Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope | Page 5

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. Every possible
precaution had been taken to cloak the work in deepest secrecy, yet
somewhere evidently a leak had developed among Tom's employees.
[Illustration: Tom and Ned Exchanged Glances]
"Are these men still at your home, Mr. Damon?" asked Ned, a worried
look on his face.
"No, they left after dinner. Mr. Brown said they had some important
business up state. Is this glass business some new invention, Tom?"
"I hope it will be. So far my experiments haven't turned out
successfully. But I can't understand how anyone outside our plant could
have known about them."
[Illustration: "They Left After Dinner."]
Mr. Damon could tell little more about his self-styled relatives. After
giving a description of the two men he took his leave. The boys were
rather worried about the information he had brought along.

"It's not so much the glass," said Tom, "for we don't know if it will be a
success. What bothers me is the idea of there being a traitor in the
shops. I thought we had weeded out all unscrupulous employees."
[Illustration: He Described the Two Men]
"The Apex Glass Works are located in Portville," said Ned, struck with
an idea, "fifty miles north of here. Mr. Damon's visitors claimed to
have business up state. To my mind that's more than a coincidence,
especially since the Apex people would give their back teeth to get hold
of your formula, Tom!"
[Illustration: "That's More Than Coincidence."]
CHAPTER III
AN ACCIDENT
"Oh, I think you're letting your imagination run away with you, Ned,"
grinned Tom. "I know Mr. Stern, the president of Apex, very well, and
I'm positive that he wouldn't stand for any underhanded tactics."
[Illustration: "I Know Mr. Stern," Grinned Tom]
"I hope you're right," said his business manager. "But you know better
than anyone else how unscrupulous gangs have tried to steal your
inventions. At first it was Happy Harry the tramp, and the last was
Doctor Bane. No telling how many thugs were after you and your
father in between. You'd be wise to get some extra guards."
"I think Koku is well able to handle any intruder," declared Tom
confidently. "Besides, I think you're getting excited over nothing. You
know Mr. Damon is inclined to make mountains out of molehills."
[Illustration: "Koku Is Able to Handle Anyone."]
"That's all very well," persisted his friend stubbornly, "but just suppose
Mr. Damon is right in his suspicions? It'd be too late then to do

anything about it."
"Don't worry, old man. My Chest of Secrets will hold its contents
secure against any burglar's attack. Now it's late. You'd better stay to
dinner. Afterward, if you care to and have no other date, we can talk
over some unfinished business."
[Illustration: The Chest Would Guard the Secrets]
"Thanks, Tom. I'll be glad to spend the evening with you."
Locking up the laboratory, the two boys walked leisurely through the
warm June twilight toward the big white house. Low in the sky hung
the silvery crescent of the new moon, while almost overhead Mars
glowed brightly.
"There's our goal, Ned," murmured Tom, pointing to the red planet. "I
feel sure that our meteorite came from that far-off world!"
[Illustration: "There's Our Goal, Ned."]
"Granting that it did come from another planet," objected Ned, "I don't
get the reason why you're so sure it came from Mars. There are nine
planets circling the sun, including the earth. Ruling out the sun, it
seems to me that there is but one chance in eight that you are right."
[Illustration: "Nine Planets Circle the Sun."]
"If it were simply a matter of chance, there'd be a lot of weight behind
your argument, Ned. But a lot of other factors enter the problem. I
should say that the only planets where life as we know it might exist
are Mars and Venus. The latter I ruled out, for astronomers have found
that it is forever covered thickly with dense clouds. Thus the
inhabitants, if any, must be ignorant of any world but their own."
"What have people on the planets got to do with the question,
anyhow?" asked Ned. "Huge chunks of metal break off of any heavenly
body and go hurtling through space. The inhabitants don't throw them

off!"
[Illustration: Chunks of Metal Rushing Through Space]
"But our meteor was no ordinary one as we have proved already,"
replied Tom. "I firmly believe that someone on another planet
deliberately fired that missile into space, hoping it would reach this
world. Since scientists agree that Mars probably is inhabited by a
highly intelligent race, that planet is a reasonable guess."
"Whew!" whistled Ned. "Such ideas are