"Bless my gizzard!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, who hardly knew what to do. "We'd better be getting out of here, Tom!"
"Not much!" exclaimed the young inventor. "I never ran from Andy Foger yet, and I'm not going to begin now."
He assumed an attitude of defense1, and stood calmly awaiting the onslaught of the bully2; but Andy knew better than to come to a personal argument with Tom, and so the red-haired lad halted some paces off. The man, who had followed young Foger, also stopped.
"What do you want around here, Tom Swift?" demanded Andy.
"You know very well what I want," said the young inventor, calmly. "I want to know what you did with the aeroplane plans you took from my house."
"I never took any!" declared Andy vigorously.
"Well, there's no use discussing that," went on Tom. "What I came here to find out, and I don't mind telling you, is whether or not you are building a monoplane to compete against me, and building it on a model invented by me; and what's more, Andy Foger, I intend to find this out, too!"
Tom started toward the big shed, which loomed3 up in the moonlight.
"Stand back!" cried Andy, getting in Tom's way. "I can build any kind of an aeroplane I like, and you can't stop me!"
"We'll see about that," declared the young inventor, as he kept on. "I'm not going to allow my plans to be stolen, and a monoplane made after them, and do nothing about it."
"You keep away!" snarled4 Andy, and he grabbed Tom by the shoulder and struck him a blow in the chest. He must have been very much excited, or otherwise he never would have come to hostilities5 this way with Tom, whom he well knew could easily beat him.
The blow, together with the many things he had suffered at Andy's hands, was too much for our hero. He drew back his fist, and a moment later Andy Foger was stretched out on the grass. He lay there for a moment, and then rose up slowly to his knees, his face distorted with rage.
"You—you hit me!" he snarled.
"Not until you hit first," said Tom calmly.
"Bless my punching bag! That's so!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
"You'll suffer for this!" whined6 Andy, getting to his feet, but taking care to retreat from Tom, who stood ready for him. "I'll get square with you for this! Jake, come on, and we'll get our guns!"
Andy turned and hurried back toward the shed, followed by the evil-looking man, who had apparently7 been undecided whether to attack Mr. Damon or Tom. Now the bully and his companion were in full retreat.
"We'll get our guns, and then we'll see whether they'll want to stay where they're not wanted!" went on Andy, threateningly.
"Bless my powderhorn! What had we better do?" asked Mr. Damon.
"I guess we'd better go back," said Tom calmly. "Not that I'm afraid of Andy. His talk about guns is all bluff8; but I don't want to get into any more of a row, and he is just ugly and reckless enough to make trouble. I'm afraid we can't learn what we came to find out, though I'm more convinced than ever that Andy is using my plans to make his aeroplane."
"But what can you do?"
"I'll see Mr. Sharp, and send a protest to the aviation committee. I'll refuse to enter if Andy flies in a model of my Humming-Bird, and I'll try to prevent him from using it after he gets it on the ground. That is all I can do, it seems, lacking positive information. Come on, Mr. Damon. Let's get back to our hotel, and we'll start for home in the morning."
"I have a plan," whispered the odd man.
"What is it?" asked Tom, narrowly watching for the reappearance of Andy and the man.
"I'll stay here until they come, then I'll pretend to run away. They'll chase after me, and get all excited, and you can go up and look in the shed windows. Then you can join me later. How's that?"
"Too risky9. They might fire at you by mistake. No. We'll both go. I've found out more than enough to confirm my suspicions."
They turned out of the lot which contained the shed, and walked toward the road, just as Andy and his crony came back.
"Huh! You'd better go!" taunted10 the bully.
Tom had a bitter feeling in his heart. It seemed as if he was defeated, and he did not like to retreat before Andy.
"You'd better not come back here again, either," went on Andy.
Tom and Mr. Damon did not reply, but kept on in silence. They returned to Shopton the next day.
"Well," remarked Tom, when he had gone out to look at his Humming-Bird, "I know one thing. Andy Foger may build a machine something like this, but I don't believe he can put in all the improvements I have, and certainly he can't equal that engine; eh, dad?"
"I hope not, Tom," replied his father, who seemed to be much improved in health.
"When are you going to try for speed?" asked Mr. Damon.
"To-morrow, if I can get it tuned11 up enough," replied Tom, "and I think I can. Yes, we'll have the great test to-morrow, and then I'll know whether I really have a chance for that ten thousand dollars."
Never before had Tom been so exacting<............