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Baggert, hearing the noise of his machine, as it entered the front yard, came to the side door. "Where's my blacking?" she asked, as our hero dismounted and untied the bundle of steel tubes he had purchased. "I I used it," he answered, laughing. "Tom Swift! You don't mean to say you took my stove polish to use in your battery, do you?"
At that moment a voice was heard in the hall of the house saying: "Now, my dear lady, don't trouble yourself. I can find my way in to Tom Swift perfectly well by myself, and while I appreciate your courtesy I do not want to trouble you." "No, don't come, Mrs. Baggert," added another voice. "Bless my hat band, I think I know my way about the house by this time!" "Mr. Damon!" ejaculated Ned.
"Everything is all right. I've made a trial flight, and you've seen me come down as safely as a bird. You promised to go up with me. I won't go very high if you don't like it, but my experience has been that, once you're off the ground, it doesn't make any difference how high you go. You'll find it very fascinating. So skip along to the house, and Mrs. Baggert will help you get into your togs."
Tom had a natural love for machinery, and it hurt him almost as much to see a piece of fine apparatus abused as it did to see an animal mistreated. It was the work of a moment to shut off the gasolene and spark, and then the youth raced on toward his house. "Where's dad?" he called to Mrs. Baggert, who was washing the dishes. "Out in one of the shops," replied the housekeeper.
No one hurt, but she hasn't a spare wheel and can't navigate. She called me up at the house, not wishing to alarm her father, and Mrs. Baggert told her you and I had come down to the dock, so she reached me here. I'll go in the small aeroplane and get her. Luckily I left it here the last time I made a trip.
"Berg was afraid I'd catch him, and ask for an explanation that would have been awkward to make," thought the lad, as he turned the charm over in his hand. "That's why he tripped me up. But I'll get at the bottom of this yet. Maybe he wants to steal my ideas for an electric car." Tom's musings were suddenly interrupted by Mrs. Baggert.
You can come over and get your choo-choo bicycle in the morning." A little later Tom was being rapidly driven toward his home, where he found his father and Mrs. Baggert, to say nothing of Mr. Sharp, somewhat alarmed over his absence, as it was getting late.
Besides Tom and his father, the Swift household was made up of Eradicate Sampson, a colored man-of-all-work, who, with his mule Boomerang, did what he could to keep the grounds around the house in order. There was also Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, Tom's mother being dead. Mr. Damon, living in a neighboring town, was a frequent visitor in the Swift home.
Baggert said, "like a hen on a hot griddle," which seemed to describe him very well, "if I can get hold of any of those scoundrels, I'll I'll Bless my collar button, I don't know what I will do! Come on, Ned!" "Yes, I guess we'd better get busy," agreed the young bank clerk. "Tom has gone somewhere, that's certain, and under a misapprehension.
"What's that?" asked Mr. Swift, thinking his son was joking. Then Tom told of the happening. "Yes, I think I can find some work for Eradicate to do," went on Mr. Swift. "There is some dirt in the boiler shop that needs eradicating, and I think he can do it. But dinner has been waiting some time. We'll go in now, or Mrs. Baggert will be out after us."
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