Jan. 16, 2023
Reverse English
In this episode, we encounter one of those many times of what happens when technology falls into the wrong hands.
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"My Place" - https://slip.stream/tracks/a0fa736c-9dd3-4e15-80a9-2286a516e8b5
"Pull It Up" - https://slip.stream/tracks/d40d8ffb-def3-4b7b-90f8-74674885a7d9
Theme written by Bernard Kyer for this podcast. Follow the link for more info. https://www.bardmediamusic.com/
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Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:00.468 --> 00:00:05.158
Hi friends, and welcome to another episode of Forward Into the Past.
00:00:05.883 --> 00:00:15.182
I'm JC Rede, your host and narrator, and today we're delving back into the world of the strange and unusual stories of mid-century science fiction.
00:00:15.753 --> 00:00:25.592
Again, from the pages of thrilling wonder stories comes today's interesting sci-fi short story called Reverse English, written by John S.
00:00:25.592 --> 00:00:27.353
Carroll in 1948.
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The golden age of science fiction was considered to be from about 1936 to about 1948.
00:00:34.912 --> 00:00:41.063
The pulp era of science fiction came before this period in the early 1920s to the mid 1930s.
00:00:41.813 --> 00:00:49.703
As I mentioned in the first episode of this season, those early science fiction stories focused a lot on air travel or mechanical men.
00:00:50.003 --> 00:00:53.692
Uh, in other words, the focus was on the gizmos within the story.
00:00:54.578 --> 00:01:00.917
In the mid thirties, there was a definite shift in story tone, more focus on the people using the gizmos.
00:01:01.478 --> 00:01:04.237
the stories became more of a social platform.
00:01:04.748 --> 00:01:14.018
A recurring theme seemed to follow the path of questioning authority, moral dilemmas, tensions between men and women as women became more than just a side piece.
00:01:14.408 --> 00:01:24.097
So even with the technological advances placed within a science fiction story, the characters were still very relatable in the interim between World Wars.
00:01:24.847 --> 00:01:39.177
After the Second World War, this Golden Age really hit its zenith, but soon after came television and pulp magazines like Thrilling Wonder Stories where we got our last episode and this one soon folded.
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Science fiction, of course, navigated those muddy waters of the 1960s to reemerge in a renaissance in the early to mid seventies.
00:01:47.837 --> 00:01:57.287
For many people though, those images of the pulp Magazines and the stories that lay within hold a special place in our American literary development.
00:01:58.048 --> 00:02:05.188
And now I present to you the short story reverse English as published in Thrilling Wonder stories.
00:02:05.278 --> 00:02:09.717
October, 1948 and written by John S.
00:02:09.717 --> 00:02:10.318
Carroll.
00:02:12.818 --> 00:02:15.818
Reverse English by John s Carol.
00:02:17.557 --> 00:02:20.138
Me, I'm just a radio mechanic.
00:02:20.617 --> 00:02:21.728
No genius that is.
00:02:22.057 --> 00:02:23.527
But handy with a soldering iron.
00:02:24.217 --> 00:02:27.038
If it's genius, you want take my friend Bill Mara.
00:02:27.608 --> 00:02:31.897
He's a communications engineer, telephone, radio, or what have you.
00:02:32.497 --> 00:02:38.348
He's invented enough gimmicks so he doesn't have to work anymore, just putters around his basement, inventing more gimmicks.
00:02:39.127 --> 00:02:41.288
Thinking him up actually is all he does.
00:02:41.798 --> 00:02:46.298
Give him a screwdriver and a pair of pliers and he can wreck anything in five minutes.
00:02:46.897 --> 00:02:47.918
Well, that's where I come in.
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He thinks'em up.
00:02:49.478 --> 00:02:52.358
I build him, he busts'em, I fix'em.
00:02:52.747 --> 00:02:56.288
And when he gets into a jam, I'm the guy comes to bail him out.
00:02:56.948 --> 00:02:59.168
Like for instance, this last gadget of his.
00:02:59.707 --> 00:03:04.657
Nothing dangerous about it, but it could have got him sunk in the river with his feet in a block of cement.
00:03:05.587 --> 00:03:07.987
It all started with an amplifier.
00:03:09.068 --> 00:03:12.427
I found the diagram in the mail when I came into the shop one morning.
00:03:13.147 --> 00:03:18.068
It looked like an ordinary audio amplifier at first sight, and I started laying out a chassis.
00:03:18.967 --> 00:03:21.127
Picking out parts, I noticed something.
00:03:21.788 --> 00:03:27.578
Even Bill can make a mistake sometimes, but I don't stick my neck out anymore, so I got him on the phone.
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Bill about this amplifier of yours.
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I started.
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Well, what about it?
00:03:32.582 --> 00:03:33.513
Never seen one before?
00:03:33.983 --> 00:03:35.992
Look bub, I've built hundreds of them.
00:03:36.502 --> 00:03:40.103
If I hadn't, I'd have built yours like you drew it here and you'd be stuck with it.
00:03:40.582 --> 00:03:41.453
Stuck with what?
00:03:41.872 --> 00:03:44.332
Okay, look at your coupling contenders.
00:03:44.693 --> 00:03:54.973
Maybe it's just a misprint, or you wrote m F where you met M F D, but if you use condensers that small, it might work, but you'd never hear a sound out of it.
00:03:55.513 --> 00:03:58.212
Low frequency cut off way above the audible limit.
00:03:59.562 --> 00:04:01.242
Well, I give you an A for effort anyway.
00:04:01.543 --> 00:04:09.203
Keep punching and build it the way I drew it and stop worrying Well, now what do you do with a guy like that?
00:04:09.983 --> 00:04:10.673
I built it.
00:04:10.943 --> 00:04:13.582
Had to test it with a scope to find out if anything got through.
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It Couldn't hear a sound when I delivered it.
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He just grunted.
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You mind letting me in on the secret?
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I asked now you've got an outfit that amplifies sounds.
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You can't hear who's gonna listen to it.
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He just tossed me a couple of sketches.
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That's the output section he explained.
00:04:32.208 --> 00:04:35.148
We'll connect it to the vertical sweep of a cathode ray tube.
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The rest of the circuit is an automatic time base, so you get standing wave patterns at any frequency.
00:04:42.252 --> 00:04:44.927
okay with me, but what are you gonna feed into it?
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Uh oh.
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I almost forgot.
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Midget condenser mic through a high pass filter.
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Cutoff at 12,000.
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Hm.
00:04:53.838 --> 00:05:00.648
Well, I still don't know him any more than I did at the beginning, but what the devil, I get paid for it, even if it doesn't work.
00:05:01.517 --> 00:05:07.127
A couple of weeks after I finished the outfit, I was still wondering, so I dropped in on his basement lab one night.
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He had the rig set up and working.
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The microphone was on the floor.
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Bill's dog, a non-descript pooch named McGinnis was tied up in front.
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Bill was stroking him, petting him, annoying him.
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And as far as I could see, nothing whatever was happening.
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The amplifier was running, the scope tube was lit, showing a nice steady baseline and nothing else.
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Hey, maybe your mic's no good.
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I said helpfully.
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No, it's okay.
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He muttered.
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Look, he picked up a little silver whistle and blew it.
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No sound came out that I could hear, but the dog jumped up as if he were shot and a nice pattern of standing wave showed up on the scope.
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Dog whistle, explained Bill.
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You can't hear it and I can't hear it.
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Too high frequency, but he can hear it.
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See?
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All right, I've got one of those whistles for my dog too.
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What's that gotta do with the price of yams in Patagonia?
00:06:03.608 --> 00:06:05.348
Okay, here's how I figure it.
00:06:05.798 --> 00:06:07.807
Dogs can hear supersonic frequencies.
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Maybe they talk to each other that way.
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So far no dice.
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Well now there it is.
00:06:14.437 --> 00:06:18.908
The guy's got 47 patents, three degrees in an honorary doctorate of science.
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Maybe it's just overworked, but it certainly sounds like he's chipped his crock.
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Talking dogs! I'm about to suggest a nice long rest for him when he hops out of his chair and beats it.
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Well, nothing to do, but relax and see what's next.
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He's back in about five minutes with a big yellow tom Cat, unties the dog and chases him.
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The cat's fur lies down again and he starts to prowl around.
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Looking at objects with typical cat curiosity.
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He rubs his nose against the microphone, sniffs, and looks around.
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Bill is watching the cat with considerable interest.
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So am I.
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The cat looks at us again at the scope and at the microphone.
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He walks around once, shakes his head, walks over to the microphone again, and puts his nose near it.
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I don't hear anything and Bill doesn't either, I don't think.
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But a big, beautiful pattern appears on the scope.
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It's followed by a string of shorter irregular peaks, and it stops as the cat turns to face us.
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I look at Bill and he looks at me.
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Then we both look at the cat.
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I always knew that dog was a dope bill utters.
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Any alley cat in town is Einstein by comparison.
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I could swear that Cat nodded his head at the remark.
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Anyway, he had a self-satisfied expression, which for a cat is almost a normal look anyway.
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Another row of peaks appeared on the scope screen.
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Bill's eyes bugged a little.
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You know, he said a little tensely.
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I think that Alley Rabbit actually understands what we're saying.
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The cat looked a little annoyed at that.
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A short wave train appeared on the screen.
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Then a long one, then two short ones.
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I couldn't get over the feeling that the cat had just said.
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Of course I do.
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Bill must have felt the same way.
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He was excited by now.
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Oh, shrimps and sweet cream for you, Tommy.
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He shouted to the cat.
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Turning to me, he exalted.
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Now I've got a real idea.
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Look Mike.
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He grabbed a scratch pad and started drawing a new schematic.
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See?
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We'll take the output of the amplifier and run it through a mixer oscillator stage.
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That way we can get a beat between a fixed frequency and the supersonic output of the amplifier.
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The beat should be in the audible range, and we'll be able to hear it.
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We won't need the scope.
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I want to hear what that cat is saying.
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I started to open my mouth.
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I closed it, then I opened it again.
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I spoke to the cat.
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Say Meow to the gentleman, Tommy.
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I had it coming.
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The cat looked me straight in the eye, emitted a raucus sound, something between Yeah, and turned away.
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You ever have a cat give you the Bronx Cheer I left.
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There was no particular trick to building the new gimmick.
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Just a question of the right coils.
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I'm no genius by any means, but I can calculate an lc ratio.
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I delivered it and tried to forget the whole thing, but I've got as much curiosity as the next guy, so I didn't wait more than a week.
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Down in the basement.
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Bill's sitting there having words with the cat.
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Bill's talking directly to the cat.
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The cat's replies are coming out of the loudspeaker on my new setup.
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The cat's talking something that sounds like Hindustani.
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I stood it for a while and it got too much for me.
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How come?
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I popped.
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He understands English seems like, why doesn't he speak it?
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The cat looks at me and says, yeah.
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Bill says, when I could ask you the same question, remind me to do it sometime.
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Meanwhile, he is speaking English.
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That's what it sounds like to him when I speak it.
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His hearing apparatus is different.
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That's all.
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Now, wait a minute.
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I squawked gullible.
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That's me, but I still don't believe that a cat speaks English! You've heard of Pig Latin.
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Haven't you said, bill mildly.
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Why not cat English?
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Ask a foolish question.
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Get a foolish answer.
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I replied, you ought to be writing radio scripts.
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With jokes like that, even Milton Berle couldn't get his option picked up.
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Don't be so damn superior.
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Bill growled The Beast has never heard any other language.
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He's lived here all his life.
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Why shouldn't he speak English?
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Well cat fashion anyway.
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The cat moved its nose to the mic and some assorted sounds came out at the speaker.
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Sounded like Esparanto this time.
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Bill nodded.
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He agrees with me.
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He said, smugly.
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I gave up.
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I took my fedora, jammed it down on the top of my noggin and started to leave.
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Bill snapped off the amplifier switch, motioned me to wait and started to feed the cat.
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When he got through serving lunch, he came over to me and said, build me another one.
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Portable up battery operated this time.
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I've gotten more ideas.
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Cats can't be the only animal smart enough to talk.
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The cat looked up from its dinner and made a face.
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Luckily, the amplifier was turned off, so I missed his parting shot.
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I beat it.
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Business was slow for the next few weeks.
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Maybe they're making radios better now, but I didn't have much repair business and I hadn't heard from Bill since delivering his new battery operated, portable, whatever it was.
