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 passengers were allowed ashore, 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 passed 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 ashore 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 passed 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 documents.
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 embarrassment 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 button 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 assured 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.
"Why not? Mr. Ready has just sold his invention to the United States government."
"Sold it, sir——" began Jack, flushing, "why I——"
The Secretary held up a hand to enjoin silence. Then he turned to the thoroughly uncomfortable Thurman.
"We feel, Mr. Thurman," he said, "that you really tried to do us a great service."
Thurman recovered some of his self-assurance. Could he have had the skill to read the faces about him, though, he must have known that a bomb was about to burst.
"Thank you, sir," he said, "I did what I could, what I thought was my duty. And now, sir, about that reward."
"'Suitable reward,' was what was said, I think, Mr. Thurman," said the Secretary.
"Well, yes, sir, 'suitable reward,'" responded Thurman, his eyes glistening with cupidity.
"Mr. Thurman," and the Secretary's voice was serious and impressive, "these gentlemen and I have decided that the most suitable reward for a young man as treacherous and mean as you have shown yourself to be, would be to be kicked downstairs. Instead I shall indicate to you the door and ask you to take your leave."
"But—but—I told you who the fellow was that had discovered the detector. Why, I even made drawings of it for you."
"I don't doubt that," said the Secretary dryly. "There was only one weak point in your whole scheme, Mr. Thurman, and that was that Mr. Ready wrote us some time ago when he first began his experiments about his work and asked some advice. At that time he informed us that if he succeeded in producing a Universal Detector that it would be at the service of this government. So you see that you were kind enough to inform us of something we knew already. But for a time we were at a loss to know whether it was not some other inventor working on similar lines who had discovered such a detector. To find out definitely we fine-combed the country."
"And—and I get no reward?" stuttered Thurman.
"Except the one I mentioned and the possible lesson you may have learned from your experience. Good-afternoon, Mr. Thurman."
Thurman was so thunderstruck by the collapse of his hopes of reaping a fortune by his treachery that he appeared for a moment to be deprived of the power of locomotion. The Secretary nodded to the orderly, who came forward and took the wretched youth, for whom Jack could not help feeling sorry, by the arm and led him to the door. This was the last that was seen of Thurman for a long time, but Jack was destined to meet him again, thousands of miles away and under strange circumstances.
When Jack left the Navy Department he felt as if he was walking on air. In his pocket was a check, intended as a sort of retaining fee by the government, till tests should have established beyond a doubt the value of his invention. His eyes were dancing and all he felt that he needed was a friend to share his pleasure with. This need was supplied on his return to the hotel, for there was a telegram from Billy Raynor, telling Jack to meet him on an evening train. It wound up with these words:
"Helen Dennis and myself badly worried. Hope everything is all right."
"All right," smiled Jack, "yes, all right, and then some."