.
"I want to have a look in the gardener's house, from where Tom Swift
saw the load going away."

"There is nothing there!" declared Mr. Foger quickly. "That is,
nothing but some old furniture. I sold a lot of it, and I suppose
the man who bought it came for it to-night."

"We'll take a look," repeated the agent, "I am very fond of old
furniture."

"Very well," responded the bully's father, as he eyed Tom and Ned
blackly.

He led the way out of the house, and soon they stood before the
small cottage. It was dark, and when Mr. Foger unlocked the door he
turned on the gas, and lighted it.

"I left the gas on until all the furniture should be taken out," he
explained. "But you will find nothing here."

It needed but a glance about the place to show that only some odds
and ends of furniture was all that it contained.

"Where does this door lead to," asked Mr. Whitford, when he had made
a tour of the place.

"Nowhere. Oh, that is only down into the cellar." was the reply.
"There is nothing there."

"We can't take anything for granted," went on the agent with a
smile. "I'll take a look down there."

He descended with some of his men. Tom and Ned remained in the
kitchen of the cottage, while Andy and his father conversed in low
tones, occasionally casting glances at our heroes. Once Tom thought
Mr. Foger looked apprehensively toward the door, through which the
custom men had descended. He also appeared to be anxiously
listening.

But when Mr. Whitford came back, with a disappointed look on his
face, and said there was nothing to be found, Mr. Foger smiled:

"What did I tell you?" he asked triumphantly.

"Never mind," was the retort of Uncle Sam's man. "We are not through
with Shopton yet."

"I'm sorry we gave you so much trouble on a false clew," said Tom,
as he and Ned left the Foger premises with Mr. Whitford, the other
deputies following.

"That's all right, Tom. We have to follow many false clews. I'm much
obliged to you. Either we were on the wrong track, or the Fogers are
more clever than I gave them credit for. But I am not done yet. I
have something to propose to you. It has come to me in the last few
minutes. I saw you in your airship once, and I know you know how to
manage such craft. Now there is no question in my mind but what the
smugglers are using airships. Tom, will you undertake a mission for
Uncle Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean will you go to the border, in your airship, and try