Swift's. Tom was sent to
Albany on his motor-cycle to deliver the model and some valuable papers
to Mr. Crawford, of the law firm of Reid & Crawford, of Washington,
attorneys for Mr. Swift. Mr. Crawford had an errand in Albany and had
agreed to meet Tom there with the model.

But, on the way, Tom was attacked by the gang of unscrupulous men and
the model was stolen. He was assaulted and carried far away in an
automobile. In an attempt to capture the gang in a deserted mansion,
in the woods on the shore of Lake Carlopa, Tom was aided by Mr. Damon,
of whom he had purchased the motor-cycle. The men escaped, however,
and nothing could be done to punish them.

Tom was thinking of the exciting scenes he had passed through about a
month previous as he spun along the road leading to Lanton.

"I hope I don't meet Happy Harry or any of his gang to-day," mused the
lad as he turned on a little more power to enable his machine to mount
a hill. "I don't believe they'll attend the auction, though. It would
be too risky for them."

As Tom swung along at a rapid pace he heard, behind him, the puffing of
an automobile, with the muffler cut out. He turned and cast a hasty
glance behind.

"I hope that ain't Andy Foger or any of his cronies," he said to
himself. "He might try to run me down just for spite. He generally
rushes along with the muffler open so as to attract attention and make
folks think he has a racing car."

It was not Andy, however, as Tom saw a little later, as a man passed
him in a big touring car. Andy Foger, as my readers will recollect,
was a red-haired, squinty-eyed lad with plenty of money and not much
else. He and his cronies, including Sam Snedecker, nearly ran Tom down
one day, when the latter was on his bicycle, as told in the first
volume of this series. Andy had been off on a tour with his chums
during the time when Tom was having such strenuous adventures and had
recently returned.

"If I can only get that boat," mused Tom as he swung back into the
middle of the road after the auto had passed him, "I certainly will
have lots of fun. I'll make a week's tour of Lake Carlopa and take dad
and Ned Newton with me." Ned was Tom's most particular chum, but as
young Newton was employed in the Shopton bank, the lad did not have
much time for pleasure. Lake Carlopa was a large body of water, and it
would take a moderately powered boat several days to make a complete
circuit of the shore, so cut up