CHAPTER XIV
THE TELEPHONE CALL
The defect in the motor which had caused Tom Swift to shut off thepower and drift down to earth was soon remedied, once the younginventor began an examination of the craft. One of the oil feeds hadbecome choked and this automatically cut down the gasoline supply,causing one or more cylinders to miss. It was a safety device Tom hadinstalled to prevent the motor running dry, and so being damaged.
Once the clogged oil feed was cleared the motor ran as before, and justas silently, though, as Tom had said, he was not entirely satisfiedwith the quietness, but intended to do further work toward perfectingit.
"I'll start the propellers now, Mr. Damon," said Tom, when the troublehad been remedied. "You know how to throw the switch, don't you?"
"I guess so," was the answer. Mr. Damon and Tom had traveled so oftentogether in gasoline craft that the young inventor had taught hisfriend certain fundamentals about them, and in an emergency theeccentric man could help start an aeroplane. This he now did, takingcharge of the controls which could be operated from his seat as well asfrom Tom's. Tom whirled the propellers, and soon the motor was inmotion.
Mr. Damon, once the big wooden blades were revolving, slowed down theapparatus until Tom could jump aboard, after which the latter tookcharge and soon speeded up the machine, sending it aloft.
As the green meadow, dimly seen in the light of the moon, seemed todrop away below them, and the clump of trees vanished from sight, bothTom and Mr. Damon wondered who it was that had called for help, and ifthe matter were at all serious. They were inclined to think it was not,but Tom could not rid himself of a faint suspicion that there mighthave been trouble.
However, thoughts of his new silent Air Scout soon drove everythingelse from his mind, and as he guided the comparatively silent machineon its quiet way toward his own home he was thinking how he could bestimprove the muffler.
"Well, here we are again, safe and sound," remarked Tom, as he broughtthe craft to a stop in front of the hangar, and Jackson and hishelpers, who were awaiting the return, hurried out to take charge.
"Yes, everything seems to point to success, Tom," agreed Mr. Damon."That is, unless the slight accident we had means trouble."
"Oh, no, that had nothing to do with the operation of the silencer. ButI'm going to do better yet. Some day I'll take you for a ride in asilent machine which will make so little noise that you can hear a pindrop."
"Well," remarked Mr. Damon' with a laugh, "I don't know that listeningto falling pins will give me any great amount of pleasure, Tom, but Iappreciate your meaning."
"Everything all right?" asked Mr. Swift, as he came out to hear thedetails from his son. "Do you think you have solved the problem?"
"Not completely, but I'll soon be able to write Q. E. D. after it. Somerefinements are all that are needed, Dad."
"Glad to hear it. I was a bit anxious."
Mr. Swift questioned his son about the technical details of the trip,asking how the motor had acted under the pressure caused by socompletely muffling the exhaust, and for some minutes the twoinventors, young and old, indulged in talk which was not at allinteresting to Mr. Damon. They went into the house, and Tom asked tohave a little lunch, which Mrs. Baggert set out for him.
"It's rather late to eat," said the young inventor, "but I always feelhungry after I test a new machine and find that it works pretty well.Will you join me in a sandwich or two, Mr. Damon?"
"Why, bless my ketchup bottle, I believe I will."
And so they ate and talked. Tom was on the point of telling his fathersomething of the queer cry for help they had heard on the lonely meadowwhen Mrs. Baggert produced a letter which she said had come for Tomthat afternoon, but had been mislaid by a new maid who had been engagedto help with the housework.
"She took it to the shop after you had left, and only now told me aboutit," explained Mrs. Baggert. "So I sent Eradicate for it."
"How long ago was that?" asked Tom, as he took the missive.
"Oh, an hour ago," answered Mrs. Baggert, with a smile. "But don'tblame poor Rad for that. He wanted to deliver the letter to youpersonally, and so did Koku. The result was your giant kept after Rad,trying to get the letter from him, and Rad kept hiding and slinkingabout for a chance to see you himself until I saw what was going on, alittle while ago, and took the letter myself. Else you might never havegotten it, so jealous are those two," and Mrs. Baggert laughed.
"Guess it isn't of much importance," Tom said, as he tore open theenvelope. "It's from the Universal Flying Machine Company, of New York,and I imagine they're trying to get me to reconsider my refusal to linkup with them."
"Yes," he went on, as he read the missive, "that's it. They've raisedthe amount to thirty thousand a year now, Dad, and they say they feelsure I shall regret it if I do not accept.