00:11:25.278 --> 00:11:29.538
So I told my kid assistant to mind the shop for the evening, and I went out to the track.
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Two bucks of my dough on any horse's nose will raise his wind resistance to the point where he can't win a race.
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But what the devil, it keeps me out in the open air.
00:11:40.653 --> 00:11:41.072
Anyway.
00:11:41.072 --> 00:11:42.812
I prowled around the stables a bit.
00:11:43.352 --> 00:11:47.102
I know these one horsepower, oat motors are obsolete, but I like them.
00:11:47.633 --> 00:11:53.633
Times I think the world was a better place to live when old Dobbin was vice president in charge of transportation.
00:11:54.153 --> 00:11:58.202
There's a little gathering around one stall, and I decided to look into matters.
00:11:58.712 --> 00:12:02.763
Middle of the group is Bill Mara, and he's tinkering with the portable gimmick.
00:12:03.378 --> 00:12:08.528
He's having words with a horse and the horse seems to be holding up his end of the conversation pretty well.
00:12:08.967 --> 00:12:13.738
And I suppose the language was horse English, but it sounded like Lithuanian to me.
00:12:14.238 --> 00:12:17.298
Bill seemed to understand it though and he was translating for the group.
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General idea seems to be this bunch of touts wants to know if the horse is going to win his race.
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The horse keeps insisting.
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It's a foolish question in any way.
00:12:26.158 --> 00:12:29.967
Why not ask the jockey who's going to ride him as far as the race is concerned?
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The jocks, the boss and the horse does as he's told.
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since this is what every racetrack tout is always telling you, you'd think they'd agree with him.
00:12:37.947 --> 00:12:39.628
Seems like they don't really believe it though.
00:12:39.628 --> 00:12:41.878
Not even when they get it right from the horse's mouth.
00:12:42.597 --> 00:12:45.778
Meanwhile, the nag gets tired of this foolishness and clams up.
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Bill turns and says, huh, look boys, he's told you all.
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He intends to.
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He thinks, all this is silly.
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One of the touts is stubborn.
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Oh, he's gotta know if he can win or not.
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He's running the race, ain't he?
00:12:58.048 --> 00:12:59.998
He must have spoke to the other horses.
00:13:00.778 --> 00:13:04.847
Maybe, says bill, but he doesn't wanna talk and I don't know any way to make him.
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Some disgusted sounds came out of the loudspeaker.
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Sounds like Swahili this time.
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Bill listens.
00:13:11.927 --> 00:13:14.648
Okay, he says he doesn't figure a more than show.
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His feet hurt.
00:13:16.177 --> 00:13:17.857
The group breaks up like magic.
00:13:18.187 --> 00:13:20.317
They all beat it for the$2 show window.
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Bill tells the horse he's sorry to have bothered him.
00:13:24.077 --> 00:13:24.847
Considerate guy, Bill.
00:13:25.788 --> 00:13:29.692
Out of the corner of my eye, I see one big guy looking at us curiously.
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He's wearing a sharp suit and a tie with the Aurora Borealis embroidered in purple and green on a gold background.
00:13:36.623 --> 00:13:39.082
I make it all about$500 on the hoof.
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Looks familiar too, but I can't place'em.
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We walk over to the track and I spend the next hour cheering my horses into last place.
00:13:48.567 --> 00:13:50.668
My luck is running as usual.
00:13:51.207 --> 00:13:54.357
Fifth Race comes along and I see the horse Bill's been talking to.
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He's right on the rail.
00:13:56.307 --> 00:13:58.258
Well, I figured this will be worth watching.
00:13:59.232 --> 00:14:05.442
The start is a good one and this nag, uh, his name is Roll Merrilee, is two lengths ahead of the quarter.
00:14:05.832 --> 00:14:08.682
He's running easy and doesn't seem to have any competition.
00:14:09.133 --> 00:14:11.052
The boy hasn't touched the whip to him yet.
00:14:11.832 --> 00:14:15.222
At the half things are pretty much the same at the three quarter pole.
00:14:15.222 --> 00:14:19.092
The field is spread out a bit, but Merrilee still leads by more than a length.
00:14:19.812 --> 00:14:24.371
I begin to wonder what those touts will do to Bill for making them play an easy winner for show money.
00:14:24.902 --> 00:14:29.312
Just as they come into the stretch, I can see a little break in merrily stride.
00:14:30.091 --> 00:14:30.961
So help me.
00:14:30.961 --> 00:14:33.211
He's running like a dame in Tight shoes.
00:14:33.751 --> 00:14:35.642
He drops back a little bit at a time.
00:14:36.091 --> 00:14:40.761
Hendy who's riding him looks a bit startled and applies the whip, but it's no dice.
00:14:41.251 --> 00:14:46.951
Two of the others pass him, and at the finish it's roll merrily third, just like he said he would.
00:14:48.032 --> 00:14:53.111
Bill looks up as if he's just finished balancing his checkbook and says, well, that's what he said.
00:14:53.412 --> 00:14:58.241
He starts to walk away as if the experiment was finished and he'd found out all he wanted to know.
00:14:58.772 --> 00:15:03.381
The big guy who was watching over at the stable walks up to him, I've got a job for you.
00:15:03.802 --> 00:15:06.201
He says, Don't need a job.
00:15:06.231 --> 00:15:06.861
Says Bill.
00:15:07.011 --> 00:15:08.422
I retired five years ago.
00:15:09.111 --> 00:15:11.902
Yeah, I put in, he doesn't have to work anymore.
00:15:12.442 --> 00:15:12.951
Shut up.
00:15:12.951 --> 00:15:14.902
punk, says the big guy to me.
00:15:15.562 --> 00:15:16.552
He turns to Bill.
00:15:16.881 --> 00:15:20.572
When Lucky Marietta offers you a job, you take it see?
00:15:21.022 --> 00:15:21.951
Bill looks worried.
00:15:22.432 --> 00:15:25.341
He hands me the portable and says, take this home.
00:15:25.682 --> 00:15:26.611
I'll see you later.
00:15:27.072 --> 00:15:31.807
Uhuh grunts Mariano, I'm hiring you and that gadget.
00:15:32.226 --> 00:15:34.787
Bring it along, and chase that lug.
00:15:35.586 --> 00:15:38.466
Well, nothing I could do, so I beat it.
00:15:39.427 --> 00:15:41.136
After a few days, I got worried.
00:15:41.586 --> 00:15:44.197
I hadn't heard from Bill and neither had his housekeeper.
00:15:45.126 --> 00:15:46.657
She didn't figure anything wrong.
00:15:46.657 --> 00:15:50.197
He often went away without telling her anything, but I knew better.
00:15:50.856 --> 00:15:51.907
I went to the cops.
00:15:52.447 --> 00:15:56.616
Nobody was at the desk except the sergeant and he was having a nap with his shoes off.
00:15:57.187 --> 00:15:58.956
He wasn't too happy when I woke him up.
00:15:59.456 --> 00:16:00.716
Bill Mara's been kidnapped.
00:16:00.807 --> 00:16:02.697
I said, How's that?
00:16:02.947 --> 00:16:03.606
He yawned.
00:16:04.006 --> 00:16:07.996
Well, I started, he invented a gadget to talk to horses and.
00:16:08.246 --> 00:16:08.809
For a minute.
00:16:08.809 --> 00:16:10.159
I almost took you serious.
00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:15.919
The sergeant said every time there's a murder in town, some crackpot comes in here and confesses, he's done it.
00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:18.919
We have a show on Broadway who killed Cock Robbins.
00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:22.549
Some jerk comes in, says he's the guy now there's a movie.
00:16:22.549 --> 00:16:24.049
My brother talks with horses.
00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:25.669
You say he is been kidnapped.
00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.149
You just stop smoking that stuff and you'll be okay.
00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.820
And if I find out where you get it, I'll.
00:16:31.855 --> 00:16:32.215
Look.
00:16:32.215 --> 00:16:33.144
I'm no crackpot.
00:16:33.144 --> 00:16:34.375
I built the gadget for him.
00:16:34.544 --> 00:16:35.955
Oh, that's all brother.
00:16:35.955 --> 00:16:37.154
Now I've heard everything.
00:16:37.575 --> 00:16:39.164
Go away and leave me rest.
00:16:39.774 --> 00:16:40.585
Oh, wait a minute.
00:16:40.585 --> 00:16:41.215
I Squawked.
00:16:41.904 --> 00:16:43.134
Lucky Mariano and.
00:16:43.274 --> 00:16:44.835
The sergeant sat up abruptly.
00:16:45.705 --> 00:16:47.475
Did you say Lucky Mariano?
00:16:48.105 --> 00:16:48.674
Yes.
00:16:48.674 --> 00:16:50.534
Lucky Mariano, I insisted.
00:16:50.865 --> 00:16:52.664
He and Bill, hold it.
00:16:53.414 --> 00:16:54.924
The sergeant was wide awake now.
00:16:55.235 --> 00:16:55.715
On him.
00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:56.850
We'd like to get something.
00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:57.990
Uh, all right.
00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:59.100
Tell me from the beginning.
00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:00.690
I told him.
00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.920
He looked skeptical enough, but he couldn't laugh off my description of Mariano.
00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:06.480
Now it fits.
00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:06.990
All right.
00:17:07.289 --> 00:17:08.609
Those neckties are his.
00:17:09.210 --> 00:17:11.880
But how do you know he kidnapped Bill Mara?
00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:15.480
Sounds like he just hired him and Bill went of his own free will.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.599
Far as I know, there's no law against talking to horses.
00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:20.400
Not even if Mariano does it.
00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:25.380
That is if your pal can really talk to horses, and that still goes down pretty hard.
00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:27.339
Well, Mariano believes it.
00:17:27.970 --> 00:17:31.400
I was mad now, but what are you gonna do about Bill.
00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:33.940
Can't see nothing we can do about Bill.
00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:37.960
Bring us some evidence of a snatch and maybe the F FBI can do something.
00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:39.170
I left.
00:17:39.509 --> 00:17:46.380
I wanted to punch that big lug right in the jaw, but punching police sergeants, especially at headquarters, is not good policy.
00:17:46.950 --> 00:17:48.059
The law frowns upon it.
00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:52.200
So I went back to the shop and tried to do some heavy thinking.
00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:54.170
It came out all wrong.
00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.359
I didn't know where Bill was.
00:17:56.900 --> 00:17:58.009
I'm no detective.
00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:59.450
I've got no gun permit.
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.859
I weighed 124 pounds dripping Webb and a rocket each hand.
00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:08.809
in short blanked opportunity knocked though.
00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:11.450
He didn't look like opportunity for the moment.
00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:19.069
He looked like one of Lucky Mariano's, less lovable gangsters, but he was carrying Bill's gadget and he had a note from Bill.
00:18:19.609 --> 00:18:21.140
It was short and to the point.
00:18:21.589 --> 00:18:22.549
Something's popped.
00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:24.589
Probably a condenser or a resistor.
00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:26.750
Fix it and send it back with the boy.
00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:27.710
He'll wait.
00:18:28.190 --> 00:18:38.000
Well, I fumbled with it and tried to read some meaning or code into the note, but it was pretty clear there wasn't any, and anyway, Bill's mind doesn't run that way.
00:18:38.630 --> 00:18:49.069
Still by the handwriting I could see that he was pretty nervous and I had a mental picture of those hoodlums trying to figure whether the gimmick was really busted or whether he was stalling.
00:18:49.365 --> 00:18:52.454
I hooked up the test set and found the trouble in about two minutes.
00:18:53.434 --> 00:18:57.525
Watching my guest out of the corner of my eye, I kept on testing, stalling for time.
00:18:58.184 --> 00:18:59.625
Finally, I got it.
00:19:00.105 --> 00:19:01.154
Look, look pal.
00:19:01.154 --> 00:19:02.384
She's pretty well shot.
00:19:02.595 --> 00:19:05.565
I've gotta put in some new coils and rewire a whole sub-assembly.
00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:08.009
I looked at the mug nervously.
00:19:08.549 --> 00:19:17.539
He shifted his cut of gum around his jaw first from right to left, and then vice versa, yawned, and said, go ahead, bub, I can wait.
00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:19.220
I'll stay till you'll finish.
00:19:19.369 --> 00:19:21.109
Just don't make any phone calls.
00:19:21.609 --> 00:19:24.730
Luckily, I had a couple of old police radio telephone's handy.
