New-York tribune., 1909-10-31

standing and honesty Of purpose. Surely
desperate resort
But the experimenter was again alive in
Menlo He came back to his task day after
day with an mistaken purpose. While seeking
to awaken response in some of his fellows
MenlO experimental with his hngernall- tie
found that with practice he could quickly and
secretly trace his letters. Thus almost
consciously he began 10 send out his call
lust as one operator IN some distant telegraph
station clicks a mOnOtonous summons until he
hears the answering signal. Without knowing
why, he first scratched an y on a leather disk
and watched it pass into the hands Of the next
convict, an i'll looking brute, who growled over
his work and never looked up Again and
again Menlo sent his y down the line. He ex-
pected no sign in return; for he not yet
ready He followed the next day with an o,
and so, in four DAYS, he had slipped before the
eyes OF his sullcn mates the complete word
note"
Now for the first time Menlo looked for a
response; but none came. He could have
choked each man in that sweltering line for his
stupidity. Meno felt that the intensity OF
thought he centered on each piece of leather
should burn Its message into the very fingers
of those who handled the disks. What dull
clay those fingers must be to repel such vibrant
appeals! On the eighth day Menlo determined
on the experiment Of thought transference; but
this too failed him He went back to his work
of sending time after time, letter after letter,
the Single word note.
IN the tenth dav he received a shock. He
- had been sending his signal with unvaryIng
persistence when for some ineXphCable reason
the muscles OF his neck seemed TO draw his head
TO the right. He quickly swept his glance down
the line and found pair of dark eyes fastened
on him, y young convict some eight machines
away was lntently watching MenlO. He had
suddenly received some vague sense of MenlO
appeal. The convict was a good looking man
of about thlrty-two, and possessed an apparent
refinement despite his closely cropped hair and
prison pallor. That he was of a finer clay than
his fellows Menlo saw at a glance. II was only
a flash of the eve that MenlO caught, but II
Stung him like electric shock His hands
trembled and his knees grew weak As he re-
turned the glance, the convict dropped his eyes
and went with the dull routine of his work.
MenlO now varied the form of his signal.
watching the effect of each change. To his un-
utterable JOY he found the convict studying
covertly the soles OF the half-formed shoes that
reached him. MenlO worked with feverISh
speed, and for the first time realized startling
defect IN his system. No answer could come
back to him! He could send his messages: but
could not receive an answer, for there was no
reversal of the process by which the disks
moved from machine 10 anOther,-alwavs
from lett to right
Menlo now sent the letter F. sending it time
after time then changing to L, then 10 Z, and
So on until he had sent Please note" When
Illt IiNI tOWn Illc IiIlc MEMO lCit
that 1t carried the full burden OF his darkest
fears and his dearest hopes.
He knew by the difference in the sound OF
each machine and each process Just how far the
last disk had travelled. He held his breath as
he counted one, two, three seven Vt machine
number eight hung his fate Upon the quick
intelligence of its convict operator depended a
life; for Menlo felt that he could not and would
not survive the shock OF a disappointment
For moment he stood unnerved, and then
shot lightning glance down the line The
man at number eight was looking, He under
stood
OVERCOME by the wild Jump OF his heart
in the paroXySm OF jov that overcame him
poor MEMO staggered. \ guard rushed upon
him, menaCIng, alert. Mcnlo caught his wits
and gaSped 1t Is the heat. Don't take me
away. don't take me away" He could not
bear TO leave his task. that the light was
dawnIng. He sent back 70 his cell and
that night he slept.
The next day Menlo went iovfullv To- his task
He had arranged in his mind the whole story in
terSe. pregnant sentences, saving every word
every letter. Even then. he realized IL would