Part 2 (1/2)

In another ht in a swirl of smoke that swept across the street And while they are thus te new readers so inventor was introduced in the first volume of this series, called ”Tom Swift and his Motor Cycle” It was Tom's first venture into the realms of invention, after he had purchased from Mr Wakefield Damon a speedy entleman

Tom, with the help of his father, an inventor of note, rebuilt the ood stead more than once

From then on the career of Tom Sas steadily onward and upward

One new invention led to another froh an airshi+p and other marvels, and eventually to a submarine In each of these vehicles of motion and travel Tom and his friends, Ned Newton and Mr Damon, had many adventures, detailed in the respective volu to save Mary Nestor froer in the blaze of the fireworks factory was not the first time Tom had rendered service to the Nestor family There was that occasion on which he had sent his wireless e from Earthquake Island, as related in an earlier volu of all that had happened to the young inventor up to the ti of this story Sufficient to say that Tom's latest achievement had been the recovery of treasure from the depths of the ocean

Tom Swift's activities in connection with his inventions had become so numerous that the Swift Construction Coer and Mr Damon one of the directors, had been formed

And when the rue some of the untold wealth at the bottom of the sea, Tom was interested, as were his friends

It was decided to search for the wreck of the Pandora, sunk in the West Indies, and one of Tom's latest subo into all the details, which are given in the last volume of this series, entitled ”Tom Swift and His Undersea Search,” suffice it to say that the venture was begun Matters were co to the fact that Mary Nestor's uncle, Barton Keith, was in trouble over the loss of valuable papers proving his title to some oil lands Mary mentioned that a person, Dixwell Hardley, was theto defraud her relative And the coined when it is said that this same Hardley was the man who had interested Tom in the undersea search for the riches of the Pandora

To over his accounts with Ned, and, incidentally, planning new activities, that the cry of fire broke in on the his arm from his face, an action which had been necessitated by To fireworks factory

”I should say so!” agreed To But we're out of the worst of it”

”Lucky she didn't take the notion to blow up as ere passing,”

gri for now?”

”Mary's house It's just beyond here But we can't see it on account of the sh the black pall that was slashed here and there with red slivers of fla to a more open space, Ned and Touess there's no ier,” remarked Tom, as he saw that the home of Mary Nestor and the houses near her residence were, for the ti, out of the path of the fla factory nearest the residential section, and the flaration was still a fierce one Not half the big factory was yet consu reports, causing nervous screams from the women ere out in front of their ho a shower of fiery elad you're here!” cried Mary, as the runabout drew up in front of her home ”Do you think it will be ot down to speak to her

”I think the worst is over, as far as you people here are concerned,”

the young inventor replied ”The wind has shi+fted a bit”

”And there are several engines near us, To forward ”The firemen tell me they will play streams of water on the roofs and outsides of our houses if the flaht to do the trick,” said Tom, with a show of confidence

”Anybody hurt around here?” he asked ”One of the policeman said he heard several were killed”

”They may have been--in the factory,” said Mr Nestor ”Of course if the fire and explosions had taken place in the daytireat But most of the workers had left some time before the blaze was discovered There are a few h, and I shouldn't be surprised but what so inventor ”You're not worried about your home, are you, Mrs Nestor?” he asked of Mary's mother

”Oh, To out our things, but Mr Nestor said it wouldn't be of any use”