Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight; or on the border for Uncle Sam Read online

  CHAPTER III

  QUEER REPAIRS

  Quickly Tom Swift crossed the space between the airship, that wasready for a flight, and the tree. The man behind it had apparentlynot seen Tom coming, being so interested in looking at the airship,which was a wonderful craft. He was taken completely by surprise asTom, stepping up to him, asked sharply:

  "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

  The man started so that he nearly dropped the opera glasses, whichhe had held focused on the aeroplane. Then he stepped back, and eyedTom sharply.

  "What do you want?" repeated our hero. "What right have you to bespying on that airship--on these premises?" The man hesitated amoment, and then coolly returned the glasses to his pocket. He didnot seem at all put out, after his first start of surprise.

  "What are you doing?" Tom again asked. He looked around to see whereKoku, the giant, was, and beheld the big man walking slowly towardhim, for Ned had mentioned what had taken place.

  "What right have you to question my actions?" asked the man, andthere was in his tones a certain authority that made Tom wonder.

  "Every right," retorted our hero. "That is my airship, at which youhave been spying, and this is where I live."

  "Oh, it is; eh?" asked the man calmly. "And that's your airship,too?"

  "I invented it, and built the most of it myself. If you areinterested in such things, and can assure me that you have no spyingmethods in view, I can show you--"

  "Have you other airships?" interrupted the man quickly.

  "Yes, several," answered Tom. "But I can't understand why you shouldbe spying on me. If you don't care to accept my offer, like agentleman, tell me who you are, and what your object is, I will havemy assistant remove you. You are on private property, as this streetis not a public one, being cut through by my father. I'll have Kokuremove you by force, if you won't go peaceably, and I think you'llagree with me that Koku can do it. Here Koku," he called sharply,and the big man advanced quickly.

  "I wouldn't do anything rash, if I were you," said the man quietly."As for this being private property, that doesn't concern me. You'reTom Swift, aren't you; and you have several airships?"

  "Yes, but what right have you to--"

  "Every right!" interrupted the man, throwing back the lapel of hiscoat, and showing a badge. "I'm Special Agent William Whitford, ofthe United States Customs force, and I'd like to ask you a fewquestions, Tom Swift." He looked our hero full in the face.

  "Customs department!" gasped Tom. "You want to ask me somequestions?"

  "That's it," went on the man, in a business-like voice.

  "What about?"

  "Smuggling by airship from Canada!"

  "What!" cried Tom. "Do you mean to say you suspect me of beingimplicated in--"

  "Now go easy," advised the man calmly. "I didn't say anything,except that I wanted to QUESTION you. If you'd like me to do it outhere, why I can. But as someone might hear us--"

  "Come inside," said Tom quietly, though his heart was beating in atumult. "You may go, Koku, but stay within call," he addedsignificantly. "Come on, Ned," and he motioned to his chum who wasapproaching. "This man is a custom officer and not a spy or adetective, as we thought."

  "Oh, yes, I am a SORT of a detective," corrected Mr. Whitford. "AndI'm a spy, too, in a way, for I've been spying on you, and someother parties in town. But you may be able to explain everything,"he added, as he took a seat in the library between Ned and Tom. "Ionly know I was sent here to do certain work, and I'm going to doit. I wanted to make some observations before you saw me, but Iwasn't quite quick enough."

  "Would you mind telling me what you want to know?" asked Tom, a bitimpatiently. "You mentioned smuggling, and--"

  "Smuggling!" interrupted Ned.

  "Yes, over from Canada. Maybe you have seen something in the papersabout our department thinking airships were used at night to slipthe goods over the border."

  "We saw it!" cried Tom eagerly. "But how does that concern me?"

  "I'll come to that, presently," replied Mr. Whitford. "In the firstplace, we have been roundly laughed at in some papers for proposingsuch a theory. And yet it isn't so wild as it sounds. In fact, afterseeing your airship, Tom Swift, I'm convinced--"

  "That I've been smuggling?" asked Tom with a laugh.

