Tom Swift and His Wireless Message | Page 8

with a nod at the Irish
girl, "or we'll lose her."
Tom was thinking rapidly, but no plan seemed to come to him. A
moment later one of the assistants of the office led out from a rear room
another Irish girl,--who, it seems, had just engaged herself to work in
the country.
"Good-by, Bridget," said this girl, to the one Mary Nestor had hired.
"I'm off now. The carriage has just come for me. I'm goin' away in
style."
"Good luck, Sarah," wished Bridget.
Tom looked out of the window. A dilapidated farm wagon, drawn by
two rusty-looking horses, just drawing up at the curb.
"There is your employer, Sarah," said the proprietress of the office.
"You will have a nice ride to the country and I hope you will like the
place."
A typical country farmer alighted from the wagon, leaving a woman,
evidently his wife, or the seat. He called out:
"I'll git th' servant-gal, 'Mandy, an' we'll drive right out hum. Then you
won't have such hard work any more."
"An' so that's the style you was tellin' me of; eh, Sarah?" asked the cook
whom Miss Nestor had engaged. "That's queer style, Sarah."
Sarah was blushing from shame and mortification. Tom was quick to
seize the advantage thus offered.
"Bridget, if YOU appreciate style," he said, "you will come in the
automobile. I have one of the very latest models, and it is very safe. But
perhaps you prefer a farm wagon."
"Indade an' I don't!" was the ready response. "I'll go wid you now if
only to show Sarah Malloy thot I have more style than her! She was

boastin' of the fine place she had, an' th' illigant carriage that was
comin' t' take her to the counthry. If that's it I want none of it! I'll go
wid you an' th' young gintleman. Style indade!" and, gathering up her
bundle she followed Tom and Mary to the waiting auto.
They entered it and started off, just as Mrs. Duy Puyster drove up in her
elegantly appointed carriage, while Sarah, with tears of mortification in
her eyes, climbed up beside the farmer and his wife.
"You saved the day for me, Tom," whispered Miss Nestor, as the young
inventor increased the speed of his car. "It was only just in time."
"Don't forget the apple turnovers," he whispered back.
Once she had made the plunge, the new cook seemed to lose her fears
of the auto, and enjoyed the ride. In a short time she had been safely
delivered at Miss Nestor's home, while that young lady repeated her
thanks to Tom, and renewed her invitation for him to come and sample
the apple turnovers, which Tom promised faithfully to do, saying he
would call on his return from Philadelphia.
Musing on the amusing feature of his trip, Tom was urging his auto
along at moderate speed, when, as he turned down a country road,
leading to his home, he saw, coming toward him, a carriage, drawn by a
slow-moving, white horse, and containing a solitary figure.
"Why, that looks like Andy Foger," spoke Tom, half aloud. "I wonder
what he's doing out driving? His auto must be out of commission. But
that's not strange, considering the way he abuses the machine. It's in the
repair shop half the time."
He slowed down still more, for he did not know but that Andy's horse
might be skittish. He need have no fears, however, for the animal did
not seem to have much more life than did Eradicate's mule,
Boomerang.
As Tom came nearer the carriage, he was surprised to see Andy
deliberately swing his horse across the road, blocking the highway by

means of the carriage and steed.
"Well, Andy Foger, what does that mean?" cried Tom, indignantly, as
he brought his car to a sudden stop. "Why do you block the road?"
"Because I want to," snarled the bully, taking out a notebook and pencil,
and pretending to make some notes about the property in front of which
he had halted. "I'm in the real estate business now," went on Andy,
"and I'm getting descriptions of the property I'm going to sell. Guess
I've got a right to stop in the road if I want to!"
"But not to block it up," retorted Tom. "That's against the law. Pull over
and let me pass!"
"Suppose I don't do it?"
"Then I'll make you!"
"Huh! I'd like to see you try it!" snapped Andy. "If you make trouble
for me, it will be the worse for you."
"If you pull to one side, so I can pass, there'll be no trouble," said Tom,
seeing that Andy wished to pick a quarrel.
"Well, I'm not going to pull aside until I finish putting down this
description,"