it worked a delicategalvanometer on the receiving end. The galvanometer caused a beamof light to vary--to grow brighter or dimmer, according as theelectrical current was stronger or weaker. And this light, fallingon the sensitive plate, made a picture, just like the one on thecopper plate in Monte Carlo. "

"In other words, where the copper plate was black, showing thatconsiderable printing ink was needed, the negative on the otherend was made light. Then when that negative was printed it wouldcome out black, because more light comes through the light placeson a photograph negative than through the dark places. And so, with the galvanometer making light flashes on the sensitive plate, the galvanometer being governed by the electrical contacts fivehundred miles away, they transmitted a photograph by wire. "

"But not a telephone wire, Tom. "

"That doesn't make any difference, Dad. It was a wire just thesame. But I'm not going into that just now, though later I maywant to send photographs by wire. What I'm aiming at is to make anapparatus so that when you go into a telephone booth to talk to afriend, you can see him and he can see you, on a speciallyprepared plate that will be attached to the telephone. "

"You mean see him as in a looking-glass, Tom?"

"Somewhat, yes. Though I shall probably use a metal plate insteadof glass. It will be just as if you were talking over a telephonein an open field, where you could see the other party and he couldsee you. "

"But how are you going to do it, Tom?"

"Well, I haven't quite decided. I shall probably have to use themetal called selenium, which is very sensitive to light, and whichmakes a good or a poor electrical conductor according as more orless light falls on it. After all, a photograph is only lights andshadows, fixed on sensitive paper or films. "

"Well, Tom, maybe you can do it, and maybe you can't. I admityou've used some good arguments, " said Mr. Swift. "But then, itall comes down to this: What good will it be if you can succeed insending a picture over a telephone wire?"

"What good, Dad? Why, lots of good. Just think how important itwill be in business, if you can make sure that you are talking tothe party you think you are. As it is now, unless you know theperson's voice, you can't tell that the man on the other end ofthe wire is the person he says he is. And even a voice can beimitated. "

"But if you know the person yourself, he can't be imitated. If yousee him, as well as hear his voice, you are sure of what you aredoing. Why, think of the big business deals that could be madeover the telephone if the two parties could not only hear but seeeach other. It would be a dead sure thing then. And Mr. Brownwouldn't have to take Mr. Smith's word that it was he who wastalking. He could even get witnesses to look at the wire-image ifhe wanted to, and so clinch the thing. It will prevent a lot offrauds. "

"Well, Tom, maybe you're right. Go ahead. I'll say no more againstyour plans. I wish you all success, and if I can help you, call onme. "

"Thanks, Dad. I knew you'd feel that way when you understood. NowI'm going--"

But what Tom Swift was going to do he did not say just then, forabove the heads of father and son sounded a rattling, crashingnoise, and the whole house seemed to shake Then the voice ofEradicate was heard yelling:

"Good land! Good land ob massy! Come out yeah, Massa Tom! Comeright out yeah! Dere's a man on de roof an' he am all tangled upsuthin' scandalous! Come right out yeah befo' he falls andtranslocates his neck! Come on!"

CHAPTER II

BAD NEWS

With startled glances at each other, Tom and his father rushedfrom the library to the side of the house, whence came the criesof Eradicate. 

"What is it, Rad! what is it?" questioned Tom. 

"Is someone hurt?" Mr. Swift wanted to know. 

"He mighty soon will be!" exclaimed the colored man. "Look wherehe am holdin' on! Lucky fo' him he grabbed dat chimbley!"

Tom and his father looked to where Eradicate pointed, and saw astrange sight. A small biplane-airship had become entangled insome of the aerials of Tom's wireless apparatus, and the craft hadturned turtle, being held from falling by some of the wire braces. 

The birdman had fallen out, but had managed to cling to thechimney, so that he had not reached the ground, and there heclung, while the motor of his airship was banging away, andrevolving the propeller blades dangerously close to his head. 

"Are you hurt?" cried Tom, to the unknown birdman. 

"No, but I'm likely to be unless I get out of here!" was thegasped-out answer. 

"Hold fast!" cried Tom. "We'll have you down in a jiffy. Here, Rad, you get the long ladder. Where's Koku? That giant is neveraround when he's wanted. Find Koku, Rad, and send him here. "

"Yas, sah, Massa Tom; directly, sah!" and the colored man hastenedoff as fast as his aged legs would take him. 

And while preparations are thus under way to rescue the birdmanfrom the roof, I will take just a few minutes to tell you a littlesomething more about Tom Swift and his numerous inventions, as setforth in the previous books of this series. 

"Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle" was the first book, and in that Irelated how Tom made the acquaintance of a Mr. Wakefield Damon, ofthe neighboring town of Waterford, and how Tom bought thatgentleman's motor cycle, after it had tried to climb a tree withits rider in the saddle. Mr. Wakefield Damon was an odd man, whosefavorite expression was "Bless my shoelaces!" or something equallyabsurd. Waterford was not far from Shopton, where Tom and hisfather made their home. 

Mr. Swift was also an inventor of note, and Tom soon followed inhis father's footsteps. They lived in a large house, with manyshops about it, for their work at times required much machinery. 

Mrs. Baggert was the housekeeper who looked after Tom and hisfather, and got their meals, when they consented to take enoughtime from their inventive work to eat. Another member of thehousehold was Eradicate Sampson, a genial old colored man, whosaid he was named Eradicate because he used to eradicate the dirtabout the place. 

Koku, just referred to by Tom, was an immense man, a veritablegiant, whom Tom had brought back with him from one of his trips, after escaping from captivity. The young inventor really broughttwo giants, brothers they were, but one had gone to a museum, andthe other took service with our hero, making himself very usefulwhen it came to lifting heavy machinery. 

Tom had a close friend in Ned Newton, who was employed in theShopton bank. Another friend was Miss Mary Nestor, a young ladywhose life Tom had once saved. He had many other friends, and someenemies, whom you will meet from time to time in this story. 

After Tom had had many adventures on his motor cycle he acquired amotor boat, and in that he and Ned went through some strenuoustimes on Lake Carlopa, near Tom's home. Then followed an airship, for Tom got that craze, and in the book concerning that machine Irelated some of the things that happened to him. He had even morewonderful adventures in his submarine, and with his electricrunabout our hero was instrumental in saving a bank from ruin bymaking a trip in the speediest car on the road. 

After Tom Swift had sent his wireless message, and saved thecastaways of Earthquake Island, he thought he would give up hisinventive work for a time, and settle down to a life of ease andquiet. 

But the call of the spirit of adventure was still too strong forhim to resist. That was why he sought out the diamond makers, andlearned the secret of Phantom Mountain. And when he went to theCaves of Ice, and there saw his airship wrecked, Tom was well-nighdiscouraged, But he managed to get back to civilization, and laterundertook a journey to elephant land, with his powerful electricrifle. 

Marvelous adventures underground did Tom Swift have when he wentto the City of Gold, and I have set down some of them in the bookbearing the latter title. Later on he sought the platinum treasurein his air glider. And when Tom was taken captive, in giant land, only his speedy airship saved him from a hard fate. 

By this time moving pictures were beginning to occupy a largeplace in the scientific, as well as the amusement world, and Tominvented a Wizard Camera which did excellent work. Then came theneed of a powerful light, to enable Uncle Sam's custom officers onthe border to detect the smugglers, and Tom was successful inmaking his apparatus. 

He thought he would take a rest after that, but with the openingof the Panama Canal came the need of powerful guns to protect thatimportant waterway, and Tom made a Giant Cannon, which enabled thelongest shots on record to be fired. 

Now, some months had passed, after the successful trial of the bigweapon, and Tom longed for new activities. He found them in theidea of a photo telephone, and he and his father were just talkingof this when interrupted by the accident to the birdman on theroof of the Swift home. 

"Have you got that ladder, Rad?" cried the young inventor, anxiously, as he saw the dangerous position of the man from theairship. 

"Yas, sah, Massa Tom! I'se a-camin' wif it!"

"And where's Koku? We'll need him!"

"He's a-camin', too!"

"Here Koku!" exclaimed a deep voice, and a big man came runningaround the corner of the house. "What is it, Master?"

"We must get him down, Koku!" said Tom, simply. "I will go up onthe roof. You had better come, too. Rad, go in the house and get amattress from the bed. Put it down on the ground where he's likelyto fall. Lively now!"

"Yas, sah, Massa Tom!"

"Me git my own ladder--dat one not strong 'nuff!" grunted Koku, who did not speak very good English. He had a very strong ladder, of his own make, built to hold his enormous bulk, and this he soonbrought and placed against the side of the house. 

Meanwhile Tom and his father had raised the one Eradicate hadbrought, though Tom did most of the lifting, for his father waselderly, and had once suffered from heart trouble. 

"We're coming for you!" cried the young inventor as he began toascend the ladder, at the same time observing that the giant wascoming with his. "Can you hold on a little longer?"

"Yes, I guess so. But I dare not move for fear the propellers willstrike me. "

"I see. I'll soon shut off the motor, " said Tom. "What happened, anyhow?"

"Well, I was flying over your house. I was on my way to pay you avisit, but I didn't intend to do it in just this way, " and thebirdman smiled grimly. "I didn't see your wireless aerials until Iwas plumb into them, and then it was too late. I hope I haven'tdamaged them any. "

"Oh, they are easily fixed, " said Tom. "I hope you and yourbiplane are not damaged. This way, Koku!" he called to the giant. 

"Say, is--is he real, or am I seeing things?" asked the aviator, as he looked at the big man. 

"Oh, he's real, all right, " laughed Tom. "Now, then, I'm going toshut off your motor, and then you can quit hugging that chimney, and come down. "

"I'll be real glad to, " said the birdman. 

Making his way cautiously along the gutters of the roof, Tommanaged to reach the motor controls. He pulled out the electricalswitch, and with a sort of cough and groan the motor stopped. Thebig propellers ceased revolving, and the aviator could leave hisperch in safety. 

This he did, edging along until he could climb down and meet Tom, who stood near the ladder. 

"Much obliged, " said the birdman, as he shook hands with Tom. "Myname is Grant Halling. I'm a newcomer in Mansburg, " he added, naming a town not far from Shopton. "I know you by reputation, soyou don't need to introduce yourself. "

"Glad to meet you, " said the young inventor, cordially. "Rather aqueer place to meet a friend, " he went on with a laugh and aglance down to the ground. "Can you climb?"

"Oh, yes, I'm used to that. The next thing will be to get mymachine down. "

"Oh, we can manage that with Koku's help, " spoke Tom. "Koku, getsome ropes, and see what you and Rad can do toward getting theaeroplane down, " he added to the giant. "Let me know if you needany help. "

"Me can do!" exclaimed the big man. "Me fix him!"

Tom and Mr. Halling made their way down the ladder, while thegiant proceeded to study out a plan for getting the airship offthe roof. 

"You say you were coming over to see me, when you ran into mywireless aerials?" asked Tom, curiously, when he had introducedhis father to the birdman. 

"Yes, " went on Mr. Halling. "I have been having some trouble withmy motor, and I thought perhaps you could tell me what was wrong. My friend, Mr. Wakefield Damon, sent me to you. "

"What! Do you know Mr. Damon?" cried Tom. 

"I've known' him for some years. I met him in the West, but Ihadn't seen him lately, until I came East. He sent me to see you, and said you would help me. "

"Well, any friend of Mr. Damon's is a friend of mine!" exclaimedTom, genially. "I'll have a look at your machine as soon as Kokugets it down. How is Mr. Damon, anyhow? I haven't seen him in overtwo weeks. "

"I'm sorry to say he isn't very well, Mr. Swift. "

"Is he ill? What is the trouble?"

"He isn't exactly ill, " went on Mr. Halling, "but he is frettinghimself into a sickness, worrying over his lost fortune. "

"His lost fortune!" cried Tom, in surprise at the bad newsconcerning his friend. "I didn't know he had lost his money!"

"He hasn't yet, but he's in a fair way to, he says. It's somethingabout bad investments, and he did speak of the trickery of oneman, I didn't get the particulars. But he certainly feels verybadly over it. "

"I should think he would, " put in Mr. Swift. "Tom, we must lookinto this. If we can help Mr. Damon--"

"We certainly will, " interrupted Tom. "Now come in the house, Mr. Halling. I'm sure you must be quite shaken up by your upset. "

"I am, to tell you the truth, though it isn't the first accidentI've had in my airship. "

They were proceeding toward the house, when there came a cry fromKoku, who had fastened a rope about the airship to lower it. 

"Master! Master!" cried the giant. "The rope am slippin'. Grab theend of it!"

CHAPTER III

TOM'S FAILURE

"Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning', he saw the accidentabout to happen. "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slipsto the ground, Mr. Halling!"

"You're right! This seems to be my unlucky day!" The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a ropetrailed on the ground. Koku had fastened one end to the airship, and had taken a turn of the cable about the chimney. He had beenlowering the biplane to the ground, but he had not allowed for itsgreat weight, and the rope had slipped from his big hands. 

But Tom and Mr. Halling were just in time. They grabbed theslipping hempen strands, and thus checked the falling craft untilKoku could get a better grip. 

"All right now, " said the giant, when he had made fast the rope. "Me fix now. Master can go. "

"Think he can lower it?" asked Mr. Halling, doubtfully. 

"Oh, surely, " said Tom. "Koku's as strong as a horse. You needn'tworry. He'll get it down all right. But you are limping. "

"Yes, I jammed my leg a little. "

"Don't you want a doctor?"

"Oh, no, not for a little thing like that. "

But Tom insisted on looking at his new friend's wound, and foundquite a cut on the thigh, which the young inventor insisted onbinding up. 

"That feels better, " said the birdman, as he stretched out on acouch. "Now if you can look my machine over, and tell me what'sthe matter with it, I'll be much obliged to you, and I'll get onmy way. "

"Not quite so fast as that!" laughed Tom. "I wouldn't want to seeyou start off with your lame leg, and certainly I would not wantto see you use your aircraft after what she's gone through, untilwe've given her a test. You can't tell what part you might havestrained. "

"Well, I suppose you are right. But I think I'd better go to ahotel, or send for an auto and go home. "

"Now you needn't do anything of the kind, " spoke Tom, hospitably. "We've got lots of room here, and for that matter we have plentyof autos and airships, too, as well as a motor boat. You just restyourself here. Later we'll look over your craft. "

After dinner, when Mr. Halling said he felt much better, Tomagreed to go out with him and look at the airship. As he feared, he found several things the matter with it, in addition to themotor trouble which had been the cause for Mr. Halling's call onthe young inventor. 

"Can she be fixed?" asked the birdman, who explained that, as yet, he was only an amateur in the practice of flying. 

"Oh, yes, we can fix her up for you, " said Tom. "But it will takeseveral days. You'll have to leave it here. "

"Well, I'll be glad to do that, for I know she will be all thebetter when you get through with her. But I think I am able to goon home now, and I really ought to. There is some business I mustattend to. "

"Speaking of business, " remarked Tom, "can you tell me anythingmore of Mr. Damon's financial troubles?"

"No, not much. All I know is that when I called on him the otherday I found him with his check book out, and he was doing a lot offiguring. He looked pretty blue and downcast, I can tell you. "

"I'm sorry about that, " spoke Tom, musingly. "Mr. Damon is a verygood friend of mine, and I'd do anything to help him. I certainlywouldn't like to see him lose his fortune. Bad investments, yousay it was?"

"Partly so, and yet I'm inclined to think if he does lose hismoney it will be due to some trickery. Mr. Damon is not the man tomake bad investments by himself. "

"Indeed he is not, " agreed Tom. "You say he spoke of some man?"

"Yes, but not definitely. He did not mention any name. But Mr. Damon was certainly quite blue. "

"That's unlike him, " remarked Tom. "He is usually very jolly. Hemust be feeling quite badly. I'll go over and have a talk withhim, as soon as I can. "

"Do. I think he would appreciate it. And now I must see aboutgetting home. "

"I'll take you in one of my cars, " said Tom, who had severalautomobiles. "I don't want to see you strain that injured leg ofyours. "

"You're very good--especially after I tangled up your wirelessaerials; but I didn't see them until I was right into them, "apologized Mr. Halling. 

"They're a new kind of wire, " said Tom, "and are not very plain tosee. I must put up some warning signs. But don't worry aboutdamaging them. They were only up temporarily anyhow, and I wasgoing to take them down to arrange for my photo telephone. "

"Photo telephone, eh? Is that something new?"

"It will be--if I can get it working, " said Tom, with a smile. 

A little later Tom had taken Mr. Halling home, and then he setabout making arrangements for repairing the damaged airship. Thistook him the better part of a week, but he did not regret thetime, for while he was working he was busy making plans for hisnewest invention--the photo telephone. 

One afternoon, when Tom had completed the repairs to the airship, and had spent some time setting up an experimental telephone line, the young inventor received a call from his chum, Ned Newton. 

"Well, well, what are you up to now?" asked Ned, as he saw hischum seated in a booth, with a telephone receiver to his ear, meanwhile looking steadily at a polished metal plate in front ofhim. "Trying to hypnotize yourself, Tom?"

"Not exactly. Quiet, Ned, please. I'm trying to listen. "

Ned was too familiar with his chum's work to take offense at this. The young banker took a seat on a box, and silently watched Tom. The inventor shifted several switches, pressed one button afteranother, and tilted the polished metal plate at different angles. Then he closed the door of the little telephone booth, and Ned, through the ground glass door, saw a light shining. 

"I wonder what new game Tom is up to?" Ned mused. 

Presently the door opened, and Tom stuck out his head. 

"Ned, come here, " he invited. "Look at that metal plate and see ifyou can notice anything on it. I've been staring at it so steadilythat my eyes are full of sticks. See what you can make out. "

"What is this?" asked Ned. "No trick; is it? I won't be blown up, or get my eyes full of pepper; will I?"

"Nonsense! Of course not. I'm trying to make a photo telephone. Ihave the telephone part down pat, but I can't see anything of thephoto image. See if you can. "

Ned stared at the polished plate, while Tom did things to it, making electrical connections, and tilting it at various angles. 

"See anything, Ned?" asked Tom. 

The other shook his head. 

"Whom am I supposed to see?" he asked. 

"Why, Koku is at the other end of the wire. I'm having him helpme. "

Ned gazed from the polished plate out of a side window of theshop, into the yard. 

"Well, that Koku is certainly a wonderful giant, " said Ned, with alaugh. 

"How so?" asked Tom. 

"Why he can not be in two places at once. You say he ought to beat the other end of this wire, and there he is out there, spadingup the garden. "

Tom stared for a second and then exclaimed:

"Well, if that isn't the limit! I put him in the telephone boothin the machine shop, and told him to stay there until I wasthrough. What in the world is he doing out there?"

"Koku!" he called to the giant, "why didn't you stay at thetelephone where I put you? Why did you run away?"

"Ha!" exclaimed the giant, who, for all his great size was asimple chap, "little thing go 'tick-tick' and then 'clap-clap!'Koku no like--Koku t'ink bad spirit in telumfoam--Koku come out!"

"Well, no wonder I couldn't see any image on the plate!" exclaimedTom. "There was nobody there. Now, Ned, you try it; will you, please?"

"Sure. Anything to oblige!"

"Then go in the other telephone booth. You can talk to me on thewire. Say anything you like--the telephone part is all right. Thenyou just stand so that the light in the booth shines on your face. The machine will do the rest--if it works. "

Ned hurried off and was soon talking to his chum over the wirefrom the branch telephone in the machine shop. Ned stood in theglare of an electric light, and looked at a polished plate similarto the one in the other booth. 

"Are you there, Ned?" asked Tom. 

"Yes, I'm here. "

"Is the light on?"

"Yes. "

"And you're looking at the plate?"

"Sure. Can you see any reflection in your plate?"

"No, not a thing, " answered Tom, and there was greatdiscouragement in his voice. "The thing is a failure, Ned. Come onback, " and the young banker could hear his chum hang up thetelephone receiver at the other end. 

"That's too bad, " murmured Ned, knowing how Tom must feel. "I'llhave to cheer him up a bit. "

CHAPTER IV

RUN DOWN

When Ned Newton got back to where Tom sat in the small telephonebooth, the young banker found his chum staring rather moodily atthe polished metal plate on the shelf that held the talkinginstrument. 

"So it was no go; eh, Tom?"

"No go at all, Ned, and I thought sure I had it right this time. "

"Then this isn't your first experiment?"

"Land no! I've been at it, off and on, for over a month, and Ican't seem to get any farther. I'm up against a snag now, good andhard. "

"Then there wasn't any image on your plate?"

"Not a thing, Ned. I don't suppose you caught any glimpse of me inyour plate?" asked Tom, half hopefully. 

"No. I couldn't see a thing. So you are going to try and make thisthing work both ways, are you?"

"That's my intention, But I can fix it so that a person cancontrol the apparatus at his end, and only see the person he istalking to, not being seen himself, unless he wishes it. That is, I hope to do that. Just now nobody can see anybody, " and Tomsighed. 

"Give it up, " advised Ned. "It's too hard a nut to crack, Tom!"

"Indeed, I'll not give it up, Ned! I'm going to work along a newline. I must try a different solution of selenium on the metalplate. Perhaps I may have to try using a sensitized plate, anddevelop it later, though I do want to get the machine down so youcan see a perfect image without the need of developing. And Iwill, too!" cried Tom. "I'll get some new selenium. "

Eradicate, who came into the shop just then, heard the end ofTom's remarks. A strange look came over his honest black face, andhe exclaimed:

"What all am dat, Massa Tom? Yo'ah gwine t' bring de new milleniumheah? Dat's de end of de world, ain't it-dat millenium? Golly!Dish yeah coon neber 'spected t' lib t' see dat. De millenium! Ohmah landy!"

"No, Rad!" laughed Tom. "I was speaking about selenium, a sort ofmetallic combination that is a peculiar conductor of electricity. The more light that shines on it the better conductor it is, andthe less light, the poorer. "

"It must be queer stuff, " said Ned. 

"It is, " declared Tom. "I think it is the only thing to use inthis photo telephone experiment, though I might try the metalplate method, as they did between Monte Carlo and Paris. But I amnot trying to make newspaper pictures. "

"What is selenium, anyhow?" asked Ned. "Remember, Tom, I'm not upon this scientific stuff as you are. "

"Selenium, " went on Tom, "was discovered in 1817, by J. J. Berzelius, and he gave it that name from the Greek word for moon, on account of selenium being so similar, in some ways, totellurium. That last is named after the Latin word tellus, theearth. "

"Do they dig it?" Ned wanted to know. 

"Well, sometimes selenium is found in combination with metals, inthe form of selenides, the more important minerals of that kindbeing eucharite, crooksite, clausthalite, naumannite and zorgite--"

"Good night!" interrupted Ned, with a laugh, holding up his hands. "Stop it, Tom!" he pleaded. "You'll give me a headache with allthose big words. "

"Oh, they're easy, once you get used to them, " said the younginventor, with a smile. "Perhaps it will be easier if I say thatsometimes selenium is found in native sulphur. Selenium is usuallyobtained from the flue-dust or chamber deposits of some factorywhere sulphuric acid is made. They take this dust and treat itwith acids until they get the pure selenium. Sometimes seleniumcomes in crystal forms, and again it is combined with variousmetals for different uses. "

"There's one good thing about it. There are several varieties, andI'll try them all before I give up. "

"That's the way to talk!" cried Ned. "Never say die! Don't give upthe ship, and all that. But, Tom, what you need now is a littlefun. You've been poking away at this too long. Come on out on thelake, and have a ride in the motor boat. It will do you good. Itwill do me good. I'm a bit rusty myself--been working hard lately. Come on--let's go out on the lake. "

"I believe I will!" exclaimed Tom, after thinking it over for amoment. "I need a little fresh air. Sitting in that telephonebooth, trying to get an image on a plate, and not succeeding, hasgotten on my nerves. I want to write out an order for Koku to taketo town, though. I want to get some fresh selenium, and then I'mgoing to make new plates. "

Tom made some memoranda, and then, giving Koku the order for thechemist, the young inventor closed up his shop, and went with Neddown to Lake Carlopa, where the motor boat was moored. 

