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7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
7-1
CHAPTER 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 7 focuses on writing effective routine messages by applying the three-step writing
process that was introduced in Chapters 3, 4, and 5. For a typical business employee, most
communication is about routine matters: direct requests, routine replies, positive messages, and
so forth. The direct approach is usually appropriate for these routine and positive messages.
Although most routine messages share common attributes, some differences exist, depending on
purpose. This chapter provides illustrations and suggestions for writing effective messages,
whether they are requests, replies, or goodwill messages.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Strategy for Routine Requests
Open with Your Request
Explain and Justify Your Request
Request Specific Action in a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Asking for Information and Action
Asking for Recommendations
Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Open with the Main Idea
Provide Necessary Details and Explanation
End with a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Answering Requests for Information or Action
Granting Claims and Requests for Adjustment
Providing Recommendations and References
Sharing Routine Information
Writing Instructions
Announcing Good News
Fostering Goodwill
Sending Congratulations
Sending Messages of Appreciation
Offering Condolences
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
What’s Your Prediction?
Chapter Review and Activities

7-2
TEACHING NOTES
Strategy for Routine Requests
Much of your daily communication will involve routine requests for information or action.
Organize routine messages by including an opening, a body, and a close.
 Use the opening to make your request.
 Use the body to explain and justify.
 Use the close to confirm details and express appreciation.
The direct approach is fine for typical requests, as your audience will be inclined to respond. For
unusual, unexpected, or unwelcome requests, the indirect approach is better.
Open with your request:
 Pay attention to tone so that the request is not too abrupt or tactless.
 If appropriate, acknowledge that you are asking for someone’s time and effort.
 Be specific and state precisely what you want.
Use the body of your message to explain and justify your request.
 Mention any benefits to the reader of complying with request.
 With multiple requests/questions, start with the most important one.
 If a request is unusual or complex, break it down for the reader.
Close your request by requesting a specific action in a courteous close.
 Include any relevant deadlines.
 Provide contact information so that you may be reached.
 End with an expression of appreciation or goodwill.
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Many common examples of routine requests fit into one of the following categories:
 Asking for information or action
 Asking for recommendations
 Making claims and requesting adjustments
When asking for information or action:
 Think about how to make it as easy as possible for your recipients to respond.
 Point out why it may be in your readers’ interest to help you (if applicable).
When asking for recommendations:
 Open with a straightforward request for a recommendation.
 Provide any information about yourself that the reader might use to support a
recommendation.
 Close by expressing appreciation.

7-3
When making claims (a formal complaint) and requesting adjustments (the settlement of a
claim):
 Explain the problem and give details.
 Provide backup information.
 Request specific action.
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Routine replies and positive messages have four specific goals:
 To communicate the information or good news.
 To answer all questions.
 To provide all required details.
 To leave readers with a good impression of the writer and the firm.
Follow the direct organizational plan for routine replies and positive messages:
 Start with the main idea.
 Provide necessary details and explanation in the middle section.
 End with a courteous close.
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive
Messages
Common examples of routine replies and positive messages include:
 Answering requests for information and action
 Granting claims and requests for adjustments
 Recommendations and references
 Routine information
 Instructions
 Good-news announcements
 Goodwill messages
When answering requests for information or action:
 Use a direct approach if the request is simple or straightforward.
 Answer the request promptly, graciously, and thoroughly.
When granting claims and requests for an adjustment, responding to mistakes in a courteous,
reader-focused way helps repair important business relationships.
Specific response will vary based on company policy and whether the company, customer, or a
third party is at fault. In general, take these steps:
 Acknowledge receipt of the customer’s claim or complaint.
 Sympathize with the customer’s inconvenience or frustration.
 Take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straight.
 Explain precisely how you have resolved, or plan to resolve, the situation.

7-4
 Take steps to repair the relationship.
 Follow up to verify that your response was correct.
Maintain a professional demeanor by avoiding the following:
 Don’t blame anyone in your organization by name.
 Don’t make exaggerated apologies that sound insincere.
 Don’t imply that the customer is at fault.
 Don’t promise more than you can deliver.
When you are asked to provide a recommendation or reference, be sure to list:
 The candidate’s full name
 The position or other objective the candidate is seeking
 The nature of your relationship with the candidate
 Facts and evidence relevant to the candidate and opportunity
 A comparison of this candidate’s potential with that of peers, if available
 Your overall evaluation of the candidate’s suitability for the opportunity
Companies can send effective informative messages by:
 Using the opening to state the purpose and briefly mention the nature of the information
you’re providing
 Providing necessary details in the body
 Ending messages with a courteous close
When writing instructions:
1. Start by figuring out how much your intended readers are likely to know about the topic
or process.
2. Provide an overview of the procedure.
3. Define any technical terms or acronyms.
4. Divide the procedure into discrete steps.
5. Tell readers what to expect when they complete each step.
6. Test instructions on someone from target audience.
7. Whenever possible, provide a way for readers to ask for help.
Announcing good news is a key strategy to develop and maintain good relationships. These
announcements are often communicated in a news release (also known as a press release), which
is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news media.
To write a successful news release, follow the customary pattern for a positive message: good
news followed by details and a positive close. However, you’re not writing directly to the
ultimate audience in a traditional news release; you’re trying to interest a reporter in that story
who will then write the material that is eventually read. However, this is changing. Many
companies now create direct-to-consumer news releases, often considered social media releases
because they contain links, “Tweetables,” and other sharable content.
Business employees can enhance their relationships with customers, colleagues, and other

