第7章

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, Massa 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 lust 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, Massa 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, Massa 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 casement, 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 partof 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.