The Boys of the Wireless Part 25

"How? Do you think Harry used some kind of invisible ink? I've read of prisoners sending secret messages to their friends written with some chemical that would not show unless it was heated, or something like that. Say!" he cried with sudden interest, "do you mean that way, Tom?"

"Well, no, not exactly. Harry didn't use ink. He used a common lead pencil, from all appearances, and the water has soaked the black marks off. But you know when you use a pencil on paper, it always makes little depressions in the surface, corresponding to the shape of the letters.

Did you ever put a piece of paper on top of another piece, and write on the top sheet?"

"Of course I have."

"Then you've probably noticed that on the second sheet there would be marks by which the writing could be read, even though the black pencil characters did not show."

"Of course. I see what you mean."

"I thought you would. I mean to dry out this card, and then, in a good light, we ought to be able to tell what the marks are. In that way we can decipher what Harry wrote even though the black marks are gone."

"Good! Let's do it. That's easier than chasing after a balloon. Here, I'll dry the card."

He reached for it, and approached the window on the sill of which the sun just then shone brightly.

"That's it!" cried Tom. "Meanwhile I'll get out a magnifying gla.s.s to use on the card when it's dry. With that we ought to be able to read what it says, even if the impressions are very faint."

"Say, there's cla.s.s to us all right," observed Ben with a laugh. "Maybe we can get a job somewhere, reading secret messages for the government.

That would be excitement, and--"

"Here's some new excitement," announced Tom, with a glance from the window.

"Wonder what's up now?" speculated Ben, as he too took a look. "It's Bill Barber come back, and he's making for here on the run."

CHAPTER XIX-A STARTLING MESSAGE

"I've come back again," announced the Barber boy, bursting upon Tom and Ben breathlessly.

"I see you have," said Tom pleasantly.

"Got something to show you. Maybe it's not important, but I thought it was, so I hurried here."

"You are doing me a lot of favors, Bill," said Tom.

"Glad to," declared Bill. "Here it is," and he extended a wrinkled-up object as he spoke.

"Why," cried Ben, peering curiously, "it's another of those toy balloons!"

"Yes," a.s.sented Bill. "They've been flying around half the morning.

After I left here I ran across a crowd of youngsters chasing two sailing aloft. One of the boys had a bow and arrow, and was trying to hit one and bring it down. I'm some on shooting, and asked him for the bow.

Missed the first time. Next time, though, the arrow went through the balloon, busted it, and sailed to the ground with it."

"And this is it?" questioned Tom.

"Yes. The little fellows ran after it and fought over it. I happened to see the tag, and was kind of curious about it. By the time I got it, though, the mob had trampled it in the mud, and their feet had torn away half of it. Here's what's left of it. Your name is on it, Tom, and that and the reward--"

"What reward?" inquired Ben quickly.

"It's on the back of the card," replied Bill.

"Ben," said Tom inspecting it, "this is another of my old cards."

"What's written on the back, Tom?" inquired Ben eagerly.

Tom held the card so Ben could read it as well as himself. A part of the card was gone, and some of the pencilled words it had originally contained were blurred and vague. What was left of it read:

"Take this to Tom Barnes and get ten dollars reward. Tom: I am a prisoner-two bad men-about thirty miles-in the-at-in lion's cage-_Harry Ashley_."

Tom scanned the card again and again. Ben noted his serious studious manner. Finally Tom turned to their visitor.

"Bill," he said, "you get the reward. I haven't the money with me, but any time to-morrow you call here and get it."

"Oh, I don't want any reward," declared Bill.

"You get it just the same," insisted Tom firmly.

"I'll have to be getting along," said Bill. "I'm watching that launch for Aldrich to put in an appearance. It's eleven dollars and seventy-five cents or a licking for him, I can tell you."

"I think I know where those balloons came from," said Tom to Ben, when Bill had departed.

"Where, Tom?"

"A circus."

"How so?"

"Those fragments of sentences on the card lead me to believe that the message should read about this way: 'I am a prisoner in the hands of two bad men about thirty miles from Rockley Cove, in the circus at Wadhams, shut up in the lion's cage.'"

Ben was on his feet in a bound, his face flushed with excitement.

"I'll bet you've solved it, Tom. And there is a circus at Wadhams just now. Why, it's just the place where these toy balloons would be likely to be on sale. And the mention of a lion's cage! That fits to a circus, too! I don't understand, though, how Harry has managed to send the balloons aloft, if he was shut up somewhere prisoner."

"We won't try to guess that out now," said Tom. "Here is certainly a big clue. Harry is an ingenious fellow, and somehow has managed to float these messages. I want you to stay here alone for a spell."

"Where are you going?" inquired Ben.

"To report to my father instanter," replied Tom; and he was off speedily.

It was the middle of the afternoon before Tom returned. Ben was anxiously awaiting him.

"What's the program?" he asked eagerly.

"You are to go up to the house at once, Ben. My father has the team hitched up and is waiting for you. A hired man is going, too, and the constable. Telephone your folks from the house that you may be away till morning. When you do come back, report here right away."