TRAILING THE MYSTERY
The next day, after a late, lazy sleep in the bunks of the House on
Wheels, Tom Swift and Ned Newton, in fulfillment of a promise made the
night before, called to take Mary and Grace for a ride in Tom's latest
invention.
Tom and his chum called in a taxi to take the girls out to the House on
Wheels, for the young inventor rightly guessed that Mrs. Winthrop would
not appreciate the sensation that would be caused should the big auto
stop in front of her house.
"Hello!" Mary called to Tom and Ned as she came downstairs with Grace
to meet them. "Did you have a good time last night?"
"Fine!" answered Ned, who had thoroughly enjoyed himself.
"Are you all ready?" asked Tom, trying to smile but not making a great
success of it. He seemed anxious to avoid answering the question. But
Mary was not to be put off.
"I asked if you had a good time last night, Tom Swift," and Mary's
voice had a new quality in it. "Aren't you going to answer me?"
"Oh, I beg your pardon. Of course! It was a lovely affair. And I must
say you danced very well, Mary--you and Mr. Barton."
There was something in Tom's tone that made Mary look sharply at him,
but she said nothing more then.
"Well, are you all ready for the thrill of your lives?" asked Ned, to
cover the little moment of embarrassment that followed the interchange
between Mary and Tom.
"Does the machine go very fast?" asked Grace.
"Not at all," Tom made haste to say. "It isn't a racer, by any means.
It's just a comfortable way of traveling, that's all. There won't be
any particular thrill."
"I'm eager to see it since its completion," said Mary, and Ned noticed
that her manner toward Tom had changed a bit.
However, once they were started, the party was gay enough and Ned
thought perhaps his chum's natural jealousy would wear off. He learned,
by judicious questions put to Grace Winthrop, that Floyd Barton was
a rich young man of the neighborhood who had been paying Mary much
attention since her arrival in Chesterport.
"Mr. Barton thinks Mary is a lovely girl," said Grace to Ned.
"Well, he is certainly right," was the answer. "So does Tom Swift."
"Oh, well, that's different. Mr. Barton is just a very good friend. Of
course I know that Tom and Mary are engaged. But a girl must be nice to
those who are nice to her."
"Then you'd better start right in on me!" challenged Ned, and the two
laughed.
This was more than Mary and Tom were doing just then. They seemed to be
talking seriously on the rear seat of the taxi, Ned and Grace occupying
the auxiliary folding seats ahead.
However, once the House on Wheels was reached, the air cleared a bit.
Both girls went into raptures over the House, though Mary had seen it
before, when it was almost completed. They reveled in the appointments
and said the kitchen was "just darling," using so many other adjectives
to praise the other sections that Tom and Ned felt quite set up over
having had a hand in turning out the machine.
The House on Wheels was taken for a spin into the country with the
girls as guests, and the party remained out all day, eating "on
board," if that be the proper term. In the evening, when the return
to Chesterport was made, Tom and Mary seemed to have patched up their
little differences. Ned had an inkling as to what was at the bottom of
the trouble when he overheard Tom say:
"Well, but you didn't need to dance every number with him, did you?"
"I didn't! I danced with you three times! If I had known you were
coming I'd have saved more for you."
"I'm sorry I didn't send you word," murmured Tom.
"So am I," replied Mary, and then they talked of other things.
But that Tom still felt jealous pangs was evident the next day, for
the boys remained over for a lawn party Grace had arranged in honor
of Mary. There was no dancing this time, for the affair was held out
of doors. But Floyd Barton was there, with other young men, and even
Ned, in what few moments he spent away from Grace Winthrop, could not
help noticing that Mary was very often in the company of the young
Chesterport man.
However, she gave Tom some attention and called him to her side when
she had to preside at a little game. She seemed very sweet and
gracious, but there was a lowering look on Tom's face that did not
altogether vanish, Ned noticed.
At the close of the lawn party Mary accompanied Mr. Barton to the gate
to bid him farewell. When she came back Tom further showed the canker
that was eating him.
"Can't you stay over one more day?" Grace Winthrop was asking Ned, who
had announced that their plans called for starting off the next morning.
"I'd like to," Ned replied. "But of course----"
"We're going to pull out first thing to-morrow!" broke in Tom, with
more bruskness than seemed necessary.
"Oh, in that case then you won't be here," said Mary, and her voice was
tantalizingly cool. "I thought you were having a good time."
"We are!" exclaimed Ned.
"Too good," said Tom. "I guess you're having a good time too, aren't
you, Mary?" His question was rather pointed.
"Who, me? Oh, yes! Grace has entertained me lavishly, and----"
"I guess she hasn't been doing all the entertaining," and Tom pretended
to be much interested in a troublesome hangnail.
"Oh, of course her friends have been awfully sweet to me," said Mary,
purposely misunderstanding. "Well, if you boys won't stay, you won't!
Where are you going, Tom?"
"Oh, off on a little exploring trip," and he glanced toward Ned to make
sure he would not mention Dismal Mountain, since they had agreed it
would be better to keep their plans secret. "Got to try out the House
under all sorts of conditions."
"I suppose so," agreed Grace. "Well, can't you stop off again on your
way back?"
"We'll try," was all Tom would promise, though Ned was enthusiastic
when he said:
"I sure would like to!"
"Do try, then," urged Mary. "I'm having such a lovely time on this
visit that I want every one else to have fun, too. And you have been
working hard, haven't you, Tom?"
"A bit, yes."
"Well, now you'd better take a rest on this trip. Don't think about
business and don't run into any danger. Will you?"
She crossed the room and stood near him, while Ned and Grace went
outside.
"Will you, Tom?"
"Will I what?"
"Be careful to keep out of danger."
"Oh, I--Who'd care if I did get into danger?" His voice was hard.
"Who'd care? Well, I like that, Tom Swift! Wouldn't your father care,
and my father and mother, and Ned and Koku and Eradicate and--lots of
folks?"
"Anybody else?" asked Tom, with a half smile.
"Of course, you silly boy! I would! Is that what you wanted me to say?"
It would seem from Tom's pleased answer that it was.
So the little rift in the heavens appeared to have passed.
"All hands on deck!"
Ned Newton heard this hail from the depths of drowsy slumber as he
turned over in his cot the next morning.
"What's the row?" he asked sleepily.
"All hands on deck!" repeated Tom. "Come on, if we're going to get
started."
"What's the matter?" yawned Ned, parting the curtains and peering out.
"Are you the little early bird after the earlier worm this morning?"
"Somewhat. But we've been loafing long enough. Let's get on the move if
we're going to."
They washed, dressed and had breakfast, and then, having paid their
garage bill and taken on a supply of gas and oil, they set out down
the main road of Chesterport, having said good-bye to the girls the
night before.
They were on the road to Branchville, beyond which was the beginning of
the hills that rose to their limit in the peak known locally as Dismal
Mountain.
"I hope we run across a batch of moonshiners, some train bandits, and
half a dozen road agents!" declared Tom, as he grasped the steering
wheel.
"Ah, ha!" mused Ned. "The little green bug is still biting him!"