“Well, that Koku is certainly a wonderful giant,” said Ned, with a laugh.

“How so?” asked Tom.

“Why he can not be in two places at once.  You say he ought to be at the other end of this wire, and there he is out there, spading up the garden.”

Tom stared for a second and then exclaimed: 

“Well, if that isn’t the limit!  I put him in the telephone booth in the machine shop, and told him to stay there until I was through.  What in the world is he doing out there?”

“Koku!” he called to the giant, “why didn’t you stay at the telephone where I put you?  Why did you run away?”

“Ha!” exclaimed the giant, who, for all his great size was a simple chap, “little thing go ‘tick-tick’ and then ‘clap-clap!’ Koku no like—­Koku t’ink bad spirit in telumfoam—­Koku come out!”

“Well, no wonder I couldn’t see any image on the plate!” exclaimed Tom.  “There was nobody there.  Now, Ned, you try it; will you, please?”

“Sure.  Anything to oblige!”

“Then go in the other telephone booth.  You can talk to me on the wire.  Say anything you like—­the telephone part is all right.  Then you just stand so that the light in the booth shines on your face.  The machine will do the rest—­if it works.”

Ned hurried off and was soon talking to his chum over the wire from the branch telephone in the machine shop.  Ned stood in the glare of an electric light, and looked at a polished plate similar to the one in the other booth.

“Are you there, Ned?” asked Tom.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Is the light on?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re looking at the plate?”

“Sure.  Can you see any reflection in your plate?”

“No, not a thing,” answered Tom, and there was great discouragement in his voice.  “The thing is a failure, Ned.  Come on back,” and the young banker could hear his chum hang up the telephone receiver at the other end.

“That’s too bad,” murmured Ned, knowing how Tom must feel.  “I’ll have to cheer him up a bit.”

CHAPTER IV

RUN DOWN

When Ned Newton got back to where Tom sat in the small telephone booth, the young banker found his chum staring rather moodily at the polished metal plate on the shelf that held the talking instrument.

“So it was no go; eh, Tom?”

“No go at all, Ned, and I thought sure I had it right this time.”

“Then this isn’t your first experiment?”

“Land no!  I’ve been at it, off and on, for over a month, and I can’t seem to get any farther.  I’m up against a snag now, good and hard.”

“Then there wasn’t any image on your plate?”

“Not a thing, Ned.  I don’t suppose you caught any glimpse of me in your plate?” asked Tom, half hopefully.

“No.  I couldn’t see a thing.  So you are going to try and make this thing work both ways, are you?”