." He stopped and stared at Jed with a half-smile. "You know,
Jed, you're kind of weird sometimes. 'Think the bullets.' Come to
think of it, though, that's not the only weird thing. Did you know
that everytime you were getting ready to shoot our radios went dead
today?"

Jed frowned thoughtfully. "That's funny. I ain't never heard of that
happenin' afore. O' course, we never had radios in Bluebird Gulch.
Only thing we ever had trouble with wuz the 'lectric light bulbs in
Paulsburg the one-two times our folks went down there. Seems like them
lights wuz goin' out everytime one of us wuz mind-talkin' with some
homefolks."

Harry stared puzzledly at the mountain boy.

"You know," Jed tried to explain, "like when you might of fergot
somethin' someone wanted real bad from the store. Or mebbe like one
time when Ma'n me wuz in the big store in Paulsburg and she wuz
gettin' some fancy cloth fer Miz Culpepper. Store didn't have no fancy
cloth like Miz Culpepper wanted, with big red flowers. Only had blue
flowers. So Ma, she mind-asked Miz Culpepper if the blue ones would be
all right. Every durned 'lectric light bulb in that store went out."

Fisher was beginning to get a dazed look on his face. "'Mind-asked.'
'Mind-talk.' You mean what I think you mean, Jediah?" he asked.

"Reckon I do," Jed said emphatically. "Just like I mind-talked with Ma
this afternoon an' tole her what all the hurrah was about jest 'cause
I flung them bullets through that big ol' black spot."

"You talked with your mother back in West Virginia this afternoon?"
Harry pressed. "From the rifle range?"

"Shore did," Jed said happily. "Most plumb forgot fer a couple o'
weeks now, what with us bein' so consarned busy. It wuz purely fine to
talk with Ma."

Fisher's brain was spinning. "Can you contact her anytime you want
to?"

"Shore kin," Jed said proudly. "It takes a mite more power though, the
furthern I git from home. Or if Miz Hawkins is listenin' in."

"Let's see you do it now," Fisher demanded.

Jed shut his eyes. "Ma," he thought, "you got time fer a chat?"

The lights went out all over the barracks. Harry Fisher fainted.

When he came to, he was lying on Jed's bunk with the mountain boy
leaning over him solicitously. "You all right, Harry?" Jed asked
anxiously. "Ma's worried 'bout you."

Harry fainted again.

When he came to the second time, Jed had gone running down the
barracks aisle to Corporal Weisbaum's room. Harry sat up and swu