CHAPTER XXI LIQUID AIR--ALMOST
In the wing of the airplane, sailing high above the western prairies,Goggles was in a tight place. He had never been in a tighter one andnever expected to be in the future, if indeed there was to be a future.
Just what had he expected when he crawled into that narrow place?Certainly not this. Perhaps he had hoped that someone would unlock thetrap door after they landed. Then he would catch him. But now, as hethought all this, and his head went into a whirl, the little dark manlooked up and saw him. For one full minute he did not speak or move; onlyhis beady eyes bored into the boy's very soul.
"So you're here!" he said at last. "Don't you think I did a good enoughjob messing things up? Well then, you and the Big Shot are agreed. Butwhat's he want?"
"I don't know." Goggles spoke slowly. He was thinking hard. He was, as wehave said, in a tight enough place surely. Securely sealed up in aduramen tube a half mile in air with no means of communicating with hisfriends and with this enemy staring him in the face, his situation wasanything but pleasant.
"Why do you want to spoil things for us?" he asked in as quiet a tone ashe could command.
"I--why, now I don't." The little man laughed mirthlessly. "I'm paid todo it. I do what I'm paid to do."
All this time the boy was thinking, "I've got to get the better of him. Imust do it. But how?"
He moved a little. Something poked into his side. What was that? Oh yes,he remembered. A bottle! A sudden desperate plan came to him.
"Well," he spoke slowly, "as long as we're here, we may as well talkabout something. Let's make it liquid air."
"Air ain't no liquid," the little man protested.
"Sometimes it is." Goggles' courage was growing. "You can make it liquidby putting it under very high pressure and getting it down to 216 degreesbelow zero. When it gets into liquid form you may keep it in a bottle forthree or four days." At this point he pulled the flat bottle from hispocket. It was half filled with a pale liquid. The little man stared atthe bottle. "Liquid air is strange stuff," Goggles went on. "It's cold,colder than the North Pole. Put a fresh rose in it for a second, take itout and you can pinch it into a powder. Put a steel clock spring in it,take it out and it will snap like glass. Stick your finger in a bottle ofit and I'll break it off like an icicle." He thrust the bottle out beforehim. The little man seemed to shrink back.
The boy's tone did not change. He might have been a professor lecturingto a class. "Yes, liquid air is strange. I could pour it over my hand, oreven put it in my mouth and, providing I got rid of it at once, it wouldnot harm me. One minute of holding a spoonful in my mouth would meandeath.
"If I were to pour even a small amount down your neck--" (he drew himselfforward ever so little), "which I could--I'm strong. Much stronger thanyou think. I have strong fingers and arms. If I poured a quarter of abottle down your back you would die. No one would guess what killed you.The liquid air would turn to gas and there you'd be. You--"
A strange look of terror came into the little man's eyes as he cried in ashrill high-pitched voice, "You let me be! Don't touch me! I'll leave atthe next stop, and you'll never see me again. So help me, you won't!"
Goggles settled back in his place. As he did so, his right hand wasclosed about the bottle, carefully concealing a printed label.
After that the big bi-motored plane with its flying baseball team in itscabin and that curious cargo in its wings sped across the land. Not oncedid Goggles relinquish his hold on that magic bottle. From time to timethe little dark man spoke. His words were always in the nature of aconfession. He had been hired by Big Bill Tyson to break up this trip. Hehad not been told why--he had only been paid to do it. He knew aboutlocks. Locks had always been easy for him. He had a key to the lock onthe door to this place. How? Well, that did not matter. He hadn'tsucceeded in breaking up the cruise. Now he was going to quit.
"Yes," he said, rolling his eyes horribly as he took one more look at themagic bottle, "yes, I'm going to quit! Just let me out of this place andyou'll never see me again."
"If he only knew!" Goggles thought with an inward shudder. "If he knew, Iwonder what would happen?"
Ah, well, he had this little dark fellow within his power, that wasenough. So the plane sped on.
Never in all his life had the boy experienced such a sense of relief as,after the plane had bumped on some landing field, then gone gliding alongto a stop, he saw the little dark man slip like a snake through the smalldoor and disappear.
He grinned a broad grin as he dropped the flat bottle back into hispocket. "Lucky break!" he murmured. "Wonder if Sheeley missed it?"
"Old Irons O will do his full duty at this place," he assured Doug as hecame out to meet him.
