as he looked in vain for his chum among the throng on the streets. "I've got time to take a stroll down to his house."
Tom was about to cross the street when he was startled by the sound of an automobile horn loudly blown just at his side. Then a voice called:
"Hey, there! Git out of the way if you don't want to be run over!"
He looked up, and saw a car careening along. At the wheel was the red-haired bully, Andy Foger, and in the tonneau were Sam Snedecker and Pete Bailey.
"Git out of the way," added Sam, and he grinned maliciously at Tom.
The latter stepped back, well out of the path of the car, which was not moving very fast. Just in front of Tom was a puddle of muddy water. There was no necessity for Andy steering into it, but he saw his opportunity, and a moment later one of the big pneumatic tires had plunged into the dirty fluid, spattering it all over Tom, some even going as high as his face.
"Ha! ha!" laughed Andy. "Maybe you'll get out of my way next time, Tom Swift."
The young inventor was almost speechless from righteous anger. He wiped the mud from his
