Part 3 (2/2)
”Well, you were looking in.”
”Only doing as you've done over at my shop, several times, Andy. I wanted to see what sort of an airs.h.i.+p you were building.”
”Trying to get some ideas for your own, I guess,” sneered Andy.
Tom did not think it worth while to answer this taunt.
”I could have you arrested for this,” went on Andy, who felt bolder now that he was reinforced by Sam and Pete on either side of him as he looked over the fence into Ned's yard.
”Arrested for what?” demanded the bank clerk.
”For trespa.s.sing on my father's premises,” went on Andy.
”We weren't on your premises,” declared Ned. ”We were on our side of the fence all the while.”
”Well, you were looking over in my yard.”
”A cat may look at a king, you know, Andy,” Tom reminded the bully.
”Yah! Think you're smart, don't you! Well, you can't steal any of my ideas for an airs.h.i.+p. They're all patented, and I'll soon be making longer and higher flights than you ever dreamed of! I'll show you what a real airs.h.i.+p is, Tom Swift! Monoplanes and biplanes are out of date. The only thing that's any good is a triplane. If mine works well--and I'm sure it will--I may build a quadruplane!”
”I wish you luck,” spoke Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders.
”Well, you won't have any luck if you come around here any more,”
went on Pete Bailey. ”We'll be on the watch for you fellows, now, and we'll cover this window, so you can't see in.”
”That's what we will,” agreed Andy, and Sam Snedecker shook his head vigorously to indicate that he, too, approved of this.
”Come on,” spoke Tom in a low tone to Ned, ”I've seen enough.”
The two chums moved toward Ned's house, followed by the jeers and mocking laughter of Andy and his cronies.
”Can't you get back at them in some way?” asked Ned, for he did not like to see himself or his friend apparently vanquished by the bully.
”He laughs best who laughs last, Ned.”
”What do you mean?”
”I mean that when Andy tries to fly in his triplane it will be our turn to laugh.”
”Won't it fly?”
”Never, the way he has it rigged up. It didn't take but one look to tell me that. He's working on altogether the wrong principle. Wait until he tries to go up, and then we'll have some fun with him.”
”Then you got a good view of it through the window?”
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