Tom Swift and His Sky Racer; Or The Quickest Flight on Record Read online

  Chapter Six

  Andy Foger Will Contest

  One afternoon, as Tom was working away in the shop on his sky racer,adjusting one of the rear rudders, and pausing now and then to admirethe trim little craft, he heard some one approaching. Looking outthrough a small observation peephole made for this purpose, he saw Mrs.Baggert hurrying toward the building.

  "I wonder what's the matter?" he said aloud, for there was a look ofworriment on the lady's face. Tom threw open the door. "What is it,Mrs. Baggert?" he called. "Some one up at the house who wants to seeme?"

  "No, it's your father!" panted the housekeeper, for she was quitestout. "He is very ill again, and I can't seem to get Dr. Gladby onthe telephone. Central says he doesn't answer."

  "My father worse!" cried Tom in alarm, dropping his tools and hurryingfrom the shop. "Where's Eradicate? Send him for the doctor. Perhaps thewires are broken. If he can't locate Dr. Gladby, get Dr. Kurtz. We musthave some one. Here, Rad! Where are you?" he called, raising his voice.

  "Heah I be!" answered the colored man, coming from the direction of thegarden, which he had been weeding.

  "Get out your mule, and go for Dr. Gladby. If he isn't home, get Dr.Kurtz. Hurry, Rad!"

  "I's mighty sorry, Massa Tom," answered the colored man, "but I cain'thurry, nohow."

  "Why not?"

  "Because Boomerang done gone lame, an' he won't run. I'll go mahse'f,but I cain't take dat air mule."

  "Never mind. I'll go in the Butterfly," decided Tom quickly. "I'll runup to the house and see how dad is, and while I'm gone, Rad, you getout the Butterfly. I can make the trip in that. If Dr. Kurtz had a'phone I could get him, but he lives over on the back road, where thereisn't a line. Hurry, Rad!"

  "Yes, sah, Massa Tom, I'll hurry!"

  The colored man knew how to get the monoplane in shape for a flight, ashe had often done it.

  Tom found his father in no immediate danger, but Mr. Swift had had aslight recurrence of his heart trouble, and it was thought best to havea doctor. So Tom started off in his air craft, rising swiftly above thehousetop, and sailed off toward the old-fashioned residence of Dr.Kurtz, a sturdy, elderly German physician, who sometimes attended Mr.Swift. Tom decided that as long as Dr. Gladby did not answer his'phone, he could not be at home, and this, he learned later, was thecase, the physician being in a distant town on a consultation.

  "My, this Butterfly seems big and clumsy beside my Humming-Bird," musedTom as he slid along through the air, now flying high and now low,merely for practice. "This machine can go, but wait until I have my newone in the air! Then I'll show 'em what speed is!"

  He was soon at the physician's house, and found him in.

  "Won't you ride back with me in the monoplane?" asked Tom. "I'm anxiousto have you see dad as soon as you can.

  "Vot! Me drust mineself in one ob dem airships? I dinks not!" exclaimedDr. Kurtz ponderously. "Vy, I vould not efen ride in an outer-mobile,yet, so vy should I go in von contrivance vot is efen more dangerous?No, I gomes to your fader in der carriage, mit mine old Dobbin horse.Dot vill not drop me to der ground, or run me up a tree, yet! Vot?"

  "Very well," said Tom, "only hurry, please."

  The young inventor, in his airship, reached home some time before theslow-going doctor got there in his carriage. Mr. Swift was no worse,Tom was glad to find, though he was evidently quite ill.

  "So, ve must take goot care of him," said the doctor, when he hadexamined the patient. "Dr. Gladby he has done much for him, und I cando little more. You must dake care of yourself, Herr Swift, or youvill--but den, vot is der use of being gloomy-minded? I am sure youvill go more easy, und not vork so much."

  "I haven't worked much," replied the aged inventor. "I have only beenhelping my son on a new airship."

