"But there is punctuation and other rubbish mixed in with the letters."
"No matter. Have a little patience, man!"
Nevertheless, in spite of all the patience and perseverance the boys could muster the magic message remained an enigma and at the end of an hour both were obliged to admit themselves beaten.
"It is worse than getting no message at all," lamented Walter.
"It certainly does not do us much good," assented Dick.
"Do you suppose your father knows anything about the Morse code?"
"Dad? Good heavens, no! Still we might take the thing up to the house and show it to him."
"I don't imagine it is right, do you?" speculated Walter. "No doubt we missed some of it or made mistakes. Still, what we contrived to write agrees fairly well, so some of it must be correct. Let's take it to your father. What do you say?"
"I feel like such a boob not to be able to make it out," Dick answered with evident reluctance at confessing himself floored.
"But we'll have to tell him O'Connel called. We've got to do that anyhow; so he may as well know the rest of it," Walter persisted.