staring at
the farmer with the gun, while he grimly regarded them. It was Tom who
spoke first.

"What's the idea?" asked the young inventor. "Why don't you want us to
look through the ruins?"

"You'll learn soon enough!" was the grim answer.

But Tom was not to be put off with undecided talk.

"If there's been an accident," he said, "we're sorry for it. But delay
may be dangerous. If some one is hurt--"

"You'll be hurt, if I have my way about it!" snapped the farmer, "and
hurt in a place where it always tells. I mean your pocketbook! That's
the kind of a man I am--practical."

"He means if we've killed or injured any one we'll have to pay
damages," whispered Ned to Tom. "But don't agree to anything until you
see your lawyer. That's a hot one, though, trying to claim damages
before he knows who's hurt!"

"I've got to find out more about this," Tom answered. He started to
walk on.

"No you don't!" cried the farmer, with a snarl. "As I said, you folks
has done damage enough with your threshing machine, or whatever you
call it. Now you've got to pay!"

"We are willing to," said Tom, as courteously as he could. "But first
we want to know who has been hurt, or possibly killed. Don't you think
it best to get them to a doctor, and then talk about money damages
later?"

"Doctor? Hurt?" cried the farmer, the other men in the auto saying
nothing. "Who said anything about that?"

"I thought," began Tom, "that you--"

"I'm talkin' about damages to my barn!" cried the farmer. "You had no
right to go smashing it up this way, and you've got to pay for it, or
my name ain't Amos Kanker!"

"Oh!" and there was great relief in Tom's voice. "Then we haven't
killed any one?"

"I don't know what you've done," answered the farmer, and his voice was
not a pleasant one. "I'm sure I can't keep track of all your ructions.
All I know is that you've ruined my barn, and you've got to pay for it,
and pay good, too!"

"For that old ramshackle?" cried Ned.

"Hush!" begged Tom, in a low voice. "I'm willing to pay, Ned, for the
sake of having proved what my tank could do. I'm only too glad to
learn no one was hurt. Was there?" he asked, turning to the farmer.

"Was there what?"

"Was there anybody in your barn?"

"Not as I knows on," was the grouchy answer. "A man who saw your
machine coming thought she was headed for my building, and he run and
told me. Then some friends of mine brought me here in their machine. I
tell you