00:19:25.210 --> 00:19:28.000
I got the parts I needed out of one of them and got to work.
00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:31.539
Three hours later it was done and the tough guy left with it.
00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.180
And I left five minutes after he did.
00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.109
Same sergeant, same desk, same police headquarters.
00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:40.210
He looked at me sour like.
00:19:40.710 --> 00:19:41.700
You back again?
00:19:41.910 --> 00:19:43.410
What's the horses telling you now?
00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:44.799
Nothing much.
00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:48.039
I came back at him, but they'll be talking to you pretty soon.
00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:49.599
Something new has been added.
00:19:50.230 --> 00:19:50.710
How?
00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:51.519
What's that?
00:19:52.420 --> 00:19:54.609
I told him about my visitor and the repair job.
00:19:55.099 --> 00:20:02.190
What I did was add a modulator, oscillator, power amplifier, and a few feet of wire for an antenna coil around inside the case.
00:20:02.690 --> 00:20:03.799
So what does that make it?
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:04.839
Simple.
00:20:05.170 --> 00:20:06.809
It makes it a radio transmitter.
00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:13.869
Not only will he hear what the horses are saying, but anyone in town with a radio turn to that frequency will too.
00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:15.430
And where does that get you?
00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.240
The sergeant was still puzzled but not bored now.
00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:26.140
Well, I took the filter off the mic too, so not only will it broadcast the horse talk, but anything else that said around the room as well.
00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:31.000
Also, I fixed the switch so it shuts off the speaker while the rest of it keeps running.
00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:34.769
It'll broadcast all their conversations while they think it shut off.
00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:35.690
Yeah.
00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:36.140
But...
00:20:36.710 --> 00:20:40.400
The sergeant acted like a professor putting his finger on the nub of a problem.
00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.579
But who is going to be listening?
00:20:44.769 --> 00:20:45.190
Oh.
00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:47.200
Now it was my turn.
00:20:48.529 --> 00:20:49.565
Well, that's easy.
00:20:49.894 --> 00:20:51.934
I tuned the whole thing to police frequency.
00:20:52.234 --> 00:20:54.785
Every radio patrol car, in town will hear it.
00:20:55.285 --> 00:20:56.275
Dangerous for Marra.
00:20:56.275 --> 00:20:57.535
They find out, isn't it?
00:20:58.464 --> 00:20:59.755
Well, that's your job now.
00:21:00.055 --> 00:21:02.025
He's entitled to some police protection, isn't he?
00:21:02.555 --> 00:21:05.914
A cop came in from the hall, picked up the desk phone and dialed a number.
00:21:06.414 --> 00:21:09.325
Repair, send the direction finder car around.
00:21:09.595 --> 00:21:10.974
Someone's jamming our radio.
00:21:11.444 --> 00:21:13.845
I grabbed the sergeant and dragged him to the radio room.
00:21:14.355 --> 00:21:18.134
In between crashes of static and puzzled calls from the two-way radio cars.
00:21:18.345 --> 00:21:19.815
There was a hum of voices.
00:21:20.295 --> 00:21:26.295
I recognize Marianos and Bills talking to a horse and the horse answering in what sounded like Portuguese.
00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:31.109
Bill was translating and Mariano was giving bill questions to try on the horse.
00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:33.240
You believe me now?
00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:36.930
I asked the sergeant who was scratching his head with one finger at a time.
00:21:37.430 --> 00:21:39.440
Ah, beats the bejesus outta me.
00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:41.759
That's Mariano all right he said.
00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:43.380
Okay, then let's go.
00:21:44.009 --> 00:21:44.789
Wait, where?
00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:47.400
The sergeant had me there for a minute.
00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:50.400
Obviously, Mariano and Bill were at the track now.
00:21:50.789 --> 00:21:56.549
Well, just as obviously they'd beat it soon as they got their information, they'd place their bets by phone later.
00:21:57.089 --> 00:21:57.779
But where?
00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:02.609
I've got it, catch that direction finder car when it gets here.
00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.460
That gimmick will go on broadcasting or wherever they take it.
00:22:05.849 --> 00:22:07.470
We'll chase'em with the direction finder.
00:22:07.930 --> 00:22:09.460
Huh, maybe you got something.
00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:14.339
The sergeant snapped a few words into the intercom box and we walked out in front of the police station.
00:22:14.849 --> 00:22:18.329
The service car pulled up in about five minutes and we hopped in.
00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:20.069
I looked over the equipment.
00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:22.440
Hey, pretty sharp that.
00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:25.079
Haven't seen one of those since I was in the Air Force.
00:22:25.569 --> 00:22:28.690
Yeah, said the driver, automatic radio compass.
00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:31.900
Beats the old fashioned loop aerial direction finder, all hollow.
00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.319
All I've gotta do is watch the left right indicator while I drive.
00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:37.410
I started to do a bit of figuring.
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:41.519
There were three of us in the car, the sergeant, the driver, and myself.
00:22:41.869 --> 00:22:44.119
Suppose we catch Mariano then what?
00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:46.789
He isn't gonna be alone, that's for sure.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:48.710
And even alone, he's dangerous.
00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:54.859
And the other gimmick, the one I hadn't mentioned to the sergeant, it didn't seem to be working yet.
00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:59.930
Dang muttered the driver under his breath and swung the car around.
00:23:00.589 --> 00:23:04.180
Either we've passed them or they've passed us on the way back to town.
00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:08.384
The direction indicator had started to call its lefts and rights wrong.
00:23:09.194 --> 00:23:11.984
Now headed back to town, it was swinging properly again.
00:23:12.535 --> 00:23:13.974
It didn't make sense to me.
00:23:14.494 --> 00:23:18.484
Unless Mariano had taken a plane, he couldn't have gotten past us that way.
00:23:18.875 --> 00:23:22.265
No cars had gone by in the opposite direction in 10 minutes.
00:23:22.714 --> 00:23:24.394
Suddenly I got an idea.
00:23:24.964 --> 00:23:26.345
I snapped on the loudspeaker.
00:23:26.805 --> 00:23:28.244
Calling Car 25.
00:23:28.244 --> 00:23:29.265
Car 25.
00:23:29.265 --> 00:23:30.375
Signal 34.
00:23:30.375 --> 00:23:31.394
Signal 34.
00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:32.515
Main And Broadway.
00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:33.595
Main and Broadway.
00:23:34.035 --> 00:23:34.875
I knew it.
00:23:35.204 --> 00:23:36.285
I should have thought of that.
00:23:36.765 --> 00:23:39.345
The gadgets on the same frequency as the police calls.
00:23:39.615 --> 00:23:42.555
We're chasing police headquarters now, not Mariano.
00:23:42.744 --> 00:23:43.285
I shouted.
00:23:43.285 --> 00:23:44.095
Disgustedly.
00:23:44.595 --> 00:23:44.984
Okay.
00:23:44.984 --> 00:23:46.785
Wise guy, this was your idea.
00:23:47.055 --> 00:23:48.045
What do we do now?
00:23:48.255 --> 00:23:49.035
Said the sergeant.
00:23:49.694 --> 00:23:55.964
Well, we wait and we keep the loud speaker turned on and we chase Marianna with the radio compass when we hear him.
00:23:56.464 --> 00:23:58.775
Pretty soon we got another signal from Bill's Gadget.
00:23:59.255 --> 00:24:04.654
The radio compass swung back and forth, finally settled down and made sense as we headed out of town again.
00:24:05.134 --> 00:24:08.015
I kept my ear peeled to the radio and my fingers crossed.
00:24:08.734 --> 00:24:10.894
It was Mariano's voice in the loudspeaker now.
00:24:11.315 --> 00:24:13.565
Getting clearer, so I figured we were warm.
00:24:14.075 --> 00:24:18.265
Okay, Mera, all I need, shut it off and get into the car.
00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:20.599
I said shut it off.
00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:22.490
That whistle is driving me nuts.
00:24:23.329 --> 00:24:24.109
What whistle?
00:24:24.589 --> 00:24:25.670
It was Bill's voice.
00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:28.970
That damn peanut whistle coming from your gimmick.
00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:31.940
Mariano's voice was getting exasperated now.
00:24:33.230 --> 00:24:35.809
Uh, nothing's coming out of that, that I can hear.
00:24:36.049 --> 00:24:37.309
Besides it's shut off.
00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:38.359
Look for yourself.
00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:40.259
You try to tell me I'm nuts.
00:24:41.069 --> 00:24:43.859
Mariano's voice was dangerous, tight, low pitched.
00:24:44.309 --> 00:24:46.589
I hear it and if you don't stop it.
00:24:48.029 --> 00:24:51.029
Well, it seems the other gimmick is working better than I figured.
00:24:51.809 --> 00:24:54.539
Maybe it'll be Bill's finished too if we don't get there soon.
00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:59.039
Seems like I kind of underestimated it though Mariano's voice comes through again.
00:25:00.045 --> 00:25:02.295
For the last time, Marice, stop it.
00:25:02.565 --> 00:25:04.994
Look, I can't even move my hands.
00:25:05.295 --> 00:25:10.325
That sounds doing things to me now, I tell you, Mariano's voice had changed.
00:25:10.329 --> 00:25:11.555
He was whining now.
00:25:12.724 --> 00:25:15.244
I'm telling you, the thing is shut off.
00:25:15.634 --> 00:25:18.095
There's only one switch on it and the pointer says off.
00:25:18.275 --> 00:25:20.194
Besides, I don't hear a thing.
00:25:20.434 --> 00:25:21.944
You must have rocks in your head.
00:25:22.434 --> 00:25:23.575
My jaw dropped.
00:25:24.095 --> 00:25:27.035
The big tough Mariano licked by a little peanut whistle.
00:25:27.575 --> 00:25:31.444
Bill the milquetoast genius talking to the toughest gangster in town like that.
00:25:31.894 --> 00:25:34.894
Maybe I don't know as much about the ultrasonics as I should.
00:25:35.345 --> 00:25:36.305
I got nervous.
00:25:36.815 --> 00:25:37.835
What's your signal strength?
00:25:37.835 --> 00:25:38.644
I asked the driver.
00:25:39.154 --> 00:25:39.845
R nine.
00:25:39.904 --> 00:25:40.505
He snapped.
00:25:40.714 --> 00:25:42.095
We're getting pretty close now.
00:25:42.394 --> 00:25:43.714
Watch that bend in the road.
00:25:44.184 --> 00:25:47.005
We tore into the bend, screamed back into the straightaway.
00:25:47.355 --> 00:25:51.615
Dead ahead was a big black limousine with slots, where the rear window should have been.
00:25:52.154 --> 00:25:54.285
I'd never seen it before, but I didn't have to.
00:25:54.765 --> 00:25:56.714
It was Mariano's Armored special.
00:25:57.045 --> 00:25:57.194
Huh?
00:25:57.384 --> 00:25:57.694
J.
00:25:57.710 --> 00:25:59.654
Edgar Hoover would've been green with envy.
00:26:00.095 --> 00:26:00.934
Okay.
00:26:00.934 --> 00:26:01.654
Sarge, there they are.
00:26:01.865 --> 00:26:02.825
Your show now.
00:26:03.325 --> 00:26:03.684
Right.
00:26:04.154 --> 00:26:06.654
The sergeant fingered his 38 police positive.
00:26:06.974 --> 00:26:10.305
It was all the armament we had and not half enough the way I felt.
00:26:10.775 --> 00:26:11.164
Alright.
00:26:11.164 --> 00:26:14.884
Bobby Sergeant was the professional cop now and he knew his business.
00:26:15.174 --> 00:26:16.984
Pull ahead of him and I'll wave him off the road.
00:26:17.454 --> 00:26:20.515
The mechanic was a little green around the chops, but he had spunk.
00:26:21.025 --> 00:26:25.615
He kicked the accelerator pedal hard, pulled around Mariano's car and held his pace.
00:26:25.884 --> 00:26:26.904
The sergeant waved.
00:26:27.384 --> 00:26:30.805
Mariano's driver tried to pull ahead, but Bobby could drive a bit too.
00:26:31.255 --> 00:26:32.994
He hit the gas and nosed over.
00:26:33.474 --> 00:26:36.295
Mariano's chauffeur could chance us or the ditch.
00:26:36.835 --> 00:26:39.355
He made up his mind suddenly and stomped on the brake.
00:26:39.775 --> 00:26:43.164
We screeched to a stop and the sergeant hopped out with the gun in his hand.
