"065 (B056) - The Giggling Ghosts (1938-07) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)The other three men were policemen in blue uniforms.
All three policemen were slumped in the cab of the steam shovel. The long-looking loose-limbed man was lying beside the caterpillar tread of the shovel. Doc Savage went out and got the girl and took her in to look at the men. "You recognize any of these?" he asked. Miami Davis shook her head while examining the policemen, but frowned when she came to the loose-jointed man. She seemed a bit doubtful about him. "This one"Чshe pointed at the long-looking man vaguelyЧ"sure needs some exercise." "You know him?" "I thought for a minute I had seen him somewhere. I guess I was wrong." DOC SAVAGE was a scientific product. He had undergone specialized training from childhood to fit him for the unusual work which he was doing. Surgery had been his first training and his most specialized; but through patient effort he had managed to acquire an amazing amount of knowledge concerning geology, chemistry, electricity and other sciences. This anaesthetic gas was a product of the bronze man's chemical skill. He had managed to keep the composition of the stuff a secret. Victims of the gas, however, could be revived by the administration of a proper stimulant made up in the form of tablets, pills that were large and a deep-blue color. After Doc Savage administered stimulant pills to the men he had made unconsciousЧthe tablets came from his carryall vest he woreЧit took about fifteen minutes for the victims to revive. The cops came out of it first, and squirmed around, got their eyes open, then sat up, one at a time, acting like men who had been in a sound sleep. Doc Savage and the girl were both keeping out of sight behind the steam shovel. Doc wanted to listen. The cops looked at each other for several moments before they spoke. Finally one giggled, then asked, "What the blazes happened?" The trio scratched their heads, rubbed jaws, and giggled. "It seemed," one said, "like we got the giggles, then went to sleep." "That's crazy!" The other pointed at the loose-jointed man, who was snoring softly. "Birmingham Lawn looks like he is asleep, don't he?" he demanded by way of proof. The first policeman scrambled over to the long-looking man. "I hope he's all right," the cop said. "He's a swell old guy. Funny-looking, but swell. Always whistling." "Whistling?" "Sure. Whistles all the time." "You're sure he ain't a giggling ghost, then?" "GhostsЧhell! Don't let's start believing such lop-eared stuff. I've known Birmingham Lawn for years. I bought my little home through the real estate firm he runs." The officer went over and shook the long-looking, loose-limbed man. "Wake up, Lawn! Wake up, dang it!" Apparently in an effort to stop giggling, he whistled, pursed his lips and whistled a bar or two from a popular song. "You feel all right, Mister Lawn?" asked the policeman who knew him. "I do not feel," Birmingham Lawn said, "in the least like giggling. And yet I cannot help giggling." Doc Savage came from behind the steam shovel and asked, "Did you gentlemen follow a giggling ghost here, too?" The cops stared at the bronze man; then they gave him a brisk salute. They had recognized him and remembered that he held a high honorary commission on both the New York and New Jersey police forces. Birmingham Lawn stared, looking puzzled, then amazed, then delighted. He giggled. "Look here!" he exploded. "Aren't you Doc Savage?" Doc admitted it, and Birmingham Lawn became as excited as a movie fan meeting a picture star. He bounced up, rubbed his hands together and glowed. "Marvelous!" Lawn exclaimed. "I am delighted! I have read about you and I have heard about you. I have certainly wanted to meet you. This"Чhe was very earnestЧ"is a high point in my life." Doc Savage looked uncomfortable. Being the focus of admiration was something he found embarrassing, which was one of the reasons he kept out of the public eye as much as possible. IN a calm voice, Doc began telling the policeman and Birmingham Lawn what had happened. "I thought from the giggling I overheard," Doc explained, "that theЧerЧghost the girl followed was still here." "That checks exactly!" Lawn ejaculated. "Checks with what?" Doc asked. "I own this storehouse," Lawn said. "This is my construction equipment here. I heard about the girl having caught the giggles when she followed a ghost to the storehouse, so I got these policemen and came to investigate. We were here only a few minutes when weЧwell, we got the giggles, too." Doc Savage asked the policemen, "You searched the place?" The cops said they had, and that they had found nothing. They added that they didn't believe in ghosts, giggling or otherwise. "Mind if I look around?" Doc asked. They didn't mind. The bronze man moved around, pointing his flashlight at different objects. After a while, he went to the car, came back with his fingerprint paraphernalia. Birmingham Lawn trailed Doc closely, watching every move the bronze man made with hero-worshipping earnestness. Judging from his expression, Lawn expected to see a procession of miracles performed. Doc was busy trying to find prints. At last Lawn looked disappointed when nothing startling occurred. He began to poke around for himself, ambled about aimlessly. He was drawing near the girl, Miami Davis, when he doubled over abruptly, then straightened. "Huh!" he grunted. "Here's something!" Miami Davis came over and looked at it. She emitted a strangled gasp. "Oh!" she choked. "IЧdropped that!" |
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