Page:Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers.djvu/85

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OFF FOR THE WEST
75

in such tones as she had used. For Mary Nestor was a girl that any young chap would have been glad to have manifest an interest in him.

"Well, I guess I'll have to say good-by," spoke Tom, at length. "We expect to start in a couple of days, and I may not get another chance to see you."

"Oh, I—I hope you come back safely," faltered Mary, and then she held out her hand, and Tom—well, it's none of our affair what Tom did after that, except to say that he hurried out, fairly jumped into his monoplane, and completed the trip home.

As the Red Cloud has been fully described in the volume entitled "Tom Swift and His Airship," we will not go into details about it now. Sufficient to say that it was a combination of a biplane and dirigible balloon. It could be used either as one or the other, and the gasbag feature was of value when the wind was too great to allow the use of the planes, or when the motive power, for some reason stopped. In that event the airship could remain suspended far above the clouds if necessary. There was provision for manufacturing the gas on board.

The Red Cloud was fitted up to accommodate about ten persons, though it was seldom that