Tom fairly jumped toward the long library window, the same one from which he had leaped to pursue Andy Foger. The cas.e.m.e.nt was open, and Tom noted that the screen was also unhooked. It had been closed when he went to get the model, he was sure of that.
"Look, dad! See!" he exclaimed, as he picked up from the floor a small piece of paper.
"What is it, Tom?"
"A sheet on which I did some figuring. It is no good, but it was in with the plans. It must have dropped out."
"Do you mean that some one has been in here and taken the plans of your new aeroplane, Tom?" gasped his father.
"That"s just what I mean! They sneaked in here while you were dozing, took the plans, and jumped out of the window with them. On the way this paper fell out. It"s the only clue we have. Stay here, dad. I"m going to have a look." And Tom jumped from the library window and ran down the path after the unknown thief.
Chapter Four
Anxious Days
Peering on all sides as he dashed along the gravel walk, hoping to catch a glimpse of the unknown intruder in the garden or shrubbery, Tom sprinted on at top speed. Now and then he paused to listen, but no sound came to him to tell of some one in retreat before him. There was only Silence.
"Mighty queer," mused the youth. "Whoever it was, he couldn"t have had more than a minute start of me--no, not even half a minute--and yet they"ve disappeared as completely as though the ground had opened and let them down; and the worst of it is, that they"ve taken my plans with them!"
He turned about and retraced his steps, making a careful search. He saw no one, until, turning a corner, a little later, he met Eradicate Sampson.
"You haven"t seen any strangers around here just now, have you, Rad?"
asked Tom anxiously.
"No, indeedy, I hasn"t, Ma.s.sa Tom. What fo" kind ob a stranger was him?"
"That"s just what I don"t know. Rad. But some one sneaked into the library just now and took some of my plans while my father dozed off. I jumped out after him as soon as I could, but he has disappeared."
"Maybe it were th" man who done stowed hisself away on yo" airship, de time yo" all went after de diamonds," suggested the colored man.
"No, it couldn"t have been him. If it was anybody, it was Andy Foger, or some of his crowd. You didn"t see Andy, did you, Rad?"
"No, indeedy; but if I do, I suah will turn mah mule, Boomerang, loose on him, an" he won"t take any mo" plans--not right off, Ma.s.sa Tom."
"No, I guess not. Well, I must get back to dad, or he"ll worry. Keep your eyes open, Rad, and if you see Andy Foger, or any one else, around here, let me know. Just sing out for all you"re worth."
"Shall I call out, Ma.s.sa Tom, ef I sees dat blessin" man?"
"You mean Mr. Damon?"
"Dat"s de one. De gen"man what"s allers a-blessin" ob hisself or his shoelaces, or suffin laik dat. Shall I sing out ef I sees him?"
"Well, no; not exactly, Rad. Just show Mr. Damon up to the house. I"d be glad to see him again, though I don"t fancy he"ll call. He"s off on a little trip, and won"t be back for a week. But watch out, Rad." And with that Tom turned toward the house, shaking his head over the puzzle of the missing plans.
"Did you find any one?" asked his father eagerly as the young inventor entered the library.
"No," was the gloomy answer. "There wasn"t a sign of any one."
Tom went over to the window and looked about for clues. There was none that he could see, and a further examination of the ground under the window disclosed nothing. There was gravel beneath the cas.e.m.e.nt, and this was not the best medium for retaining footprints. Nor were the gravel walks any better.
"Not a sign of any one," murmured Tom. "Are you sure you didn"t hear any noise, dad, when you dozed off?"
"Not a sound, Tom. In fact, it"s rather unusual for me to go to sleep like that, but I suppose it"s because of my illness. But I couldn"t have been asleep long--not more than two minutes."
"That"s what I think. Yet in that time someone, who must have been on the watch, managed to get in here and take my plans for the new sky racer. I don"t see how they got the wire screen open from the outside, though. It fastens with a strong hook."
"And was the screen open?" asked Mr. Swift
"Yes, it was unhooked. Either they pushed a wire in through the mesh, caught it under the hook, and pulled it up from the outside, or else the screen was opened from the inside."
"I don"t believe they could get inside to open the screen without some of us seeing them," spoke the older inventor. "More likely, Tom, it wasn"t hooked, and they found it an easy matter to simply pull it open."
"That"s possible. I"ll ask Mrs. Baggert if the screen was unhooked."
But the housekeeper could not be certain on that point, and so that part of the investigation amounted to nothing.
"It"s too bad!" exclaimed Mr. Swift. "It"s my fault, for dozing off that way."
"No, indeed, it isn"t!" declared Tom stoutly.
"Is the loss a serious one?" asked his father. "Have you no copy of the plans?"
"Yes, I have a rough draft from which I made the completed drawings, and I can easily make another set. But that isn"t what worries me--the mere loss of the plans."
"What is it, then, Tom?"
"The fact that whoever took them must know that they are the plans for a sky racer that is to take part in the big meet. I have worked it out on a new principle, and it is not yet patented. Whoever stole my plans can make the same kind of a sky racer that I intended to construct, and so stand as good a chance to win the prize of ten thousand dollars as I will."
"That certainly is too bad, Tom. I never thought of that. Do you suspect any one?"
"No one, unless it"s Andy Foger. He"s mean enough to do a thing like that, but I didn"t think he"d have the nerve. However, I"ll see if I can learn anything about him. He may have been sneaking around, and if he has my plans he"d ask nothing better than to make a sky racer and beat me."
"Oh, Tom, I"m so sorry!" exclaimed Mr. Swift "I--I feel very bad about it!"
"There, never mind!" spoke the lad, seeing that his father was looking ill again. "Don"t think any more about it, dad. I"ll get back those plans. Come, now. It"s time for your medicine, and then you must lie down." For the aged inventor was looking tired and weak.
Wearily he let Tom lead him to his room, and after seeing that the invalid was comfortable Tom called up Dr. Gladby, to have him come and see Mr. Swift. The doctor said his patient had been overdoing himself a little, and must rest more if he was to completely recover.
Learning that his father was no worse, Tom set off to find Andy Foger.
"I can"t rest until I know whether or not he has my plans," he said to himself. "I don"t want to make a speedy aeroplane, and find out at the last minute that Andy, or some of his cronies, have duplicated it."
But Tom got little satisfaction from Andy Foger. When that bully was accused of having been around Tom"s house he denied it, and though the young inventor did not actually accuse him of taking the plans, he hinted at it. Andy muttered many indignant negatives, and called on some of his cronies to witness that at the time the plans were taken he and they were some distance from the Swift home.