| Show I Th The Black Blade Box of Silence r By Francis Lynde i r I by t f f t I O. O Irwin My Myer r. r let l i b by am Chapman y CHAPTER I IThe IThe Il 1 l The Black Box It was wu between the acts act I of ot the piny play Thu lh orchestra of ot a theater In Carthage a college town towo of or the Middle West was in 0 full tou swing when there thero sounded a faint fint dick from what appeared to be beaD bean ben an aD n overgrown pori portable able camera on the Iho lap lap of ot one of ot two young men seated ifs ln In the tho r right ht hand band proscenium box of or the tho theater and Instantly Instant the bowing lot of the violins the tle cellos and the bans bass Ithe the nn fingering of ot the tho brass brn and woodwind wood wood- wind the tapping of ot the padded sticks BUck on 00 the kettle drums became merely so ao mID many soundless gestures In a panto mime All AiL wee was dead silence The Tho two young men In the box who seemed to have line precipitated this extraordinary ex ex- nar state of ot affairs were both boat about of ot an age both Carthage born bornand bornand bornand and reared and both bolh graduates of ot the college e. Hut But with these thele basic particulars Tara the similarities paused abruptly Owen I Landis andl the one with tho the queer black box on his knees was built with a thin eager uger taco and nd dark hair an and ao eyes the eyes the eyes of ot ofa ota a dreamer and enthusiast I ills companion com com- panion Walter Markham was wall the town young town bout of ot a small city well dressed well fed yet not without s glimmer of ot penetrative shrewdness In fn his hili eyes eyell lo to prove his hili right to claim kinship l with his hili hard headed ell headed banker father Nor for an Interval measurable In seconds sec 1111 ends the soundless lIls pantomime continued continued con con- then theo suddenly and n as If It there had be been n no gap of ot silence the various ln Instruments burst Into full tull voice A wave ave of ot half halt bewilderment swept over the house bOWIe followed quickly by enthusiastic enthusiastic en en- applause the audience evidently evidently evi evl dently taking the pantomimic Interruption interruption Inter inter- for tor a skillful bit of ot stage business bust busi ness Dell on the part of ot the orchestra Wonderful Markham exclaimed under cover of ot the thA resumed music As you said ald Owen It has to be seen lIeen to be believed Why didn't you keep It up upa a bit lon longer Landis shook his hili head bend I didn't dare to let Itt It go on In two seconds more snore there would have been a panic I I figured that for tor just Jast about so long Schomberg's men would go ItO on bowing and nd fingering automatically as as they did Dut But when realization came there'd be chaos I meant to anticipate anticipate antici antici- pate that moment and amI I did dill couldn't vet Jet It go 0 over the brink you know knol Black magic I Markham comment comment- ed Is this what youve you've been working on all these there months month that youve you've been holed up op In your laboratory den Youve said ald It it Well now youve you've got It II what what's s the answer I mean how bow does It do It ltD As AI Ive I've told you It I. I li Is simple enough in principle fly Ily radio we WI transmit sound and make It do our bidding My problem was to find a circuit which Instead of ot amplifying the received sounds would Itself operate to neutralize neutral neutral- ize hI them Once my hn basic lc circuit was developed all It asked o I for n I a pretty long nA series of ot experiments Now youve you've found the answer to your problem what are arc you going to todo todo todo do with It 1 7 Come around to my shop with me after atler the piny play and Ill I'll talk It out with you 1011 you Landis said adding Most ost Inventors In Mentors and discoverers are short on practical sense lIens sense common common sense sense and Im I'm no exception Maybe you can supply what Im I'm lacking in that re ro re- re Two hours later the two young men were seated In La Landis' Landis nil la workshop laboratory lab lab- oratory On the walk from the theater Landis had tried to explain as un un- technically ns III he could the successive 1 steps taken In the development of ot his hll astonishing Invention What That youve you've been saying Is mostly Greek Creek to ml me Markham offered Just Jut the Mine lame I can call surround the fact no ne consigned all right right having having had the demonstration But Hut now the question arises what hat Imo have you got goU Clin un it II be hI put to any useful use USI Possibilities Landis queried l. They are almost Illmo t unlimited The trouble la is that they are orl bad as well BR as goo good Shoot said laid the son lIOn of small city wealth Im listening The circuit or whatever Ir you choose to call It will wIH operate at a distance I I ilont dont know Just yet et It how far far and It will pass SS either through or around l obstructions Turn furn a switch and you youcan youcan ou can sleep deep In silence as liS profound a as Ai that of ot a mountain top so far as noh noises noh's s 's Are concerned Huh luht I sou sounds lids a II good bit hit like Alice Ure in Wonderland nut Hut what else If It you slop stop the racket for tor yourself you stop top It 11 for fr everybody e else 