Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight | Page 6

the way Tom passed his father, and, telling him not to work too
hard in the sun, gave his parent the piece of paper to read, telling about
the smugglers.
"Using airships! eh?" exclaimed Mr. Swift. "And they think there's a
clew here in Shopton? Well, we'll get celebrated if we keep on, Tom,"
he added with a smile.
Tom and Ned spent the rest of the day working over the motor, which
was set going, and bore out all Tom claimed for it. It was as silent as a
watch.

"Next I want to get it in the airship, and give it a good test," Tom
remarked, speeding it up, as it was connected on a heavy base in the
shop.
"I'll help you," promised Ned, and for the next few days the chums
were kept busy fitting the silent motor into one of Tom's several
airships.
"Well, I think we can make a flight to-morrow," said the young
inventor, about a week later. "I need some new bolts though, Ned. Let's
take a walk into town and get them. Oh, by the way, have you seen
anything more of Andy Foger?"
"No. and I don't want to. I suppose he's gone back home after his visit
to Sam. Let's go down the street, where the Foger house is, and see if
there's anything going on."
As the two lads passed the mansion, they saw a man, in the kind of suit
usually worn by a carpenter, come out of the back door and stand
looking across the garden. In his hand he held a saw.
"Still at the repairs, I guess," remarked Ned. "I wonder what--"
"Look there! Look! Quick!" suddenly interrupted Tom, and Ned,
looking, saw someone standing behind the carpenter in the door. "If
that isn't Andy Foger, I'll eat my hat!" cried Tom.
"It sure is," agreed Ned. "What in the world is he doing there?"
But his question was not answered, for, a moment later, Andy turned,
and went inside, and the carpenter followed, closing the door behind
them.
"That's queer," spoke Tom.
"Very," agreed Ned. "He didn't go back after all. I'd like to know what's
going on in there."
"And there's someone else who would like to know, also, I think," said

Tom in a low voice.
"Who?" asked Ned.
"That man hiding behind the big tree across the street. I'm sure he's
watching the Foger house, and when Andy came to the door that time, I
happened to look around and saw that man focus a pair of opera glasses
on him and the carpenter."
"You don't mean it, Tom!" exclaimed Ned.
"I sure do. I believe that man is some sort of a spy or a detective."
"Do you think he's after Andy?"
"I don't know. Let's not get mixed up in the affair, anyhow. I don't want
to be called in as a witness. I haven't the time to spare."
As if the man behind the tree was aware that he had attracted the
attention of our friends, he quickly turned and walked away. Tom and
Ned glanced up at the Foger house, but saw nothing, and proceeded on
to the store.
"I'll wager anything that Andy has been getting in some sort of trouble
in the town he moved to from here," went on Tom, "and he daren't go
back. So he came here, and he's hiding in his father's old house. He
could manage to live there for a while, with the carpenter bringing him
in food. Say, did you notice who that man was, with the saw?"
"Yes, he's James Dillon, a carpenter who lives down on our street,"
replied Ned. "A nice man, too. The next time I see him, I'm going to
ask him what Andy is doing in town, and what the repairs are that he's
making on the house."
"Well, of course if Andy has been doing anything wrong, he wouldn't
admit it," said Tom. "Though Mr. Dillon may tell you about the
carpenter work. But I'm sure that man was a detective from the town
where Andy moved to. You'll see."

"I don't think so," was Ned's opinion. "If Andy was hiding he wouldn't
show himself as plainly as he did."
The two chums argued on this question, but could come to no decision.
Then, having reached Tom's home with the bolts, they went hard at
work on the airship.
"Well, now to see what happens!" exclaimed Tom the next day, when
everything was ready for a trial flight. "I wish Mr. Damon was here. I
sent him word, but I didn't hear from him."
"Oh, he may show up any minute," replied Ned, as he helped Tom and
Koku wheel the newly-equipped airship out of the shed. "The first thing
you'll hear will