  "Den dot must stop," insisted the doctor. "You must haf gompleterest--dot's it--gomplete rest."

  "We'll do just as you say, doctor," said Tom. "We'll give up theaeroplane matters, dad, and go away, you and I, where we can't see ablueprint or a pattern, or hear the sound of machinery. We'll cut itall out."

  "Dot vould he goot," said Dr. Kurtz ponderously.

  "No, I couldn't think of it," answered Mr. Swift. "I want you to go inthat race, Tom--and win!"

  "But I'll not do it, dad, if you're going to be ill."

  "He is ill now," interrupted the doctor. "Very ill, Dom Swift."

  "That settles it. I don't go in the race. You and I'll go away, dad--toCalifornia, or up in Canada. We'll travel for your health."

  "No! no!" insisted the old inventor gently. "I will be all right. Mostof the work on the monoplane is done now, isn't it, Tom?"

  "Yes, dad."

  "Then you go on, and finish it. You and Mr. Jackson can do it withoutme now. I'll take a rest, doctor, but I want my son to enter that race,and, what's more, I want him to win!"

  "Vell, if you don't vork, dot is all I ask. I must forbid you to do anymore. Mit Dom, dot is different. He is young und strong, und he canvork. But you--not, Herr Swift, or I doctor you no more." And thephysician shook his big head.

  "Very well. I'll agree to that if Tom will promise to enter the race,"said the inventor.

  "I will," said Tom.

  The physician took his leave shortly after that, the medicine he gaveto Mr. Swift somewhat relieving him. Then the young inventor, who feltin a little better spirits, went back to his workshop.

  "Poor dad," he mused. "He thinks more of me and this aeroplane than hedoes of himself. Well, I will go in the race, and I'll--yes, I'll win!"And Tom looked very determined.

  He was about to resume work on his craft when something about the wayone of the forward planes was tilted attracted his attention.

  "I never left it that way," mused Tom. "Some one has been in here. Iwonder if it was Mr. Jackson?"

  Tom stepped to the door and called for Eradicate. The colored man camefrom the direction of the garden, which he was still weeding.

  "Has Mr. Jackson been around, Rad?" asked the lad.

  "No, sah. I ain't seed him."

  "Have you been in here, looking at the Humming-Bird?"

  "No, Massa Tom. I nebber goes in dere, lessen as how yo' is dere. Dem'syo' orders."

  "That's so, Rad. I might have known you wouldn't go in. But did you seeany one enter the shop?"

  "Not a pusson, sab."

  "Have you been here all the while?"

  "All but jes' a few minutes, when I went to de barn to put someliniment on Boomerang's so' foot."

  "H'm! Some one might have slipped in here while I was away," mused Tom."I ought to have locked the doors, but I was in a hurry. This thing isgetting on my nerves. I wonder if it's Andy Foger, or some one else,who is after my secret?"

  He made a hasty examination of the shop, but could discover nothingmore wrong, except that one of the planes of the Humming-Bird had beenshifted.

  "It looks as if they were trying to see how it was fastened on, and howit worked," mused Tom. "But my plans haven't been touched, and nodamage has been done. Only I don't like to think that people have beenin here. They may have stolen some of my ideas. I must keep this placelocked night and day after this."

  Tom spent a busy week in making improvements on his craft. Mr. Swiftwas doing well, and after a consultation by Dr. Kurtz and Dr. Gladby itwas decided to adopt a new style of treatment. In the meanwhile, Mr.Swift kept his promise, and did no work. He sat in his easy-chair, outin the garden, and dozed away, while Tom visited him frequently to seeif he needed anything.

  "Poor old dad!" mused the young inventor. "I hope he is well enough tocome and see me try for the ten-thousand-dollar prize--and win it! Ihope I do; but if some one builds, from my stolen plans, a machine onthis model, I'll have my work cut out for me." And he gazed with prideon the Humming-Bird.

