"
"They are, indeed," agreed Tom. "I guess the way in which we
handled that fire in the red shed sort of discouraged them."
Lieutenant Marbury shook his head.
"They're not so easily discouraged as that," he remarked. "And,
with the situation in Europe growing more acute every day, I am
afraid some of those foreigners will take desperate measures to
gain their ends."
"What particular ends do you mean?"
"Well, I think they will either try to so injure you that you
will not be able to finish this aerial warship, or they will
damage the craft itself, steal your plans, or damage some of your
other inventions."
"But what object would they have in doing such a thing?" Tom
wanted to know. "How would that help France, Germany or Russia,
to do me an injury?"
"They are seeking to strike at the United States through you,"
was the answer. "They don't want Uncle Sam to have such
formidable weapons as your great searchlight, the giant cannon,
or this new warship of the clouds."
"But why not, as long as the United States does not intend to
go to war with any of the foreign nations?" Tom inquired.
"No, it is true we do not intend to go to war with any of the
conflicting European nations," admitted Lieutenant Marbury, "but
you have no idea how jealous each of those foreign nations is of
all the others.
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