Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER VI

  TRYING THE CAMERA

  "Well, what do you think of that?" cried Ned, as his chum finished.

  "It certainly isn't very pleasant," replied Tom. "I wonder why thosechaps can't let me alone? Why don't they invent cameras of their own?Why are they always trying to get my secret inventions?"

  "I suppose they can't do things for themselves," answered Ned. "Andthen, again, your machinery always works, Tom, and some that yourrivals make, doesn't."

  "Well, maybe that's it," admitted our hero, as he put away the letter."I will be on the watch, just as I have been before. I've got theburglar alarm wires adjusted on the shop now, and when these rivalmoving picture men come after me they'll get a short answer."

  For several days nothing happened, and Tom and Ned worked hard on theWizard Camera. It was nearing completion, and they were planning, soon,to give it a test, when, one afternoon, two strangers, in a powerfulautomobile, came to the Swift homestead. They inquired for Tom, and,as he was out in the shop, with Ned and Koku, and as he often receivedvisitors out there, Mrs. Baggert sent out the two men, who left theircar in front of the house.

  As usual, Tom had the inner door to his shop locked, and when Kokubrought in a message that two strangers would like to see the younginventor, Tom remarked:

  "I guess it's the rival picture men, Ned. We'll see what they have tosay."

  "Which of you is Tom Swift?" asked the elder of the two men, as Tom andNed entered the front office, for our hero knew better than to admitthe strangers to the shop.

  "I am," replied Tom.

  "Well, we're men of business," went on the speaker, "and there is nouse beating about the bush. I am Mr. Wilson Turbot, and this is mypartner, Mr. William Eckert. We are in the business of making movingpicture films, and I understand that you are associated with Mr. Periodin this line. 'Spotty' we call him."

  "Yes, I am doing some work for Mr. Period," admitted Tom, cautiously.

  "Have you done any yet?"

  "No, but I expect to."

  "What kind of a camera are you going to use?" asked Mr. Eckert eagerly.

  "I must decline to answer that," replied Tom, a bit stiffly.

  "Oh, that's all right," spoke Mr. Turbot, good naturedly. "Only'Spotty' was bragging that you were making a new kind of film for him,and we wondered if it was on the market."

  "We are always looking for improvements," added Mr. Eckert.

  "This camera isn't on the market," replied Tom, on his guard as to howhe answered.

  The two men whispered together for a moment, and then Mr. Turbot said:

  "Well, as I remarked, we're men of business, and there's no use beatingabout the bush. We've heard of you, Tom Swift, and we know you can dothings. Usually, in this world, every man has his price, and we'rewilling to pay big to get what we want. I don't know what offer Mr.Period made to you, but I'll say this: We'll give you double what heoffered, for the exclusive rights to your camera, whenever it's on themarket, and we'll pay you a handsome salary to work for us."

  "I'm sorry, but I can't consider the offer," replied Tom firmly. "Ihave given my word to Mr. Period. I have a contract with him, and Icannot break it."

  "Offer him three times what Period did," said Mr. Eckert, in a hoarsewhisper that Tom heard.

  "It would be useless!" exclaimed our hero. "I wouldn't go back on myword for a hundred times the price I am to get. I am not in thisbusiness so much for the money, as I am for the pleasure of it."

  The men were silent a moment. There were ugly looks on their faces.They looked sharply at Tom and Ned. Then Mr. Eckert said:

  "You'll regret this, Tom Swift. We are the biggest firm of movingpicture promoters in the world. We always get what we want."

  "You won't get my camera," replied Tom calmly.

  "I don't know about that!" exclaimed Mr. Turbot, as he made a hastystride toward Tom, who stood in front of the door leading to theshop--the shop where his camera, almost ready for use, was on a bench."I guess if we--"

  "Koku!" suddenly called Tom.

  The giant stepped into the front office. He had been standing near thedoor, inside the main shop. Mr. Turbot who had stretched forth hishand, as though to seize Tom, and his companion, who had advancedtoward Ned, fairly jumped back in fright at the sight of the big man.

  "Koku," went on Tom, in even tones, "just show these gentlemen to thefront door--and lock it after them," he added significantly, as heturned back into the shop, followed by Ned.

  "Yes, Mr. Tom," answered the giant, and then, with his big hand, andbrawny fist, he gently turned the two men toward the outer door. Theywere gasping in surprise as they looked at the giant.

  "You'll be sorry for this, Tom Swift!" exclaimed Mr. Turbot. "You'llregret not having taken our offer. This Period chat is only a smalldealer. We can do better by you. You'll regret--"

  "You'll regret coming here again," snapped Tom, as he closed the doorof his shop, leaving Koku to escort the baffled plotters to their auto.Shortly afterward Tom and Ned heard the car puffing away.

  "Well, they came, just as Mr. Period said they would," spoke Tom,slowly.

  "Yes, and they went away again!" exclaimed Ned with a laugh. "They hadtheir trip for nothing. Say, did you see how they stared at Koku?"

  "Yes, he's a helper worth having, in cases like these."

  Tom wrote a full account of what had happened and sent it to Mr.Period. He received in reply a few words, thanking him for his loyalty,and again warning him to be on his guard.

  In the meanwhile, work went on rapidly on the Wizard Camera. Brieflydescribed it was a small square box, with a lens projecting from it.Inside, however, was complicated machinery, much too complicated for meto describe. Tom Swift had put in his best work on this wonderfulmachine. As I have said, it could be worked by a storage battery, byordinary electric current from a dynamo, or by hand. On top was a newkind of electric light. This was small and compact, but it threw outpowerful beams. With the automatic arrangement set, and the lightturned on, the camera could be left at a certain place after dark, andwhatever went on in front of it would be reproduced on the moving rollof film inside.

  In the morning the film could be taken out, developed, and the picturesthrown on a screen in the usual way, familiar to all who have been in amoving picture theatre. With the reproducing machines Tom had nothingto do, as they were already perfected. His task had been to make thenew-style camera, and it was nearly completed.

  A number of rolls of films could be packed into the camera, and theycould be taken out, or inserted, in daylight. Of course after one filmhad been made, showing any particular scene any number of films couldbe made from this "master" one. Just as is done with the ordinarymoving picture camera. Tom had an attachment to show when one roll wasused, and when another needed inserting.

  For some time after the visit of the rival moving picture men, Tom wason his guard. Both house and shop were fitted with burglar alarms, butthey did not ring. Eradicate and Koku were told to be on watch, butthere was nothing for them to do.

  "Well," remarked Tom to Ned, one afternoon, when they had both workedhard, "I think it's about finished. Of course it needs polishing, andthere may be some adjusting to do, but my camera is now ready to takepictures--at least I'm going to give it a test."

  "Have you the rolls of films?"

  "Yes, half a dozen of 'em And I'm going to try the hardest test first."

  "Which one is that?"

  "The night test. I'm going to place the camera out in the yard, facingmy shop. Then you and I, and some of the others, will go out, pass infront of it, do various stunts, and, in the morning we'll develop thefilms and see what we have."

  "Why, are you going to leave the camera out, all night?"

  "Sure. I'm going to give it the hardest kind of a test."

  "But are you and I going to stay up all night to do stunts in front ofit?"

  "No, indeed. I'm going to let it take what ever pictures happen to comealong to be taken after we get th
rough making some special early ones.You see my camera will be a sort of watch dog, only of course it won'tcatch any one--that is, only their images will be caught on the film.

  "Oh, I see," exclaimed Ned, and then he helped Tom fix the machine forthe test.