7-5
businesspeople by sending unexpected notes containing goodwill messages.
Send congratulations for promotions or attaining a new civic position. Immediately refer to the
good news and give reasons for expecting success.
Send messages of appreciation to document someone’s contributions (a sincere thank-you
encourages further excellence). An effective message of appreciation documents a person’s
contributions. Moreover, in today’s electronic media environment, a handwritten thank-you note
can be a particularly welcomed acknowledgment.
Send condolence messages in times of serious trouble and deep sadness. (Although these
messages are difficult to write, they often mean a great deal to the reader.) Open condolences
with a brief statement of sympathy, state what the person or business meant to you, and close by
offering your condolences and your best wishes. Keep them short, simple, and sincere.
Condolence messages should focus on the recipient, not on your own emotions, and shouldn’t
offer “life advice” or trite sayings.
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
With advances in artificial intelligence and the growing use of messaging systems for both
consumer and business communication, however, a new wave of bots as personal assistants has
taken off. Major categories of bot technology include task bots that perform routine chores
within digital systems and social bots that mimic human conversation. Bots are popular on the
widely used Slack workgroup messaging system, where they can do everything from ordering
lunch to monitoring the mood of team conversations. How far this bot revolution will go is
anybody’s guess, but the appeal of this new generation of digital genies is undeniable.
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE
Most students will not yet be completely comfortable with the three-step writing process, so the
process won’t be automatic for them. Using electronic media for rapid communication will tempt
students to skip planning tasks. Stress the importance of completing all three steps, especially the
planning step. Post the steps in a prominent place in the room to serve as a constant reminder of
how to generate effective messages. However, remind students that the process is not always
linear.
Some class members will oppose following a pattern for organization. Remind students that the
pattern provides a starting point. The writer still has ample opportunity for including a
personalized tone, the specifics of a specific situation, and so forth. Also emphasize that
following a pattern may save both the writer and the audience time and energy. Demonstrate how
much more effective a message can be when organized using the most appropriate organizational
pattern.
Although studying good examples will help many students, studying bad examples can also be
an effective teaching tool. If only good examples are reviewed, students may not be able to
appreciate just what constitutes an ineffective message. For any example discussed in class, be
sure to identify both the strengths and the weaknesses.

7-6
Students often have a difficult time getting to the main point in the first paragraph. Although
most will identify the topic in the first paragraph, they may not get to the actual main idea until
later in the message. Stress the importance of distinguishing between the general topic and main
idea. Conduct an exercise in which students write just the opening sentences of several messages.
Students tend to provide insufficient details for the reader. For any writing task you assign, stress
the importance of analyzing the audience during the planning step. Business writers need to
identify what audience members already know and what they need to know. Then stress that
writers must often find the specific information that they need to include in the details of the
message.
Because of limited business experience, students will often use abstract words and phrases
instead of specifics in their closing paragraphs. Make it clear that they will need to make
assumptions and provide specific information when they write solutions to the cases you assign.
During an in-class writing assignment, some students will spend most of their time looking at
sample letters in the chapter to “borrow” appropriate wording. Stress the importance of following
the planning process and composing the message quickly, based on their own analysis of the
particular situation.
Claim letters and requests for adjustment also pose challenges for students. Explain that these
requests should be treated as routine business activities and thus should use the direct
organizational pattern. Stress the need to open with a courteous, specific request for what they
want done. Students’ first attempts will often include an opening that simply fails to get to the
point quickly enough. Also remind students to include sufficient details in the middle section to
allow the reader to research and verify the claim.
Share with the class some personal examples of what happens when former students contact you
for a recommendation or reference. Explain how having insufficient information about the
person requesting the reference presents a problem for you. This insight will help students
remember to include some useful information that readers can use in their requests.
SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES
1. Analyzing messages. Provide students with examples of routine, positive, and goodwill
messages that are not organized using a direct approach. Have students critique the examples
and then rewrite them as concise messages that follow a direct pattern. Provide your own
examples or use selections from the Activities section at the end of the chapter.
2. Preparing letter openings. Getting to the point is sometimes a challenge for writers. Assign
an exercise in which students write just the opening sentence for various messages. Provide
your own scenarios or assign work in the Practice Your Skills section at the end of the
chapter. This exercise can be effective for class discussion, or you can assign students to
write on their own for a few minutes and then discuss their answers. Project suggested
rewrites for student comparison.
3. Preparing letter closings. Assign an exercise in which students write just the last paragraph
for various routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. This practice allows students to

