第11章

MARY'S ODD STORY

"HELLO! Hello! Yes, this is Tom Swift.What's that? You've had an accident? Great Scott, Mary! I hope you aren't hurt."Ned overheard these words as he stood outside the temporary office, from inside which Tom Swift was telephoning.

"There's been an accident!" thought the financial manager."I wonder if I can help?"He was about to hurry in to offer his services when he heard Tom laugh, and then he knew it was all right.He heard his chum say:

"I'll be right over and get you.Just where are you?"Then followed a period of listening on the part of Tom, to be broken by the words:

"All right, I'll be right with you.Lucky I have my Air Scout with me.You aren't afraid to ride in that, are you? No, that's good! I'll be right over.Ned is here with me, and I'll have him telephone to your father and mother."With that Tom hung up the receiver and joined his chum.

"Mary had a slight automobile accident about five miles from here," Tom told his chum."Some green driver ran into her and dished one of her wheels.No one hurt, but she hasn't a spare wheel and can't navigate.She called me up at the house, not wishing to alarm her father, and Mrs.Baggert told her you and I had come down to the dock, so she reached me here.I'll go in the small aeroplane and get her.Luckily I left it here the last time I made a trip.Will you call up Mary's home and let them know she's all right and that I'll soon be home with her? They might hear an exaggerated account of the accident."Ned promised to do this, and at once put in a call for the home of his chum's fiancee, while Tom had one of his men run out the Air Scout.This was an aeroplane recently perfected by the young inventor which slipped through space with scarcely a sound.So silent was it that the craft had been dubbed "Silent Sam," and it stood Tom in good stead as those of youknow who have read the volume just before the present book.This sky glider Tom would now use in going to the rescue of Mary Nestor was not, however, the same large craft that figured in the previous story.That airship had been given to the United States government for war purposes.But Tom had built himself a smaller one for his own use.It had the advantage of enabling him to carry on a conversation with his passenger when he took one aloft.

About a week before Tom and Ned had flown from Shopton to the dry dock where the submarine was being reconstructed in this small airship.Engine trouble had developed after they had landed, and they had gone back by automobile, leaving the Air Scout to be repaired.This had been done, and now Tom intended to use it in going to Mary's rescue.

Now, when the Air Scout had been run out of the hangar, Tom climbed into it.

"Sorry I can't take you along," he called to Ned, who had finished telephoning to Mary's home, "but, under the circumstances--""Two's company and three's a crowd!" laughed Ned."I know!""No, I didn't mean that," Tom said."You know Mary likes you, but this will carry only two.""I know!" answered his chum."On your way!"And with an almost noiseless throb of her engine and a whirr of her propeller, the aeroplane rolled swiftly over the level starting ground and took the air like a swan leaving its lake.

Tom did not rise to a great height, as he would need only a few minutes to reach the place where Mary was stalled by the accident to her machine.Soon he was hovering over a level field, one of several that lined the country highways in that section.A small crowd on the turnpike gathered about an evidently disabled automobile gave Tom the clew he needed, and presently he made a landing.Instantly the throng of country people who had gathered to look at the automobile crash deserted that for a view of something more sensational--an airship.

Cautioning the boys who gathered about not to "monkey" with any of the mechanism, Tom hastened over to where Mary was standing near her car.

"Are you sure you aren't hurt?" he asked her anxiously.

"Oh, yes, very sure," she replied, smiling at him."It isn't much of an accident--only one wheel smashed.We were both going slowly.""But it was all my fault!" insisted a young fellow who had been driving the car that crashed into Mary's."I'm all kinds of sorry, and of course I'll pay all damages.I wanted this young lady to let me drive her home and then send a garage man to tow her car, but she said she had other plans.I don't blame her for not wanting to ride in my jitney bus when I see what kind of car you have," and he looked over toward Tom's aeroplane.