Tom Swift and His War Tank; Or, Doing His Bit for Uncle Sam

by Victor Appleton

  Chapter XX

  The Search

  "Haven't you seen anything of him?" asked Mr. Damon, as Ned jumped outof his small runabout at the Swift home as soon as possible afterreceiving the telephone message that seemed to presage something wrong.

  "Seen him? No, certainly not!" answered the young bank clerk. "I'm asmuch surprised as you are over it. What happened, anyhow?"

  "Bless my memorandum pad, but I hardly know!" answered the eccentricman. "I arrived here a little while ago, stopping in merely to pay Toma visit, as I often do, and he wasn't here. His father was anxiouslywaiting for him, too, wishing to consult him about some shop matters.Mr. Swift said Tom had gone out with you, or over to your house--Iwasn't quite sure which at first--and was expected back any minute.

  "Then I called you up," went on Mr. Damon, "and I was surprised tolearn you hadn't seen Tom. There must be something wrong, I think."

  "I'm sure of it!" exclaimed Ned. "Let's find Mr. Swift. And what'sthis about his going to meet me over at the place of that farmer, Mr.Kanker, where we had the trouble about the barn Tom demolished?"

  "I hardly know, myself. Perhaps Mr. Swift can tell us."

  But Mr. Swift was able to throw but little light on Tom'sdisappearance--whether a natural or forced disappearance remained to beseen.

  "No matter where he is, we'll get him," declared Ned. "He hasn't beenaway a great while, and it may turn out that his absence is perfectlynatural."

  "And if it's due to the plots of any of his rivals," said Mr. Damon,"I'll denounce them all as traitors, bless my insurance policy, if Idon't! And that's what they are! They're playing into the hands of theenemy!"

  "All right," said Ned. "But the thing to do now is to get Tom. PerhapsMrs. Baggert can help us."

  It developed that the housekeeper was of more assistance in givinginformation than was Mr. Swift.

  "It was several hours ago," she said, "that the telephone rang and someone asked for Tom. The operator shifted the call to the phone out inthe tank shop where he was, and Tom began to talk. The operator, as Tomhad instructed her, listened in, as Tom wants always a witness to mostmatters that go on over his wires of late."

  "What did she hear?" asked Ned eagerly.

  "She heard what she thought was your voice, I believe," the housekeepersaid.

  "Me!" cried the young bank clerk. "I haven't talked to Tom to-day, overthe phone or any other way. But what next?"

  "Well, the operator didn't listen much after that, knowing that anytalk between Tom and you was of a nature not to need a witness. Tomhung up and then he came in here, quite excited, and began to get readyto go out."

  "What was he excited about?" asked Mr. Damon. "Bless my unlucky stars,but a person ought to keep calm under such circumstances! That's theonly way to do! Keep calm! Great Scott! But if I had my way, all thoseGerman spies would be--Oh, pshaw! Nothing is too bad for them! It makesmy blood boil when I think of what they've done! Tom should have keptcool!"

  "Go on. What was Tom excited about?" Ned turned to the housekeeper.

  "Well, he said you had called him to tell him to meet you over at thatfarmer's place," went on Mrs. Baggert. "He said you had some news forhim about the men who had tried to get hold of some of his tanksecrets, and he was quite worked up over the chance of catching therascals."

  "Whew!" whistled Ned. "This is getting more complicated every minute.There's something deep here, Mr. Damon."

  "I agree with you, Ned. And the sooner we find Tom Swift the better.What next, Mrs. Baggert?"

  "Well, Tom got ready and went away in his small automobile. He saidhe'd be back as soon as he could after meeting you."

  "And I never said a word to him!" cried Ned. "It's all a plot--a schemeof that Blakeson gang to get him into their power. Oh, how could Tom beso fooled? He knows my voice, over the phone as well as otherwise. Idon't see how he could be taken in."

  "Let's ask the telephone operator," suggested Mr. Damon. "She knowsyour voice, too. Perhaps she can give us a clew."

  A talk with the young woman at the telephone switchboard in the Swiftplant brought out a new point. This was that the speaker, in responseto whose information Tom Swift had left home, had not said he was NedNewton.

  "He said," reported Miss Blair, "that he was speaking for you, Mr.Newton, as you were busy in the bank. Whoever it was, said you wantedTom to meet you at the Kanker farm. I heard that much over the wire,and naturally supposed the message came from you."

  "Well, that puts a little different face on it," said Mr. Damon. "Tomwasn't deceived by the voice, then, for he must have thought it wassome one speaking for you, Ned."

  "But the situation is serious, just the same," declared Ned. "Tom hasgone to keep an appointment I never made, and the question is with whomwill he keep it?"

  "That's it!" cried the eccentric man. "Probably some of thosescoundrels were waiting at the farm for him, and they've got him no oneknows where by this time!"

  "Oh, hardly as bad as that," suggested Ned. "Tom is able to look outfor himself. He'd put up a big fight before he'd permit himself to becarried off."

  "Well, what do you think did happen?" asked Mr. Damon.

  "I think they wanted to get him out to the farm to see if they couldn'tsqueeze some more money out of him," was the answer. "Tom was prettyeasy in that barn business, and I guess Kanker was sore because hehaven't asked a larger sum. They knew Tom wouldn't come out on theirown invitation, so they forged my name, so to speak."

  "Can you get Tom back?" asked Mrs. Baggert anxiously.

  "Of course!" declared Ned, though it must be admitted he spoke withmore confidence than he really felt. "We'll begin the search rightaway."

  "And if I can get my hands on any of those villains--" spluttered Mr.Damon, dancing around, as Mrs. Baggert said, "like a hen on a hotgriddle," which seemed to describe him very well, "if I can get hold ofany of those scoundrels, I'll--I'll--Bless my collar button, I don'tknow what I will do! Come on, Ned!"

  "Yes, I guess we'd better get busy," agreed the young bank clerk. "Tomhas gone somewhere, that's certain, and under a misapprehension. It maybe that we are needlessly alarmed, or they may mean bad business. Atany rate, it's up to us to find Tom."

  In Ned's runabout, which was a speedier car than that of the eccentricman, the two set off for Kanker's farm. On the way they stopped atvarious places in town, where Tom was in the habit of doing business,to inquire if he had been seen.

  But there was no trace of him. The next thing to do was to learn if hehad really started for the Kanker farm.

  "For if he didn't go there," suggested Ned, "it will look funny for usto go out there making inquiries about him. And it may be that after hegot that message Tom decided not to go."

  Accordingly they made enough inquiries to establish the fact that Tomhad started for the farm of the rascally Kanker, who had been soinsistent in the matter of his almost worthless barn.

  A number of people who knew Tom well had seen him pass in the directionof Kanker's place, and some had spoken to him, for the young inventorwas well known in the vicinity of Shopton and the neighboring towns.

  "Well, out to Kanker's we'll go!" decided Ned. "And if anything hashappened to Tom there--well, we'll make whoever is responsible wish ithadn't!"

  "Bless my fountain pen, but that's what we will!" chimed in Mr. Damon.

  And so the two began the search for the missing youth.