Mr. Swift

“ An hour later they arrived in front of the big shed and the Red Cloud was safely housed. Mr. Swift was just beginning to get anxious about his son and his friend, and was glad to welcome them back.
"Now for a big trip, in about a week!" exclaimed Mr. Sharp enthusiastically. "You'll come with us, won't you, Mr. Swift?" ”

“ Swift's uncle, on whom he had placed his chief dependance, dying in the Revolution year, he was supported chiefly by the bounty of Sir William Temple, to whose lady he was a distant relation. Acts of generosity seldom meet with their just applause. Sir William Temple's friendship was immediately construed to proceed from a consciousness that he was the real father of Mr. Swift, otherwise it was thought impossible he could be so uncommonly munificent to a young man, so distantly related to his wife. ”

“ Swift, friendly enough but very determined.
“I’m not afraid to bet, Bart,” rejoined the other, with a tantalizing smile; “but I don’t want to rob you. That would be like taking candy from a baby!”
“You’re right!” chimed in Medwell Trace, who was associated with Mr. Burch in business. Both were old-time friends of Mr. Swift’s. “Better save your money, Bart!” he added, with a chuckle.
“Don’t worry about my money, Med!” snapped out Mr. Swift, who, in spite of his age, seemed to have plenty of pep. He went on: “Ten thousand dollars won’t break me if I lose it, but I’m not going to. ”

“ At that moment Tom plucked his father by the sleeve.
"Dad," whispered the youth, "I saw him in Mansburg. I think he is one of several who have been inquiring in Mr. Merton's shop about you and your patents. I wouldn't have anything to do with him until I found out more about him."
"Is that so?" asked Mr. Swift quickly. Then, turning to the stranger, he said: "My son tells me--"
But Mr. Swift got no further, for at that moment the stranger caught sight of Tom, whom he had not noticed before. ”

“ Mr. Berg left Tom's side and advanced to where Mr. Swift was standing. Together the two emerged from the now fast darkening shop and went toward the house.
"Who is he?" asked Mr. Sharp of the young inventor in a whisper. ”

“ His merit as a preacher was so eminent that it was early rewarded with a mitre. Swift went to congratulate him on the occasion, when he observed that as his lordship was a native of Ireland, and had now a seat in the House of Peers, he hoped he would employ his eloquence in the service of his distressed country. The prelate told him the bishopric was but a very small one, and he could not hope for a better if he disobliged the court. "Very well," said Swift; "then it is to be hoped when you have a better you will become an honest man." "Ay, that I will, Mr. Dean." ”

“ I've got a sick wife, Mr. Swift--"
"A pack of lies!" roughly interrupted the policeman. "He's a single man, Mr. Swift, and has a police record to boot!"
"Well, hold him. And I hope you will catch his confederate." ”

“ Swift placed it to his ear.
"Hello! hello!" he cried into the transmitter. "Yes, this is Mr. Swift—yes, Garret. What is it?"
Then came a series of clicks, which Tom and Ned listened to. The inventor spoke again.
"What's that! The same men? Broke in early this evening? Oh, that's too bad! Of course, I'll come at once."
There followed more meaningless clicks, which Tom wished he could translate. ”

“ Swift smiled at the quick manner in which Tom turned the tables on him. "I admit there may be a band of tramps in that house. Very likely there is--almost any deserted place would be attractive to them. But they may not be the ones you seek. In fact, I hardly see how they can be. The men who stole my model and patent papers are wealthy. They would not be very likely to stay in deserted houses."
"Perhaps some of the scoundrels whom they hired might, and through them I can get on the track of the principals."
"Well, there is something in that," admitted Mr. Swift.
"Then may I go, dad?" ”

“ Swift laid aside a scientific book he was reading.
Whereupon Tom told of his meeting with the colored man, and what Eradicate had said about the tramp.
"But he may not be the same Happy Harry you are looking for," interposed Mr. Swift. "Tramps who don't like to work, and who have a jolly disposition, also those who ask for money and have designs tattooed on their hands, are very common."
"Oh, but I'm sure this is the same one," declared Tom. "He wants to stay in this neighborhood until he locates his confederates. That's why he's hanging around. ”

“ Swift, and small blame to him if there was a note of triumph in his voice. "Tom sailed away not half an hour ago in the airship Red Cloud! You can't arrest him!"
"He's escaped!" shouted the constable. "I told you, chief, that he was a slippery customer, and that we'd better come before breakfast!"
"Dry up!" commanded the chief testily. "So he's foiled us, eh? Run away when he knew we were coming? I think that looks like guilt, Mr. Swift."
"Never!" cried the inventor. "Tom would never think of robbing the bank. Besides, he has all the money he wants. ”

