"Berg was afraid I'd catch him, and ask for an explanation that would have been awkward to make," thought the lad, as he turned the charm overin his hand."That's why he tripped me up.But I'll get at the bottom of this yet.Maybe he wants to steal my ideas for an electric car."Tom's musings were suddenly interrupted by Mrs.Baggert.
"I hope you're not going to stand there all night," she said, with a laugh."You're in the middle of a puddle now, but when you get over dreaming I'd like to mop it up.""All right," agreed the young inventor, coming to himself suddenly."Guess I'd better go get some dry clothes on.""You'd better go to bed," advised Mrs.Baggert."That's where your father and Mr.Sharp are.It's late."The more Tom thought over the strange occurrence the more it puzzled him.He mused over the presence of Berg as he went about his work the next day, for that it was the agent whom he had pursued he felt positive.
"But I can't figure out why he was hanging around here," mused Tom.
Then, as he found that his thoughts over the matter were interfering with his work, he resolutely put them from him, and threw himself energetically into the labor of completing his electric car.The new batteries, he found, were working well, and in the next two days he had constructed several more, joining them so as to get the combined effect.
It was the afternoon of the third day from Tom's unexpected fall into the brook that the young inventor decided on the first important test of his new device.He was going to try the motor, running it with his storage battery.Some of the connections were already in place, the wires being fastened to the side of the shop, where they were attached to switches.Tom did not go over these, taking it for granted that they were all right.He soon had the motor, which he was to install in his car, wired to the battery, and then he attached a gauge, to ascertain, by comparison, how many miles he could hope to travel on one charging of the storage battery.
"Guess I'll call Dad and Mr.Sharp in to see how it works, before I turn on the current," he said to himself.He was about to summon his parent and the aeronaut from an adjoining shop, where they were working over a new form of dynamo, when the lad caught sight of the watch charm he had left on his desk, in plain sight.
"Better put that away," he remarked."Dad or Mr.Sharp might see it,and ask questions.Then I'd have to explain, and I don't want to, not until I get further toward the bottom of this thing."He put the charm away, and then summoned his father and the balloonist.
"You're going to see a fine experiment," declared Tom."I'm going to turn on the full strength of my battery.""Are you sure it's all right, Tom?" asked his father."You can't be too careful when you're dealing with electricity of high voltage, and great ampere strength.
"Oh, it's all right, Dad," his son assured him "Now watch my motor hum."He walked over to a big copper switch, and grasped the black rubber handle to pull it over which would send the current from the storage battery into the combination of wheels and gears that he hoped, ultimately, would propel his electric automobile along the highways, or on a track, at the rate of a hundred miles an hour.
"Here she goes!" cried Tom.For an instant he hesitated and then pulled the switch.At the same time his hand rested on another wire, stretched across a bench.
No sooner had the switch closed than there was a blinding flash, a report as of a gun being fired, and Tom's body seemed to straighten out.Then a blue flame appeared to encircle him and he dropped to the floor of the shop, an inert mass.
"He's killed!" cried Mr.Swift, springing forward.
"Careful!" cautioned the balloonist."He's been shocked! Don't touch him until I turn off the current!" As he pulled out the switch, the aeronaut gave a glance at the apparatus.
"There's something wrong here!" he cried."The wires have been crossed! That's what shocked Tom, but he never made the wrong connections! He's too good an electrician! There's been some one in this shop, changing the wires!"