7-7
focus on writing specific, courteous, and concise closings. Allow students to compose these
closings at the computer, if possible, to allow rewriting and editing of their paragraphs.
Project suggested rewrites during class discussion. Remind students to avoid out-of-date
phrases.
4. Preparing routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. As class exercises, assign case
scenarios in which students plan, write, and complete a routine request, a routine response, a
routine claim letter, a routine response granting a claim, and a goodwill message. Students
should work at computers, if available, to facilitate writing and revising. Require students to
go through the planning tasks before composing. These exercises can often be done as a class
activity: you pose questions that require students to identify the purpose, build an audience
profile, identify an organizational pattern, and identify information to be included. While
students are working, move around the room and provide constructive comments about
organizational pattern, completeness of information, tone, and so forth. When students finish,
project both a below-average and an above-average solution for the case. Lead a discussion
that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Providing constructive feedback to classmates. Lead a class discussion in which you generate a
list of evaluation points that can be used to give a writer feedback about a routine, good-news, or
goodwill message. (This list will be very similar to the evaluation points you are using when
grading student writing.) Ask students to exchange printed documents of messages they have
written. Each student then critiques the message for all the evaluation points on the list, uses
proofreading marks as appropriate, and provides feedback to the writer. (This activity is sometimes
less than 100% successful the first time you try it. Your students will need a specific list of evaluation
points, and they may hesitate to tell another student that something could be improved. Many will want to
evaluate only grammar, punctuation, and spelling. But don’t give up. Writers can benefit from seeing
someone else’s approach to the same message and from questioning their own skills related to identifying
the purpose, choosing the correct organizational approach, setting an effective message tone, and so
forth.) Start by figuring out how much your intended readers are likely to know about the topic or
process.
5.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-1. A routine request should include anything required to make it as easy as possible for the
recipient to reply. If relevant, any benefits associated to the recipient for complying with
your request should be mentioned. (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-2. A claim is a formal complaint; an adjustment is a remedy you ask for to settle a claim. (LO
7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-3. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
7-4. The first step to writing instructions is to figure out how much your intended readers are
likely to know about the topic or process. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)

7-8
7-6. When writing a condolence message, keep it short, simple, and sincere. (LO 7.4; AACSB
Tag: Written and oral communication)
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-9. It’s usually best to avoid an outright apology. Yet, you should not avoid taking responsibility
for a mistake that has been made. Word your response carefully, emphasizing the good news
about what you are doing to provide compensation and to ensure better service in the future.
(LO 7.4; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Exercises for Perfecting Your Writing
7-11. Thank you for submitting your trip report. I see that you visited four clients. Please let me
know what management-level action, if any, is required for each of these clients. In the
future, please organize your trip reports so that meeting outcomes are specified
individually for each client. (Subject line: Trip report clarification needed) (LO 7.1;
AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-12. We are sorry for the inconvenience you experienced with your lost luggage. Please email
us a detailed list of the lost items and complete the following survey so that we may
compensate you as quickly as possible. (Subject line: Response to your lost luggage claim)
7-13. We’ve had the opportunity to review your résumé and would like to invite you to interview
with our company. Would you be available on June 15 at 3:00 p.m.? If so, please let us
know by the end of this workweek. If you are unable to meet at this time, please supply
other dates and times you would be able to meet. (Subject line: Company X interview
request) (LO 7.1; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-14. Please attend our special, by-invitation-only 40 percent off sale on November 9. (LO 7.3;
7-15. You’ll receive a tote bag and a free special-edition tote bag with every $100 donation to
our radio station. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-16. The director plans to attend the meeting on Monday at 10:50 a.m. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag:
Written and oral communication)
7-17. Paul Eccelson reviewed newer types of order forms at today’s meeting. If you have

7-9
questions regarding these forms, please call Paul at his office. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag:
7-18. Since a face-to-face meeting would be practical in this case, that would be the best medium
for such a sensitive message. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-19. An email would be an efficient and effective medium to use, as long as your tone and
wording emphasize the positive (“to avoid layoffs”) and reflect the sensitivity of the
subject. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-20. This message is likely to elicit a negative response. Even with the explanation that the
measure will prevent layoffs, employees will be disappointed or even angry to learn that
their salaries will be reduced. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-21. It would be best to use the indirect approach. A buffer followed by a brief explanation of
the company’s financial situation would help to prepare the audience for the bad news
about salaries. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-22. Please call to schedule an appointment by May 15. This will allow sufficient time to order
the parts needed to get your HVAC system ready for the summer season. (LO 7.1, 7.3;
7-23. Please send your catalog by December 1 so that I can plan my Christmas purchases. I look
forward to learning more about your products. (LO 7.1, 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-24. To schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable local mortgage specialists,
please call our hotline at 1-800-555-8765. Our specialists can answer your questions about
mortgage rates, closing procedures, or any other aspect of the mortgage process. We want
to make your home-buying experience a pleasant one. (LO 7.1, 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written
and oral communication)
Activities
7-25. The tone and wording of the message are unprofessional and negative (for example, “I’m
fed up,” “I don’t have time”) and the focus is misplaced. Instead of dealing primarily with
the problems associated with the current accounting firm, the main idea should be the
request for information on how the prospective firm can help. An example of a revised and
improved version is below:
As the owner of a small construction company, I need an accounting firm that is
committed to excellence, accuracy, and prompt service. Your firm has an excellent
reputation, and I am interested in learning more about the services you provide. Please call
me at (888) 555-1212. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
7-26. The message is wordy and poorly organized, and the tone is condescending. Since the
customer is likely to be unhappy already because of the ongoing service problems, it would
be vital to avoid aggravating the situation by talking down to him or her. A revised and

