"Some one"s comin" out to see you, Ma.s.sa Tom," said the colored man.
"Who is it?" asked the lad, taking the precaution to put his precious plans out of sight.
"I dunno, sah; but yo" father knows him, an" he said fo" me to come out heah, ahead ob de gen"man, an" tell yo" he were comin". He"ll be right heah."
"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 figure advancing down the gravel path. Tom watched the stranger curiously.
There was something familiar about him, and Tom was sure he had met him before, yet he could not seem to place him.
"How are you, Tom Swift?" greeted the newcomer pleasantly. "I guess you"ve forgotten me, haven"t you?" He held out his hand, which Tom took. "Don"t know me, do you?" he went on.
"Well, I"m afraid I"ve forgotten your name," admitted the lad, just a bit embarra.s.sed. "But your face is familiar, somehow, and yet it isn"t."
"I"ve shaved off my mustache," went on the other. "That makes a difference. But you haven"t forgotten John Sharp, the balloonist, whom you 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 see you. What are you doing around here? Come in. I"ve got something to show you," and he motioned to the shop where the Humming-Bird was housed.
"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 held at Eagle Park, where I understand you are going to contest. I came to see how near you were ready, and to get you to make a formal entry of your machine. Mr. Gunmore sent me."
"Oh, so you"re in with them now, eh?" asked Tom. "Well, I"m glad to know I"ve got a friend on the committee. Yes, my machine is getting along very well. I"ll soon be ready for a trial flight. Come in and look at it. I think it"s a bird--a regular Humming-Bird!" And Tom laughed.
"It certainly is something new," admitted Mr. Sharp as his eyes took in the details of the trim little craft. "By the way, Shopton is going to be well represented at the meet."
"How is that? I thought I was the only one around here to enter an aeroplane."
"No. We have just received an entry from Andy Foger."
"From Andy Foger!" gasped Tom. "Is he going to try to win some of the prizes?"
"He"s entered for the big one, the ten-thousand-dollar prize," replied the balloonist. "He has made formal application to be allowed to compete, and we have to accept any one who applies. Why, do you object to him, Tom?"
"Object to him? Mr. Sharp, let me tell you something. Some time ago a set of plans of my machine here were stolen from my house. I suspected Andy Foger of taking them, but I could get no proof. Now you say he is building a machine to compete for the big prize. Do you happen to know what style it is?"
"It"s a small monoplane, something like the Antoinette, his application states, though he may change it later."
"Then he"s stolen my ideas, and is making a craft like this!" exclaimed Tom, as he sank upon a bench, and gazed from the balloonist to the Humming-Bird, and back to Mr. Sharp again. "Andy Foger is trying to beat me with my own machine!"
Chapter Seven
Seeking a Clue
John Sharp was more than surprised at the effect his piece of information had on Tom Swift. Though the young inventor had all along suspected Andy of having the missing plans, yet there had been no positive evidence on this point. That, coupled with the fact that the red-haired bully had not been seen in the vicinity of Shopton lately, had, in a measure, lulled Tom"s suspicions to rest, but now his hope had been rudely shattered.
"Do you really think that"s his game?" asked Mr. Sharp.
"I"m sure of it," replied the youth. "Though where he is building his aeroplane I can"t imagine, for I haven"t seen him in town. He"s away."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Well, not absolutely sure," replied Tom. "It"s the general rumor that he"s out of town."
"Well, old General Rumor is sometimes a person not to be relied upon,"
remarked the balloonist grimly. "Now this is the way I size it up: Of course, all I know officially is that Andy Foger has sent in an entry for the big race for the ten-thousand-dollar prize which is offered by the Eagle Park Aviation a.s.sociation. I"m a member of the arrangements committee, and so I know. I also know that you and several others are going to try for the prize. That"s all I am absolutely sure of.
"Now, when you tell me about the missing plans, and you conclude that Andy is doing some underhanded work, I agree with you. But I go a step farther. I don"t believe he"s out of town at all."
"Why not?" exclaimed Tom.
"Because when he has an airship shed right in his own backyard, where, you tell me, he once made a craft in which he tried to beat you out in the trip to Alaska, when you think of that, doesn"t it seem reasonable that he"d use that same building in which to make his new craft?"
"Yes, it does," admitted Tom slowly, "but then everybody says he"s out of town."
"Well, what everybody says is generally not So. I think you"ll find that Andy is keeping himself in seclusion, and that he"s working secretly in his shop, building a machine with which to beat you."
"Do you, really?"
"I certainly do. Have you been around his place lately?"
"No. I"ve been too busy; and then I never have much to do with him."
"Then take my advice, and see if you can"t get a look inside that shop.
You may see something that will surprise you. If you find that Andy is infringing on your patented ideas, you can stop him by an injunction.
You"ve got this model patented, I take it?"
"Oh, yes. I didn"t have at the time the plans were stolen, but I"ve patented it since. I could get at him that way."
"Then take my advice, and do it. Get a look inside that shed, and you"ll find Andy working secretly there, no matter if his cronies do think he"s out of town."
"I believe I will," agreed Tom, and somehow he felt better now that he had decided on a plan of action. He and the balloonist talked over at some length just the best way to go about it, for the young inventor recalled the time when he and Ned Newton had endeavored to look into Andy"s shed, with somewhat disastrous results to themselves; but Tom knew that the matter at stake justified a risk, and he was willing to take it.
"Well, now that"s settled," said Mr. Sharp, "tell me more about yourself and your aeroplane. My! To think that the Red Cloud was destroyed! That was a fine craft."
"Indeed she was," agreed Tom. "I"m going to make another on similar lines, some day, but now all my time is occupied with the Humming Bird."