tum
had been attained, he turned on the gasolene and set the spark
lever. With rattles and bangs, which were quickly subdued by the
muffler, the machine gathered speed. Tom was off for Albany.

CHAPTER XI.

A VINDICTIVE TRAMP

Though Tom's father had told him there was no necessity for any
great speed, the young inventor could not resist the opportunity for
pushing his machine to the limit. The road was a level one and in
good condition, so the motor-cycle fairly flew along. The day was
pleasant, a warm sun shining overhead, and it was evident that early
summer was crowding spring rather closely.

"This is glorious!" exclaimed Tom aloud as he spun along. "I'm glad I
persuaded dad to let me take this trip. It was a great idea. Wish Ned
Newton was along, though. He'd be company for me, but, as Ned would
say, there are two good reasons why he can't come. One is he has to
work in the bank, and the other is that he has no motor-cycle."

Tom swept past house after house along the road, heading in the
opposite direction from that in which lay the town of Shopton and
the city of Mansburg. For several miles Tom's route would lie
through a country district. The first large town he would reach
would be Centreford. He planned to get lunch there, and he had
brought a few sandwiches with him to eat along the road in case he
became hungry before he reached the place.

"I hope the package containing the model doesn't jar off," mused the
lad as he reached behind to make sure that the precious bundle was
safe. "Dad would be in a bad way if that should disappear. And the
papers, too." He put his hand to his inner pocket to feel that they
were secure. Coming to a little down-grade, Tom shut off some of the
power, the new levers he had arranged to control the gasolene and
spark working well.

"I think I'll take the old wood road and pass through Pompville,"
Tom decided, after covering another mile or two. He was approaching
a division in the highway. "It's a bit sandy," he went on, "and the
going will be heavy, but it will be a good chance to test my
machine. Besides, I'll save five miles, and, while I don't have to
hurry, I may need time on the other end. I'd rather arrive in Albany
a little before dusk than after dark. I can deliver the model and
papers and have a good night's sleep before starting back. So the
old wood road it will be."

The wood road, as Tom called it, was a seldom used highway, which,
originally, wa