7-10
improved version is below:
Thank you for your recent email request for technical support related to your cable
Internet service. To help us address your questions quickly and thoroughly, please visit
http://www.rapidnet.com/techsupport/ticketID889 and take a few moments to provide
some additional information.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
7-27. This message is wordy and poorly organized. It lacks focus, including much unnecessary
information. An improved version is below:
Beginning next quarter we will be implementing job rotation in an effort to make work
more fulfilling and to increase staffing flexibility.
Job rotation, also called cross training, involves training employees to handle more than
one job. It makes work more interesting because you’re always learning. It makes staffing
more flexible because there is a wider pool of trained talent for new challenges and
opportunities.
All the job categories in the plant have been analyzed and the most appropriate cross-
training opportunities identified. Follow the link below to identify your current job title,
and then check out which cross-training opportunities you can choose from. You can
discuss the possibilities with your supervisor and discuss the nature of each job with people
who are already performing it. If your job has multiple opportunities listed, please prioritize
your first, second, and third choices. Choices must be made by April 10.
The tone is offensive and egotistical, implying that the reader should have written to the
human resources director in the first place, not to the president of the company.
Nothing is said about the reader’s right to receive the information. The letter reveals
discretionary information from Nick Oshinski’s personnel file. Because of laws governing
confidential information, the writer should withhold details about performance reviews or
vacation days taken. The writer’s opinion is irrelevant and potentially libelous. The writer
obviously does not know Oshinski and should not comment on his performance, except to
report the starting and ending dates of employment.
The tone of the rewritten letter should be professional and not chatty. The rewritten letter
should end on a positive, helpful note. (Offering an alternative is a good idea.)
Here is an improved version of this message:
7-28. Student responses will vary, depending on the product selected. Messages should be
concise and specific.
Finally able to dock my iPhone without removing the OtterBox Defender case:

7-11
http://www.cablejive.com/products/dockXtender.html.
dockXtender works with iPad, as well—great for data transfer and keyboard dock.
dockXtender lets you keep your case on to charge, sync, or deliver content.
dockXtender comes in 2 ft or 6 ft lengths to work for your business, car, or home.
7-28.
Dear Chana,
I heard about your promotion to district sales manager. Congratulations!
I know how hard you worked and how much this means to you. Wishing you much success
in your new position!
Sincerely,
Tad Kelson
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Critique the Professionals: Students should be able to find numerous examples of news releases
online. Sites such as http://prnewswire.com are a good place to begin their search. In their
evaluations, students should discuss at least several of the points listed in the chapter. The
relevance, focus, organization, and wording of the release should all be assessed. (LO 7.1;
Sharpen Your Career Skills Online: This exercise calls upon students to use Bovée and Thill’s
Business Communication Web Search to research an online source of advice for writing
goodwill messages. Students will summarize the content of this source in an email to the
instructor, or as a post for the class blog. In either case, the conventions for communicating in the
particular medium should be observed, and the summary should clearly and effectively convey
the information that was learned. (LO 7.2: AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
CASE SOLUTIONS
On the following pages are suggested solutions for this chapter’s cases.
7-30. Message Strategies: Routine Requests
The challenge in this request is to bring up the issue without sounding hostile and merely
complaining about the distractions, which could make the intended audience defensive. The
message will likely also be unwelcome, as employees who enjoy the perks of the nonconventional
work atmosphere will be hesitant to give them up.

7-12
Our company is well known for its relaxed office environment. I suspect this attracted many to
work here in the first place. I know that I personally chose the job at least in part because it was
about as far from a boring “cubicle farm” as you can get.
However, it seems that it may be possible to have too much of a good thing. Noise interruptions
– be they from animals, children, or loud music – are making it very hard for employees to
concentrate in the office. Owing to the distractions, many people routinely need to bring work
home on nights and weekends.
In order to help create an environment in which employees can get their work done during work
hours, please consider the impact that your actions have on that environment. We all will benefit
from a work environment in which people are able to focus and be productive. (LO 7.2; AACSB
7-31. Message Strategies: Routine Requests
The new online collaboration system seems poised to significantly improve work efficiency,
productivity, and quality. I’m sure it was a mammoth task for your department to create and
install this system, and we are all very grateful for your efforts.
Many of us have had an issue, however, with the new systems’ on-screen readability. We have
experienced difficulties reading messages, navigations menus, and more, due to the small type
size. As it seems that the IT team members generally have significantly larger monitors than
other employees in other departments in the company, you may not be aware of this issue.
I would greatly appreciate it if we could meet to discuss ways to improve on-screen readability
for the smaller monitors that so many of us have, so we can fully enjoy and take advantage of all
of the benefits of this powerful new system. (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-32. Message Strategies: Requesting a Recommendation
Note: Students will do well to consider their approach and organize their thoughts prior to
writing this email. This is an opportunity to refresh Vander’s memory of performance, but
students may struggle with professionally stating accomplishments without sounding grandiose
or inflated. They should appeal to Vander’s need to understand how this will benefit her as well,
thereby motivating a speedy and successful response.
To: katina.vander@seele.com
From: ryan.tenney@seele.com
Subject: Recommendation for the role of lead analyst for the market research team
Dear Katina,
The role of lead analyst for the market research team, currently under consideration, is one I am
very keen on. I would be grateful if you could put in a word for me with the strategic planning
committee.

