CHAPTER XXV
THE LIGHT OF DAY
"What's that? Your dye formulae here in my office?" cried Mr. Keith,for he had heard something of the chemist's loss, though he did notdirectly associate Field and Melling with it.
"That's what this is! The very papers, containing all the rare secrets,for which I have been so at a loss!" cried the delighted old man. "NowI can give to the world the dyes for which it has long been waiting!Oh, Tom Swift, you did more than you knew when you put out this fire!"and he hugged the bundle of smoke-smelling papers to his breast.
"But how did they get here?" asked the young inventor. "I know thatField and Melling had offices in this building. They were starting anew dye concern, and, though Mr. Baxter and I suspected them of havingstolen his secret, we couldn't prove it."
"But we can now!" cried Mr. Baxter. "Though I don't know that I'llbother even to accuse them, as long as I have back my previous papers.I see how it happened. They had the formulae in their office. Theyrushed out with the documents, and, when they found they couldn't getpast this floor, they went into Mr. Keith's office. There, in theirexcitement, they dropped the papers, and you put the fire out just intime, Tom, or they'd have been burned beyond hope of saving. You havegiven me back something almost as valuable as life, Tom Swift!"
"I'm glad I could render you that service," said the young inventor."And I had no idea, when I dropped the chemicals, that I was savingsomeone even more valuable than your secret formulae," and they allknew he referred to Mary Nestor.
An examination of the papers found on Mr. Keith's office floor showedthat not one of the dye secrets was missing. Thus Mr. Baxter came intopossession of his own again, and when Field and Melling weresufficiently recovered they were charged with the theft of the papers.The charge was proved, and, in addition, other accusations were broughtagainst them which insured their remainder in jail for a considerableperiod.
As Mr. Baxter had suspected, Field and Melling had, indeed, robbed himof his dye formulae papers. They learned that he possessed them, andthey invited him to a night conference with the purpose of robbing him.The fire in their factory was an accident, of which they took advantageto make it appear that the chemist lost his papers in the blaze. Butthey had taken them, and though they did not mean to leave poor Baxterto his fate, that would have been the result of their selfish actionhad not Tom and Ned come to the rescue. And it was of this "puttingover" that Field and Melling had boasted, the time Tom overheard theirtalk at Meadow Inn.
As Mr. Baxter guessed, the letter delivered to him at Tom's place wasone that the two scoundrels would have retained, as they had otherslike it, if they had seen it. But a new clerk forwarded it, and theevidence it contained helped to convict Field and Melling.
As for the Landmark Building, while badly damaged, it would have beenworse burned but for Tom's prompt action. And though he was more thanglad that he had been on hand, he rather regretted that he could notgive the test for which he had set out.
Eventually the building was made more nearly fire-proof and thefire-escapes were rebuilt, and Mr. Blake did not lose his money, as hehad feared, though Barton Keith said it was more owing to Tom Swift'sgood luck than to Mr. Blake's management.
But, as it developed, nothing could have been more opportune than Tom'saction, for word of his quenching a bigger blaze than he would have hadto encounter in the official test reached the Denton fire department.As a result there was a conference, and, after only a nominal showingof his apparatus, it was adopted by a unanimous vote.
But this occurred some time afterward, for, following his rescue ofMary Nestor and her uncle and the saving of the lives of Field andMelling, as well as others in the building, by his prompt smothering ofthe fire, Tom returned to Shopton.
He and his companions went in the Lucifer, minus, now, the big load ofchemicals, and on landing near the hangar Tom was surprised to see Kokuthe giant running toward him. The big man showed every symptom of greatexcitement as he cried:
"Oh, Master Tom! He see the light ob day! he see the light ob day now!Oh, so glad! So glad!"
"Who sees the light of day?" asked the young inventor.
"Black Rad! Eradicate! Him eyes all better now! Pill man take offcloth. Rad--he see light ob day!"
"Oh, I'm so glad! So thankful!" cried Tom. "How I've wished for this!Is it really true, Koku?"
"Sure true! Pill man say Rad see K O now." The giant, doubtless, meant"O K," but Tom understood. And it was true, as he learned more directlya little later.
When Tom entered the room where Rad had been kept in the dark eversince the explosion, the colored man looked at his master with seeingeyes, though the apartment was still but dimly lighted.
"I's all right ag'in now, Massa Tom!" cried Rad. "See fine! I's allready to make more smellin' stuff to put out fires!"
"You won't have to, Rad!" cried Tom joyfully. "My chemical extinguisheris completed, and you did your share in making it a success. But Inever would have felt like claiming credit for it if you had been--hadbeen left in the dark."
"No mo' dark, Massa Tom!" said Eradicate. "I kin see now as good aseber, an' yo'-all won't hab to 'pend on dat lazy good-fo'-nuffincocoanut!" and he chuckled as he looked at the giant.
"Huh! Lazy!" retorted the big man. "I show you--black coon!"
"By golly!" laughed Rad. "Him an' me good friends now, Massa Tom. NeberI fuss wif Koku any mo'! He suah was good to me when I had to stay inde dark!"
Of course it would be too much to hope that Koku and Eradicate neveragain quarreled, but for a long time their warm friendship was a thingat which to marvel, considering the past.
"Well, I guess this settles it," said Tom to Ned one day, after goingover the day's mail.
"Settles what, Tom?"
"My aerial fire-fighting apparatus. Here's word from the National FireUnderwriters Association that they have adopted it, and there will be abig reduction of rates in all cities where it is a part of the firedepartment equipment. It's been as great a success as Mr. Baxter's newdye."
"Yes, and he has had wonderful success with that. But what are yougoing to do now, Tom? What new line of endeavor are you going to aimat?"
Tom arose and reached for his hat.
"I am now going," he said, with a grin, "to see somebody on privatebusiness."
"You are going to see Mary Nestor!" broke out Ned.
"I am," said Tom.
And he did.
Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters; Or, Battling with Flames from the Air Page 25