or
On the Border for Uncle Sam
by Victor Appleton
I A Scrap of Paper
II A Spy In Town
III Queer Repairs
IV Searching For Smugglers
V The Raid
VI The Appeal To Tom
VII A Searchlight Is Needed
VIII Tom's Newest Invention
IX "Beware Of the Comet!"
X Off For the Border
XI Andy's New Airship
XII Warned Away
XIII Koku Saves the Light
XIV A False Clew
XV The Rescue On the Lake
XVI Koku's Prisoner
XVII What the Indian Saw
XVIII The Pursuit
XIX In Dire Peril
XX Suspicious Actions
XXI Mr. Period Arrives
XXII Hovering O'er the Border
XXIII Ned Is Missing
XXIV The Night Race
XXV The Capture--Conclusion
"Tom, did you know Andy Foger was back in town?"
"Great Scott, no, I didn't Ned! Not to stay, I hope."
"I guess not. The old Foger homestead is closed up, though I did seea man working around it to-day as I came past. But he was acarpenter, making some repairs I think. No, I don't believe Andy ishere to stay."
"But if some one is fixing up the house, it looks as if the familywould come back," remarked Tom, as he thought of the lad who had solong been his enemy, and who had done him many mean turns beforeleaving Shopton, where our hero lived.
"I don't think so," was the opinion of Ned Newton, who was TomSwift's particular chum. "You know when Mr. Foger lost all hismoney, the house was supposed to be sold. But I heard later thatthere was some flaw in the title, and the sale fell through. It isbecause he couldn't sell the place that Mr. Foger couldn't get moneyto pay some of his debts. He has some claim on the house, I believe,but I don't believe he'd come back to live in it."
"Why not?"
"Because it's too expensive a place for a poor man to keep up, andMr. Foger is now poor."
"Yes, he didn't get any of the gold, as we did when we went to theunderground city," remarked Tom. "Well, I don't wish anybody badluck but I certainly hope the Fogers keep poor enough to stay awayfrom Shopton. They bothered me enough. But where did you see Andy?"
"Oh, he was with his crony, Sam Snedecker. You know Sam said, sometime ago, that Andy was to pay him a visit, but Andy didn't comethen, for some reason or other. I suppose this call makes up for it.I met them down near Parker's drug store."
"You didn't hear Andy say anything about coming back here?" and theyoung inventor's voice was a trifle anxious.
"No," replied Ned. "What makes you so nervous about it?"
"Well, Ned, you know what Andy is--always trying to make trouble forme, even sneaking in my shop sometimes, trying to get the secre