1151 a as well dont don't you your f fAt At short hort distances as tonight In Inthe Inthe inthe the theater r yes Take fur for example a steam whistle a n mile mUe awn away In the Ihl Immediate immediate Im im- mediate neighborhood of ot the whistle the sound pound Is Ii normal or nearly so it a listener within a radius of or say lOay a quarter of a mile rolle would scarcely detect detect de lk any muting of ot the blast It U Is ts really muted at Its Itt source Ito Ito- yond ond this Inner circle the l sound bound dimin diminIshes diminishes quite rapidly until at about half halfa a mile It has bOB vanished completely In your dt demonstration tonight you connected the thing ith the theater the r lighting circuit Does Docs that menu n that I you are tied to electric power plants I for Its use Not at alL aiL An automobile storage battery will wilt operate the box for far a i Jt lusi Ste lime Ule Markham nodded slowly Dont you know Owen it t all listens a good bit like IlIre a r pipe dream So It does docs to me not Bat what t. t U- U worse I cant can't get awo away from the ferlIng tellIng tell feel Ing tug that Im I'm In the fix of ot the man who Invented the f Frankenstein thing Meaning 1 Meaning the frightful uses uell to which this contrivance of ot mine could could- be put in the committing of ot crime Yon You might say there Is no DO end to them Noise Is I the burglars burglar's chief menace with this box of mine coupled I to a lighting I socket he could wreck the lower story atory of or a house or blow the strongest bank vault in perfect security so BO far tar ns as the noise was concerned So a also 1110 with the use UBe of ot firearms You see 11 what J. J f A T Tf i s1 s 's 1 Iv li III 11 1 l i t I 1 t II In the Possession of a Criminal There Thre It Is Simply No Limit to the Harm the Thing Might Do I mean In true the possession of ot a criminal criminal crim crim- inal there Is II simply no limit to the harm barm the thing might do How flow many people know about aboul your Invention Owen Up to ro this minute Just two of ot us us- us you and myself I haven't talked about It to anybody partly because the tare whole thing was experimental and I didn't want to have bave to answer a lot ot of curious questions But nut now as Ive I've said Im I'm like the man mon who Invented the Frankenstein thing In Mrs 1 Shelleys Shelley's story When I think of all the Ule harm harmIt It might do In the wrong hands I feel as BI If It I ought to tie a stone to the box and pitch It Into the river There was a thoughtful pause and at the end of ot It Markham said Mid You Yon are ara quite sure Bure nobody else elso knows about It I hope I am L nave lave you any reason renon to to 10 doubt it Not what you could call a reason no 00 nut But I have worked here In the lab a good many nights sometimes until quite late lall and there have been blen moments moments mo mo- ments when Ive I've had a n queer feeling that I wasn't alone that somebody was spying on me autosuggestion auto PS tion I guess Markham nodded Well let that part of ot It rest and pass on to the material ma ma- things You want to make moke some money out of ot this Invention of or yours dont don't you Or are you too ton much of ot an Inventor to look that far ahead Landis smiled Im not quite so much of ot a dreamer as al that Wally If It I could rould only be sure BUrl the tho thing wouldn't be put to evil uses uses uses- like to see some hard hartl cash results Murk Markham ham finished for him That chat Is II right and proper proper and and hu hu- nm man n. n I suppose so while I was at nt work on It I did I-did did think that If It should prove a success It t might help me find a place as a research man tuan with one of ot the bl big electric companies Too modest as you usually are arl grunted Markham Theres There a frilly fortune furtune In that hoc box It If its it's properly ex plotted Hut But to make money out of ot otan an Invention you have to spend money Suppose you let me talk tl to dad dad n In strict con confidence of ot course do tint that for r me ml Sure guro I would Why hy not There was n II moment of silent embarrassment embarrassment em Im and then said half apologetically live 1 m me a day or orso orso orso so to 10 think about It Wally I want to see 10 If It I cant can't fight ht down that feeling about the criminal 1 possibilities Its It's fearfully good of ot you to of offer er to 10 step stepIn In and I I- I cut the protests short Take ns as much time ns as you jou ou want of course And Anil never nl mind min the thc a Weve We've been bien pretty pret chummy for a good many years ars you jou ou and I I. I Owen ant and nJ It would be hi a alty pity If U either of ot us wouldn't gl give gate I the tho other a hand when lien the chance Ilance offered Then with witha a glance Jlane at ut his 1111 watch If It it wasn't 10 so 0 late lute 1 Id I'd 1 stay SIllY a bit longer rawhide rawhide raw raw- hide you ou about another matter But Hut ButI I guess the other matter mailer will keep keel It Isn't lute late for inc me What Whal have O I been tI doing that I ou ought ht not to ha have 1 done donl I 1 was watching you jou ou tonight when Hetty on lO was wal on an the th stage l. l I Iguess Ipu pu gUl guess 9 S you know good and well what I saw lIaw Landis flushed boyishly and look looked Id