Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone | Page 9

fortune!" cried Tom, in surprise at the bad news concerning
his friend. "I didn't know he had lost his money!"

"He hasn't yet, but he's in a fair way to, he says. It's something about
bad investments, and he did speak of the trickery of one man, I didn't
get the particulars. But he certainly feels very badly over it."
"I should think he would," put in Mr. Swift. "Tom, we must look into
this. If we can help Mr. Damon--"
"We certainly will," interrupted Tom. "Now come in the house, Mr.
Halling. I'm sure you must be quite shaken up by your upset."
"I am, to tell you the truth, though it isn't the first accident I've had in
my airship."
They were proceeding toward the house, when there came a cry from
Koku, who had fastened a rope about the airship to lower it.
"Master! Master!" cried the giant. "The rope am slippin'. Grab the end
of it!"
CHAPTER III
TOM'S FAILURE
"Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning', he saw the accident about
to happen. "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground,
Mr. Halling!"
"You're right! This seems to be my unlucky day!" The birdman,
limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed
on the ground. Koku had fastened one end to the airship, and had taken
a turn of the cable about the chimney. He had been lowering the
biplane to the ground, but he had not allowed for its great weight, and
the rope had slipped from his big hands.
But Tom and Mr. Halling were just in time. They grabbed the slipping
hempen strands, and thus checked the falling craft until Koku could get
a better grip.

"All right now," said the giant, when he had made fast the rope. "Me
fix now. Master can go."
"Think he can lower it?" asked Mr. Halling, doubtfully.
"Oh, surely," said Tom. "Koku's as strong as a horse. You needn't
worry. He'll get it down all right. But you are limping."
"Yes, I jammed my leg a little."
"Don't you want a doctor?"
"Oh, no, not for a little thing like that."
But Tom insisted on looking at his new friend's wound, and found quite
a cut on the thigh, which the young inventor insisted on binding up.
"That feels better," said the birdman, as he stretched out on a couch.
"Now if you can look my machine over, and tell me what's the matter
with it, I'll be much obliged to you, and I'll get on my way."
"Not quite so fast as that!" laughed Tom. "I wouldn't want to see you
start off with your lame leg, and certainly I would not want to see you
use your aircraft after what she's gone through, until we've given her a
test. You can't tell what part you might have strained."
"Well, I suppose you are right. But I think I'd better go to a hotel, or
send for an auto and go home."
"Now you needn't do anything of the kind," spoke Tom, hospitably.
"We've got lots of room here, and for that matter we have plenty of
autos and airships, too, as well as a motor boat. You just rest yourself
here. Later we'll look over your craft."
After dinner, when Mr. Halling said he felt much better, Tom agreed to
go out with him and look at the airship. As he feared, he found several
things the matter with it, in addition to the motor trouble which had
been the cause for Mr. Halling's call on the young inventor.

"Can she be fixed?" asked the birdman, who explained that, as yet, he
was only an amateur in the practice of flying.
"Oh, yes, we can fix her up for you," said Tom. "But it will take several
days. You'll have to leave it here."
"Well, I'll be glad to do that, for I know she will be all the better when
you get through with her. But I think I am able to go on home now, and
I really ought to. There is some business I must attend to."
"Speaking of business," remarked Tom, "can you tell me anything more
of Mr. Damon's financial troubles?"
"No, not much. All I know is that when I called on him the other day I
found him with his check book out, and he was doing a lot of figuring.
He looked pretty blue and downcast, I can tell you."
"I'm sorry about that," spoke Tom, musingly. "Mr. Damon is a very
good friend of mine, and I'd do anything to help him. I certainly
wouldn't like to see him lose his fortune. Bad investments, you say it
was?"
"Partly so, and yet I'm inclined to think if he