e house with Mary.

"Oh, I'm glad you're back!" exclaimed Mrs. Nestor, when she saw the two
coming up the steps.

"You weren't worried, were you, after Ned telephoned?" asked Tom.

"Not exactly worried, but I thought perhaps he was making light of it.
Do tell me what happened, Mary!"

Thereupon the girl related all the circumstances of the smash, and Tom
added his share of the story.

"Did father hear anything from Uncle Barton?" asked Mary, after her
mother's curiosity had been satisfied.

"Yes," was the answer, in rather despondent tones, "he did, but the
news was not encouraging. The papers cannot be found."

"It's mother's brother we're talking about," Mary explained to Tom.
"Barton Keith in his name. Perhaps you remember him?"

"I've heard you speak of him," Tom admitted.

"Well," resumed Mary, "Uncle Barton is in a peck of trouble. He was
once very rich, and he invested heavily in oil lands, in Oklahoma, I
believe."

"No, in Texas," corrected Mrs. Nestor.

"Yes, it was Texas," agreed Mary. "Well he bought, or got, somehow,
shares in some valuable oil lands in Texas, and expected to double his
fortune. Now, instead, he's probably lost it all."

"That's too bad!" exclaimed Tom. "How did it happen?"

"In rather an odd way," went on Mary. "He really owns the lands, or at
least half of them, but he cannot prove his title because the papers he
needs were taken from him, and, he thinks, by a man he trusted. He's
been trying to get the documents back, and every day we've been
expecting to hear that he has them, but mother says there has been no
result."

"No," said Mrs. Nestor. "My brother thought sure he had a trace of the
man he believes has the papers, or who had them, but he lost track of
him. If we could only find him--"

At that moment a maid came into the room to announce that Tom Swift was
wanted at the telephone.

CHAPTER VII

THE TRIAL TRIP

"This is my busy day!" announced the young inventor as he went into the
Nestor sitting room, where the telephone was installed.

"Perhaps it is some one else who wants you to come to their rescue,"
suggested Mary.

But it was not, as Tom related a little later when he had finished his
talk over the wire.

"Just a business matter," he announced to Mary and her mother, when he
rejoined them. "A gentleman with whom I expect to make a submarine trip
is at the house, and wants to consult with me about details. He is
getting anxious to start.