Show fe erwel 0 TAL f y RILL compary COM SYNOPSIS percy darrow a young in earch of a job enters the office of boas mccarthy of new york me carthy has just been threatened by an anonymous message ordering him to flee to europe lie does not take the message seriously darrow goes up the elevator to try for position with dr knox suddenly the electric apparatus in the atlas building goes out of business experts are unable to locate the trouble all at once without apparent reason electric connections are restored the next evening mccarthy Is warned that unless he leaves at once for europe a sign will be cent him at alx prompt ly at that hour the entire electric apparatus of new york Is cut off percy darrow thinks he has a flue lie engages the help of jack warford a college ath lete they visit mccarthy and offer to run down the cause of his mysterious trouble mccarthy has just received another warning by wireless at six a deathly stillness falls on the atlas build ing blotting out till sound darrow Is arrested as he leaves the building he Is undisturbed because he believes he Is on the right track and that another por tent will appear at six this time the whole town Is thrown into darkness and all hearing suspended under cover of the confusion darrow escapes from lall the next morning darrow and warford SO to mccarthys McCar thys office just as the lat ter gets another warning darkness hits the atlas building in broad daylight CHAPTER XI 1 continued well show you all right bald he he sketched briefly for hallowell B benefit the reasoning already followed out and which it la therefore sary to repeat here so now he con eluded we will consider this hypothesis that these phenomena are caused by one man in control of a force capable of deadening vibrations in ether and solids within certain definite allm its why do you limit it cried hallowell because we have had but one danl test atlon at a time if this unknown were out really to frighten which seems to be his intention it would be much more effective to visit us with absolute darkness and absolute silence combined that would be really ter he has not done so therefore I 1 conclude that hla power Is allm cited in applicability that a little doubtful spoke tip jack of course said darrow cheerfully that s where we re going to win out on this sporting proposition with our lear brother eldridge he won t ac capt any hypothesis unless it Is absolutely copper riveted we will 1 I think you underestimate el dredge spoke up hallowell he s the only original think tank in a all lage of horse troughs 1 I don t underestimate him one bit countered darrow but we have a head start on him with our reasoning that a all hes absolutely sure to come to the conclusions I 1 have just detailed only bell get there a little more slowly that s why t want you in on this thing hallowell hows that we 11 publish everything up to date and cut the ground from under him you special grouch on el dredge anyway asked jack I 1 like to worry him replied percy darrow non at that moment the darkness als appeared as though some one had turned a switch the reporter the operator and the young as alt tant moved involuntarily as though lodging and blinked darrow shaded tie eye i with one hand and proceeded as though nothing had happened hero are the exclusive points of your story he said to hallowell handing a sheaf of yellow wireless forms 1 I got them in mccarthy s of flee they are messages from the un known wielder of the mysterious power to bis enemy the political boss there will be plenty who will conclude these messages to be the result of fanaticism after the fact that is to ay they will conclude some wireless amateur has taken advantage of natural phenomena and by claiming himself the author of them has attempted to use them again his enemy of course the answer to that Is that it the unknown lets call him mon bleur X did not cause these strange things he at least knew enough about them to predict them accurately you just leave that to me hum raed hallowell under his breath the reporter had been glancing over the wireless forms and bis eyes were with delight here Is the last one said darrow producing a crumpled yellow paper from his pocket 1 I vent back after if mccarthy my patience Is at an enal your last warning will be sent you at nine thirty this morning it you do not all on the celtic at noon 1 shall strike you are of a stubborn and a stiff necked generation but I 1 am your lord and ms te my wrath shall be visited on you or you shall die the death that bluffed him out said darrow and I 1 don t blame him now sim mona said he turning to the opera tor who had sat in utter silence how about it are you with us or us how do you mean demanded sim mona this said darrow sharply time has passed for concealment every message through the ether must now reach the public we must send messages back the case Is out of private hands it has become am to the people will you agree on your honor faithfully to transmit he leaned forward his indolent frame tense are you afraid 0 mccarthy he s been good to me its a family matter muttered the operator well darrow arose crossed to the operator and whispered to him tor a moment you see the seriousness you are an intelligent man the operator turned pale 1 I thought of that he muttered 1 I thought ot that of