. Damon?"

"Much as I dislike it," said the eccentric man who was too much
worried, now, to do any "blessing," which was his favorite expression,
"I think we ought to communicate with Mrs. Nestor. She will be very
anxious."

"I guess we'll have to," said Tom. "But wait! I'll call up my house
first, and see if he has gone back there."

But Mr. Nestor had not done this, and Mrs. Baggert, who answered the
telephone, said Mary had been calling frantically for Tom, as her
mother was now on the verge of complete collapse.

"No help for it," said Tom, ruefully. "We've got to tell 'em we have no
news, and can't find him."

And, hearing this, Mrs. Nestor did collapse, and a doctor was called in.

Thereupon Tom, who with Mr. Damon had gone back to the Nestor home,
took charge of matters, sending for Mrs. Nestor's sister to come and
stay with her and take charge of the house.

"You'll need some one to stay with you," he told Mary.

"Yes, I shall," she admitted, trying bravely not to give way to her
emotion. "Oh, Tom, I wish you could stay, too. I'm sure something
dreadful must have happened to poor father. Please stay and help us
find him!"

"I will," Tom promised. "As soon as your aunt comes I'll take Mr. Damon
home, and then I'll give the rest of my time to you."

And this Tom did, sending word home that he would remain at the
Nestor's all night and part of the next day.

Tom got but little sleep that night. He communicated with the police
and saw to it that a general alarm was sent out. He called up all
hospitals within a radius of fifty miles, but could get no trace of any
injured man whose description resembled that of Mr. Nestor.

"What can have happened?" asked Mary tearfully.

"Well, the way I figure it out is this," said Tom. "Your father left my
house soon after Mr. Damon and I did in the Air Scout. Mr. Nestor was
riding his bicycle, and he must have been run into by an automobile.
That is how his watch was damaged and that was when Mr. Damon and I
heard the cries for help."

"Oh, do you think he was badly hurt?" asked Mary.

"No, I don't," and Tom answered truthfully. "The voice sounded as
though he was in pain, certainly, but it was strong and vigorous, and
not at all as though he was dangerously hurt."

"And what do you think happened to him after he was hurt?" asked Mary.

"The autoists took him away," decided Tom. "In fact, we heard the
machine go, but of course we never connected the call for