第31章

VIOLENT THREATS

Tom Swift's companion in the automobile was sufficiently acquainted with this old expression to understand readily what it meant.And as he directed his car as close as was safe to the blazing car, Mr.Damon asked:

"Are you going to put out that fire for them, Tom?" "I'm going to try," was the grim answer.

The young inventor was rapidly taking out of wrapping paper a metal cylinder with a short nozzle on one end and a handle on the other.It was, obviously, a hand fire extinguisher of a type familiar to all.

"Wait Tom, I'll slow up a little more," said Mr.Damon, as he applied the brakes with more force."Bless my court plaster! don't jump and injure yourself."But Tom Swift was sufficiently agile to leap from the automobile when it was still making good speed.He did not want Mr.Damon to approach too close to the burning car, for there might be an explosion.At the same time, he rather discounted the risk to himself, for he ran right in, while the two men, who had leaped from the blazing machine, hurried to a safe distance.

Tom held in readiness a small hand extinguisher.It was one he had constructed from an old one found in the shop, but it contained some of his own chemicals, the original solution having been used at some time or other.It was the intention of the young inventor to put on the market a house-size extinguisher after he had disposed of his big airship invention.

"Look out there! The gasoline tank may go up!" cried Field, the small man with the big voice.

Tom did not answer, but ran in as close as was necessary and began to play a small stream from his hand extinguisher on the blazing car.He was thus able to direct the white, frothy chemical better than when he had shot it from the airship, and in a few seconds only some wisps of curling smoke remained to tell of the presence of the fire.The automobile was badly charred, but the damage was not past redemption.

"Bless my check book! you did the trick, Tom," cried Mr.Damon, as he alighted and came up to congratulate his companion.

"Yes.But this wasn't much," Tom said."I didn't use half the charge.Short circuit?" he asked Field and Melling who were now returning, having seen that the danger was passed.

"I--I guess so," replied Melling, in his squeaky voice."We--we are much obliged to you.""No thanks necessary," said Tom, a bit shortly, as he turned to go back with Mr.Damon to their car."It's what any one would do under like circumstances.""Only you did it very effectively," observed Field.

Tom was wondering if they knew who he was and of his association with Josephus Baxter.He did not believe the men recognized him as the person who had been at the Meadow Inn one day with Mary.They had hardly glanced at him then, he thought.

"That's a mighty powerful extinguisher you have there, young man," said Melling."May I ask the make of it? We ought to carry one like it on our car," he told his companion.

"It is the Swift Aerial Fire Extinguisher," said Tom gravely, with a glance at Mr.Damon.

"The Swift--Tom Swift?" exclaimed Melling."Do you mean--""I am Tom Swift," put in the young inventor quickly."And this is one of my inventions.I might add," he said slowly, looking first Melling and then Field full in the face, "that I was aided in perfecting the chemical extinguisher by Josephus Baxter."The effect on the two men, whom Tom believed were scoundrels, was marked.

"Baxter!" cried Field.

"Is he associated with you?" demanded Melling.

"Not officially," Tom answered, delighted at the chance to "rub it in," as he expressed it later."I have been helping him, and he has been helping me since he lost his dye formulae in--in your fire!""Does he say he lost them in the fire of our factory?" demanded Field aggressively.