Chapter 9 Tom Swift and his Chest of Secrets by Victor Appleton
MARY’S MESSAGE
Once again Tom Swift had occasion to act quickly, as he had when he discovered Barsky in his private office. Without waiting to question Eradicate, the young inventor made a dash for the door. A moment later he was outside, looking for a sign or trace of the mysterious intruder.
But the night was dark, there was no moon; and Tom, coming from a lighted room, was at a greater disadvantage than otherwise would have been the case. It was not until several seconds had passed that the young man could make out objects in the gloom, and none of these objects was the unknown person he sought.
Still Tom was not going to give up so easily. He shouted to Koku, and when the giant joined him and when Eradicate had come shuffling out the three began a hurried search around the house for the secret listener.
“Well, I guess he got away,” sighed Tom. He was greatly disappointed when it was evident that no one was to be caught.
“He suah has,” agreed Eradicate.
“What sort of man was it?” asked Tom. “I suppose it was a man, Rad, and not a woman?”
“Oh, yes, Massa Tom! It suah was a man aw right! An’ he was a sorta big man, but stoopin’ ober like, leanin’ down an’ tryin’ to look under de window shade.”
“Why didn’t you jump on him, Rad?”
“Dat’s jest what I was tryin’ to sneak up an’ do, Massa Tom. But I done sneezed jest when I got by de piazzy, an’ he done hears me an’ jumps away.”
“By golly! I cotch him ef I been dar!” cried the giant. “I take ’um in my two hands—so. I squoze ’urn—so!”
Truly there would have been but little chance for the trespasser had Koku got his hands on him.
“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Eradicate. “He go so fast, Giant, dat he make you look like a worm crawlin’ along!”
The giant was not very fast in his movements, and he realized this. Still he did not like to be taunted about this failing, and he now made a reach for Eradicate, who, however, easily eluded his enemy.
“Come now! None of that!” ordered Tom sharply. “I guess this fellow, whoever he was, might have been only a tramp. Take a stroll around for a while, Koku, and see if he comes back.”
“Sure, Master, I watch.”
“An’ I’ll be on the lookout, too,” offered Eradicate.
“Look around, both of you, and don’t scrap. Do you hear? Don’t scrap between yourselves. I’m getting tired of it!”
“I be good to Rad, Master,” promised the giant.
“Huh! You better, ef you all knows whut good fo’ you!” chuckled the colored man.
Tom went back to his father, finding the old gentleman somewhat nervous and upset.
“What was it, Son?” he inquired.
“Oh, just some tramp, I think,” replied the lad easily. But in his own mind he was disturbed by the incident.
“I wonder if that was Barsky or some of our old enemies?” mused Tom to himself, when he had gone to his own room after some further talk with his father concerning the various inventions and patents. “There’s always a chance of some of the old gang trying some of their tricks.
“But what object could any one have in listening to the talk between dad and me? We only mentioned generalities, and what we said would have been of no value to any one. Still, whoever was listening didn’t know that. They may have hoped to pick up some information that could be used against us.”
But though he was worried and a bit apprehensive, Tom did not dwell long on this phase of the matter. He knew it would do little, if any, good.
Still he was not so foolish as to omit all precautions, and a little later he went outside to see if Koku or Eradicate had seen any further signs of the intruder.
Both the giant and the colored man reported that they had seen no one, and Tom sent them to bed, after giving orders to see that the house was well locked for the night.
The shops, some distance away, were well guarded by watchmen, as well as by a system of electrical burglar alarms, a bell of which was set up in Tom’s room. No one could get in or over the high fence which surrounded the works without disclosing his presence.
Tom was a little apprehensive that in the night the alarm bell might ring, telling him that some one was trying to sneak into the factory. However, the hours of darkness passed uneventfully and with the coming of morning Tom’s fears passed away.
He went out to look around the porch on which the mysterious listener had crouched beneath the window, but there were no clews that he could follow.
“I’ll just have to let things take their course,” decided Tom. He reported the matter to Ned, as he generally did in such cases.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Ned cheerfully.
“I’m not,” declared Tom, but his manager could see that he was and that he could not get his mind down to work. At last Tom himself became aware of his nervous condition, and shortly after noon, throwing his pencil down on his desk, he exclaimed:
“I’m going out for a ride, Ned. Come along. It will clear the cobwebs out of our brains.”
“Going in the runabout?” asked Ned.
“No, in the little biplane. She’s just been tuned up and runs like a sewing machine. We’ll take a spin up in the clouds.”
Ned considered for a moment, looked at a mass of papers on his desk, and answered:
“No, thank you, I’d better not go. Besides, Mr. Plum just telephoned that he’d like to see me about dad’s case, and I want to run over there.”
“All right,” agreed Tom. “Take all the time you want, Ned. But I don’t want to go skylarking alone. I think I’ll ’phone Mary. I haven’t had her up in the biplane for some time.”
“Yes, you and Mary go for a spin,” replied Ned. “Only take care that it isn’t a tail-spin.”
“The Hummer doesn’t indulge in such antics,” replied Tom, with a laugh. “But first I’d better see if she’ll tune up as she did the other day. I don’t want to get Mary out in her and then have something go wrong. I’ll just run her out, Ned, and give her a warming up. Then, if everything’s all right, I’ll call Mary. You can look after things here, I suppose?”
“Yes, either dad or I will. He’ll be back soon, and then I’ll take a run over to Plum’s office.”
Tom owned several planes, but of the two-winged variety the one he best liked was the Hummer, a small but speedy craft. This machine was kept in a hanger near the flying field, and it did not take the young inventor long to have her run out that he might test the engine.
“She sure sounds sweet, Mr. Swift,” remarked the mechanician who assisted him.
“Yes, Dirk, she’s throbbing like a wild duck. I guess I’ll take her up for a time.”
Going back to the office Tom reported to Ned that everything about the Hummer was in good shape and that he would probably be gone for the remainder of the day. As there was no good landing place near the home of Mary Nestor it was necessary for her to come to Tom’s flying field, and while he was getting ready he sent one of his men for the young lady in an automobile. But first Tom called her on the telephone.
“Oh, Tom!” exclaimed Mary, as soon as she found who was on the wire, “I was just going to call you up!”
“You were?”
“Yes, it’s awfully important! I want to see you very much!”
“Well, you’ll have that pleasure directly.”
“Oh, Tom, don’t joke about it! It is important.”
“What’s the trouble, Mary,” the young inventor asked, seriously enough now.
“I’ll tell you when I see you—soon!”
Tom told the girl of the proposed trip and Mary hung up the receiver while Tom wondered at the note of anxiety in his sweetheart’s message.