The farmer's family, including the son who was a deputy sheriff, wasglad to see Tom. Jed said he had "been on the job" ever since themysterious robbery of Tom had taken place, but though he had seenmany red automobiles he had no trace of the three men.
From Dunkirk Tom went back over the route he had taken in going fromPompville to Centreford, and made some inquiries in the neighborhoodof the church shed, where he had taken shelter. The locality wassparsely settled, however, and no one could give any clues to therobbers.
The young inventor next made a trip over the lonely, sandy road,where he had met with the tramp, Happy Harry. But there were evenfewer houses near that stretch than around the church, so he got nosatisfaction there. Tom spent the night at a country inn, andresumed his search the next morning, but with no results. The menhad apparently completely disappeared, leaving no traces behindthem.
"I may as well go home," thought Tom, as he was riding his motor-cyclealong a pleasant country road. "Dad may be worried, and perhapssomething has turned up in Shopton that will aid me. If there isn't,I'm going to start out again in a few days in another direction."
There was no news in Shopton, however. Town found his fatherscarcely able to work, so worried was he over the loss of his mostimportant invention.
Two weeks passed, the young machinist taking trips of several days'duration to different points near his home, in the hope ofdiscovering something. But he was unsuccessful, and, in themeanwhile, no reassuring word was received from the lawyers inWashington. Mr. Crawford wrote that no move had yet been made by thethieves to take out patent papers, and while this, in a sense, wassome aid to Mr. Swift, still he could not proceed on his own accountto protect his new motor. All that could be done was to await thefirst movement on the part of the scoundrels.
"I think I'll try a new plan to-morrow, dad," announced Tom onenight, when he and his father had talked over again, for perhaps thetwentieth time, the happenings of the last few weeks.
"What is it, Tom?" asked the inventor.
"Well, I think I'll take a week's trip on my machine. I'll visit allthe small towns around here, but, instead of asking in houses fornews of the tramp or his confederates, I'll go to the police andconstables. I'll ask if they have arrested any tramps recently, and,if they have, I'll ask them to let me see the 'hobo' prisoners."
"What good will that do?"
"I'll tell you. I have an idea that though the burglar who got inhere may not be a regular tramp, yet he disguises himself like oneat times, and may be known to other tramps. If I can get on thetrail of Happy Harry, as he calls himself, I may locate the othermen. Tramps would be very likely to remember such a peculiar chap asHappy Harry, and they will tell me where they had last seen him.Then I will have a starting point."
"Well, that may be a good plan," assented Mr. Swift. "At any rate itwill do no harm to try. A tramp locked up in a country policestation will very likely be willing to talk. Go ahead with thatscheme, Tom, but don't get into any danger. How long will you beaway?"
"I don't know. A week, perhaps; maybe longer. I'll take plenty ofmoney with me, and stop at country hotels overnight."
Tom lost no time in putting his plan into execution. He packed someclothes in a grip, which he attached to the rear of his motor-cycle,and then having said good-by to his father, started of............