Queer Doings
There was a subdued air of activity about the Swift plant. Subdued,
owing to the fact that it was mostly confined to one building--the new,
large one, about which stretched a high and strong fence, made with
tongue-and-groove boards so that no prying eyes might find a crack,
even, through which to peer.
In and out of the other buildings the workmen went as they pleased,
though there were not many of them, for Tom and his father were
devoting most of their time and energies to what was taking place in
the big, new structure. But here there was an entirely different
procedure.
Workmen went in and out, to be sure, but each time they emerged they
were scrutinized carefully, and when they went in they had to exhibit
their passes to a man on guard at the single entrance; and the passes
were not scrutinized perfunctorily, either.
Near the building, about which there seemed to be an air of mystery,
one day, a week after the events narrated in the opening chapters,
strolled the giant Koku. Not far away, raking up a pile of refuse, was
Eradicate Sampson, the aged colored man of all work. Eradicate
approached nearer and nearer the entrance to the building, pursuing his
task of gathering up leaves, dirt and sticks with the teeth of his
rake. Then Koku, who had been lounging on a bench in the shade of a
tree, Called:
"No more, Eradicate!"
"No mo' whut?" asked the negro quickly. "I didn't axt yo' fo' nuffin
yit!"
"No more come here!" said the giant, pointing to the building and
speaking English with an evident effort. "Master say no one come too
close."
"Huh! He didn't go fo' t' mean me!" exclaimed Eradicate. "I kin go
anywheres; I kin!"
"Not here!" and Koku interposed his giant frame between the old man and
the first step leading into the secret building. "You no come in here."
"Who say so?"
"Me--I say so! I on guard. I what you call special
policeman--detectiff--no let enemies in!"
"Huh! You's a hot deteckertiff, yo' is!" snorted Eradicate. "Anyhow,
dem orders don't mean me! I kin go anywhere, I kin!"
"Not here!" said Koku firmly. "Master Tom say let nobody come near but
workmen who have got writing-paper. You no got!"
"No, but I kin git one, an' I's gwine t' hab it soon! I'll see Massa
Tom, dat's whut I will. I guess yo' ain't de only deteckertiff on de
place. I kin go on guard, too!" and Eradicate, dropping his rake,
strolled away in his temper to seek the young inventor.
"Well, Rad, what is it?" asked Tom, as he met the colored man. The
young inventor was on his way to the mysterious shop. "What is
troubling you?"
"It's dat dar giant. He done says as how he's on guard--a
deteckertiff--an' I can't go nigh dat buildin' t' sweep up de refuse."
"Well, that's right, Rad. I'd prefer that you keep away. I'm doing
some special work in there and it's--"
"Am it dangerous, Massa Tom? I ain't askeered! Anybody whut kin drive
mah mule Boomerang--"
"I know, Eradicate, but this isn't so dangerous. It's just secret, and
I don't want too many people about. You can go anywhere else except
there. Koku is on guard."
"Den can't I be, Massa Tom?" asked the colored man eagerly. "I kin
guard an' detect same as dat low-down, good-fo'-nuffin white trash
Koku!"
Tom hesitated.
"I suppose I could get you a sort of officer's badge," he mused, half
aloud.
"Dat's whut I want!" eagerly exclaimed Eradicate. "I ain't gwine hab
dat Koku--dat cocoanut--crowin' ober me! I kin guard an' detect as
good's anybody!"
And the upshot of it was that Eradicate was given a badge, and put on a
special post, far enough from Koku to keep the two from quarreling, and
where, even if he failed in keeping a proper lookout, the old servant
could do no harm by his oversight.
"It'll please him, and won't hurt us," said Tom to his father. "Koku
will keep out any prying persons."
"I suppose you are doing well to keep it a secret, Tom," said Mr.
Swift, "but it seems as if you might announce it soon."
"Perhaps we may, Dad, if all goes well. I've given her a partial
shop-tryout, and she works well. But there is still plenty to do. Did I
tell you about meeting Blakeson?"
"Yes, and I can't understand why he should be in this vicinity. Do you
think he has had any intimation of what you are doing?"
"It's hard to say, and yet I would not be surprised. When Uncle Sam
couldn't keep secret the fact of our first soldiers sailing for France.
How can I expect to keep this secret? But they won't get any details
until I'm ready, I'm sure of that."
"Koku is a good discourager," said Mr. Swift, with a chuckle. "You
couldn't have a better guard, Tom."