7-13
I have acquired a breadth of industry-specific knowledge during my 14 years of work experience
in the electronics industry. Likewise, I have three years work experience in the customer support
division, leading to firsthand knowledge of customer satisfaction and quality issues. Also, my
engineering background, allows me to better understand the technological aspects of product
design.
I have always been a consistent and sincere contributor, with a rating of “Excellent” or
“Exceptional” during all annual employee evaluations. Aside from professional leadership, I
have also initiated and organized the company’s environmental programs for the past three years.
I will be able to lead the market research team well, given the chance. If you require any further
information, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tenney
Business Analyst (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-33. Message Strategies: Making Routine Requests
Note: Short messages can be among the most difficult to write because every word—even every
character—must count. For this message, be sure to specify exactly what you would like the
audience to do, including what the new product is, where they can find it, and what sort of
information you hope to learn.
Have you seen Trickster’s new controller-cam in Booth 1064? Looks hot! Please listen for buzz
at the show, in hotel lobbies, etc. Are people talking about it?
7-34. Message Strategies: Routine Responses
Student responses will vary, but the analysis should be presented in an email using the direct
approach. Since this analysis is being done at the request of the webmaster, so he or she is a
willing reader. State your findings clearly and completely and end with a courteous close.
7-35. Message Strategies: Granting Claims
Note: This is an opportunity for students to see that a little humor and goodwill can go a long
way toward retaining customers and even improving their perception of the company. Students
should resist the urge to negatively highlight the customer’s over-zealous behavior; no point
would be served. Instead, the message should be used as a chance to professionally remind the
customer of proper use, without being offensive or condescending.
To: LouisHapsberg@gmail.com
From: Rufus.Thomas@Razer.com

7-14
Subject: Re: Request for replacement of Razer Anansi keyboard
Dear Mr. Hapsberg,
Thanks for writing to us about the damage to your Razer Anansi keyboard. We are passionate
about gaming at Razer and in honor of your massive win, we would like to “reward” you with a
free keyboard to replace the one you broke.
Razer products are built for serious action, but our keyboards, like the Anansi, are sensitive
machines that are designed to recognize and respond to your every move. We recommend that
users handle them with care and use them only for the purpose for which they are intended.
We love hearing from our gamers, so please keep writing in. Everyone at Razer wishes you good
times and many more gaming wins. Perhaps a hearty fist pump would be a more appropriate
victory celebration next time!
Sincerely,
Rufus Thomas
Customer Service Representative
7-36. Message Strategies: Writing Instructions
Note: Audio-only instructions present two major challenges. First, without the benefit of visuals,
you’ll need to take extra care to describe parts and procedures. (In many cases, a podcast would
be accompanied by some manner of graphical support.) Second, because listeners can’t skip
back and forth as easily as they can with printed instructions, every instruction needs to be clear,
and the instructions need to follow each other in logical order. The brief example here describes
the steps necessary to use a waffle iron.
The first step in making a perfect waffle is proper preparation. Open the waffle iron so both
surfaces are exposed, and generously apply non-stick cooking spray. Be especially careful to
apply the spray to the edges of the iron, so that your waffle will not stick.
Next, plug in the waffle iron and turn it on. When it is properly heated, the red light on the front
of the iron will go on.
When the iron is preheated, take a ladle and pour some of your batter onto the bottom surface, in
the center. Depending on your batter, the proper amount is between one-third and one-half cup.
To be safe, begin with the smaller amount and adjust upward if necessary for future waffles.

7-15
It is not necessary to spread the batter in the iron. Simply closing the unit will cause the batter to
spread and fill in the entire surface. Snap the clamp on the unit shut to activate the automatic
timer. When it beeps, your waffle is ready. Undo the clamp, open the unit, and use a fork to lift
the cooked waffle off the iron.
Repeat until all batter is used, then turn unit off. Allow at least 30 minutes after turning off the
unit to wash it, so it can cool down properly. Use a damp sponge to clean the iron; never
submerge it completely in water.
7-37. Message Strategies: Routine Announcements
Bacca’s Annual United Way Drive starts June 1! Contact HR to learn how to make this our most
successful year ever! Support United Way’s efforts in education, income stability, and healthy
living.
United Way wants to halve the number of high school dropouts by 2018. Education starts early,
so it supports efforts to make sure children begin school ready, and are proficient readers by
grade 4.
United Way wants to help working families with unstable finances become financially
independent. By 2018 it is striving to help 1.9 million families do so!
United Way wants more people to enjoy healthy living. It is working to educate people about
how to avoid risky behaviors and help more people get healthcare coverage.
7-38. Message Strategies: Routine Announcements
Zenith Tutoring is now on Scoop.it! Scoop.it’s big data technology will scour the Web to find
great content that we can share on our website and blog. We can even add Zenith’s perspective to
each “scoop” to increase reader engagement. By providing relevant, quality content about
education trends, assessment news, and school admissions processes, we will be able to attract
many potential clients.
7-39. Message Strategies: Instructions
Student responses will vary, but sample is included below:
Slack is a digital workspace that powers your organization — all the pieces and the people — so
you can get things done. A Slack workspace comprises a workspace owner, workspace admins,
members, and guests. A Workspace Owner creates a Slack workspace, recruits Admins to help
manage and organize the team, and they together invite and onboard members. The main

