brought out
the books, and he and his chum poured over them.

"Mr. Damon gave me that one on electricity," explained the young
inventor, handing Ned a bulky volume.

"'Bless my bookmark!' as Mr. Damon himself would say if he were
here," exclaimed Ned with a laugh. "That's a dandy. But Mr. Damon
didn't give you THIS one," and Ned picked up a dainty volume of
verse. "'To Tom Swift, with the best wishes of Mary--'" but that
was as far as he read, for Tom grabbed the book away, and closed the
cover over the flyleaf, which bore some writing in a girl's hand. I
think my old readers can guess whose hand it was.

"Wow! Tom Swift reading poetry!" laughed Ned.

"Oh, cut it out," begged his chum. "I didn't know that was among the
books. I got it last Christmas. Now here's a dandy one on lion
hunting, Ned," and to cover his confusion Tom shoved over a book
containing many pictures of wild animals.

"Lion hunting; eh," remarked Ned. "Well, I guess you could give them
some points on snapping lions with your moving picture camera, Tom."

"Yes, I got some good views," admitted the young inventor modestly.
"I may take the camera along on some trips in my noiseless airship.
Hello! here comes Koku back. I hope he got what I wanted."

A man, immense in size, a veritable giant, one of two whom Tom Swift
had brought away from captivity with him, was entering the front
gate. He stopped to speak to Mr. Swift, Tom's father, who was
setting out some plants in a flower bed, taking them from a large
wheel barrow filled with the blooms.

Mr. Swift, who was an inventor of note, had failed in his health of
late, and the doctor had recommended him to be out of doors as much
as possible. He delighted in gardening, and was at it all day.

"Look!" suddenly cried Ned, pointing to the giant. Then Tom and his
chum saw a strange sight.

With a booming laugh, Koku picked up Mr. Swift gently and set him on
a board that extended across the front part of the wheel barrow.
Then, as easily as if it was a pound weight, the big man lifted Mr.
Swift, barrow, plants and all, in his two hands, and carried them
across the garden to another flower bed, that was ready to be
filled.

"No use to walk when I can carry you, Mr. Swift," exclaimed Koku
with a laugh. "I overtook you quite nice; so?"

"Yes, you took me over in great shape, Koku!" replied the aged
inventor with a smile at Koku's English, for the giant frequently
got his words backwards. "That barr