Tom Swift and His Deep Sea Hydrodome Read Online Free

boasting lamp is on, he thought.
    "You know," she had said after a pause, "this may be fate working its wonders. I was planning a move to the east coast. I’m not satisfied with my work here at the U.S. Attorney’s office. Do you suppose Swift Enterprises would be interested in a lawyer with a background in patent law and commercial contracts?"
    "I don’t know," Bud had said. "I don’t think I’ve ever met the Enterprises lawyer, but I know he has a staff working under him. If you’d like, I’d be glad to—"
    But she already had a card in her hand, which she had pressed into Bud’s. "You’ll pass this along, won’t you, little boy?"
    "I promised her I would, Tom," Bud concluded.
    "I’ll give her card to Willis Rodellin," Tom said, holding out his hand. Glancing at the name on the card, he frowned.
    "Something wrong, skipper?" Bud asked.
    After a thoughtful silence, Tom shrugged. "No. It’s just that her name kind of rings a bell. I don’t know why. Maybe I read about one of her court cases somewhere. I guess that’s not too unlikely, if she deals in patents and the like."
    "Well," said Bud, "if it’s her last name that’s got your attention, I asked her if she had any relatives in the instant-coffee business—but it’s the wrong spelling."
    "I’ll pass along the card," Tom promised. But his face still wore a thoughtful expression as he set the card down on his desk, face up. The card read:
    AMELIA K. FOGER, ESQ.
    This was one time Tom Swift would have done well to have recalled some details of Swift family history!

CHAPTER 3
WHEN SALT FLIES
    WHEN TOM returned home for dinner that evening, he was pleased to see that his father was up and around. Except for a couple ugly bruises peeping out from behind the bandages on the scientist’s face, he was every bit his usual energetic self.
    Awaiting supper, the two sat in the den and spoke of the events of the last couple days. "I’m afraid this fouls up our trip to the city of gold, son," Mr. Swift said with a wry smile.
    "Never mind that, Dad," Tom replied. "The important thing is that you’re all right. And as far as science is concerned, finding a major new source of helium is more than enough!"
    "You’ve tested the sample?" asked Mr. Swift eagerly.
    "Yes, and the Swift Spectroscope confirms it."
    "Fine, fine," his father said. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, then added, "Tom, we’d better notify the government of this at once. It’s too important to keep to ourselves."
    "I certainly agree," Tom replied with earnest enthusiasm. "Whom should I contact?"
    "Bronson at the Bureau of Mines. He’s in charge of all helium production. I’ve dealt with him before. Enterprises, and the Swift Construction Company, have a history with that office that goes back to your great-grandfather’s time." Mr. Swift was referring to Tom’s famous namesake, the first Tom Swift.
    "I’ll call him first thing in the morning, Dad," Tom promised.
    The next day found Tom in the Enterprises teleconference room, sitting across a table from the televised image of Assistant Director Leo Bronson. When Tom reported the undersea discovery, the gray-haired government official was very enthusiastic. "If everything pans out, this find of yours could be significant indeed, along the lines of your discoveries in Antarctica, Africa, and the rare-earths mine in New Guinea. You gentlemen certainly are keeping us busy! If we could organize production on a large scale, it would revolutionize half a dozen fields of research and development! For example, cargo-carrying balloons would be much cheaper than the present system of freight-carrying planes, and they could make use of the jetstream—so I’m told. And besides the obvious technological uses to which helium might be put, it would really expedite our space-flight program!" Bronson declared.
    "The space program?" Tom puckered his brow. "What’s the connection, sir? Is the government planning to use helium balloons?"