7-16
components of a Slack workspace are teams and workspaces, channels, messages, search, and
notifications.
A team is a group of people that use Slack to communicate. Your Slack workspace is the digital
space you and your teammates share to communicate and get work done. At a small to medium-
sized company, all employees will likely be members of one Slack workspaces. At a larger
organization, employees may be part of multiple interconnected Slack workspaces.
Your Slack workspace comprises channels. You’ll use them to hold most of your conversations
with other members. They can be organized around anything — departments, projects, or even
office locations — and you can create as many as you need.
7-40. Message Strategies: Writing Positive Messages; Collaboration: Team Projects
August 2, 2018
To Hiring Managers:
I am pleased to recommend Ms. Maxine Chenault (at her request) for a position in any
professional field that requires dependability, proficiency in meeting deadlines, and attention to
detail. Max worked for me as an intern at Orbitz during the summer of 2016 and provided a great
deal of valuable assistance in a number of areas.
Max is an exceptionally fast learner. She quickly became proficient with our content
management system and always used it properly. While other interns have struggled to learn and
utilize the Orbitz system, Max was so adept with it that more seasoned employees often came to
her with questions about how to perform various functions. I was also impressed with how
quickly she picked up on (and learned to apply) important principles of blogging and website
design.
While Max was certainly a quick study, she was always willing to asking intelligent questions
about our business. Other interns and many new employees tend to avoid asking questions
because they don’t want to admit there’s something they don’t know. Max, however, didn’t
hesitate to inquire about complex procedures, best practices, and other important matters.
Another important element of Max’s character is her willingness to respond well to suggestions
for improvement. Soon after she joined me at Orbitz, I expressed concern that she was spending
too much time on the phone discussing non-business matters. That single conversation was all it
took to eliminate the problem completely. This was the only instance in which I found it
necessary to ask for improvement, and she responded promptly and professionally.
I am confident that Max would be an asset to your organization. In addition to the traits I’ve
outlined, she is mature and professional, always on time, and eager to assist with even the most
mundane tasks. Of the many (50+) interns with whom I’ve worked over the years, she certainly

7-17
ranks among the top three. If you have questions or would like more information on this
excellent candidate, please contact me at the number listed above.
Best regards,
7-41. Message Strategies: Good News Messages
Note: This message should focus not only on what is being offered, but also on how they will
benefit the reader. Students should include information that makes these services appropriate for
the reader’s personal needs. Specific details of the services offered will enable readers to clearly
understand the what, how, and when of the offering.
[post title] A Hot Stix Center to Open Soon at Indian Wells Golf Resort
Hot Stix is thrilled to announce a new fitting center to open at the Indian Wells Golf Resort
within the next six months, making it the first resort in California to offer fitting facilities. Hot
Stix is a leading club fitting company and is recommended by many professional players.
Every golfer has a unique swing. Accordingly, golf clubs need to match the individual
specifications of the golfer, which is done through the process of club fitting. Club fitters use
advanced technology, such as Doppler radar and motion-capture video, to accurately evaluate
golfers’ swing and ball flight characteristics, and then they use that information to match players
with the perfect set of clubs. Club fitting helps golfers of all skill-levels play with more
consistency and confidence—and that means better scores!
The Indian Wells Hot Stix center will provide three fitting programs—Performance Fitting, Tour
Fitting, and Platinum Game Fitting.
 Performance Fitting will provide you with club heads and shafts custom-built by a
select group of leading manufacturers.
 Tour Fitting will provide you with clubs made to your specifications by Hot Stix, after
evaluating your existing equipment.
 Platinum Game Fitting is the ultimate golfing experience, where a master fitter will
observe your game with the recommended equipment and then Hot Stix will build you 14
golf clubs and design a personalized golf bag for you.
All fitting programs will be done using Hot Stix software and expert fitters. Moreover, each
player will have the opportunity to demo a broad range of club and shaft options. Contact Jared
McKinsey at 1-800-123-5678 or log into www.indianwellsgolfresort.com for more details.
7-42. Message Strategies: Good-News Messages
Urbanears are Webby winners again! This year, we won the Webby for best Consumer
Electronics website and the mobile site for best Visual Design. We are happy and excited that so
many people appreciated our work enough to vote for us. We are grateful for the support, and

7-18
thank everyone on the Urbanears team for their part in making this happen.
The Webbys honor web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries, and creative
celebrities. They are awarded by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose
members select the nominees and then vote for the winters. We are proud to be among the
winners out of over 12,000 entries.
7-43. Message Strategies: Goodwill Messages
It’s that time of year again! Spring Surge 2019 is complete and was another shining success. Our
sales staff outdid themselves in our annual competition, and thanks to their efforts, we booked a
total of $4.7 million in new revenue this April.
The top three salespeople during this year’s Surge are cited below with their prizes:
 1st place (trip for family to Hawaii): Juanita Hermosa
 2nd place (luxury box seats at an NFL playoff game): Jackson Peabody
 3rd place ($500 prepaid credit card): Duane Redd
Congratulations to the winners, and a hearty thanks to them and all the sales people for making
this a banner year. We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next year!
7-44. Message Strategies: Goodwill Messages
November 17, 2019
Dear Leo,
I was so sorry to hear about Michael’s passing.
Although I never met him, from your stories I know what a special person he was. If there is any
way I can be of assistance to you, please let me know.
Best wishes,
Georgina Shanley
IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND USAGE
Level 1: Self-Assessment—Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points

