“Ha! Ha!” chuckled Eradicate. “He go so fast, Giant, dat he make you look like a worm crawlin’ along!” The giant was not very fast in his movements, and he realized this. Still he did not like to be taunted about this failing, and he now made a reach for Eradicate, who, however, easily eluded his enemy. “Come now! None of that!” ordered Tom sharply. “I guess this fellow, whoever he was, might have been only a tramp. Take a stroll around for a while, Koku, and see if he comes back.” “Sure, Master, I watch.” “An’ I’ll be on the lookout, too,” offered Eradicate. “Look around, both of you, and don’t scrap. Do you hear? Don’t scrap between yourselves. I’m getting tired of it!” “I be good to Rad, Master,” promised the giant. “Huh! You better, ef you all knows whut good fo’ you!” chuckled the colored man. Tom went back to his father, finding the old gentleman somewhat nervous and upset. “What was it, Son?” he inquired. “Oh, just some tramp, I think,” replied the lad easily. But in his own mind he was disturbed by the incident. “I wonder if that was Barsky or some of our old enemies?” mused Tom to himself, when he had gone to his own room after some further talk with his father concerning the various inventions and patents. “There’s always a chance of some of the old gang trying some of their tricks. “But what object could any one have in listening to the talk between dad and me? We only mentioned generalities, and what we said would have been of no value to any one. Still, whoever was listening didn’t know that. They may have hoped to pick up some information that could be used against us.” But though he was worried and a bit apprehensive, Tom did not dwell long on this phase of the matter. He knew it would do little, if any, good. Still he was not so foolish as to omit all precautions, and a little later he went outside to see if Koku or Eradicate had seen any further signs of the intruder. Both the giant and the colored man reported that they had seen no one, and Tom sent them to bed, after giving orders to see that the house was well locked for the night. The shops, some distance away, were well guarded by watchmen, as well as by a system of electrical burglar alarms, a bell of which was set up in Tom’s room. No one could get in or over the high fence which surrounded the works without disclosing his presence. Tom was a little apprehensive that in the night the alarm bell might ring, telling him that some one was trying to sneak into the factory. However, the hours of darkness passed uneventfully and with the coming of morning Tom’s fears passed away. He went out to look around the porch on which the mysterious listener had crouched beneath the window, but there were no clews that he could follow. “I’ll just have to let things take their course,” decided Tom. He reported the matter to Ned, as he generally did in such cases. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Ned cheerfully.