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"Glass," said the eccentric character promptly. "Some kind of glass. Bless my windshield-wiper, what was it? Oh, yes! Flexible glass, that was it." Tom and Ned exchanged startled glances. For many months experiments directed toward the production of a glass as bendable as rubber had been going forward in the Swift plant.
"No; on the contrary, I am the most optimistic man in the world." She looked into this reply very carefully. If he had hopes of winning Nora Harrigan, optimistic he certainly must be. Perhaps it was not optimism. Rather might it not be a purpose made of steel, bendable but not breakable, reinforced by a knowledge of conditions which she would have given worlds to learn? "Is she not beautiful?"
At any rate, when he applied pressure he did not seem surprised when the glass became straight again. Then he proceeded actually to tie a knot in it, so bendable was the new substance! "This will revolutionize the glass industry!" declared Ned, noting that even the blows of a heavy sledge-hammer failed even so much as to crack the rod.
And now the bo'sun gave the signal to attack, at which he and the man ran down upon the creature with their lances, as it were in rest. The bo'sun's spear took the monster truly in its left eye; but the one wielded by the man was too bendable, and sagged so much that it struck the stern-post of the boat, the knife blade snapping off short.
"But seriously, I'm mighty well pleased with this stuff; it turned out better than I dared hope. You know, I got the idea for bendable glass while I was trying to figure out a way to make a huge telescope mirror. That was before we found the meteorite." "And I suppose you'll go back to the glass mirror if you can't find the big stone so you can make the large green disk."
Upon inspection, it was found that three half-inch holes had been drilled into each pontoon. It was evident that only an enemy of Tom or of the Swift Company could have done such a thing. "Ned, that proves it!" declared the young inventor gloomily. "Proves what?" Ned asked. "Can't you see? It all ties in with Mr. Damon's so-called relatives, and their knowledge of my formula for a bendable glass.
Mushroom was the appropriate name given to them, for they were wide of brim and small of crown, and the brims had the extra recommendation of being bendable, up or down, forming an excellent frame for the long, thin veil the dust and mosquitoes sometimes made a necessity.
"I won't, Dad," grinned Tom. "What do you think of this?" He handed his father the bar of bendable glass. "What do I think of it? Why, it looks like a glass rod, that's all I can see." "Then watch!" Tom took the bar and deftly twisted it into the shape of a fat pretzel. "You've done it, son!" cried Mr. Swift. "And to think I told you such a thing was impossible! Congratulations!"
Eager to get off as lightly as possible, the fellow, who had been a confidential clerk in the main offices of the glass works, made a full confession. "It was Hammer who got me into this, Mr. Swift," whined Anton. "He overheard Mr. Stern talking about your experiments with bendable glass. He said you'd surely succeed and that the invention would be worth a fortune.
Maybe Ned was right after all and they ARE after my formula for bendable glass!" Tom immediately called the home of Mr. Stern, head of the glass works, to whom he related the occurrence. The executive was shocked and very indignant at the thought of there being a criminal among his employees and promised to investigate thoroughly. "I hope you don't think I had anything to do with this, Mr.
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