and the
Swifts. Tom was sorry that the fellow had now been forewarned that his
identity as the spy and footpad was known to Tom and his friends.

Koku had made a bad mess of it. But Tom determined to say nothing to
his father regarding the discovery he had made. He did not want to
worry Mr. Swift. He meant, however, to redouble precautions at the
Swift Construction Company against any stranger getting past the
stockade gates.

Arrived at Mr. Damon's home in Waterfield, Tom got quickly to work on
the little job he had come to do for his old friend. Of course, Tom
might have sent two of his mechanics from the works down here to
electrify the barbed wire entanglements that Mr. Damon had erected
around his chicken run. But the young inventor knew that his eccentric
friend would not consider the job done right unless Tom attended to it
personally.

"Bless my cracked corn and ground bone mixture!" ejaculated the chicken
fancier. "We'll show these night-prowlers what's what, I guess. One of
my neighbors was robbed last night. And I would have been if I hadn't
set a watch while I drove over to see you, Tom. Bless my spurs and
hackles! but these thieves are getting bold."

"We'll fix 'em," said Tom, cheerfully, while Koku brought the tools and
wire to the hen run. "After we link up your supply of the current with
this wire fence it will be an unhappy chicken burglar who interferes
with it."

"That was an unhappy fellow who got your charge of ammonia last
evening," whispered Mr. Damon. "Heard anything more of him?"

"I think I have seen him. But Koku spoiled everything by trying to eat
him up," and Tom laughingly related what had occurred on the way from
Shopton.

"Bless my boots!" said Mr. Damon. "You'd better see the police, Tom."

"What for?"

"Why, they ought to know about such a fellow lurking about Shopton. If
he followed that Western railroad president here--"

"We'll hope that he will follow Mr. Bartholomew away again," chuckled
Tom. "Mr. Bartholomew won't stay over today. When that chap finds he
has gone he probably will consider that there is no use in his
bothering me any further."

Whether Tom believed this statement or not, he was destined to realize
his mistake within a very short time. At least, the fact that he was
being spied upon and that the enemy meant him anything but good, seemed
proved beyond a doubt that very week.

Having done the little job for Mr. Damon, Tom allowed no other outside
mat