“Now I’m going to see what made that shaft fall,” said Tom to Ned, as the two chums walked over to the bench where the young inventor had been working. “The tap I gave it never ought to have brought it down.”
Together they examined the thin, but strong, cords that had been passed around the shaft, having been fastened to two nails, driven into the wall.
“Look!” cried Tom, pointing to one of the cords.
“What is it?” asked Ned.
“The strands were partly cut through, so that only a little jar was enough to break the remaining ones,” went on Tom. “They’ve been cut with a knife, too, and not frayed by vibration against the nail, as might be the case. Ned, someone has been in my shop, meddling, and he wanted this shaft to fall. This is a trick!”
“Great Scott, Tom! You don’t suppose any one wanted that shaft to fall on you; do you?”
“No, I don’t believe that. Probably some one wanted to damage the shaft, or he might have thought it would topple over against the bench, and break some of my tools, instruments or machinery. I do delicate experiments here, and it wouldn’t take much of a blow to spoil them. That’s why those cords were cut.”
“Who did it? Do you think Andy Foger—”
“No, I think it was the man Koku thought was a chicken thief, and whom we chased the other night. I’ve got to be on my guard. I wonder if—”
Tom was interrupted by the appearance of Koku, who came out of the shop with a letter the postman had just left.
“I don’t know that writing very well, and yet it looks familiar,” said Tom, as he tore open the missive. “Hello, here’s more trouble!” he exclaimed as he hastily read it.
“What’s up now?” asked Ned.
“This is from Mr. Period, the picture man,” went on the young inventor. “It’s a warning.”
“A warning?”
“Yes. He says:
“‘Dear Tom. Be on your guard. I understand that a rival moving picture concern is after you. They want to make you an offer, and get you away from me. But I trust you. Don’t have anything to do with these other fellows. And, at the same time, don’t give them a hint as to our plans. Don’t tell them anything about your new camera. There is a lot of jealousy and rivalry in this business and they are all after me. They’ll probably come to see you, but be on your guard. They know that I have been negotiating with you. Remember the alarm the other night.’”
CHAPTER VI
TRYING THE CAMERA
“Well, what do you think of that?” cried Ned, as his chum finished.
“It certainly isn’t very pleasant,” replied Tom. “I wonder why those chaps can’t let me alone? Why don’t they invent cameras of their own? Why are they always trying to get my secret inventions?”
“I suppose they can’t do things for themselves,” answered Ned. “And then, again, your machinery always works, Tom, and some that your rivals make, doesn’t.”
“Well, maybe that’s it,” admitted our hero, as he put away the letter. “I will be on the watch, just as I have been before. I’ve got the burglar alarm wires adjusted on the shop now, and when these rival moving picture men come after me they’ll get a short answer.”
For several days nothing happened, and Tom and Ned worked hard on the Wizard Camera. It was nearing completion, and they were planning, soon, to give it a test, when, one afternoon, two strangers, in a powerful automobile, came to the Swift homestead. They inquired for Tom, and, as he was out in the shop, with Ned and Koku, and as he often received visitors out there, Mrs. Baggert sent out the two men, who left their car in front of the house.
As usual, Tom had the inner door to his shop locked, and when Koku brought in a message that two strangers would like to see the young inventor, Tom remarked:
“I guess it’s the rival picture men, Ned. We’ll see what they have to say.”
“Which of you is Tom Swift?” asked the elder of the two men, as Tom and Ned entered the front office, for our hero knew better than to admit the strangers to the shop.
“I am,” replied Tom.
“Well, we’re men of business,” went on the speaker, “and there is no use beating about the bush. I am Mr. Wilson Turbot, and this is my partner, Mr. William Eckert. We are in the business of making moving picture films, and I understand that you are associated with Mr. Period in this line. ‘Spotty’ we call him.”
“Yes, I am doing some work for Mr. Period,” admitted Tom, cautiously.
“Have you done any yet?”
“No, but I expect to.”
