文档介绍：TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER or The Quickest Flight on Record
TOM SWIFT AND HIS
SKY RACER or The
Quickest Flight on Record
VICTOR APPLETON
1
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER or The Quickest Flight on Record
CHAPTER One
The Prize Offer
"Is this Tom Swift, the inventor of several airships?"
The man who had rung the bell glanced at the youth who answered his
summons.
"Yes, I'm Tom Swift," was the reply. "Did you wish to see me?"
"I do. I'm Mr. James Gunmore, secretary of the Eagle Park Aviation
Association. I had some correspondence with you about a prize contest we
are going to hold. I believe--"
"Oh, yes, I remember now," and the young inventor smiled pleasantly
as he opened wider the door of his home. "Won't e in? My father
will be glad to see you. He is as much interested in airships as I am." And
Tom led the way to the library, where the secretary of the aviation society
was soon seated in a big, comfortable leather chair.
"I thought we could do better, and e to some decision
more quickly, if I came to see you, than if we corresponded," went on Mr.
Gunmore. "I hope I haven't disturbed you at any of your inventions," and
the secretary smiled at the youth.
"No. I'm through for to-day," replied Tom. "I'm glad to see you. I
thought at first it was my chum, Ned Newton. He generally runs over in
the evening."
"Our society, as I wrote you, Mr. Swift, is planning to hold a very large
and important aviation meet at Eagle Park, which is a suburb of Westville,
New York State. We expect to have all the prominent 'bird-men' there, to
compete for prizes, and your name was mentioned. I wrote to you, as you
doubtless recall, asking if you did not care to enter."
"And I think I wrote you that my big aeroplane-dirigible, the Red
Cloud, was destroyed in Alaska, during a recent trip we made to the caves
of ice there, after gold," replied Tom.
"Yes, you did," admitted Mr. Gunmore, "and while mittee was
very sorry to hear that, we hoped yo