  For the past two weeks Tom had seen nothing of Andy Foger. Thered-haired bully seemed to have dropped out of sight, and even hiscronies, Sam Snedecker and Pete Bailey, did not know where he had gone.

  "I hope he ha
s gone for good," said Ned Newton, who lived near Andy."He's an infernal nuisance. I wish he'd never come back to Shopton."

  But Andy was destined to come back.

  One day, when Tom was busy installing a wireless apparatus on his newaeroplane, he heard Eradicate hurrying up the path that led to the shop.

  "I wonder if dad is worse?" thought Tom, that always being his firstidea when he knew a summons was coming for him. Quickly be opened thedoor.

  "Some one's comin' out to see you, Massa Tom," said the colored man.

  "Who is it?" asked the lad, taking the precaution to put his preciousplans out of sight.

  "I dunno, sah; but yo' father knows him, an' he said fo' me to come outheah, ahead ob de gen'man, an' tell yo' he were comin'. He'll be rightheah."

  "Oh, well, if dad knows him, it's all right. Let him come, Rad."

  "Yes, sah. Heah he comes." And the colored man pointed to a figureadvancing down the gravel path. Tom watched the stranger curiously.There was something familiar about him, and Tom was sure he had met himbefore, yet he could not seem to place him.

  "How are you, Tom Swift?" greeted the newcomer pleasantly. "I guessyou've forgotten me, haven't you?" He held out his hand, which Tomtook. "Don't know me, do you?" he went on.

  "Well, I'm afraid I've forgotten your name," admitted the lad, just abit embarrassed. "But your face is familiar, somehow, and yet it isn't."

  "I've shaved off my mustache," went on the other. "That makes adifference. But you haven't forgotten John Sharp, the balloonist, whomyou rescued from Lake Carlopa, and who helped you build the Red Cloud?You haven't forgotten John Sharp, have you, Tom?"

  "Well, I should say not!" cried the lad heartily. "I'm real glad to seeyou. What are you doing around here? Come in. I've got something toshow you," and he motioned to the shop where the Humming-Bird washoused.

  "Oh, I know what it is," said the veteran balloonist.

  "You do?"

  "Yes. It's your new aeroplane. In fact, I came to see you about it."

  "To see me about it?"

  "Yes. I'm one of the committee of arrangements for the meet to be heldat Eagle Park, where I understand you are going to contest. I came tosee how near you were ready, and to get you to make a formal entry ofyour machine. Mr. Gunmore sent me."

  "Oh, so you're in with them now, eh?" asked Tom. "Well, I'm glad toknow I've got a friend on the committee. Yes, my machine is gettingalong very well. I'll soon be ready for a trial flight. Come in andlook at it. I think it's a bird--a regular Humming-Bird!" And Tomlaughed.

  "It certainly is something new," admitted Mr. Sharp as his eyes took inthe details of the trim little craft. "By the way, Shopton is going tobe well represented at the meet."

  "How is that? I thought I was the only one around here to enter anaeroplane."

  "No. We have just received an entry from Andy Foger."

  "From Andy Foger!" gasped Tom. "Is he going to try to win some of theprizes?"

  "He's entered for the big one, the ten-thousand-dollar prize," repliedthe balloonist. "He has made formal application to be allowed tocompete, and we have to accept any one who applies. Why, do you objectto him, Tom?"

  "Object to him? Mr. Sharp, let me tell you something. Some time ago aset of plans of my machine here were stolen from my house. I suspectedAndy Foger of taking them, but I could get no proof. Now you say he isbuilding a machine to compete for the big prize. Do you happen to knowwhat style it is?"

  "It's a small monoplane, something like the Antoinette, his applicationstates, though he may change it later."

  "Then he's stolen my ideas, and is making a craft like this!" exclaimedTom, as he sank upon a bench, and gazed from the balloonist to theHumming-Bird, and back to Mr. Sharp again. "Andy Foger is trying tobeat me with my own machine!"