I
remembered your telephone message from the fanatic about sending a
'sign'. Immediately after, the Atlas Building experienced on a small
scale what next day the city experienced on a larger scale. It was
legitimate inference to connect one with the other. Of course, if our
telephone friend was the man who had brought these things about, he
had done it to force you to do what he demanded. But he would lose the
effect of his lesson unless you understood his connection with the
matter. Hence, I concluded that you must have received messages--by
wireless--and that they must have repeated the warning as to a 'sign'
being sent. It was very simple."
"You're smart, all right," conceded McCarthy.
After a moment the wireless operator came in.
"Simmons," said McCarthy, "answer this man's questions."
"They will be in regard to these messages," said Darrow. "Where are they
from?"
"Somewhere in the one-hundred to two-hundred-mile circles, depending on
the power of the sending instrument," replied the operator promptly.
"Are you sure?"
"I know my instruments pretty well; and I've had experience enough so I
can tell by the sound of the sending about how far off they come from."
"And this was from somewhere about one to two hundred miles away, you
think?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know whether any other instruments caught this?"
"No, only mine." He was very positive.
"How do you know?"
"Mr.
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