fellow's vest.

It was then that Tom was convinced of what the fellow was
after. He remembered the notes he had made regarding the contract
that was to be signed on the morrow between the Swift
Construction Company and President Richard Bartholomew of the
H. & P. A. Railroad. He remembered, too, the figure he thought he
had seen in the dark porch of the house as he so recently left
it.

Mr. Bartholomew had considered it very possible that he was
being spied upon. This was one of the spies--a Westerner, as his
speech betrayed. But Tom was suddenly less fearful than he had
been when first attacked.

It did not seem possible to him that Mr. Bartholomew's enemies
would allow their henchman to go too far to obtain information of
the railroad president's intentions. This fellow was merely
attempting to frighten him.

A sense of relief came to Tom Swift's assistance. He opened his
lips to speak and could the thug have seen his face more clearly
in the dark he would have been aware of the fact that the young
inventor smiled.

The fellow's groping hand entered between Tom's vest and his
shirt. The coarse fingers seized upon Tom's wallet. Nobody likes
to be robbed, no matter whether the loss is great or small. There
was not much money in the wallet, nor anything that could be
turned into money by a thief.