"My name is Ivan Petrofsky, and I have only
lately come to live here."
"I'm Tom Swift, of Shopton, and this is my chum, Ned Newton," replied
the young inventor, completing the introductions. He was wondering why
the man, who seemed a cultured gentleman, should live in such a lonely
place, and he was wondering too how he happened to have some platinum.
"Will that answer?" asked Mr. Petrofsky, when they had reached his
house, and he had handed Tom several strips of the precious silverlike
metal.
"Do? I should say it would! My, but that is the best platinum I've seen
in a long while!" exclaimed Tom, who was an expert judge of this metal.
"Where did you get it, if I may ask?"
"It came from a lost mine in Siberia," was the unexpected answer.
"A lost mine?" gasped Tom.
"In Siberia?" added Ned.
Mr. Petrofsky slowly nodded his head, and smiled, but rather sadly.
"A lost mine," he said slowly, "and if it could be found I would be the
happiest man on earth for I would then be able to locate and save my
brother, who is one of the Czar's exiles," and he seemed shaken by
emotion.
Tom and Ned stood looking at the bearded man, and then the young
inventor glanced at the platinum strips in his hand while a strange and
daring thought came to him.
CHAPTER II
A DARING PROJECT
While Tom and his chum are in the house of the Russian, who so strangely
produced the platinum just when it was most needed, I am going to take
just a little time to tell you something about the hero of this story.
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