CONTENTS
1 Suspicious News
2 Ray-Gun Sniper
3 Pilot For Venus
4 Another Ambush?
5 Spectral Fireworks
6 Stolen Clue
7 Danger!
8 Nipping a Plot
9 Mysterious Markings
10 A Sudden Warning
11 Moon Jaunt
12 Phantom Thief
13 Behind the Mask
14 Lab in the Wilds
15 The Flying Igloo
16 Report from Sweden
17 Helpless Hijackers
18 Bud’s Frantic Message
19 Outer-Space Rescue
20 A Desperate Maneuver
CHAPTER I
SUSPICIOUS NEWS
“Tom! Someone has stolen your invention!” gasped Bud Barclay as he scanned a news story on the front page of the Shopton Bulletin.
Tom Swift Jr., a crew-cut blond youth of eighteen, looked up in astonishment from a blueprint he had just taken from the office file.
“Stolen my invention?” Tom echoed. “Which one?”
“Your new machine for extracting helium from the air!” Bud jumped up from the leather armchair in which he had been seated and thrust the paper in front of his chum.
Tom frowned at the news item. It was headed:
French scientist invents revolutionary new helium source!
With growing excitement, Tom read the story. It stated that Jacques Gaspard, a French engineer, had developed a method of extracting helium from the atmosphere. The United States now controlled the world’s supply of helium gas, but Gaspard’s machine would make it economical to produce helium anywhere.
Details of his invention were not given. A demonstration would take place Monday of the following week in Paris, however, to which scientists from all over the world were being invited.
“Quite a coincidence,” Tom murmured.
“Coincidence my hat!” Bud snorted. “You just perfected the same kind of machine a few days ago!”