CHAPTER XVI.
BACK HOME
"We've got to organize a regular searchin' party," declared JedBlackford, after he and his father, together with Tom and thefarmer's hired man, had searched up and down the road by the lightof lanterns. "We'll organize a posse an' have a regular hunt. Thisis the worst crime that's been committed in this deestrict in manyyears, an' I'm goin' to run the scoundrels to earth."
"Don't be talkin' nonsense, Jed," interrupted his father. "You won'tcatch them fellers in a hundred years. They're miles an' miles awayfrom here by this time in their automobile. All you can do is tonotify the sheriff. I guess we'd better give this young man someattention. Let's see, you said your name was Quick, didn't you?"
"No, but it's very similar," answered Tom with a smile. "It'sSwift."
"I knowed it was something had to do with speed," went on Mr.Blackford. "Wa'al, now, s'pose you come in the house an' have a hotcup of tea. You look sort of draggled out."
Tom was glad enough to avail himself of the kind invitation, and hewas soon in the comfortable kitchen, relating his story, with moredetail, to the farmer and his family. Mrs. Blackford applied somehome-made remedies to the lump on the youth's head, and it felt muchbetter.
"I'd like to take a look at my motor-cycle," he said, after hissecond cup of tea. "I want to see if those men damaged it any. Ifthey have I'm going to have trouble getting back home to tell myfather of my bad luck. Poor dad! He will be very much worried when Itell him the model and his patent papers have been stolen."
"It's too bad!" exclaimed Mrs. Blackford. "I wish I had hold of themscoundrels!" and her usually gentle face bore a severe frown. "Ofcourse you can have your thing-a-ma-bob in to see if it's hurt, butplease don't start it in here. They make a terrible racket."
"No, I'll look it over in the woodshed," promised Tom. "If it's allright I think I'll start back home at once."
"No, you can't do that," declared Mr. Blackford. "You're in nocondition to travel. You might fall off an' git hurt. It's nearly teno'clock now. You jest stay here all night, an' in the mornin', if youfeel all right, you can start off. I couldn't let you go to-night."
Indeed, Tom did not feel very much like undertaking the journey, forthe blow on his head had made him dazed, and the chloroform caused asick feeling. Mr. Blackford wheeled the motor-cycle into thewoodhouse, which opened from the kitchen, and there the youth wentover the machine. He was glad to find that it had sustained nodamage. In the meanwhile Jed had gone off to tell the startling newsto near-by farmers. Quite a throng, with lanterns, went up and downthe road, but all the evidence they could find were the marks of theautomobile wheels, which clues were not very satisfactory.
"But we'll catch them in the mornin'," declared the deputy sheriff."I'll know that automobile again if I see it. It was painted red."
"That's the color of a number of automobiles," said Tom with asmile. "I'm afraid you'll have trouble identifying it by that means.I am surprised, though, that they did not carry my motor-cycle awaywith them. It is a valuable machine."
"They were afraid to," declared Jed. "It would look queer to see amachine like that in an auto. Of course when they were going alongcountry roads in the evening it didn't much matter, but when theyheaded for the city, as they probably did, they knew it wouldattract suspicion to 'em. I know, for I've been a deputy sheriff'most a year."
"I believe you're right," agreed Tom. "They didn't dare take themotor-cycle with them, but they hid it, hoping I would not find it.I'd rather have the model and the papers, though, than half a dozenmotor-cycles."
"Maybe the police will help you find them," said Mrs. Blackford."Jed, you must telephone to the police the first thing in themorning. It's a shame the way criminals are allowed to go on. Ifhonest people did those things, they'd be arrested in a minute, butit seems that scoundrels can do as they please."
"You wait; I'll catch 'em!" declared Jed confidently. "I'll organizeanother posse in the mornin'."
"Well, I know one thing, and that is that the place for this youngman is in bed!" exclaimed motherly Mrs. Blackford, and she insistedon Tom retiring. He was somewhat restless at first, and the thoughtof the loss of the model and the papers preyed on his mind. Then,utterly exhausted, he sank into a heavy slumber, and did not awakenuntil the sun was shining in his window the next morning. A goodbreakfast made him feel somewhat better, and he was more like theresourceful Tom Swift of old when he went to get his motor-cycle inshape for the ride back to Shopton.
"Well, I hope you find those criminals," said Mr. Blackford, as hewatched Tom oiling the machine. "If you're ever out this way again,stop off and see us."
"Yes, do," urged Mrs. Blackford, who was getting ready to churn. Herhusband looked at the old-fashioned barrel and dasher arrangement,which she was filling with cream.
"What's the matter with the new churn?" he asked in some surprise.
"It's broken," she replied. "It's always the way with those new-fangledthings. It works ever so much nicer than this old one, though,"she went on to Tom, "but it gets out of order easy."
"Let me look at it," suggested the young inventor. "I know somethingabout machinery."
The churn, which worked by a system of cogs and a handle, wasbrought from the woodshed. Tom soon saw what the trouble was. One ofthe cogs had become displaced. It did not take him five minutes,with the tools he carried on his motor-cycle, to put it back, andthe churn was ready to use.
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Mrs. Blackford. "You are handy at suchthings!"
"Oh, it's just a knack," replied Tom modestly. "Now I'll put a plugin there, and the cog wheel won't come loose again. Themanufacturers of it ought to have done that. I imagine lots ofpeople have this same trouble with these churns."
"Indeed they do," asserted Mrs. Blackford. "Sallie Armstrong hasone, and it got out of order the first week they had it. I'll lether look at mine, and maybe her husband can fix it."
"I'd go and do it myself, but I want to get home," said Tom, andthen he showed her how, by inserting a small iron plug in a certainplace, there would be no danger of the cog coming loose again.
"That's certainly slick!" exclaimed Mr. Blackford. "Well, I wish yougood luck, Mr. Swift, and if I see those scoundrels around thisneighborhood again I'll make 'em wish they'd let you alone."
"That's what," added Jed, polishing his badge with his big, redhandkerchief.
Mrs. Blackford transferred the cream to the new churn which Tom hadfixed, and as he rode off down the highway on his motor-cycle, shewaved one hand to him, while with the other she operated the handleof the apparatus.
"Now for a quick run to Shopton to tell dad the bad news," spoke Tomto himself as he turned on full speed and dashed away. "My trip hasbeen a failure so far."