This was not the same boat Tom had first purchased, some yearsago, but a comparatively new and powerful craft. 

"It sure is one grand little day for a ride, " remarked Ned, as hegot in the craft, while Tom looked over the engine. 

"Yes, I'm glad you came over, and routed me out, " said the younginventor. "When I get going on a thing I don't know enough tostop. Oh, I forgot something!"

"What?" asked Ned. 

"I forgot to leave word about Mr. Railing's airship. It's allfixed and ready for him, but I put on a new control, and I wantedto explain to him about it. He might not know how to work it. Ileft word with father, though, that if he came for it he must nottry it until he had seen me. I guess it will be all right. I don'twant to go back to the house now. "

"No, it's too far, " agreed Ned. 

"I have it!" exclaimed Tom. "I'll telephone to dad from here, notto let Halling go up until I come back. He may not come for hismachine; but, if he does, it's best to be on the safe side Ned. "

"Oh, sure. "

Accordingly, Tom 'phoned from his boat-house, and Mr. Swiftpromised to see the bird-man if he called. Then Ned and Tom gavethemselves up to the delights of a trip on the water. 

The Kilo, which name Tom had selected for his new craft, was apowerful boat, and comfortable. It swept on down the lake, andmany other persons, in their pleasure craft, turned to look atTom's fine one. 

"Lots of folks out to-day, " observed Ned, as they went around apoint of the shore. 

"Yes, quite a number, " agreed Tom, leaning forward to adjust themotor. "I wonder what's got into her?" he said, in some annoyance, as he made various adjustments. "One of the cylinders is missing. "

"Maybe it needs a new spark plug, " suggested Ned. 

"Maybe. Guess I'll stop and put one in. "

Tom slowed down the motor, and headed his boat over toward shore, intending to tie up there for a while. 

As he shifted the wheel he heard a cry behind him, and at the sametime a hoarse, domineering voice called out:

"Here, what do you mean, changing your course that way? Look out, or I'll run you down! Get out of my way, you land-lubber, you!"

Startled, Ned and Tom turned. They saw, rushing up on them fromastern, a powerful red motor boat, at the wheel of which sat astout man, with a very florid face and a commanding air. 

"Get out of my way!" he cried. "I can't stop so short! Look out, or I'll run you down!"

Tom, with a fierce feeling of resentment at the fellow, was aboutto shift the course of the Kilo, but he was too late. 

A moment later there came a smashing blow on the stern portquarter and the Kilo heeled over at a dangerous angle, while, witha rending, splintering sound of wood, the big red motorboat swepton past Tom and Ned, her rubstreak grinding along the side of theKilo. 

CHAPTER V

SHARP WORDS

"Great Scott, Tom! What happened?"

"I know as much as you, Ned. That fellow ran us down, that's all. "

"Are we leaking?" and with this question Ned sprang from his placenear the bow, and looked toward the stern, where the heaviest blowhad been struck. 

The Kilo had swung back to an even keel again, but was stillbobbing about on the water. 

"Any hole there?" cried Tom, as he swung the wheel over to pointhis craft toward shore, in case she showed a tendency to sink. 

"I can't see any hole, " answered Ned. "But water is coming inhere. "

"Then there's a leak all right! Probably some of the seams areopened, or it may be coming in around the shaft stuffing-box. Here, Ned, take the wheel, and I'll start up the engine again, "for with the blow the motor had stopped. 

"What are you going to do?" asked Ned, as he again made his wayforward. 

"Take her to shore, of course. It's deep out here and I don't wanther to go down at this point. "

"Say, what do you think of that fellow, anyhow, Tom?"

"I wouldn't like to tell you. Look, he's coming back. "

This was so, for, as the boys watched, the big red motor boat hadswung about in a circle and was headed for them. 

"I'll tell him what I think of him, at any rate, " murmured Tom, ashe bent over his motor. "And, later on, I'll let the lawyers talkto him. "

"You mean you'll sue him, Tom?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let him run into me and spring aleak, for nothing. That won't go with me!"

By this time Tom had the motor started, but he throttled it downso that it just turned the propeller. With it running at fullspeed there was considerable vibration, and this would furtheropen the leaking seams. So much water might thus be let in thatthe craft could not be gotten ashore. 

"Head her over, Ned, " cried Tom, when he found he had sufficientheadway. "Steer for Ramsey's dock. There's a marine railway nextto him, and I can haul her out for repairs. "

"That's the talk, Tom!" cried his chum. 

By this time the big, red motor boat was close beside Tom's craft. 

The man at the wheel, a stout-bodied and stout-faced man, with acomplexion nearly the color of his boat, glared at the two youngmen. 

"What do you fellows mean?" called out the man, in deep boomingtones--tones that he tried to make imposing, but which, to thetrained ears of Tom and Ned, sounded only like the enraged bellowof some bully. "What do you mean, I say? Getting on my course likethat!"

Ned could see Tom biting his lips, and clenching his hands to keepdown his temper. But it was too much. To be run into, and theninsulted, was more than Tom could stand. 

"Look here!" he cried, standing up and facing the red-faced man, "I don't know who you are, and I don't care. But I'll tell you onething--you'll pay for the damage you did to my boat!"

"I'll pay for it? Come, that's pretty good! Ha! Ha!" laughed theself-important man. "Why, I was thinking of making a complaintagainst you for crossing my course that way. If I find my boat isdamaged I shall certainly do so anyhow. Have we suffered anydamage, Snuffin?" and he looked back at a grimy-faced mechinicianwho was oiling the big, throbbing motor, which was now runningwith the clutch out. 

"No, sir, I don't think we're damaged, sir, " answered the man, deferentially. 

"Well, it's a lucky thing for these land-lubbers that we aren't. Ishould certainly sue them. The idea of crossing my course the waythey did. Weren't they in the wrong, Snuffin?"

The man hesitated for a moment, and glanced at Tom and Ned, asthough asking their indulgence. 

"Well, I asked you a question, Snuffin!" exclaimed the red-facedman sharply. 

"Yes--yes, sir, they shouldn't have turned the way they did, "answered the man, in a low voice. 

"Well, of all the nerve!" murmured Tom, and stopped his motor. Then, stepping to the side of his disabled and leaking boat, heexclaimed:

"Look here! Either you folks don't know anything about navigationrules, or you aren't heeding them. I had a perfect right to turnand go ashore when I did, for I found my engine was out of order, and I wanted to fix it. I blew the usual signal on the whistle, showing my intention to turn off my course, and if you had beenlistening you would have heard it. "

"If you had even been watching you would have seen me shift, andthen, coming on at the speed you did, it was your place to warn meby a whistle, so that I could keep straight on until you hadpassed me. "

"But you did not. You kept right on and ran into me, and the onlywonder is that you didn't sink me. Talk about me getting in yourway! Why, you deliberately ran me down after I had given the rightsignal. I'll make a complaint against you, that's what I will. "

If possible the red-faced man got even more rosy than usual. Hefairly puffed up, he was so angry. 

"Listen to that, will you, Snuffin!" he cried. "Listen to that! Hesays he blew his whistle to tell us he was going to turn in. "

"That's what I did!" said Tom, calmly. 

"Preposterous! Did you hear it, Snuffin?" puffed the importantman. 

"Yes--yes, I think I did, sir, " answered the machinist, in ahesitating voice. 

"You did? What! You mean to tell me you heard their whistle?"

"Yes--yes, sir!"

"Why--why--er--I--" the big man puffed and blew, but seemed tofind no words in which to express himself. "Snuffin, I'll have atalk with you when we get home, " he finally said, most significantly. "The idea of saying you heard a whistle blown! There was nothing ofthe kind! I shall make a complaint against these land-lubbers myself. Do you know who they are, Snuffin?"

"Yes--yes, sir, " was the answer, as the man glanced at Tom. "Atleast I know one of them, sir. "

"Very good. Give me his name. I'll attend to the rest. "

Tom looked at the big man sharply. He had never seen him before, as far as he could recall. As for the machinist, the younginventor had a dim recollection that once the man might haveworked in his shop. 

"Go ahead, Snuffin!" said the big man, mopping his face with alarge silk handkerchief, which, even at that distance, gave out apowerful perfume. "Go ahead, Snuffin, and we will settle thismatter later, " and, adjusting a large rose in his buttonhole, theself-important individual took his place on the cushioned seat atthe wheel, while the big red motor boat drew off down the river. 

"Well, of all the nerve!" gasped Ned. "Isn't he the limit?"

"Never mind, " spoke Tom, with a little laugh. "I'm sorry I lost mytemper, and even bothered to answer him. We'll let the lawyers dothe rest of the talking. Take the wheel, Ned. "

"But are you going to let him get away like this, Tom? Withoutasking him to pay for the damage to your boat, when he was clearlyin the wrong?"

"Oh, I'll ask him to pay all right; but I'll do it the proper way. Now come on. If we stay here chinning much longer the Kilo will godown. I must find out who he is. I think I know Snuffin--he usedto work for me, I now recall. "

"Don't you know who that big man is?" asked Ned, as he took thewheel, while Tom again started the motor. The water was now almostup to the lower rim of the fly wheel. 

"No; who is he?" asked Tom. 

"Shallock Peters. "

"Well, I know as much as I did before, " laughed Tom. "That doesn'ttell me anything. "

"Why, I thought everybody in the town knew Shallock Peters, " wenton Ned. "He tried to do some business with our bank, but wasturned down. I hear he's gone to the other one, though. He's whatwe call a get-rich-quick schemer, Tom--a promoter. "

"I thought he acted like that sort of a character. "

"Well, that's what he is. He's got half a dozen schemes under way, and he hasn't been in town over a month. I wonder you haven't seenor heard of him. "

"I've been too busy over my photo telephone. "

"I suppose so. Well, this fellow Peters struck Shopton about amonth ago. He bought the old Wardell homestead, and began to showoff at once. He's got two autos, and this big motor boat. Healways goes around with a silk hat and a flower in his buttonhole. A big bluff--that's what he is. "

"He acted so to me, " was Tom's comment. "Well, he isn't going toscare me. The idea! Why, he seemed to think we were in the wrong;whereas he was, and his man knew it, too. "

"Yes, but the poor fellow was afraid to say so. I felt sorry forhim. "

"So did I, " added Tom. "Well, Kilo is out of commission for thepresent. Guess we'll have to finish our outing by walking, Ned. "

"Oh, I don't mind. But it makes me mad to have a fellow act theway he did. "

"Well, there's no good in getting mad, " was Tom's smilingrejoinder. "We'll take it out of him legally. That's the best wayin the end. But I can't help saying I don't like Mr. ShallockPeters. "

"And I don't either, " added Ned. 

CHAPTER VI

A WARNING

"There, she's about right now, Ned. Hold her there!"

"Aye, aye, Captain Tom!"

"Jove, she's leaking like a sieve! We only got her here just intime!"

"That's right, " agreed Ned. 

Tom and his chum had managed to get the Kilo to Ramsey's dock, andover the ways of the inclined marine railway that led from theshop on shore down into the river. Then, poling the craft along, until she was in the "cradle, " Ned held her there while Tom wenton shore to wind up the windlass that pulled the car, containingthe boat, up the incline. 

"I'll give you a hand, as soon as I find she sets level, " calledNed, from his place in the boat. 

"All right--don't worry. There are good gears on this windlass, and she works easy, " replied Tom. 

In a short time the boat was out of the water, but, as Tom grimlyremarked, "the water was not out of her, " for a stream poured fromthe stuffing-box, through which the propeller shaft entered, andwater also ran out through the seams that had been opened by thecollision. 

"Quite a smash, Tom, " observed the boat repairer, when he had comeout to look over the Kilo. "How'd it happen?"

"Oh, Shallock Peters, with his big red boat, ran into us!" saidNed, sharply. 

"Ha, Peters; eh?" exclaimed the boatman. "That's the second crafthe's damaged inside a week with his speed mania. There's BertJohnson's little speeder over there, " and he pointed to one overwhich some men were working. "Had to put a whole new stern in her, and what do you think that man Peters did?"

"What?" asked Tom, as he bent down to see how much damage hiscraft had sustained. 

"He wouldn't pay young Johnson a cent of money for the repairs, "went on Mr. Houston, the boatman. "It was all Peters's fault, too. "

"Couldn't he make him pay?" asked Tom. 

"Well, young Johnson asked for it--no more than right, too; butPeters only sneered and laughed at him. "

"Why didn't he sue?" asked Ned. 

"Costs too much money to hire lawyers, I reckon. So he played youthe same trick; eh. Tom?"

"Pretty much, yes. But he won't get off so easily, I can tell youthat!" and there was a grim and determined look on the face of theyoung inventor. "How long will it take to fix my boat, Mr. Houston?"

"Nigh onto two weeks, Tom. I'm terrible rushed now. "

Tom whistled ruefully. 

"I could do it myself quicker, if I could get her back to myshop, " he said. "But she'd sink on the home trip. All right, dothe best you can, Mr. Houston. "

"I will that, Tom. "

The two chums walked out of the boat-repair place. 

"What are you going to do, Tom?" asked Ned, as they strolledalong. 

"Well, since we can't go motor boating, I guess I may as well goback and see if that new supply of selenium has come. I do want toget my photo telephone working, Ned. "

"And that's all the outing you're going to take--less than anhour!" exclaimed Ned, reproachfully. 

"Oh, well, all you wanted to do was to get me out of a rut, as youcalled it, " laughed Tom. "And you've done it--you and Mr. Peterstogether. It jolted up my brain, and I guess I can think betternow. Come on back and watch me tinker away, Ned. "

"Not much! I'm going to stay out and get some fresh air while Ican. You'd better, too. "

"I will, later. "

So Tom turned back to his workshop, and Ned strolled on into thecountry, for his day's work at the bank was over. And for sometime after that--until far into the night--Tom Swift worked at theknotty problem of the photo telephone. 

But the young inventor was baffled. Try as he might, he could notget the image to show on the metal plate, nor could he get anyresults by using a regular photographic plate, and developing itafterward. 

"There is something wrong with the transmission of the light wavesover the wire, " Tom confessed to his father. 

"You'll never do it, Tom, " said the aged inventor. "You are onlywasting a whole lot of time. "

"Well, as I haven't anything else to do now, it isn't much loss, "spoke Tom, ruefully. "But I'm going to make this work, Dad!"

"All right, son. It's up to you. Only I tell you it can't bedone. "

Tom, himself, was almost ready to admit this, when, a week later, he seemed to be no nearer a solution of the problem than he was atfirst. He had tried everything he could think of, and he hadEradicate and Koku, the giant, almost distracted, by making themstay in small telephone booths for hours at a time, while theyoung inventor tried to get some reflection of one face or theother to come over the wire. 

Koku finally got so nervous over the matter, that he flatlyrefused to "pose" any longer, so Tom was forced to use Eradicate. As for that elderly man of all work, after many trials, allunsuccessful, he remarked:

"Massa Tom, I reckon I knows what's wrong. "

"Yes, Rad? Well, what is it?"

"Mah face am too black--dat's de trouble. You done want awhite-complected gen'man to stand in dat booth an' look at dat lookin'glass plate. I'se too black! I suah is!"

"No, that isn't it, Rad, " laughed Tom, hopelessly. "If the thingworks at all it will send a black man's face over the wire as wellas a white man's. I guess the truth of it is that you're likeKoku. You're getting tired. I don't know as I blame you. I'mgetting a bit weary myself. I'm going to take a rest. I'll sendfor another kind of selenium crystals I've heard of, and we'll trythem. In the meanwhile--I'll take a little vacation. "

"Get out my small airship, Rad, and I'll take a little flight. "

"Dat's de way to talk, Massa Tom, " was the glad rejoinder. 

"I'm going over to see Mr. Damon, Father, " announced Tom to Mr. Swift a little later, when his speedy monoplane was waiting forhim. "I haven't seen him in some time, and I'd like to get at thetruth of what Mr. Halling said about Mr. Damon's fortune being indanger. I'll be back soon. "

"All right, Tom. And say--"

"Yes, Dad, what is it?" asked Tom, as he paused in the act ofgetting in the seat. 

"If he wants any ready cash, you know we've got plenty. "

"Oh, sure. I was going to tell him we'd help him out. "

Then, as Koku spun the propeller blades, Tom grasped the steeringwheel, and, tilting the elevating rudder, he was soon soaring intothe air, he and his craft becoming smaller and smaller as theywere lost to sight in the distance, while the rattle and roar ofthe powerful motor became fainter. 

In a comparatively short time Tom had made a successful landing inthe big yard in front of Mr. Damon's house, and, walking up thepath, kept a lookout for his friend. 

"I wonder why he didn't come out to meet me?" mused Tom, forusually when the eccentric man heard the throbbing of Tom's motor, he was out waiting for the young inventor. But this time it wasnot the case. 

"Is Mr. Damon in?" Tom asked of the maid who answered his ring. 

"Yes, Mr. Swift. You'll find him in the library, " and she usheredhim in. 

"Oh, hello, Tom, " greeted Mr. Damon, but the tone was so listless, and his friend's manner so gloomy that the young inventor wasquite embarrassed. 

"Have a chair, " went on Mr. Damon. "I'll talk to you in a minute, Tom. I've got to finish this letter, and it's a hard one to write, let me tell you. "

Now Tom was more astonished than ever. Not once had Mr. Damon"blessed, " anything, and when this did not happen Tom was suresomething was wrong. He waited until his friend had sealed theletter, and turned to him with a sigh. Then Tom said boldly:

"Mr. Damon, is it true that you're having hard luck--in moneymatters?"

"Why, yes, Tom, I'm afraid I am, " was the quick answer. "But whotold you?"

"Grant Halling. He was over to get me to fix his airship, " and Tombriefly related what had happened. 

"Oh, yes, I did mention the matter to him, " went on Mr. Damon, andhis tone was still listless. "So he told you; did he? Well, matters aren't any better, Tom. In fact, they're worse. I just hadto write to a man who was asking for help, and I had to refusehim, though he needs it very much. The truth is I hadn't themoney. Tom, I'm afraid I'm going to be a very poor man soon. "

"Impossible, Mr. Damon! Why, I thought your investments--"

"I've made some bad ones of late, Tom. I've been pretty foolish, I'm afraid. I drew out some money I had in government bonds, andinvested in certain stocks sold by a Mr. Shallock Peters. "

"Shallock Peters!" cried Tom, almost jumping out of his chair. "Why, I know him--I mean I've met him. "

"Have you, Tom? Well, then, all I've got to say is to steer clearof him, my boy. Don't have anything to do with him, " and, withsomething of a return of his usual energy Mr. Damon banged hisfist down on his desk. "Give him a wide berth, Tom, and if you seehim coming, turn your back. He'd talk a miser into giving him hislast cent. Keep away from Shallock Peters, Tom. Bless my necktie, he's a scoundrel, that's what he is!" and again Mr. Damon bangedhis desk forcibly. 

CHAPTER VII

SOFT WORDS

"Well, I'm glad of one thing!" exclaimed Tom, when the ink bottleand the paper cutter on Mr. Damon's desk had ceased rattling, because of the violence of the blow. "I'm glad of one thing. "

"What's that, Tom?" asked his friend. 

"I heard you bless something at last--the first time since I camein. "

"Oh!" and Mr. Damon laughed. "Well, Tom, I haven't been blessingthings lately--that's a fact. I haven't had the heart for it. There are too many business complications. I wish I'd never metthis Peters. "

"So do I, " said Tom. "My motor boat would not have been damagedthen. "

"Did he do that, Tom?"

"He certainly did, and then he accused me of being at fault. "

"That would be just like him. Tell me about it, Tom. "

When the young inventor finished the story of the collision Mr. Damon sat silent for a moment. Then he remarked slowly:

"That's just like Peters. A big bluff--that's what he is. I wishI'd discovered that fact sooner--I'd be money in pocket. But Iallowed myself to be deceived by his talk about big profits. Atfirst he seemed like a smart business man, and he certainly hadfine recommendations. But I am inclined to believe, now, that therecommendations were forged. "

"What did he do to you, Mr. Damon?" asked Tom, with readysympathy. 

"It's too complicated to go into details over, Tom, but to make along story short, he got me to invest nearly all my fortune insome enterprises that, I fear, are doomed to failure. And if theydo fail, I'll be a ruined man. "

"No, you won't!" exclaimed Tom. "That's one reason why I came hereto-day. Father told me to offer you all the ready money you neededto get out of your trouble. How much do you need, Mr. Damon?"

"Bless my collar button! That's like your father, Tom, " and nowMr. Damon seemed more like his old self. "Bless my shoes, a mannever knows who his real friends are until trouble comes. I can'tsay how I thank you and your father, Tom. But I'm not going totake advantage of him. "

"It wouldn't be taking any advantage of him, Mr. Damon. He hasmoney lying idle, and he'd like to have you use it. "

"Well, Tom, I might use it, if I had only myself to think about. But there's no use in throwing good money after bad. If I tookyours now this fellow Peters would only get it, and that would bethe last of it. "

"No, Tom, thank you and your father just the same, but I'll try toweather the storm a bit longer myself. Then, if I do go down Iwon't drag anybody else with me. I'll hang on to the wreck a bitlonger. The storm may blow over, or--or something may happen tothis fellow Peters. "

"Has he really got you in his grip, Mr. Damon?"

"He has, and, to a certain extent, it's my own fault. I shouldhave been suspicious of him. And now, Tom, let me give you afurther word of warning. You heard me say to steer clear of thisPeters?"

"Yes, and I'm going to. But I'm going to make him pay for damagingmy boat, if I possibly can. "

"Maybe it would be wiser not to try that, Tom. I tell you he's atricky man. And one thing more. I have heard that this man Petersmakes a specialty of organizing companies to take up newinventions. "

"Is that so?" asked Tom, interestedly. 

"Yes, but that's as far as it goes. Peters gets the invention, andthe man, out of whose brain it came, gets nothing. "

"In other words, he swindles them?"

"That's it, Tom. If not in one way, then in another. He cheatsthem out of the profits of their inventions. So I want to warn youto be on the lookout. "

"Don't worry, " said Tom. "Peters will get nothing from my fatheror me. We'll be on our guard. Not that I think he will try it, butit's just as well to be warned. I didn't like him from the momenthe ran into me, and, now that I know what he has done to you, Ilike him still less. He won't get anything from me!"

"I'm glad to hear you say so, Tom. I wish he'd gotten nothing outof me. "

"Are you sure you won't let my father help you, financially, Mr. Damon?"

"No, Tom, at least not for the present. I'm going to make anotherfight to hold on to my fortune. If I find I can't do it alone, then I'll call on you. I'm real glad you called. Bless myshoestring! I feel better now. "

"I'm glad of it, " laughed Tom, and he saw that his friend was in abetter state of mind, as his "blessings" showed. 

Tom remained for a little longer, talking to Mr. Damon, and thentook his leave, flying back home in the airship. 

"Gen'man t' see yo', Massa Tom, " announced Eradicate, as he helpedTom wheel the monoplane back into the shed. 

"Is that so, Rad? Where is he?"

"Settin' in th' library. Yo' father am out, so I asted him indere. "

"That's right, Rad. Who is he, do you know?"

"No, sah, Massa Tom, I doan't. He shore does use a pow'ful niceperfume on his pocket hanky, though. Yum-yum!"

"Perfume!" exclaimed Tom, his mind going back to the day he hadhad the trouble with Mr. Peters. "Is he a big, red-faced man, Rad?"

"No, sah, Massa Tom. He's a white-faced, skinny man. "

"Then it can't be Peters, " mused Tom. "I guess perhaps it's thatlawyer I wrote to about bringing suit to get back what it cost meto have the Kilo fixed. I'll see him at once. Oh, by the way, itisn't Mr. Grant Halling; is it? The gentleman who got tangled upin our aerials with his airship? Is it he?"

"No, sah, Massa Tom. 'Tain't him. "

"I thought perhaps he had gotten into more trouble, " mused Tom, ashe took off his airship "togs, " and started for the house. For Mr. Halling had called for his repaired airship some time ago, and hadpromised to pay Tom another and more conventional visit, somefuture day. 

