siness, this work of the radio secret service. Though
he had been at it for months, Curlie had never quite got used to it. A
detective he was in the truest sense of the word, yet how different from
the kind one reads about in books.

He laughed as he thought of it now. Then as his tapering fingers
adjusted a screw, his brow became suddenly wrinkled in thought. He was
troubled by the two cases which had lately developed: the one at the
hotel and that other, the station that moved. How was he to locate that
powerful secret station in the hotel? How was he to discover the owner
of that mysterious moving radio? He could not answer these questions.
And yet somehow they must be answered. He knew that.

The operator in the hotel was sending on 1200 meter wave lengths. State
messages were constantly being sent across the Atlantic on 1200;
messages of the greatest importance. There was a conference of nations
at that moment going on in Europe. America's representative must be kept
in constant touch with the government officials at Washington. If this
person at the hotel persisted in sending messages on 1200 meter wave
lengths an important message might at any moment be blurred or lost.

Not less important was the breaking in of this moving operator on 600.
This was the wave length used by ships and by harbor stations. Great
steamships sometimes waited for hours to get a message ashore on 600. If
this person were to be allowed to break in upon them they might wait
hours longer. Thousands of dollars would be lost. And then, as we have
said before, the message of some ship in distress might be lost because
of this person's interference.

"When, oh, when," sighed Curlie, "will people become used to this new
thing, the radiophone? When will they learn that it is a great, new
servant of mankind and not a toy? When will they take time to instruct
themselves regarding the rights of others? When will they develop a
conscience which will compel them to consider those rights?"

The answer which came to his mind was, "Perhaps never. But little by
little they will learn some things. It is my duty not alone to detect
but to teach."

He shifted uneasily in his chair, then held his ear close to the loud
speaker tuned to 200. A message came floating in to him across the air,
a mysterious whispered message.

"Hello, Curlie," it said. "You don't know me, but you have seen me--"

Automatically Curlie's fingers moved the radio-compass backwa