$-Rays by Henry Leverage Page 4

  hand with a handkerchief, and disconnected

  Aldrich followed Drew who led the

  the wire from the water pipe.

  way down the steps and then along the street.

  “A ground!” he exclaimed. “The plate

  The detective split. Drew posted two men at

  you see there with the collectors in front of it the entrance of the building where Monneson

  was grounded to the water-main. Take a look

  had an office and a small exchange-room at the plate. There’s no danger now.”

  below the level of the sidewalk.

  “It’s gold!” declared Aldrich. “It’s

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  14

  gold on the street side. It’s so heavy I can’t lift This door was« tottering on its hinges

  it.”

  as Drew sprang forward and seized an ax. His

  “What’s the other metal? What’s the

  third blow sent it inward where it crashed

  plate made of?”

  upon a stone floor. Drawing a revolver Drew

  “Looks like lead,” said Aldrich.

  charged through the gloom. His light flashed

  “All right—leave it. This is the as he stood in the center of a dark vault and receiving end of the game. This is where all searched each corner.

  your gold has come. Now for the other end—

  “All right, boys,” he called. “Come in

  the sending end. Monneson ought to be the whole game is here.”

  there!”

  Lights were lit by the detectives who

  Drew gave instructions to the had found the snap-switches. Aldrich stepped detectives as he passed through the outer over the fallen door and reached Drew’s side.

  office. He climbed the stairs to the street, two The vault presented the appearance of a

  steps at a time. “Come on!” he snapped to

  cyclone-cellar struck by a cyclone. Wreckage Aldrich. “Come on, quick! The quarry is at the was everywhere. A large rotary-generator,

  other place—I thought this would be the driven by a motor, had been overturned and generating end.”

  smashed with a hammer. From this, wires led

  Aldrich followed after the detective,

  to a huge, lead disk that was supported by

  his head in a whirl. They mounted the four

  glass insulators of the petticoat pattern. In steps to the entrance of Grossman and front of this plate lay the remains of a glass Monneson’s. Drew paused and whispered to

  tube which had once been all of six feet in

  the detective on guard. The man pointed over diameter. Beyond this tube was a tangled mass his shoulder. “They’re trying to break in a

  of white-metal wires arranged in a cage-

  basement room,” he said. “It’s some job. They pattern. These wires flared as a funnel where sent for axes and crowbars.”

  they reached the stone walls of the vault. It

  “Good!” exclaimed Drew. “Stay right

  was as if the lead plate, the tube and the outer here and don’t let anybody out except our own screen had formed the petal of some giant

  men.”

  flower. This flower pointed toward the Sub-

  Heavy and ringing blows confirmed

  Treasury.

  the detective’s statement. Drew hurried

  Drew stooped and picked up fragments

  through the outer room, turned at a landing, of the tube. The thin glass cut his finger. “A and listened. The blows were repeated. transformer of some kind,” he said. “It’s Aldrich clutched his arm.

  smashed now beyond putting together. I’ve an

  “It’s all right,” said Drew. “Come idea it’s the first like this that was ever made.”

  on!”!

  The detective stepped back and eyed

  The stairway was dark and dusty. It

  the entire apparatus.

  seemed to lead to a blank wall just beyond the

  “Clever,” he said, half to himself. “It’s

  bottom step. Drew flashed his light and clever and ten-years new. The current from discovered a small opening, through which he that rotary generator was transformed in some crawled on hands and knees. Aldrich followed manner by this tube. Rays were directed from him. They straightened in a cellar filled with the reflection of the lead plate. They were

  old kegs and boxes bound with iron. The

  guided by this funnel—coil of wire. In other detectives were at the furthermost end where a words this whole plant was a gigantic cathode great, sheathed door had barred their progress.

  or electric projector from which rays were

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  15

  projected to the other plate, or anode, in the his is nothing less than the transmission of basement of the Financial Savings Building.”

  electric waves through air or stone without the These rays, whatever they were, had the use of wires. The transmission of electric property of disintegrating gold and other power ‘via wireless’ has long been expected.”

  metals and carrying their ions or atoms until Drew paused as a detective shouted at

  they reached a lead disk. On this disk the gold the far end of the vault. Lights were flashed was deposited somewhat in the manner of

  there. The detective, who had been stooping

  electroplating. The vaults in the old portion of over a dark form, rose and came into the light.

  the Sub-Treasury were in line with these rays,

  “There’s a dead man over there,” he

  consequently the gold was ‘melting,’ as we

  said grimly. “It’s Monneson, I guess, from

  called it.”

  description. He’s all twisted. He’s taken

  Aldrich passed his hand across his poison or been electrocuted.” The detective head.

  glanced at the overturned transformer.

  “Yes,” said Drew, “that is what

  “Anything else over there?” asked

  happened. Good thing we got it in time. Drew.

  Monneson would have ‘melted’ all of your

  “Yes, there is. There’s a chest

  gold by the discharge of electricity through crammed full of big yellow bills.”

  matter. He probably took his clue from

  Drew turned to Aldrich.

  electroplating and from the action of

  “That closes the case,” he said.

  radioactivity in a Crookes’s tube. This plant of