Tom did not know the visitor whom he greeted in the library alittle later. The man, as Eradicate had said, was rather pale offace, and certainly he was not very fleshy. 

"Mr. Tom Swift, I think?" said the man, rising and holding out hishand. 

"That's my name. I don't believe I know you, though. "

"No, I haven't your reputation, " said the man, with a laugh thatTom did not like. "We can't all be great inventors like you, " and, somehow, Tom liked the man less than before, for he detected anundertone of sneering patronage in the words. Tom disliked praise, and he felt that this was not sincere. 

"I have called on a little matter of business, " went on the man. "My name is Harrison Boylan, and I represent Mr. Shallock Peters. "

Instinctively Tom stiffened. Receiving a call from arepresentative of the man against whom Mr. Damon had warned himonly a short time before was a strange coincidence, Tom thought. 

"You had some little accident, when your motor boat and that ofMr. Peters collided, a brief time ago; did you not?" went on Mr. Boylan. 

"I did, " said Tom, and, as he motioned the caller to be seated Tomsaw, with a start, that some of the drawings of his phototelephone were lying on a desk in plain sight. They were withineasy reach of the man, and Tom thought the sheets looked as thoughthey had been recently handled. They were not in the orderly arrayTom had made of them before going out. 

"If he is a spy, and has been looking at them, " mused Tom, "he maysteal my invention. " Then he calmed himself, as he realized thathe, himself, had not yet perfected his latest idea. "I guess hecouldn't make much of the drawings, " Tom thought. 

"Yes, the collision was most unfortunate, " went on Mr. Boylan, "and Mr. Peters has instructed me to say--"

"If he's told you to say that it was my fault, you may as wellsave your time, " cut in Tom. "I don't want to be impolite, but Ihave my own opinion of the affair. And I might add that I haveinstructed a lawyer to begin a suit against Mr. Peters--"

"No necessity for that at all!" interrupted the man, in softaccents. "No necessity at all. I am sorry you did that, for therewas no need. Mr. Peters has instructed me to say that he realizesthe accident was entirely his own fault, and he is very willing--nay, anxious, to pay all damages. In fact, that is why I am here, and I am empowered, my dear Mr. Swift, to offer you five hundreddollars, to pay for the repairs to your motor boat. If that is notenough--"

The man paused, and drew a thick wallet front his pocket. Tom felta little embarrassed over what he had said. 

"Oh, " spoke the young inventor, "the repair bill is only aboutthree hundred dollars. I'm sorry--"

"Now that's all right, Mr. Swift! It's all right, " and the man, with his soft words, raised a white, restraining hand. "Notanother word. Mr. Peters did not know who you were that day he sounfortunately ran into you. If he had, he would not have spoken ashe did. He supposed you were some amateur motor-boatist, and hewas--well, he admits it--he was provoked. "

"Since then he has made inquiries, and, learning who you were, heat once authorized me to make a settlement in full. So if fivehundred dollars--"

"The repair bill, " said Tom, and his voice was not very cordial, in spite of the other's persuasive smile, "the bill came to threehundred forty-seven dollars. Here is the receipted bill. I paidit, and, to be frank with you, I intended bringing suit againstMr. Peters for that sum. "

"No need, no need at all, I assure you!" interrupted Mr. Boylan, as he counted off some bills. "There you are, and I regret thatyou and Mr. Peters had such a misunderstanding. It was all hisfault, and he wants to apologize to you. "

"The apology is accepted, " said Tom, and he smiled a trifle. "Alsothe money. I take it merely as a matter of justice, for I assureyou that Mr. Peters's own machinist will say the accident was hisemployer's fault. "

"No doubt of it, not the least in the world, " said the caller. "And now that I have this disagreeable business over, let me speakof something more pleasant. "

Instinctively Tom felt that now the real object of the man's callwould be made plain--that the matter of paying the damages wasonly a blind. Tom steeled himself for what was to come. 

"You know, I suppose, " went on Mr. Boylan, smiling at Tom, "thatMr. Peters is a man of many and large interests. "

"I have heard something like that, " said Tom, cautiously. 

"Yes. Well, he is an organizer--a promoter, if you like. Hesupplies the money for large enterprises, and is, therefore, abenefactor of the human race. Where persons have no cash withwhich to exploit their--well, say their inventions. Mr. Peterstakes them, and makes money out of them. "

"No doubt, " thought Tom, grimly. 

"In other cases, where an inventor is working at a handicap, saywith too many interests, Mr. Peters takes hold of one of hisideas, and makes it pay much better than the inventor has beenable to do. "

"Now, Mr. Peters has heard of you, and he would like to do yougood. "

"Yes, I guess he would, " thought Tom. "He would like to do me--anddo me good and brown. Here's where I've got to play a gamemyself. "

"And so, " went on Mr. Boylan, "Mr. Peters has sent me to you toask you to allow him to exploit one, or several, of yourinventions. He will form a large stock company, put one of yourinventions on the market, and make you a rich man. Now what do yousay?" and he looked at Tom and smiled--smiled, the young inventorcould not help thinking, like a cat looking at a mouse. "What doyou say, Mr. Swift?"

For a moment Tom did not answer. Then getting up and opening thelibrary door, to indicate that the interview was at an end, theyoung inventor smiled, and said:

"Tell Mr. Peters that I thank him, but that I have nothing for himto exploit, or with which to form a company to market. "

"Wha--what!" faltered the visitor. "Do you mean to say you willnot take advantage of his remarkable offer?"

"That's just what I mean to say, " replied Tom, with a smile. 

"You won't do business with Mr. Peters? You won't let him do yougood?"

"No, " said Tom, quietly. 

"Why--why, that's the strangest--the most preposterous thing Iever heard of!" protested Mr. Boylan. "What--what shall I say toMr. Peters?"

"Tell him, " said Tom, "tell him, from me, and excuse the slang, ifyou like, but tell him there is--nothing doing!"

CHAPTER VIII

TOM IS BAFFLED

Amazement held Mr. Boylan silent for a moment, and then, staringat Tom, as though he could not believe what he had heard the younginventor say, the representative of Mr. Peters exclaimed:

"Nothing doing?"

"That's what I said, " repeated Tom, calmly. 

"But--but you don't understand, I'm afraid. "

"Oh, but indeed I do. "

"Then you refuse to let my friend, Mr. Peters, exploit some ofyour inventions?"

"I refuse absolutely. "

"Oh, come now. Take an invention that hasn't been verysuccessful. "

"Well, I don't like to boast, " said Tom with a smile, "but all ofmy inventions have been successful. They don't need any aid fromMr. Peters, thank you. "

"But this one!" went on the visitor eagerly, "this one about somenew kind of telephone, " and he motioned to the drawings on thetable. "Has that been a success? Excuse me for having looked atthe plans, but I did not think you would mind. Has that telephonebeen a success? If it has not perhaps Mr. Peters could form acompany to--"

"How did you know those drawings referred to a telephone?" askedTom, suspiciously, for the papers did not make it clear just whatthe invention was. 

"Why, I understood--I heard, in fact, that you were working on anew photo telephone, and--"

"Who told you?" asked Tom quickly. 

"Oh, no one in particular. The colored man who sent me herementioned--"

"Eradicate!" thought Tom. "He must have been talking. That isn'tlike him. I must look into this. "

Then to his caller he said:

"Really, you must excuse me, Mr. Boylan, but I don't care to doany business with Mr. Peters. Tell him, with my thanks, that thereis really nothing doing in his line. I prefer to exploit my owninventions. "

"That is your last word?"

"Yes, " returned Tom, as he gathered up the drawings. 

"Well, " said Mr. Boylan, and Tom could not help thinking there wasa veiled threat in his tones, "you will regret this. You will besorry for not having accepted this offer. "

"I think not, " replied Tom, confidently. "Good-day. "

The young inventor sat for some time thinking deeply, when hisvisitor had gone. He called Eradicate to him, and gentlyquestioned the old colored man, for Eradicate was ageing fast oflate, and Tom did not want him to feel badly. 

It developed that the servant had been closely cross-questioned byMr. Boylan, while he was waiting for Tom, and it was small wonderthat the old colored man had let slip a reference to the phototelephone. But he really knew nothing of the details of theinvention, so he could have given out no secrets. 

"But at the same time, " mused Tom, "I must be on guard againstthese fellows. That Boylan seems a pretty slick sort of a chap. Asfor Peters, he's a big 'bluff, ' to be perfectly frank. I'm glad Ihad Mr. Damon's warning in mind, or I might have been tempted todo business with him. "

"Now to get busy at this photo telephone again. I'm going to try atotally different system of transmission. I'll use an alternatingcurrent on the third wire, and see if that makes it any better. And I'll put in the most sensitive selenium plate I can make. I'mgoing to have this thing a success. "

Tom carefully examined the drawings of his invention, at whichpapers Mr. Boylan had confessed to looking. As far as the younginventor could tell none was missing, and as they were notcompleted it would be hard work for anyone not familiar with themto have gotten any of Tom's ideas. 

"But at the same time I'm going to be on my guard, " mused Tom. "And now for another trial. "

Tom Swift worked hard during the following week, and so closelydid he stick to his home and workshop that he did not even pay avisit to Mr. Damon, so he did not learn in what condition thatgentleman's affairs were. Tom even denied himself to his chum Ned, so taken up was the young inventor with working out the telephoneproblem, until Ned fairly forced himself into the shop one day, and insisted on Tom coming out. 

"You need some fresh air!" exclaimed Ned. "Come on out in themotor boat again. She's all fixed now; isn't she?"

"Yes, " answered Tom, "but--"

"Oh, 'but me no buts, ' as Mr. Shakespeare would say. Come on, Tom. It will do you good. I want a spin myself. "

"All right, I will go for a little while, " agreed Tom. "I amfeeling a bit rusty, and my head seems filled with cobwebs. "

"Can't get the old thing to come out properly; eh?"

"No. I guess dad was more than half right when he said it couldn'tbe done. But I haven't given up. Maybe I'll think of some new planif I take a little run. Come along. "

They went down to the boat house, and soon were out on the lake inthe Kilo. 

"She runs better since you had her fixed, " remarked Ned. 

"Yes, they did a good job. "

"Did you sue Peters?"

"Didn't have to. He sent the money, " and Tom told of his interviewwith Mr. Boylan. This was news to Ned, as was also the financialtrouble of Mr. Damon. 

"Well, " said the young banker, "that bears out what I had heard ofPeters--that he was a get-rich-quick chap, and a good one to steerclear of. "

"Speaking of steering clear, " laughed Tom, "there he is now, inhis big boat, " and he pointed to a red blur coming up the lake. "I'll give him a wide enough berth this time. "

But though Mr. Peters, in his powerful motor boat, passed close toTom's more modest craft, the big man did not glance toward ourhero and his chum. Nor did Mr. Boylan, who was with his friend, look over. 

"I guess they've had enough of you, " chuckled Ned. 

"Probably he wishes he hadn't paid me that money, " said Tom. "Verylikely he thought, after he handed it over, that I'd be only toowilling to let him manage one of my inventions. But he has anotherguess coming. "

Tom and Ned rode on for some distance, thoroughly enjoying thespin on the lake that fine Summer day. They stopped for lunch at apicnic resort, and coming back in the cool of the evening theyfound themselves in the midst of a little flotilla of pleasurecraft, all decorated with Japanese lanterns. 

"Better slow down a bit, " Ned advised Tom, for many of thepleasure craft were canoes and light row boats. "Our wash mayupset some of them. "

"Guess you're right, old man, " agreed Tom, as he closed thegasoline throttle, to reduce speed. Hardly had he done so thanthere broke in upon the merry shouts and singing of the pleasure-seekersthe staccato exhaust of a powerful motor boat, coming directlybehind Tom's craft. 

Then came the shrill warning of an electrical siren horn. 

"Somebody's in a hurry, " observed Tom. 

"Yes, " answered Ned. "It sound's like Peters's boat, too. "

"It is!" exclaimed Tom. "Here he comes. He ought to know betterthan to cut through this raft of boats at that speed. "

"Is he headed toward us?"

"No, I guess he's had enough of that. But look at him!"

With undiminished speed the burly promoter was driving his boaton. The big vibrating horn kept up its clamor, and a powerfulsearchlight in front dazzled the eyes. 

"Look out! Look out!" cried several. 

Many of the rowers and paddlers made haste to clear a lane for thebig, speedy motor craft, and Peters and his friends (for therewere several men in his boat now) seemed to accept this as amatter of course, and their right. 

"Somebody'll be swamped!" exclaimed Ned. 

Hardly had he spoken than, as the big red boat dashed past in asmother of foam, there came a startled cry in girls' voices. 

"Look!" cried Tom. "That canoe's upset! Speed her up, Ned! We'vegot to get 'em!"

CHAPTER IX

A GLEAM OF HOPE

"Where are they?"

"Who are they?"

"Over this way! There's their canoe!"

"Look out for that motor boat!"

"Who was it ran them down? They ought to be arrested!"

These were only a few of the cries that followed the upsetting ofthe frail canoe by the wash from the powerful red boat. On Tom'sKilo there was a small, electrical searchlight which he had notyet switched on. But, with his call to Ned Newton to speed up themotor, that had been slowed down, Tom, with one turn of hisfingers, set the lamp aglow, while, with the other hand, hewhirled the wheel over to head his craft for the spot where he sawtwo figures struggling in the water. 

Fortunately the lanterns on the various canoes and row-boats, aswell as the light on the bow of Tom's Kilo, made an illuminationthat gave the rescuers a good chance to work. Many other boatsbesides Tom's had headed for the scene, but his was the morepractical, since the others--all quite small ones--were prettywell filled. 

"There they are, Ned!" Tom suddenly cried. "Throw out the clutch!I'll get 'em!"

"Want any help?"

"No, you stay at the engine, and mind what I say. Reverse now!We're going to pass them!"

Ned threw in the backing gear, and the screw churned the water tofoam under the stern of the Kilo. 

Tom leaned over the bow, and made a grab for the gasping, struggling figure of a girl in the water. At the same time he hadtossed overboard a cork life ring, attached to a rope which, inturn, was made fast to the forward deck-cleat. "Grab that!" criedTom. "Hold on, and I'll have you out in a second! That's enough, Ned! Shut her off!"

The Kilo came to a standstill, and, a second later, Tom had pulledinto his boat one of the girls. She would have collapsed, andfallen in a heap on the bottom boards, had not Ned, who had comeforward from the engine, caught her. 

Then Tom, again leaning over the side, pulled in the other girl, who was clinging to the life ring. 

"You're all right, " Tom assured her, as she came up, gasping, choking and crying hysterically. "You're all right!"

"Is--is Minnie saved?" she sobbed. 

"Yes, Grace! I'm here, " answered the one Ned was supporting. 

"Oh, wasn't it terrible!" cried the second girl Tom had saved. 

"I thought we would be drowned, even though we can swim. "

"Yes, it--it was so--so sudden!" gasped her companion. "Whathappened?"

"The wash from that big boat upset you, " explained Tom. "Thatfellow ought to be ashamed of himself, rushing along the way hedid. Now, can I take you girls anywhere? Your canoe seems to havedrifted off. "

"I have it!" someone called. "It's turned over, but I can tow itto shore. "

"And I'll take the girls home, " offered a gentleman in a largerowboat. "My wife will look after them. They live near us, " and hementioned his own name and the names of the two girls Tom hadsaved. The young inventor did not know them, but he introducedhimself and Ned. 

"This is the annual moonlight outing of our little boat club, "explained the man who had offered to look after the girls, "and itis the first time we ever had an accident. This was not our fault, though. "

"Indeed it was not, " agreed Tom, after he had helped the twodripping young ladies into the rowboat. "It was due to Mr. Peters's speed mania. "

"I shall make a complaint against him to the navigationauthorities, " said Mr. Ralston, who was looking after the girls. "He must think he, alone, has any rights on this lake. "

With renewed thanks to Tom and Ned, the rescued girls were rowedoff to their homes, while the interrupted water carnival wascontinued. 

"Some little excitement; eh, Tom?" remarked Ned, when they wereonce more under way. 

"Yes. We seem to run into that fellow Peters, or some of hisdoings, quite often lately. "

"And it isn't a good sign, either, " murmured Ned. 

For some minutes after that Tom did not speak. In fact he was sosilent that Ned at last inquired:

"What's the matter, Tom--in love?"

"Far from it. But, Ned, I've got an idea. "

"And I've got a wet suit of clothes where that nice young ladyfainted in my arms. I'm soaked. "

"That's what gave me the idea--the water, I mean. I noticed howeverything was reflected in it, and, do you know, Ned, I believe Ihave been working on the wrong principle for my photo telephone. "

"Wrong, Tom, how is that?"

"Why, I've been using a dry plate, and I think I should have useda wet one. You know how even in a little puddle of water on thesidewalk you can see yourself reflected?"

"Yes, I've often seen that. "

"Well then, 'bless my watch chain!' as Mr. Damon would say, Ithink I've got just what I want. I'm going to try a wet plate now, and I think it will work. Come on now. Speed up! I'm in a greatbig hurry to get home and try it!"

"Well, Tom, I sure will be glad if you've got the right idea, "laughed Ned. "It will be worth getting wet through for, if youstrike something. Good luck!"

Tom could hardly wait to fasten up his boat for the night, soeager was he to get to his shop laboratory and try the new idea. Agleam of hope had come to him. 

It was still early evening, and Tom, when enticed out by Ned, hadleft his photo telephone apparatus in readiness to go on with histrials as soon as he should have come back. 

"Now for it, Ned!" exclaimed the young inventor, as he took offhis coat. "First I'll sensitize a selenium plate, and then I'llwet it. Water is always a good conductor of electricity, and it'sa wonder that I forgot that when I was planning this phototelephone. But seeing the sparkle of lights, and the reflection ofourselves in the lake to-night, brought it back to me. Now then, you haven't anything special to do; have you?"

"Not a thing, Tom. "

"That's good. Then you get in this other telephone closet--the onein the casting shop. I'll put a prepared plate in there, and onein the booth where I'm to sit. Then I'll switch on the current, and we'll see if I can make you out, and you notice whether myimage appears on your plate. "

It took some little time to make ready for this new test. Tom wasfilled with enthusiasm, and he was sure it was going to besuccessful this time. Ned watched him prepare the seleniumplates--plates that were so sensitive to illumination that, in thedark, the metal would hardly transmit a current of electricity, butin the light would do so readily, its conductivity depending on theamount of light it received. 

"There, I guess we're all ready, Ned, " announced Tom, at last. "Now you go to your little coop, and I'll shut myself up in mine. We can talk over the telephone. "

Seated in the little booth in one of the smaller of Tom's shops, Ned proceeded with his part in the new experiment. A small shelfhad been fitted up in the booth, or closet, and on this was theapparatus, consisting of a portable telephone set, and a smallbox, in which was set a selenium plate. This plate had been wet bya spray of water in order to test Tom's new theory. 

In a similar booth, several hundred feet away, and in anotherbuilding, Tom took his place. The two booths were connected bywires, and in each one was an electric light. 

"All ready, Ned?" asked Tom, through the telephone. 

"All ready, " came the answer. 

"Now then, turn on your switch--the one I showed you--and lookright at the sensitized plate. Then turn out your light, andslowly turn it on. It's a new kind, and the light comes upgradually, like gas or an oil lamp. Turn it on easily. "

"I get you, Tom. "

Ned did as requested. Slowly the illumination in the boothincreased. 

"Do you get anything, Tom?" asked Ned, over the wire. 

"Not yet, " was the somewhat discouraged answer. "Go ahead, turn onmore light, and keep your face close to the plate. "

Ned did so. 

"How about it now?" he asked, a moment later. 

"Nothing--yet, " was the answer. And then suddenly Tom's voice roseto a scream over the wire. 

"Ned--Ned! Quick!" he called. "Come here--I--I--"

The voice died off into a meaningless gurgle. 

CHAPTER X

MIDNIGHT VISITORS

Ned Newton never knew exactly how he got out of the telephonebooth. He seemed to give but one jump, tearing the clampedreceiver from his ear, and almost upsetting the photo apparatus inhis mad rush to help Tom. Certain it is, however, that he did getout, and a few seconds later he was speeding toward the shop whereTom had taken his position in a booth. 

Ned burst in, crying out:

"Tom! What is it? What happened? What's the matter?"

There was no answer. Fearing the worst, Ned hurried to the smallbooth, in one corner of the big, dimly lighted shop. He could seeTom's lamp burning in the telephone compartment. 

"Tom! Tom!" called the young banker. 

Still there was no answer, and Ned, springing forward, threw openthe double, sound-proof door of the booth. Then he saw Tom lyingunconscious, with his head and arms on the table in front of him, while the low buzzing of the electrical apparatus in thetransmitting box told that the current had not been shut off. 

"Tom! Tom!" cried Ned in his chum's ear. He shook him by theshoulder. 

"Are you hurt? What is the matter?"

The young inventor seemed unconscious, and for a moment Ned had awild idea that Tom had been shocked to death, possibly by somecrossed live wire coming in contact with the telephone circuit. 

"But that couldn't have happened, or I'd have been shockedmyself, " mused Ned. 

Then he became aware of a curious, sweet, sickish odor in thebooth. It was overpowering. Ned felt himself growing dizzy. 

"I have it--chloroform!" he gasped. "In some way Tom has beenovercome by chloroform. I've got to get him to the fresh air. "

Once he had solved the puzzle of Tom's unconsciousness, Ned wasquick to act. He caught Tom under the arms, and dragged him out ofthe booth, and to the outer door of the shop. Almost before Nedhad reached there with his limp burden, Tom began to revive, andsoon the fresh, cool night air completed the work. 

"I--I, " began the young inventor. "Ned, I--I--"

"Now take it easy, Tom, " advised his chum. "You'll be all right ina few minutes. What happened? Shall I call your father, or Koku?"

"No--don't. It would only--only alarm dad, " faltered Tom. "I'mgetting all right now. But he--he nearly had me, Ned!"

"He had you? What do you mean, Tom? Who had you?"

"I don't know who it was, but when I was talking to you over thewire, all of a sudden I felt a hand behind me. It slipped over mymouth and nose, and I smelled chloroform. I knew right awaysomething was wrong, and I called to you. That's all I remember. Iguess I must have gone off. "

"You did, " spoke Ned. "You were unconscious when I got to you. Icouldn't imagine what had happened. First I thought it was anelectrical shock. Then I smelled that chloroform. But who could ithave been, Tom?"

"Give it up, Ned! I haven't the slightest idea. "

"Could they have been going to rob you?"

"I haven't a thing but a nickel watch on me, " went on Tom. "I leftall my cash in the house. If it was robbery, it wasn't me, personally, they were after. "

"What then? Some of your inventions?"

"That's my idea now, Ned. You remember some years ago Jake Burkeand his gang held me up and took one of dad's patents away fromme?"

"Yes, I've heard you mention that. It was when you first got yourmotor cycle; wasn't it?"

"That's right. Well, what I was going to say was that they usedchloroform on me then, and--"

"You think this is the same crowd? Why, I thought they werecaptured. "

"No, they got away, but I haven't heard anything of them in years. Now it may be they have come back for revenge, for you know we gotback the stolen property. "

"That's right. Say, Tom, it might be so. What are you going to doabout it?"

"I hardly know. If it was Jake Burke, alias Happy Harry, and hiscrowd, including Appleson, Morse and Featherton, they're a badlot. I wouldn't want father to know they were around, for he'd besure to worry himself sick. He never really got over the time theyattacked me, and got the patent away. Dad sure thought he wasruined then. "

"Now if I tell him I was chloroformed again to-night, and that Ithink it was Burke and his crowd, he'd be sure to get ill over it. So I'm just going to keep mum. "

"Well, perhaps it's the best plan. But you ought to do something. "

"Oh, I will, Ned, don't worry about that. I feel much better now. "

"How did it happen?" asked Ned, his curiosity not yet satisfied. 

"I don't know, exactly. I was in the booth, talking to you, andnot paying much attention to anything else. I was adjusting andreadjusting the current, trying to get that image to appear on theplate. All at once, I felt someone back of me, and, before I couldturn, that hand, with the chloroform sponge, was over my mouth andnose. I struggled, and called out, but it wasn't much use. "

"But they didn't do anything else--they didn't take anything; didthey, Tom?"

