{"product_id":"9781612100227","title":"The Ray of Madness","description":"\"There's no hurry, Doctor,\" replied Operative Carnes of the United States Secret Service as he entered the room and sat on the edge of the Doctor's desk. \"I haven't got a case up my sleeve this time; I just came in for a little chat.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"All right, glad to see you. Read that latest volume of the Zeitschrift for a while. That article of Von Beyer's has got me guessing, all right.\"\u003cbr\u003eCarnes picked up the indicated volume and settled himself to read. The Doctor bent over his apparatus. Time and again he made minute adjustments and gave vent to muttered exclamations of annoyance at the results he obtained. Half an hour later he rose from his chair with a sigh and turned to his visitor.\u003cbr\u003e\"What do you think of Von Beyer's alleged discovery?\" he asked the operative.\u003cbr\u003e\"It's too deep for me, Doctor,\" replied the operative. \"All that I can make out of it is that he claims to have discovered a new element named 'lunium,' but hasn't been able to isolate it yet. Is there anything remarkable about that? It seems to me that I have read of other new elements being discovered from time to time.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"There is nothing remarkable about the discovery of a new element by the spectroscopic method,\" replied Dr. Bird. \"We know from Mendeleff's table that there are a number of elements which we have not discovered as yet, and several of the ones we know were first detected by the spectroscope. The thing which puzzles me is that so brilliant a man as Von Beyer claims to have discovered it in the spectra of the moon. His name, lunium, is taken from Luna, the moon.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Why not the moon? Haven't several elements been first discovered in the spectra of stars?\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Certainly. The classic example is Lockyer's discovery of an orange line in the spectra of the sun in 1868. No known terrestrial element gave such a line and he named the new element which he deduced helium, from Helos, the sun. The element helium was first isolated by Ramsey some twenty-seven years later. Other elements have been found in the spectra of stars, but the point I am making is that the sun and the stars are incandescent bodies and could be logically expected to show the characteristic lines of their constituent elements in their spectra. But the moon is a cold body without an atmosphere and is visible only by reflected light. The element, lunium, may exist in the moon, but the manifestations which Von Beyer has observed must be, not from the moon, but from the source of the reflected light which he spectro-analyzed.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"You are over my depth, Doctor.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm over my own. I have tried to follow Von Beyer's reasoning and I have tried to check his findings. Twice this evening I thought that I caught a momentary glimpse on the screen of my fluoroscope of the ultra-violet line which he reports as characteristic of lunium, but I am not certain. I haven't been able to photograph it yet. He notes in his article that the line seems to be quite impermanent and fades so rapidly that an accurate measurement of its wave-length is almost impossible. However, let's drop the subject. How do you like your new assignment?\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh, it's all right. I would rather be back on my old work.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"I haven't seen you since you were assigned to the Presidential detail. I suppose that you fellows are pretty busy getting ready for Premier McDougal's visit?\"\u003cbr\u003e\"I doubt if he will come,\" replied Carnes soberly. \"Things are not exactly propitious for a visit of that sort just now.\"\u003cbr\u003eDr. Bird sat back in his chair in surprise.\u003cbr\u003e\"I thought that the whole thing is arranged. The press seems to think so, at any rate.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Everything is arranged, but arrangements may be cancelled. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they were.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Carnes,\" replied Dr. Bird gravely, \"you have either said too much or too little. There is something more to this than appears on the surface. If it is none of my business, don't hesitate to tell me so and I'll forget what you have said, but if I can help you any, speak up.\"","brand":"eStar Books LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47135334465776,"sku":"9781612100227","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781612100227_p0.jpg?v=1763847589","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781612100227","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}