Part 28 (2/2)
”I am.”
”Great ginger, wait till I get Rear-admiral ---- and Secretary ---- on the 'phone. It's late but they'll get out of bed to hear this news.”
But it transpired that both the officials were at a reception and Thurman was asked to wait till they could be rushed at top speed to the wireless station in automobiles. At last everything was ready and Thurman, while drops of sweat rolled down his face, rapped out his treachery and sent it flas.h.i.+ng from the antennae across the sea.
”Thank you,” came the reply when he had finished, ”the secretary also wishes me to thank you and a.s.sure you of your reward. Secret Service men will meet the s.h.i.+p at the pier.”
”And Jack Ready, what about him?”
”He will be taken care of. You had better proceed to Was.h.i.+ngton as soon as possible after you land.”
”How much will the reward be?” greedily demanded Thurman.
”The secretary directs me to say that it will be suitable,” was the rejoinder.
The next morning, when Jack came on duty, he sent a personal message to Uncle Toby via Siasconset. This was it:
”Universal detector a success. Will you wire Was.h.i.+ngton of my intention to proceed there with all speed when I arrive?
”JACK.”
Late that day he got back an answer that appeared to astonish him a good deal, for he sat knitting his brows over it for some moments.
”Was.h.i.+ngton says some ding-gasted sneak has been cutting up funny tricks. Looks like you have been talking.
”TOBY READY.”
This characteristic message occupied Jack for some moments till he thought of a reply to its rather vaguely worded contents. Then he got Siasconset and shot this through the air:
”Have talked to no one who could have seen Was.h.i.+ngton. My last letter to the Secretary of the Navy was that I thought I was on the road to success.
”JACK.”
No reply came to this and Jack went off watch with the matter as much of a mystery as ever. But as Thurman came in to relieve him a sudden suspicion shot across Jack's mind. Could Thurman have----?
He recalled the night he had caught him examining the device with such care! Jack had since removed it, but in searching in the waste basket for a message discarded by mistake he had since come across what appeared to be crude sketches of the Universal Detector. If Thurman had not drawn them, Jack was at a loss to know who had. But for some mysterious reason he only smiled as he left the wireless room.
”If you've been up to any hocus-pocus business, Mr. Thurman,” he said to himself, as he descended to dinner, ”you are going to get the surprise of your life within a very short time.”
After dinner he came back to the upper deck again, but as he gained it his attention was arrested by the scream of the wireless spark. It was a warm night and the door of the cabin was open. Jack stopped instinctively to listen to the roaring succession of dots and dashes.
”He's calling Was.h.i.+ngton,” said Jack to himself as he listened.
”He's got them,” he exclaimed a minute later.
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