“ Tom felt a little embarrassed over what he had said.
"Oh," spoke the young inventor, "the repair bill is only about three hundred dollars. I'm sorry——"
"Now that's all right, Mr. Swift! It's all right," and the man, with his soft words, raised a white, restraining hand. "Not another word. Mr. Peters did not know who you were that day he so unfortunately ran into you. If he had, he would not have spoken as he did. He supposed you were some amateur motor-boatist, and he was—well, he admits it—he was provoked. ”

“ If I can get on the trail of Happy Harry, as he calls himself, I may locate the other men. Tramps would be very likely to remember such a peculiar chap as Happy Harry, and they will tell me where they had last seen him. Then I will have a starting point."
"Well, that may be a good plan," assented Mr. Swift. "At any rate it will do no harm to try. A tramp locked up in a country police station will very likely be willing to talk. Go ahead with that scheme, Tom, but don't get into any danger. How long will you be away?" ”

“ Mr. Swift considered a moment. He did need a rest, for he had been working hard and his brain was weary with thinking of many problems. His son's program sounded very attractive.
"I think I will accept," said the inventor with a smile. "When can you start, Tom?"
"In about four days. Ned Newton will get his vacation then and I'll have the canopy on. I'll start to work at it to-morrow. Then we'll go on a trip." ”

“ Methinks, Miss, I don’t much like the Colour of that Ribbon.
Miss. Why then, Mr. Neverout, do you see, if you don’t much like it, you may look off of it.
Ld. Sparkish. I don’t doubt, Madam, but your Ladyship has heard, that Sir John Brisk has got an Employment at Court.
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Lady Smart. Yes, yes; and I warrant, he thinks himself no small Fool now.
Neverout. Yet, Madam, I have heard some People take him for a wise Man.
Lady Smart. Ay, ay; some are wise, and some are other-wise. ”

“ Miss. Well, Mr. Neverout, take it as you please; but I swear, you are a saucy Jack, to use such Expressions.
Neverout. Why, then, Miss, if you go to that, I must tell you, there’s ne’er a Jack but there’s a Jill.
Miss. Oh! Mr. Neverout; every body knows that you are the Pink of Courtesy.
Neverout. And, Miss, all the World allows, that you are the Flower of Civility.
Lady Smart. Miss, I hear there was a great deal of Company where you visited last Night: Pray, who were they?
Miss. Why, there was old Lady Forward, Miss To-and-again, Sir John Ogle, my Lady Clapper, and I, quoth the Dog. ”

“ It was night there, though still daylight in San Francisco.
“I’m all right, Dad!” reported the young inventor. “Didn’t make it quite as speedily as I hoped, but I’ll do better on the return trip. How’s Mary?”
“She’s all right,” answered Mr. Swift. “She will speak to you in a moment. But, Tom, be careful. I’m worried about you. A number of mysterious messages have come in over the telephone wires during the day. I’m afraid your enemies are still on your trail.”
“Well, maybe they are, Dad, but I think I have given them the slip,” laughed Tom. ”

“ He corresponded with persons who were in a position to know about Swift from his friends and acquaintances, and probably he trusted too much to these "original sources." We find, as perhaps the most noteworthy instance, that the marriage to Stella is stated as an ascertained fact, on authority that is not now considered convincing. Later biographers of Swift,—Sir Henry Craik, Leslie Stephen, Mr. Churton Collins,—have borne witness to the human interest of Scott's biography, and its preeminence, in spite of inaccuracies, among all the Lives of Swift that have been written. ”

“ Lady Smart. Mr. Neverout, you have overturn’d the Salt, and that’s a Sign of Anger: I’m afraid, Miss and You will fall out.
Lady Answ. No, no; throw a little of it into the Fire, and all will be well.
Neverout. O Madam, the falling out of Lovers, you know.
Miss. Lovers! very fine! fall out with Him! I wonder when we were in!
Sir John. For my Part, I believe, the young Gentlewoman is his Sweetheart; there’s so much Fooling and Fidling betwixt them: I’m sure, they say in our Country, that — — — is the Beginning of Love.
Miss. I own, I love Mr. Neverout, as the Devil loves Holy Water ”

