Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-04-29

hung down from one end. These he
began to connect with the machine
he had brought.
He worked with utter absorption.
Gafford dressing himself in the still
warm uniform of the chauffeur,
sensed that his presence was forgot
ten by the man who bent above the
table, adjusting the creatures Of his
imagination with touch as gentle
as a mothers.
There was love in every motion
of his hands, yet the throat Of tho
man on the floor showed how terrific
their power could be. Those same
fingers had throttled his life, as.
candle is pinched out.
When he was dressed the Ameri-
can approached the table and halted
at the Russians side. Karloff
glanced up.
49," he began, "you will do very
well. See now? l shall explain all
this to you, and you will understand.
told you that the Japs thought
themselves wiser than they were.
They thought they knew all, but
Karloff held something back-some-
thing they knew not of. This"-he
touched the machine he had brought
in the CARTS it. Without it my
little blue pigeons loae their sting.
The firing devices are not as the
Japs think-allw
His voice quivcred as he spoke.
The hand which he had laid upon
the machine trembled. The eyes
which he turned upon Gafford spark
led and shone with an almost fanati-
cal light.
"And it shall be used once-just
once" he said slowly, "and then no
more. And that once is tonight.
But l will explain: This machine is
the thing which really fires the blue
bombs. The firing devices are, after
all, no more THAI the cap Of a cart
ridge, which, unless it is struck, will
not explode. Unless they are struck
by the spark of the wireless, they
will not fire the bombs. The fools,
not to see it! How could both fly
my pets and explode them by the
same power, unless there was some
control?"
"You mean that this machine in
some way regulates, or chances the
spark so that it explodes the
bombs? ?" gasped Gafford in amaze.
Precisely. 1t changes the poten-
tial of the spark. How else could
the thing be done? These sextants
and dals show with mathematical
precision the range to which the
spark may be concentrated with
sufficient power to explode the
charge in the firing device.
"If a bomb is kilometer away
one moves. the index to the word
'kilo,' and switches the spark
through shunt circuit into the ma
chine. In one second after the bomb
will explode. The dial here auto
matically registers the position or
distance of the bomb when it is fly
ing through the variation of the DO
tential of the current used. That,
by the way, is how they are flown
and controlled, by projecting a re-
pulsive force against them. If, by
chance, they are sent too far away,
a weakening Of the current effects
an automatic reve: sing lever in the
bomb and brings them back.
"Here"-he rose anu bent over the
tablets plan of the valley" He
pointed to a plan spread beyond the
switches on the table and marked to
show the different positions of the
works, the compound, the magazine,
and the line of the surrounding hills.
II have prepared this against the
tests which were to be tomorrow.
You see the distances are plainly
marked. The magazine Is three
kilometers from this hut. The prison
compound five, and SO on. The
bombs are set in motion by the
short wireless receivers on the back
Of each. Through them the motors
Of the propellers are started. AS
long as they are within the radius
Of control they will run, and when
it grows too weak they automatic
ally reverse and fly back. There Is
also a way to steer them right or
left, up or down, or in a circle, by
means Of certain variations of the
current which it would take too long
to explain"
at is wonderful! Wonderful be-
yond any dream of mortal mind be-
fore" said Gafford in a voice of awe.
"I wish I could see you do it-just
oncew
"Patience," whispered Karloff,
with flashing eyes and hands which
hovered over his brain-child and
trembled. "You shall, my friend.
You shallw
"What do you mean?" Gafford
spoke hoarsely. Karloff's attitude,
the intonation of his voice, his whole
action since the meeting at the hut
by the switch had affected him
strangely.
The Russian drew himself up,
folded his arms, and threw back his
head. So for moment he stood and
looked into Gafford's eyes. 81 shall
tell you," he said loudly. 81 and my
bombs shall, tonight, save world
from a war of destruction. First
shall we save this girl of the people,
we and my little blue pigeons.
Then"-he lifted his arms and shook
them in a frenzy of emotion-w
shall slay them all; slay them-my
childrenl One by one they shall die
by the hands which made them.
They shall die sacrifice-that shall
redeem the lives of many. And the
many shall never know that l, Kar-
loft, have given them lifeW
He dropped to a stool in front Of
the table and bowed his head on his
arms