sied
Tom, and the time was to come when he would make good that prediction.

The little party in the machine shop talked at some length about Tom's
battery. He showed them how it was constructed, and gave them some of
his ideas regarding the new type of auto he planned to build.

"Well," remarked Mr. Swift at length, "if you want to keep your brain
fresh, Tom, you must get to bed earlier than this. It's nearly twelve
o'clock."

"And I want to get up early!" exclaimed the lad. "I'm going to start to
build a larger battery to-morrow."

"And I'm going to repair the airship," added Mr. Sharp.

"Bless my night cap, I promised my wife I'd be home early to-night,
too!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I don't fancy making the trip back
to Waterfield in my auto, though. Something will be sure to happen.
I'll blow out a tire, or a spark plug will get sooty on me and--"

"It's raining harder than ever," interrupted Tom. "Better stay here
to-night. You can telephone home." Which Mr. Damon did.

Tom was up early the next morning, in spite of the fact that he did not
go to bed in good season, and before breakfast he was working at his
new storage battery. After the meal he hurried back to the shop, but it
was not long before he came out, wheeling his motor-cycle.

"Where are you going, Tom?" asked Mrs. Baggert.

"Oh, I've got to go to Mansburg to get some steel tubes for my new
battery," he replied. "I thought I had some large enough, but I
haven't." Mansburg was a good-sized town, near Shopton.

"Then I wish you'd bring me a bottle of stove polish," requested the
housekeeper. "The liquid kind. I'm out of it, and the stove is as red
as a cow."

"All right," agreed the lad, as he leaped into the saddle and pedaled
off down the road. A moment later he had turned on the power, and was
speeding along the highway, which was in good condition on account of
the shower of the night before.

Tom was thinking so deeply of his new invention, and planning what he
would do when he had his electric runabout built, that, almost before
he knew it, he had reached Mansburg, purchased the steel tubes, and the
stove polish, and was on his way back again.

As he was speeding along on a level road, he heard, coming behind him,
an automobile. The lad turned to one side, but, in spite of this the
party in the car began a serenade of the electric siren, and kept it
up, making a wild discord.

"What's the matter with those fellows!" inquired