Tom Swift and His War Tank; Or, Doing His Bit for Uncle Sam

r Do

tly confined to one building-the new, large one, about which stretched a high and strong fence, made

ny of them, for Tom and his father were devoting most of their time and energies to what was

d carefully, and when they went in they had to exhibit their passes to a man on guar

t far away, raking up a pile of refuse, was Eradicate Sampson, the aged colored man of all work. Eradicate approached nearer and nearer the entrance to the buildin

e, Erad

negro quickly. "I didn'

o the building and speaking English with an evi

an me!" exclaimed Eradicate.

between the old man and the first step leading

say

hat you call special policema

snorted Eradicate. "Anyhow, dem orders

om say let nobody come near but workmen

will. I guess yo' ain't de only deteckertiff on de place. I kin go on guard, too!" an

e colored man. The young inventor was on his way

e's on guard-a deteckertiff-an' I can't go

er that you keep away. I'm doing s

ain't askeered! Anybody whut

just secret, and I don't want too many people about. Y

man eagerly. "I kin guard an' detect same as

hesi

u a sort of officer's bad

"I ain't gwine hab dat Koku-dat cocoanut-crowin' o

st, far enough from Koku to keep the two from quarreling, and where, even if he fa

us," said Tom to his father. "Koku

a secret, Tom," said Mr. Swift, "but it

partial shop-tryout, and she works well. But there is s

be in this vicinity. Do you think he has

secret the fact of our first soldiers sailing for France. How can I expect to ke

Mr. Swift, with a chuckle. "You c

t, I'll be all right. Now let's have another go at that carburetor. There's our weak point, for it's getting harder and ha

that will do the trick. Now look at this needle valve; I've given it a new turn," a

new building after first passing Eradicate and then Koku, and it would be hard to say which guard was the more careful. Only, of course,

radicate. "He so lazy his own se'f dat he don't know a workman! Ef

afford to let this secret get

om Tom was more than ordinarily interested, passed not far from the big enclosure which was guarded, on th

elt the ground trembling beneath his feet. It rumbled and shook as though a distant train were passing, a

at sounded like heavy guns being fired from a distance, or else blasting. It seems

unced, and mingled with it, in the dusk

ne cried. "She's g

and the fence near Mr. Nestor bulged out as though something

removed, for the bulge went back into place

," called another voice, and Mr. Nest

d bull shut up in there, and is he trying to get out? Lucky for me he didn't," a

e reading the paper and smoking a cig

een anything of T

little while the other night, but h

I heard some queer noises, that's all. He's up to s

N

e goi

hat do you mean by his tricks?" she asked, and a close observer might hav

gave us all a scare. You can't tell what Tom Swift is going to do next. He's

wireless message, and saved us from E

other chaps, or sell Liberty Bonds like Ned Newton?" and Mr. Nestor looked sharply at his daughter. "Ned gave up a big salary as the Swifts financial man-a place h

ed Mary; and soon after, with a

y be all right, but he's got an unbalanced streak in hi

east to his own satisfaction, Mr. Ne

murmur of voices in the hall, and Mr. Nest

exclaimed. "I'm going to fin