quarters and with the
permission of your company commander, you can see my adjutant during
duty hours. Or the chaplain."

"Please, sir," Harry gulped. "It's awfully important."

"Well," the colonel hesitated, "this is most unusual."

"Yes, sir, it is most unusual," Harry agreed.

"All right," the post commander sighed, "what is it?"

"Sir, are your house lights all working?" Harry repeated.

"Now look here, Fisher, if this is some sort of a gag, I'll see
that...."

"No, sir," Harry repeated strenuously, "I really mean the question."

The colonel glanced back over his shoulder into the house. He turned
back to the pair. "Yes, the lights appear to be all functioning."

Harry turned to Jed. "Talk to your mother, Jed," he whispered.

Jed shut his eyes. "Ma," he thought, "it's me agin!"

The lights went out all over the colonel's quarters.

Colonel Cartwright gasped and stared at the mountain boy standing with
his eyes closed.

"All right, Jed," Harry said, "break it off."

"Jest a minute, Ma," Jed thought, "Harry wants me." He opened his eyes
and the lights came on.

"How did he do it?" the colonel breathed.

"He thought them out, sir," Harry said.

"He ... WHAT?" Cartwright spluttered.

"That's right, sir," Harry repeated. "He 'thought' them out. Jed, get
Ma on the line again."

Jed shut his eyes. The lights went out again.

Colonel Cartwright sagged against the door jamb. He moaned, "How long
has this one been running around loose?"

"Colonel," Harry said cautiously, "he does the same thing with radios,
telephones, cars, anything requiring electrical power. He just shuts
it off."

The post commander looked stunned.

"That's not all either, sir," Harry continued. "He can 'think' bullets
to a target."

"Come in the house," the colonel said weakly. "That's an order,
soldiers."

* * * * *

Three weeks later, Sergeants First Class Harold Fisher and Jediah
Cromwell were putting the finishing touches to their own private room.
Jed sank down onto the soft mattress on the big bed. "Glory be, Harry,
I jest can't seem to catch my breath, we've been movin' so fast 'n
doin' so much. All them there tests with them tanks and them
airyplanes in Californy and that other funny place. Ma thought it was
kinda funny I had so much time fer jest a-sittin' 'n chattin' with
her. Now we're here 'n I ain't allowed to say nothing to her."

He stole a proud glance at the new chevrons