Chapter Twelve
Miss Nestor Calls
"What's de mattah? Shall I come in? Am anybody hurted?" yelledEradicate Sampson as he pounded on the rear door of the aeroplane shed."Let me in, Massa Tom!"
"All right! Wait a minute! I'm coming!" called Mr. Jackson. He tried topeer through the darkness, to where a huddled heap indicated thepresence of Tom. Then he thought of the electric lights, which were runby a storage battery when the dynamo was shut down, and a moment laterthe engineer had switched on the incandescents, filling the big shedwith radiance.
"Tom, are you badly hurt?" gasped Mr. Jackson.
There was no answer, for Tom was unconscious.
"Let me in! Let me git at dat robber wif mah club!" cried the coloredman eagerly.
Knowing that he would need help in carrying Tom to the house, Mr.Jackson hurried to the back door. He had a key to it, and it wasquicker to open it than to send Eradicate away around the shed to thefront portals.
"Whar am he?" gasped the faithful darky, as he took a firmer grasp ofhis club and looked around the place. "Let me git mah hands on him!I'll feed him t' Boomerang, when I gits froo wif him!"
"He's gone," said the engineer. "Help me look after Tom. I'm afraidhe's badly hurt."
They hastened to the unconscious lad. On one side of his head was a badcut, which was bleeding freely.
"Oh! he's daid! I know he's daid!" wailed Eradicate.
"Not a bit of it. He isn't dead, but he may die, if we don't get himinto the house, and have a doctor here soon," said Mr. Jackson sternly."Catch hold of him, Rad, and, mind, don't carry on, and get excited,and scare Mr. Swift. Just pretend it isn't very bad, or we'll have twopatients on our hands instead of only Tom."
They managed to get the youth into the house, and, contrary to theirfears, Mr. Swift was not nearly so nervous as they had expected. Calmlyhe took charge of matters, and even telephoned for Dr. Gladby himself,while Mr. Jackson and Eradicate undressed Tom and got him to bed. Mrs.Baggert busied herself heating water and getting things in readinessfor the doctor, who had promised to come at once.
Tom was just regaining consciousness when the physician came in, havingdriven over at top speed.
"What--what happened? Did the Humming-Bird fall?" asked Tom in awhisper, putting his hand to his head.
"No, something fell on you, I guess," said the doctor, who had beenhurriedly told of the circumstances. "But don't worry, Tom. You'll beall right in a few days. You got a bad cut on the head, but the skullisn't fractured, I'm glad to say. Here, now, just drink this," and hegave Tom some medicine he had mixed in a glass.
The cut was soon dressed, and Tom felt much better, though weak and atrifle dizzy.
"Did he hit me with the hatchet?" he asked Mr. Jackson.
"I couldn't tell," was the engineer's reply, "it all happened soquickly. In another instant I'd have bowled him over, instead of himlanding on you, but I just missed him. He either used the hatchet, orsome blunt instrument."
"Well, don't talk about it now," urged the doctor. "I want Tom to getquiet and go to sleep. He'll be much better in the morning, but I mustforbid any aeroplane flights." And he shook his finger at Tom inwarning. "You'll have to lie quiet for several days," he added.
"All right," agreed the young inventor weakly, and then he dozed off,for the physician had given him a quieting medicine.
"Haven't you any idea who it was?" asked Dr. Gladby of Mr. Jackson, ashe prepared to leave.
"Not the slightest. It was no one Tom or I had ever seen before. Butwhoever it was, he intended to destroy the Humming-Bird, that wasevident!"
"The scoundrel! I'm glad you foiled him in time; but it's too bad aboutTom. However, we'll soon have him all right again."
"I knows who done it!" broke in Eradicate, who was a sort of privilegedcharacter about the Swift home.
"Who?" asked Mr. Jackson.
"It were dat Andy Foger. Leastways, he send dat man heah t' makemincemeat oh de Hummin'-Bird. I's positib 'bout dat, so I am!" AndEradicate grinned triumphantly.
"Well, perhaps Andy did have a hand in it," admitted Mr. Swift, "but wehave no proof of it, I can't see what his object would be in wanting todestroy Tom's new craft."
