in is dead. There's a telegraph wire
direct from Hardport to Smithville. Cutting the wire is legitimate, even
in the war game, because it's necessary to do the actual cutting. It
isn't like the railroad, which can be destroyed theoretically, and left
actually ready for use."

Jack had started his car, still running through the fields when the
troops had passed, and now, looking carefully at the telegraph poles and
wires, he dropped from his seat and, with wire cutters and repair tools,
and his pocket set of instruments, he proceeded to put into practice the
theory that he had explained to Tom. He cut the wire neatly and
carefully. Then he connected the broken end with his instruments,
completing the circuit again, and began calling for General Harkness's
headquarters in Hardport.

"See how it's done, Tom?" he asked. "Easy when you know how, you see."

"Yes; it's like lots of other things that way, Jack. The trouble is you
always seem to know just how to do things like that and I never do."

"Got 'em!" cried Jack, enthusiastically, at that moment, and began at
once to send his important news.

"I want to get permission now to go on and tell General Bean what we've
learned," he explained to Tom as he still waited after sending his
message. "Then, as soon as I get it, I'll splice this wire and fix it so
that the line will be open for regular service again. We don't want to
interrupt traffic by telegraph or telephone, if we can help it. But this
won't make much difference at this hour of the night. I don't believe
that many messages are sent over this wire after midnight as a rule."

They had to wait twenty minutes for the reply, but when it came Jack was
told to use his own best judgment, and that General Harkness would rely
upon him to get the highly important information he had sent to
headquarters to General Bean.

"I thought we'd be allowed to do that," said Jack, after he had put the
wire in order again. In the car there was plenty of telegraph wire for
repairing lines cut by the enemy, so the task was not at all a difficult
one.

"Gee, Jack," said Tom, "I've certainly learned one thing lately, and
that is that there's nothing you know that isn't likely to come in handy
sometime or another. I didn't know you knew as much as this about
telegraphy."

"I've always been interested in it, Tom. It's so fascinating. You can
use all sorts of knowledge if you're in the army, too. Think of the
engineers. They have to