7-19
7-45. Dr. Eleanor H. Hutton has requested information on TaskMasters, Inc. (AACSB Tag:
7-46. That qualifies us as a rapidly growing new company, don’t you think? (AACSB Tag:
7-47. Our president, Daniel Gruber, is a CPA. On your behalf, I asked him why he started the
company. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-48. In the past three years, we have experienced phenomenal growth of 800 percent. Or: !
(AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-49. Contact me at 1358 N. Parsons Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74204. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-50. Jack asked, “Why does he want to know? Maybe he plans to become a competitor.” Or: !
7-51. The debt load fluctuates with the movement of the U.S. prime rate. (AACSB Tag: Written
7-52. I can’t believe we could have missed such a promising opportunity! (AACSB Tag: Written
7-53. Is consumer loyalty extinct? Yes and No. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-54. Johnson and Kane, Inc., has gone out of business. What a surprise. Or: ! (AACSB Tag:
7-55. Will you please send us a check today so that we can settle your account? (AACSB Tag:
7-56. Mr. James R. Capp will be our new CEO, beginning January 20, 2019. (AACSB Tag:
7-57. The rag doll originally sold for $1,098, but we have lowered the price to a mere $599.
7-58. Will you be able to make the presentation at the conference, or should we find someone
else? (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-59. So I ask you, “When will we admit defeat?” Never! (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
Level 2: Workplace Applications
7-60. Since the convention center is attached to both the train station and the Marriott Hotel, one

7-20
doesn’t even need to step outside to go from train to meeting room. (AACSB Tag: Written
7-61. According to federal statistics, 61 percent of the nation’s employers have fewer than five
workers. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-62. “The problem,” said business owner Mike Millorn, “was getting vendors of raw materials
to take my endeavor seriously.” (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-63. After poring over trade journals, quizzing industry experts, and talking to other snack
makers, the Harpers decided to go into the pita chip business. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-64. The couple has done relatively little advertising; instead, they give away samples in person
at trade shows, cooking demonstrations, and grocery stores. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-65. CME Information Services started by videotaping doctors’ conventions and selling the
recorded presentations to non-attending physicians who wanted to keep track of the latest
developments. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-66. For many companies, the two biggest challenges to using intranets are getting people to
use them and keeping content fresh. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-67. Company meetings, including “lunch and learn” sessions, are often held online. (AACSB
7-68. Most Children’s Orchard franchisees are women between the ages of 30 and 50 who are
first-time business owners lacking even basic computer skills. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-69. Having joined the company in 1993, she had watched it grow from a single small office to
an entire floor of a skyscraper. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-70. One issue that affected practically everyone was the problem of training interns. (AACSB
7-71. The website includes information on subjects as mundane as filling out a Federal Express
form and as complex as researching a policy issue. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-72. Jack Hartnett, president of D. L. Rogers Corporation, asks, “Some management theories
are good, but how many people actually implement them the right way?” (AACSB Tag:
7-73. Taking orders through car windows, roller-skating carhops serve customers at Sonic
Restaurants. Or: At Sonic Restaurants, roller-skating carhops serve customers by taking
orders through car windows. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

7-21
Level 3: Document Critique
Here is a revision of the original email message:
TO: info@spacewebdesign.biz
FROM: gloria_m@midwestliquidators.com
SUBJECT: New Website
To Whom It May Concern:
As Director of Marketing and Sales at Midwest Liquidators, I want to ensure that our website
makes it easy for our customers to find, analyze, and order the products we sell. Our site is in
need of a comprehensive overhaul—one that will enable us to take advantage of social media
capabilities, full e-commerce ordering, and retail functionality.
SpaceWebDesign’s name has caught my attention on a number of impressive sites. Please send
me some information on your company, costs and schedules, and the types of information we
would need to provide in order to initiate a redesign of our site.
I would also be interested in speaking with you about how SpaceWebDesign could improve the
visual elements of our site and make it more effective in communicating our commitment to
great value. I look forward to learning more about how your company can help Midwest
Liquidators improve our presence on the web.
Sincerely,
Gloria Macpherson

Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content

Business Communication Essentials A Skills Based Approach 8th Edition Bovee Solutions Manual

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Golden
Boys at the Haunted Camp

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.
Title: The Golden Boys at the Haunted Camp
Author: L. P. Wyman
Illustrator: F. J. Hooper
Release date: August 1, 2020 [eBook #62802]
Most recently updated: October 18, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book
was
produced from images made available by the
HathiTrust
Digital Library.)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GOLDEN
BOYS AT THE HAUNTED CAMP ***

THE GOLDEN BOYS AT THE HAUNTED CAMP

“Here’s something,” he cried as he stooped over to examine the mark.

By L. P. WYMAN, Ph.D.
Dean of Pennsylvania Military College
Author of
“The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell,” “The
Golden Boys at the Fortress,” “The Golden Boys
in the Maine Woods,” “The Golden Boys with
the Lumber Jacks,” “The Golden Boys on
the River Drive,” “The Golden Boys
Along the River Allagash,” “The
Golden Boys Rescued by
Radio.”
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York
Printed in U. S. A.

THE GOLDEN BOYS SERIES
A SERIES OF STORIES FOR BOYS 12 TO 16 YEARS OF AGE
By L. P. WYMAN, Ph.D
Dean of the Pennsylvania Military College
The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell
The Golden Boys at the Fortress
The Golden Boys in the Maine Woods
The Golden Boys with the Lumber Jacks
The Golden Boys on the River Drive
The Golden Boys Rescued by Radio
The Golden Boys Along the River Allagash
The Golden Boys at the Haunted Camp
Copyright, 1924
By A. L. BURT COMPANY
Made in “U. S. A.”

