Part 16 (1/2)
”A light ray machine which explodes mines on land or sea. The affair is very complicated.”
At Penny's expression of doubt, Mrs. Leonard added: ”It really works too!
The first night the professor came here, he exploded a mine out in the lake. Such a splash as it made! I saw it with my own eyes! The professor expects to sell it to the Army or Navy for a lot of money.”
”If it will do all he claims, why hasn't the government taken it over before this?”
”Oh, it takes a long while to complete negotiations,” Mrs. Leonard replied. ”The professor is expecting an officer here tomorrow to witness another demonstration.”
”Where is the machine kept? In your house?”
”Oh, dear no! The professor has it in a little shack down by the lake.
You can see the place from here.”
Mrs. Leonard led the girls a short distance from the summer house, pointing through the trees to a knoll at the edge of Blue Hole Lake.
”The professor and his wife went down there a few minutes ago,” she revealed. ”Why don't you ask them to show you the invention? They might do it.”
”I doubt if we have time.”
”Oh, let's take time,” Louise urged. ”It sounds so interesting, Penny.”
Thus urged, Penny agreed, and with her chum, walked down the hill toward the lake.
”It sounds fishy to me,” she declared skeptically. ”Probably this professor is just a crack-pot who thinks he has a wonderful invention, but hasn't.”
”Mrs. Leonard said she saw a successful demonstration.”
”I know, Lou. But how could a light ray machine explode mines that were under water? Why, if it could be done, military warfare would be revolutionized!”
”Unbelievable changes are coming every day.”
”This one certainly is unbelievable! I'll take no stock in it unless I see the machine work with my own eyes!”
Approaching the shack, the girls saw no one. The door was closed. And it was locked, Penny discovered, upon testing it.
”No one here,” she said in disappointment.
”They must be around somewhere,” Louise declared, unwilling to give up.
”Maybe that car belongs to them.”
A sedan stood in a weed-grown lane not far away. Penny, turning to gaze carelessly at it, suddenly became excited.
”Lou, this trip has been worth while!” she cried. ”Look at the license number of that auto! It's D F 3005!”
CHAPTER 11 _A FAMILIAR CAR_
Louise gazed again at the automobile parked in the lane and at its mud-splattered license number.