JEALOUSY
Together Tom Swift and Ned Newton watched the door of the garage being
cautiously opened. There was something peculiar in this. In the first
place, no one who had a right to swing the door would have been thus
cautious about it. In the second place, no one was supposed to be in
that part of the shop just now except Tom and Ned. The young inventor
had given orders that he was to be left undisturbed with his financial
manager to make a final inspection of his new machine.
Rightly arguing that no one who had a right to be there would try to
enter in this manner, Tom Swift decided to find out who was opening
the door, and in such a manner as to capture the intruder if possible.
Accordingly, he made a sign to Ned to keep quiet and then began
creeping toward the door in as stealthy a manner as it was being
opened, which was a fraction of an inch at a time.
Ned, seeing his chum's intention, followed him, and the two were close
to the door when, unfortunately, Tom stumbled over a piece of wood left
by one of the workman. The noise, though slight, was enough to alarm
the person on the other side of the door. It was at once pulled shut
and footsteps could be heard in hasty retreat outside.
"After him!" yelled Tom, caution now being useless, and he and Ned made
a dart for the opening. They swung back the door, but it had stuck
a little, and the two youths were just in time to see a crouching,
running figure some distance away.
"Catch him!" cried Ned.
It was easier said than done. When Tom and Ned reached the place where
they had caught a glimpse of the running figure there was no sign of
the fugitive. Though an alarm was at once raised and a search made, no
stranger was discovered on the place.
"Well, what do you make of it?" asked Tom, when the two had returned to
where the House on Wheels stood.
"Hanged if I know what to make of it," Ned replied. "Whoever it was
thought no one was in here, and they thought they could either steal
your House or else damage it."
"It would be hard to steal it," replied Tom. "But it wouldn't take
much to wreck it. Looks as if some of the old gangs were after me, or
else some new one."
"I'm inclined to the latter theory," said Ned. "And the newest one who
would logically have it in for you is Cunningham. Isn't that the case?"
"I suppose so. Yet I can't understand a man of his business
ability--and I must admit he is shrewd--being foolish enough to risk an
attack such as this might have been."
"Unless he is so angry that he hasn't any common sense left," suggested
Ned.
"That may be it, yes. Well, the sooner we get started away from here
the better it will be for us."
"Do you think you'll escape your enemies, Tom, by starting on a trip in
the House on Wheels?" asked Ned.
"Not exactly! We've had experiences before in being trailed by those
who wanted to injure me or my father. But it isn't as easy for them to
get at me when I'm on the move. I can keep them guessing."
"There's something in that," admitted Ned. "Well, I won't be sorry to
be on the move, either."
It was two days after this, following a tryout of the House on Wheels
fully loaded and equipped, that Tom and Ned started on what they
thought was to be a pleasant little excursion, but which turned out to
be the beginning of a series of strange events.
"I'll let you know when I get to Chesterport, Dad," said Tom, when
bidding his father good-bye.
"Yes, do," urged the aged inventor. "This is a different machine from
any you have traveled in, and I should like to know how it behaves. We
might make some money out of putting them on the market."
"I'll think about that."
Ned made his farewells to Helen Morton and then, amid a chorus of good
wishes on the part of Mr. Damon and the shop force, the two young men
started off in the strange machine which attracted much attention all
along the road.
"Off to Chesterport!" gaily exclaimed Ned, as he sat beside Tom in the
driver's seat.
"And the mountain of mystery!" added the young inventor.
They reached Chesterport about the middle of the afternoon, but instead
of proceeding up the main street to the residence of the Winthrops,
who, Tom had told Ned, occupied a mansion in an exclusive part of the
town, the House on Wheels, under the guidance of its inventor, was
headed into a vacant lot near an automobile garage.
"What's the idea?" inquired Ned, in surprise. "Something gone wrong?"
"No. Why?"
"Why don't you run her up in front of the Winthrop's and call on Mary
in style?"
"That's just it, Ned. I'm afraid the Winthrop family wouldn't like
this kind of style. And it might embarrass Mary. You see, the Winthrop
people are old-fashioned, conservative people, dating back to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, or something like that. Up to a few years
ago the older Mrs. Winthrop would never ride in anything but the
family carriage. She did grudgingly consent to an auto, in time. Her
daughter-in-law isn't much more liberal, and I'm afraid if we dashed up
and stopped in front of their place with this rather gaudy affair, the
ladies might have a fit and conclude that I wasn't the sort of person
Mary ought to marry."
"I see!" laughed Ned. "Well, maybe the House is a bit too much like a
circus van to park in front of a proud old lady's house. I see your
point. But what are you going to do?"
"Oh, we'll leave the House here under the eye of this garage man and
then you and I will hire a taxi and call on Mary in style."
"Count me out. I'll stay with the House."
"Nothing doing! You go with me!"
The young men had been wearing old garments, for they had anticipated
having to do some work on the car. But there was a miniature bathroom
in the House on Wheels and after washing and changing to fresh
garments, the two young men hired a taxi from the garage, near which
they had left the House on Wheels and went calling.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Mary exclaimed impulsively at the sight
of Tom and Ned. "Why didn't you send me word you were coming?"
"We didn't decide to come until so short a time ago," Tom answered,
"that we didn't really have time."
"He wasn't sure his old House could make the grade," chuckled Ned.
"Oh, then you have the wonderful House with you!" cried Mary.
"Yes, er--I--now--what pocket did I put it in, Ned?" asked Tom in mock
anxiety, as he searched through his garments. "I know I had it when we
came in, but----"
"Think you're smart, don't you?" mocked Mary.
Grace Winthrop came in just then to be introduced, and she and Ned
paired off quite well, "considering everything," as Tom said afterward.
The story of the trip was told and both girls asked to be taken for a
ride in the House on Wheels, a petition that was quickly granted. Grace
Winthrop shared none of her grandmother's inhibitions against modernism!
"Oh, boys, you're just in time!" exclaimed Mary, as they were having
some lemonade out on the shady piazza. "Aren't they, Grace?"
"In time for what?" Tom wanted to know.
"The dance!" answered Mary. "We're having one to-night. You can stay,
can't you, Tom? And you, Ned?" She looked appealingly at Tom.
"Afraid not," he answered. "We have a number of engagements, and our
schedule----"
"Oh, Tom Swift!"
Mary's disappointment was so genuine that Tom, who had been a little
stiff with her at first, relented and said:
"We haven't dress suits with us."
"It's an informal dance," Grace made haste to say, and after being
urged a bit more the two visitors consented to come to the affair that
evening. They refused an invitation to dinner, as both Tom and Ned
wanted to see how it would be to get their own meal on the electric
stove in the House on Wheels.
The dance was a great success. Ned found Grace Winthrop a gracious
hostess, and he did not seem to miss Helen much.
In fact, he was having such a good time that it was not until late in
the evening that he noticed Tom sitting by himself out on the porch
and looking in one of the long windows at the dancing floor. Among the
couples foxtrotting about were Mary and a young fellow named Floyd
Barton to whom Ned had been introduced.
"What's the matter, Tom?" asked Ned, who had come out for a breath of
air. "Hurt your foot?"
"Hurt my foot! No! What makes you ask that?"
"You aren't dancing."
"I haven't had much chance!" was the somewhat grumpish answer, and Ned
saw his chum's gaze following Mary and her partner. To do him justice,
Barton was a fine dancer.
"Oh, ho!" mused Ned to himself, as he took in the situation. "Poor old
Tom is jealous!"