Dr. Alton smiled, but gave no answer.
"After you had lifted the steamship up into the air," said Luther, "how
soon could you get her across the ocean?"
"That's for the captain to decide. He could do it comfortably in an
hour or two--or, in five or ten minutes, if he were really in a hurry."
"Oh, I say, Drowsy, come down to earth again, and join us."
"No, I can't come down when I once get up. But I don't blame you for
not believing it, Luther. I only believe it myself when I see it
working. It is really easy to understand, though, when you know that
electro magnetic waves in the ether are cavorting through space at the
rate of about a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles a second, forced
by our friends the electrons. There's no reason why my device should
not go at about the same rate. That would take our passengers and cargo
across the ocean in considerably less than one minute."
Dr. Alton shook his head. "No, Cyrus, that's too sudden even for a
Yankee."
Luther assumed an expression of alarm. "Do you think Cyrus will get
over this, Doctor? Is he wild on other subjects, or is it only one
screw that's loose?"
Cyrus laughed and turned toward his father. "What an awful joke if
Luther should be right! I could easily believe it a crazy dream if one
or two scientists had not already prophesied it. The thing was sure to
come. And now that it's here it seems too simple to be true. I merely
happen to be the first man to stumble on it."
"Just what is it?" said Luther. "How do you do it? What's the process?"
For an instant their eyes met. To Luther came an odd sensation he had
known as a boy--that the tranquil gaze of Cyrus was reading his secret
thoughts. As his thoughts at that moment were not for publication the
sensation was disturbing. To hide his embarrassment he turned away
toward Dr. Alton, and made a joking remark about trips to Europe, over
and back, on Saturday afternoon. "It even beats wireless," he said.
"Well, rather!" said Cyrus. "Wireless will soon be a back number."
Again Luther whistled. "Wireless a back number! Well, that's certainly
going some!"
But Dr. Alton showed little surprise, merely regarding his son more
attentively. "What is to take its place, Cyrus?"
"Just the spoken word. Its transmission through the ether with no
mechanical appliance for sending or for receiving."