  "Not at all. As you have read, we confiscated some smuggled goodsthe other day, and among them was a scrap of paper with the wordsShopton, New York, on it."

  "Was it a letter from someone here, or to someone here?" asked Ned."The papers intimated so."

  "No. they only guessed at that part of it. It was just a scrap ofpaper, evidently torn from a letter, and it only had those threewords on it. Naturally we agents thought we could get a clew here.We imagined, or at least I did, for I was sent to work up this end,that perhaps the airships for the smugglers were made here. I madeinquiries, and found that you, Tom Swift, and one other, Andy Foger,had made, or owned, airships in Shopton."

  "I came here, but I soon exhausted the possibility of Andy Fogermaking practical airships. Besides he isn't at home here any more,and he has no facilities for constructing the craft as you have. SoI came to look at your place, and I must say that it looks a bitsuspicious, Mr. Swift. Though, of course, as I said," he added witha smile, "you may be able to explain everything."

  "I think I can convince you that I had no part in the smuggling,"spoke Tom, laughing. "I never sell my airships. If you like you maytalk with my father, the housekeeper, and others who can testifythat since my return from taking moving pictures, I have not beenout of town, and the smuggling has been going on only a littlewhile."

  "That is true," assented the custom officer. "I shall be glad tolisten to any evidence you may offer. This is a very baffling case.The government is losing thousands of dollars every month, and wecan't seem to stop the smugglers, or get much of a clew to them.This one is the best we have had so far."

  It did not take Tom many hours to prove to the satisfaction of Mr.Whitford that none of our hero's airships had taken any part incheating Uncle Sam out of custom duties.

  "Well, I don't know what to make of it," said the government agent,with a disappointed air, as he left the office of the Shopton chiefof police, who, with others, at Tom's request, had testified in hisfavor. "This looked like a good clew, and now it's knocked into acocked hat. There's no use bothering that Foger fellow," he went on,"for he has but one airship, I understand."

  "And that's not much good." put in Ned. "I guess it's partlywrecked, and Andy has kept it out in the barn since he moved away."

  "Well, I guess I'll be leaving town then," went on the agent. "Ican't get any more clews here, and there may be some new ones foundon the Canadian border where my colleagues are trying to catch therascals. I'm sorry I bothered you, Tom Swift. You certainly have afine lot of airships," he added, for he had been taken through theshop, and shown the latest, noiseless model. "A fine lot. I don'tbelieve the smugglers, if they use them, have any better."

  "Nor as good!" exclaimed Ned. "Tom's can't be beat."

  "It's too late for our noiseless trial now," remarked Tom, after theagent had gone. "Let's put her back in the shed, and then I'll takeyou down street, and treat you to some ice cream, Ned. It's gettingquite summery now."

  As the boys were coming out of the drug store, where they had eatentheir ice cream in the form of sundaes, Ned uttered a cry ofsurprise at the sight of a man approaching them.

  "It's Mr. Dillon, the carpenter whom we saw in the Foger house,Tom!" exclaimed his chum. "This is the first chance I've had to talkto him. I'm going to ask him what sort of repairs he's making insidethe old mansion." Ned was soon in conversation with him.

  "Yes, I'm working at the Foger house," admitted the carpenter, whohad done some work for Ned's father. "Mighty queer repairs, too.Something I never did before. If Andy wasn't there to tell me whathe wanted done I wouldn't know what to do."

  "Is Andy there yet?" asked Tom quickly.

  "Yes, he's staying in the o
ld house. All alone too, except now andthen, he has a chum stay there nights with him. They get their ownmeals. I bring the stuff in, as Andy says he's getting up a surpriseand doesn't want any of the boys to see him, or ask questions. Butthey are sure queer repairs I'm doing," and the carpenter scratchedhis head reflectively.

  "What are you doing?" asked Ned boldly.

  "Fixing up Andy's old airship that was once busted," was theunexpected answer, "and after I get that done, if I ever do, hewants me to make a platform for it on the roof of the house, wherehe can start it swooping through the air. Mighty queer repairs, Icall 'em. Well, good evening, boys," and the carpenter passed on.