"Pure meanness. Afraid that Tom will beat him in the race," suggestedMr. Jackson.
"It's too big a risk to take," went on the aged inventor. "I'm inclinedto think it might be one of the gang of men who made the diamonds inthe cave in the mountains. They might have sent a spy on East, and hemight try to damage the aeroplane to be revenged for what Tom and Mr.Jenks did to them."
"It's possible," agreed the engineer. "Well, we'll wait until Tom cantalk, and we'll go over it with him."
"Not until he is stronger, though," stipulated the physician as he wentaway. "Don't excite Tom for a few days."
The young inventor was much better the following day, and when Dr.Gladby called he said Tom could sit up for a little while. Two dayslater Tom was well enough to be talked to, and his father and Mr.Jackson went over all the details of the matter. Mr. Damon, who hadreturned home, came to see his friend as soon as he heard of hisplight, and was also a member of the consulting party.
"Bless my dictionary!" exclaimed the eccentric man. "I wish I had beenhere to take a hand in it. But, Tom, do you believe it was one of thediamond-making gang?"
"I hardly think so," was the reply. "They would take some other meansof revenge than by destroying my new aeroplane. I'm inclined to thinkit was some one who is in with Andy Foger."
"Then we'll hire detectives, and locate him and them," declared Mr.Damon, blessing several things in succession.
Tom, however, did not like that plan, and it was decided to do nothingright away. In another few days Tom was able to be up, though he wasstill a semi-invalid, not venturing out of the house.
It was one afternoon, when, rather tired of his confinement, he waswishing he could resume work on his air craft, that Mrs. Baggert camein, and said:
"Some one to see you, Tom."
"Is it Mr. Damon?"
"No, it's a lady. She--"
"Oh, Tom! How are you?" cried a girlish voice, and Mary Nestor walkedinto the room, holding out both hands to the young inventor. Tom, witha blush, arose hastily.
"No! no! Sit still!" commanded the girl. "Oh! I'm so sorry to hearabout your accident! In fact, I only heard this morning. We've beenaway, mamma and I, and we just got back. Tell me all about it, that is,if you feel able. But don't exert yourself. Oh! I wish I had hold ofthat man!"
And Miss Nestor clenched her two pretty little hands and set her white,even teeth grimly together, as though she would do most desperatethings indeed.
"I wish you did, too!" exclaimed Tom. "That is, so you could hold himuntil I had a chance at him. But I'm all right now. It was very good ofyou to call. How are you, and how are your folks?"
"Very well. But I came to hear about you. Tell me," and she lookedanxiously at Tom, while Mrs. Baggert discreetly withdrew to theadjoining room, and made a great noise, rattling papers and movingchairs about.
Thereupon Tom told what had happened, while Mary Nestor listenedinterestedly and with expressions of fear at times.
"But if Andy had anything to do with it," concluded Tom, "I can'tunderstand what his object is. Andy is acting very strangely lately. Wecan't locate him, nor find out where he is building his airship. That'swhat I want to know; but Mr. Damon and I, after a lot of trouble, onlyfound his aeroplane shed empty."
"And you want to find out where Andy Foger is building his aeroplanewhich he has entered in the big race?" asked Miss Nestor.
"That's what I'd like to know," declared Tom earnestly. "Only we can'tseem to do it. No one knows."
"Why don't you write to Mr. Sharp, or some one of the aviation meetcommittee?" asked the girl simply. "They would know, for you say Andymade his formal entry with them, and the rules require him to tell fromwhat city and State he will enter his craft. Write to the committee,Tom."
For a moment the young inventor
stared at her. Then he banged his fistdown on the arm of his chair.
"By Jove, Mary! That's the very thing!" he cried. "I wonder why I neverthought of that, instead of fiddling around in disguises, and thingslike that? I wonder why I never thought of that plan?"
"Perhaps because it was so simple," she answered, with a pretty blush.
"I guess that's it," agreed Tom. "It takes a woman to jump across abridge to a conclusion every time. I'll write to Mr. Sharp at once."