Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-05-01

To Jacks whispered question he
shook his head.
ITS Ingenious" he acknowledged,
but he's on the wrong tack" That
was as far as he would explain. and
soon dropped into slight doze.
Throughout the greater part of the
night the experiment continued.
At near four o'clock in the morning
Simmons raised his head after long
bout of calling to announce that he
could get no reply from Monsieur x.
Hes got tired of your fool mes
sages," remarked the Register man.
"And don't wonder! Guess he's gone
to bed"
Eldridge said nothing, but replaced
the Leyden jar he had but Just re-
moved
"Try one," said he.
"T get him." reported Simmons, after
moment.
Send him anything plausible and
reassuring," commanded Eldridge has
tily. He turned to his small and at
tentive audience in triumph. THUS,
gentlemen" he announced, I'VE have
proven conclusively that our man is
located between forty and fifty miles
from New York. If we draw two
circles, with this building as center,
the circumference of one of which is
fifty, the other forty miles away. we
define the territory within which the
malefactor in question Is to be
found"
The people in the room crowded
close about the table to examine the
map upon which Professor Eldridge
had drawn the circles.
There's an awful lot of country
some of it pretty wild" objected the
Bulletin man. "It will be long job
to hunt a man down in that territory"
Even II it were as extensive as
hasty review of the facts might indi-
cate" stated Eldridge, II venture to
assert that enough men would be forth
coming to expedite such a search. But
modifying circumstances will tighten
the task"
"How's that?" asked the Banner
man, speaking for the others evident
interest.
I'VE have no means of surmising
the method by which this man sue
ceeds in arresting vibratory motions
of certain wavelengths," said Eldridge
didactically, "any more than we are
able to define the precise nature Of
electricity. But. as in the case Of cleo
tricity, we can observe the action OF
its phenomena Two salient features
leap out at US: one ia that these phe-
nomena are limited in time; the other
that they are limited in space. The
Iuf xr,t1I M 2
please. gentlemen.
1.-THE phenomena have been directed
with great accuracy (a) at the Atlas
Building; (b) at this city and some
of its immediate suburbs. The pecul-
iarity OF this can not but strike an OBJ
servant mind. How is this man able.
at forty or fifty miles distance. to con-
centrate his efforts on one compare
lively small objective? We can only
surmise some system of insulating
screens or focal mirrors. I might re-
mark in passing that the existence of
this power to direct or focus the more
rapid ethereal vibrations would be
discovery of considerable scientific
moment. But II this is the method
employed, why do we not cut a band
of vibratory notifications. rather than
touch upon a focal point?"
Repeat softly" murmured the irre-
pressible Register man.
why" explained Eldridge patiently.
ARE not the people and buildings be-
tween here and the unknown operator
affected? The only hypothesis we are
justified in working upon is that the
mans apparatus is at a height sufii-
cient to carry over Intervening OBJ
stacles. This hypothesis is strength
ened by the collateral fact that the
territory we have just determined as
that within which he must be found
lies in the highlands of our own and
neighboring states. We may, there
fore. eliminate the low-lying districts
within our radius"
Percy Darrow opened one eye.
Perhaps he's up in a balloon" he
drawled languidly: better take along
an aeroplane."
Eldridge cast him a look of cold
scorn; Darrow closed one eye.