"This is a bit queer, though," went on the young inventor. "Thisletter was written three days ago, but it reached Shopton only to-day.And it says that unless they hear from me at once they will have totake steps that will cause me great inconvenience. They have nerve, atany rate, and impudence, too! I won't even bother to answer. But Iwonder what they mean, and why this letter was delayed?"
"The mails are all late on account of the transportation congestioncaused by moving troops to the camps," said Mr. Damon. "Some of myletters are delayed a week. But, as you say, Tom, these fellows arevery impudent to threaten that way."
"It's all bluff," declared Tom. "I'm not worrying. And now, Dad, sinceI've almost reached the top of the hill with my Air Scout, I may beable to help you on that new electric motor you're puzzling over."
"I wish you would, Tom. I am trying to invent a new system ofinterchangeable brush contacts, but so far I've been unable to makethem work. However, there is no great hurry about that. If you aregoing to offer your silent machine to the government finish that first.We need all the aircraft we can get. The battles on the other side seemto be all in favor of the Germans, so far."
"We haven't got into our stride yet," declared Mr. Damon. "Once UncleSam gets the boys over there in force, there'll be a different story totell. I only wish--"
At that moment the telephone set up an insistent ringing, breaking inon Mr. Damon's remarks.
"I'll answer," said Tom, as Mrs. Baggert moved toward the instrument,which was an extension from the main one.
"Hello!" called the young inventor into the transmitter, and as hereceived an answer a look of pleasure came over his face.
"Yes, Mary, this is Tom," he said. He remained silent a moment, whileit was evident he was listening to the voice at the other end of thewire. Then he suddenly exclaimed:
"What's that? Tell him to come home? Why, he isn't here. I just came inand--what--wait a minute!"
With a rather strange look on his face Tom covered the mouth-piece ofthe instrument with his hand, and, turning to his father, asked:
"Is Mr. Nestor here?"
"No," replied Mr. Swift slowly, "He was here, though. He came a littlewhile after you and Mr. Damon started off in the Air Scout. But hedidn't stay. Said he wanted to see you about something and would callagain."
"Oh," remarked the young man. "I didn't know he had been there."
"I meant to tell you," said Mrs. Baggert; "but getting the lunch mademe forget it, I guess."
Tom uncovered the transmitter of the telephone again, and spoke to MaryNestor.
"Hello," he said. "I was wrong, Mary. Your father was here, but he leftwhen he found I wasn't at home. How long ago? Wait a minute and I'llinquire.
"How long ago did Mr. Nestor leave?" asked the young inventor of thehousekeeper. "Nearly an hour," he said into the instrument, after hehad received the answer. Then, after listening a moment, he added:"Yes, I guess he'll be home soon now. Probably stopped down town to seesome of his friends. Yes, Mr. Damon and I tried out the Air Scout. Yes,she worked pretty well, for a starter, but there is something yet to bedone. Oh, yes, now I'll have time to come over to see you, and take youfor a ride t
oo. We won't have to talk through a speaking tube, either.Tell your father I am sorry I was out when he called. I'll come to seehim to-morrow, if he wants me to. Yes--yes. I guess so!" and Tomlaughed, it being evident that his remarks at the end of theconversation had to do with personal matters.
"A telegram has come for Mr. Nestor and they were anxious that heshould get it," Tom explained to his little audience as he hung up thereceiver and put aside the telephone. "I wonder what he wanted to seeme about?"
"He didn't say," replied Mrs. Baggert.
Mr. Damon, Tom, and his father remained in conversation a little whilelonger, and the eccentric man was thinking that it was about time forhim to return home, when the telephone rang again.
"Hello," answered Tom, as he was nearest the instrument. "Oh, yes,Mary, this is he. What's that? Your father hasn't reached home yet? Andyour mother is worried? Oh tell her there is no cause for alarm. As Isaid, he probably stopped on his way to see some friends."
Tom listened for perhaps half a minute to a talk that was inaudible tothe others in the room, and they noticed a grave look come over hisface. Then he said:
"I'll be right over, Mary. Yes, I'll come at once. And tell your mothernot to worry. I'm sure nothing could have happened. I'll be with youin a jiffy!"
As Tom Swift hung up the receiver he said:
"Mr. Nestor hasn't reached home yet, and as he promised to return atonce in case he didn't find me, his wife is much worried. I'll go overand see what I can do."
"I'll come along!" volunteered Mr. Damon. "It isn't late yet."
"Yes, do come," urged Tom. "But I suppose when we get there we'll findour friend has arrived safely. We'll go over in the electric runabout."