Curlie Carson Listens In

er room alone. Joe Marion was away helping to

at it for months, Curlie had never quite got used to it. A detective he was in the

cases which had lately developed: the one at the hotel and that other, the station that moved. How was he to locate that powerful secret station in the hote

mportance. There was a conference of nations at that moment going on in Europe. America's representative must be kept in constant touch with the government officia

sometimes waited for hours to get a message ashore on 600. If this person were to be allowed to break in upon them they might wait hours longer. Thousa

n that it is a great, new servant of mankind and not a toy? When will they take time to instruct themselves rega

er. But little by little they will learn some thing

to the loud speaker tuned to 200. A message came floatin

id. "You don't know me

rd while his mind gauged the distance. His right hand scrawled some figur

on, "and I like your looks.

t in his secret chamber away up there against the sky, Curlie felt as if some spirit-being was

isper rose shrilly. "But you must be careful. You must not let him know the place where you listen in. I don't know where it is. B

e, Curlie sat up. "Well, now," he whispered s

hisper, though how you can tell a girl's whisper is more than I know

in thought. Then with an excl

I've got the

s, then put a pencil point

ed. "It's the hote

There came the rattle

, "it's you. I'm glad you're here. Got something I want

op

With a bound he was out of t

grin, "will either die young or become famo

lighted halls, at last to climb a stair to the first basement. Then, having passed into his accustomed eating place, he paused long enough to purc

from the damp cool of the night or from nervous excitement, he could n

ter, he was still four blocks from the point of his destination. Covering this distance with rapid strides, he came to the rear of the hotel. There, dodgi

r the moment he was safe, he cast a glance upward to where the aerials of the radiophone glistened in the moonlight. From that point he

een his teeth a sudd

he right of the wires that led to the aerial

the binocular and suddenly there appeared upon the wall of the building a round spot of brilliant light. The size of

voluntary whisper f

d against the wall. Quickly as it had been withdrawn, Curlie had seen

muttered incredulously. "And it was sh

his instrument and was about to make his way out of the yard when, w

losed up like a jack knife. He fell, face down, com

is ear. The weight on his back was

e," he manag

along," sai

ht was partly lifted from his back. The

ir contortionist. He was exceedingly slim and limber and had learned many of the tricks of the co

st persons would have done. When the pressure grew le

nt to believe him injured in some way and at the

en with a rush which set every muscle in action, he thrust his head between his knees, gripped his

t, dodged behind a taxi, shot past three moving cars, leaped

wooden door. A hook could be reached through the hole. The hook quickly lifted, he found himself inside a narro

e street where, with a low whistled tune, he made his way back toward the h

but he sure wanted to detain me for some reason or other. But say!" he mused; "how

200 just to mislead me. Who knows? You've got to be wise as a serpent when you play this game, that's wha

will think I'm one of the d

e boarded a car to make his wa

in the mysterious radio world that hangs like