ud her relative. And the complications may
be imagined 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.

Tom had been at home some time now, and it was while going over his
accounts with Ned, and, incidentally, planning new activities, that the
cry of fire broke in on them.

"Whew, Tom, some heat there!" gasped Ned, lowering his arm from his
face, an action which had been necessitated by Tom's daring in driving
the car close to the blazing fireworks factory.

"I should say so!" agreed Tom. "I can almost smell the rubber of my
tires burning. But we're out of the worst of it."

"Lucky she didn't take the notion to blow up as we were passing,"
grimly commented Ned. "Where are you aiming for now?"

"Mary's house. It's just beyond here. But we can't see it on account of
the smoke."

A few seconds later they had passed through the black pall that was
slashed here and there with red slivers of flame, and, coming to a more
open space, Ned and Tom cleared their eyes of smoke.

"I guess there's no immediate danger," remarked Tom, as he saw that the
home of Mary Nestor and the houses near her residence were, for the
time being, out of the path of the flames. The explosion had blown down
part of the blazing factory nearest the residential section, and the
flames had less to feed on.

But the conflagration was still a fierce one. Not half the big factory
was yet consumed, and every now and then there would sound dull,
booming reports, causing nervous screams from the women who were out in
front of their homes, while the men would crouch down as though fearing
a shower of fiery embers.

"Oh, Tom, I'm so glad you're here!" cried Mary, as the runabout drew up
in front of her home. "Do you think it will be much worse?" and she
clutched his arm, as he got 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 shifted a bit."

"And there are several engines near us, Tom," said Mr. Nestor, coming
forward. "The firemen tell me they will play streams of water on the
roofs and outsides of our houses if the flames start this way again."

"That ought 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 f