"No, that's so. Well, while we're waiting for him, come on in the
house, and I'll show you some new books I got."

The two lads were soon in the Swift homestead, a pleasant and large
old-fashioned residence, in the suburbs of Shopton. Tom brought out
the books, and he and his chum poured over them.

"Mr. Damon gave me that one on electricity," explained the young
inventor, handing Ned a bulky volume.

"'Bless my bookmark!' as Mr. Damon himself would say if he were
here," exclaimed Ned with a laugh. "That's a dandy. But Mr. Damon
didn't give you THIS one," and Ned picked up a dainty volume of
verse. "'To Tom Swift, with the best wishes of Mary--'" but that
was as far as he read, for Tom grabbed the book away, and closed the
cover over the flyleaf, which bore some writing in a girl's hand. I
think my old readers can guess whose hand it was.

"Wow! Tom Swift reading poetry!" laughed Ned.

"Oh, cut it out," begged his chum. "I didn't know that was among the
books. I got it last Christmas. Now here's a dandy one on lion
hunting, Ned," and to cover his confusion Tom shoved over a book
containing many pictures of wild animals.

"Lion hunting; eh," remarked Ned. "Well, I guess you could give them
some points on snapping lions with your moving picture camera, Tom."

"Yes, I got some good views," admitted the young inventor modestly.
"I may take the camera along on some trips in my noiseless airship.