"Are you sure of that?" Doug was still in doubt.
"Sure as anything. But just to make it a cinch, ask one of the boys towatch this plane while I go for a cup of coffee. I'm starved."
The guard was arranged for at once. As the two boys hurried away, Gogglespulled a bottle out of his pocket. "Just read the label on that, willyou?" he said. "I packed my glasses in my bag by mistake."
"Sure!" Doug took the bottle. "It says, 'Dr. Jordan's Face Lotion. Goodfor sun-burned and chapped skin.'"
"It's good for more than that--sometimes," Goggles chuckled.
"What do you mean by that?" Doug demanded.
"Tell you sometime," Goggles chuckled again. "Belongs to Sheeley, thatbottle does. He left it in his room by mistake. I brought it along, andI--I'm glad I did.
"Do you know," he said after a while, "it pays to know a little about agreat many things. If you get sort of--well sort of shut off from theworld with someone else, you've always got something to talk about. Takeliquid air for instance. There's a grand little topic for conversation."
"Huh? Yes, I suppose so," Doug grunted. He was already lost to the worldin his contemplation of that day's game.
He need have had no fear for that ball game. Never had Irons O performedso well as on this day. Not only did he pitch a big league type of game,allowing only seven hits and no runs, but he kept the crowd in an uproarof laughter with his bobbing head, his ludicrous grimaces, and hiswild-cat screams at the umpire.
"A perfect day!" was Goggles' enthusiastic comment when it was over. "Andthe little dark man kept his word. He was not about."
He had not, however, seen the last of the little dark man--not quite. As,hopeful of receiving a letter from his mother, he hurried into thepost-office, he ran squarely into him. "See here!" he exclaimed, "Ithought--"
Ignoring his thoughts, the little dark man waved a telegram in his face."From the Big Shot!" he exclaimed. "You know, him that's paid me. He saysfor me to quit! He says that! Can you beat it?" At that, he darted fromthe door and was lost to the boy's sight forever--or at least for a very,very long time.
"Big Bill's called him off," Goggles thought. "That's sure good news. ButI wonder why?" He was to wonder this many times in the days that were tocome and then, in the end, was to know the answer.
Who can describe the joy of those days? Seeing the world from anairplane--Salt Lake City, Spokane with her magnificent falls, the greentimbered Cascade Mountains, and then Seattle and the Pacific--all thiscame to them. To play ball with the finest sort of fellows from ranches,saw mills, canning factories, all entertained and amused by the perfectlybehaved Irons O--all this was joy indeed. But to know that this joyousexcursion was fast driving away clouds of doubt and fear, to know thatthe big payment on the home ball grounds was fast being collected--thisindeed brought deep, satisfying and lasting joy to the weary boys.
One day, after a long drive with his grandfather, Johnny Thompsonwandered down to the deserted baseball field to sit in the bleachers inthe sun. Meggy spied him from afar, and came tripping down to take aplace beside him.
"They'll be back soon," Meggy said.
"Yes," Johnny agreed dreamily. "Their trip has been a success. The ballground is safe. What
's better still, old Professor George told me thismorning that Big Bill Tyson had turned over a new leaf. He's going togive us a deed for the land as soon as the four thousand dollars ispaid."
"Johnny! That's wonderful!" Meggy cried. "But Johnny! What made himchange?"
"Don't know," Johnny replied. "Guess each man in the world has just somuch capacity for meanness, same as a barrel will hold only so muchwater. Bill must have reached his limit."
"Johnny--" Meggy suddenly changed the subject. "Did they ever find thatlittle Chinaman and the thought-camera?"
"Tao Sing?" Johnny said soberly. "No, not yet I guess. But then," headded, "you couldn't very well prove he took that camera and thethink-o-graphs. What I figure is that someone heard us talking there inthe heart of the pines that day, then came and got 'em that night."
For a time after that, there was silence. It was Meggy who spoke at last:
"The boys will have to be back soon. The last big game is nextSaturday--the final battle for the pennant. Johnny, do you think the'Prince' will pitch?"
"Your thought is as good as mine," Johnny smiled.
"Isn't he mysterious!" Meggy thrilled as of old.
"You don't know the half of it, Meg." Johnny chuckled. "Know what?" heexploded in a sudden burst of confidence, "That fellow isn't brown! Henever came from India. He's as white as you or I!"
