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Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight

or

On the Border for Uncle Sam

by Victor Appleton

AUTHOR OF "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS
SUBMARINE BOAT," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE," "TOM SWIFT IN
CAPTIVITY," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED




CONTENTS

     I   A SCRAP OF PAPER
    II   A SPY IN TOWN
   III   QUEER REPAIRS
    IV   SEARCHING FOR SMUGGLERS
     V   THE RAID
    VI   THE APPEAL TO TOM
   VII   A SEARCHLIGHT IS NEEDED
  VIII   TOM'S NEWEST INVENTION
    IX   "BEWARE OF THE COMET!"
     X   OFF FOR THE BORDER
    XI   ANDY'S NEW AIRSHIP
   XII   WARNED AWAY
  XIII   KOKU SAVES THE LIGHT
   XIV   A FALSE CLEW
    XV   THE RESCUE ON THE LAKE
   XVI   KOKU'S PRISONER
  XVII   WHAT THE INDIAN SAW
 XVIII   THE PURSUIT
   XIX   IN DIRE PERIL
    XX   SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS
   XXI   MR. PERIOD ARRIVES
  XXII   HOVERING O'ER THE BORDER
 XXIII   NED IS MISSING
  XXIV   THE NIGHT RACE
   XXV   THE CAPTURE--CONCLUSION



TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT




CHAPTER I

A SCRAP OF PAPER


"Tom, did you know Andy Foger was back in town?"

"Great Scott, no, I didn't Ned! Not to stay, I hope."

"I guess not. The old Foger homestead is closed up, though I did see
a man working around it to-day as I came past. But he was a
carpenter, making some repairs I think. No, I don't believe Andy is
here to stay."

"But if some one is fixing up the house, it looks as if the family
would come back," remarked Tom, as he thought of the lad who had so
long been his enemy, and who had done him many mean turns before
leaving Shopton, where our hero lived.

"I don't think so," was the opinion of Ned Newton, who was Tom
Swift's particular chum. "You know when Mr. Foger lost all his
money, the house was supposed to be sold. But I heard later that
there was some flaw in the title, and the sale fell through. It is
because he couldn't sell the place that Mr. Foger couldn't get money
to pay some of his debts. He has some claim on the house, I believe,
but I don't believe he'd come back to live in it."

"Why not?"

"Because it's too expensive a place for a poor man to keep up, and
Mr. Foger is now poor."

"Yes, he didn't get any of the gold, as we did when we went to the
underground city," remarked Tom. "Well, I don't wish anybody bad
luck but I certainly hope the Fogers keep poor enough to stay away
from Shopton. They bothered me enough. But where did you see Andy?"

"Oh, he was with his crony, Sam Snedecker. You know Sam said, some
time ago, that Andy was to pay him a visit, but Andy didn't come
then, for some reason or other. I suppose this call makes up for it.
I met them down near Parker's drug store."

"You didn't hear Andy say anything about coming back here?" and the
young inventor's voice was a trifle anxious.

"No," replied Ned. "What makes you so nervous about it?"

"Well, Ned, you know what Andy is--always trying to make trouble for
me, even sneaking in my shop sometimes, trying to get the secret of
some of my airships and machinery. And I admit I think it looks
suspicious when they have a carpenter working on the old homestead.
Andy may come back, and--"

"Nonsence, Tom! If he does you and I can handle him. But I think
perhaps the house may be rented, and they may be fixing it up for a
tenant. It's been vacant a long time you know, and I heard the other
day that it was haunted."

"Haunted, Ned! Get out! Say, you don't believe in that sort of bosh,
do you?"

