Produced by Anthony Matonac TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT or The Speediest Car on the Road by VICTOR APPLETON Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout CONTENTS CHAPTER I TOM HOPES FOR A PRIZE II MR. DAMON'S STEERING III THE MOTOR-CYCLE WINS IV TALE OF A NEW BANK V A MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTER VI BUILDING THE CAR VII TOM IS CAPTURED VIII A BLINDING FLASH IX TOM IS RESCUED X TOM HAS A FALL XI CROSSED WIRES XII THE TRYOUT XIII TOWED BY A MULE XIV A GREAT RUN XV ANDY FOGER'S BLACK EYE XVI TROUBLE AT THE BANK XVII A RUN ON THE BANK XVIII AFTER THE CASH XIX STOPPED ON THE ROAD XX ON TIME XXI OFF TO THE BIG RACE XXII IN A DITCH XIII THE POWER GONE XIV ON THE TRACK XXV WINNING THE PRIZE TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT CHAPTER I TOM HOPES FOR A PRIZE "Father," exclaimed Tom Swift, looking up from a paper he was reading, "I think I can win that prize!" "What prize is that?" inquired the aged inventor, gazing away from a drawing of a complicated machine, and pausing in his task of making some intricate calculations. "You don't mean to say, Tom, that you're going to have a try for a government prize for a submarine, after all." "No, not a submarine prize, dad," and the youth laughed. "Though our Advance would take the prize away from almost any other under-water boat, I imagine. No, it's another prize I'm thinking about." "What do you mean?" "Well, I see by this paper that the Touring Club of America has offered three thousand dollars for the speediest electric car. The tests are to come off this fall, on a new and specially built track on Long Island, and it's to be an endurance contest for twenty-four hours, or a race for distance, they haven't yet decided. But I'm going to have a try for it, dad, and, besides winning the prize, I think I'll take Andy Foger down a peg. "What's Andy been doing now?" "Oh, nothing more than usual. He's always mean, and looking for a chance to make trouble for me, but I didn't refer to anything special. He has a new auto, you know, and he boasts that it's the fastest one in this country. I'll show him that it isn't, for I'm going to win this prize with the speediest car on the road." "But, Tom, you haven't any automobile, you know," and Mr. Swift looked anxiously at his son, who was smiling confidently. "You can't be going to make your motor-cycle into an auto; are you?" "No, dad." "Then how are you going to take part in the prize contest? Besides, electric cars, as far as I know, aren't specially speedy." "I know it, and one reason why this club has arranged the contest is to improve the quality of electric automobiles. I'm going to build an electric runabout, dad." "An electric runabout? But it will have to be operated with a storage battery, Tom, and you haven't--"