"I don't know, Ned. We'll have to look around. They must havesneaked into the shop. I left the door open, you see. It wouldhave been easy enough. "

"How many were there?"

"I couldn't tell. I only felt one fellow at me; but he may havehad others with him. "

"What particular invention were they after, Tom?"

"I'm sure I don't know. There are several models in here thatwould be valuable. I know one thing, though, they couldn't havebeen after my photo telephone, " and Tom laughed grimly. 

"Why not?" Ned wanted to know. 

"Because it's a failure--that's what! It's a dead, sure failure, Ned, and I'm going to give it up!" and Tom spoke bitterly. 

"Oh, don't say that!" urged his chum. "You may be right on theverge of perfecting it, Tom. Didn't you see any image at all onthe plate?"

"Not a shadow. I must be on the wrong track. Well, never mindabout that now. I'm going to look around, and see if those fellowstook anything. "

Tom was feeling more like himself again, the effects of thechloroform having passed away. He had breathed the fumes of it foronly a little while, so no harm had been done. He and Ned made anexamination of the shop, but found nothing missing. 

There were no traces of the intruders, however, though the twochums looked carefully about outside the building. 

"You were too quick for them, Ned, " said Tom. "You came as soon asI called. They heard me speaking, and must have known that I hadgiven the alarm. "

"Yes, I didn't lose any time, " admitted Ned, "but I didn't see asign of anyone as I ran up. "

"They must have been pretty quick at getting away. Well, now todecide what's best to do to-night. "

After some consultation and consideration it was decided to setthe burglar alarms in every building of the Swift plant. Some timeprevious, when he had been working on a number of valuableinventions, unscrupulous men had tried to steal his ideas andmodels. To prevent this Tom had arranged a system of burglaralarms, and had also fitted up a wizard camera that would takemoving pictures of anyone coming within its focus. The cameracould be set to work at night, in connection with the burglaralarms. 

The apparatus was effective, and thus an end was put to theefforts of the criminals. But now it seemed Tom would have to takenew precautionary measures. His camera, however, was notavailable, as he had loaned it to a scientific society forexhibition. 

"But we'll attach the burglar wires, " decided Tom, "and see whathappens. "

"It might be a good plan to have Koku on guard, " said Tom's chum. "That giant could handle four or five of the chaps as easily asyou and I could tackle one. "

"That's right, " agreed Tom. "I'll put him on guard. Whew! Thatchloroform is giving me a headache. Guess I'll go to bed. I wishyou'd stay over to-night, Ned, if you haven't anything else to do. I may need you. "

"Then of course I'll stay, Tom. I'll telephone home that I won'tbe in. "

A little later Tom had put away his new photo telephone apparatus, and had prepared for the warm reception of any unbidden callers. 

"I wish I hadn't started on this new invention, " said Tom, halfbitterly, as he locked up the main parts of his machine, "I knowit will never work. "

"Oh, yes it will, " spoke Ned, cheerfully. "You never failed yet, Tom Swift, in anything you undertook, and you're not going tonow. "

"Well, that's good of you to say, Ned, but I think you're wrongthis time. But I'm not going to think any more about it to-night, anyhow. Now to find Koku and put him on watch. "

The giant listened carefully to Tom's simple instructions. 

"If any bad men come in the night, Koku, " said the young inventor, "you catch them!"

"Yes, master, me catch!" said Koku, grimly. "Me catch!" and hestretched out his powerful arms, and clenched his big hands in away that boded no good to evildoers. 

Nothing was said to Mr. Swift, to Mrs. Baggert, or to Eradicateabout what had happened, for Tom did not want to worry them. Theburglar alarms were set, Koku took his place where he could watchthe signals, and at the same time be ready to rush out, for, somehow, Tom had an idea that the men who had attacked him wouldcome back. 

Tom and Ned occupied adjoining rooms, and soon were ready for bed. But, somehow, Tom could not sleep. He lay awake, tossing from sideto side, and, in spite of his resolution not to think about hisphoto telephone invention, his mind ran on nothing but that. 

"I can't see what next to do to make it work, " he told himself, over and over again. "Something is wrong--but what?"

At length he fell into a fitful doze, and he had a wild dream thathe was sliding down hill on a big mirror in which all sorts ofreflections were seen--reflections that he could not get to showin the selenium plates. 

Then Tom felt the mirror bobbing up and down like a motor boat ina storm. He felt the vibration, and he heard a voice calling inhis ear:

"Get up, Tom! Get up!"

"Yes! What is it?" he sleepily exclaimed, "Hush!" was the caution he heard, and then he realized that hisdream had been caused by Ned shaking him. 

"Well?" whispered Tom, in tense tones. 

"Midnight visitors!" answered his chum "The burglar alarm has justgone off! The airship hangar drop fell. Koku has gone out. Comeon!"

CHAPTER XI

THE AIRSHIP IS TAKEN

Tom leaped silently out of bed, and stood for a moment halfdazed, so soundly had he been sleeping. 

"Come on!" urged Ned softly, realizing that his chum had not fullycomprehended. "Koku will hold them until we get there. I haven'troused anyone else. "

"That's right, " whispered Tom, as he began putting on his clothes. "I don't want father to know. When did it happen?"

"Just a little while ago. I couldn't sleep very well, but I fellinto a doze, and then I heard the buzzer of the alarm go off. Isaw that the drop, showing that the hangar had been entered, hadfallen. I got to the window in time to see Koku going toward theshed from his little coop. Then I came to you. "

"Glad you did, " answered Tom. "I didn't think I was sleeping sosoundly. "

Together the two chums made their way from their rooms down thedimly-lighted hall to a side door, whence they could reach theairship hangar, or shed. 

"Won't we need something--a gun or--" began Ned. 

"Clubs are better--especially at night when you can't see to aimvery well, " whispered back Tom. "I've got a couple of good onesdownstairs. I could use my electric rifle, and set it merely todisable temporarily whoever the charge hit, but it's a little toorisky. Koku has a habit of getting in the way at the mostunexpected times. He's so big, you know. I think clubs will bebest. "

"All right, Tom, just as you say, " agreed Ned. "But who do youthink it can be?"

"I haven't the least idea. Probably the same fellows who wereafter me before, though. This time I'll find out what their gameis, and what they're after. "

The chums reached the lower hall, and there Tom picked out twoAfrican war clubs which he had brought back with him from one ofhis many trips into wild lands. 

"These are just the thing!" exclaimed Ned, swinging his about. 

"Careful, " cautioned Tom, "If you hit something you'll rouse thehouse, and I don't want my father and Mrs. Baggert, to say nothingof Eradicate, awakened. "

"Excuse me, " murmured Ned. "But we'd better be getting a move on. "

"That's right, " agreed Tom. He dropped into a side pocket a smallbut powerful electric flash lamp, and then he and Ned letthemselves out. 

There had been a bright moon, but it was now overcast by clouds. However, there was sufficient light to enable the two lads to seeobjects quite clearly. All about them were the various buildingsthat made up the manufacturing and experimental plant of Tom Swiftand his father. Farthest away from the house was the big shedwhere once Tom had kept a balloon, but which was now given over tohis several airships. In front of it was a big, level grassyspace, needed to enable the aircraft to get a "running start"before they could mount into the clouds. 

"See anything of Koku?" whispered Ned. 

"No, " answered Tom, in the same cautious voice. "I guess he mustbe hiding--"

"There he goes now!" hissed Ned, pointing to a big figure that wasapproaching the hangar. It was undoubtedly that of the giant, andhe could be seen, in the dim light, stalking cautiously along. 

"I wonder where the uninvited guests are?" asked Tom. 

"Probably in the airship shed, " answered Ned. "Koku was after themas soon as the alarm went off, and they couldn't have gotten away. They must be inside there yet. But what can their game be?"

"It's hard to say, " admitted Tom. "They may be trying to getsomething belonging to me, or they may imagine they can pick upsome valuable secrets. Or they may--" He stopped suddenly, andthen exclaimed:

"Come on, Ned! They're after one of the airships! That's it! Mybig biplane is all ready to start, and they can get it in motioninside of a few seconds. Oh, why didn't I hurry?" he added, bitterly. 

But the hangar was still some distance away, and it would take twoor three minutes of running to reach it. 

Meanwhile, and at the instant Tom had his thought of the possibletheft of his biggest aircraft, something happened. 

The doors of the shed were suddenly thrown open, and the two boyscould see the large airship being wheeled out. The hazy light ofthe moon behind the clouds shone on the expanse of white planes, and on the fish-tail rudder, one of Tom's latest ideas. 

"Hey, there!" cried Tom, warningly. 

"Leave that alone!" yelled Ned. 

"Koku! Koku!" shouted Tom, shrilly. "Get after those fellows!"

"Me get!" boomed out the giant, in his deep voice. 

He had been standing near the entrance to the hangar, probablywaiting for developments, and watching for the arrival of Tom andNed. The big form was seen to leap forward, and then several darkshadows swarmed from around the airship, and were seen to flingthemselves upon the giant. 

"That's a fight!" cried Ned. "They're attacking him!"

"Koku can take care of himself!" murmured Tom. "But come on. Idon't see what their game is. "

He understood a moment later, however, for while several of themidnight visitors were engaged in a hand-to-hand tussle with thegiant there came a sharp, throbbing roar of the airship motor inmotion. The propellers were being whirled rapidly about. 

"Koku! Koku!" cried Tom, for he was still some distance off. "Never mind them! Don't let the airship be taken!"

But Koku could only grunt. Big and strong as he was, half a dozenmen attacking him at once hampered him. He threw them from him, one after another, and was gradually making his way toward the nowslowly-moving airship. But would he be in time?

Tom and Ned could not hope to reach the machine before Koku, though they were running at top speed. 

"Koku! Koku!" yelled Tom. "Don't let them get away!"

But Koku could only grunt--harder this time--for he fell heavily, being tripped by a stick thrust between his legs. He lay for amoment stunned. 

"They're going to get away!" panted Tom, making an effort toincrease his speed. 

"That's what!" agreed Ned. 

Even as they spoke the roar of the airship motor increased. Several of the dark forms which had been engaged in the strugglewith Koku were seen to pick themselves up, and run toward theairship, that was now in motion, moving on the bicycle wheels overthe grass plot, preparatory to mounting upward in the sky. 

"Stop! Stop!" commanded Tom. But it was all in vain. 

The men leaped aboard the airship, which could carry six persons, and a moment later, with a deafening roar, as the engine opened upfull, the big craft shot upward, taking away all but two of themidnight visitors. These, who had seemingly been stunned by Koku, now arose from the ground, and staggered off in the darkness. 

"Get them!" cried Tom. 

"We must see to Koku!" added Ned, "Look, there goes your airship, Tom!"

"Yes, I know. But we can't stop that now. Let's see if we can geta clue in these fellows!"

He pointed toward the two who had run off in the dark underbrushsurrounding the hangar plaza, and he and Ned trailed them as wellas they could. But from the first they knew it would be useless, for there were many hiding places, and, a little way beyond, was aclump of trees. 

After a short search Tom gave up reluctantly, and came back towhere Koku was now sitting on the ground. 

"Are you hurt?" he asked of the giant. 

"My mind hurt--that all, " said the big man. 

"I guess he means his feelings are hurt, " Tom explained. "Do youknow who they were, Koku?"

"No, master. "

"But we must do something!" cried Ned. "They've got your airship, Tom. "

"I know it, " said the young inventor, calmly. "But we can't doanything now. You can hardly hear her, let alone see her. She'smoving fast!"

He pointed upward to the darkness. Like some black bird of preythe airship was already lost to sight, though it would have seemedas if her white planes might render her visible. But she had movedso swiftly that, during the short search, she had alreadydisappeared. 

"Aren't you going to do anything?" asked Ned. 

"Certainly, " spoke Tom. "I'm going to telephone an alarm to allthe nearby towns. This is certainly a queer game, Ned. "

CHAPTER XII

A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE

Disappointed and puzzled, Tom and Ned went to where Koku wasstanding in rather a dazed attitude. The giant, like all largebodies, moved slowly, not only bodily but mentally. He couldunderstand exactly what had happened, except that he had notprevailed over the "pygmies" who had attacked him. They had beentoo many for him. 

"Let's take a look inside, " suggested Tom, when, by another glanceupward, he had made sure that all trace of his big airship wasgone. "Maybe we can get a clue. Then, Koku, you tell us whathappened. "

"It all happened to me, " said the giant, simply. "Me no makeanything happen to them. "

"That's about right, " laughed Tom, ruefully. "It all happened tous. "

The lights in the hangar were switched on, but a careful searchrevealed little. The men, half a dozen or more, had come evidentlywell prepared for the taking away of Tom Swift's airship, and theyhad done so. 

Entrance had been effected by forcing a small side door. True, theburglar alarm had given notice of the presence of the men, but Tomand Ned had not acted quite quickly enough. Koku had been at thehangar almost as soon as the men themselves, but he had watchedand waited for orders, instead of going in at once, and this hadgiven the intruders time to wheel out the craft and start themotor. 

"Why didn't you jump right in on them when you saw what they wereup to, Koku?" asked Tom. 

"Me wait for master. Me think master want to see who men were. Mego in--they run. "

"Well, of course that's so, in a way, " admitted Tom. "Theyprobably would have run, but they'd have run WITHOUT my airshipinstead of WITH it, if they hadn't had time to get it outside thehangar. However, there's no use in crying over lost biplanes. Thenext thing is how to get her back. Did you know any of the men, Koku?"

"No, master. "

"Then we haven't any clue that way. They laid their plans well. They just let you tangle yourself up with them, Koku, while thehead ones got the motor going; an easy matter, since it was allready to start. Then they tripped you, Koku, and as many of themas could, made a jump for the machine. Then they were off. "

"Well, what's the next thing to do?" asked Ned, when another lookabout the shed had shown that not the slightest clue wasavailable. 

"I'm going to do some telephoning, " Tom stated. "A big airshiplike mine can't go scooting around the country without beingnoticed. And those fellows can't go on forever. They've got tohave gasoline and oil, and to get them they'll have to come down. I'll get it back, sooner or later; but the question is: Why didthey take her?"

"To sell, " suggested Ned. 

"I think not, " Tom said. "A big airship like mine isn't easy tosell. People who would buy it would ask questions that might noteasily be answered. I'm inclined to think that some other reasonmade them take her, and it's up to us to find out what it was. Let's go into the house. "

"Hark!" suddenly exclaimed Ned, holding up his hand for silence. They all heard footsteps outside the hangar. 

Tom sprang to the door, flashing his electric light, and a voiceexclaimed:

"Golly! Chicken thieves!"

"Oh, is it you, Eradicate?" asked the young inventor, with alaugh. "No, it isn't chicken thieves--they were after bigger gamethis time. "

"Suffin happen?" asked the colored man. "Massa Swift he heah anoise, an' see a light, an' he sent me out yeah t' see what all amgwine on. "

"Yes, something happened, " admitted Tom. "They got the Eagle, Rad. "

"What! Yo' big airship?"

"Yes. "

"Huh! Dat's too bad, Massa Tom. I suah am sorry t' heah dat. Whodone it?"

"We don't know, Rad. "

"Maybe it was dat low-down cousin ob mine what tried t' git mahchickens, onct!"

"No, Rad, it wasn't your cousin. But I'll telephone the alarm tothe police. They may be able to help me get the Eagle back. "

Within the next hour several messages were sent to the authoritiesof nearby towns, asking them to be on the watch for the stolenairship. This was about all that could be done, and after Mr. Swift had been told the story of the night's happenings, everyonewent back to bed again. 

Further search the next morning brought forth no clues, thoughTom, Ned and the others beat about in the bushes where the men haddisappeared. 

One or two reports were heard from surrounding towns, to theeffect that several persons had heard a strange throbbing sound inthe night, that, possibly, was caused by the passage of theairship overhead. One such report came from Waterford, the hometown of Mr. Damon. 

"Let's go over there, " suggested Ned, to his chum. "I'd like tosee our friend, and maybe we can get some other clues bycirculating around there. "

"Oh, I don't know, " spoke Tom, rather listlessly. 

"Why not?" Ned wanted to know. 

"Well, I ought to be working on my photo telephone, " was theanswer. "I've got a new idea now. I'm going to try a differentkind of current, and use a more sensitive plate. And I'll use atungsten filament lamp in the sending booth. "

"Oh, let your experiments go for a little while, Tom, " suggestedNed. "Come on over to Mr. Damon's. The trouble with you is thatyou keep too long at a thing, once you start. "

"That's the only way to succeed, " remarked Tom. "Really, Ned, while I feel sorry about the airship, of course, I ought to beworking on my telephone. I'll get the Eagle back sooner or later. "

"That's not the way to talk, Tom. Let's follow up this clue. "

"Well, if you insist on it I suppose I may as well go. We'll takethe little monoplane. I've fixed her up to carry double. I guess--"

Tom Swift broke off suddenly, as the telephone at his elbow rang. 

"Hello, " he said, taking off the receiver. "Yes, this is TomSwift. Oh, good morning, Mrs. Damon! Eh! What's that? Mr. Damonhas disappeared? You don't tell me! Disappeared! Yes, yes, I cancome right over. Be there in a few minutes. Eh? You don't knowwhat to make of it? Oh, well, maybe it can easily be explained. Yes, Ned Newton and I will be right over. Don't worry. "

Tom hung up the receiver and turned to his chum. 

"What do you think of that?" he asked. 

"What is it?"

"Why, Mr. Damon mysteriously vanished last night, and this morningword came from his bankers that every cent of his fortune haddisappeared! He's lost everything!"

"Maybe--maybe--" hesitated Ned. 

"No, Mr. Damon isn't that kind of a man, " said Tom, stoutly. "Hehasn't made away with himself. "

"But something is wrong!"

"Evidently, and it's up to us to find out what it is. I shouldn'tbe surprised but that he knew of this coming trouble and startedout to prevent it if he could. "

"But he wouldn't disappear and make his wife worry. "

"No, that's so. Well, we'll have to go over there and find out allabout it. "

"Say, Tom!" exclaimed Ned, as they were getting the small, butswift monoplane ready for the flight, "could there be anyconnection with the disappearance of Mr. Damon and the taking ofthe Eagle?"

Tom started in surprise. 

"How could there be?" he asked. 

"Oh, I don't know, " answered Ned. "It was only an idea. "

"Well, we'll see what Mrs. Damon has to say, " spoke the younginventor, as he took his seat beside Ned, and motioned to Koku totwirl the propeller. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE TELEPHONE PICTURE

"Oh, Tom Swift! I'm so glad to see you!"

Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the younginventor. He held her close, and his own eyes were not free fromtears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife. 

"Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon, " said Tom, sympathetically. "Everything will be all right, " and he led her to a chair. 

"All right, Tom! How can it be?" and the lady raised a tear-stainedface. "My husband has disappeared, without a word! It's just asif the earth had opened and swallowed him up! I can't find a traceof him! How can it be all right?"

"Well, we'll find him, Mrs. Damon. Don't worry. Ned and I will getright to work, and I'll have all the police and detectives withinfifty miles on the search--if we have to go that far. "

"Oh, it's awfully good of you, Tom. I--I didn't know who else toturn to in my trouble but you. "

"And why shouldn't you come to me? I'd do anything for you and Mr. Damon. Now tell me all about it. "

Tom and Ned had just arrived at the Damon home in the airship, tofind the wife of the eccentric man almost distracted over herhusband's strange disappearance. 

"It happened last night, " Mrs. Damon said, when she was somewhatcomposed. "Last night about twelve o'clock. "

"Twelve o'clock!" cried Tom, in surprise "Why that's about thetime--"

He stopped suddenly. 

"What were you going to say?" asked Mrs. Damon. 

"Oh--nothing, " answered Tom. "I--I'll tell you later. Go on, please. "

"It is all so confusing, " proceeded Mrs. Damon. "You know myhusband has been in trouble of late--financial trouble?"

"Yes, " responded Tom, "he mentioned it to me. "

"I don't know any of the details, " sighed Mrs. Damon, "but I knowhe was mixed up with a man named Peters. "

"I know him, too, " spoke Tom, grimly. 

"My husband has been very gloomy of late, " went on Mrs. Damon. "Hefoolishly entrusted almost his entire fortune to that man, andlast night he told me it was probably all gone. He said he sawonly the barest chance to save it, but that he was going to takethat chance. "

"Did he go into details?" asked Tom. 

"No, that was all he said. That was about ten o'clock. He didn'twant to go to bed. He just sat about, and he kept saying over andover again: 'Bless my tombstone!' 'Bless the cemetery!' and allsuch stuff as that. You know how he was, " and she smiled throughher tears. 

"Yes, " said Tom. "I know. Only it wasn't like him to bless suchgrewsome things. He was more jolly. "

"He hasn't been, of late, " sighed his wife. "Well, he sat aboutall the evening, and he kept figuring away, trying, I suppose, tofind some way out of his trouble. "

"Why didn't he come to my father?" cried Tom. "I told him he couldhave all the money he needed to tide him over. "

"Well, Mr. Damon was queer that way, " said his wife. "He wanted tobe independent. I urged him to call you up, but he said he'd fightit out alone. "

"As I said, we sat there, and he kept feeling more and more blue, and blessing his funeral, and the hearse and all such things asthat. He kept looking at the clock, too, and I wondered at that. "

"'Are you expecting someone?' I asked him. He said he wasn't, exactly, but I made sure he was, and finally, about half-pasteleven, he put on his hat and went out. "

"'Where are you going?' I asked him. "

"'Oh, just to get a breath of air. I can't sleep, ' he said. Ididn't think much of that, as he often used to go out and walkabout a bit before going to bed. So he went out, and I began tosee about locking up, for I never trust the servants. "

"It must have been about an hour later when I heard voices out infront. I looked, and I saw Mr. Damon talking to a man. "

"Who was he?" asked Tom, eagerly, on the alert for the slightestclue. 

"I thought at the time, " said Mrs. Damon, "that it was one of theneighbors. I have learned since, however, that it was not. Anyhow, this man and Mr. Damon stood talking for a little while, and thenthey went off together. I didn't think it strange at the time, supposing he was merely strolling up and down in front with Mr. Blackson, who lives next door, He often had done that before. "

"Well, I saw that the house was locked up, and then I sat down ina chair to wait for Mr. Damon to come back. I was getting sleepy, for we don't usually stay up so late. I suppose I must have dozedoff, but I was suddenly awakened by hearing a peculiar noise. Isat up in alarm, and then I realized that Mr. Damon had not comein. "

"I was frightened then, and I called my maid. It was nearly oneo'clock, and my husband never stays out as late as that. We wentnext door, and found that Mr. Blackson had not been out of hishouse that evening. So it could not have been he to whom Mr. Damonwas speaking. "

"We roused up other neighbors, and they searched all about thegrounds, thinking he might have been overcome by a sudden faint. But we could not find him. My husband had disappeared--mysteriouslydisappeared!" and the lady broke into sobs. 

"Now don't worry, " said Tom, soothingly, as he put his arms abouther as he would have done to his own mother, had she been alive, "We'll get him back!"

"But how can you? No one knows where he is. "

"Oh, yes!" said Tom, confidently, "Mr. Damon himself knows wherehe is, and unless he has gone away voluntarily, I think you willsoon hear from him. "

"What do you mean by--voluntarily?" asked the wife. 

"First let me ask you a question, " came from Tom. "You said youwere awakened by a peculiar noise. What sort of a sound was it?"

"Why, a whirring, throbbing noise, like--like--"

She paused for a comparison. 

"Like an airship?" asked Tom, with a good deal of eagerness. 

"That was it!" cried Mrs. Damon. "I was trying to think where Ihad heard the sound before. It was just like the noise yourairship makes, Tom!"

"That settles it!" exclaimed the young inventor. 

"Settles what?" asked Ned. 

"The manner of Mr. Damon's disappearance. He was taken away--orwent away--in my airship--the airship that was stolen from my shedlast night!"

Mrs. Damon stared at Tom in amazement. 