“What kind of a camera are you going to use?” asked Mr. Eckert eagerly.
“I must decline to answer that,” replied Tom, a bit stiffly.
“Oh, that’s all right,” spoke Mr. Turbot, good naturedly. “Only ‘Spotty’ was bragging that you were making a new kind of film for him, and we wondered if it was on the market.”
“We are always looking for improvements,” added Mr. Eckert.
“This camera isn’t on the market,” replied Tom, on his guard as to how he answered.
The two men whispered together for a moment, and then Mr. Turbot said:
“Well, as I remarked, we’re men of business, and there’s no use beating about the bush. We’ve heard of you, Tom Swift, and we know you can do things. Usually, in this world, every man has his price, and we’re willing to pay big to get what we want. I don’t know what offer Mr. Period made to you, but I’ll say this: We’ll give you double what he offered, for the exclusive rights to your camera, whenever it’s on the market, and we’ll pay you a handsome salary to work for us.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t consider the offer,” replied Tom firmly. “I have given my word to Mr. Period. I have a contract with him, and I cannot break it.”
“Offer him three times what Period did,” said Mr. Eckert, in a hoarse whisper that Tom heard.
“It would be useless!” exclaimed our hero. “I wouldn’t go back on my word for a hundred times the price I am to get. I am not in this business so much for the money, as I am for the pleasure of it.”
The men were silent a moment. There were ugly looks on their faces. They looked sharply at Tom and Ned. Then Mr. Eckert said:
“You’ll regret this, Tom Swift. We are the biggest firm of moving picture promoters in the world. We always get what we want.”
“You won’t get my camera,” replied Tom calmly.
“I don’t know about that!” exclaimed Mr. Turbot, as he made a hasty stride toward Tom, who stood in front of the door leading to the shop—the shop where his camera, almost ready for use, was on a bench. “I guess if we—”
“Koku!” suddenly called Tom.
The giant stepped into the front office. He had been standing near the door, inside the main shop. Mr. Turbot who had stretched forth his hand, as though to seize Tom, and his companion, who had advanced toward Ned, fairly jumped back in fright at the sight of the big man.
“Koku,” went on Tom, in even tones, “just show these gentlemen to the front door—and lock it after them,” he added significantly, as he turned back into the shop, followed by Ned.
“Yes, Mr. Tom,” answered the giant, and then, with his big hand, and brawny fist, he gently turned the two men toward the outer door. They were gasping in surprise as they looked at the giant.
“You’ll be sorry for this, Tom Swift!” exclaimed Mr. Turbot. “You’ll regret not having taken our offer. This Period chat is only a small dealer. We can do better by you. You’ll regret—”
“You’ll regret coming here again,” snapped Tom, as he closed the door of his shop, leaving Koku to escort the baffled plotters to their auto. Shortly afterward Tom and Ned heard the car puffing away.
“Well, they came, just as Mr. Period said they would,” spoke Tom, slowly.
“Yes, and they went away again!” exclaimed Ned with a laugh. “They had their trip for nothing. Say, did you see how they stared at Koku?”
“Yes, he’s a helper worth having, in case
s like these.”
Tom wrote a full account of what had happened and sent it to Mr. Period. He received in reply a few words, thanking him for his loyalty, and again warning him to be on his guard.
In the meanwhile, work went on rapidly on the Wizard Camera. Briefly described it was a small square box, with a lens projecting from it. Inside, however, was complicated machinery, much too complicated for me to describe. Tom Swift had put in his best work on this wonderful machine. As I have said, it could be worked by a storage battery, by ordinary electric current from a dynamo, or by hand. On top was a new kind of electric light. This was small and compact, but it threw out powerful beams. With the automatic arrangement set, and the light turned on, the camera could be left at a certain place after dark, and whatever went on in front of it would be reproduced on the moving roll of film inside.
In the morning the film could be taken out, developed, and the pictures thrown on a screen in the usual way, familiar to all who have been in a moving picture theatre. With the reproducing machines Tom had nothing to do, as they were already perfected. His task had been to make the new-style camera, and it was nearly completed.
