Third Warning

  CHAPTER XXIV THE INVISIBLE HOST

  That night Florence dreamed of herself as a gray-haired woman in a drabshawl selling papers on Christmas Eve.

  The bright sun of next day drove all such dark fancies from her mind.

  "Jeanne!" she exclaimed as she bounced out of bed, "Today we rehearse.Tomorrow we rehearse again. And that night comes the big show!"

  As the hours passed, Florence found herself losing all thought that shewas simply to make a little six-minute talk into a microphone. Thefeeling grew upon her with every passing moment that she was to be a partof a truly big thing.

  And why not? Was she not preparing to speak to a million people? Wouldthe opportunity ever come again? Perhaps not. And would not her friendsbe listening? Crowded about their radios on Isle Royale, in Chicago, infar-away Alaska, would they not be saying, "That's Florence! How naturalher voice sounds!" Ah, yes, it was to be wonderful.

  Nor did Tim O'Hara allow a single member of his cast to forget theimportance of his part. Every moment of rehearsal found them keyed up toa high pitch.

  There were individual rehearsals, general rehearsals, a rehearsal forrecording. And then, on the second day, Florence caught her breath as shewas ushered into a large theater.

  "Is this the place?" she asked, staring at a "mike" in the center of thestage.

  "This is the place," was the answer.

  "And will there be people here?"

  "Two thousand people." Florence was ready to bolt out of the door.

  "Oh, but my dear!" Jeanne exclaimed. "It is just another show. Rememberhow I sang in light opera."

  "Yes, but you are you and I am I."

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Jeanne. "One or a million! Tell them! I know youcan."

  When orchestra members began filing in she felt better. Her part of theshow might not be so grand, but these would back her up.

  Then a bright idea occurred to her, and in thinking of others she forgotherself. It is often so in life.

  While others were rehearsing their parts she slipped over to theorchestra leader and said something to him in a low tone. He looked atJeanne and nodded.

  She talked some more. He smiled broadly, then began beating out imaginarynotes with his baton.

  "It can be done," he agreed at last.

  "I promise you it will be startling and wonderful!" said Florence.

  The dress rehearsal thrilled her to the very tips of her toes. As thenotes of the orchestra died away and she took her place before the"mike," she seemed to feel the expectant hush of a real audience and fromthe far-flung prairies and the blue waters of her own beloved midwest abreath seemed to fan her cheek. For the moment, forgetting her littleplot with the orchestra director, she went through her part as in adream. Almost she expected a boy to step out from among those empty seatsand say, "I am the boy in the crimson sweater."

  After that her thoughts returned to the orchestra leader and Jeanne. Themoments dragged, but at last the rehearsal was over.

  And then, just as Tim O'Hara was about to bid them scatter untilsix-thirty, the place went dark, a spotlight began playing over thestage, the girl in red drew her hands across the harp strings, theorchestra took up the notes of some tantalizing oriental music and,dressed in red with red and orange scarfs streaming behind her, Jeannedanced out upon the stage.

  In the moments that followed the little French girl was dancing upon agreat flat rock. The roar and crackle of fire was in her ears, the flashand heat of flames in her eyes.

  To the little group of onlookers this dance was entrancing. When at last,all aflutter, Jeanne danced away into the wings, even the musiciansdropped their instruments to applaud.

  "Bravo!" Tim O'Hara exclaimed. "You shall repeat it tonight."

  "But you cannot dance on the radio," Jeanne protested.

  "No," was the answer, "but when we go off the air the audience here shallbe treated to a grand surprise. They shall see _The Dance of theFlames_."

  So it was arranged. While Florence and Jeanne slipped away to a littleplace around the corner to sip hot chocolate and nibble at sweet cakes,the moments passed quickly and at last the opening moment of the greatshow was at hand.

  As the audience began to arrive the curtain dropped and there they were,the performers moving about, quite breathless with anticipation. Slowly,one by one, the musicians arrived and took their places.

  From behind the curtain came the murmur of many voices. How many?Florence could not guess. One thing she knew, these were but a handfulcompared to the invisible host waiting out there in the vast spacesbeyond the theater's walls.

  Now someone outside the curtain was speaking, welcoming the audience.There was laughter and applause.

  Then, slowly--ever so slowly--the curtain rose. And there they wereseated before a theater packed to the very doors.

  Florence caught her breath. She fixed her eyes on the clock. At exactlyseven fifteen the show would go on the air. Fascinated, she watched thelong second hand sweep around the dial. And then--

  The girl in red drew her fingers across all the chords in her harp. Thelittle dark-eyed Spaniard on a stool thrummed his guitar, the big manwith a bass viol drew his bow, the horns, drums, the violins joined inwith a crashing crescendo. In the strange silence that followed a voicesaid, "The Adventurers' Club is on the air, coast to coast."

  Once again Florence watched the circling of that second hand. At exactlyseven twenty-seven she was to go on the air. Never had that hand raced somadly. Her heart kept time to its racing. At last here was a nod from TimO'Hara.

  Her knees trembled as she marched up to the microphone. But like a flashit came to her, "All my good friends are listening out there. They arepart of the invisible host. I shall speak to them."

  And she did. The audience before her thrilled and chilled at hearing ofher adventures. They laughed when she told how Plumdum got his name andwere breathlessly silent as she told of being trapped by the flames, ofPlumdum's parachute jump, and of the mad moose. As she told of her escapethey burst into applause. But to her, the great, invisible audiencecounted most. And when, in her last tense sixty seconds, she sent out anappeal, it was for one person somewhere out there on the air, the boywith the crimson sweater.

  Ten seconds of applause followed her speech. This was broken in upon bythe wild wail of the harp strings, and her share of the big show was atan end.

  At an end? Not quite. Truth is, she was only half through. At ten thirtythere would be another show for the western states. And before that, sheknew, the whole cast was to be treated to a banquet in one of the showplaces of New York. What a night!

  Jeanne's triumph, as, at the end of the performance, she did her weirddance of the flame, was even greater than Florence's own. And Florencewas glad.