Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight | Page 2

city," remarked Tom. "Well, I don't wish anybody bad
luck but I certainly hope the Fogers keep poor enough to stay away
from Shopton. They bothered me enough. But where did you see
Andy?"
"Oh, he was with his crony, Sam Snedecker. You know Sam said, some
time ago, that Andy was to pay him a visit, but Andy didn't come then,
for some reason or other. I suppose this call makes up for it. I met them
down near Parker's drug store."
"You didn't hear Andy say anything about coming back here?" and the

young inventor's voice was a trifle anxious.
"No," replied Ned. "What makes you so nervous about it?"
"Well, Ned, you know what Andy is--always trying to make trouble for
me, even sneaking in my shop sometimes, trying to get the secret of
some of my airships and machinery. And I admit I think it looks
suspicious when they have a carpenter working on the old homestead.
Andy may come back, and--"
"Nonsence, Tom! If he does you and I can handle him. But I think
perhaps the house may be rented, and they may be fixing it up for a
tenant. It's been vacant a long time you know, and I heard the other day
that it was haunted."
"Haunted, Ned! Get out! Say, you don't believe in that sort of bosh, do
you?"
"Of course not. It was Eradicate who told me, and he said when he
came past the place quite late the other night he heard groans, and the
clanking of chains coming from it, and he saw flashing lights."
"Oh, wow! Eradicate is geting batty in his old age, poor fellow! He and
his mule Boomerang are growing old together, and I guess my colored
helper is 'seeing things,' as well as hearing them. But, as you say, it
may be that the house is going to be rented. It's too valuable a property
to let stand idle. Did you hear how long Andy was going to stay?"
"A week, I believe."
"A week! Say, one day would be enough I should think."
"You must have some special reason for being afraid Andy will do you
some harm," exclaimed Ned. "Out with it, Tom."
"Well, I'll tell you what it is, Ned," and Tom led his chum inside the
shop, in front of which the two lads had been talking. It was a shop
where the young inventor constructed many of his marvelous machines,

aircraft, and instruments of various sorts.
"Do you think some one may hear you?" asked Ned.
"They might. I'm not taking any chances. But the reason I want to be
especially careful that Andy Foger doesn't spy on any of my inventions
is that at last I have perfected my noiseless airship motor!"
"You have!" cried Ned, for he knew that his chum had been working
for a long time on this motor, that would give out no sound, no matter
at how high a speed it was run. "That's great, Tom! I congratulate you. I
don't wonder you don't want Andy to get even a peep at it."
"Especially as I haven't it fully patented," went on the young inventor.
He had met with many failures in his efforts to perfect this motor,
which he intended to install on one of his airships. "If any one saw the
finished parts now it wouldn't take them long to find out the secret of
doing away with the noise."
"How do you do it?" asked Ned, for he realized that his chum had no
secrets from him.
"Well, it's too complicated to describe," said Tom, "but the secret lies
in a new way of feeding gasolene into the motor, a new sparking device,
and an improved muffler. I think I could start my new airship in front
of the most skittish horse, and he wouldn't stir, for the racket wouldn't
wake a baby. It's going to be great."
"What are you going to do with it, when you get it all completed?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet. It's going to be some time before I get
it all put together, and installed, and in that time something may turn up.
Well, let's talk about something more pleasant than Andy Foger. I
guess I won't worry about him."
"No, I wouldn't. I'd like to see the motor run."
"You can, in a day or so, but just now I need a certain part to attach to

the sparker, and I had to send to town for it. Koku has gone after it."
"What, that big giant servant? He might break it on the way back, he's
so strong. He doesn't realize how much muscle he has."
"No, that's so. Well, while we're waiting for him, come on in the house,