seriousness of the announcement. The scientist was hurrying here

tes that make the mo

to space-the plates that give the forward motion to the projectile. They have

vent us from m

e duplicat

tle harm

e plates in his possession, the man may discover the secret of the power tha

ntering the machine shop at that moment. Th

at the man, whoever he was, will learn how

power from the plates, for they are only a small part of the mechanism. Still, he may do so. I am convinced now

r notify the polic

to do that. No; the best plan will be to hasten work or the Annihilator, and start for Mars before the thief can gain any advantage from the plates. If he should succeed in discovering

duplicates of the

e set, so I made three. Well, it will do no go

eem to be anything broken, to indicate how the thief got in, a

in the shop, declared they had heard no suspicious sounds during the night

f work on the Annihilator. They wanted to have it finished a

uid in case of any accident to the distilling apparatus. The Etherium motor was almost finished, and the other, motor, which was to drive the Annihilator through the earth's atmosphere, was nea

cious, as there was no telling what the

any of the others we built," remarked Jack one day, as he a

p," said Mark. "I

ng to sail through the air, and it's an airship, of course. Wait until

id Mark. "There's too much

't it be fine when we're shooting through space to sit h

much of eating as yo

too. I've gained five pounds this week, because of not doing a

ts us help run the mac

and Washington and Andy are the only ones going along. He and the professor can't run the affa

d–foot projectile through space, when we're mo

't it?" com

ing if it ever got aw

we steered i

into one of those thi

urned up we'll be all right," went on Jack. "And

ha

big canals. Mars is covered

Martians wo

ish we could st

tor isn't near done. We will

he midst of this occupation, and were conversing about the strange experien

nt some help build

le-an entrance that would be closed when the Annihilator was finished. The ma

t was against the rules for any stranger to enter

ering going on in here. I knew it was a machine shop, and as I'm a

uired Jack, for he knew that Andy Sudds

"There was nobody there, so I walked in.

w it's an airsh

s," and the man winked one eye at

egan to think perhaps the m

I know what patents mean. Say," he went on in a whisper, "you'd be surprised to know where I w

you go?"

eese. It's green apples-that's what it's made of. I know, for I was there, and I ate some. They gave me a

her. They did not understand th

ire me. I know all about airships and traveling through space. Why, I once did a dance on

about in the somewhat contracted space of the living–room of the

how!"

t be doing this for effect, in order to disarm their suspicions, so th

the man. "My name is Axtell-Fred Axtell

far end of the shop. The professor ran toward the place where the strangely ac

hing up a big hammer he began to pound on the sides of