A number of rolls of films could be packed into the camera, and they could be taken out, or inserted, in daylight. Of course after one film had been made, showing any particular scene any number of films could be made from this “master” one. Just as is done with the ordinary moving picture camera. Tom had an attachment to show when one roll was used, and when another needed inserting.
For some time after the visit of the rival moving picture men, Tom was on his guard. Both house and shop were fitted with burglar alarms, but they did not ring. Eradicate and Koku were told to be on watch, but there was nothing for them to do.
“Well,” remarked Tom to Ned, one afternoon, when they had both worked hard, “I think it’s about finished. Of course it needs polishing, and there may be some adjusting to do, but my camera is now ready to take pictures—at least I’m going to give it a test.”
“Have you the rolls of films?”
“Yes, half a dozen of ’em And I’m going to try the hardest test first.”
“Which one is that?”
“The night test. I’m going to place the camera out in the yard, facing my shop. Then you and I, and some of the others, will go out, pass in front of it, do various stunts, and, in the morning we’ll develop the films and see what we have.”
“Why, are you going to leave the camera out, all night?”
“Sure. I’m going to give it the hardest kind of a test.”
“But are you and I going to stay up all night to do stunts in front of it?”
“No, indeed. I’m going to let it take what ever pictures happen to come along to be taken after we get through making some special early ones. You see my camera will be a sort of watch dog, only of course it won’t catch any one—that is, only their images will be caught on the film.
“Oh, I see,” exclaimed Ned, and then he helped Tom fix the machine for the test.
CHAPTER VII
WHAT THE CAMERA CAUGHT
“Well, is she working, Tom?” asked our hero’s chum, a little later, when they had set the camera up on a box in the garden. It pointed toward the main shop door, and from the machine came a clicking sound. The electric light was glowing.
“Yes, it’s all ready,” replied Tom. “Now just act as if it wasn’t there. You walk toward the shop. Do anything you please. Pretend you are coming in to see me on business. Act as if it was daytime. I’ll stand here and receive you. Later, I’ll get dad out here, Koku and Eradicate. I wish Mr. Period was here to see the test, but perhaps it’s just as well for me to make sure it works before he sees it.”
“All right, Tom, here I come.”
Ned advanced toward the shop. He tried to act as though the camera was not taking pictures of him, at the rate of several a second, but he forgot himself, and turned to look at the staring lens. Then Tom, with a laugh, advanced to meet him, shaking hands with him. Then the lads indulged in a little skylarking. They threw snowballs at each other, taking care, however to keep within range of the lens. Of course when Tom worked the camera himself, he could point it wherever he wanted to, but it was now automatic.
Then the lads went to the shop, and came out again. They did several other things. Later Koku, and Eradicate did some “stunts,” as Tom called them. Mr. Swift, too, was snapped, but Mrs. Baggert refused to come out.
“Well, I guess that will do for now,” said Tom, as he stopped the mechanism. “I’ve just thought of something,” he added. “If I leave the light burning, it will scare away, before they got in front of the lens, any one who might come along. I’ll have to change that part of it.”
“How can you fix it?” asked Ned.
“Easily. I’ll rig up some flash lights, just ordinary photographing flashlights, you know. I’ll time them to go off one after the other, and connect them with an electric wire to the door of my shop.”
“Then your idea is—” began Ned.
“That some rascals may try to enter my shop at night. Not this particular night, but any night. If they come tonight we’ll be ready for them.”
“An’ can’t yo’-all take a picture ob de chicken coop?” asked Eradicate. “Dat feller may come back t’ rob mah hens.”
“With the lens pointing toward the shop,” spoke Tom, “it will also take snap shots of any one who tries to enter the coop. So, if the chicken thief does come, Rad, we’ll have a picture of him.”
