"Hullo! Hullo! I guess I was right in my guess, then, after all. Oh, Thurman, what a young rascal you are."

He listened attentively as Thurman shot out his message to the National Capital. Jack repeated it in an undertone as the spark crackled and squealed.

"Do--I--get--my--reward--right--away?"

Jack actually burst, for some inexplicable reason, into a hearty laugh.

"Oh, Thurman! Thurman!" he exploded to himself. "What a badly fooled young man you are going to be."

CHAPTER x.x.xI.

THE "SUITABLE REWARD."

The arrival of the _Columbia_ at her dock the next day was in the nature of an ovation. A band played "Hail Columbia," and a dense crowd blocked the docks and adjacent points of vantage to view the great liner which had taken the blue ribbon of the seas from England's crack ship. News of the dramatic rescue of the crew of the _Oriana_, wirelessed at the time of the occurrence to the newspapers, had inflamed public interest in the big ship too, and her subsequent doings had been eagerly followed in the dailies.

"Great to be home again, isn't it, old fellow?" asked Raynor, coming up to Jack as a dozen puffing tugs nosed the towering _Columbia_ into her dock.

"It is, indeed," said Jack, looking over the rail. "I'm going to----"

He broke off suddenly and began waving frantically to two persons in the crowd. One was an old man, rather bent, but hale and hearty and sunburned. Beside him was a pretty girl. It was Helen Dennis and her father, Captain Dennis, who had been rescued from a sinking sailing ship during Jack's first voyage, as told in the "Ocean Wireless Boys on the Atlantic." Captain Dennis, since the disaster, had been unable to get another ship to command and had been forced to accept a position as watchman on one of the docks, but Jack had been working all he knew how to get the captain another craft, so far, however, without success.

"There's one reason why you're glad to be home," said Raynor slyly, waving to Helen. "You're a lucky fellow."

The gang-plank was down, but before any pa.s.sengers were allowed ash.o.r.e, way was made for four stalwart, clean-shaven men who hurried on board.

"Wonder who those fellows are?" said Raynor; "must be some sort of big-wigs."

"Yes, they certainly got the right of way," responded Jack without much interest.

Thurman joined them.

"I hear that the Secret Service men are on board," he said. "Must be looking for someone."

"I suppose so," said Jack. "They usually are."

Somebody tapped Jack on the shoulder. It was one of the men who had boarded the ship. An evil leer pa.s.sed over Thurman's face as he saw this.

"Are you Jack Ready?" asked the man.

"That's my name," replied Jack.

The man threw back his coat, displaying a gold badge. His three companions stood beside him.

"I want you to come to Washington with us at once," said the man. "I am operative Thomas of the United States Secret Service."

"Why what's the matter? What's he done?" demanded Raynor.

"That's for the Navy Department to decide," said the man sternly.

Thurman had slipped away after the man had displayed his badge. His envious mind was now sure of its revenge. He, too, meant to get the first train to Washington.

"Don't worry, old fellow," said Jack. "Just slip ash.o.r.e and make my excuses to Helen and her father, will you, and then meet me in Washington at the Willard. I think I shall have some news that will surprise you."

Greatly mystified, Raynor obeyed, while Jack and the four men, two on each side of him, left the ship. Thurman followed them closely. His flabby face wore a look of satisfaction.

"Two birds with one stone," he muttered to himself. "I've got even with Jack Ready and I get a reward for doing it. Slick work."

The trip to Washington was uneventful. On their arrival there Jack and the Secret Service men went straight to the Navy Department. They pa.s.sed through a room filled with waiting persons having business there, and were at once admitted to the office of the Secretary of the Navy, a dignified looking man with gray hair and mustache, who sat ensconced behind a large desk littered with papers and doc.u.ments.

There were several other gentlemen in the room. Some of them were in naval uniforms and all had an official appearance that was rather overawing.

"So, this is our young man," said the Secretary, as Jack removed his hat. "Sit down, Mr. Ready, these gentlemen and myself wish to talk to you."

Then, for an hour or more, Jack described the Universal Detector and answered scores of questions. After the first few minutes his sense of embarra.s.sment wore off and he talked easily and naturally. When he had finished, and everybody's curiosity was satisfied, the Secretary turned to him.

"And you are prepared to turn this instrument over to the United States navy?"

"That was the main object I had in designing it," said Jack, "but I am at a loss to know how you discovered that I was on board the _Columbia_."

"That will soon be explained," said the Secretary, with a smile that was rather enigmatic. "You recollect having a little fun with our navy operators?"

Jack colored and stammered something while everybody in the room smiled.

"Don't worry about that," laughed the Secretary. "It just upset the dignity of some of our navy operators. Well, following that somebody offered, for a consideration, to tell us who it was that had discovered the secret of a Universal Detector. It turned out, as I had expected from our previous correspondence, that it was you. But not till two nights ago, when our informant again wirelessed, did we know that you were at sea."

"But--but, sir," stuttered Jack, greatly mystified, "who did this?"

The Secretary pressed a b.u.t.ton on his desk. A uniformed orderly instantly answered.

"Tell Mr. Thurman to come in," said the Secretary.

There was a brief silence, then the door opened and Thurman, with an expectant look and an a.s.sured manner, stepped into the room.

"Mr. Thurman?" asked the Secretary.

"Yes, sir," said Thurman in a loud, confident voice, "I thought I'd hurry over here as soon as the ship docked and talk to you about my work in discovering for you the fellow who invented the Universal Detector.

I----"

He suddenly caught sight of Jack and turned a sickly yellow. Jack looked steadily at the fellow who, he had guessed for some time, had been evilly interested in the detector.

"Well, go on, Mr. Thurman," said the Secretary, encouragingly, but with a peculiar look at the corners of his mouth.

Thurman shuffled miserably.

"I'd prefer not to talk with--with him in the room," he said, nodding his head sideways at Jack.