Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera | Page 9

throw him
somewhere else."
"No! No! You must not do it!" cried Tom. "He meant no harm. He is
my friend."
"I am glad to hear you say that," exclaimed the picture man. "I have
hopes that you will do what I want."
"He your friend?" asked Koku wonderingly. "Certainly; and you must
beg his pardon for what you did," insisted Tom.
"Very well. I am glad you did not hurt yourself," said the giant, and
with that "apology" he stalked out of the room, his feelings evidently
very much disturbed.

"Ha! Ha!" laughed Mr. Period. "I guess he can't see any one but you,
Tom. But never mind. I know he didn't mean anything, and, as I'm none
the worse I'll forgive him. My necktie isn't spotted; is it?"
"No, the snow didn't seem to do that any harm," replied the young
inventor, as he looked at the brilliant piece of red silk around Mr.
Period's collar.
"I am very particular about my neckties," went on the picture man. "I
always wear one color. My friends never forget me then."
Tom wondered how they could ever forget him, even though he wore
no tie, for his figure and face were such as to not easily be forgotten.
"I'm glad it's not soiled," went on "Spotty" as he liked to be called.
"Now, Tom, you said you were my friend. Prove it by accepting my
offer. Build that wizard camera, and get me some moving pictures that
will be a sensation. Say you will!"
He looked appealingly at Tom, and, remembering the rather rude and
unexpected treatment to which Koku had submitted the gentleman,
Tom felt his mind changing. Still he was not yet ready to give in. He
rather liked the idea the more he thought of it, but he felt that he had
other duties, and much to occupy him at home, especially if he
perfected his silent motor.
"Will you go?" asked Mr. Period, picking up his fountain pen and
check book, that he had laid aside when he walked over to Tom, just
before the giant grasped him. "Say you will."
The young inventor was silent a moment. He thought over the many
adventures he had gone through--in the caves of ice, in the city of gold,
escaping from the giants, and the red pygmies--He went over the details
of his trips through the air, of the dangers under the seas, of those he
had escaped from on Earthquake Island. Surely e was entitled to a little
rest at home.
And yet there was a lure to it all. A certain fascination that was hard to

resist. Mr. Period must have seen what was going on in Tom's mind, for
he said:
"I know you're going. I can see it. Why, it will be just the very thing
you need. You'll get more fame out of this thing than from any of your
other inventions. Come, say you'll do it.
"I'll tell you what I'll do !" he went on eagerly. "After you make the
camera, and take a lot of films, showing strange and wonderful scenes,
I'll put at the end of each film, next to my picture, your name, and a
statement showing that you took the originals. How's that? Talk about
being advertised! Why you can't beat it! Millions of people will read
your name at the picture shows every night."
"I am not looking for advertisements," said Tom, with a laugh.
"Well, then, think of the benefit you will be to science," went on Mr.
Period quickly. "Think of the few people who have seen wild animals
as they are, of those who have ever seen an earth- quake, or a volcano
in action. You can go to Japan, and get pictures of earthquakes. They
have them on tap there. And as for volcanoes, why the Andes
mountains are full of 'em. Think of how many people will be thankful
to you for showing them these wonderful scenes."
"And think of what might happen if I should take a tumble into a crack
in the earth, or down a hot volcano, or fall into a jungle when there was
a fight on among the elephants," suggested Tom. "My airship might
take a notion to go down when I was doing the photographing," he
added.
"No. Nothing like that will happen to Tom Swift," was the confident
answer of the picture man. "I've read of your doings. You don't have
accidents that you can't get the better of. But come, I know you're
thinking of it, and I'm sure you'll go. Let me make you out this check,
sign a contract which I have all ready, and then get to work on the
camera."
Tom was silent a moment. Then he said:

"Well, I admit that