00:26:43.615 --> 00:26:44.275
Out bum.
00:26:44.335 --> 00:26:45.505
He snapped at the driver.
00:26:45.974 --> 00:26:47.984
The driver knew a 38 when he saw one.
00:26:48.315 --> 00:26:48.944
He hopped.
00:26:49.305 --> 00:26:52.035
The sergeant handcuffed him and shoved him into the radio car.
00:26:52.525 --> 00:26:55.015
Yours, Bobby, take him back to town and jug him.
00:26:55.375 --> 00:26:56.934
The boys will get something on him later.
00:26:57.234 --> 00:26:58.884
We'll ride back in Mariano's car.
00:26:59.384 --> 00:27:02.474
The sergeant slipped into the driver's seat with Bill alongside of him.
00:27:02.954 --> 00:27:04.515
I got in back with Mariano.
00:27:05.025 --> 00:27:09.105
Mariano cringed in the far left corner of the seat which didn't make me mad either.
00:27:09.615 --> 00:27:11.234
The more space between us, the better.
00:27:11.674 --> 00:27:13.174
I looked at him and the gadget.
00:27:13.865 --> 00:27:15.424
Bill spoke up from the front seat.
00:27:15.934 --> 00:27:16.924
What's eating him?
00:27:17.275 --> 00:27:18.805
He said to nobody in particular.
00:27:19.285 --> 00:27:25.434
He started to complain about a sort of peanut whistle, and now he acts like he wants to crawl in a hole and pull the hole in after him.
00:27:26.595 --> 00:27:27.875
I cannot tell a lie.
00:27:28.025 --> 00:27:30.484
I said I did it with my little hatchet.
00:27:30.714 --> 00:27:32.785
You know, the mixer oscillator in there.
00:27:32.904 --> 00:27:35.785
Your idea to make the ultrasonic frequencies audible?
00:27:36.154 --> 00:27:36.634
Yeah.
00:27:36.734 --> 00:27:43.275
Well, to get an audible beat, it has to be tuned within a couple of KC of the ultrasonic frequencies you wanna beat with it.
00:27:43.845 --> 00:27:45.914
I set it at 14,000 cycles.
00:27:46.214 --> 00:27:46.575
Yeah.
00:27:46.575 --> 00:27:53.535
What's that gotta do with Mariano Well, it struck me funny that he'd swallow your gimmick and the idea of talking with horses.
00:27:54.005 --> 00:27:58.224
Mariano's a suspicious type, and you'd expect him to think it was a racket of some kind.
00:27:58.704 --> 00:27:59.664
The sergeant cut in.
00:28:00.015 --> 00:28:01.305
Yeah, that's how I figured it.
00:28:01.694 --> 00:28:06.164
I couldn't see it a whole thing myself at first, and I couldn't figure Mariano falling for it.
00:28:06.164 --> 00:28:06.734
So easy.
00:28:07.029 --> 00:28:16.630
Well, you know, most people can't hear a thing above 10 or 11,000 cycles, but occasionally you get someone who can hear all the way to 15 or 16,000.
00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:18.619
I figured Mariano's one of them.
00:28:19.250 --> 00:28:24.200
He must have heard horse talk, but he's no good at languages and couldn't figure out what they were saying.
00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:26.150
Well, that's what he needed bill for.
00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:27.170
Okay.
00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:33.980
Now I believe anything I'll be seeing flying saucers next, but what's this peanut whistle that shrivels him up so?
00:28:34.250 --> 00:28:35.359
I don't hear any whistle.
00:28:35.849 --> 00:28:36.359
Right.
00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.140
You don't.
00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:37.890
I don't.
00:28:37.890 --> 00:28:41.099
And Bill doesn't, but Mariano does.
00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:42.539
It's the oscillator.
00:28:43.109 --> 00:28:47.670
I fed some of the 14,000 cycle output into a one inch permanent magnet speaker.
00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.609
There was more kick to it than I figured that's all.
00:28:51.089 --> 00:28:52.859
Mariano looked at me pleadingly.
00:28:53.430 --> 00:28:54.269
Shut it off.
00:28:54.269 --> 00:28:54.720
Mr.
00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:56.160
I'll confess to anything.
00:28:56.309 --> 00:29:00.299
Even kidnapping judge Crater only stop that whistle.
00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:02.130
I felt sorry for the big lug.
00:29:02.759 --> 00:29:05.309
I reached into the box and yanked out the B battery.
00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.829
Mariano shuttered and straightened up.
00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:09.410
He reached for his pocket.
00:29:09.769 --> 00:29:12.569
Oh, that dim witted sergeant had forgotten to frisk him.
00:29:12.795 --> 00:29:15.914
Mariano leaned forward with an Army 45 in his hand.
00:29:16.315 --> 00:29:18.055
He stuck it in the sergeant's neck.
00:29:18.515 --> 00:29:19.585
Now wiseguy.
00:29:19.865 --> 00:29:21.515
Turn around and head for the country.
00:29:21.875 --> 00:29:25.025
I'll take care of you and your scientific pals altogether.
00:29:25.505 --> 00:29:30.694
Mariano was watching the sergeant, the cop did some quick thinking and suddenly swerved the car.
00:29:31.055 --> 00:29:33.484
The spin threw Mariano off balance for a second.
00:29:33.994 --> 00:29:37.775
In that second, I realized that I still had the B battery in my hand.
00:29:38.164 --> 00:29:42.724
I conked Mariano on the head with three pounds of zinc, carbon, and asphalt.
00:29:43.295 --> 00:29:44.704
It did the job nicely.
00:29:45.375 --> 00:29:53.974
First time, in fact, that a guy ever was knocked cold with only 67 and one half volts, though I have to admit not applied in the usual way.
00:29:54.505 --> 00:29:56.724
By the time he came too, we had him in a cell.
00:29:57.144 --> 00:29:59.035
We never did get him on the kidnapping.
00:29:59.525 --> 00:30:03.484
As it happens, we didn't have much proof of that, and Bill didn't feel like testifying.
00:30:04.085 --> 00:30:10.625
So they held him as a vagrant while the FBI looked him up and they found he could be sent to jail for having a poor memory.
00:30:11.255 --> 00:30:15.244
He kept on forgetting that March 15th, his income tax day.
00:30:15.454 --> 00:30:18.424
He can take a correspondence course in mnemonics, in Atlanta.
00:30:19.265 --> 00:30:23.494
Anyway, I took the whistle and the police transmitter out of Bill's gadget and gave it back to him.
00:30:24.154 --> 00:30:25.825
I was still puzzled about one thing.
00:30:26.305 --> 00:30:31.077
Bill was idly thumbing a roll of bills big enough to make Rockefeller envious.
00:30:31.627 --> 00:30:34.748
How come I said that you didn't holler for help right away?
00:30:35.258 --> 00:30:40.627
4,000 4500 4600, 47, huh?
00:30:41.228 --> 00:30:42.968
Oh, well, why should I?
00:30:43.428 --> 00:30:47.107
I was doing okay, making a nice bit of change on side bets with Mariano.
00:30:47.597 --> 00:30:49.198
You mean I sputtered?
00:30:50.298 --> 00:30:53.938
You mean you were betting on horses with Mariano and winning?
00:30:54.867 --> 00:30:55.288
Sure.
00:30:55.288 --> 00:30:55.857
Why not?
00:30:56.067 --> 00:30:57.448
I was translating, wasn't I?
00:31:00.448 --> 00:31:04.048
Well gang, that concludes another episode of Forward Into the Past.
00:31:04.557 --> 00:31:11.307
I'm gonna keep diving into the treasure trove of Project Gutenberg to find more sci-fi stories and a few adventure stories as well.
00:31:11.877 --> 00:31:15.327
And soon enough, I will find a few more Nick Carter mysteries.
00:31:15.478 --> 00:31:18.508
Since I am an aficionado of the mystery genre.
00:31:19.468 --> 00:31:27.627
I'd like to take this moment to remind you all to not only subscribe to the show using whatever your favorite platform is, but to please leave a rating or a review.
00:31:28.137 --> 00:31:36.268
This helps get my podcast in front of thousands of additional listeners, and that boosts my visibility to additional aggregators and list profiles.
00:31:36.657 --> 00:31:39.867
On top of that, it totally boosts my self-esteem.
00:31:40.317 --> 00:31:47.278
If you're listening on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google, or podcaster, it's fairly easy and straightforward to do.
00:31:47.728 --> 00:31:57.567
You simply navigate back to the show page, not the current episode page, the show page, and scroll until you locate ratings and reviews and simply follow the prompts.
00:31:57.958 --> 00:32:09.847
It's even easier if you use a podcast platform like Good Pods, which combines the social aspect of Facebook or Instagram and podcast streaming now, that's the one that I use and I highly recommend.
00:32:10.268 --> 00:32:13.448
Okay, well, it looks like I've rambled long enough.
00:32:13.448 --> 00:32:17.018
Again, as always, friends, and I mean this sincerely.
00:32:17.048 --> 00:32:18.518
Thanks for listening.
00:32:18.847 --> 00:32:24.667
Keep sharing those stories and be a good human Bye for now.
00:00:00.468 --> 00:00:05.158
Hi friends, and welcome to another episode of Forward Into the Past.
00:00:05.883 --> 00:00:15.182
I'm JC Rede, your host and narrator, and today we're delving back into the world of the strange and unusual stories of mid-century science fiction.
00:00:15.753 --> 00:00:25.592
Again, from the pages of thrilling wonder stories comes today's interesting sci-fi short story called Reverse English, written by John S.
00:00:25.592 --> 00:00:27.353
Carroll in 1948.
00:00:27.983 --> 00:00:34.343
The golden age of science fiction was considered to be from about 1936 to about 1948.
00:00:34.912 --> 00:00:41.063
The pulp era of science fiction came before this period in the early 1920s to the mid 1930s.
00:00:41.813 --> 00:00:49.703
As I mentioned in the first episode of this season, those early science fiction stories focused a lot on air travel or mechanical men.
00:00:50.003 --> 00:00:53.692
Uh, in other words, the focus was on the gizmos within the story.
00:00:54.578 --> 00:01:00.917
In the mid thirties, there was a definite shift in story tone, more focus on the people using the gizmos.
00:01:01.478 --> 00:01:04.237
the stories became more of a social platform.
00:01:04.748 --> 00:01:14.018
A recurring theme seemed to follow the path of questioning authority, moral dilemmas, tensions between men and women as women became more than just a side piece.
00:01:14.408 --> 00:01:24.097
So even with the technological advances placed within a science fiction story, the characters were still very relatable in the interim between World Wars.
00:01:24.847 --> 00:01:39.177
After the Second World War, this Golden Age really hit its zenith, but soon after came television and pulp magazines like Thrilling Wonder Stories where we got our last episode and this one soon folded.
00:01:39.843 --> 00:01:47.237
Science fiction, of course, navigated those muddy waters of the 1960s to reemerge in a renaissance in the early to mid seventies.
00:01:47.837 --> 00:01:57.287
For many people though, those images of the pulp Magazines and the stories that lay within hold a special place in our American literary development.
00:01:58.048 --> 00:02:05.188
And now I present to you the short story reverse English as published in Thrilling Wonder stories.
00:02:05.278 --> 00:02:09.717
October, 1948 and written by John S.
00:02:09.717 --> 00:02:10.318
Carroll.
00:02:12.818 --> 00:02:15.818
Reverse English by John s Carol.
00:02:17.557 --> 00:02:20.138
Me, I'm just a radio mechanic.
00:02:20.617 --> 00:02:21.728
No genius that is.
00:02:22.057 --> 00:02:23.527
But handy with a soldering iron.
00:02:24.217 --> 00:02:27.038
If it's genius, you want take my friend Bill Mara.
00:02:27.608 --> 00:02:31.897
He's a communications engineer, telephone, radio, or what have you.
00:02:32.497 --> 00:02:38.348
He's invented enough gimmicks so he doesn't have to work anymore, just putters around his basement, inventing more gimmicks.
00:02:39.127 --> 00:02:41.288
Thinking him up actually is all he does.
00:02:41.798 --> 00:02:46.298
Give him a screwdriver and a pair of pliers and he can wreck anything in five minutes.
00:02:46.897 --> 00:02:47.918
Well, that's where I come in.
00:02:48.337 --> 00:02:49.328
He thinks'em up.
00:02:49.478 --> 00:02:52.358
I build him, he busts'em, I fix'em.
