“That kid’ll never learn to be serious I’m afraid,” he said as he held the thing out for the boys to see.
It was a small salt shaker.
“Thought you’d better put some on its tail,” Jack laughed.
“It’s the only way he’d ever catch anything except a cold,” the girl chuckled loudly enough for them all to hear.
“I’ll catch you if you don’t get back to bed,” Mr. Sleeper tried to make his voice stern as he started toward the door but it slammed almost in his face and he laughingly turned back.
“She carries too many guns for me,” he sighed.
Suddenly Jack grasped Bob by the arm. “Look over there toward Katahdin,” he ordered.
As Bob turned his eye quickly caught what had caused Jack’s exclamation. Far away, seemingly nearly a mile high in the heavens, a light was flashing. It would appear and disappear a few times in rapid succession and then would go out for a time only to begin again a moment later.
“It’s a signal of some sort,” Bob declared, “and unless I’m mistaken its Morse. Hold your flash here quick.”
Searching his pockets he quickly found a pencil and a scrap of paper and began writing down the letters as the strange light spelled them out.