human
I'm sorry to admit that you are right, Mr. Moker! he said finally.
gpt
I made a mistake. The gage is set for a thousand feet instead of two hundred. I forgot to change it. The charge, after passing through the steel plate, and the scarecrow figure, destroying the latter, went on, and shot through the side of your house.
human
Ha! I knew you were trying to shoot me! exclaimed the still angry man.
gpt
I'll have the law on you for this!
human
Oh, that's all nonsense! broke in Ned Newton.
gpt
Everybody knows Tom Swift wouldn't try to shoot you, or any one else, Mr. Moker.
human
Then why did he shoot at me?
gpt
That was a mistake, explained Tom,
human
Humph! A lot of good that would do me, if I'd been killed! muttered the miser.
gpt
I'm going to sue you for this. You might have put me in my grave.
human
Impossible!
gpt
Why impossible?
human
Because I had so set the rifle that almost the entire force of the electrical bullet was expended in blowing apart the scarecrow figure I made for a test, explained Tom.
gpt
All that passed through your house was a small charge, and, if it HAD hit you there would have been no more than a little shock, such as you would feel in taking hold of an electric battery.
human
How do I know this? asked the man cunningly.
gpt
You say so, but for all I know you may have wanted to kill me.
human
Why?
gpt
Oh, so you might get some of my money. Of course I ain't got none, the miser went on quickly,
human
I wouldn't, declared the young inventor.
gpt
It was a mistake. Only part of the spent charge passed near you. Why, if it had been a powerful charge you would never have been able to come over here. I set the main charge to go off inside the scarecrow, and it did so, as you can see by looking at what's left of it,
human
How do I know this?
gpt
Because if the charge had gone off either before or after it passed through the figure, it would not have caused such havoc of the cloth and straw, explained Tom.
human
First the charge would have destroyed the steel plate, which it passed through without even denting it. Why, look here, I will now fire the rifle at short range, and set it to destroy the plate. See what happens.