00:02:52.747 --> 00:02:56.288
And when he gets into a jam, I'm the guy comes to bail him out.
00:02:56.948 --> 00:02:59.168
Like for instance, this last gadget of his.
00:02:59.707 --> 00:03:04.657
Nothing dangerous about it, but it could have got him sunk in the river with his feet in a block of cement.
00:03:05.587 --> 00:03:07.987
It all started with an amplifier.
00:03:09.068 --> 00:03:12.427
I found the diagram in the mail when I came into the shop one morning.
00:03:13.147 --> 00:03:18.068
It looked like an ordinary audio amplifier at first sight, and I started laying out a chassis.
00:03:18.967 --> 00:03:21.127
Picking out parts, I noticed something.
00:03:21.788 --> 00:03:27.578
Even Bill can make a mistake sometimes, but I don't stick my neck out anymore, so I got him on the phone.
00:03:28.418 --> 00:03:30.388
Bill about this amplifier of yours.
00:03:30.578 --> 00:03:31.027
I started.
00:03:31.587 --> 00:03:32.397
Well, what about it?
00:03:32.582 --> 00:03:33.513
Never seen one before?
00:03:33.983 --> 00:03:35.992
Look bub, I've built hundreds of them.
00:03:36.502 --> 00:03:40.103
If I hadn't, I'd have built yours like you drew it here and you'd be stuck with it.
00:03:40.582 --> 00:03:41.453
Stuck with what?
00:03:41.872 --> 00:03:44.332
Okay, look at your coupling contenders.
00:03:44.693 --> 00:03:54.973
Maybe it's just a misprint, or you wrote m F where you met M F D, but if you use condensers that small, it might work, but you'd never hear a sound out of it.
00:03:55.513 --> 00:03:58.212
Low frequency cut off way above the audible limit.
00:03:59.562 --> 00:04:01.242
Well, I give you an A for effort anyway.
00:04:01.543 --> 00:04:09.203
Keep punching and build it the way I drew it and stop worrying Well, now what do you do with a guy like that?
00:04:09.983 --> 00:04:10.673
I built it.
00:04:10.943 --> 00:04:13.582
Had to test it with a scope to find out if anything got through.
00:04:13.582 --> 00:04:17.153
It Couldn't hear a sound when I delivered it.
00:04:17.333 --> 00:04:18.262
He just grunted.
00:04:19.538 --> 00:04:21.298
You mind letting me in on the secret?
00:04:21.387 --> 00:04:24.538
I asked now you've got an outfit that amplifies sounds.
00:04:24.538 --> 00:04:26.608
You can't hear who's gonna listen to it.
00:04:27.077 --> 00:04:28.877
He just tossed me a couple of sketches.
00:04:29.747 --> 00:04:31.697
That's the output section he explained.
00:04:32.208 --> 00:04:35.148
We'll connect it to the vertical sweep of a cathode ray tube.
00:04:35.627 --> 00:04:40.817
The rest of the circuit is an automatic time base, so you get standing wave patterns at any frequency.
00:04:42.252 --> 00:04:44.927
okay with me, but what are you gonna feed into it?
00:04:46.158 --> 00:04:46.728
Uh oh.
00:04:46.968 --> 00:04:47.898
I almost forgot.
00:04:48.137 --> 00:04:50.898
Midget condenser mic through a high pass filter.
00:04:51.228 --> 00:04:52.458
Cutoff at 12,000.
00:04:53.437 --> 00:04:53.788
Hm.
00:04:53.838 --> 00:05:00.648
Well, I still don't know him any more than I did at the beginning, but what the devil, I get paid for it, even if it doesn't work.
00:05:01.517 --> 00:05:07.127
A couple of weeks after I finished the outfit, I was still wondering, so I dropped in on his basement lab one night.
00:05:07.757 --> 00:05:09.557
He had the rig set up and working.
00:05:09.978 --> 00:05:11.987
The microphone was on the floor.
00:05:12.497 --> 00:05:17.028
Bill's dog, a non-descript pooch named McGinnis was tied up in front.
00:05:17.598 --> 00:05:19.968
Bill was stroking him, petting him, annoying him.
00:05:20.507 --> 00:05:23.627
And as far as I could see, nothing whatever was happening.
00:05:24.098 --> 00:05:30.487
The amplifier was running, the scope tube was lit, showing a nice steady baseline and nothing else.
00:05:31.127 --> 00:05:32.447
Hey, maybe your mic's no good.
00:05:32.507 --> 00:05:33.408
I said helpfully.
00:05:34.067 --> 00:05:35.507
No, it's okay.
00:05:35.538 --> 00:05:36.077
He muttered.
00:05:36.377 --> 00:05:39.877
Look, he picked up a little silver whistle and blew it.
00:05:40.398 --> 00:05:47.687
No sound came out that I could hear, but the dog jumped up as if he were shot and a nice pattern of standing wave showed up on the scope.
00:05:48.827 --> 00:05:50.567
Dog whistle, explained Bill.
00:05:51.108 --> 00:05:52.697
You can't hear it and I can't hear it.
00:05:53.028 --> 00:05:55.637
Too high frequency, but he can hear it.
00:05:55.697 --> 00:05:56.057
See?
00:05:57.317 --> 00:06:00.288
All right, I've got one of those whistles for my dog too.
00:06:00.588 --> 00:06:03.108
What's that gotta do with the price of yams in Patagonia?
00:06:03.608 --> 00:06:05.348
Okay, here's how I figure it.
00:06:05.798 --> 00:06:07.807
Dogs can hear supersonic frequencies.
00:06:08.168 --> 00:06:10.028
Maybe they talk to each other that way.
00:06:10.598 --> 00:06:11.798
So far no dice.
00:06:12.427 --> 00:06:13.867
Well now there it is.
00:06:14.437 --> 00:06:18.908
The guy's got 47 patents, three degrees in an honorary doctorate of science.
00:06:19.358 --> 00:06:23.887
Maybe it's just overworked, but it certainly sounds like he's chipped his crock.
00:06:24.007 --> 00:06:29.507
Talking dogs! I'm about to suggest a nice long rest for him when he hops out of his chair and beats it.
00:06:30.137 --> 00:06:33.077
Well, nothing to do, but relax and see what's next.
00:06:34.127 --> 00:06:39.137
He's back in about five minutes with a big yellow tom Cat, unties the dog and chases him.
00:06:39.687 --> 00:06:42.598
The cat's fur lies down again and he starts to prowl around.
00:06:42.598 --> 00:06:45.598
Looking at objects with typical cat curiosity.
00:06:46.348 --> 00:06:50.038
He rubs his nose against the microphone, sniffs, and looks around.
00:06:50.548 --> 00:06:53.468
Bill is watching the cat with considerable interest.
00:06:53.927 --> 00:06:54.557
So am I.
00:06:55.057 --> 00:06:58.838
The cat looks at us again at the scope and at the microphone.
00:06:59.588 --> 00:07:04.898
He walks around once, shakes his head, walks over to the microphone again, and puts his nose near it.
00:07:05.648 --> 00:07:08.468
I don't hear anything and Bill doesn't either, I don't think.
00:07:08.798 --> 00:07:11.648
But a big, beautiful pattern appears on the scope.
00:07:12.247 --> 00:07:17.588
It's followed by a string of shorter irregular peaks, and it stops as the cat turns to face us.
00:07:18.322 --> 00:07:20.062
I look at Bill and he looks at me.
00:07:20.362 --> 00:07:22.312
Then we both look at the cat.
00:07:22.812 --> 00:07:25.872
I always knew that dog was a dope bill utters.
00:07:26.382 --> 00:07:29.052
Any alley cat in town is Einstein by comparison.
00:07:29.543 --> 00:07:32.392
I could swear that Cat nodded his head at the remark.
00:07:32.923 --> 00:07:39.343
Anyway, he had a self-satisfied expression, which for a cat is almost a normal look anyway.
00:07:40.182 --> 00:07:42.523
Another row of peaks appeared on the scope screen.
00:07:42.853 --> 00:07:44.163
Bill's eyes bugged a little.
00:07:44.702 --> 00:07:47.012
You know, he said a little tensely.
00:07:47.312 --> 00:07:50.942
I think that Alley Rabbit actually understands what we're saying.
00:07:51.502 --> 00:07:53.242
The cat looked a little annoyed at that.
00:07:53.723 --> 00:07:55.492
A short wave train appeared on the screen.
00:07:55.492 --> 00:07:57.262
Then a long one, then two short ones.
00:07:57.862 --> 00:08:01.223
I couldn't get over the feeling that the cat had just said.
00:08:01.583 --> 00:08:02.632
Of course I do.
00:08:03.052 --> 00:08:04.612
Bill must have felt the same way.
00:08:04.942 --> 00:08:06.293
He was excited by now.
00:08:06.773 --> 00:08:09.322
Oh, shrimps and sweet cream for you, Tommy.
00:08:09.483 --> 00:08:10.523
He shouted to the cat.
00:08:11.023 --> 00:08:12.343
Turning to me, he exalted.
00:08:12.973 --> 00:08:14.413
Now I've got a real idea.
00:08:14.892 --> 00:08:15.612
Look Mike.
00:08:16.072 --> 00:08:18.983
He grabbed a scratch pad and started drawing a new schematic.
00:08:19.463 --> 00:08:19.932
See?
00:08:20.223 --> 00:08:24.273
We'll take the output of the amplifier and run it through a mixer oscillator stage.
00:08:24.663 --> 00:08:29.973
That way we can get a beat between a fixed frequency and the supersonic output of the amplifier.
00:08:30.302 --> 00:08:33.633
The beat should be in the audible range, and we'll be able to hear it.
00:08:33.903 --> 00:08:35.163
We won't need the scope.
00:08:35.822 --> 00:08:37.732
I want to hear what that cat is saying.
00:08:38.222 --> 00:08:39.778
I started to open my mouth.
00:08:40.138 --> 00:08:42.477
I closed it, then I opened it again.
00:08:43.077 --> 00:08:44.097
I spoke to the cat.
00:08:44.648 --> 00:08:46.357
Say Meow to the gentleman, Tommy.
00:08:46.738 --> 00:08:47.758
I had it coming.
00:08:48.298 --> 00:08:54.567
The cat looked me straight in the eye, emitted a raucus sound, something between Yeah, and turned away.
00:08:55.227 --> 00:08:59.128
You ever have a cat give you the Bronx Cheer I left.
00:09:00.118 --> 00:09:02.398
There was no particular trick to building the new gimmick.
00:09:02.548 --> 00:09:04.258
Just a question of the right coils.
00:09:04.707 --> 00:09:09.418
I'm no genius by any means, but I can calculate an lc ratio.
00:09:09.957 --> 00:09:18.418
I delivered it and tried to forget the whole thing, but I've got as much curiosity as the next guy, so I didn't wait more than a week.
00:09:19.138 --> 00:09:20.128
Down in the basement.
00:09:20.128 --> 00:09:22.587
Bill's sitting there having words with the cat.
00:09:23.548 --> 00:09:25.317
Bill's talking directly to the cat.
00:09:25.677 --> 00:09:28.738
The cat's replies are coming out of the loudspeaker on my new setup.
00:09:29.577 --> 00:09:32.457
The cat's talking something that sounds like Hindustani.
00:09:33.148 --> 00:09:35.817
I stood it for a while and it got too much for me.
00:09:36.687 --> 00:09:37.288
How come?
00:09:37.288 --> 00:09:37.798
I popped.
00:09:38.668 --> 00:09:41.427
He understands English seems like, why doesn't he speak it?
00:09:42.538 --> 00:09:44.758
The cat looks at me and says, yeah.
00:09:45.238 --> 00:09:49.857
Bill says, when I could ask you the same question, remind me to do it sometime.
00:09:50.457 --> 00:09:52.138
Meanwhile, he is speaking English.
00:09:52.437 --> 00:09:54.447
That's what it sounds like to him when I speak it.
00:09:54.807 --> 00:09:56.337
His hearing apparatus is different.
00:09:56.337 --> 00:09:56.908
That's all.
00:09:57.357 --> 00:09:58.677
Now, wait a minute.
00:09:58.677 --> 00:10:00.327
I squawked gullible.
00:10:00.327 --> 00:10:04.967
That's me, but I still don't believe that a cat speaks English! You've heard of Pig Latin.
00:10:04.967 --> 00:10:06.888
Haven't you said, bill mildly.
