door.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I—I can’t—get—my—hand—loose!” Nancy whispered.
At that moment Professor Titus arrived. While Nancy was trying to tell him what had happened, Glenn dashed off to find Miss Wilkin. She was seated at the reception desk in the hall.
“Quick!” Glenn exclaimed. “Turn off all the power! Miss Drew is pinned to the wall!”
The prim custodian looked at him blankly and did not move. “Is this some kind of a joke?” she asked.
“No, no!” Glenn assured her. “Nancy is in real trouble. Please turn off all the power in this building!”
Miss Wilkin jumped into action. She grabbed the keys from the desk drawer and rushed down the main hall and around the corner. Glenn raced after her.
The woman reached a large panelboard on the wall and unlocked the covering to it. Quickly she pulled down several levers. At once the place was in darkness.
Glenn did not wait for her to return to the lobby. There was still enough daylight sifting through the windows so that he could easily make his way back to Nancy. The young pilot sighed in relief as he found her seated on the floor, released from the magnetized wall. Professor Titus was kneeling beside her and massaging her hands vigorously.
“Are you all right?” Glenn asked solicitously.
Nancy gave a wan smile. “I will be as soon as the circulation is restored to my hand and arm. They’re numb.”
Professor Titus kept massaging them for another three minutes, then asked Glenn to take over. The young man seated himself on the floor and began to rub Nancy’s hand and arm vigorously.
“That feels great!” she said. “Thank you both so much. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come to my rescue.”
Glenn grinned. “You’d have thought of something,” he replied. “Just the same I’m glad you gave me a chance to help you.”
By this time Miss Wilkin had come back to the visitors. Nancy explained what had happened to her and asked for an explanation.
The woman turned pale. “I have no idea. This place is getting very spooky and I don’t like it.”
Miss Wilkin seemed to soften a little. She leaned over Nancy and asked how she was feeling.
“I’m practically well again,” the young detective replied.
As Glenn continued to massage her hand and arm, he asked, “Please tell us exactly how it felt when your hand was pinned to the wall.”
Nancy said she had suffered small electric shocks before. “But this was different. It didn’t go racing through me as the others did. The effect was more like that of a magnet drawing my hand tighter and tighter against the wall. I guess instinct told me not to lean on it. Otherwise my whole side might have been glued to that panel.”
Professor Titus wrinkled his brow as if in deep thought. Then he said, “Is the wall covered?”
Glenn went to look. “Yes, with wallpaper.”
The science professor said he believed that under the paper there was a metal plate on a screen attached to the wall itself. “Nancy must have been standing on some electric conducting material.”
Again Glenn went to peer into the closet. He reported, “There is a rug on the floor.”
Professor Titus nodded. “Most likely it’s made of an electric conducting material. The hidden plate in the wall is no doubt positive and Nancy is negative. These unlike charges create a strong electrical force which pulled Nancy’s hand to the wall and held it there.
“Somewhere in the building there must be a control device which regulates the flow of electric current. In this case, there was enough to pin Nancy’s hand to the wall but not enough to hurt her permanently.”
Miss Wilkin had listened carefully. Now she seemed paler than ever. “I do not feel very well,” she said. “I would appreciate all of you leaving at once. I will close the museum and go home.”
Glenn assisted Nancy to her feet and held her arm tightly as the trio walked toward the front
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I—I can’t—get—my—hand—loose!” Nancy whispered.
At that moment Professor Titus arrived. While Nancy was trying to tell him what had happened, Glenn dashed off to find Miss Wilkin. She was seated at the reception desk in the hall.
“Quick!” Glenn exclaimed. “Turn off all the power! Miss Drew is pinned to the wall!”
The prim custodian looked at him blankly and did not move. “Is this some kind of a joke?” she asked.
“No, no!” Glenn assured her. “Nancy is in real trouble. Please turn off all the power in this building!”
Miss Wilkin jumped into action. She grabbed the keys from the desk drawer and rushed down the main hall and around the corner. Glenn raced after her.
The woman reached a large panelboard on the wall and unlocked the covering to it. Quickly she pulled down several levers. At once the place was in darkness.
Glenn did not wait for her to return to the lobby. There was still enough daylight sifting through the windows so that he could easily make his way back to Nancy. The young pilot sighed in relief as he found her seated on the floor, released from the magnetized wall. Professor Titus was kneeling beside her and massaging her hands vigorously.
“Are you all right?” Glenn asked solicitously.
Nancy gave a wan smile. “I will be as soon as the circulation is restored to my hand and arm. They’re numb.”
Professor Titus kept massaging them for another three minutes, then asked Glenn to take over. The young man seated himself on the floor and began to rub Nancy’s hand and arm vigorously.
“That feels great!” she said. “Thank you both so much. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come to my rescue.”
Glenn grinned. “You’d have thought of something,” he replied. “Just the same I’m glad you gave me a chance to help you.”
By this time Miss Wilkin had come back to the visitors. Nancy explained what had happened to her and asked for an explanation.
The woman turned pale. “I have no idea. This place is getting very spooky and I don’t like it.”
Miss Wilkin seemed to soften a little. She leaned over Nancy and asked how she was feeling.
“I’m practically well again,” the young detective replied.
As Glenn continued to massage her hand and arm, he asked, “Please tell us exactly how it felt when your hand was pinned to the wall.”
Nancy said she had suffered small electric shocks before. “But this was different. It didn’t go racing through me as the others did. The effect was more like that of a magnet drawing my hand tighter and tighter against the wall. I guess instinct told me not to lean on it. Otherwise my whole side might have been glued to that panel.”
Professor Titus wrinkled his brow as if in deep thought. Then he said, “Is the wall covered?”
Glenn went to look. “Yes, with wallpaper.”
The science professor said he believed that under the paper there was a metal plate on a screen attached to the wall itself. “Nancy must have been standing on some electric conducting material.”
Again Glenn went to peer into the closet. He reported, “There is a rug on the floor.”
Professor Titus nodded. “Most likely it’s made of an electric conducting material. The hidden plate in the wall is no doubt positive and Nancy is negative. These unlike charges create a strong electrical force which pulled Nancy’s hand to the wall and held it there.
“Somewhere in the building there must be a control device which regulates the flow of electric current. In this case, there was enough to pin Nancy’s hand to the wall but not enough to hurt her permanently.”
Miss Wilkin had listened carefully. Now she seemed paler than ever. “I do not feel very well,” she said. “I would appreciate all of you leaving at once. I will close the museum and go home.”
Glenn assisted Nancy to her feet and held her arm tightly as the trio walked toward the front
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