Curlie Carson Listens In

door into the secret tower room, he was se

poke in an excited whisper. "Listen to that! It's the

rk. The message was a reprimand. Kindly, friendly but firmly, it told Curlie that for two nights now someone in his area had been breaking in on 600. Coast-to-ship mess

de. Then, with trembling fingers, he adjusted a lever, touched a button, turned a screw

ver from his head, "that means that this fellow that

o," said Coles, w

you do a

, then there. I marked his locations. They were never the same. See," he

did he

pad. "Can't make head nor tail to it. Something a

ind of

girl. She might have changed her voice to disguise it. You can't tell. Had

you can be sure of in this strange old world. You can always be sure that you neve

and we're not doing a thing about it. Don't look like we could. I've got a theory but you can't go searching the estate

ne, map, ship and much gold? Do you suppose it's some smuggling scheme, some plan to get a l

bout us is being torn to shreds every night by some careless or criminal person; that we're getting a black eye and a reprimand from the department; that sea traffic is being interrupted;

rest of the shift. I want to think. I think best when I'm alone; when the wires sing me a song; when the air whispers to me out of the night; when the ghosts of dead radio-men, ghosts of operators who joked with death

ters, shivering, "you

oor, leaving Curlie slumped down in his chai

g scarcely to breathe, stirring now and then a

t up with a start t

diophone with a radiophone. A radiophone on wheels? Tha

elephone receiv

tral

ke him up. This is Curlie Carson. Yes, it's important. No, I'll tell you. Don't bother to wake him now-h

radio mechanic assigned to his station. He would

chair but did not remain in

ud speakers came a

at had whispered to him before. "I saw you to-night. That was dangerous

ing the campus coil Curlie

gain. "It's hard to be whispering into the

r knob. He was sorely tempted to tune in and

re was danger in it. This might be a trap. They might locate his

yourself wrong side out was great! But please do be careful. It's big, Curlie, big!" again the whi

isper

ring mystery, you're spoiling my technique. Your very terrible friend didn't send any message to-night and the one h

he one tuned to 1200, began to rattle. Then, in the full, determi

m ni

and miles of air, this great

as ghostly. Cold perspiratio

ocation from which this message was sent. He kn

Service will be on my back for letting that lion roar. I ough