and energy to repeat."
"Don't see what they've got on hand more important," muttered Hogarth."Wait a minute."
From an adjoining room she could hear Hogarth's voice risingdisputatiously. "No harm investigating, anyhow!" And she could not keepback a secret exultation when, after a time, he appeared in company withtwo men whom he introduced as "Mr. Wiley" and "Mr. Malvine."
* * * * *
Half an hour later, she had led them into the University laboratory, acorner of which had been partitioned off. There a twenty-four-inchtelescope-like tube shot up through the ceiling; while nearer at handwas a table covered with complicated electrical devices.
"Well, trot out your discoveries!" barked Wiley.
From a compartment Miss Landers drew three pairs of binoculars, withwires attached. "Adjust these, gentlemen," she instructed.
Automatically each man reached for a pair. And as they took them, a lookof triumph crossed the woman's averted face. She pressed a button--andwith what astonishing results!
Her finger sought the button behind her; found it...]
All three men gasped, and began to writhe. A convulsive shudder shotthrough each; they sagged, and fell to the floor; then gradually allthree stiffened, except for their necks and faces, which still twitchedspasmodically.
At the same time, the young woman pressed a buzzer; and three men, inthe uniforms of university guards, hastened in with ropes, which theywound around the helpless trio.
"What--what in hell's name is this?" sputtered Wiley, as he began torecover from the first shock. "We--we're paralyzed!"
"That's just it," stated the lady, calmly. "You're paralyzed, from thenecks down. I merely wanted to introduce you to another little inventionof your friend Dan Holcomb. He asked me to show it to you, with hiscompliments. You see, the rays of telurox, much diluted and carried overa wire, will temporarily paralyze the human nerve centers. But have nofear. The spell will wear off in half an hour."
"This--this is an outrage!" groaned Hogarth, as he lay amid his ropes.
"Not at all. I'm sure, when you're no longer paralyzed, you won't mindsigning a little paper, containing an order for the release of Mr.Holcomb--"
"What the devil makes you so interested in Holcomb?" flared back Wiley.
"Well, it's only that I happen to be his wife. Mary Landers is the nameof a cousin of mine. Dan and I have been planning to get him out of yourdungeon when you locked him up there again, as we expected you would.I'm simply carrying out his ideas."
Angry sounds, like the growls of enraged bears, came from the throats ofall three prisoners.
"If we sign," demanded Malvine, "will you let us go?"
"There's only one promise I can make. If you don't sign, my friendshere"--she designated the three guards--"will see that you remainparalyzed."
The conspirators were trapped, and they knew it; were caught like ratsin a corner, beyond rescue by the corrupt system they had built up. Andso, after their paralysis had begun to wear off and they had beenre-paralyzed several times in succession, they bowed their heads incapitulation.
"Come on," snarled Hogarth, "give us that damned paper!"
He glanced over the sheet, and an even angrier snarl came from histhroat.
"You must think we're crazy, young lady!" he roared. "You can go to hellbefore we'll sign!"
The document was not only an order for Dan's release, but a confessionof the criminal manner in which he had been seized and detained.
"Better think it over, gentlemen," advised Lucile, as the prisonerscontinued to hold out against signing.
* * * * *
And this was exactly what they did. After more than twelve hours, duringwhich they were allowed neither food nor drink (it being impossible todigest anything in a paralyzed state), the victims realized that theyhad no chance except to sign, or miserably to perish. And not being ofthe stuff of which heroes are made, they grumblingly asked the guards todeparalyze them sufficiently to let them sign the paper.
Thus it came about that Dan was again delivered from the basementprison, and that he and his wife were restored to one another's arms.Thus, thanks to his discovery and her application of it, the earth wassaved from the most terrible peril in history, and gradually was broughtback to its true orbit. And thus, after Dan had broadcasted all he knewabout the plots of the Triumvirate, Hogarth, Wiley and Malvine werediscredited and disgraced, and, deserted by their confederates, stoodtrial for Dan's kidnapping and imprisonment. The last that was heard ofthem, they were still serving their twenty-year terms at WilmottPenitentiary.
As for the Cosmic Deflector--after the earth's orbit was righted, thesecret of it was sealed in a vault at Merlin University. "I'vediscovered, Lucile," remarked Dan, shortly after his release, "it's nota safe invention to entrust in human hands.
"But there's one thing," he went on, as his lips moved toward hers, "ifit drew the earth out of its orbit, it also drew us closer together."
Her answering smile told him that, so far as they were concerned, theDeflector had been a success.
The Cosmic Deflector Page 5