Mary Nestor, a girl of Shopton, might also be mentioned. She and Tom were more than just good friends. Tom had an idea that some day — — . But there, I promised not to tell that part, at least until the young people themselves were ready to have a certain fact announced.
From one activity to another had Tom Swift gone, now constructing some important invention for himself, as among others, when he made the photo-telephone, or developed a great searchlight which he presented to the Government for use in detecting smugglers on the border.
The book immediately preceding this is called “Tom Swift and His Bit, Tunnel,” and deals with the efforts of the young inventor to help a firm of contractors penetrate a mountain in Peru. How this was done and how, incidentally,
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the lost city of Pelone was discovered, bringing joy to the heart of Professor Swyington Bumper, will be found fully set forth in the book.
Tom had been back from the Peru trip for some months, when we again find him interested in some of the work of Professor Bumper, as set forth in the magazine mentioned.
“Well, he certainly is having some conversation,” reflected Ned, as, after more than five minutes, Tom’s ear was still at the receiver of the instrument, into the transmitter of which he had said only a few words.
“All right,” Tom finally answered, as he hung the receiver up, “I’ll be here,” and then he turned to Ned, whose curiosity had been growing with the telephone talk, and remarked:
“That certainly was wonderful!”