Part 6 (1/2)

”I called to see if you aren't going on another trip to the North Pole, or soions,” went on Mr Damon

”Why?” inquired Tom

”Why, then this heavy beard of mine would come in handy It would keep h his luxuriant whiskers

”No ht away,” said Tom ”I' le Park”

”Oh, yes, I heard about the meet,” said Mr Da a machine that will carry tent on Tom, ”and if you think you can stand a speed of a hundred miles an hour, or better, I'll let you coer is allowed”

”Have you got a razor?” asked Mr Da what the eccentric oing to cut off o in a monoplane at a hundred miles an hour I don't want to make any more resistance to the wind than possible, and my whiskers would certainly hold back To to shave at once

My on't mind when I tell her what it's for Lend me a razor, please, Tom”

”Oh, there's plenty of tih ”The race doesn't take place for over two months But when it does, I think you would be better off without a beard”

”I know it,” said Mr Damon simply ”I'll shave before we enter the contest, To the story of the theft of the plans Mr Da Andy arrested at once, but Mr Swift and his son pointed out that they had no evidence against hi inventor, ”is to keep watch on hi another aeroplane He has all the facilities, and he et ahead of me If he enters a sky craft at the meet I'll be pretty sure that he hastips!” cried Mr Da to stop him?”

”I'm afraid not,” answered Tom; and then he showed Mr Damon his re-drawn plans, and told in detail of how he intended to construct the new aeroplane

The eccentric ht, departing for his ho to be on hand as soon as Tom was ready to test his new craft, which would be in about a month

As the days passed, Tohtly better, and with the aid of Mr Jackson, began work on the speedy little sky racer

As you boys are all more or less familiar with aeroplanes, ill not devote much space to the description of the new one Toeneral terms, but there were some features of it which Tom kept a secret from all save his father

Suffice it to say that To type, known as the monoplane It was to be a cross between the Bleriot and the Antoinette, with the general features of both, but with s were shaped so-bird, which, as is well known, can, at tis with such velocity that the most rapid camera lens cannot quite catch

And when it is known that a bullet in flight has been successfully photographed, the speed of the wings of the hu-bird can be better appreciated

The writer has seen a friend, with a very rapid caht, atteot the picture, all right, but the plate was blurred, showing that the wings had moved faster than the lens could throw thes of histhe best adapted to allow of rapid flight through the air; and the young inventor had determined that he would clip many minutes from the best record yet s and the rear ones, where the rudders were located, was shaped like a cigar, with side wings somewhat like the fin keels of the ocean liner to prevent a rolling enious device to automatically adapt his ht overturn it, and this device was one of the points which he kept secret

The motor, which was air-cooled, was located forward, and was just above the heads of the operator and the passenger who sat beside hile propeller, which was ten feet in diaave a minimum thrust of one thousand pounds at two thousand revolutions per minute