"
With their knives, the farmers quickly cut the ropes, and some
of them rubbed the arms of the lad to restore the circulation.
"What was it--highwaymen?" asked a man, unable to longer
restrain his curiosity. "Did they rob you?"
"No, it wasn't highwaymen," replied the youth. "It was a trick
of some boys I know," and to Tom's credit be it said that he did
not mention their names. "They did it for a joke," he added.
"Boys' trick? Joke?" queried Mr. Mason. "Pretty queer sort of a
joke, I think. They ought to be arrested."
"Oh, I fancy I gave them what was coming to them," went on the
young inventor.
"Did they try to blow ye up, too?" asked Mr. Hertford. "What in
th' name of Tunket was that blue light, and that explosion? I
heard it an' saw it way over to my house."
"So did I," remarked Mr. Mason, and several others said the
same thing. "We thought a meteor had fallen," he continued, "and
we got together to make an investigation."
"It's a good thing for me you did," admitted Tom, "or I might
have had to stay here all night."
"But was it a meteor?" insisted Mr. Hertford.
"No," replied the lad, "I did it."
"You?"
"Yes.
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