ded Tom, "about a possible
electric locomotive of a faster type than has, ever yet been put on the
rails?"

"That is it, exactly," replied Bartholomew, sitting suddenly upright in
his chair. "We want faster electric motor power than has ever yet been
invented. We have got to have it, or the H. & P. A. might as well be
scrapped and the whole territory out there handed over to Montagne
Lewis and his H. & W. That is the sum total of the matter, gentlemen.
If the Swift Construction Company cannot help us, my railroad is going
to be junk in about three years from this beautiful evening."

His emphasis could not fail to impress both the elder and the younger
Swift. They looked at each other, and the interest displayed upon the
father's countenance was reflected upon the features of the son.

If there was anything Tom Swift liked it was a good fight. The clash of
diverse interests was the breath of life to the young fellow. And for
some years now, always connected in some way with the development of
his inventive genius, he had been entangled in battles both of wits and
physical powers. Here was the suggestion of something that would entail
a struggle of both brain and brawn.

"Sounds good," muttered Tom, gazing at the railroad magnate with
considerable admiration.

"Let us hear all about it," Mr. Swift said to Bartholomew. "Whether we
can help you or not, we're interested."

"All right," replied the visitor again. "Whether I was followed East,
and here to Shopton, or not doesn't much matter. I will put my
proposition up to you, and then I'll ask, if you don't want to go into
it, that you keep the business absolutely secret. I have got to put
something over on Montagne Lewis and his crowd, or throw up the sponge.
That's that!"

"Go ahead, Mr. Bartholomew," observed Tom's father, encouragingly.

"To begin with, four hundred miles of our road is already electrified.
We have big power stations and supply heat and light and power to
several of the small cities tapped by the H. & P. A. It is a paying
proposition as it stands. But it is only paying because we carry the
freight traffic--all the freight traffic--of that region.

"If the H. & W. breaks in on our monopoly of that, we shall soon be so
cut down that our invested capital will not earn two per cent.--No, by
glory! not one-and-a-half per cent.--and our stock will be dished. But
I have worked out a scheme, Gentlemen, by which we can counter-balance
any dig Lewis