Luther leaned forward, excitement in his face. "Why it doesn't seem possible. And you have really done it, Drowsy?" Cyrus nodded. "But it will revolutionize everything!" "Yes--it will." "Is it some new form of electricity you discovered?" "No, merely a new way of applying our old knowledge. You see, it has been known for some time that air is energy. Dancing about us, in the atmosphere, is plenty of power waiting to be harnessed; power enough to toss mountains into space if we could only direct it. You may have read about the tremendous force in the vibrations of atoms." "No; not a word." "Well, every atom is a center of energy. And every atom is composed of millions of electrons. Do you happen to be interested in electro kinetics?" "Don't even know what it means." "It relates to the properties of electric currents. My discovery is merely the concentration and directing of those currents. The apparatus is about the size of an apple pie, and so simple that I laugh when I think of it." "But, Drowsy, you can't get so much power in such a little mechanism. That thing could never start a locomotive or an ocean steamship." "Start it! A dozen of these little things fastened to an ocean steamer could lift it in the air to any height, crew, passengers and cargo, and drive it at any rate of speed and for any distance. And at no cost." [Illustration: "COULD LIFT IT IN THE AIR TO ANY HEIGHT, CREW, PASSENGERS, AND CARGO"--_Page 155_] Luther whistled. "Is Cyrus guying us, Doctor, or is he only dotty?" Dr. Alton smiled, but gave no answer. "After you had lifted the steamship up into the air," said Luther, "how soon could you get her across the ocean?" "That's for the captain to decide. He could do it comfortably in an hour or two--or, in five or ten minutes, if he were really in a hurry." "Oh, I say, Drowsy, come down to earth again, and join us." "No, I can't come down when I once get up. But I don't blame you for not believing it, Luther. I only believe it myself when I see it working. It is really easy to understand, though, when you know that electro magnetic waves in the ether are cavorting through space at the rate of about a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles a second, forced by our friends the electrons. There's no reason why my device should not go at about the same rate. That would take our passengers and cargo across the ocean in considerably less than one minute." Dr. Alton shook his head. "No, Cyrus, that's too sudden even for a Yankee." Luther assumed an expression of alarm. "Do you think Cyrus will get over this, Doctor? Is he wild on other subjects, or is it only one screw that's loose?" Cyrus laughed and turned toward his father. "What an awful joke if Luther should be right! I could easily believe it a crazy dream if one or two scientists had not already prophesied it. The thing was sure to come. And now that it's here it seems too simple to be true. I merely happen to be the first man to stumble on it."