Tom made a hasty examination of the motor, and, having satisfied himself that only a minor difficulty had caused it to stop, he decided to put the monoplane in some safe place, and proceed to Mr. Fenwick’s house.

The lad was just asking one of the officers if the air craft could not be put in one of the grandstands which surrounded the field, when a voice on the outskirts of the crowd excitedly exclaimed: 

“Let me pass, please.  I want to see that airship.  I’m building one myself, and I need all the experience I can get.  Let me in, please.”

A man pushed his way into the crowd, and wormed his way to where Tom and Mr. Damon stood.  At the sight of him, the eccentric individual cried out: 

“Why bless my pocket-knife!  If it isn’t Mr. Fenwick!”

“Mr. Fenwick?” gasped Tom.

“Yes.  The inventor we came to see!”

At the same moment the newcomer cried out: 

“Wakefield Damon!”

“That’s who I am,” answered Tom’s friend, “and let me introduce you to Mr. Swift, the inventor of more machines than I can count.  He and I were coming to see you, when we had a slight accident, and we landed here.  But that didn’t matter, for we intended to land here anyhow, as I knew it was near your house.  Only we had to vol-plane back to earth, and I can’t say that I’d care for that, as a steady diet.  Bless my radiator, but I’m glad we’ve arrived safely.”

“Did you come all the way from your home in that?” asked Mr. Fenwick of Tom, as he shook hands with him, and nodded at the monoplane.

“Oh, yes.  It’s not much of a trip.”

“Well, I hope my airship will do as well.  But something seems to be wrong with it, and I have hopes that you can help me discover what it is, I know your father, and I have heard much of your ability.  That is why I requested your aid.”

“I’m afraid I’ve been much overrated,” spoke Tom, modestly, “but I’ll do all I can for you.  I must now leave my monoplane in a safe place, however.”

“I’ll attend to that,” Mr. Fenwick hastened to assure him.  “Leave it to me.”

By this time a lieutenant of police, in charge of several reserve officers, had arrived on the scene, for the crowd was now very large, and, as Mr. Fenwick knew this official, he requested that Tom’s machine be protected from damage.  It was arranged that it could be stored in a large, empty shed, and a policeman would be left on guard.  Then, seeing that it was all right, Tom, Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick started for the latter’s house.

“I am very anxious to show you the whizzer,” said Mr. Fenwick, as they walked along.

“The whizzer?” repeated Tom, wonderingly.

“Yes, that’s what I call my electric airship.  It hasn’t ‘whizzed’ any to speak of yet, but I have hopes that it will, now that you are here to help me.  We will take one of these taxicabs, and soon be at my house.  I was out for a stroll, when I saw your monoplane coming down, and I hastened to Franklin Field to see it.”