For the Eagle Park meet was to be a large and important one, and the
principal "bird-men" of the world were to have a part in it. Tom knew
that he must do his very best, and he spared no efforts to make his
monoplane come up to his ideal, which was a very exacting one.

"We'll have a real speed test to-morrow," Tom announced to Mr. Damon one
night. "I'll see what the Humming-Bird can really do. You'll come, won't
you?"

"Oh, I suppose so. Bless my insurance policy! I might as well take the
same chance you do. But if you're going to have such a nerve-racking
thing as that on the program, you'd better get to bed early and have
plenty of sleep."

"Oh, I'm not tired. I think I'll go out this evening."

"Where?"

"Oh, just around town, to see some of the fellows." But if Tom was only
going around town merely to see his male friends, why did he dress so
carefully, put on a new necktie, and take several looks in the glass
before he went out? We think you can guess, and also the girl's name.

The young inventor got in rather late, and after a visit to the
aeroplane shed, to see that all was right there, he went to bed, first
connecting up the burglar-alarm wires that guarded the doors and windows
of the aerodrome.

How long he had been asleep Tom did not know, but he was suddenly
awakened by hearing the buzzing of the alarm at the head of his bed. At