00:10:07.187 --> 00:10:08.538
Why not cat English?
00:10:09.057 --> 00:10:10.528
Ask a foolish question.
00:10:10.528 --> 00:10:11.697
Get a foolish answer.
00:10:11.697 --> 00:10:14.697
I replied, you ought to be writing radio scripts.
00:10:14.998 --> 00:10:18.087
With jokes like that, even Milton Berle couldn't get his option picked up.
00:10:18.557 --> 00:10:21.038
Don't be so damn superior.
00:10:21.307 --> 00:10:24.177
Bill growled The Beast has never heard any other language.
00:10:24.182 --> 00:10:25.327
He's lived here all his life.
00:10:25.687 --> 00:10:27.008
Why shouldn't he speak English?
00:10:27.347 --> 00:10:28.763
Well cat fashion anyway.
00:10:29.232 --> 00:10:33.113
The cat moved its nose to the mic and some assorted sounds came out at the speaker.
00:10:33.562 --> 00:10:35.572
Sounded like Esparanto this time.
00:10:36.023 --> 00:10:36.712
Bill nodded.
00:10:37.013 --> 00:10:37.972
He agrees with me.
00:10:38.243 --> 00:10:39.113
He said, smugly.
00:10:40.192 --> 00:10:41.212
I gave up.
00:10:41.602 --> 00:10:45.802
I took my fedora, jammed it down on the top of my noggin and started to leave.
00:10:46.202 --> 00:10:50.942
Bill snapped off the amplifier switch, motioned me to wait and started to feed the cat.
00:10:51.692 --> 00:10:56.462
When he got through serving lunch, he came over to me and said, build me another one.
00:10:56.913 --> 00:10:59.133
Portable up battery operated this time.
00:10:59.552 --> 00:11:00.753
I've gotten more ideas.
00:11:01.082 --> 00:11:03.663
Cats can't be the only animal smart enough to talk.
00:11:04.173 --> 00:11:06.722
The cat looked up from its dinner and made a face.
00:11:07.143 --> 00:11:10.773
Luckily, the amplifier was turned off, so I missed his parting shot.
00:11:11.253 --> 00:11:12.023
I beat it.
00:11:12.493 --> 00:11:14.388
Business was slow for the next few weeks.
00:11:14.927 --> 00:11:24.557
Maybe they're making radios better now, but I didn't have much repair business and I hadn't heard from Bill since delivering his new battery operated, portable, whatever it was.
00:11:25.278 --> 00:11:29.538
So I told my kid assistant to mind the shop for the evening, and I went out to the track.
00:11:30.197 --> 00:11:36.227
Two bucks of my dough on any horse's nose will raise his wind resistance to the point where he can't win a race.
00:11:36.227 --> 00:11:39.467
But what the devil, it keeps me out in the open air.
00:11:40.653 --> 00:11:41.072
Anyway.
00:11:41.072 --> 00:11:42.812
I prowled around the stables a bit.
00:11:43.352 --> 00:11:47.102
I know these one horsepower, oat motors are obsolete, but I like them.
00:11:47.633 --> 00:11:53.633
Times I think the world was a better place to live when old Dobbin was vice president in charge of transportation.
00:11:54.153 --> 00:11:58.202
There's a little gathering around one stall, and I decided to look into matters.
00:11:58.712 --> 00:12:02.763
Middle of the group is Bill Mara, and he's tinkering with the portable gimmick.
00:12:03.378 --> 00:12:08.528
He's having words with a horse and the horse seems to be holding up his end of the conversation pretty well.
00:12:08.967 --> 00:12:13.738
And I suppose the language was horse English, but it sounded like Lithuanian to me.
00:12:14.238 --> 00:12:17.298
Bill seemed to understand it though and he was translating for the group.
00:12:17.638 --> 00:12:22.378
General idea seems to be this bunch of touts wants to know if the horse is going to win his race.
00:12:22.918 --> 00:12:24.268
The horse keeps insisting.
00:12:24.268 --> 00:12:26.158
It's a foolish question in any way.
00:12:26.158 --> 00:12:29.967
Why not ask the jockey who's going to ride him as far as the race is concerned?
00:12:29.967 --> 00:12:32.337
The jocks, the boss and the horse does as he's told.
00:12:32.847 --> 00:12:37.437
since this is what every racetrack tout is always telling you, you'd think they'd agree with him.
00:12:37.947 --> 00:12:39.628
Seems like they don't really believe it though.
00:12:39.628 --> 00:12:41.878
Not even when they get it right from the horse's mouth.
00:12:42.597 --> 00:12:45.778
Meanwhile, the nag gets tired of this foolishness and clams up.
00:12:46.437 --> 00:12:50.248
Bill turns and says, huh, look boys, he's told you all.
00:12:50.248 --> 00:12:51.057
He intends to.
00:12:51.437 --> 00:12:52.798
He thinks, all this is silly.
00:12:53.288 --> 00:12:54.518
One of the touts is stubborn.
00:12:54.868 --> 00:12:56.638
Oh, he's gotta know if he can win or not.
00:12:56.638 --> 00:12:57.927
He's running the race, ain't he?
00:12:58.048 --> 00:12:59.998
He must have spoke to the other horses.
00:13:00.778 --> 00:13:04.847
Maybe, says bill, but he doesn't wanna talk and I don't know any way to make him.
00:13:05.347 --> 00:13:07.717
Some disgusted sounds came out of the loudspeaker.
00:13:08.077 --> 00:13:09.967
Sounds like Swahili this time.
00:13:10.477 --> 00:13:11.317
Bill listens.
00:13:11.927 --> 00:13:14.648
Okay, he says he doesn't figure a more than show.
00:13:14.947 --> 00:13:15.668
His feet hurt.
00:13:16.177 --> 00:13:17.857
The group breaks up like magic.
00:13:18.187 --> 00:13:20.317
They all beat it for the$2 show window.
00:13:20.947 --> 00:13:23.197
Bill tells the horse he's sorry to have bothered him.
00:13:24.077 --> 00:13:24.847
Considerate guy, Bill.
00:13:25.788 --> 00:13:29.692
Out of the corner of my eye, I see one big guy looking at us curiously.
00:13:30.263 --> 00:13:35.962
He's wearing a sharp suit and a tie with the Aurora Borealis embroidered in purple and green on a gold background.
00:13:36.623 --> 00:13:39.082
I make it all about$500 on the hoof.
00:13:39.893 --> 00:13:42.972
Looks familiar too, but I can't place'em.
00:13:43.793 --> 00:13:48.018
We walk over to the track and I spend the next hour cheering my horses into last place.
00:13:48.567 --> 00:13:50.668
My luck is running as usual.
00:13:51.207 --> 00:13:54.357
Fifth Race comes along and I see the horse Bill's been talking to.
00:13:54.778 --> 00:13:55.888
He's right on the rail.
00:13:56.307 --> 00:13:58.258
Well, I figured this will be worth watching.
00:13:59.232 --> 00:14:05.442
The start is a good one and this nag, uh, his name is Roll Merrilee, is two lengths ahead of the quarter.
00:14:05.832 --> 00:14:08.682
He's running easy and doesn't seem to have any competition.
00:14:09.133 --> 00:14:11.052
The boy hasn't touched the whip to him yet.
00:14:11.832 --> 00:14:15.222
At the half things are pretty much the same at the three quarter pole.
00:14:15.222 --> 00:14:19.092
The field is spread out a bit, but Merrilee still leads by more than a length.
00:14:19.812 --> 00:14:24.371
I begin to wonder what those touts will do to Bill for making them play an easy winner for show money.
00:14:24.902 --> 00:14:29.312
Just as they come into the stretch, I can see a little break in merrily stride.
00:14:30.091 --> 00:14:30.961
So help me.
00:14:30.961 --> 00:14:33.211
He's running like a dame in Tight shoes.
00:14:33.751 --> 00:14:35.642
He drops back a little bit at a time.
00:14:36.091 --> 00:14:40.761
Hendy who's riding him looks a bit startled and applies the whip, but it's no dice.
00:14:41.251 --> 00:14:46.951
Two of the others pass him, and at the finish it's roll merrily third, just like he said he would.
00:14:48.032 --> 00:14:53.111
Bill looks up as if he's just finished balancing his checkbook and says, well, that's what he said.
00:14:53.412 --> 00:14:58.241
He starts to walk away as if the experiment was finished and he'd found out all he wanted to know.
00:14:58.772 --> 00:15:03.381
The big guy who was watching over at the stable walks up to him, I've got a job for you.
00:15:03.802 --> 00:15:06.201
He says, Don't need a job.
00:15:06.231 --> 00:15:06.861
Says Bill.
00:15:07.011 --> 00:15:08.422
I retired five years ago.
00:15:09.111 --> 00:15:11.902
Yeah, I put in, he doesn't have to work anymore.
00:15:12.442 --> 00:15:12.951
Shut up.
00:15:12.951 --> 00:15:14.902
punk, says the big guy to me.
00:15:15.562 --> 00:15:16.552
He turns to Bill.
00:15:16.881 --> 00:15:20.572
When Lucky Marietta offers you a job, you take it see?
00:15:21.022 --> 00:15:21.951
Bill looks worried.
00:15:22.432 --> 00:15:25.341
He hands me the portable and says, take this home.
00:15:25.682 --> 00:15:26.611
I'll see you later.
00:15:27.072 --> 00:15:31.807
Uhuh grunts Mariano, I'm hiring you and that gadget.
00:15:32.226 --> 00:15:34.787
Bring it along, and chase that lug.
00:15:35.586 --> 00:15:38.466
Well, nothing I could do, so I beat it.
00:15:39.427 --> 00:15:41.136
After a few days, I got worried.
00:15:41.586 --> 00:15:44.197
I hadn't heard from Bill and neither had his housekeeper.
00:15:45.126 --> 00:15:46.657
She didn't figure anything wrong.
00:15:46.657 --> 00:15:50.197
He often went away without telling her anything, but I knew better.
00:15:50.856 --> 00:15:51.907
I went to the cops.
00:15:52.447 --> 00:15:56.616
Nobody was at the desk except the sergeant and he was having a nap with his shoes off.
00:15:57.187 --> 00:15:58.956
He wasn't too happy when I woke him up.
00:15:59.456 --> 00:16:00.716
Bill Mara's been kidnapped.
00:16:00.807 --> 00:16:02.697
I said, How's that?
00:16:02.947 --> 00:16:03.606
He yawned.
00:16:04.006 --> 00:16:07.996
Well, I started, he invented a gadget to talk to horses and.
00:16:08.246 --> 00:16:08.809
For a minute.
00:16:08.809 --> 00:16:10.159
I almost took you serious.
00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:15.919
The sergeant said every time there's a murder in town, some crackpot comes in here and confesses, he's done it.
00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:18.919
We have a show on Broadway who killed Cock Robbins.
00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:22.549
Some jerk comes in, says he's the guy now there's a movie.
00:16:22.549 --> 00:16:24.049
My brother talks with horses.
00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:25.669
You say he is been kidnapped.
00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.149
You just stop smoking that stuff and you'll be okay.
00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.820
And if I find out where you get it, I'll.
00:16:31.855 --> 00:16:32.215
Look.
00:16:32.215 --> 00:16:33.144
I'm no crackpot.
00:16:33.144 --> 00:16:34.375
I built the gadget for him.
00:16:34.544 --> 00:16:35.955
Oh, that's all brother.
00:16:35.955 --> 00:16:37.154
Now I've heard everything.
00:16:37.575 --> 00:16:39.164
Go away and leave me rest.
00:16:39.774 --> 00:16:40.585
Oh, wait a minute.
00:16:40.585 --> 00:16:41.215
I Squawked.
00:16:41.904 --> 00:16:43.134
Lucky Mariano and.
00:16:43.274 --> 00:16:44.835
The sergeant sat up abruptly.
00:16:45.705 --> 00:16:47.475
Did you say Lucky Mariano?
00:16:48.105 --> 00:16:48.674
Yes.
00:16:48.674 --> 00:16:50.534
Lucky Mariano, I insisted.
00:16:50.865 --> 00:16:52.664
He and Bill, hold it.
00:16:53.414 --> 00:16:54.924
The sergeant was wide awake now.
00:16:55.235 --> 00:16:55.715
On him.
00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:56.850
We'd like to get something.
00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:57.990
Uh, all right.
00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:59.100
Tell me from the beginning.
00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:00.690
I told him.