"No, and if I can keep him and Eradicate from trying to pull off rival
detective stunts, or 'deteckertiff,' as Rad calls it, I'll be all
right. Now let's have another go at that carburetor. There's our weak
point, for it's getting harder and harder all the while to get
high-grade gasolene, and we'll have to come to alcohol of low proof, or
kerosene, I'm thinking."
"I wouldn't be surprised, Tom. Well, perhaps we can get up a new style
of carburetor that will do the trick. Now look at this needle valve;
I've given it a new turn," and father and son went into technical
details connected with their latest invention.
These were busy days at the Swift plant. Men came and went--men with
queerly shaped parcels frequently--and they were admitted to the big
new building after first passing Eradicate and then Koku, and it would
be hard to say which guard was the more careful. Only, of course, Koku
had the final decision, and more than one person was turned back after
Eradicate had passed him, much to the disgust of the negro.
"Pooh! Dat giant don't know a workman when he sees 'im!" snorted
Eradicate. "He so lazy his own se'f dat he don't know a workman! Ef I
sees a spy, Massa Tom, or a crook, I's gwine git him, suah pop!"
"I hope you do, Rad. We can't afford to let this secret get out," said
the young inventor.
It was one evening, when taking a short cut to his home, that Mr.
Nestor, the father of Mary Nestor, in whom Tom was more than ordinarily
interested, passed not far from the big enclosure which was guarded, on
the factory side, day and night. Inside, though out of sight and hidden
by the high fence, were other guards.
As Mr. Nestor passed along the fence, rather vaguely wondering why it
was so high, tight and strong, he felt the ground trembling beneath his
feet. It rumbled and shook as though a distant train were passing, and
yet there was none due now, for Mr. Nestor had just left one, and
another would not arrive for an hour.
"That's queer," mused Mary's father. "If I didn't know to the contrary,
I'd say that sounded like heavy guns being fired from a distance, or
else blasting. It seems to come from the Swift place," he went on. "I
wonder what they're up to in there."
Suddenly the rumbling became more pronounced, and mingled with it, in
the dusk of the evening, were the shouts of men.
"Look out!" some one cried. "She's going for the fence!"
A second later there was a cracking and straining of boards, and the
fence near Mr. Nestor bulged out as though something big, powerful and
mighty were pressing it from the inner side.
But the fence held, or else the pressure was removed, for the bulge
went back into place, though some of the boards were splintered.
"Have to patch that up in the morning," called another voice, and Mr.
Nestor recognized it as that of Tom Swift.
"What queer doings are going on here?" mused Mary's father. "Have they
got a wild bull shut up in there, and is he trying to get out? Lucky
for me he didn't," and he hurried on, the rumbling noise become fainter
until it died away altogether.
That night, after his supper and while reading the paper and smoking a
cigar, Mr. Nestor spoke to his daughter.
"Mary, have you seen anything of Tom Swift lately?"
"Why, yes, Father. He was over for a little while the other night, but
he didn't stay long. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing special. I just came past his place and I heard some queer
noises, that's all. He's up to some more of his tricks, I guess. Has be
enlisted yet?"
"No.
"Is he going to?"
"I don't know," and Mary seemed a bit put out by this simple question.
"What do you mean by his tricks?" she asked, and a close observer might
have thought she was anxious to get away from the subject of Tom's
enlistment.
"Oh, like that one when he sent you something in a box labeled
'dynamite,' and gave us all a scare. You can't tell what Tom Swift is
going to do next. He's up to something now, I'll wager, and I don't
believe any good will come of it."
"You didn't think so after he sent his wireless message, and saved us
from Earthquake Island," said Mary, smiling.
"Hum! Well, that was different," snapped Mr. Nestor. "This time I'm
sure he's up to some nonsense! The idea of crashing down a fence! Why
doesn't he enlist like the other chaps, or sell Liberty Bonds like Ned
Newton?" and Mr. Nestor looked sharply at his daughter. "Ned gave up a
big salary as the Swifts financial man--a place he had held for a
year--to go back to the bank for less, just so he could help the
Government in the financial end of this war. Is Tom doing as much for
his country?"
"I'm sure I don't know," answered Mary; and soon after, with averted
face, she left the room.
"Hum! Queer goings on," mused Mr. Nestor. "Tom Swift may be all right,
but he's got an unbalanced streak in him that will bear looking out
for, that's what I think!"
And having settled this matter, at least to his own satisfaction, Mr.
Nestor resumed his smoking and reading.
A little later the bell rang. There was a murmur of voices in the hall,
and Mr. Nestor, half listening, heard a voice he knew.
"There's Tom Swift now!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to find out why he
doesn't enlist!"