"Why--why--how could that be?" she asked. 

Quickly Tom told of what had happened at his place. 

"I begin to see through it, " he said. "There is some plot here, and we've got to get to the bottom of it. Mr. Damon either wentwith these men in the airship willingly, or he was taken away byforce. I'm inclined to think he went of his own accord, or youwould have heard some outcry, Mrs. Damon. "

"Well, perhaps so, " she admitted. "But would he go away in thatmanner without telling me?"

"He might, " said Tom, willing to test his theory on all sides. "Hemight not have wanted you to worry, for you know you dislike himto go up an airships. "

"Yes, I do. Oh, if I only thought he did go away of his ownaccord, I could understand it. He went, if he did, to try and savehis fortune. "

"It does look as though he had an appointment with someone, Tom, "suggested Ned. "His looking at the clock, and then going out, and allthat. "

"Yes, " admitted the young inventor, "and now I'm inclined tochange my theory a bit. It may have been some other airship thanmine that was used. "

"How so?" asked Ned. 

"Because the men who took mine were unprincipled fellows. Mr. Damon would not have gone away with men who would steal anairship. "

"Not if he knew it, " admitted Ned. "Well, then, let's consider twoairships--yours and the other that came to keep the appointmentwith Mr. Damon. If the last is true, why should he want to go awayin an airship at midnight? Why couldn't he take a train, or anauto?"

"Well, we don't know all the ins and outs, " admitted Tom. "Takinga midnight airship ride is rather strange, but that may have beenthe only course open. We'll have to let the explanation go untillater. At any rate, Mrs. Damon, I feel sure that your husband didgo off through the air--either in my Eagle or in some othercraft. "

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say so, Tom Swift, though it sounds adreadful thing to say. But if he did go off of his own accord, Iknow he did it for the best. And he may not have told me, for fearI would worry. I can understand that. But why isn't he back now?"

Tom had been rather dreading that question. It was one he hadasked himself, and he had found no good answer for it. If therehad been such need of haste, that an airship had to be used, whyhad not Mr. Damon come back ere this? Unless, as Tom feared toadmit, even to himself, there had been some accident. 

Half a dozen theories flashed through his mind, but he could notselect a good, working one, --particularly as there were no clues. Disappearing in an airship was the one best means of not leaving atrace behind. An auto, a motor boat, a train, a horse andcarriage--all these could be more or less easily traced. But anairship--

If Mr. Damon wanted to cover up his tracks, or if he had beentaken away, and his captors wanted to baffle pursuit, the bestmeans had been adopted. 

"Now don't you worry, " advised Tom to Mrs. Damon. "I know it looksfunny, but I think it will come out all right. Ned and I will doall we can. Mr. Damon must have known what he was about. But, tobe on the safe side, we'll send out a general alarm through thepolice. "

"Oh, I don't know what I'd done if you hadn't come to help me!"exclaimed Mrs. Damon. 

"Just you leave it to me!" said the young inventor, cheerfully. "I'll find Mr. Damon!"

But, though he spoke thus confidently, Tom Swift had not theslightest notion, just then, of how to set about his difficulttask. He had had hard problems to solve before, so he was notgoing to give up this one. First he wanted to think matters out, and arrange a plan of action. 

He and Ned made a careful examination of the grounds of the Damonhomestead. There was little they could learn, though they did findwhere an airship had landed in a meadow, not far away, and whereit had made a flying start off again. 

Carefully Tom looked at the marks made by the wheels of theairship. 

"They're the same distance apart as those on the Eagle, " he saidto his chum, "and the tires are the same. But that isn't sayinganything, as lots of airships have the same equipment. So we won'tjump to any conclusions that way. "

Tom and Ned interviewed several of the neighbors, but beyondlearning that some of them had heard the throbbing of the midnightairship, that was as far as they got on that line. 

There was nothing more they could do in Waterford, and, leavingMrs. Damon, who had summoned a relative to stay with her, the twochums made a quick trip back through the air to Shopton. AsEradicate came out to help put away the monoplane Tom noticed thatthe colored man was holding one hand as though it hurt him. 

"What's the matter, Rad?" asked the young investor. 

"Oh, nuffin--jest natcherly nuffin, Massa Tom. "

But Eradicate spoke evasively and in a manner that roused Tom'ssuspicions. 

"Boomerang, your mule, didn't kick you; did he?"

"No, sah, Massa Tom, no sah. 'Twern't nuffin laik dat. "

"But what was it? Your hand is hurt!"

"Well, Massa Tom, I s'pose I done bettah tell yo' all. I'se had ashock!"

"A shock?"

"Yas, sah. A shock. A lickrish shock. "

"Oh, you mean an electrical shock. That's too bad. I suppose youmust have touched a live wire. "

"No, sah. 'Twern't dat way. "

"How was it, then?"

"Well, yo' see, Massa Tom, I were playin' a joke on Koku. "

"Oh, you were; eh? Then I suppose Koku shocked you, " laughed Tom. 

"No, sah. I--I'll tell you. Dat giant man he were in de telefoamboof in de pattern shop--you know--de one where yo' all beentryin' to make pishures. "

"Yes, I know. Go on!" exclaimed Tom, impatiently. 

"Well, he were in dere, Massa Tom, an' I slipped into de boof inde next shop--de odder place where yo' all been 'speermentin'. Icalled out on de telefoam, loud laik de Angel Gabriel gwine t'holler at de last trump: 'Look out, yo' ole sinnah!' I yell itjest t' scare Koku. "

"I see, " said Tom, a bit severely, for he did not like Eradicateinterfering with the instruments. "And did you scare Koku?"

"Oh, yas, sah, Massa Tom. I skeered him all right; but suffin elsedone happen. When I put down de telefoam I got a terrible shock. It hurts yit!"

"Well, " remarked Tom, "I suppose I ought to feel sorry for you, but I can't. You should let things alone. Now I've got to see ifyou did any damage. Come along, Ned. "

Tom was the first to enter the telephone booth where Eradicate hadplayed the part of the Angel Gabriel. He looked at the wires andapparatus, but could see nothing wrong. 

Then he glanced at the selenium plate, on which he hoped, someday, to imprint an image from over the wire. And, as he saw thesmooth surface he started, and cried. 

"Ned! Ned, come here quick!"

"What is it?" asked his chum, Crowding into the booth. 

"Look at that plate! Tell me what you see!"

Ned looked. 

"Why--why it's Koku's picture!" he gasped. 

"Exactly!" cried Tom. "In some way my experiment has succeededwhen I was away. Eradicate must have made some new connection byhis monkeying. Ned, it's a success! I've got my first phototelephone picture! Hurray!"

CHAPTER XIV

MAKING IMPROVEMENTS

Tom Swift was so overjoyed and excited that for a few moments hecapered about, inside the booth, and outside, knocking against hischum Ned, clapping him on the back, and doing all manner of boyish"stunts. "

"It's a success, Ned! I've struck it!" cried Tom, in delight. 

"Ouch! You struck ME, you mean!" replied Ned, rubbing hisshoulder, where the young inventor had imparted a resounding blowof joy. 

"What of it?" exclaimed Tom. "My apparatus works! I can send apicture by telephone! It's great, Ned!"

"But I don't exactly understand how it happened, " said Ned, insome bewilderment, as he gazed at the selenium plate. 

"Neither do I, " admitted Tom, when he had somewhat calmed down. "That is, I don't exactly understand what made the thing succeednow, when it wouldn't work for me a little while ago. But I've gotto go into that. I'll have to interview that rascal Eradicate, andlearn what he did when he played that trick on Koku. Yes, and I'llhave to see Koku, too. We've got to get at the bottom of this, Ned. "

"I suppose so. You've got your hands full, Tom, with your phototelephone, and the disappearance of Mr. Damon. "

"Yes, and my own airship, too. I must get after that. Whew! A lotof things to do! But I like work, Ned. The more the better. "

"Yes, that's like you, Tom. But what are you going to get atfirst?"

"Let me see; the telephone, I think. I'll have Rad and Koku inhere and talk to them. I say, you Eradicate!" he called out of thedoor of the shop, as he saw the colored man going past, holdinghis shocked arm tenderly. 

"Yas, sah, Massa Tom, I'se comin'! What is it yo' all wants, MassaTom?"

"I want you to show me exactly what you did to the wires, andother things in here, when you played that Angel Gabriel trick onyour partner Koku. "

"Partner! He ain't mah partner!" exclaimed Eradicate with a scowl, for there was not the best of feeling between the two. Eradicatehad served in the Swift family many years, and he rather resentedthe coming of the giant, who performed many services formerly theprovince of the colored man. 

"Well, never mind what he is, Rad, " laughed Tom. "You just show mewhat you did. Come now, something happened in here, and I want tofind out what it was. "

"Oh, suffin done happened all right, Massa Tom. Yas, sah! Suffindone happened!" cried Eradicate, with such odd emphasis that Tomand Ned both laughed. 

"An' suffin happened to me, " went on the colored man, rubbing hisshocked arm. 

"Well, tell us about it, " suggested Tom. 

"It was dish yeah way, " proceeded Eradicate. And he told more indetail how, seeing Koku cleaning and sweeping out the othertelephone booth, he had thought of the trick to play on him. Bothtelephones had what are called "amplifiers" attached, that couldbe switched on when needed. These amplifiers were somewhat likethe horn of a phonograph--they increased, or magnified the sound, so that one could hear a voice from any part of the shop, and neednot necessarily have the telephone receiver at his ear. 

Seeing Koku near the instrument, Eradicate had switched on theamplifier, and had called into his instrument, trying to scare thegiant. And he did startle Koku, for the loud voice, coming sosuddenly, sent the giant out of the booth on the run. 

"But you must have done something else, " insisted Tom. "Look here, Rad, " and the young inventor pointed to the picture on the plate. 

"Mah gracious sakes!" gasped the colored man. "Why dat's Kokuhisse'f!" and he looked in awe at the likeness. 

"That's what you did, Rad!"

"Me? I done dat? No, sah, Massa Tom. I neber did! No, sah!"Eradicate spoke emphatically. 

"Yes you did, Rad. You took that picture of Koku over my phototelephone, and I want you to show me exactly what you did--whatwires and switches you touched and changed, and all that. "

"Yo--yo' done say I tuck dat pishure, Massa Tom?"

"You sure did, Rad. "

"Well--well, good land o' massy! An' I done dat!"

Eradicate stared in wonder at the image of the giant on the plate, and shook his head doubtingly. 

"I--I didn't know I could do it. I never knowed I had it in me!"he murmured. 

Tom and Ned laughed long and loud, and then the young inventorsaid:

"Now look here, Rad. You've done me a mighty big service, thoughyou didn't know it, and I want to thank you. I'm sorry about yourarm, and I'll have the doctor look at it. But now I want you toshow me all the things you touched when you played that joke onKoku. In some way you did what I haven't been able to do, You tookthe picture. There's probably just one little thing I'veoverlooked, and you stumbled on it by accident. Now go ahead andshow me. "

Eradicate thought for a moment, and then said:

"Well, I done turned on de current, laik I seen you done, MassaTom. "

"Yes, go on. You connected the telephone. "

"Yas, sah. Den I switched on that flyer thing yo' all has riggedup. "

"You switched on the amplifier, yes. Go on. "

"An'--an' den I plugged in dish year wire, " and the colored manpointed to one near the top of the booth. 

"You switched on that wire, Rad! Why, great Scott, man! That'sconnected to the arc light circuit--it carries over a thousandvolts. And you switched that into the telephone circuit?"

"Dat's what I done did, Massa Tom; yas, Bah!"

"What for?"

"Why, I done want t' make mah voice good an' loud t' skeer datrascal Koku!"

Tom stared at the colored man in amazement. 

"No wonder you got a shock!" exclaimed the young inventor. "Youdidn't get all the thousand volts, for part of it was shunted off;but you got a good charge, all right. So that's what did thebusiness; eh? It was the combination of the two electricalcircuits that sent the photograph over the wire. "

"I understand it now, Rad; but you did more than I've been able todo. I never, in a hundred years, would have thought of switchingon that current. It never occurred to me. But you, doing it byaccident, brought out the truth. It's often that way indiscoveries. And Koku was standing in the other telephone booth, near the plate there, when you switched in this current, Rad?"

"Yas, sah, Massa Tom. He were. An' yo' ought t' see him hop whenhe heard mah voice yellin' at him. Ha! ha! ha!"

Eradicate chuckled at the thought. Then a pain in his shocked armmade him wince. A wry look passed over his face. 

"Yas, sah, Koku done jump about ten feet, " he said. "An'--an' denI jump too. Ain't no use in denyin' dat fact. I done jump when Igot dat shock!"

"All right, Rad. You may go now. I think I'm on the right track!"exclaimed Tom. "Come on, Ned, we'll try some experiments, andwe'll see what we can do. "

"No shocks though--cut out the shocks, Tom, " stipulated his chum. 

"Oh, sure! No shocks! Now let's bet busy and improve onEradicate's Angel Gabriel system. "

Tom made a quick examination of the apparatus. 

"I understand it, I think, " he said. "Koku was near the plate inthe other booth when Rad put on the double current. There was alight there, and in an instant his likeness was sent over thewire, and imprinted on this plate. Now let's see what we can do. You go to that other booth, Ned. I'll see if I can get yourpicture, and send you mine. Here, take some extra selenium platesalong. You know how to connect them. "

"I think so, " answered Ned. 

"This image is really too faint to be of much use, " went on Tom, as he looked at the one of Koku. "I think I can improve on it. Butwe're on the right track. "

A little later Ned stood in the other booth, while Tom arrangedthe wires, and made the connections in the way accidentlydiscovered by Eradicate. The young inventor had put in a newplate, carefully putting away the one with the picture of thegiant, This plate could be used again, when the film, into whichthe image was imprinted, had been washed off. 

"All ready, Ned, " called Tom, over the wire, when he was about toturn the switch. "Stand still, and I'll get you. "

The connection was made, and Tom uttered a cry of joy. For there, staring at him from the plate in front of him was the face of Ned. 

It was somewhat reduced in size, of course, and was not extraclear, but anyone who knew Ned could have told he was at the otherend of the wire. 

"Do you get me, Tom?" called Ned, over the telephone. 

"I sure do! Now see if you can get me. "

Tom made other connections, and then looked at the sending plateof his instrument, there being both a sending and receiving platein each booth, just as there was a receiver and a transmitter tothe telephone. 

"Hurray! I see you, Tom!" cried Ned, over the wire. "Say, this isgreat!"

"It isn't as good as I want it, " went on Tom. "But it proves thatI'm right. The photo telephone is a fact, and now persons usingthe wire can be sure of the other person they are conversing with. I must tell dad. He wouldn't believe I could do it!"

And indeed Mr. Swift was surprised when Tom proved, by actualdemonstration, that a picture could be sent over the wire. 

"Tom, I congratulate you!" declared the aged inventor. "It is goodnews!"

"Yes, but we have bad news of Mr. Damon, " said Tom, and he toldhis father of the disappearance of the eccentric man. Mr. Swift atonce telephoned his sympathy to Mrs. Damon, and offered to doanything he could for her. 

"But Tom can help you more than I can, " he said. "You can dependon Tom. "

"I know that, " replied Mrs. Damon, over the wire. 

And certainly Tom Swift had many things to do now. He hardly knewat what to begin first, but now, since he was on the right road inregard to his photo telephone, he would work at improving it. 

And to this end he devoted himself, after he had sent out ageneral alarm to the police of nearby towns, in regard to thedisappearance of Mr. Damon. The airship clue, he believed, as didthe police, would be a good one to work on. 

For several days after this nothing of moment occurred. Mr. Damoncould not be located, and Tom's airship might still be sailingabove the clouds as far as getting any trace of it was concerned. 

Meanwhile the young inventor, with the help of Ned, who was givena leave of absence from the bank, worked hard to improve the phototelephone. 

CHAPTER XV

THE AIRSHIP CLUE

"Now Ned, we'll try again. I'm going to use a still strongercurrent, and this is the most sensitive selenium plate I've turnedout yet. We'll see if we can't get a better likeness of you--onethat will be plainer. "

It was Tom Swift who was speaking, and he and his chum had justcompleted some hard work on the new photo telephone. Though theapparatus did what Tom had claimed for it, still he was far fromsatisfied. He could transmit over the wire the picture of a persontalking at the telephone, but the likeness was too faint to makethe apparatus commercially profitable. 

"It's like the first moving pictures, " said Tom. "They moved, butthat was about all they did. "

"I say, " remarked Ned, as he was about to take his place in thebooth where the telephone and apparatus were located, "thisdouble-strength electrical current you're speaking of won't shockme; will it? I don't want what happened to Eradicate to happen tome, Tom. "

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. The trouble with Rad was thathe didn't have the wires insulated when he turned that arc currentswitch by mistake--or, rather, to play his joke. But he's allright now. "

"Yes, but I'm not going to take any chances, " insisted Ned. "Iwant to be insulated myself. "

"I'll see to that, " promised Tom. "Now get to your booth. "

For the purpose of experiments Tom had strung a new line betweentwo of his shops, They were both within sight, and the line wasnot very long; but, as I have said, Tom knew that if his apparatuswould work over a short distance, it would also be successful overa long one, provided he could maintain the proper force ofcurrent, which he was sure could be accomplished. 

"And if they can send pictures from Monte Carlo to Paris I can dothe same, " declared Tom, though his system of photo telephony wasdifferent from sending by a telegraph system--a reproduction of apicture on a copper plate. Tom's apparatus transmitted thelikeness of the living person. 

It took some little time for the young inventor, and Ned workingwith him, to fix up the new wires and switch on the current. Butat last it was complete, and Ned took his place at one telephone, with the two sensitive plates before him. Tom did the same, andthey proceeded to talk over the wire, first making sure that thevocal connection was perfect. 

"All ready now, Ned! We'll try it, " called Tom to his chum, overthe wire. "Look straight at the plate. I want to get your imagefirst, and then I'll send mine, if it's a success. "

Ned did as requested, and in a few minutes he could hear Tomexclaim, joyfully:

"It's better, Ned! It's coming out real clear. I can see youalmost as plainly as if you were right in the booth with me. Butturn on your light a little stronger. "

Tom could hear, through the telephone, his chum moving about, andthen he caught a startled exclamation. 

"What's the matter?" asked Tom anxiously. 

"I got a shock!" cried Ned. "I thought you said you had this thingfixed. Great Scott, Tom! It nearly yanked the arm off me! Is thisa joke?"

"No, old man. No, of course not! Something must be wrong. I didn'tmean that. Wait, I'll take a look. Say, it does seem as ifeverything was going wrong with this invention. But I'm on theright track, and soon I'll have it all right. Wait a second. I'llbe right over. "

Tom found that it was only a simple displacement of a wire thathad given Ned a shock, and he soon had this remedied. 

"Now we'll try again, " he said. This time nothing wrong occurred, and soon Tom saw the clearest image he had yet observed on histelephone photo plate. 

"Switch me on now, Ned, " he called to his chum, and Ned reportedthat he could see Tom very plainly. 

"So far--so good, " observed Tom, as he came from the booth. "Butthere are several things I want yet to do. "

"Such as what?" questioned Ned. 

"Well, I want to arrange to have two kinds of pictures come overthe wire. I want it so that a person can go into a booth, call upa friend, and then switch on the picture plate, so he can see hisfriend as well as talk to him. I want this plate to be like amirror, so that any number of images can be made to appear on it. In that way it can be used over and over again. In fact it will beexactly like a mirror, or a telescope. No matter how far twopersons may be apart they can both see and talk to one another. "

"That's a big contract, Tom. "

"Yes, but you've seen that it can be done. Then another thing Iwant to do is to have it arranged so that I can make a photographof a person over a wire. "

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that if a certain person talks to me over the wire, I canturn my switch, and get a picture of him here at my apparatusconnected with my telephone. To do that I'll merely need a sendingapparatus at the other end of the telephone line--not a receivingmachine. "

"Could you arrange it so that the person who was talking to youwould have his picture taken whether he wanted it or not?" askedNed. 

"Yes, it might be done, " spoke Tom, thoughtfully. "I could concealthe sending plate somewhere in the telephone booth, and arrangethe proper light, I suppose. "

"That might be a good way in which to catch a criminal, " went onNed. "Often crooks call up on the telephone, but they know theyare safe. The authorities can't see them--they can only hear them. Now if you could get a photograph of them while they weretelephoning--"

"I see!" cried Tom, excitedly. "That's a great idea! I'll work onthat, Ned. "

And, all enthusiasm, Tom began to plan new schemes with his phototelephone. 

The young inventor did not forget his promise to help Mrs. Damon. But he could get absolutely no clue to her husband's whereabouts. Mr. Damon had completely and mysteriously disappeared. Hisfortune, too, seemed to have been swallowed up by the sharpers, though lawyers engaged by Tom could fasten no criminal acts on Mr. Peters, who indignantly denied that he had done anything unlawful. 

If he had, he had done it in such a way that he could not bebrought to justice. The promoter was still about Shopton, as wellgroomed as ever, with his rose in his buttonhole, and wearing hissilk hat. He still speeded up and down Lake Carlopa in hispowerful motor boat. But he gave Tom Swift a wide berth. 

Late one night, when Tom and Ned had been working at the new phototelephone, after all the rest of the household had retired, Tomsuddenly looked up from his drawings and exclaimed:

"What's that?"

"What's what?" inquired Ned. 

"That sound? Don't you hear it? Listen!"

"It's an airship--maybe yours coming back!" cried the youngbanker. 

As he spoke Ned did hear, seemingly in the air above the house, acurious, throbbing, pulsating sound. 

"That's so! It is an airship motor!" exclaimed Tom. "Come on out!"

Together they rushed from the house, but, ere they reached theyard, the sound had ceased. They looked up into the sky, but couldsee nothing, though the night was light from a full moon. 

"I certainly heard it, " said Tom. 

"So did I, " asserted Ned. "But where is it now?"

They advanced toward the group of work-buildings. Somethingshowing white in the moonlight, before the hangar, caught Ned'seyes. 

"Look!" he exclaimed. "There's an airship, Tom!"

The two rushed over to the level landing place before the bigshed. And there, as if she had just been run out for a flight, wasthe Eagle. She had come back in the night, as mysteriously as shehad been taken away. 

CHAPTER XVI

SUCCESS

"Well, this gets me!" exclaimed Tom. 

"It sure is strange, " agreed Ned. "How did she come here?"

"She didn't come alone--that's sure, " went on Tom. "Someonebrought her here, made a landing, and got away before we could getout. "

The two chums were standing near the Eagle, which had come back somysteriously. 

"Just a couple of seconds sooner and we'd have seen who broughther here, " went on Tom. "But they must have shut off the motorsome distance up, and then they volplaned down. That's why wedidn't hear them. "

Ned went over and put his hand on the motor. 

"Ouch!" he cried, jumping back. "It's hot!"

"Showing that she's been running up to within a few minutes ago, "said Tom. "Well, as I said before, this sure does get me. Firstthese mysterious men take my airship, and then they bring her backagain, without so much as thanking me for the use of her. "

"Who in the world can they be?" asked Ned. 

"I haven't the least idea. But I'm going to find out, if it's atall possible. We'll look the machine over in the morning, and seeif we can get any clues. No use in doing that now. Come on, we'llput her back in the hangar. "

"Say!" exclaimed Ned, as a sudden idea came to him. "It couldn'tbe Mr. Damon who had your airship; could it, Tom?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask that?"

"Well, he might have wanted to get away from his enemies for awhile, and he might have taken your Eagle, and--"

"Mr. Damon wouldn't trail along with a crowd like the one thattook away my airship, " said Tom, decidedly. "You've got anotherguess coming, Ned. Mr. Damon had nothing to do with this. "

"And yet the night he disappeared an airship was heard near hishouse. "

"That's so. Well, I give up. This is sure a mystery. We'll have alook at it in the morning. One thing I'll do, though, I'lltelephone over to Mr. Damon's house and see if his wife has heardany news. I've been doing that quite often of late, so she won'tthink anything of it. In that way we can find out if he hadanything to do with my airship. But let's run her into the shedfirst. "

This was done, and Koku, the giant, was sent to sleep in thehangar to guard against another theft. But it was not likely thatthe mysterious men, once having brought the airship back, wouldcome for it again. 