00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.920
He looked skeptical enough, but he couldn't laugh off my description of Mariano.
00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:06.480
Now it fits.
00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:06.990
All right.
00:17:07.289 --> 00:17:08.609
Those neckties are his.
00:17:09.210 --> 00:17:11.880
But how do you know he kidnapped Bill Mara?
00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:15.480
Sounds like he just hired him and Bill went of his own free will.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.599
Far as I know, there's no law against talking to horses.
00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:20.400
Not even if Mariano does it.
00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:25.380
That is if your pal can really talk to horses, and that still goes down pretty hard.
00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:27.339
Well, Mariano believes it.
00:17:27.970 --> 00:17:31.400
I was mad now, but what are you gonna do about Bill.
00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:33.940
Can't see nothing we can do about Bill.
00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:37.960
Bring us some evidence of a snatch and maybe the F FBI can do something.
00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:39.170
I left.
00:17:39.509 --> 00:17:46.380
I wanted to punch that big lug right in the jaw, but punching police sergeants, especially at headquarters, is not good policy.
00:17:46.950 --> 00:17:48.059
The law frowns upon it.
00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:52.200
So I went back to the shop and tried to do some heavy thinking.
00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:54.170
It came out all wrong.
00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.359
I didn't know where Bill was.
00:17:56.900 --> 00:17:58.009
I'm no detective.
00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:59.450
I've got no gun permit.
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.859
I weighed 124 pounds dripping Webb and a rocket each hand.
00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:08.809
in short blanked opportunity knocked though.
00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:11.450
He didn't look like opportunity for the moment.
00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:19.069
He looked like one of Lucky Mariano's, less lovable gangsters, but he was carrying Bill's gadget and he had a note from Bill.
00:18:19.609 --> 00:18:21.140
It was short and to the point.
00:18:21.589 --> 00:18:22.549
Something's popped.
00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:24.589
Probably a condenser or a resistor.
00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:26.750
Fix it and send it back with the boy.
00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:27.710
He'll wait.
00:18:28.190 --> 00:18:38.000
Well, I fumbled with it and tried to read some meaning or code into the note, but it was pretty clear there wasn't any, and anyway, Bill's mind doesn't run that way.
00:18:38.630 --> 00:18:49.069
Still by the handwriting I could see that he was pretty nervous and I had a mental picture of those hoodlums trying to figure whether the gimmick was really busted or whether he was stalling.
00:18:49.365 --> 00:18:52.454
I hooked up the test set and found the trouble in about two minutes.
00:18:53.434 --> 00:18:57.525
Watching my guest out of the corner of my eye, I kept on testing, stalling for time.
00:18:58.184 --> 00:18:59.625
Finally, I got it.
00:19:00.105 --> 00:19:01.154
Look, look pal.
00:19:01.154 --> 00:19:02.384
She's pretty well shot.
00:19:02.595 --> 00:19:05.565
I've gotta put in some new coils and rewire a whole sub-assembly.
00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:08.009
I looked at the mug nervously.
00:19:08.549 --> 00:19:17.539
He shifted his cut of gum around his jaw first from right to left, and then vice versa, yawned, and said, go ahead, bub, I can wait.
00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:19.220
I'll stay till you'll finish.
00:19:19.369 --> 00:19:21.109
Just don't make any phone calls.
00:19:21.609 --> 00:19:24.730
Luckily, I had a couple of old police radio telephone's handy.
00:19:25.210 --> 00:19:28.000
I got the parts I needed out of one of them and got to work.
00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:31.539
Three hours later it was done and the tough guy left with it.
00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.180
And I left five minutes after he did.
00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.109
Same sergeant, same desk, same police headquarters.
00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:40.210
He looked at me sour like.
00:19:40.710 --> 00:19:41.700
You back again?
00:19:41.910 --> 00:19:43.410
What's the horses telling you now?
00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:44.799
Nothing much.
00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:48.039
I came back at him, but they'll be talking to you pretty soon.
00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:49.599
Something new has been added.
00:19:50.230 --> 00:19:50.710
How?
00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:51.519
What's that?
00:19:52.420 --> 00:19:54.609
I told him about my visitor and the repair job.
00:19:55.099 --> 00:20:02.190
What I did was add a modulator, oscillator, power amplifier, and a few feet of wire for an antenna coil around inside the case.
00:20:02.690 --> 00:20:03.799
So what does that make it?
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:04.839
Simple.
00:20:05.170 --> 00:20:06.809
It makes it a radio transmitter.
00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:13.869
Not only will he hear what the horses are saying, but anyone in town with a radio turn to that frequency will too.
00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:15.430
And where does that get you?
00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.240
The sergeant was still puzzled but not bored now.
00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:26.140
Well, I took the filter off the mic too, so not only will it broadcast the horse talk, but anything else that said around the room as well.
00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:31.000
Also, I fixed the switch so it shuts off the speaker while the rest of it keeps running.
00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:34.769
It'll broadcast all their conversations while they think it shut off.
00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:35.690
Yeah.
00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:36.140
But...
00:20:36.710 --> 00:20:40.400
The sergeant acted like a professor putting his finger on the nub of a problem.
00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.579
But who is going to be listening?
00:20:44.769 --> 00:20:45.190
Oh.
00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:47.200
Now it was my turn.
00:20:48.529 --> 00:20:49.565
Well, that's easy.
00:20:49.894 --> 00:20:51.934
I tuned the whole thing to police frequency.
00:20:52.234 --> 00:20:54.785
Every radio patrol car, in town will hear it.
00:20:55.285 --> 00:20:56.275
Dangerous for Marra.
00:20:56.275 --> 00:20:57.535
They find out, isn't it?
00:20:58.464 --> 00:20:59.755
Well, that's your job now.
00:21:00.055 --> 00:21:02.025
He's entitled to some police protection, isn't he?
00:21:02.555 --> 00:21:05.914
A cop came in from the hall, picked up the desk phone and dialed a number.
00:21:06.414 --> 00:21:09.325
Repair, send the direction finder car around.
00:21:09.595 --> 00:21:10.974
Someone's jamming our radio.
00:21:11.444 --> 00:21:13.845
I grabbed the sergeant and dragged him to the radio room.
00:21:14.355 --> 00:21:18.134
In between crashes of static and puzzled calls from the two-way radio cars.
00:21:18.345 --> 00:21:19.815
There was a hum of voices.
00:21:20.295 --> 00:21:26.295
I recognize Marianos and Bills talking to a horse and the horse answering in what sounded like Portuguese.
00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:31.109
Bill was translating and Mariano was giving bill questions to try on the horse.
00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:33.240
You believe me now?
00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:36.930
I asked the sergeant who was scratching his head with one finger at a time.
00:21:37.430 --> 00:21:39.440
Ah, beats the bejesus outta me.
00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:41.759
That's Mariano all right he said.
00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:43.380
Okay, then let's go.
00:21:44.009 --> 00:21:44.789
Wait, where?
00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:47.400
The sergeant had me there for a minute.
00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:50.400
Obviously, Mariano and Bill were at the track now.
00:21:50.789 --> 00:21:56.549
Well, just as obviously they'd beat it soon as they got their information, they'd place their bets by phone later.
00:21:57.089 --> 00:21:57.779
But where?
00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:02.609
I've got it, catch that direction finder car when it gets here.
00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.460
That gimmick will go on broadcasting or wherever they take it.
00:22:05.849 --> 00:22:07.470
We'll chase'em with the direction finder.
00:22:07.930 --> 00:22:09.460
Huh, maybe you got something.
00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:14.339
The sergeant snapped a few words into the intercom box and we walked out in front of the police station.
00:22:14.849 --> 00:22:18.329
The service car pulled up in about five minutes and we hopped in.
00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:20.069
I looked over the equipment.
00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:22.440
Hey, pretty sharp that.
00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:25.079
Haven't seen one of those since I was in the Air Force.
00:22:25.569 --> 00:22:28.690
Yeah, said the driver, automatic radio compass.
00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:31.900
Beats the old fashioned loop aerial direction finder, all hollow.
00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.319
All I've gotta do is watch the left right indicator while I drive.
00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:37.410
I started to do a bit of figuring.
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:41.519
There were three of us in the car, the sergeant, the driver, and myself.
00:22:41.869 --> 00:22:44.119
Suppose we catch Mariano then what?
00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:46.789
He isn't gonna be alone, that's for sure.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:48.710
And even alone, he's dangerous.
00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:54.859
And the other gimmick, the one I hadn't mentioned to the sergeant, it didn't seem to be working yet.
00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:59.930
Dang muttered the driver under his breath and swung the car around.
00:23:00.589 --> 00:23:04.180
Either we've passed them or they've passed us on the way back to town.
00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:08.384
The direction indicator had started to call its lefts and rights wrong.
00:23:09.194 --> 00:23:11.984
Now headed back to town, it was swinging properly again.
00:23:12.535 --> 00:23:13.974
It didn't make sense to me.
00:23:14.494 --> 00:23:18.484
Unless Mariano had taken a plane, he couldn't have gotten past us that way.
00:23:18.875 --> 00:23:22.265
No cars had gone by in the opposite direction in 10 minutes.
00:23:22.714 --> 00:23:24.394
Suddenly I got an idea.
00:23:24.964 --> 00:23:26.345
I snapped on the loudspeaker.
00:23:26.805 --> 00:23:28.244
Calling Car 25.
00:23:28.244 --> 00:23:29.265
Car 25.
00:23:29.265 --> 00:23:30.375
Signal 34.
00:23:30.375 --> 00:23:31.394
Signal 34.
00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:32.515
Main And Broadway.
00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:33.595
Main and Broadway.
00:23:34.035 --> 00:23:34.875
I knew it.
00:23:35.204 --> 00:23:36.285
I should have thought of that.
00:23:36.765 --> 00:23:39.345
The gadgets on the same frequency as the police calls.
00:23:39.615 --> 00:23:42.555
We're chasing police headquarters now, not Mariano.
00:23:42.744 --> 00:23:43.285
I shouted.
00:23:43.285 --> 00:23:44.095
Disgustedly.
00:23:44.595 --> 00:23:44.984
Okay.
00:23:44.984 --> 00:23:46.785
Wise guy, this was your idea.
00:23:47.055 --> 00:23:48.045
What do we do now?
00:23:48.255 --> 00:23:49.035
Said the sergeant.
00:23:49.694 --> 00:23:55.964
Well, we wait and we keep the loud speaker turned on and we chase Marianna with the radio compass when we hear him.
00:23:56.464 --> 00:23:58.775
Pretty soon we got another signal from Bill's Gadget.
00:23:59.255 --> 00:24:04.654
The radio compass swung back and forth, finally settled down and made sense as we headed out of town again.
00:24:05.134 --> 00:24:08.015
I kept my ear peeled to the radio and my fingers crossed.
00:24:08.734 --> 00:24:10.894
It was Mariano's voice in the loudspeaker now.
00:24:11.315 --> 00:24:13.565
Getting clearer, so I figured we were warm.
00:24:14.075 --> 00:24:18.265
Okay, Mera, all I need, shut it off and get into the car.
00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:20.599
I said shut it off.
00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:22.490
That whistle is driving me nuts.
00:24:23.329 --> 00:24:24.109
What whistle?
00:24:24.589 --> 00:24:25.670
It was Bill's voice.
00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:28.970
That damn peanut whistle coming from your gimmick.
00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:31.940
Mariano's voice was getting exasperated now.
00:24:33.230 --> 00:24:35.809
Uh, nothing's coming out of that, that I can hear.
00:24:36.049 --> 00:24:37.309
Besides it's shut off.
00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:38.359
Look for yourself.
00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:40.259
You try to tell me I'm nuts.
00:24:41.069 --> 00:24:43.859
Mariano's voice was dangerous, tight, low pitched.
00:24:44.309 --> 00:24:46.589
I hear it and if you don't stop it.
00:24:48.029 --> 00:24:51.029
Well, it seems the other gimmick is working better than I figured.
00:24:51.809 --> 00:24:54.539
Maybe it'll be Bill's finished too if we don't get there soon.
00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:59.039
Seems like I kind of underestimated it though Mariano's voice comes through again.
00:25:00.045 --> 00:25:02.295
For the last time, Marice, stop it.
00:25:02.565 --> 00:25:04.994
Look, I can't even move my hands.
00:25:05.295 --> 00:25:10.325
That sounds doing things to me now, I tell you, Mariano's voice had changed.
