"Yes, sir, I could."

When the lawyer for the other side arose to cross-examine Alex he smiled somewhat derisively.

"You are a friend of the defendant, are you not?" he asked significantly.

"Yes, sir; and so know his sending over the wire unusually well,"

responded Alex, cleverly turning the point of the question.

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders, and put the next question with sarcasm. "And, now, do you mean to stand there and tell this court that the clicks--the purely mechanical clicks--made over a telegraph wire by an operator miles away will sound different to the clicks made by any other operator?"

"I do," said Alex quietly. "And I am ready to demonstrate it."

"Oh, you are, are you? And how, pray?"

"Three other operators from the Exeter office are in the court-room, with a set of instruments and a battery. Let them place the instruments on the table down there; blindfold me, then have them and Jack Orr by turns write something on the key. I'll identify every one of them before he sends a half-dozen words."

A wave of surprise, then smiles of incredulity pa.s.sed over the crowded room.

"Very well," agreed the lawyer readily. "Set up the instruments."

The three Exeter operators came forward, and the prosecutor, producing a handkerchief, himself stepped into the witness-box and proceeded to bind Alex's eyes. That done, to make doubly sure, he turned Alex face to the wall.

When the lawyer returned to the counsel-table the proceedings were momentarily interrupted by a whispered consultation with his a.s.sistant, at the end of which, while the spectators wondered, the latter hastened from the room.

Curiosity as to the junior counsel's mission was quickly forgotten, however, as the prosecutor then called Jack Orr to the table beside the telegraph instruments, and stood Jack and the three Exeter operators in a row before him.

"Now," said he in a low voice, "each of you, as I touch you, step quietly to the key, and send these words: 'Do you know who this is?'"

A moment the lawyer paused, while spectators, judge and jury waited in breathless silence, then reaching out, he lightly touched one of the Exeter men.

"Do you know who this is?" clicked the sounder.

All eyes turned toward Alex. Without a moment's hesitation he answered, "Johnson."

The operator nodded, and a flutter pa.s.sed over the court-room.

"Huh! A guess," declared the prosecutor audibly, and still smiling confidently, he touched another of the Exeter operators. The instruments repeated the question.

"Bradley," said Alex promptly.

The flutter of surprise was repeated. Quickly the prosecutor made as though to touch the third Exeter man, then abruptly again touched Bradley.

"Bradley again," said Alex.

A ripple like applause swept over the crowded room. With tightening lips the prosecutor turned again toward the third Exeter operator. At the moment the door opened, and he paused as his a.s.sistant reappeared, with him two young ladies.

The newcomers were operators from the local commercial telegraph office.

At once Jack's lawyer, recognizing the prosecution's purpose, was on his feet in protest. For of course the young women were utter strangers to the blindfolded boy in the witness-stand.

The judge promptly motioned him down, however, and with a smile of antic.i.p.ated triumph the prosecutor greeted the two local operators, and whispering his instructions to one of them, led her to the telegraph key.

In a silence that was painful the sounder once more rattled out its inquiry, "Do you know who this is?"

Alex started, hesitated, made as though to speak, again paused, then suddenly cried, "That's a stranger!

"And it's awfully like the light, jumpy sending of a girl!"

A spontaneous cheer broke from the excited spectators. "Silence!

Silence!" shouted the judge.

It was not necessary to repeat the order, for the disconcerted prosecutor, whirling about, had grasped Jack Orr by the arm and thrust him toward the key.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "AND IT'S AWFULLY LIKE THE LIGHT, JUMPY SENDING OF A GIRL!"]

The final test had come.

Jack himself realized the significance of the moment, and for an instant hesitated, trembling. Then determinedly gripping himself he reached forward, grasped the key, and sent,

"Do you know--"

"Orr! Orr! That's he!" cried Alex.

With a shout the entire court-room was on its feet, women waving their handkerchiefs and men cheering wildly again and again. And equally disregarding the etiquette of the court, Alex tore the handkerchief from his eyes, and leaping down beside Jack, fell to shaking his hand as though he would never let go, while Jack vainly sought to express himself, and to keep back the tears that came to his eyes.

Ten minutes later, with order restored, Jack was formally declared "Not guilty," and with Alex on one side and his father on the other, left the room, free and vindicated.

"Well, good-by, my lad," said Mr. Orr, as he and Alex that evening dropped Jack off their returning train at Midway Junction. "And I suppose it is unnecessary to warn you against understandings with such men as Watts in the future, no matter for what purpose."

"Hardly, Dad," responded Jack earnestly. "No more agreements of any kind for me unless they are on the levellest kind of level, no matter who they are with, or for what purpose."

XIII

PROFESSOR CLICK, MIND READER

Some months previously Alex and Jack had arranged to take their two weeks' vacation at the same time, and to spend one week at Haddowville, Jack's home, and the other at Bixton.

The long looked-for Monday had at length arrived, early that morning Jack had joined Alex at Exeter, and the two boys, aboard the Eastern Mail, were now well on their way to Haddowville.

For some minutes Alex's part in the animated conversation of the two chums had waned. Presently, plucking Jack's sleeve, he quietly directed his companion's attention to the double seat across the aisle of the car.

"Jack, watch that soldier's fingers," he said in a low voice. "What's the matter with him?"

The soldier in question, in the uniform of an infantry regular, sat facing them, beside a stout elderly gentleman. Opposite the first soldier was a second, in a similar uniform; and sharing the seat with the latter, and facing the old gentleman, was a decidedly pretty young girl.