Tom called up Mrs. Damon on the telephone, but there was no newsof the missing man. He expressed his sympathy, and said he wouldcome and see her soon. He told Mrs. Damon not to get discouraged, adding that he, and others, were doing all that was possible. But, in spite of this, Mrs. Damon, naturally, did worry. 

The next morning the two chums inspected the airship, somysteriously returned to them. Part after part they went over, andfound nothing wrong. The motor ran perfectly, and there was not somuch as a bent spoke in the landing wheels. For all that could betold by an inspection of the craft she might never have been outof the hangar. 

"Hello, here's something!" cried Tom, as he got up from theoperator's seat, where he had taken his place to test the variouscontrols. 

"What is it?" asked Ned. 

"A button. A queer sort of a button. I never had any like that onmy clothes, and I'm sure you didn't. Look!" and Tom held out alarge, metal button of curious design. 

"It must have come off the coat of one of the men who had yourairship, Tom, " said his chum. "Save it. You may find that it's aclue. "

"I will. No telling what it may lead to. Well, I guess that's allwe can find. "

And it was. But Tom little realized what a clue the button wasgoing to be. Nothing more could be learned by staring at thereturned airship, so he and Ned went back to the house. 

Tom Swift had many things to do, but his chief concern was for thephoto telephone. Now that he was near the goal of success heworked harder than ever. The idea Ned had given him of being ableto take the picture of a person at the instrument--without theknowledge of that person--appealed strongly to Tom. 

"That's going to be a valuable invention!" he declared, but littlehe knew how valuable it would prove to him and to others. 

It was about a week later when Tom was ready to try the newapparatus. Meanwhile he had prepared different plates, and hadchanged his wiring system. In the days that had passed nothing newhad been learned concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Damon, nor ofthe men who had so mysteriously taken away Tom's airship. 

All was in readiness for the trial. Tom sent Ned to the booth thathe had constructed in the airship hangar, some distance away fromthe house. The other booth Tom had placed in his library, anentirely new system of wires being used. 

"Now Ned, " explained Tom, "the idea is this! You go into thatbooth, just as if it were a public one, and ring me up in theregular way. Of course we haven't a central here, but that doesn'tmatter. Now while I'm talking to you I want to see you. You don'tknow that, of course. "

"The point is to see if I can get your picture while you'retalking to me, and not let you know a thing about it. "

"Think you can do it, Tom?"

"I'm going to try. We'll soon know. Go ahead. "

A little later Ned was calling up his chum, as casually as hecould, under the circumstances. 

"All right!" called Tom to his chum. "Start in and talk. Sayanything you like--it doesn't matter. I want to see if I can getyour picture. Is the light burning in your booth?"

"Yes, Tom. "

"All right then. Go ahead. "

Ned talked of the weather--of anything. Meanwhile Tom was busy. Concealed in the booth occupied by Ned was a sending plate. Itcould not be seen unless one knew just where to look for it. InTom's booth was a receiving plate. 

The experiment did not take long. Presently Tom called to Ned thathe need stay there no longer. 

"Come on to the house, " invited the young inventor, "and we'lldevelope this plate. " For in this system it was necessary todevelope the receiving plate, as is done with an ordinaryphotographic one. Tom wanted a permanent record. 

Eagerly the chums in the dark room looked down into the traycontaining the plate and the developing solution. 

"Something's coming out!" cried Ned, eagerly. 

"Yes! And it's you!" exclaimed Tom. "See, Ned, I got your pictureover the telephone. Success! I've struck it! This is the bestyet!"

At that moment, as the picture came out more and more plainly, someone knocked on the door of the dark room. 

"Who is it?" asked Tom. 

"Gen'man t' see you, " said Eradicate. "He say he come from MistahPeters!"

"Mr. Peters--that rascally promoter!" whispered Tom to his chum. "What does this mean?"

CHAPTER XVII

THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE

Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for amoment in the dim, red light of the dark room. Then the younginventor spoke:

"I'm not going to see him. Tell him so, Rad!"

"Hold on a second, " suggested Ned. "Maybe you had better see him, Tom. It may have something to with Mr. Damon's lost fortune. "

"That's so! I didn't think of that. And I may get a clue to hisdisappearance, though I don't imagine Peters had anything to dowith that. Wait, Rad. Tell the gentleman I'll see him. Did he giveany name, Rad?"

"Yas, sah. Him done say him Mistah Boylan. "

"The same man who called to see me once before, trying to get meto do some business with Peters, " murmured Tom. "Very well, I'llsee him as soon as this picture is fixed. Tell him to wait, Rad. "

A little later Tom went to where his caller awaited in thelibrary. This time there were no plans to be looked at, the younginventor having made a practice of keeping all his valuable paperslocked in a safe. 

"You go into the next room, Ned, " Tom had said to his chum. "Leavethe door open, so you can hear what is said. "

"Why, do you think there'll be trouble? Maybe we'd better haveKoku on hand to--"

"Oh, no, nothing like that, " laughed Tom. "I just want you tolisten to what's said so, if need be, you can be a witness later. I don't know what their game is, but I don't trust Peters and hiscrowd. They may want to get control of some of my patents, andthey may try some underhanded work. If they do I want to be in aposition to stop them. "

"All right, " agreed Ned, and he took his place. 

But Mr. Boylan's errand was not at all sensational, it would seem. He bowed to Tom, perhaps a little distantly, for they had notparted the best of friends on a former occasion. 

"I suppose you are surprised to see me, " began Mr. Boylan. 

"Well, I am, to tell the truth, " Tom said, calmly. 

"I am here at the request of my employer, Mr. Peters, " went on thecaller. "He says he is forming a new and very powerful company toexploit airships, and he wants to know whether you would notreconsider your determination not to let him do some business foryou. "

"No, I'm afraid I don't care to go into anything like that, " saidTom. 

"It would be a good thing for you, " proceeded Mr. Boylan, eagerly. "Mr. Peters is able to command large capital, and if you wouldpermit the use of your airships--or one of them--as a model, andwould supervise the construction of others, we could confidentlyexpect large sales. Thus you would profit, and I am frank to admitthat the company, and Mr. Peters, also, would make money. Mr. Peters is perfectly free to confess that he is in business to makemoney, but he is also willing to let others share with him. Comenow, what do you say?"

"I am sorry, but I shall have to say the same thing I saidbefore, " replied Tom. "Nothing doing!"

Mr. Boylan glanced rather angrily at the young inventor, and then, with a shrug of his shoulders, remarked:

"Well, you have the say, of course. But I would like to remind youthat this is going to be a very large airship company, and if yourinventions are not exploited some others will be. And Mr. Petersalso desired me to say that this is the last offer he would makeyou. "

"Tell him, " said Tom, "that I am much obliged, but that I have nobusiness that I can entrust to him. If he wishes to make someother type of airship, that is his affair. Good-day. "

As Mr. Boylan was going out Tom noticed a button dangling from theback of his caller's coat. It hung by a thread, being one of thepair usually sewed on the back of a cutaway garment. 

"I think you had better take off that button before it falls, "suggested Tom. "You may lose it, and perhaps it would be hard tomatch. "

"That's so. Thank you!" said Mr. Boylan. He tried to reach aroundand get it, but he was too stout to turn easily, especially as thecoat was tight-fitting. 

"I'll get it for you, " offered Tom, as he pulled it off. "There isone missing, though, " he said, as he handed the button to the man. And then Tom started as he saw the pattern of the one in his hand. 

"One gone? That's too bad, " murmured Mr. Boylan. "Those buttonswere imported, and I doubt if I can replace them. They are ratherodd. "

"Yes, " agreed Tom, gazing as if fascinated at the one he stillheld. "They are rather odd. "

And then, as he passed it over, like a flash it came to him wherehe had seen a button like that before. He had found it in hisairship, which had been so mysteriously taken away and returned. 

Tom could hardly restrain his impatience until Mr. Boylan hadgone. The young inventor had half a notion to produce the otherbutton, matching the one he had just pulled off his visitor'scoat, and tell where he had found it. But he held himself back. Hewanted to talk first to Ned. 

And, when his chum came in, Tom cried:

"Ned, what do you think? I know who had my airship!"

"How?" asked Ned, in wonder. 

"By that button clue! Yes, it's the same kind--they're as alike astwins!" and Tom brought out the button which he had put away inhis desk. "See, Boylan had one just like this on the back of hiscoat. The other was missing. Here it is--it was in the seat of myairship, where it was probably pulled off as he moved about. Ned, I think I've got the right clue at last. "

Ned said nothing for several seconds. Then he remarked slowly:

"Well, Tom, it proves one thing; but not the other. "

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it may be perfectly true that the button came off Mr. Boylan's coat, but that doesn't prove that he wore it. You can bereasonably sure that the coat was having a ride in your Eagle, butwas Boylan in the coat? That's the question. "

"In the coat? Of course he was in it!" cried Tom. 

"You can't be sure. Someone may have borrowed his coat to take amidnight ride in the airship. "

"Mr. Boylan doesn't look to be the kind of a man who would lendhis clothes, " remarked Tom. 

"You never can tell. Someone may have borrowed it without hisknowledge. You'd better go a bit slow, Tom. "

"Well, maybe I had. But it's a clue, anyhow. "

Ned agreed to this. 

"And all I've got to do is to find out who was in the coat when itwas riding about in my airship, " went on Tom. 

"Yes, " said Ned, "and then maybe you'll have some clue to thedisappearance of Mr. Damon. "

"Right you are! Come on, let's get busy!"

"As if we hadn't been busy all the while!" laughed Ned. "I'll losemy place at the bank if I don't get back soon. "

"Oh, stay a little longer--a few days, " urged Tom. "I'm sure thatsomething is going to happen soon. Anyhow my photo telephone isabout perfected. But I've just thought of another improvement. "

"What is it?"

"I'm going to arrange a sort of dictaphone, or phonograph, so Ican get a permanent record of what a person says over the wire, aswell as get a picture of him saying it. Then everything will becomplete. This last won't be hard to do, as there are severalmachines on the market now, for preserving a record of telephoneconversations. I'll make mine a bit different, though. "

"Tom, is there any limit to what you're going to do?" asked Ned, admiringly. 

"Oh, yes, I'm going to stop soon, and retire, " laughed the younginventor. 

After talking the matter over, Tom and his chum decided to wait aday or so before taking any action in regard to the button clue tothe takers of the airship. After all, no great harm had been done, and Tom was more anxious to locate Mr. Damon, and try to get backhis fortune, as well as to perfect his photo telephone, than hewas to discover those who had helped themselves to the Eagle. 

Tom and Ned put in some busy days, arranging the phonographattachment. It was easy, compared to the hard work of sending apicture over the wire. They paid several visits to Mrs. Damon, butshe had no news of her missing husband, and, as the days went by, she suffered more and more under the strain. 

Finally Tom's new invention was fully completed. It was a greatsuccess, and he not only secured pictures of Ned and others overthe wire, as he talked to them, but he imprinted on wax cylinders, to be reproduced later, the very things they said. 

It was a day or so after he had demonstrated his new attachmentfor the first time, that Tom received a most urgent message fromMrs. Damon. 

"Tom, " she said, over the telephone, "I wish you would call. Something very mysterious has happened. "

"Mr. Damon hasn't come back; has he?" asked Tom eagerly. 

"No--but I wish I could say he had. This concerns him, however. Can you come?"

"I'll be there right away. "

In his speedy monoplane Tom soon reached Waterford. Ned did notaccompany him this time. 

"Now what is it, Mrs. Damon?" asked the young inventor. 

"About half an hour before I called you, " she said, "I received amysterious message. "

"Who brought it?" asked Tom quickly. 

"No one. It came over the telephone. Someone, whose voice I didnot know, said to me: 'Sign the land papers, and send them to us, and your husband will be released. '"

"That message came over the wire?" cried Tom, excitedly. 

"Yes, " answered Mrs. Damon. "Oh, I am so frightened! I don't knowwhat to do!" and the lady burst into tears. 

CHAPTER XVIII

ANOTHER CALL

Tom Swift, for the moment, did not know what to do. It was astrange situation, and one he had never thought of. What did themysterious message mean? He must think it all out, and plan someline of action. Clearly Mrs. Damon was not able to do so. 

"Now let's get at this in some kind of order, " suggested theyouth, when Mrs. Damon had calmed herself. It was his habit tohave a method about doing things. "And don't worry, " he advised. "I am certain some good will come of this. It proves one thing, that's sure. "

"What is it, Tom?"

"That Mr. Damon is alive and well. Otherwise the message would nothave said he would be 'released. ' It wasn't from anyone you know;was it?"

"No, I'm sure I never heard the voice before. "

Tom paused a moment to think how useful his photo telephone andphonograph arrangement might have been in this case. 

"How did the telephone call come in?" inquired the young inventor. 

"In the usual way, " answered Mrs. Damon. "The bell rang, and, as Ihappened to be near the instrument, I answered it, as I often do, when the maid is busy. A voice asked if I was Mrs. Damon, and ofcourse I said I was. Then I heard this: 'Sign the land papers, andsend them to us, and your husband will be released. '"

"Was that all?" Tom asked. 

"I think so--I made a note of it at the time. " Mrs. Damon lookedinto a small red book. "No, that wasn't all, " she said, quickly. "I was so astonished, at hearing those strange words about myhusband, that I didn't know what to say. Before I could ask anyquestions the voice went on to say, rather abruptly: 'We will callyou again. '"

"That's good!" cried Tom. "I only hope they do it while I am here. Perhaps I can get some clue as to who it was called you. But wasthis all you heard?"

"Yes, I'm sure that was all. I had forgotten about the last words, but I see I have them written down in my note book. "

"Did you ask any questions?" inquired Tom. 

"Oh, indeed I did! As soon as I got over being stunned by what Iheard, I asked all sorts of questions. I demanded to know who wasspeaking, what they meant, where they were, and all that. I beggedthem to tell me something of my husband. "

"And what did they say?"

"Not a thing. There wasn't a sound in the telephone. The receiverwas hung up, breaking the connection after that message to me--thatmysterious message. "

"Yes, it was mysterious, " agreed Tom, thoughtfully. "I can'tunderstand it. But didn't you try to learn from the centraloperator where the call had come from?"

"Oh, yes, indeed, Tom! As soon as I found out the person speakingto me had rung off, I got the girl in the exchange. "

"And what did she say?"

"That the call came from an automatic pay station in a drug storein town. I have the address. It was one of those telephones whereyou put your money for the call in a slot. "

"I see. Well, the first thing to do is for me to go to that drugstore and find out, if I can, who used the telephone about thattime. It's a slim chance, but we'll have to take it. Was it aman's voice, or a woman's?"

"Oh, a man's, I'm sure. It was very deep and heavy. No woman couldspeak like that. "

"So much is settled, anyhow. Now about the land papers--what wasmeant?"

"I'll tell you, " said Mrs. Damon. "You know part of ourproperty--considerable land and some buildings--is in my name. Mr. Damonhad it fixed so a number of years ago, in order to protect me. No onecould get this property, and land, unless I signed the deeds, oragreed to sign them. Now all of Mr. Damon's fortune is tied up insome of Mr. Peters's companies. That is why my husband hasdisappeared. "

"He didn't disappear--he was taken away against his will; I'mpositive of that!" exclaimed Tom. 

"Perhaps so, " agreed Mrs. Damon, sadly. "But those are the papersreferred to, I'm sure. "

"Probably, " assented Tom. "The rascals want to get control ofeverything--even your possessions. Not satisfied with ruining Mr. Damon, they want to make you a beggar, too. So they are playing onyour fears. They promise to release your husband if you will givethem the land. "

"Yes, that must be it, Tom. What would you advise me to do? I amso frightened over this!"

"Do? Don't you do anything!" cried Tom. "We'll fool these rascalsyet. If they got those papers they might release Mr. Damon, orthey might not--fearing he would cause their arrest later. Butwe'll have him released anyhow, and we'll save what is left ofyour fortune. Put those land papers in a safe-deposit box, and letme do the rest. I'm going to catch those fellows!"

"But how, Tom? You don't know who they are. And a mere messageover a telephone won't give you a clue to where they are. "

"Perhaps not an ordinary message, " agreed Tom. "But I'm going totry some of my new inventions. You said they told you they weregoing to call again?"

"That's what they said, Tom. "

"Well, when they do, I want to be here. I want to listen to thatmessage. If you will allow me, I'll take up my residence here fora while, Mrs. Damon. "

"Allow you? I'll be only too glad if you will, Tom. But I thoughtyou were going to try to get some clue from the drug store wherethe mysterious message came from. "

"I'll let Ned Newton do that. I want to stay here. "

Tom telephoned to Ned to meet him at Mrs. Damon's house, and alsoto bring with him certain things from the laboratory. And when Nedarrived in an auto, with various bits of apparatus, Tom put insome busy hours. 

Meanwhile Ned was sent to the drug store, to see if any cluescould be obtained there as to who had sent the message. As Tom hadfeared, nothing could be learned. There were several automatic'phones in the place, and they were used very often during the dayby the public. The drug clerks took little or no notice of thepersons entering or leaving the booths, since the dropping of acoin in the slot was all that was necessary to be connected withcentral. 

"Well, we've got to wait for the second call here, " said Tom, whohad been busy during Ned's absence. He had fitted to Mrs. Damon'stelephone a recording wax phonograph cylinder, to get a record ofthe speaker's voice. And he had also put in an extensiontelephone, so that he could listen while Mrs. Damon talked to theunknown. 

"There, I guess we're ready for them, " said Tom, late thatafternoon. But no queer call came in that day. It was the nextmorning, about ten o'clock, after Mrs. Damon had passed a restlessnight, that the telephone bell rang. Tom, who was on the alert, was at his auxiliary instrument in a flash. He motioned to Mrs. Damon to answer on the main wire. 

"Hello, " she spoke into the transmitter. "Who is this?"

"Are you Mrs. Damon?" Tom heard come over the wire in a deepvoice, and by the manner in which Mrs. Damon signalled the younginventor knew that, at the other end of the line, was themysterious man who had spoken before. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE BUZZING SOUND

"Are you Mrs. Damon?" came the question again--rather moreimpatiently this time, Tom thought. 

"Yes, " answered the lady, glancing over at Tom. The extensiontelephone was in the same room. Softly Tom switched on thephonograph attachment. The little wax cylinder began to revolvenoiselessly, ready to record the faintest word that came over thewire. 

"You got a message from me yesterday, " went on the hoarse voice. In vain Tom tried to recall whether or not he had heard it before. He could not place it. 

"Who are you?" asked Mrs. Damon. She and Tom had previously agreedon a line of talk. "Tell me your name, please. "

"There's no need for any names to be used, " went on the unknown atthe other end of the wire. "You heard what I said yesterday. Areyou willing to send me those land title papers, if we release yourhusband?"

"But where shall I send them?" asked Mrs. Damon, to gain time. 

"You'll be told where. And listen--no tricks! You needn't try tofind out who I am, nor where I am. Just send those papers if youwant to see your husband again. "

"Oh, how is he? Tell me about him! You are cruel to keep him aprisoner like this! I demand that you release him!"

Tom had not told Mrs. Damon to say this. It came out of her ownheart--she could not prevent the agonized outburst. 

"Never mind about that, now, " came the gruff voice over the wire. "Are you willing to send the papers?"

Mrs. Damon looked over to Tom for silent instructions. He noddedhis head in assent. 

"Yes, I--I will send them if you tell me where to get them to you--ifyou will release Mr. Damon, " said the anxious wife. "But tellme who you are--and where you are!" she begged. 

"None of that! I'm not looking to be arrested. You get the papersready, and I'll let you know to-morrow, about this time, where tosend them. "

"Wait a minute!" called Mrs. Damon, to gain more time. "I mustknow just what papers you want. "

"All right, I'll tell you, " and he began to describe the differentones. 

It took a little time for the unknown to give this information toMrs. Damon. The man was very particular about the papers. Therewere trust deeds, among other things, and he probably thought thatonce he had possession of them, with Mrs. Damon's signature, eventhough it had been obtained under a threat, he could claim theproperty. Later it was learned that such was not the case, forMrs. Damon, with Tom's aid, could have proved the fraud, had thescoundrels tried to get the remainder of the Damon fortune. 

But at the time it seemed to the helpless woman that everythingshe owned would be taken from her. Though she said she did notcare, as long as Mr. Damon was restored to her. 

As I have said, the telephoning of the instructions about thepapers took some time. Tom had counted on this, and had made hisplans accordingly. 

As soon as the telephone call had come in, Tom had communicatedwith a private detective who was in waiting, and this man had goneto the drug store whence the first call had come. He was going totry to make the arrest of the man telephoning. 

But for fear the scoundrel would go to a different instrument, Tomtook another precaution. This was to have one of the operators inthe central exchange on the watch. As soon as Mrs. Damon's housewas in connection with another telephone, the location of thelatter would be noted, and another private detective would be sentthere. Thus Tom hoped to catch the man at the 'phone. 

Meanwhile Tom listened to the hoarse voice at the other end of thewire, giving the directions to Mrs. Damon. Tom hoped that soonthere would be an arrest made. 

Meanwhile the talk was being faithfully recorded on the phonographcylinder. And, as the man talked on, Tom became aware of a curiousundercurrent of sound. It was a buzzing noise, that Tom knew didnot come from the instrument itself. It was not the peculiartapping, singing noise heard in a telephone receiver, caused byinduced electrical currents, or by wire trouble. 

"This is certainly different, " mused Tom. He was trying to recallwhere he had heard the noise before. Sometimes it was faint, andthen it would gradually increase, droning off into faintness oncemore. Occasionally it was so loud that Mrs. Damon could not hearthe talk about the papers, and the man would have to repeat. 

But finally he came to an end. 

"This is all now, " he said, sharply. Tom heard the words above thequeer, buzzing, humming sound. "You are keeping me too long. Ithink you are up to some game, but it won't do you any good, Mrs. Damon. I'll 'phone you to-morrow where to send the papers. And ifyou don't send them--if you try any tricks--it will be the worsefor you and Mr. Damon!"

There was a click, that told of a receiver being placed back onthe hook, and the voice ceased. So, also, did the queer, buzzingsound over which Tom puzzled. 

"What can it have been?" he asked. "Did you hear it, Mrs. Damon?"

"What, Tom?"

"That buzzing sound. "

"Yes, I heard, but I didn't know what it was. Oh, Tom, what shallI do?"

"Don't worry. We'll see if anything happened. They may have caughtthat fellow. If not I'll plan another scheme. "

Tom's first act was to call up the telephone exchange to learnwhere the second call had come from. He got the information atonce. The address was in the suburbs. The man had not gone to thedrug store this time. 

"Did the detective get out to that address?" asked Tom eagerly ofthe manager. 

"Yes. As soon as we were certain that he was the party you wanted, your man got right after him, Mr. Swift. "

"That's good, I hope he catches him!" cried the young inventor. "We'llhave to wait and find out. "

"He said he'd call up and let you know as soon as he reached theplace, " the telephone manager informed Tom. 

There was nothing to do but wait, and meanwhile Tom did what hecould to comfort Mrs. Damon. She was quite nervous and inclined tobe hysterical, and the youth thought it wise to have a cousin, whohad come to stay with her, summon the doctor. 

"But, Tom, what shall I do about those papers?" Mrs. Damon askedhim. "Shall I send them?"

"Indeed not!"

"But I want Mr. Damon restored to me, " she pleaded. "I don't careabout the money. He can make more. "

"Well, we'll not give those scoundrels the satisfaction of gettingany money out of you. Just wait now, I'll work this thing out, andfind a way to catch that fellow. If I could only think what thatbuzzing sound was--"

Then, in a flash, it came to Tom. 

"A sawmill! A planing mill!" he cried. "That's what it was! Thatfellow was telephoning from some place near a sawmill!"

The telephone rang in the midst of Tom's excited comments. 

"Yes--yes!" he called eagerly. "Who is it--what is it?"