"Whi--white? How could he be?"
"His face and arms are dyed. I saw him pull up his sock, back there inthe laboratories. You just wait and see!"
"Mystery--sweet mystery," Meggy whispered after a time.
A moment more, and she was off on another tack. "Johnny, do you thinkthose two terrible men will come back to bother the--the 'Prince' if hedoes pitch?"
"If they do--" Johnny stood up. "If they dare, we--we'll give themplenty! We--"
"Listen!" Meggy sprang to her feet. "An airplane! And see! Over there. Abig silver ship! The boys are coming home!" She dragged at Johnny's arm.They were away like a flash, ready to celebrate the heroes' return.
CHAPTER XXII THE SMOKE SCREEN
"I have a feeling--sort of dread--" Doug Danby's voice dropped. "Ibelieve they'll try that trick of theirs again today--those two fellowswho go after the 'Prince'--in a different plane. If they do, then--" hedid not finish. His voice trailed off.
"And I too have a feeling--" there was a suggestion of hidden knowledgein Johnny Thompson's voice. "I have a feeling that if those twoill-wishers, who've been trying to break up our game every time the'Prince' is on the mound, try any tricks today, they'll get fooled!"
He cocked his head on one side as he murmured, "Wind's in the west, whatwind there is. Not much of any. Cloudy and damp. Just right, I'd say."
"Just right for what?" Doug was curious.
"Don't ask me. Just wait." Johnny lapsed into silence.
Doug waited, and as he waited he thought. They were long, long thoughts,I assure you. The opening hour for the last game of the season wasapproaching. Today the championship of the series was to be decided. Thecrowd exceeded that of any preceding game. Excitement ran high.
Meggy Strawn, garbed in her brightest and best, was already on thesidelines, ready to lead in the cheering. Little wonder that chills andthrills coursed through her. Was this not the greatest day old Hillcresthad ever known? Had not the four thousand dollars been paid in full? Wasnot the ball park their very own--theirs to have and to hold for many ayear? Yea! Yea! And yet there was mystery in the air.
"Something will happen today." One might hear this whisper in many acorner. "Something strange, perhaps something quite terrible willhappen."
"Would it?" Meg wondered.
In the meantime, on foot, by train, by auto, the crowd continued to pourin.
"All paid attendance." Old Professor George rubbed his hands together."You boys are doing wonders! Hurray for old Hillcrest!"
"Yes!" Doug was truly happy. "But we must win today, Professor. We trulymust!"
But would they? Centralia, the opposing team, their ancient rival, wasfirst up to bat. As the mysterious "Prince" strolled out upon the diamonda strange hush fell over the assembled throng.
There were those in that crowd who had said quite boldly that thismystery should not be allowed to continue, that the pitcher should revealhis true identity or stay out of the game. "Only evil people wish to hidetheir identity," this was their argument.
So, with the "Prince" in the box, the game began. For three innings hepitched a faultless game. Only two men found their way to first base.They "died" there, Hillcrest scored twice. Hopes ran high. Even JohnnyThompson, sitting on the bench and expecting almost anything, began tosmile.
And then, out of the west came a gray streak.
Just as he expected, as on that other day the airplane began to circle.Down it came, lower and lower.
The "Prince" did not glance up. "But he knows," Johnny whispered."He's--he's beginning to break from the strain."
Surely this must be true. "Men on first and second; only one out!" Johnnygroaned. "They--they'll make it. Sure to. And then--"
But what was this? A fire? To the west, hardly three blocks away, a densecolumn of smoke appeared. Rising higher and higher in the all but quietsky, it at last drifted slowly over the ball grounds. So dense was itthat it cast a deep shadow over all.
"Hurray!" Johnny sprang to his feet. "Hurray! That beats 'em!"
This, considering the "Prince" had just walked a man, filling the bases,seemed sheer madness.
"They'll think I'm out of my head," was Johnny's second thought as hesank back into his place.
That Johnny was right was soon enough demonstrated. Seeming to find freshpower flowing through his veins, the mysterious pitcher stiffened hispace. The two men who came up next got three pitches each. They fannedthe air. The inning was over.
"We arranged to put up a smoke screen," Johnny whispered to Meggy. "Set alot of old tar paper on fire. That checkmated those fellows in theairplane. They couldn't see through it, nor--nor do anything else!"
"But Johnny! Who's in that plane?"
