CHAPTER X
TOM HAS A FALL
The young inventor told more details of his adventure in the woods,but, though the farmers questioned him closely, he would not give asingle name of his assailants.
"But I should think you'd want to have them punished," remarked Mr.Mason.
"I'll attend to that part later," answered Tom. "Besides, most of themdidn't know what they were doing. They were led on by one or two. No,I'll fight my own battles. But I wish you'd lend me a lantern longenough to find my motor-cycle. The moon doesn't give much light in thewoods, and those fellows may have hidden my machine."
Mr. Mason and his companions readily agreed to accompany Tom on asearch for his wheel. It was found just where he had dismounted from itin the road. Andy and his cronies had evidently had enough of theirencounter with our hero, and did not dare to annoy him further.
"Do you think you can ride home?" asked one of the farmers of the lad,when he had ascertained that his machine was in running order.
"Well, it's risky without my lantern," answered Tom. "They smashed thatfor me. But I guess I can manage."
"No, you can't!" insisted Mr. Mason. "You're stiff from being tied up;and you can't ride. Now you just wheel that contraption over to myplace, and I'll hitch up and take you home. It isn't far."
"Oh, I couldn't think of troubling you," declared Tom. At the same timehe felt that he was in no condition to ride.
"It's no trouble at all," insisted Mr. Mason. "I guess your father andI are good enough friends to allow me to have my way. You can comeover and get your choo-choo bicycle in the morning."
A little later Tom was being rapidly driven toward his home, where hefound his father and Mrs. Baggert, to say nothing of Mr. Sharp,somewhat alarmed over his absence, as it was getting late. The youthtold as much of his adventure as he thought would not alarm his father,making a sort of joke of it, and, later, related all the details to theballoonist.
"We'll have to get after Andy again," declared the aeronaut. "He needsanother toning down."
"Yes, similar to the one he got when we nearly ran away with hisautomobile, by catching the airship anchor on it," added Tom with alaugh. "But I fancy Andy will steer clear of me for a while. I'm sorryI had to use up that chemical powder, though. Now I can't start mybattery until to-morrow." But the next day Tom made up for lost time,by working from early until late. He went over to Mr. Mason's, got hismotor-cycle, procured some more of the chemical, and soon had hisstorage battery in running order. Then he arranged for a more severetest, and while that was going on he worked at completing the body ofthe electric runabout. The vehicle was beginning to look like a car,though it was not of the regulation pattern.
For the next week Tom was very busy, so occupied, in fact, that hescarcely took time for his meals, which caused Mrs. Baggert no littleworriment, for she was a housekeeper who liked to see others enjoy hercooking.
"Well, Tom, how are you coming on?" asked his father one night, as theysat on the porch, Mr. Sharp with them.
"Pretty well, Dad," was the answer of the young inventor. "I'll put thewheels on to-morrow, and then set the batteries. I've got the motor allfinished; and all I'll have to do will be to connect it up, and thenI'll be ready for a trial on the road."
"And you still think you'll beat all records?"
"I'm pretty sure of it, Dad. You see the amperage will be exceptionallyhigh, and my batteries will have a large amount of reserve, with littleinternal resistance. But do you know I'm so tired I can hardly think.It's more of a job than I thought it would be."
Tom, a little later, strolled down the road. As he turned back towardthe house and walked up the shrubbery lined path he heard a noise.
"Some one's hiding in there!" thought the lad, and he darted to anopening in the hedge to reach the other side. As he did so he saw afigure running away. Whether it was a man or a boy he could not tell inthe darkness.
"Hold on there!" cried the young inventor, but, naturally, the fleeingone did not stop. Tom began to sprint, and as it was slightly downhill, he made good time. The figure ahead of him was running well, too,but Tom who could see better, now that he was out from under the trees,noticed that he was gaining. The fleeing one came to a little brook,and hesitated a moment before leaping across. This enabled Tom to catchup, and he made a grab for the figure, just as the man or boy sprangacross the little stream.
Tom missed his grip, but he was not going to give up. He scarcelyslackened his speed, but, with the momentum he had acquired in racingdown the hill, he, too, leaped across the brook. As he landed on theother side he made another grab for the figure, a man, as Tom could nowsee, but he could make out no features, as the person's hat was pulleddown over his face.
"I've got you now!" cried Tom exultantly, reaching out his hand. Hisfingers clutched something, but the next instant the young inventorwent sprawling. The other had put out his foot, and tripped him neatlyand, Tom throwing out his hands to save himself in the fall that wasinevitable, went splashing into the brook at full length. The unknown,pausing a moment to view what he had done, turned quickly and raced offin the darkness.