"This is Larsen--the private detective you sent. "

"Oh, yes, you were at the drug store. "

"Yes, Mr. Swift. Well, that party didn't call up from here. "

"I know, Larsen. It was from another station. We're after him. Much obliged to you. Come on back. "

Tom was sure his theory was right. The man had called up the Damonhouse from some telephone near a sawmill. And a little later Tom'stheory was proved to be true. He got a report from the seconddetective. Unfortunately the man had not been able to reach thetelephone station before the unknown speaker had departed. 

"Was the place near a sawmill?" asked Tom, eagerly. 

"It was, " answered the detective over the wire. "The telephone isright next door to one. It's an automatic pay station and no oneseems to have noticed who the man was who telephoned. I couldn'tget a single clue. I'm sorry. "

"Never mind, " said Tom, as cheerfully as he could. "I think I'm onthe right track now. I'm going to lay a trap for this fellow. "

CHAPTER XX

SETTING THE TRAP

Troublesome problems seemed to be multiplying for Tom Swift. Headmitted as much himself after the failure to capture the man whohad telephoned to Mrs. Damon. He had hoped that his plan ofsending detectives to the location of the telephones wouldsucceed. Since it had not the youth must try other means. 

"Now, Ned, " he said to his chum, when they were on their way fromMrs. Damon's, it being impossible to do anything further there. "Now, Ned, we've got to think this thing out together. "

"I'm willing, Tom. I'll do what I can. "

"I know you will. Now the thing to do is to go at this thingsystematically. Otherwise we'll be working around in a circle, andwon't get anywhere. In the first place, let's set down what we doknow. Then we'll put down what we don't know, and go after that. "

"Put down what you don't know?" exclaimed Ned. "How are you goingto put down a thing when you don't know it?"

"I mean we can put a question mark after it, so to speak. Forinstance we don't know where Mr. Damon is, but we want to findout. "

"Oh, I see. Well, let's start off with the things we do know. "

The two friends were at Tom's house by now, having come fromWaterford in Tom's airship. After thinking over all the excitinghappenings of the past few days, Tom remarked: "Now, Ned, for thethings we do know. In the first place Mr. Damon is missing, andhis fortune is about gone. There is considerable left to Mrs. Damon, however, but those scoundrels may get that away from her, if we don't watch out. Secondly, my airship was taken and broughtback, with a button more than it had when it went away. Saidbutton exactly matched one off Mr. Boylan's coat. "

"Thirdly, Mr. Damon was either taken away or went away, in anairship--either in mine or someone else's. Fourthly, Mrs. Damonhas received telephonic communications from the man, or men, whohave her husband. Fifthly, Mr. Peters, either legally orillegally, is responsible for the loss of Mr. Damon's fortune. Now: there you are--for the things we do know. "

"Now for the things we don't know. We don't know who has takenMr. Damon away, nor where he is, to begin with the most important. "

"Hold on, Tom, I think you're wrong, " broke in Ned. 

"In what way?"

"About not knowing who is responsible for the taking away of Mr. Damon. I think it's as plain as the nose on your face that Petersis responsible. "

"I can't see it that way, " said Tom, quickly. "I will admit thatit looks as though Boylan had been in my airship, but as forPeters taking Mr. Damon away--why, Peters is around town all thewhile, and if he had a hand in the disappearance of Mr. Damon, doyou think he'd stay here, when he knows we are working on thecase? And would he send Boylan to see me if Boylan had been one ofthose who had a hand in it? They wouldn't dare, especially as theyknow I'm working on the case. "

"Peters is a bad lot. I'll grant you, though, he was fair enoughto pay for my motor boat. I don't believe he had anything to dowith taking Mr. Damon away. "

"Do you think he was the person who was talking to Mrs. Damonabout the papers?"

"No, Ned. I don't. I listened to that fellow's voice carefully. Itwasn't like Peters's. I'm going to put it in the phonograph, too, and let you listen to it. Then see what you say. "

Tom did this, a little later. The record of the voice, as it cameover the wire, was listened to from the wax cylinder, and Ned hadto admit that it was not much like that of the promoter. 

"Well, what's next to be done?" asked the young banker. 

"I'm going to set a trap, " replied Tom, with a grin. 

"Set a trap?"

"Yes, a sort of mouse-trap. I'm glad my photo telephone is nowperfected, Ned. "

"What has that got to do with it?"

"That's going to be my trap, Ned. Here is my game. You know thisfellow--this strange unknown--is going to call up Mrs. Damonto-morrow. Well, I'll be ready for him. I'm going to put in the boothwhere he will telephone from, one of my photo telephones--that is, thesending apparatus. In Mrs. Damon's house, attached to her telephone, will be the receiving plate, as well as the phonograph cylinder. "

"When this fellow starts to talk he'll be sending us his picture, though he won't know it, and we'll be getting a record of hisvoice. Then we'll have him just where we want him. "

"Good!" cried Ned. "But, Tom, there's a weak spot in your mouse-trap. "

"What is it?"

"How are you going to know which telephone the unknown will callup from? He may go to any of a hundred, more or less. "

"He might--yes. But that's a chance we've got to take. It isn't somuch of a chance, though when you stop to think that he willprobably go to some public telephone in an isolated spot, and, unless I'm much mistaken he will go to a telephone near where hewas to-day. He knows that was safe, since we didn't capture him, and he's very likely to come back. "

"But to make the thing as sure as possible, I'm going to attach myapparatus to a number of public telephones in the vicinity of theone near the sawmill. So if the fellow doesn't get caught in one, he will in another. I admit it's taking a chance; but what elsecan we do?"

"I suppose you're right, Tom. It's like setting a number oftraps. "

"Exactly. A trapper can't be sure where he is going to get hiscatch, so he picks out the place, or run-way, where the game hasbeen in the habit of coming. He hides his traps about that place, and trusts to luck that the animal will blunder into one of them. "

"Criminals, to my way of thinking, are a good bit like animals. They seem to come back to their old haunts. Nearly any policestory proves this. And it's that on which I am counting to capturethis criminal. So I'm going to fit up as many telephones with myphoto and phonograph outfit, as I can in the time we have. You'llhave to help me. Luckily I've got plenty of selenium plates forthe sending end. I'll only need one at the receiving end. Nowwe'll have to go and have a talk with the telephone manager, afterwhich we'll get busy. "

"You've overlooked one thing, Tom. "

"What's that, Ned?"

"Why, if you know about which telephone this fellow is going touse, why can't you have police stationed near it to capture him assoon as he begins to talk?"

"Well, I did think of that, Ned; but it won't work. "

"Why not?"

"Because, in the first place this man, or some of his friends, will be on the watch. When he goes into the place to telephonethere'll be a look-out, I'm sure, and he'd either put off talkingto Mrs. Damon, or he'd escape before we had any evidence againsthim. "

"You see I've got to get evidence that will stand in the courts toconvict this fellow, and if he's scared off before we get that, the game will be up. "

"That's what my photo telephone will do--it will get the evidence, just as a dictaphone does. In fact, I'm thinking of working it outon those lines, after I clear up this business. "

"Just suppose we had detectives stationed at all the telephonesnear the sawmill, where this fellow would be likely to go. In thefirst place no one has seen him, as far as we know, so there's notelling what sort of a chap he is. And you can't go up to aperfect stranger and arrest him because you think he is the manwho has spirited away Mr. Damon. "

"Another thing. Until this fellow has talked, and made his offerto Mrs. Damon, to restore her husband, in exchange for certainpapers, we have no hold over him. "

"But he has done that, Tom. You heard him, and you have his voicedown on the wax cylinder. "

"Yes, but I haven't had a glimpse of his face. That's what I want, and what I'm going to get. Suppose he does go into the telephonebooth, and tell Mrs. Damon an address where she is to send thepapers. Even if a detective was near at hand he might not catchwhat was said. Or, if he did, on what ground could he arrest a manwho, very likely, would be a perfect stranger to him? Thedetective couldn't say: 'I take you into custody for telephoningan address to Mrs. Damon. ' That, in itself, is no crime. "

"No, I suppose not, " admitted Ned. "You've got this all thoughtout, Tom. "

"I hope I have. You see it takes quite a combination to getevidence against a criminal--evidence that will convict him. That's why I have to be so careful in setting my trap. "

"I see, Tom. Well, it's about time for us to get busy; isn't it?"

"It sure is. There's lots to do. First we'll go see the telephonepeople. "

Tom explained to the 'phone manager the necessity for what he wasabout to do. The manager at once agreed to let the young inventorhave a free hand. He was much interested in the photo telephone, and Tom promised to give his company a chance to use it on theirlines, later. 

The telephone near the sawmill was easily located. It was in ageneral store, and the instrument was in a booth. To thisinstrument Tom attached his sending plate, and he also substitutedfor the ordinary incandescent light, a powerful tungsten one, thatwould give illumination enough to cause the likeness to betransmitted over the wire. 

The same thing was done to a number of the public telephones inthat vicinity, each one being fitted up so that the picture ofwhoever talked would be transmitted over the wire when Tom turnedthe switch. To help the plan further the telephone manager markeda number of other 'phones, "Out of Order, " for the time being. 

"Now, I think we're done!" exclaimed the young inventor, with asigh, late that night. He and Ned and the line manager had workedhard. 

"Yes, " answered the young banker, "the traps are set. The questionis: Will our rat be caught?"

CHAPTER XXI

THE PHOTO TELEPHONE

Tom Swift was taking, as he afterward confessed, "a mighty bigchance. " But it seemed the only way. He was working againstcunning men, and had to be as cunning as they. 

True, the man he hoped to capture, through the combination of hisphoto telephone and the phonograph, might go to some otherinstrument than one of those Tom had adjusted. But this could notbe helped. In all he had put his new attachment on eight 'phonesin the vicinity of the sawmill. So he had eight chances in hisfavor, and as many against him as there were other telephones inuse. 

"It's a mighty small margin in our favor, " sighed Tom. 

"It sure is, " agreed Ned. They were at Mrs. Damon's house, waiting for the call to come in. 

"But we couldn't do anything else, " went on Tom. 

"No, " spoke Ned, "and I have a great deal of hope in theproverbial Swift luck, Tom. "

"Well, I only hope it holds good this time!" laughed the younginventor. 

"There are a good many things that can go wrong, " observed Ned. "The least little slip-up may spoil your traps, Tom. "

"I know it, Ned. But I've got to take the chance. We've just gotto do something for Mrs. Damon. She's wearing herself out byworrying, " he added in a low voice, for indeed the wife of hisfriend felt the absence of her husband greatly. She had lostflesh, she ate scarcely anything, and her nights were wakeful onesof terror. 

"What if this fails?" asked Ned. 

"Then I'm going to work that button clue to the limit, " repliedTom. "I'll go to Boylan and see what he and Peters have to say. "

"If you'd done as I suggested you'd have gone to them first, "spoke Ned. "You'll find they're mixed up in this. "

"Maybe; but I doubt it. I tell you there isn't a clue leading toPeters--as yet. "

"But there will be, " insisted Ned. "You'll see that that I'm rightthis time. "

"I can't see it, Ned. As a matter of fact, I would have gone toBoylan about that button I found in my airship only I've been sobusy on this photo telephone, and in arranging the trap, that Ihaven't had time. But if this fails--and I'm hoping it won't--I'llget after him, " and there was a grim look on the young inventor'sface. 

It was wearying and nervous work--this waiting. Tom and Ned feltthe strain as they sat there in Mrs. Damon's library, near thetelephone. It had been fitted up in readiness. Attached to thereceiving wires was a sensitive plate, on which Tom hoped would beimprinted the image of the man at the other end of the wire--thecriminal who, in exchange for the valuable land papers, would giveMr. Damon his liberty. 

There was also the phonograph cylinder to record the man's voice. Several times, while waiting for the call to come in, Tom got upto test the apparatus. It was in perfect working order. 

As before, there was an extension telephone, so that Mrs. Damoncould talk to the unknown, while Tom could hear as well. But heplanned to take no part in the conversation unless somethingunforeseen occurred. 

Mr. Damon was an enthusiastic photographer, and he had a dark roomadjoining his library. It was in this dark room that Tom plannedto develop the photo telephone plate. 

On this occasion he was not going to use the metal plate in which, ordinarily, the image of the person talking appeared. That recordwas but a fleeting one, as in a mirror. This time Tom wanted apermanent picture that could, if necessary, be used in a court ofjustice. 

Tom's plan was this: If the person who had demanded the paperscame to one of the photo telephones, and spoke to Mrs. Damon, Tomwould switch on the receiving apparatus. Thus, while the man wastalking, his picture would be taken, though he would not know ofthe thing being done. 

His voice would also be recorded on the wax cylinder, and he wouldbe equally unaware of this. 

When Tom had imprinted the fellow's image on the prepared plate, he would go quickly to the dark room and develop it. A wet printcould be made, and with this as evidence, and to use inidentification, a quick trip could be made to the place whence theman had telephoned. Tom hoped thus to capture him. 

To this end he had his airship in waiting, and as soon as he haddeveloped the picture he planned to rush off to the vicinity ofthe sawmill, and make a prisoner of the man whose features wouldbe revealed to him over the wire. 

It was a hazardous plan--a risky one--but it was the best that hecould evolve. Tom had instructed Mrs. Damon to keep the man inconversation as long as possible, in order to give the younginventor himself time to rush off in his airship. But of coursethe man might get suspicious and leave. That was another chancethat had to be taken. 

"If I had thought of it in time, " said Tom, musingly, as he pacedup and down in the library waiting for the 'phone to ring, "if Ihad thought of it in time I would have rigged up two plates--onefor a temporary, or looking-glass, picture, and the other for apermanent one. In that way I could rush off as soon as I got aglimpse of the fellow. But it's too late to do that now. I'll haveto develop this plate. "

Waiting is the most wearisome work there is. Tom and Ned foundthis to be the case, as they sat there, hoping each moment thatthe telephone bell would ring, and that the man at the other endof the wire would be the mysterious stranger. Mrs. Damon, too, felt the nervous strain. 

"This is about the hour he called up yesterday, " said Tom, in alow voice, after coming back from a trip to the window to see thathis airship was in readiness. He had brought over to help instarting it, for he was using his most powerful and speedy craft, and the propellers were hard to turn. 

"Yes, " answered Mrs. Damon. "It was just about this hour, Tom. Oh, I do hope--"

She was interrupted by the jingle of the telephone bell. With ajump Tom was at the auxiliary instrument, while Mrs. Damon liftedoff the receiver of her own telephone. 

"Yes; what is it?" she asked, in a voice that she tried to makecalm. 

"Do you know who this is?" Tom heard come over the wire. 

"Are you the--er--the person who was to give me an address where Iam to send certain papers?"

"Yes. I'm the same one. I'm glad to see that you have actedsensibly. If I get the papers all right, you'll soon have yourhusband back. Now do as I say. Take down this address. "

"Very well, " assented Mrs. Damon. She looked over at Tom. He wasintently listening, and he, too, would note the address given. Thetrap was about to be sprung. The game had walked into it. Justwhich telephone was being used Tom could not as yet tell. It wasevidently not the one nearest the planing mill, for Tom could nothear the buzzing sound. It was well he had put his attachment onseveral instruments. 

"One moment, please, " said Mrs. Damon, to the unknown at the otherend of the wire. This was in accordance with the pre-arrangedplan. 

"Well, what is it?" asked the man, impatiently. "I have no time towaste. "

Tom heard again the same gruff tones, and he tried in vain torecognize them. 

"I want you take down a message to Mr. Damon, " said his wife. "This is very important. It can do you no harm to give him thismessage; but I want you to get it exact. If you do not promise todeliver it I shall call all negotiations off. "

"Oh, all right I'll take the message; but be quick about it. ThenI'll give you the address where you are to send the papers. "

"This is the message, " went on Mrs. Damon. "Please write it down. It is very important to me. Have you a pencil?"

"Yes, I have one. Wait until I get a bit of paper. It's so dark inthis booth--wait until I turn on the light. "

Tom could not repress a pleased and joyful exclamation. It wasjust what he had hoped the man would do--turn on the light in thebooth. Indeed, it was necessary for the success of the trap thatthe light be switched on. Otherwise no picture could betransmitted over the wire. And the plan of having the man writedown a message to Mr. Damon was arranged with that end in view. The man would need a light to see to write, and Tom's apparatusmust be lighted in order to make it work. The plot was comingalong finely. 

"There!" exclaimed the man at the other end of the wire. "I have alight now. Go ahead with your message, Mrs. Damon. But make itshort. I can't stay here long. "

Then Mrs. Damon began dictating the message she and Tom had agreedupon. It was as long as they dared make it, for they wanted tokeep the man in the booth to the last second. 

"Dear Husband, " began Mrs. Damon. What the message was does notmatter. It has nothing to do with this story. Sufficient to saythat the moment the man began writing it down, as Tom could tellover the sensitive wire, by the scratching of the pencil--at thatmoment Tom, knowing the light was on in the distant telephonebooth, switched on the picture-taking apparatus. His receivingapparatus at once indicated that the image was being made on thesensitive plate. 

It took only a few seconds of time, and with the plate in theholder Tom hastened to the dark room to develop it. Ned took hischum's place at the telephone, to see that all worked smoothly. The photo telephone had done it's work. Whose image would be foundimprinted on the sensitive plate? Tom's hands trembled so that hecould scarcely put it in the developing solution. 

CHAPTER XXII

THE ESCAPE

Ned Newton, listening at the auxiliary telephone heard the man, towhom Mrs. Damon was dictating her message to her husband, utter anexclamation of impatience. 

"I'm afraid I can't take down any more, " he called. "That isenough. Now you listen. I want you to send me those papers. "

"And I am willing to, " went on Mrs. Damon, while Ned listened tothe talk, the phonograph faithfully recording it. 

"I wonder whose picture Tom will find, " mused Ned. 

The unknown, at the other end of the wire, began giving Mrs. Damona description of just what papers he wanted, and how to mail themto him. He gave an address that Ned recognized as that of a cigarstore, where many persons received their mail under assumed names. The postal authorities had, for a long time, tried to get evidenceagainst it. 

"That's going to make it hard to get him, when he comes for thepapers, " thought Ned. "He's a foxy criminal, all right. But Iguess Tom will turn the trick. "

Mrs. Damon was carefully noting down the address. She reallyintended to send the papers, if it proved that there was no otherway in which she could secure the release of her husband. But shedid not count on all of Tom's plans. "Why doesn't he develop thatplate?" thought Ned. "He'll be too late, in spite of his airship. That fellow will skip. "

It was at that moment that Tom came into the library. He movedcautiously, for he realized that a loud sound in the room wouldcarry to the man at the other end of the wire. Tom motioned forNed to come to him. He held out a dripping photographic plate. 

"It's Peters!" said Tom, in a hoarse whisper. 

"Peters?" gasped Ned. "How could it be? His voice--"

"I know. It didn't sound a bit like Peters over the 'phone, butthere's his picture, all right!"

Tom held up the plate. There, imprinted on it by the wonderfulpower of the young inventor's latest appliance, was the image ofthe rascally promoter. As plainly as in life he was shown, even tohis silk hat and the flower in his button-hole. He was in atelephone booth--that much could be told from the photograph thathad been transmitted over the wire, but which booth could not besaid--they were nearly all alike. 

"Peters!" gasped Ned. "I thought he was the fellow, Tom. "

"Yes, I know. You were right, and I was wrong. But I did notrecognize his voice. It was very hoarse. He must have a bad cold. "Later this was learned to have been the case. "There's no time tolose, " whispered Tom, while Mrs. Damon was doing her best toprolong the conversation in order to hold the man at the other endof the wire. "Ned, get central on the other telephone, and seewhere this call came from. Then we'll get there as fast as theairship will take us. "

A second and temporary telephone line had been installed in theDamon home, and on this Ned was soon talking, while Tom, puttingthe photographic plate away for future use, rushed out to get hisairship in shape for a quick flight. He had modified his plans. Instead of having a detective take a print of the photo telephoneimage, and make the arrest, Tom was going to try to capture Petershimself. He believed he could do it. One look at the wet plate wasenough. He knew Peters, though it upset some of his theories tolearn that it was the promoter who was responsible for Mr. Damon'sdisappearance. 

The man at the other end of the wire was evidently gettingimpatient. Possibly he suspected some trick. "I've got to go now, "he called to Mrs. Damon. "If I don't get those papers in themorning it will be the worse for Mr. Damon. "

"Oh, I'll send you the papers, " she said. 

By this time Ned had gotten into communication with the manager ofthe central telephone exchange, and had learned the location ofthe instrument Peters was using. It was about a mile from the onenear the sawmill. 

"Come on!" called Tom to his chum, as the latter gave him thisinformation. "The Firefly is tuned up for a hundred miles an hour!We'll be there in ten minutes! We must catch him red-handed, ifpossible!"

"He's gone!" gasped Mrs. Damon as she came to the outer door, andwatched Tom and Ned taking their places in the airship, while Kokuprepared to twirl the propellers. 

"Gone!" echoed Tom, blankly. 

"Yes, he hung up the receiver. "

"See if you can't get him back, " suggested the young inventor. "Ask Central to ring that number again. We'll be there in a jiffy. Maybe he'll come to the telephone again. Or he may even call uphis partners and tell them the game is working his way. Try to gethim back, Mrs. Damon. "

"I will, " she said. 

And, as she hurried back to the instrument, Tom and Ned shot uptoward the blue sky in an endeavor to capture the man at the othertelephone. 

"And to think it was Peters!" cried Tom into Ned's ear, shoutingto be heard above the roar of the motor exhaust. 

"I thought he'd turn out to be mixed up in the affair, " said Ned. 

"Well, you were right. I was off, that time, " admitted Tom, as heguided his powerful craft above the trees. "I was willing to admitthat he had something to do with Mr. Damon's financial trouble, but as for kidnapping him--well, you never can tell. "

They drove on at a breath-catching pace, and it seemed hardly aminute after leaving Mrs. Damon's house before Tom called:

"There's the building where the telephone is located. "

"And now for that rascal Peters!" cried Ned. 

The airship swooped down, to the great astonishment of someworkmen nearby. 

Hardly had the wheels ceased revolving on the ground, as Tom madea quick landing, than he was out of his seat, and running towardthe telephone. He knew the place at once from having heard Ned'sdescription, and besides, this was one of the places where he hadinstalled his apparatus. 

Into the store Tom burst, and made a rush for the 'phone booth. Hethrew open the door. The place was empty!

"The man--the man who was telephoning!" Tom called to theproprietor of the place. 

"You mean that big man, with the tall hat, who was in there solong?"

"Yes, where is he?"

"Gone. About two minutes ago. "

"Which way?"

"Over toward Shopton, and in one of the fastest autos that everscattered dust in this section. "

"He's escaped us!" said Tom to Ned. "But we'll get him yet! Comeon!"

"I'm with you. Say, do you know what this looks like to me?"

"What?"

"It looks as if Peters was scared and was going to run away tostay!"

CHAPTER XXIII

ON THE TRAIL

Such a crowd had quickly gathered about Tom's airship that it wasimpossible to start it. Men and boys, and even some girls andwomen, coming from no one knew where, stood about the machine, making wondering remarks about it. 

"Stand back, if you please!" cried Tom, good-naturedly. "We'vegot to get after the fellow in the auto. "

"You'll have hard work catching him, friend, in that rig, "remarked a man. "He was fracturing all the speed laws ever passed. I reckon he was going nigh onto sixty miles an hour. "

"We can make a hundred, " spoke Ned, quietly. 

"A hundred! Get out!" cried the man. "Nothing can go as fast asthat!"

"We'll show you, if we once get started, " said Tom. "I guess we'llhave to get one of these fellows to twirl the propellers for us, Ned, " he added. "I didn't think, or I'd have brought the self-startingmachine, " for this one of Tom's had to be started by someoneturning over the propellers, once or twice, to enable the motorto begin to speed. On some of his aircraft the young inventor hadattached a starter, something like the ones on the newest autos. 

"What are you going to do?" asked Ned, as Tom looked to thepriming of the cylinders. 

