to you."

He left the Swift home, after refusing Tom's invitation to remain all
night, and went to his hotel. Tom then insisted that his father retire.

As for the young inventor, he was not satisfied with the result of his
attempt to catch Andy Foger. He had no idea why the bully was hiding
under the library window, but Tom surmised that some mischief might be
afoot.

"Sam Snedecker or Pete Bailey, the two cronies of Andy, may still be
around here, trying to play some trick on me," mused Tom. "I think I'll
take a look outside." And taking a stout cane from the umbrella rack,
the youth sallied forth into the yard and extensive grounds surrounding
his house.

While he is thus looking for possible intruders we will tell you a
little more about him than has been possible since the call of the
aviation secretary.

Tom Swift lived with his father, Barton Swift, in the town of Shopton,
New York State. The young man had followed in the footsteps of his
parent, and was already an inventor of note.

Their home was presided over by Mrs. Baggert, as housekeeper, since
Mrs. Swift had been dead several years. In addition, there was Garret
Jackson, an engineer, who aided Tom and his father, and Eradicate
Sampson, an odd colored man, who, with his mule, Boomerang, worked
about the place.

In the first volume of this series, entitled "Tom Swift and his
Motor-Cycle," here was related how he came to possess that machine. A
certain Mr. Wakefield Damon, an eccentric gentleman, who was always
blessing himself, or something about him, owned the cycle, but he came
to grief on it, and sold it to Tom very cheaply.

Tom had a number of adventures on the wheel, and, after having used the
motor to save a valuable patent model from a gang of unscrupulous men,
the lad acquired possession of a power boat, in which he made several
trips, and took part in many exciting happenings.

Some time later, in company with John Sharp, an aeronaut, whom Tom had
rescued from Lake Carlopa, after the airman had nearly lost his life in
a burning balloon, the young inventor made a big airship, called the
Red Cloud. With Mr. Damon, Tom made several trips in this craft, as set
forth in the book, "Tom Swift and His Airship."

It was after this that Tom and his father built a submarine boat, and
went under the ocean for sunken treasure, and, following that trip Tom
built a speedy electric runabout, and by a remarkable run in that, with
Mr. Damon, saved a ba