rain storm," Rick told him. He explained rapidly, and the
two started to chuckle.

"It should work," Scotty agreed. "Go ahead. I'll take over the watch.
Hey! There he goes."

The houseboater had just walked into the barbershop.

Rick ran to the next corner and into the grocery store. He hesitated
briefly, then picked out two boxes of cereal, and added a box of
sugar. He had them put into a bag, paid for them, and hurried back.

Inside the newspaper office, he took out his scout knife and carefully
slit the top of one cereal box. He removed the little radio from his
pocket, unplugged the earphone, and put the radio on top of the
cereal. He borrowed cellophane tape and taped the box shut, then he
put both boxes of cereal back in the bag with the sugar on top.

He handed the bag to Jerry. "Do your stuff."

Jerry took it and hurried out the door. Rick and Scotty watched as he
went up the street and turned in at the barbershop.

Scotty shook his head. "All I can hear in the earphone is a crackling
noise."

"Probably the paper bag," Rick said. "It would crackle as he walks."

They waited impatiently. Presently Jerry emerged without the bag and
walked down the street to join them.

"The man in the chair is about done," he reported. "The one you're
after is reading a magazine. I said I'd be back in a few minutes, left
the bag, and walked out."

"There's the other customer now," Rick said. A man had just emerged
from the barbershop and was going up the street in the opposite
direction. "Good! They'll talk fast now, because they'll be afraid
you'll come back."

"I still hear the crackling noise," Scotty objected. "Someone's
talking in the background, but I can't hear it because of the snapping
and popping."

Rick swallowed hard. Was something wrong? "Let's see." He borrowed
Scotty's earpiece and held it to his own ear. For a second he
listened, horrified. It sounded like the Battle of Bull Run!

Barby broke in faintly through the noise. "Rick! I've been listening.
What's that noise?"

He explained quickly. "We planted one unit in a box of cereal and
Jerry put it in the barbershop."

Barby gasped. "In a box of cereal? What kind?"

"Crummies. Your favorite."

"Oh, Rick!" The girl's voice rose to a wail. "Don't you remember the
commercial? Crisp, crackly Crummies! The cereal that sings for your
breakfast!"

He got it, then. "Okay, Barby." To the others, he said unhappily,
"Well, it was a great idea. Only I