"I'm going to get on the trail of Peters, " he said. "He's at thebottom of the whole business; and it's a surprise to me. I'm goingto trail him right down to the ground now, and make him give upMr. Damon and his fortune. "

"But you don't know where he is, Tom. "

"I'll find out. He isn't such an easy man to miss--he's tooconspicuous. Besides, if he's just left in his auto we may catchhim before he gets to Shopton. "

"Do you think he's going there?"

"I think so. And I think, Ned, that he's become suspicious andwill light out. Something must have happened, while he wastelephoning, and he got frightened, as big a bluff as he is. Butwe'll get him. Come on! Will you turn over the propellers, please?I'll show you how to do it, " Tom went on to a big, strong manstanding close to the blades. 

"Sure I'll do it, " was the answer. "I was a helper once at anairship meet, and I know how. "

"Get back out of the way in time, " the young inventor warned him. "They start very suddenly, sometimes. "

"All right, friend, I'll watch out, " was the reply, and with Tomand Ned in their seats, the former at the steering wheel, thecraft of the air was soon throbbing and trembling under the firstturn, for the cylinders were still warm from the run from Mrs. Damon's house. 

The telephone was in an outlying section of Waterford--a sectiondevoted in the main to shops and factories, and the homes of thoseemployed in various lines of manufacture. Peters had chosen hisplace well, for there were many roads leading to and from thissection, and he could easily make his escape. 

"But we'll get after him, " thought Tom, grimly, as he let theairship run down the straight road a short distance on the bicyclewheels, to give it momentum enough so that it would rise. 

Then, with the tilting of the elevation rudder, the craft rosegracefully, amid admiring cheers from the crowd. Tom did not go upvery far, as he wanted to hover near the ground, to pick out thespeeding auto containing Peters. 

But this time luck was not with Tom. He and Ned did sight a numberof cars speeding along the highway toward Shopton, but when theygot near enough to observe the occupants they were disappointednot to behold the man they sought. Tom circled about for sometime, but it was of no use, and then he headed his craft backtoward Waterford. 

"Where are you going?" asked Ned, yelling the words into the earof his chum. 

"Back to Mrs. Damon's, " answered Tom, in equally loud tones. 

It was impossible to talk above the roaring and throbbing of themotor, so the two lads kept silent until the airship had landednear Mrs. Damon's home. 

"I want to see if Mrs. Damon is all right, " Tom explained, as hejumped from the still moving machine. "Then we'll go to Shopton, and cause Peters's arrest. I can make a charge against him now, and the evidence of the photo telephone will convict him, I'msure. And I also want to see if Mrs. Damon has had any otherword. "

She had not, however, though she was more nervous and worried thanever. 

"Oh, Tom, what shall I do?" she exclaimed. "I am so frightened!What do you suppose they will do to Mr. Damon?"

"Nothing at all!" Tom assured her. "He will be all right. I thinkmatters are coming to a crisis now, and very likely he'll be withyou inside of twenty-four hours. The game is up, and I guessPeters knows it. I'm going to have him arrested at once. "

"Shall I send those land papers, Tom?"

"Indeed you must not! But I'll talk to you about that later. Justput away that phonograph record of Peters's talk. I'll take alongthe photo telephone negative, and have some prints made--or, Iguess, since we're going in the airship, that I'd better leave ithere for the present. We'll use it as evidence against Peters. Come on, Ned. "

"Where to now?"

"Peters's house. He's probably there, arranging to cover up histracks when he lights out. "

But Shallock Peters did better than merely cover up his tracks. Hecovered himself up, so to speak. For when Ned and Tom, after aquick flight in the airship, reached his house, the promoter hadleft, and the servants, who were quite excited, did not know wherehe had gone. 

"He just packed up a few clothes and ran out, " said one of themaids. "He didn't say anything about our wages, either, and heowes me over a month. "

"Me too, " said another. 

"Well, if he doesn't pay me some of my back wages soon, I'll suehim!" declared the gardener. "He owes me more than three months, but he kept putting me off. "

And, so it seemed, Peters had done with several of his employes. When the promoter came to Shopton he had taken an elaborate houseand engaged a staff of servants. Peters was not married, but hegave a number of entertainments to which the wealthy men ofShopton and their wives came. Later it was found that the billsfor these had never been paid. In short, Peters was a "bluff" inmore ways than one. 

Tom told enough of his story to the servants to get them on hisside. Indeed, now that their employer had gone, and under suchqueer circumstances, they had no sympathy for him. They were onlyconcerned about their own money, and Tom was given admittance tothe house. 

Tom made a casual search, hoping to find some clue to thewhereabouts of Mr. Damon, or to get some papers that would savehis fortune. But the search was unsuccessful. 

There was a safe in the room Peters used for an office, but whenTom got there the strong box was open, and only some worthlessdocuments remained. 

"He smelled a rat, all right, " said Tom, grimly. "After hetelephoned to Mrs. Damon something happened that gave him anintimation that someone was after him. So he got away as soon ashe could. "

"But what are you going to do about it, Tom?"

"Get right after him. He can't have gotten very far. I want himand I want Boylan. We're getting close to the end of the trail, Ned. "

"Yes, but we haven't found Mr. Damon yet, and his fortune seems tohave vanished. "

"Well, we'll do the best we can, " said Tom, grimly. "Now I'm goingto get a warrant for the arrest of Peters, and one for Boylan, andI'm going to get myself appointed a special officer with power toserve them. We've got our work cut out for us, Ned. "

"Well, I'm with you to the end. "

"I know you are!" cried Tom. 

CHAPTER XXIV

THE LONELY HOUSE

The young inventor had little difficulty in getting the warrantshe sought. In the case of Boylan, who seemed to be Peters'sright-hand man, when it came to criminal work, Tom made a charge ofunlawfully taking the airship. This would be enough to hold theman on until other evidence could be obtained against him. 

As for Peters, he was accused of taking certain valuable bonds andstocks belonging to Mr. Damon. Mrs. Damon gave the necessaryevidence in this case, and the authorities were told that later, when Peters should have been arrested, other evidence soskillfully gotten by Tom's photo telephone, would be broughtbefore the court. 

"It's a new way of convicting a man--by a photo telephone--but Iguess it's a good one, " said the judge who signed the warrants. 

"Well, now that we've got what we want, the next thing to do is toget the men--Peters, and the others, " said Tom, as he and Ned satin Tom's library after several hours of strenuous work. 

"How are you going to start?" the young banker wanted to know. "Itseems a strange thing that a man like Mr. Damon could be made awaywith, and kept in hiding so long without something being heard ofhim. I'm afraid, Tom, that something must have happened to him. "

"I think so too, Ned. Nothing serious, though, " Tom added, quickly, as he saw the look of alarm on his chum's face. "I thinkMr. Damon at first went away of his own accord. "

"Of his own accord?"

"Yes. I think Peters induced him to go with him, on the pretensethat he could recover his fortune. After getting Mr. Damon intheir power they kept him, probably to get the rest of his fortuneaway from him. "

"But you stopped that, Tom, " said Ned, proud of his chum'sabilities. 

"Well, I hope so, " admitted the young inventor. "But I've stillgot plenty to do. "

"Have you a starting point?"

"For one thing, " Tom answered, "I'm going to have Mrs. Damon maila fake package to the address Peters gave. If he, or any of hismen, call for it, we'll have a detective on the watch, and arrestthem. "

"Good!"

"Of course it may not work, " spoke Tom; "but it's something totry, and we can't miss any chances. "

Accordingly, the next day, a package containing only blank paper, made up to represent the documents demanded by Peters as the priceof releasing Mr. Damon, was mailed to the address Mrs. Damon hadreceived over the wire from the rascally promoter. Then a privatedetective was engaged to be on the watch, to take into custodywhoever called for the bundle. Tom, though, had not much hope ofanything coming of this, as it was evident that Peters had takenthe alarm, and left. 

"And now, " said Tom, when he had safely put away the wax record, containing the incriminating talk of Peters, and had printedseveral photographs, so wonderfully taken over the wire, "now toget on the trail again. "

It was not an easy one to follow. Tom began at the deserted homeof the alleged financier. The establishment was broken up, formany tradesmen came with bills that had not been paid, and some ofthem levied on what little personal property there was to satisfytheir claims. The servants left, sorrowful enough over theirmissing wages. The place was closed up under the sheriff's orders. 

But of Peters and his men not a trace could be found. Tom and Nedtraveled all over the surrounding country, looking for clues, butin vain. They made several trips in the airship, but finallydecided that an automobile was more practical for their work, andkept to that. 

They did find some traces of Peters. As Tom had said, the man wastoo prominent not to be noticed. He might have disguised himself, though it seemed that the promoter was a proud man, and liked tobe seen in flashy clothes, a silk hat, and with a buttonholebouquet. 

This made it easy to get the first trace of him. He had been seento take a train at the Shopton station, though he had not bought aticket. The promoter had paid his fare to Branchford, a junctionpoint, but there all trace of him was lost. It was not evencertain that he went there. 

"He may have done that to throw us off, " said Tom. "Just becausehe paid his way to Branchford, doesn't say he went there. He mayhave gotten off at the next station beyond Shopton. "

"Do you think he's still lingering around here?" asked Ned. 

"I shouldn't be surprised, " was Tom's answer. "He knows that thereis still some of the Damon property left, and he is probablyhungry for that. We'll get him yet, Ned. "

But at the end of several days Tom's hopes did not seem in a fairway to be realized. He and Ned followed one useless clue afteranother. All the trails seemed blind ones. But Tom never gave up. 

He was devoting all his time now to the finding of his friend Mr. Damon, and to the recovery of his fortune. In fact the latter wasnot so important to Tom as was the former. For Mrs. Damon was onthe verge of a nervous collapse on account of the absence of herhusband. 

"If I could only have some word from him, Tom!" she cried, helplessly. 

To Tom the matter was very puzzling. It seemed utterly impossiblethat Mr. Damon could be kept so close a prisoner that he could notmanage to get some word to his friends. It was not as if he was achild. He was a man of more than ordinary abilities. Surely hemight find a way to outwit his enemies. 

But the days passed, and no word came. A number of detectives hadbeen employed, but they were no more successful than Tom. Thelatter had given up his inventive work, for the time being, todevote all his time to the solution of the mystery. 

Tom and Ned had been away from Shopton for three days, followingthe most promising clue they had yet received. But it had failedat the end, and one afternoon they found themselves in a smalltown, about a hundred miles from Shopton. They had been motoring. 

"I think I'll call up the house, " said Tom. "Dad may have receivedsome news, or Mrs. Damon may have sent him some word. I'll get myfather on the wire. "

Connection to Tom's house was soon made, and Ned, who waslistening to his chum's remarks, was startled to hear him cry out:

"What's that you say? My airship taken again? When did it happen?Yes, I'm listening. Go on, Father!"

Then followed a silence while Tom listened, breaking in now andthen with an excited remark, Suddenly he called:

"Good-by, Dad! I'm coming right home!"

Tom hung up the receiver with a bang, and turned to his chum. 

"What do you think!" he cried. "The Eagle was taken again lastnight! The same way as before. Nobody got a glimpse of thethieves, though. Dad has been trying to get in communication withme ever since. I'm glad I called up. Now we'll get right back toShopton, and see what we can do. This is the limit! Peters and hiscrowd will be kidnapping us, next. "

"That's right, " agreed Ned. 

He and Tom were soon off again, speeding in the auto towardShopton. But the roads were bad, after a heavy rain, and they didnot make fast time. 

The coming of dusk found them with more than thirty miles to go. They were in an almost deserted section of the country whensuddenly, as they were running slowly up a hill, there was asudden crack, the auto gave a lurch to one side of the roadway andthen settled heavily. Tom clapped on both brakes quickly, and gavea cry of dismay. 

"Broken front axle!" he said. "We're dished, Ned!"

They got out, being no more harmed than by the jolting. The carwas out of commission. The two chums looked around Except for alonely house, that bore every mark of being deserted, not adwelling was in sight where they might ask for aid or shelter. 

And, as they looked, from that lonely house came a strange cry--acry as though for help!

CHAPTER XXV

THE AIRSHIP CAPTURE

"Did you hear that?" cried Ned. 

"I certainly did, " answered Tom. "What was it. "

"Sounded to me like a cry of some sort. "

"It was. An animal, I'd say. "

The two chums moved away from the broken auto, and looked at eachother. Then, by a common impulse, they started toward the lonelyhouse, which was set back some distance from the road. 

"Let's see who it was, " suggested Tom, "After all, though it looksdeserted, there may be someone in the house, and we've got to havesome kind of help. I don't want to leave my car on the road allnight, though it will have to be repaired before I can use itagain. "

"It sure is a bad break, " agreed Ned. 

As they walked toward the deserted House they heard the strangecry again. It was louder this time, and following it the boysheard a sound as if a blow had been struck. 

"Someone is being attacked!" cried Tom. "Maybe some poor tramp hastaken shelter in there and a dog is after them. Come on, Ned, we've got to help!"

They started on a run for the lonely house, but while still somedistance away a curious thing happened. 

There was a sudden cry--an appeal for help it seemed--but thistime in the open. And, as Tom and Ned looked, they saw several menrunning from the rear of the old house. Between them they carriedan inert form. 

"Something's wrong!" exclaimed Tom, "There's crooked work going onhere, Ned. "

"You're right! It's up to us to stop it! Come on!"

But before the boys had taken half a dozen more steps they heardthat which caused them great surprise. For from a shed behind thehouse came the unmistakable throb and roar of a motor. 

"They're going off in an auto!" cried Ned. 

"And they're carrying someone with them!" exclaimed Tom. 

By this time they had gotten to a point where they could see theshed, and what was their astonishment to see being rolled from ita big biplane. At the sight of it Tom cried:

"It's the Eagle! That's my airship, Ned!"

"You're right! How did it get here?"

"That's for us to find out. I shouldn't wonder, Ned, but whatwe're at last on the trail of Peters and his crowd!"

The men--there were four or five of them, Ned guessed--now brokeinto a run, still carrying among them the inert form of another. The cries for help had ceased, and it seemed as if the unfortunateone was unconscious. 

A moment later, and before the boys could do anything, had theythe power, the men fairly jumped aboard Tom Swift's biggestairship. The unconscious one was carried with them. 

Then the motor was speeded up. The roar and throbbing were almostdeafening. 

"Stop that! Hold on! That's my machine!" yelled Tom. 

He might as well have spoken to the wind. With a rush and a roarthe big Eagle shot away and upward, carrying the men and theirmysterious, unconscious companion. It was getting too dark for Tomand Ned to make out the forms or features of the strangers. 

"We're too late!" said Ned, hopelessly. 

"Yes, they got away, " agreed Tom. "Oh, if only I had my speedylittle monoplane!"

"But who can they be? How did your airship get here? And who isthat man they carried out of the house?" cried Ned. 

"I don't know the last--maybe one of their crowd who was injuredin a fight. "

"What crowd?"

"The Peters gang, of course. Can't you see it, Ned?"

Unable to do anything, the two youths watched the flight of theEagle. She did not move at her usual speed, for she was carryingtoo heavy a load. 

Presently from the air overhead, and slightly behind them, theboys heard the sound of another motor. They turned quickly. 

"Look!" cried Ned. "Another airship, by all that's wonderful!"

"If we could only stop them!" exclaimed Tom. "That's a bigmachine, and they could take us aboard. Then we could chase theEagle. We could catch her, too, for she's overloaded!"

Frantically he and Tom waved their caps at the man who was nowalmost overhead in his airship. The boys did not call. They wellknew, with the noise of the motor, the occupant of the airshipcould not hear them. But they waved and pointed to the slowly-movingEagle. 

To their surprise and delight the man above them shut off hisengine, and seemed about to come down. Then Tom cried, knowing hecould be heard:

"Help us capture that airship? It's mine and they've stolen it!"

"All right! Be with you in a minute!" came back the answer fromabove. 

The second biplane came down to earth, ands as it ceased runningalong on its bicycle wheels, the occupant jumped out. 

"Hello, Tom Swift!" he called, as he took off his goggles. 

"Why--why it's Mr. Halling!" cried the young inventor, in delight, recognizing the birdman who had brought him the first news of Mr. Damon's trouble, the day the airship became entangled in theaerials of the wireless on Tom's house. 

"What are you doing here, Tom?" asked Mr. Hailing. "What hashappened?"

"We're looking for Mr. Damon. That's a bad crowd there, " and hepointed toward the other aircraft. "They have my Eagle. Can youhelp me catch them?"

"I certainly can--and will! Get aboard! I can carry four. "

"Then you have a new machine?"

"Yes, and a dandy! All the latest improvements--self-starter andall! I'm glad of a chance to show it to you. "

"And I'm glad, too!" cried Tom. "It was providential that youhappened along. What were you doing here?"

"Just out on a trial spin. But come on, if we're going to catchthose fellows!"

Quickly Tom, Ned, and Mr. Halling climbed into the seats of thenew airship. It was started from a switch, and in a few seconds itwas on the wing, chasing after the Eagle. 

Then began a strange race, a race in the air after the unknownstrangers who had Tom's machine. Had the Eagle not been so heavilyladen it might have escaped, for Tom's craft was a speedy one. Butthis time it had to give the palm to Mr. Grant Halling's. Fasterand faster in pursuit flew the Star, as the new craft was called. Faster and faster, until at last, coming directly over the Eagle, Mr. Halling sent his craft down in such a manner as to "blanket"the other. In an instant she began to sink, and with cries ofalarm the men shut off the motor and started to volplane to theearth. 

But they made an unskillful landing. The Eagle tilted to one side, and came down with a crash. There were cries of pain, thensilence, and a few seconds later two men ran away from thedisabled airship. But there were three senseless forms on theground beside the craft when Tom, Ned and Mr. Halling ran up. Inthe fading light Tom saw a face he knew--three faces in fact. 

"Mr. Damon!" he cried. "We've found him, Ned!"

"But--too late--maybe!" answered Ned, in a low voice, as he, too, recognized the man who had been missing so long. 

Mr. Halling was bending over the unconscious form of his friend. 

"He's alive!" he cried, joyfully. "And not much hurt, either. Buthe has been ill, and looks half starved. Who are these men?"

Tom gave a hasty look. 

"Shallock Peters and Harrison Boylan!" he cried. "Ned, at lastwe've caught the scoundrels!"

It was true. Chance had played into the hands of Tom Swift. WhileMr. Halling was looking after Mr. Damon, reviving him, the younginventor and Ned quickly bound the hands and feet of the twoplotters with pieces of wire from the broken airship. 

Presently Mr. Damon opened his eyes. 

"Where am I? What happened? Oh, bless my watch chain--it's TomSwift! Bless my cigar case, I--"

"He's all right!" cried Tom, joyfully. "When Mr. Damon blessessomething beside his tombstone he's all right. "

Peters and Boylan soon revived, both being merely stunned, as wasMr. Damon. They looked about in wonder, and then, feeling thatthey were prisoners, resigned themselves to their fate. Both menwere shabbily dressed, and Tom would hardly have known the oncespick and span Mr. Peters. He had no rose in his buttonhole now. 

"Well, you have me, I see, " he said, coolly. "I was afraid we wereplaying for too high a stake. "

"Yes, we've got you, " replied Tom, "But you can't prove much against me, " went on Peters. "I'll denyeverything. "

"We'll see about that, " added the young inventor, grimly, andthought of the picture in the plate and the record on the waxcylinder. 

"We've got to get Mr. Damon to some place where he can be lookedafter, " broke in Mr. Halling. "Then we'll hear the story. "

A passing farmer was prevailed on to take the party in his bigwagon to the nearest town, Mr. Hailing going on ahead in hisairship. Tom's craft could not be moved, being badly damaged. 

Once in town Peters and Boylan were put in jail, on the chargesfor which Tom carried warrants. Mr. Damon was taken to a hotel anda doctor summoned. It was as Mr. Halling had guessed. His friendhad been ill, and so weak that he could not get out of bed. It wasthis that enabled the plotters to so easily keep him a prisoner. 

By degrees Mr. Damon told his story. He had rashly allowed Petersto get control of most of his fortune, and, in a vain hope ofgetting back some of his losses, had, one night--the night hedisappeared, in fact--agreed to meet Peters and some of his men totalk matters over. Of this Mr. Damon said nothing to his wife. 

He went out that night to meet Peters in the garden, but theplotters had changed their plans. They boldly kidnapped theirvictim, chloroformed him and took him away in Tom's airship, whichBoylan and some of his tools daringly stole a short timepreviously. Later they returned it, as they had no use for it atthe lonely house. 

Mr. Damon was taken to the house, and there kept a prisoner. Themen hoped to prevail on the fears of his wife to make her give upthe valuable property. But we have seen how Tom foiled Peters. 

The experience of Mr. Damon, coupled with rough treatment hereceived, and lack of good food, soon made him ill. He was so weakthat he could not help himself, and with that he was kept underguard. So he had no chance to escape or send his wife or friendsany word. 

"But I'm all right now, Tom, thanks to you!" said he. "Bless mypocketbook, I don't care if my fortune is lost, as long as I'malive and can get back to my wife. "

"But I don't believe your fortune will be lost, " said Tom. "Ithink I have the picture and other evidence that will save it, "and he told of his photo telephone, and of what it had accomplished. 

"Bless my eyelashes!" cried Mr. Damon. "What a young man you are, Tom Swift!"

Tom smiled gladly. He knew now that his old friend was himselfonce more. 

There is little left to tell. Chance had aided Tom in a mostwonderful way--chance and the presence of Mr. Halling with hisairship at just the right moment. 

Tom made a diligent effort to find out who it was that hadchloroformed him in the telephone booth that time, but learnednothing definite. Peters and Boylan were both examined as to thison their trials, but denied it, and the young inventor was forcedto conclude that it must have been some of the unscrupulous menwho had taken his father's patent some time before. 

"They may have heard of your prosperity, and thought it a goodchance to rob you, " suggested Ned. 

"Maybe, " agreed Tom. "Well, we'll let it go at that. Only I hopethey don't come again. "

Mr. Damon was soon home with his wife again, and Peters and Boylanwere held in heavy bail. They had secreted most of Mr. Damon'swealth, falsely telling him it was lost, and they were forced togive back his fortune. The evidence against them was clear andconclusive. When Tom went into court with his phonograph record ofthe talk of Peters, even though the man's voice was hoarse from acold when he talked, and when his picture was shown, in thetelephone booth, the jury at once convicted him. 

Boylan, when he learned of the missing button in Tom's possession, confessed that he and some of his men who were birdmen had takenTom's airship. They wanted a means of getting Mr. Damon to thelonely house without being traced, and they accomplished it. 

As Tom had surmised, Peters had become suspicious after his lasttalk with Mrs. Damon, and had fled. He disguised himself and wentinto hiding with the others at the lonely house. Then he learnedthat the authorities of another city, where he had swindled many, were on his trail, and he decided to decamp with his gang, takingMr. Damon with them. For this purpose Tom's airship was taken thesecond time, and a wholesale escape, with Mr. Damon a prisoner, was planned. 

But fate was against the plotters. Two of them did manage to getaway, but they were not really wanted. The big fish were Petersand Boylan, and they were securely caught in the net of the law. Peters was greatly surprised when he learned of Tom's trap, and ofthe photo telephone. He had no idea he had been incriminatinghimself when he talked over the wire. 

"Well, it's all over, " remarked Ned to Tom, one day, when thedisabled auto and the airship had been brought home and repaired. "The plotters are in prison for long terms, and Mr. Damon isfound, together with his fortune. The photo telephone did it, Tom. "

"Not all of it--but a good bit, " admitted the young inventor, witha smile. 

"What are you going to do next, Tom?"

"I hardly know. I think--"

Before Tom could finish, a voice was heard in the hall outside thelibrary. 

"Bless my overshoes! Where's Tom? I want to thank him again forwhat he did for me, " and Mr. Damon, now fully recovered, came in. "Bless my suspender button, but it's good to be alive, Tom!" hecried. 

"It certainly is, " agreed Tom. "And the next time you go for aconference with such men as Peters, look out for airships. "

"I will, Tom, I will!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless my watch chain, I will!"

And now, for a time, we will say good-bye to Tom Swift, leavinghim to perfect his other inventions.