ng a chicken thief. But
something great may come of it. Do you notice that searchlight, and
how powerful it is?"

"I do, Tom. I never knew you had one as big as that."

"Neither did I, and I haven't, really. That's one of my smallest
ones, but something seems to have happened to it to make it throw
out a beam like that. I'm just going to look. Come on in the shop."

The two inventors, young and old, entered, and Tom quickly crossed
to where the wires from the automatic dynamo, extended to the
searchlight outside the window of his room. He made a quick
inspection.

"Look, father!" he cried. "The alternating current from the
automatic dynamo has become crossed with direct current from the big
storage battery in a funny way. It must have been by accident, for
never in the world would I think of connecting up in that fashion. I
would have said it would have made a short circuit at once."

"But it hasn't. On the contrary, it has given a current of peculiar
strength and intensity--a current that would seem to be made
especially for searchlights. Dad, I'm on the edge of a big
discovery."

"I believe you, Tom," said his father. "That certainly is a queer
way for wires to be connected. How do you account for it?"

"I can't. That is unless some one meddled with the connections after
I made them. That must be it. I'll ask Rad and Koku." Just then the
giant came in. "Koku, did you touch the wires?" asked Tom.

"Well, Mr. Tom, I didn't mean to. I accidentally pulled one out a
while ago, when I was waiting for the thief to come, but I put it
right back again. I hope I did no damage."

"No, on the contrary, you did a fine thing, Koku. I never would have
dared make such connections myself, but you, not knowing any better,
did just the right thing to make an almost perfect searchlight
current. It is wonderful! Probably for any other purpose such a
current would be useless, but it is just the thing for a great
light."

"And why do you need such a powerful light, Tom?" asked Mr. Swift.
"Why, it is of extraordinary brilliancy, and it goes for several
miles. Look how plainly you can pick out the trees on Nob's Hill,"
and he pointed to an elevation some distance away from the Swift
homestead, across the woods and meadows.

"I believe I could see a bird perched there, if there was one!"
exclaimed Tom enthusiastically. "That certainly is a wonderful
light. With larger carbons, better parobolic mirrors, a different
resistance bo