THURMAN PLOTS.
It was two nights before the _Columbia_, on her homeward voyage, entered
New York harbor. On the trip across she had once more had the big
British greyhound of the seas for a rival. But this time there was a
different tale to tell. The _Columbia_ was coming home, as Billy Raynor
put it, "with a broom at the main-mast head."
All day the wireless snapped out congratulations from the shore. Jack
was kept busy transmitting shore greetings and messages from returning
voyagers who had chosen the finest ship under the stars and stripes on
which to return to the United States. Patriotism ran riot as every
bulletin showed the _Columbia_ reeling over two or three knots more an
hour than her rival. One enthusiastic millionaire offered a
twenty-dollar gold piece to every fireman, and five dollars each to all
the other members of the crew, if the _Columbia_ beat her fleet rival by
a five-hour margin. The money was as good as won.
Thurman sat in the wireless room. His head was in his hands and he was
thinking deeply. Should he or should he not send that message to
Washington which, he was sure, would cause Jack's arrest the instant the
ship docked. He had struggled with his conscience for some time. But
then the thought of the reward and the fancied grudge he owed Jack
overtopped every other consideration. He seized the key and began
calling the big naval station.
It was not long before he got a reply, for when not talking to warships
the land stations of the department use normal wave-lengths.
"Who is this?" came the question from the government man.
"It's X. Y. Z," rapped out Thurman.
This was the signature he had appended to his other messages.
"The thunder you say," spelled out the other; "we thought we'd never
hear from you again."
"Well, here I am."
"So it appears. Well, are you ready to tell us who this chap is who's
been mystifying us so?"
"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 flashing from the antennæ across the sea.
"Thank you," came the reply when he had finished, "the secretary also
wishes me to thank you and assure you of your reward. Secret Service men
will meet the ship at the pier."
"And Jack Ready, what about him?"
"He will be taken care of. You had better proceed to Washington 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 Washington 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.
"Washington 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 Washington. 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 Washington," said Jack to himself as he listened.
"He's got them," he exclaimed a minute later.
"Hullo! Hullo! I guess I was right in my guess, then, after all. Oh,
Thurman, what a young rascal you are."
He listened attentively as Thurman shot out his message to the National
Capital. Jack repeated it in an undertone as the spark crackled and
squealed.
"Do--I--get--my--reward--right--away?"
Jack actually burst, for some inexplicable reason, into a hearty laugh.
"Oh, Thurman! Thurman!" he exploded to himself. "What a badly fooled
young man you are going to be."