“That’s wonderful! I’ll do anything, just anything to have a part in that!”

For a time the two black boxes were neglected. Then, one night, they came back with a bang. That was the night following the receipt of a letter from Sally’s old friend, C. K. It ran:

“Dear Sally: Received yours of the 17th. Note what you say about the black boxes.

“Your recent discovery may be of the greatest importance. I refer to the disturbances you think may be messages in code. On that wave-length it can hardly be anything else. Keep it up. You may make a startling discovery. I have definite theory regarding those supposed messages, but will not tell you about it until you have further details.

“You don’t know how to receive in code, do you? It’s not difficult. Get someone there to teach you.

“I agree with you that an outside aerial will help bring out the sounds. But don’t take too many chances just to make an old man’s dream come true.

“Too many chances!” Sally exploded after reading the letter. “There couldn’t possibly be too many chances.”

That very night she started taking the chances.

It was a cloudy, windy night. “Just the night for a murder,” Sally whispered to Nancy as they embarked on their enterprise.

“Or something,” Nancy agreed.

It was Saturday. All the WAVES have Saturday afternoon and night off for shore leave. Most of them would be away so there would be few prying eyes. That was why they had picked on this night for connecting the black boxes with the aerial set up on the roof.

The wires running from Sally’s room up to Nancy’s and to the attic were in place. The lock to the attic door was old. Nancy had solved that with a skeleton key bought at the five and ten.

“There’s no counting of noses at bedcheck tonight,” Sally said. “So we’ll start work at ten. You can be the lookout and I’ll do the work.”

“Don’t forget you’re going to be quite a way up in the air,” Nancy cautioned.

“Oh, I’ve always been a tomboy.” Sally did a cartwheel. “I’ll put on gray slacks and a gray sweater, just in case the moon comes out. The roof is gray, you know.”

“You’d 

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