Part 1 (1/2)

Tohters

by Victor Appleton

CHAPTER I

A BAD PLACE FOR A FIRE

”Impossible, Ned! It can't be as much as that!”

”Well, you can prove the additions yourself, To et the saures don't lie, though it doesn't follow that the opposite is true, for those who do not stick closely to the truth do, soure But there you have it; your financial stateer for To inventor, shoved a mass of papers across the table to his friend and chum, as well as employer

”It doesn't seem possible, Ned, that we have made as much as that this past year And this, as I understand it, doesn't include as taken from the wreck of the Pandora?”

Toly at Ned Newton, who shook his head in answer

”You really didn't get anything to speak of out of your undersea search, Toer, ”so I didn't include it But there's enough without that”

”I should say so!” exclaimed Tom ”Whew!” he whistled, ”I didn't think I orth that much”

”Well, you've earned it, every cent, with the inventions of yourself and your father”

”And I ht add that ouldn't have half we earn if it wasn't for the shreay you look after us, Ned,” said Tom, with a ware our affairs; for, though I have had soht, wizard camera, war tank and other contraptions, I never would have been able to save any of the ht in if it hadn't been for you”

”Well, that's what I'm here for,” rean Tom Swift ”And I want to say, Ned--”

But Tom did not say what he had started to He broke off suddenly, and see to some sound outside the rooer were going over the year's state

Ned, too, in spite of the fact that he had been busy going over figures, adding up long colu the results to Torowing tumult in the street At first it had been no hfare of an unusual number of pedestrians

Ned had accounted for it at first by the theory that so picture theater had finished the first perfor home

But after he had finished his financial labors and had handed To financial expert began to realize that there was nopicture house near Tos could not be accounted for in that way

Yet the tuun to wonder if there had been an atte for police action, which had gathered an unusual throng that war

And then had come Tom's interruption of himself when he broke off in the middle of a sentence to listen intently

”What is it?” asked Ned

”I thought I heard Rad or Kokuaround out there,”well and wants to speak to me or that some one may have telephoned I told the over the accounts But if it is soain Tom paused, for distinctly now in addition to the ever-increasing sounds in the streets could be heard a shuffling and talking in the hall just outside the door