a thing, Mr. Swift! Not a thing!" was the answer. "We took off
every bit of his clothes and wrapped him in a blanket. He's in the
engine room getting dry now. But there isn't a thing in any of his
pockets."

"But I saw him stuffing some papers in as he ran away from me," said
Tom. "We must be sure about this. And don't let the fellow get away
until I question him."

"Oh, he's safe enough," answered the man. "Koku is guarding him. He
won't get away."

"Then I'll have a look at his clothes," decided Tom. "He may have a
secret pocket."

But nothing like this was disclosed, and the most careful search did
not reveal anything incriminating in the man's garments.

"He might have thrown away any papers Bower gave him," said Tom. "Maybe
they're at the bottom of the mud hole! If they're there they're safe
enough. But have a search made of the ground where this man ran."

This was done, but without result. Some of the workmen even dragged the
mud hole without finding anything. Then Tom and his father had a talk
with the stranger, who refused to give his name. The man was sullen and
angry. He talked loudly about his innocence and of "having the law on"
Tom for having tripped him into the mud.

"All right, if you want to make a complaint, go ahead," said the young
inventor. "I'll make one against you for trespass. Why did you come on
my grounds?"

"I was going to ask for work. I'm a. good machinist and I wanted a job."

"How did you get in? Who admitted you at the gate?"

"I--I jest walked in," said the man, but Tom knew this could not be
true, as no strangers were admitted without a permit and none had been
issued. The man denied knowing anything about Bower, but the latter's
flight was evidence enough that something was wrong.

Not wishing to go to the trouble of having the man arrested merely as a
trespasser, Tom let him go after his clothes had been dried on a boiler
in one of the shops.

"Take him to the gate, and tell him if he comes back he'll get another
dose of the same kind of medicine," ordered Tom to one of the guards at
the plant, and when the latter had reported that this had been done, he
added in an earnest tone:

"He went off talking to himself and saying he'd get even with you, Mr.
Swift."

"All right," said Tom easily. "I'll be on the watch."

The young inventor made a thorough examination of his experiment shop
and the test motor. No damage seemed to have been done, and Tom began
to think he