"You'll know tonight, per--perhaps," was Johnny's reply.
Three times the airplane circled. Three times a pillar of smoke rose tomeet it.
"That airplane is from River Forest," Big Bill Tyson said to ColonelChamberlain. "Hate to take you away from the game; but if we're to bethere when they land, we'd better be travelin'."
Three minutes later a long gray car shot away to the east. In it rode BigBill and Colonel Chamberlain. Big Bill was at last truly interested inthe boys of his city.
Johnny saw them leave the field. He knew why they were going, and smiled.
The boy who received the greatest surprise, however, was Fred Frame, theone-time star pitcher. As the team came in for its turn at bat, DougDanby sidled over to him at the end of the sixth inning and said in a lowtone:
"You are to pitch next inning."
"Why! What?" Fred's brain whirled. Was he to finish this last game? Score2 to 0 in Hillcrest's favor! The championship at stake! He to pitch! Hecould not understand.
Nor was he to know more save that the "Prince," a trifle more stoopedthan usual, but walking with a firm, proud tread, was leaving thegrounds.
Slowly a buzz like the swarming of bees sounded through the crowd. Thenall was still.
It was well that Fred did not come up to bat that inning. He surely wouldhave fanned.
As at last he stood in the pitcher's box, he found above him a cloudless,smokeless sky where no airplane soared and circled.
"Think I'm small fry!" he muttered. "Not worth bothering with! I'll show'em!"
The seventh and eighth innings passed without a score on either side.
In the ninth, two Centralia men fanned. The game seemed over. Then came atwo-bagger, followed by a single that brought in a run. By taking wildchances, the runner on first base stole second, then third. So there itwas, last inning, two men down and the tying run on third.
/> Wildly Fred's eyes searched the crowd for the familiar figure of the"Prince."
"He's gone," a voice seemed to whisper. "You may never see him again.Perhaps he is no real person at all--just a sort of imaginary being. It'sup to you, and you alone!"
Then the catcher gave him a signal. For such a time as this, it seemed apiece of madness, that signal. But Fred was desperate. He took thechance.
Winding up, he sent the ball spinning. It was a wild throw--a perfectwild throw, if wild throws you want. By one mad leap the catcher was ableto knock it down. Even so, he did not stop it. It went on rolling. He wasafter it in a mad scramble.
Shooting down the course came the tying run.
But not so fast! Francisco the catcher had the ball. He was on the homeplate. The runner turned to dash back. He all but fell into Fred's arms.And Fred had the ball. Francisco had passed it back to him.
This mad play, so cleverly planned and executed, had won! The game wasover. Hillcrest was champion!
The crowd went wild. Seizing Fred, they tossed him to their shoulders,shouting: "Hurray for Fred! Hurray for Fred!" He tried to shout, "The'Prince'!" but his cries were drowned by a roar.
It was an interesting group that gathered in Colonel Chamberlain's officetwo hours later. There was Johnny and Goggles, Fred Frame and Meggy.Besides these there was Big Bill Tyson and close beside him, grim andsullen, sat the two strangers who had caused so much trouble. There wastoo a tall, slightly stooped young man. At first the boys stared at himin wondering silence. "Who is he? Who can he be?" they whispered.
"I see you do not recognize a friend," Colonel Chamberlain smiled. "I amsurprised.
"This--" he paused to smile once more. "This is your old friend J., theone you have called the 'Prince.' Today, for the first time, he is ableto remove the dye that might have concealed his identity from somepeople."
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" came as in one breath.
"And now," the Colonel said, turning to J., "perhaps you will tell themyour story. Only," he warned, "be brief. There's a big feast of real goodthings to eat in store for us after it is told. Tonight the business menof Hillcrest are giving a banquet to all the boys who have fought sobravely for the honor of their city."
"Tell us! Tell us!" they all pleaded.
"I shall be glad to," the "Prince" replied.
"You see," he began, "I've always been fascinated with chemistry. Mynative home is in Europe. Three years ago I was allowed to enter anothercountry as a student. At once I was successful with my chemistry. Mensaid I had made some remarkable discoveries.
"Well," he sighed, "success brings enemies. There are those who wished topossess my secrets.
"The part of that strange country I was in," he went on after a period ofsilence, "was disputed territory. In time it became known that it was tobe controlled entirely by this nation that was not friendly to my nativeland. This meant that I must leave. Many men came to me demanding to knowmy scientific secrets, which--pardon my pride--were very valuable.