00:25:10.329 --> 00:25:11.555
He was whining now.
00:25:12.724 --> 00:25:15.244
I'm telling you, the thing is shut off.
00:25:15.634 --> 00:25:18.095
There's only one switch on it and the pointer says off.
00:25:18.275 --> 00:25:20.194
Besides, I don't hear a thing.
00:25:20.434 --> 00:25:21.944
You must have rocks in your head.
00:25:22.434 --> 00:25:23.575
My jaw dropped.
00:25:24.095 --> 00:25:27.035
The big tough Mariano licked by a little peanut whistle.
00:25:27.575 --> 00:25:31.444
Bill the milquetoast genius talking to the toughest gangster in town like that.
00:25:31.894 --> 00:25:34.894
Maybe I don't know as much about the ultrasonics as I should.
00:25:35.345 --> 00:25:36.305
I got nervous.
00:25:36.815 --> 00:25:37.835
What's your signal strength?
00:25:37.835 --> 00:25:38.644
I asked the driver.
00:25:39.154 --> 00:25:39.845
R nine.
00:25:39.904 --> 00:25:40.505
He snapped.
00:25:40.714 --> 00:25:42.095
We're getting pretty close now.
00:25:42.394 --> 00:25:43.714
Watch that bend in the road.
00:25:44.184 --> 00:25:47.005
We tore into the bend, screamed back into the straightaway.
00:25:47.355 --> 00:25:51.615
Dead ahead was a big black limousine with slots, where the rear window should have been.
00:25:52.154 --> 00:25:54.285
I'd never seen it before, but I didn't have to.
00:25:54.765 --> 00:25:56.714
It was Mariano's Armored special.
00:25:57.045 --> 00:25:57.194
Huh?
00:25:57.384 --> 00:25:57.694
J.
00:25:57.710 --> 00:25:59.654
Edgar Hoover would've been green with envy.
00:26:00.095 --> 00:26:00.934
Okay.
00:26:00.934 --> 00:26:01.654
Sarge, there they are.
00:26:01.865 --> 00:26:02.825
Your show now.
00:26:03.325 --> 00:26:03.684
Right.
00:26:04.154 --> 00:26:06.654
The sergeant fingered his 38 police positive.
00:26:06.974 --> 00:26:10.305
It was all the armament we had and not half enough the way I felt.
00:26:10.775 --> 00:26:11.164
Alright.
00:26:11.164 --> 00:26:14.884
Bobby Sergeant was the professional cop now and he knew his business.
00:26:15.174 --> 00:26:16.984
Pull ahead of him and I'll wave him off the road.
00:26:17.454 --> 00:26:20.515
The mechanic was a little green around the chops, but he had spunk.
00:26:21.025 --> 00:26:25.615
He kicked the accelerator pedal hard, pulled around Mariano's car and held his pace.
00:26:25.884 --> 00:26:26.904
The sergeant waved.
00:26:27.384 --> 00:26:30.805
Mariano's driver tried to pull ahead, but Bobby could drive a bit too.
00:26:31.255 --> 00:26:32.994
He hit the gas and nosed over.
00:26:33.474 --> 00:26:36.295
Mariano's chauffeur could chance us or the ditch.
00:26:36.835 --> 00:26:39.355
He made up his mind suddenly and stomped on the brake.
00:26:39.775 --> 00:26:43.164
We screeched to a stop and the sergeant hopped out with the gun in his hand.
00:26:43.615 --> 00:26:44.275
Out bum.
00:26:44.335 --> 00:26:45.505
He snapped at the driver.
00:26:45.974 --> 00:26:47.984
The driver knew a 38 when he saw one.
00:26:48.315 --> 00:26:48.944
He hopped.
00:26:49.305 --> 00:26:52.035
The sergeant handcuffed him and shoved him into the radio car.
00:26:52.525 --> 00:26:55.015
Yours, Bobby, take him back to town and jug him.
00:26:55.375 --> 00:26:56.934
The boys will get something on him later.
00:26:57.234 --> 00:26:58.884
We'll ride back in Mariano's car.
00:26:59.384 --> 00:27:02.474
The sergeant slipped into the driver's seat with Bill alongside of him.
00:27:02.954 --> 00:27:04.515
I got in back with Mariano.
00:27:05.025 --> 00:27:09.105
Mariano cringed in the far left corner of the seat which didn't make me mad either.
00:27:09.615 --> 00:27:11.234
The more space between us, the better.
00:27:11.674 --> 00:27:13.174
I looked at him and the gadget.
00:27:13.865 --> 00:27:15.424
Bill spoke up from the front seat.
00:27:15.934 --> 00:27:16.924
What's eating him?
00:27:17.275 --> 00:27:18.805
He said to nobody in particular.
00:27:19.285 --> 00:27:25.434
He started to complain about a sort of peanut whistle, and now he acts like he wants to crawl in a hole and pull the hole in after him.
00:27:26.595 --> 00:27:27.875
I cannot tell a lie.
00:27:28.025 --> 00:27:30.484
I said I did it with my little hatchet.
00:27:30.714 --> 00:27:32.785
You know, the mixer oscillator in there.
00:27:32.904 --> 00:27:35.785
Your idea to make the ultrasonic frequencies audible?
00:27:36.154 --> 00:27:36.634
Yeah.
00:27:36.734 --> 00:27:43.275
Well, to get an audible beat, it has to be tuned within a couple of KC of the ultrasonic frequencies you wanna beat with it.
00:27:43.845 --> 00:27:45.914
I set it at 14,000 cycles.
00:27:46.214 --> 00:27:46.575
Yeah.
00:27:46.575 --> 00:27:53.535
What's that gotta do with Mariano Well, it struck me funny that he'd swallow your gimmick and the idea of talking with horses.
00:27:54.005 --> 00:27:58.224
Mariano's a suspicious type, and you'd expect him to think it was a racket of some kind.
00:27:58.704 --> 00:27:59.664
The sergeant cut in.
00:28:00.015 --> 00:28:01.305
Yeah, that's how I figured it.
00:28:01.694 --> 00:28:06.164
I couldn't see it a whole thing myself at first, and I couldn't figure Mariano falling for it.
00:28:06.164 --> 00:28:06.734
So easy.
00:28:07.029 --> 00:28:16.630
Well, you know, most people can't hear a thing above 10 or 11,000 cycles, but occasionally you get someone who can hear all the way to 15 or 16,000.
00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:18.619
I figured Mariano's one of them.
00:28:19.250 --> 00:28:24.200
He must have heard horse talk, but he's no good at languages and couldn't figure out what they were saying.
00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:26.150
Well, that's what he needed bill for.
00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:27.170
Okay.
00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:33.980
Now I believe anything I'll be seeing flying saucers next, but what's this peanut whistle that shrivels him up so?
00:28:34.250 --> 00:28:35.359
I don't hear any whistle.
00:28:35.849 --> 00:28:36.359
Right.
00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.140
You don't.
00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:37.890
I don't.
00:28:37.890 --> 00:28:41.099
And Bill doesn't, but Mariano does.
00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:42.539
It's the oscillator.
00:28:43.109 --> 00:28:47.670
I fed some of the 14,000 cycle output into a one inch permanent magnet speaker.
00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.609
There was more kick to it than I figured that's all.
00:28:51.089 --> 00:28:52.859
Mariano looked at me pleadingly.
00:28:53.430 --> 00:28:54.269
Shut it off.
00:28:54.269 --> 00:28:54.720
Mr.
00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:56.160
I'll confess to anything.
00:28:56.309 --> 00:29:00.299
Even kidnapping judge Crater only stop that whistle.
00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:02.130
I felt sorry for the big lug.
00:29:02.759 --> 00:29:05.309
I reached into the box and yanked out the B battery.
00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.829
Mariano shuttered and straightened up.
00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:09.410
He reached for his pocket.
00:29:09.769 --> 00:29:12.569
Oh, that dim witted sergeant had forgotten to frisk him.
00:29:12.795 --> 00:29:15.914
Mariano leaned forward with an Army 45 in his hand.
00:29:16.315 --> 00:29:18.055
He stuck it in the sergeant's neck.
00:29:18.515 --> 00:29:19.585
Now wiseguy.
00:29:19.865 --> 00:29:21.515
Turn around and head for the country.
00:29:21.875 --> 00:29:25.025
I'll take care of you and your scientific pals altogether.
00:29:25.505 --> 00:29:30.694
Mariano was watching the sergeant, the cop did some quick thinking and suddenly swerved the car.
00:29:31.055 --> 00:29:33.484
The spin threw Mariano off balance for a second.
00:29:33.994 --> 00:29:37.775
In that second, I realized that I still had the B battery in my hand.
00:29:38.164 --> 00:29:42.724
I conked Mariano on the head with three pounds of zinc, carbon, and asphalt.
00:29:43.295 --> 00:29:44.704
It did the job nicely.
00:29:45.375 --> 00:29:53.974
First time, in fact, that a guy ever was knocked cold with only 67 and one half volts, though I have to admit not applied in the usual way.
00:29:54.505 --> 00:29:56.724
By the time he came too, we had him in a cell.
00:29:57.144 --> 00:29:59.035
We never did get him on the kidnapping.
00:29:59.525 --> 00:30:03.484
As it happens, we didn't have much proof of that, and Bill didn't feel like testifying.
00:30:04.085 --> 00:30:10.625
So they held him as a vagrant while the FBI looked him up and they found he could be sent to jail for having a poor memory.
00:30:11.255 --> 00:30:15.244
He kept on forgetting that March 15th, his income tax day.
00:30:15.454 --> 00:30:18.424
He can take a correspondence course in mnemonics, in Atlanta.
00:30:19.265 --> 00:30:23.494
Anyway, I took the whistle and the police transmitter out of Bill's gadget and gave it back to him.
00:30:24.154 --> 00:30:25.825
I was still puzzled about one thing.
00:30:26.305 --> 00:30:31.077
Bill was idly thumbing a roll of bills big enough to make Rockefeller envious.
00:30:31.627 --> 00:30:34.748
How come I said that you didn't holler for help right away?
00:30:35.258 --> 00:30:40.627
4,000 4500 4600, 47, huh?
00:30:41.228 --> 00:30:42.968
Oh, well, why should I?
00:30:43.428 --> 00:30:47.107
I was doing okay, making a nice bit of change on side bets with Mariano.
00:30:47.597 --> 00:30:49.198
You mean I sputtered?
00:30:50.298 --> 00:30:53.938
You mean you were betting on horses with Mariano and winning?
00:30:54.867 --> 00:30:55.288
Sure.
00:30:55.288 --> 00:30:55.857
Why not?
00:30:56.067 --> 00:30:57.448
I was translating, wasn't I?
00:31:00.448 --> 00:31:04.048
Well gang, that concludes another episode of Forward Into the Past.
00:31:04.557 --> 00:31:11.307
I'm gonna keep diving into the treasure trove of Project Gutenberg to find more sci-fi stories and a few adventure stories as well.
00:31:11.877 --> 00:31:15.327
And soon enough, I will find a few more Nick Carter mysteries.
00:31:15.478 --> 00:31:18.508
Since I am an aficionado of the mystery genre.
00:31:19.468 --> 00:31:27.627
I'd like to take this moment to remind you all to not only subscribe to the show using whatever your favorite platform is, but to please leave a rating or a review.
00:31:28.137 --> 00:31:36.268
This helps get my podcast in front of thousands of additional listeners, and that boosts my visibility to additional aggregators and list profiles.
00:31:36.657 --> 00:31:39.867
On top of that, it totally boosts my self-esteem.
00:31:40.317 --> 00:31:47.278
If you're listening on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google, or podcaster, it's fairly easy and straightforward to do.
00:31:47.728 --> 00:31:57.567
You simply navigate back to the show page, not the current episode page, the show page, and scroll until you locate ratings and reviews and simply follow the prompts.
00:31:57.958 --> 00:32:09.847
It's even easier if you use a podcast platform like Good Pods, which combines the social aspect of Facebook or Instagram and podcast streaming now, that's the one that I use and I highly recommend.
00:32:10.268 --> 00:32:13.448
Okay, well, it looks like I've rambled long enough.
00:32:13.448 --> 00:32:17.018
Again, as always, friends, and I mean this sincerely.
00:32:17.048 --> 00:32:18.518
Thanks for listening.
00:32:18.847 --> 00:32:24.667
Keep sharing those stories and be a good human Bye for now.
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