Part 23 (2/2)
Quickly he read the contents of the epistle, and a ave a joyful cry
”I'm on the trail! On the trail of those scoundrels at last!” exclaiives me just the evidence I needed! Now I'll have them where I want them!”
CHAPTER XX
A HEAVY LOAD
Josephus Baxter was so excited by the receipt of the letter which Koku delivered to hi out of him except the statement:
”I'm on their trail! Now I'm on their trail!”
”What do you mean?” Tom insisted ”Whose trail? What's it all about?”
”It's about Field and Melling! That's who it's about!” exclaimed Mr
Baxter, with a smothered exclamation ”Look, Toest dye fir new!”
”But if you haven't anything new to give them, of what use is it?” Tom asked, for he knew that the chemist had said his process, stolen, as he clai, was his only new project
”But I will have soet those secret formulae away from those scoundrels!” declared Mr Baxter
”Yes, but how are you going to do it, when you can't even prove that they have them?” asked Tom
”Ah, that's the point! Now I think I can prove it,” declared Mr
Baxter ”Look, Tom Swift! This letter is addressed toat the office I used to have in their fireworks factory”
”The office from which you were rescued nearly dead,” Tom added
”Exactly The place where you saved me from a terrible death Well, if you will notice, this letter ritten only two days ago And it is the firstbeen forwarded from that address since the fire I know other h”
”What became of it?” asked Tom
”Those scoundrels confiscated it!” declared the cheh the error of a new clerk, this letter was remailed to me here, and now I have it It is of the utmost importance!”
”In ay?” asked Tom
”Why, it is directed to me, outside and in, and it makes an inquiry about the very dyes of the lost secret formulae, one dye in particular”
”I don't quite understand yet,” said Tom
”Well, it's this way,” went on Mr Baxter ”I had, in the office of Field and Melling, all the papers telling exactly how to make the dyes
After the fire, in which I was rendered unconscious, those papers disappeared