Tom Swift and His Sky Racer or The Quickest Flight on ... - Fourmilab

Chapter 21“Will He Live?”Soon there were busy scenes in the <strong>Swift</strong> home, as preparations were madef<strong>or</strong> a serious operation on the aged invent<strong>or</strong>. <strong>Tom</strong>’s father had sunk into deepunconsciousness, <strong>and</strong> was stretched out on the bed as though there was no m<strong>or</strong>elife in him. In fact, <strong>Tom</strong>, f<strong>or</strong> the moment, feared that it was all over. But goodold Dr. Kurtz, noting the look on the lad’s face, said:“Ach, Dom, doan’t v<strong>or</strong>ry! Maybe it vill yet all be vell, und der vater villhear of der great race. Bluck up your courage, und doan’t gif up. Der greatestsurgeon in der v<strong>or</strong>ld is here now, und if anybody gan safe your vater, HerrHendriz gan. Dot vos a great drip you made—a great drip!”<strong>Tom</strong> felt a little comf<strong>or</strong>ted <strong>and</strong>, after a sight of his father, <strong>and</strong> a silent prayerthat God would spare his life f<strong>or</strong> years to come, the young invent<strong>or</strong> went out inthe yard. He wanted to be busy about something, f<strong>or</strong> he knew, with the doct<strong>or</strong>s,<strong>and</strong> a trained nurse who had been hastily summoned, there was no immediateneed f<strong>or</strong> him. He wanted to get his mind off the operation that would soon takeplace, <strong>and</strong> so he decided to look over his aeroplane.Mr. Damon came out when <strong>Tom</strong> was going over the guy wires <strong>and</strong> braces,to see how they had stood the strain.“Well, <strong>Tom</strong>, my lad,” said the eccentric man, sadly, as he grasped our hero’sh<strong>and</strong>, “it’s too bad. But hope f<strong>or</strong> the best. I’m sure your father will pullthrough. We will have to begin taking the Humming-Bird apart soon; won’twe, if we’re going to ship it to Eagle Park?” He wanted to take <strong>Tom</strong>’s mind offhis troubles.“I don’t know whether we will <strong>or</strong> not,” was the answer, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tom</strong> tried tospeak unbrokenly, but there was a troublesome lump in his throat, <strong>and</strong> a mistof tears in his eyes that prevented him from seeing well. <strong>The</strong> Humming-Bird,to him, looked as if she was in a fog.“Nonsense! Of course we will!” cried Mr. Damon. “Why, bless my wishbone!<strong>Tom</strong>, you don’t mean to say you’re going to let that little shrimp Andy Fogerwalk away with that ten-thous<strong>and</strong>-dollar prize without giving him a fight f<strong>or</strong> it;are you?”This was just what <strong>Tom</strong> needed, <strong>and</strong> it seemed good to have Mr. Damon93