Tom and Ned soon had the flashlights in place, and then they went to bed, listening, at times, for the puff that would indicate that the camera was working. But the night passed without incident, rather to Tom’s disappointment. However, in the morning, he developed the film of the first pictures taken in the evening. Soon they were dry enough to be used in the moving picture machine, which Tom had bought, and set up in a dark room.
“There we are!” he cried, as the first images were thrown on the white screen. “As natural as life, Ned! My camera works all right!”
“That’s so. Look! There’s where I hit you with a snowball!” cried his chum, as the skylarking scene was reached.
“Mah goodness!” cried Eradicate, when he saw himself walking about on the screen, as large as life. “Dat shorely am wonderful.”
“It is spirits!” cried Koku, as he saw himself depicted.
“I wish we had some of the other pictures to show,” spoke Tom. “I mean some unexpected midnight visitors.”
For several nights in succession the camera was set to “snap” any one who might try to enter the shop. The flashlights were also in place. Tom and Ned, the latter staying at his chum’s house that week, were beginning to think they would have their trouble for their pains. But one night something happened.
It was very dark, but the snow on the ground made a sort of glow that relieved the blackness. The camera had been set as usual, and Tom and Ned went to bed.
It must have been about midnight when they were both awakened by hearing the burglar alarm go off. At the same time there were several flashes of fire from the garden.
“There she goes!” cried Ned.
“Yes, they’re trying to get into the shed,” added Tom, as a glance at the burglar-alarm indicator on the wall of the room, showed that the shop door was being tried. “Come on!”
“I’m with you!” yelled Ned.
They lost little time getting into their clothes, for they had laid them out in readiness for putting on quickly. Down the stairs they raced, but ere they reached the garden they heard footsteps running along the wall toward the road.
“Who’s there?” cried Tom, but there was no answer.
“Koku! Eradicate!” yelled Ned.
“Yais, sah, I’se comm’!” answered the colored man, and the voice of the giant was also heard. The flashlights had ceased popping before this, and when the two lads and their helpers had reached the shop, there was no one in sight.
“The camer
a’s there all right!” cried Tom in relief as he picked it up from the box. “Now to see what it caught. Did you see anything of the fellows, Koku, or Eradicate?” Both said they had not, but Eradicate, after examining the chicken house door by the aid of a lighted match, cried out:
“Somebody’s been tryin’ t’ git in heah, Massa Tom. I kin see where de do’s been scratched.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have the picture for you to look at in the morning,” said Tom.
The films were developed in the usual way in the morning, but the pictures were so small that Tom could not make out the features or forms of the men. And it was plain that at least three men had been around the coop and shop.
By the use of alcohol and an electric fan Tom soon had the films dry enough to use. Then the moving picture machine was set up in a dark room, and all gathered to see what would be thrown on the screen, greatly enlarged.
First came several brilliant flashes of light, and then, as the entrance to the shop loomed into view, a dark figure seemed to walk across the canvas. But it did not stop at the shop door. Instead it went to the chicken coop, and, as the man reached that door, he began working to get it open. Of course it had all taken place in a few seconds, for, as soon as the flashlights went off, the intruders had run away. But they had been there long enough to have their pictures taken.
The man at the chicken coop turned around as the lights flashed, and he was looking squarely at the camera. Of course this made his face very plain to the audience, as Tom turned the crank of the reproducing machine.
“Why, it’s a colored man!” cried Ned in surprise.
“Yes, I guess it’s only an ordinary chicken thief, after all,” remarked Tom.
There was a gasp from Eradicate.
“Fo’ de land sakes!” he cried. “De raskil! Ef dat ain’t mah own second cousin, what libs down by de ribber! An’ to t’ink dat Samuel ’Rastus Washington Jackson Johnson, mah own second cousin, should try t’ rob mah chicken coop! Oh, won’t I gib it t’ him!”
“Are you sure, Rad?” asked Tom.
“Suah? Sartin I’se suah, Massa Tom,” was the answer as the startled colored man on the screen stared at the small audience. “I’d know dat face ob his’n anywhere.”
The Tom Swift Megapack Page 169
