"
"I hope he does," returned Tom. "Do you know, Ned, I have
an idea that these fellows--Schwen Simpson, and those back
of them, including Blakeson--are trying to get hold of the
secret of my tank for the Germans."
"I shouldn't be surprised. But you've got it finished now,
haven't you? They can't get your patents away from you."
"No, it isn't that," said Tom. "There are certain secrets
about the mechanism of the tank--the way I've increased the
speed and power, the use of the spanners, and things like
that--which would be useful for the Germans to know. I
wouldn't want them to find out these secrets, and they could
do that if they were in the tank a while, or had her in
their possession."
"They couldn't do that, Tom--get possession of her--could
they?"
"There's no telling. I'm going to be doubly on the watch.
That fellow Blakeson is in the pay of the plotters, I
believe. He has a big machine shop, and he might try to
duplicate my tank if he knew how she was made inside."
"I see! That's why he was inquiring about a good
machinist, I suppose, though he'll be mightily surprised
when he learns it was you he was talking to the time your
Hawk met with the little mishap.
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