“ Swift in the church, and otherwise reward his family, for his extraordinary services and zeal, and persecutions in the royal cause: but Mr. Swift's merit died with himself.
He left ten sons and three or four daughters, most of which lived to be men and women: his eldest son Godwin Swift, of the Inner Temple, esq. (so styled by Guillim the herald; in whose book the family is described at large) was I think called to the bar before the restoration. ”

“ Scott received some fresh anecdotes from Theophilus, the son of Deane Swift, and a few others. The correspondence with Vanessa, already used by Sheridan, was first fully published in Scott's edition. The ponderous History of St. Patrick's (1819) , by William Monck Mason, contains a very elaborate life of Swift, with many documents and bibliographical references. In 1875 John Forster published the first volume of a Life of Swift (1667–1711) , but his death prevented its continuation. The life by Mr. (now Sir) Henry Craik (1 vol. 8vo, 1885) is the fullest and most careful. ”

“ Leigh stays till Sterne has done his business, no longer; and when that will be, God knows: I befriend him as much as I can, but Mr. Harley's accident stops that as well as all things else. You guess, madam Dingley, that I shall stay a round twelvemonth; as hope saved, I would come over, if I could, this minute; but we will talk of that by and by. — Your affair of Vedeau I have told you of already; now to the next, turn over the leaf. Mrs. Dobbins lies, I have no more provision here or in Ireland than I had. I am pleased that Stella the conjurer approves what I did with Mr. Harley [8] ”

“ Yet I believe he'll undertake the job if I ask him as I once did him a great favor. His salvaging outfit is in Florida, but he lives on Delaware Bay. I'll phone him at once."
"That's great, Dad!" cried Tom, his face lighting up with renewed hope. "Tell him I'll bring him here by plane tomorrow. We can talk things over and start for Florida from here."
"He'll go," said Mr. Swift a few minutes later, turning away from the telephone with a smile. ”

“ The lad was up on the pile of packing-cases and over the fence in almost record time. He caught a glimpse of the fugitive running toward the woods. Then the boy leaped down, jarring himself considerably, and took after the man.
But though Tom was a good runner he was handicapped by the fact that the man had a start of him, and also by the fact that the stranger had had a chance to rest while hiding for the second time in the big box, while Tom had kept on running. So it is no great cause for wonder that Mr. Swift's son found himself being distanced. ”

“ How agreeable it would have been to hire the always available villains, overcome those footmen, put Miss in a coach and six, and secure the services of the also always available parson, regardless of the feelings of my mamma and of the swords of Tom and the Colonel, though not of Miss’s own goodwill! For I should not envy anyone who had tried to play otherwise than on the square with Miss Notable.
For Mr. Wagstaff’s hero I have, as no [xvii] doubt is natural, by no means as much admiration as for his “heroin.” ”

“ I know no one who’s in desperate need of my ideas and plans just now. Humph! queer’s no word for it.”
As he said, he had already selected his crew for the first flight of the Winged Arrow. The men were volunteers, of course, and they had signed off their personal indemnity before he accepted them.
It was true, Ned Newton was to accompany him. Ned was almost as able to pilot the boat as Tom himself. Mr. Swift merely came down to the lake to bid them good-bye and watch the flight of the craft. He helped and advised Tom, but he left the active work wholly in his son’s capable hands now. ”

“ CHAPTER IV MR. DAMON'S WHIZZER
Characteristic it was of Tom Swift that he did not seem at all surprised at what most young men would call a liberal offer. Certainly not many youths of Tom's age would be sought out by a big manufacturing concern, and offered ten thousand dollars a year "right off the reel," as Ned Newton expressed it later. But Tom only smiled and shook his head in negation.
"What!" cried Mr. Gale, "you mean you won't accept our offer?"
"I can't," answered Tom.
"You can't!" exclaimed the treasurer, Mr. Ware. "Oh, I see. Mr. Gale, a word with you. ”

“ Lady Smart. Miss, shall I send you some Cowcomber?
Miss. Madam, I dare not touch it; for they say, Cowcombers are cold in the third Degree.
Lady Smart. Mr. Neverout, do you love Pudden?
Neverout. Madam, I’m like all Fools, I love every thing that is good; but the Proof of the Pudden is in the Eating.
Col. Sir John, I hear you are a great Walker when you are at Home.
Sir John. No, faith, Colonel; I always love to walk with a Horse in my Hand: But I have had devilish bad Luck in Horse-flesh of late.
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Ld. Smart. Why then, Sir John, you must kiss a Parson’s Wife.
Lady Smart. ”