course I 1 m with you I 1 thought you would be drawled percy darrow slowly it you decided to be id have bad another man put in your place haan hadn t thought of that either had you no sir replied sammons well I 1 prefer you it s no job tor a quitter and I 1 believe you 11 stick stick repeated simmons well to work said darrow light ing the cigarette be bad been playing with send this out and see it you can reach monsieur X M he dictated slowly do you get this repeat that until you get a reply without comment the operator turn ed to hla key the long ripping crash es of the wireless sender followed the movements of his fingers 1 I get his I 1 I 1 he said after a moment it s almighty taint mccarthy has disappeared can no longer reach him with your messages he merely answers 1 I I 1 observed the operator dy the way asked darrow what Is your shift anyhow you on at night when this thing begane im still on at night but mr mccarthy sent me a message and asked me to stay on all this morning as a personal favor to him 1 I see then you re still on at night yes sir well tell monsieur X that fact put yourself at bis disposal and tell him bed better get all his messages to you rather than to the other operators here all right there s your story said darrow to hallowell its in those messages the scientific aspect will probably be done by somebody for the evening pa pers you better concentrate on mon afleur connection with mccarthy say my friend said hallowell earnestly do you think I 1 m a reporter here are the exclusive of your story tor the scientific american or a news paper all three rose the operator was busy crashing away at his leyden jars what next asked jack that depends on two things whether or not mccarthy takes the celtic interposed hallowell quickly and whether monsieur X will be satisfied with hta mere disappearance it he does not take the celtic supplemented darrow in any case weve got to find him lies unbalanced be possesses an immense and disconcert ang and dangerous power he is becom ing possessed of a banle des grandeury grandeurs gran deurs you remember the phrasing of his last message 1 I am your lord and master and my wrath shall be visited on you that Is the language of exaltation exalta uon Is not far short 0 irresponsible raving what possible clue began jack warford blankly when a man Is somewhere out in the ether there Is no clue replied darrow then how on earth can you hope to find him uy the exercise of pure reason raid darrow calmly CHAPTER XIII dabrowa Dar rowa challenge final warning to sammons as to the of any alon without consulting him darrow left the room hallowell hallo well listened to this advice with unmixed satisfaction the afternoon papers would not be able to get at his source of information tha reporter felt a slight wonder as to how darrow bad managed bla cen dency over the operator an in aulry as to that met with a shake of the head I 1 may have to ask your help in that later was his only reply at the corner after pushing through a curious crowd the men separated hallowell started tor the wharf jack warford for home at darrows request the scientist returned to his own apartments were he locked him self in and sat tor five hours cross legged on a divan staring straight ahead of him doing nothing at the end of that time he cautiously stretch ed bis legs sighed rose and looked into the mirror I 1 guess youre hungry he remark ed to the image therein it was now near mid afternoon percy darrow wandered out ate a leisurely meal at the nearest rant and sauntered up the avenue lie paused at a news stand to buy an afternoon paper glanced at the head and a portion of the text and smiled sweetly to himself then he retook betook himself by means of a bus to the warford residence helen was at home and in the 11 arary with her was professor el dredge the men greeted each other formally after a moment of gen eral conversation darrow produced the newspaper new I 1 see you have your theories in print he drawled very interesting I 1 dlan t know you d undertaken gram mer school physics instruction I 1 know I 1 m going to be grateful for any sort of instruction from any body interposed helen I 1 m all in the dark like the atlas building darrow smiled at her well beres a very good exposition in words of one syl lable I 1 II 11 leave you the paper professor what have you concluded as to the causes 7 they are yet to be determined pardon me drawled darrow they have been determined or at least their controlling power in what way may I 1 ask inquired professor eldradge formally very simply iby the exercise of a little reason I 1 am going to tell you because I 1 want you to start fairly with me and because you 11 know all about it in the morning anyway your idea the one you told us yesterday Is to be published cried helen leaning forward with interest the basis of it will be replied darrow now he turned to el dridge listen carefully im not going to indulge in many explanations malacha mccartay McCari Ay political boss of this city has made a personal enemy of a half crazed or at least unbalanced man who has in some way gained a limited power over and other vibrations this power monsieur X as I 1 call him the unknown has cm aloyed in fantastic manifestations designed solely for the purpose of frightening his enemy into leaving the