“Yes, sah, Massa Tom,” said the colored man, with a broad grin as he fingered the large monkey wrench in his hands, “I’s done come to tell you dat Mistah Damon’s machine am all salubrious now an’ he kin ride it down offen de roof if so be as he likes.” “Thanks, Rad! I’m going to do that at once!” broke in the odd man. “Well, Mr. Damon, we’ll leave it to you, then, to communicate with Mr. Blythe,” Tom said. “We won’t send any letter.” “No, don’t turn the offer down just yet,” pleaded Tom’s friend from Waterford. “You may regret it. Wait a few days. Now I’ll see if I can do a little better with the plane than I did at first.” “We’ll go up and see that you get started right,” said Tom. “I’ll leave you in charge of the chest of secrets, dad, until I come back. I have about all my papers in, but I thought you might like to put in some of yours.” “Yes, Tom, I should, thank you. Rad, I’ll ask you to help me gather them up from my office.” Knowing his chest of valuable papers would be safe in the care of his father and Eradicate, the young inventor went with Ned and Mr. Damon to the roof. The workmen had put on a new wheel and made one or two other repairs to the slightly damaged plane. A test of the motor showed that it was in fine running order, and Mr. Damon took his seat in the small cockpit. “I suppose it’s all right to take off from here, isn’t it, Tom?” he asked. “Oh, yes,” replied the young inventor. “I’ve often done so with bigger planes than this.” The roof over Tom’s office and the adjoining shop had been built with special adaptability to aeroplanes, and a little later, when the engine had throbbed and roared after starting, Mr. Damon had no difficulty in getting into the air. The little plane gathered speed, sped across the roof, and, reaching the edge, dipped down a moment and then sprang into the air like a veritable bird, which it resembled more than it did anything else. Mr. Damon was observed to lean over the edge of the cockpit, wave his hand and shout something down to those on the roof. “Did you hear what he said?” asked Tom of his business manager. “No; but it probably was that he’ll send Blythe over to see you,” chuckled Ned. “He needn’t; it will be of no use. I’m going to work on the tidal engine and the mill machinery for my own purposes,” declared the young inventor. Those on the roof watched for a time the soaring little plane, becoming smaller as it receded from view. “He seems to know how to run it all right,” observed Ned, as he and Tom prepared to return to the office. “Oh, yes, he just made that one mistake,” answered Tom. “He’s pretty careful as a rule. But I’ll never forget the look on his face as he sat on the ground after his motorcycle tried to climb a tree. It was the funniest thing I ever saw!” and Tom laughed at the recollection.