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

“Well,” remarked Tom to Ned, one afternoon, when they had both worked hard, “I think it’s about finished.  Of course it needs polishing, and there may be some adjusting to do, but my camera is now ready to take pictures—­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, facing my shop.  Then you and I, and some of the others, will go out, pass in front of it, do various stunts, and, in the morning we’ll develop the films 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 of it?”

“No, indeed.  I’m going to let it take what ever pictures happen to come along to be taken after we get through making some special early ones.  You see my camera will be a sort of watch dog, only of course it won’t catch 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 for the test.

CHAPTER VII — WHAT THE CAMERA CAUGHT

“Well, is she working, Tom?” asked our hero’s chum, a little later, when they had set the camera up on a box in the garden.  It pointed toward the main shop door, and from the machine came a clicking sound.  The electric light was glowing.

“Yes, it’s all ready,” replied Tom.  “Now just act as if it wasn’t there.  You walk toward the shop.  Do anything you please.  Pretend you are coming in to see me on business.  Act as if it was daytime.  I’ll stand here and receive you.  Later, I’ll get dad out here, Koku and Eradicate.  I wish Mr. Period was here to see the test, but perhaps it’s just as well for me to make sure it works before be sees it.”

“All right, Tom, here I come.”

Ned advanced toward the shop.  He tried to act as though the camera was not taking pictures of him, at the rate of several a second, but he forgot himself, and turned to look at the staring lens.  Then Tom, with a laugh, advanced to meet him, shaking hands with him.  Then the lads indulged in a little skylarking.  They threw snowballs at each other, taking care, however to keep within range of the lens.  Of course when Tom worked the camera himself, he could point it wherever he wanted to, but it was now automatic.

Then the lads went to the shop, and came out again.  They did several other things.  Later Koku, and Eradicate did some “stunts,” as Tom called them.  Mr. Swift, too, was snapped, but Mrs. Baggert refused to come out.