coun try eldradge was listening with keenest attention his cold gray ayea glittering rosally ros behind their lenses you support your major hypothesis I 1 suppose he demanded calmly by wireless messages sent from monsieur X to mccarthy in which he predicts or appoints in advance the exact hour at which these manifesto alons take place in advance I 1 understand you to say precisely the proof Is as conclusive tor merely prophetic ability as tor power over the phenomena in formal logic not in common sense EI dridge reflected a moment further removing his glasses with the edge of which he tapped methodically the palm of his left hand helen had sunk back into the depths of her arm chair and was watching with immobile countenance but vividly interested eyes the progress of the duel granting for the moment your ma jor hypothesis eldradge stated at last 1 I follow your other essential statements the man Is unbalanced because he chooses such a method of accomplishing a simple end quite so ills power Is limited because it has been applied to but one manifestation of etherly vibration at a time and each manifestation has had a defined dura alon darrow bowed you are the only original think tank be quoted hal lowell s earlier remark you are most kind to place me in possession of these additional facts said eldradge resuming bis glasses for naturally my conclusions based on incomplete premises could hardly be considered more than tentative the happy accident of an acquaintance with the existence of these wireless mes sages and this personal enmity gave you a manifest but artificial advant age in the construction of your by prothesia po thesia did I 1 not see you in the corridor of the atlas building the day of the first electrical failure asked darrow certainly then you had just as much to go on as I 1 did drawled darrow half clos ing his eyes the long dark lashes fell across his cheek investing him in bis most harmless and look 1 I fall to yes you fall all right interrupted darrow you bad all the strings in babdj but you were a mile be bind me in the solution of this mys tery tell you why it was for the same reason that you re going to fail a second time now that once again I 1 ve put all the strings in your hands I 1 must confess I 1 fall to gather your meaning said professor coldly it was for the aade reason that al ways until bis death you were interior to dear old doctor Schermer hom as a scientist you are an almost perfect thinking machine darrow quite deliberately lighted a cigarette nipped the match into the grate and leaned back luxuriously professor eat bolt upright waiting helen warford watched them both you have no humanity you have no imagination stated darrow at last you follow the dictates of rigid acl ence and of logic most certainly eldradge agreed to this as to a compliment it takes you far continued dar row but not tar enough you observe only facts I 1 also observe men you will follow only where your facts lead I 1 am willing to take a leap in the dark have all this matter hunted out while you are proving your first steps that I 1 understand it Is a chal lenge demand touched in his pride of the scientific diagnostician that said percy darrow blandly Is a statement of fact we shall see surel agreed darrow now the thing to do la to find monsieur X I 1 youre going to fall a second time dont know whether your curiously cutel late mind has arrived at the point where it Is willing to admit the existence of monsieur X or not but it will the man who finds monsieur X wins now you know or can read in the morning paper every fact I 1 have go to if bowed formally there s one other thing went on darrow in a more serious tone of voice you have of course conald ered the logical result of this power carried to its ultimate possibility certainly replied eldridge coldly the question is euper flous it is a conclusion which many eclen minds will come to but which will escape the general public unless the surmise Is published for the present I 1 suggest that we use our in fluence to keep it out of the prints reflected you are quite right bald be and rose to go after his departure helen turned on darrow you were positively insulting she cried and in my bouse haw could you helen said darrow facing her squarely I 1 maintained rigidly all the outer forms of politeness that Is as far as I 1 will go anywhere with that man my statement to him is quite just be has no humanity what do you meant why are you so bitter asked helen a little subdued in her anger by the young man s evident earnestness you never knew doctor born did you helen he asked the funny little old german in deed I 1 dudl he was a dear he was one of the greatest scientists living and he was a dear that goes tar to explain him a gentle wise child like old man with cimagl nation and a heaven seeking soul he picked me up as a boy and was a fa ther to me I 1 was his scientific asi sostant until he was killed murdered by the foulest band of pirates lite passes and that Is long ago lie fell silent a moment and the girl looked on this unprecedented betrayal of feeling with eyes at once startled and sympathetic doctor schermerhorn went on darrow in bis usual faintly tired faint ly cynical tone worked ob and on for five years on a certain purely scientific discovery the nature of which you would not |