of a craft of it. You,
yourself, said it wasn't as reliable as before, even though it does go
faster."

"Now look here, Ned!" burst out Tom. "That was last week that I said it
wasn't reliable. It is now, for I've tried it out several times, and
yet, when I ask you to take a trip with me, to act as ballast--"

"Is that all you want me for, Tom, to act as ballast? Then you'd better
take a bag of sand--or Mr. Damon here!"

"Me? I guess not! Bless my diamond ring! My wife hasn't forgiven me for
going off on that last trip with you, Tom, and I'm not going to take
any more right away. But I don't blame Ned--"

"Say, look here!" cried Tom, a little out of patience, "you know me
better than that, Ned. Of course you're more than ballast--I want you to
help me manage the craft since I made the changes on her. Now if you
don't want to come, why say so, and I'll get Eradicate. I don't believe
he'll be afraid, even if he--"

"Hold on dar now, Massa Tom!" exclaimed an aged colored man, who was an
all around helper at the Swift homestead, "was yo' referencin' t' me
when yo' spoke?"

"Yes, Rad, I was saying that if Ned wouldn't go up in the airship with
me you would."

"Well, now, Masa Tom, I shorely would laik t' 'blige yo', I shore
would. But de fack ob de mattah am dat I has a mos' particular job ob
white washin' t' do dish mornin', an' I 'spects I'd better be gittin'
at it. It's a mos' particular job, an', only fo' dat, I'd be mos'
pleased t' go up in de airship. But as it am, I mus' ax yo' t' 'scuse
me, I really mus'," and the colored man shuffled off at a faster gait
than he was in the habit of using.

"Well, of all things!" gasped Tom. "I believe you're all afraid of the
old airship, just because I made some changes in her. I'll go up alone,
that's what I will."

"No, I'll go with you," interposed Ned Newton who was Tom's most
particular chum. "I only wanted to be sure it was all right, that was
all."

"Well, if you've fully made up your mind," went on the young inventor,
a little mollified, "lend me a hand to get her in shape for a run. I
expect to make faster time than I ever did before, and I'm going to
head out Waterford way. You'd better come along, Mr. Damon, and I'll
drop you off at your house."

"Bless my feather bed!" gasped the man. "Drop me off! I like that, Tom
Swift!"

"Oh, I didn't mean it exactly that way," laughed Tom. "But will you
come."

"No, thanks, I'm going home by trolley," and then a