"I refused. They threatened to have me sent to prison. I defied them andfinally, with my secret formula hidden away in my garments, I escaped toAmerica.
"But they followed, still threatening me. I put on that disguise, whichhas deceived some. Unfortunately it did not deceive all. So tonight I amremoving it. Tonight I have taken out my first papers as an Americancitizen. Soon I shall belong to your wonderful country."
"Good! Good! Fine! Wonderful!" came from the throats of his hearers.
Only two were silent--the two strangers.
"And you!" The "Prince" made a dramatic gesture. "Why do you stillpersecute me?" He had turned upon the silent pair.
"I think," said the Colonel when the men did not reply, "it is because ofgreed and a deplorable race hatred. You need not, however, fear them anylonger. They have done enough to send them to prison."
"This," the "Prince" exclaimed, "I do not wish! Only that they shallpledge themselves never to disturb me again."
"Very well," said the Colonel, "you shall be the judge."
He turned upon the strangers. "Do you promise?"
"Yes, yes sir. We do!" was the answer.
"Very well. You may go."
"Any other questions?" The Colonel turned to his young guests.
"I--I'd like to know what happened that day when the--the 'Prince' wasobliged to leave the pitcher's box," said Meggy, "that first day."
"That--" Johnny sprang up, "let me try to explain that."
He held out a long tube with a very bright inside, also a small batteryand two small bottles of powder. "You put the two powders in the tube,then touch them off with the battery. This makes a blinding flash thatmay be directed like the shot of a gun at any single individual. That'swhat they did to the 'Prince' from the airplane," he explained rapidly.
"What I can't understand," he went on in a puzzled tone, "is why itshould spoil your game." He turned toward the "Prince."
"I will explain," said the "Prince." "I once was in a terrible chemicalexplosion. My sight was saved only as a sort of miracle. Since then, aflash of light half blinds me for hours. These men, knowing this,invented that instrument of torture. So now," he added, smiling, "youknow."
"But why did you leave the game today?" Meggy asked.
"Oh that!" The "Prince" smiled a rare smile. "That was a case of_noblesse oblige_. The team was yours. The game yours too. How could I, astranger, truly win it when that plucky boy of yours had tried so nobly?It was a duty of honor."
"That--" Johnny's eyes were dimmed. "That's what I call sporting!
"One more question!" Johnny was on his feet. "This may seem strange, but'Prince,' were you ever in prison in America?"
"No." The "Prince" smiled a strange smile. "I have not had the honor."
"Just one of my bum guesses," Johnny thought to himself. He was thinkingof the story told to him by that air pilot.
"And now," said the Colonel, springing to his feet, "I call you all to abanquet."
The banquet was all that anyone could ask, but, as for Johnny Thompson,his mind was on other things. As he was hurrying to this meeting, ChiefGallagher had called to him: "Come in and see me as soon as you can. I'vegot something big to tell you."
"It has to do with the little Chinaman Tao Sing and the thought-camera,"Johnny assured himself more than once. As soon as he could, he was awayto the Chief's office.
"You're right the very first time, Johnny," the Chief laughed when Johnnyhazarded a guess. "We caught up with that little Chink this afternoon. Heand two others were tryin' to make a getaway in an airplane. Guess theydidn't savvy that plane. Anyway, that plane didn't get far. ThoseChinamen had parachutes. They landed safely. Our men picked them up.Plane came down in flames.
"Queer part--" he rumbled, "that little fellow wanted to jump right intothe flaming wreck. Said he wanted to save something--only one in theworld. Man that made it was dead--all that stuff.
"Of course," he added thoughtfully, "my men wouldn't let him commitsuicide that way. He'll go back to China with those other fellows. Thetong war is over."
"That thing he wanted to save," said Johnny soberly, "must have been thethought-camera. And I--you know I'm sort of glad it's gone and that thereare no more in the world. For you know--it's no fun at all to takepictures of other people's thoughts. And to have other people takingpictures of yours--why that would be simply terrible!"
"Yes," the Captain said with a laugh. "It sure would be!"
Johnny enjoyed a few peaceful days in Hillcrest. After that he was offfor fresh adventure. If you wish to know of these adventures look for ournew book, _Red Dynamite_.
Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font for
m of the printed book.)
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