I'd Jw d down 1 You didn't see sel anything more than you have known for a good while l' Markham larkham laughed Nothing more than all Carthage tins has known for that matter Hut But say ay boy boy what what tin II you ou think a girl is made ninda of on For or a half half- year and bettor jouve youve hurled burled yourself In this work shack hack of at yours anil It If jouve youve thought anything n at 01 all about Betty Hetty j youve taken It out In thinking What social pleasure she's enjoyed t J she's hat hai to forage forns for tor In other oilier the the amateur theatrical mot mote mot meats ments for Instance Ive I've chased her ber about a little not little-not not nearl nearly so much as asI I wanted to tOo tnt tnt youve you've simply Ignored her Owen you know you have Th The J laggard In love spoke op up quickly You are not saying BayIng It all Wally Wally- not speaking for tor yourself I mean nut But you dont don't need nerd to Ive I've known ever since last year yf how It Is II with you You are In love with Betty netty yourself That is III one reason why Ive I've burled buried myself In my Job joh here here to to give Ie you and her a chance hanco to find out where whre you both holh stand No dont don't make any mistake It Isn't any silly knightly chivalry on my part part just Just t common decency It If I should marry Im I'm not even sure InrI I could feed and clothe a wife And when poverty comes In at atthe atthe the door door door- Oh shush I t You needn't nee quote proverbs at nf me Dont Don't you suppose I know that I dont don't stand a Chinaman's chance with Betty Hetty What Im I'm beefing about Is II the WilT way you scamp your chances with juer Theres There's another In 10 the field Did you know that tho t r Landis' Landis face tace fell tell Not Xo I You Yon dont don't mean menn that Wally I II II I do Indeed this new OIW fellow Canby Canby Can Can- by who Is cutting such a wide swath with hU his wonderful development scheme for Carthage Going to make It another another another an an- other Chicago overnight and all that He lie Is II rushing Betty Hetty to a t finish and she ahe seems II to like it it itA A of ot fine line lines appeared between Landis' Landis fye eyes I dont don't like Canby Wally what Wally what little Ive I've seen of ot him Just JUt the same he Is exactly the kind of ot brute to take a girls girl's fancy good lookIng good looking dashing of man man- the world ger that sort Betty Hetty Is plenty sensible but at nt the same Mine time she Is human There Ive I've said suit my sa say and now V Ill I'll toddle alono along What do yo you yoa do with this priceless C casket lt of ot yours jour ours take overnight take It to bed bpd with you Not quite that I keep kelp it here knelt before a small safe s under the laboratory work bench opened It It put the black box Inside and twirled the combination I see 1111 safe bind safe Bare find said Markham with a laugh for a weak weRk pun Let Iet me know when or when or If If- If you OU want me to have a talk with dad about the financing So Sn long t. t So ranch much for tor the night when Betty Hetty Lawson son daughter of ot true the physics professor pro pro- professor fessor nt at tho college starred In their Little Theater associations association's production luc tion At a comparatively early hour the following tollo morning Wally ally Markham Markham Mark Mark- ham getting out his roadster ron to drive to town for tor a box of congratulatory tory roses roIS to he be taken to the successful successful success success- s. s ful tul actress s. s was called to the tele tele- phone A strained voice that he barely barely bare bore ly Iy recognized as en carne me to him over the wire Is rs that you ally For heavens heaven's sake come orne around lucre here to the house houe houseas as quick as you can cnn My Iy safes safe's be been n opened and the black box Is III gone I CHAPTER II IIA IIA IIA A Blind Lead Landis was wa waiting waIling at the driveway gate tate when Markham Markhams roadster came cam cameto to a stand and hi his thin face seemed to have grown haggard overnight It wasn't my Imagination Ima after all that that feeling I told toM you about last night the feeling that some ome one was wall spying upon me as nil I worked he hf said And ns as they entered th the small building build build- Ing This li is Just as I found it a few minutes before I phoned you Markham stooped to look Into Inlo the safe the door of ot which was standing open It was opened on the combination he be said salt Of or course course It It had to be bl The thief knew v what was as inside and knew know that he couldn't dynamite the safe Rare without taking a long chance of ot d destroying the thin thIng he was after I found It just asIt asit as ns It stands now the bolts shot and the dial IRI standing landing on the final figure of ot the combination Um that brings on more moll talk right at the beginning of at things Somebody know your combination The 1111 question seemed to plunge the Inventor Into a deep pit of embarrassment embarrass embarrass- s. s ment I 1 cant can't say positively Wally ally nut Hut but the one person who may know the con com combination hI nation In is ns as far tar above nho suspicion ns DS the stars ar are above aho the 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