"
"Neither would I. That's why I changed my
mind. This Beecher isn't going to get that idol
if I can stop him!"
"You seem rather bitter against him."
"Bitter? Oh, not at all. I simply don't want
to see my friends disappointed."
"Then Beecher isn't a friend of yours?"
"Oh, I've met him, that is all," and Tom tried
to speak indifferently.
"Humph!" mused Ned, "there's more here than I dreamed of.
I'm going to get at the bottom of it."
But though Ned tried to pump Tom, he was
not successful. The young inventor admitted
knowing the youthful scientist, but that was all,
Tom reiterating his determination not to let Professor
Bumper be beaten in the race for the idol
of gold.
"Let me see," mused Ned, as he went home
that evening. "Tom did not change his mind
until he heard Beecher's name mentioned. Now
this shows that Beecher had something to do
with it. The only reason Tom doesn't want
Beecher to get this idol or find the buried city
is because Professor Bumper is after it. And
yet the professor is not an old or close friend
of Tom's. They met only when Tom went to
dig his big tunnel. There must be some other
reason."
Ned did some more thinking. Then he
clapped his hands together, and a smile spread
over his face.
"I believe I have it!" he cried. "The little
green god as compared to the idol of gold!
That's it. I'm going to make a call on my way home."
This he did, stopping at the home of Mary
Nestor, a pretty girl, who, rumor had it, was
tacitly engaged to Tom.
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