CHAPTER I
A STRANGE PROPOSAL.
Go to sleep. G-o-t-o s-l-e-e-e-e-e-p.
The last note of “taps” rang lingeringly through the corridors of
The Fortress and died away just as a knock sounded on the door of
the room occupied by Bob and Jack Golden.
“Come in,” Bob shouted.
The door opened and the aid stuck in his head.
“Undressed?” he asked.
“No, we have ten o’clock lights tonight.”
“Well, you’re wanted on the phone down stairs.”
“Thanks.”
A moment later and Bob was standing before the officer-in-
charge.
“Pass down to the phone, sir?” he asked.
“You are called?”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right, then.”
Bob saluted and stepped back into the corridor.
“Pass off the corridor, sir: officer-in-charge’s permission?” he
asked saluting the aid.
“Yes, sir.” The aid returned the salute.
“That you, Bob?”
He at once recognized the answer to his “hello.”
“Sure is, Rex. How’s the boy?”
“All to the good. Sorry to pull you out of your downy cot so late.”
“If you’d sleep in it once you’d find that it isn’t so very downy but
as it happens, I wasn’t in it,” Bob laughed. “Have ten o’clock lights
tonight.”

“What a fearful dissipation. But I called you up to tell you that a
friend of mine, a man by the name of Stokes, is coming down to see
you and Jack tomorrow. He’s got a proposition he wants to put up to
you. No, I’ll let him explain it himself, but I rather think you’ll bite.
What time can you see him?”
“Any time between four and six.”
“Good! I’ll tell him to get the three forty-five out of Broad Street.
That ought to get him up there about half past four. How’s Jack?”
“Fine and dandy as usual.”
“That’s good. I’ll try and run down in a few days myself. Mighty
busy just now. Won’t keep you out of that downy cot any longer.
Remember me to Jack. Bye-bye.”
“Who was it?” Jack asked as soon as Bob had reported his return
to the corridor and re-entered the room.
“Rex. He says a man named Stokes is coming down tomorrow
afternoon to see us.”
“What does he want?”
“Rex wouldn’t say.”
“Then I reckon we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Your reckoner is right on the job this time all right,” Bob laughed
as he began to undress. “But you’d better get a hustle on or you’ll
have to undress in the dark. It’s five minutes to ten now.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Jack grinned as he pulled off his
blouse. But before he had time to get into his pajamas a light tap
sounded on the door and the aid called softly:
“Lights.”
“Told you you’d get caught in the dark,” Bob chuckled from
between the sheets.
As soon as drill was over the next afternoon the two boys hurried
to their room where they changed from service to dress uniform.
“We’ll go down by the gate and wait for him,” Bob suggested.
They did not have long to wait for they had hardly reached the
broad gateway to the Castle grounds when a middle aged man with
a pleasant face turned in from the sidewalk.

“Pardon me,” he said as he saw them, “but can you tell me where
I can find the Golden boys?”
“You won’t have to look very far,” Bob smiled.
“Then you are Bob and Jack?”
“Yes, sir, and you are Mr. Stokes.”
“The same,” the man smiled holding out his hand which they
grasped in turn.
“We are very glad to meet a friend of Rex Dale,” Bob assured him.
“That’s as good a recommendation as one could well wish,” Mr.
Stokes smiled.
“Indeed it is. Rex is the the best ever,” Jack declared.
“A very fine young man,” Stokes agreed. “But may we go
somewhere where we can have a talk? Perhaps Rex informed you of
the object of my visit.”
“No, sir, he only said that you had a proposition you wished to put
up to us,” Bob replied leading the way toward the building. “We can
go into the reception room. There’s not likely to be anyone there at
this time of day,” he added.
“Now then,” Mr. Stokes began as soon as they were seated in the
cool reception room, “my proposition, as Rex called it, is this. Late
last fall I purchased a camp at Chesuncook Lake up in Maine. I
suppose you’ve been there?”
“A number of times,” Bob replied.
“This camp is situated on the right side of the lake as you go up
and is about ten miles from the Ripogenus Dam. It consists of a
large central building containing the office, kitchen and dining-room.
Then there are ten log cabins of different sizes each having a sitting
room and from two to five bedrooms. There are two log stables or,
perhaps, you would call them barns, and a fair sized boat house. I
have been going there for a number of years and, having, what I
thought, an excellent opportunity to buy the place, I took advantage
of it intending to run it as an investment.
“The man of whom I bought did not manage it himself and I
thought I was fortunate to secure the services of the same man who

had run it for a number of seasons. He is a half-breed but a most
capable man and thoroughly knows his business. Jacques opened
the place early in May as quite a number of patrons like to come
there for the early spring fishing.
“I left everything to him as he knows much more about the place
than I do. But three weeks ago I received a letter from him which
was so startling in its import that I left at once. I found the place
almost deserted although Jacques assured me that he had opened
with a much larger number of guests than usual.”
“What was the matter?” Bob asked as Mr. Stokes paused.
“You’ll probably laugh at me when I tell you but the truth of the
matter is the guests were scared away by a ghost.”
“A ghost!”
Bob and Jack uttered the exclamation in the same breath.
“Yes, it seems that the camp is haunted.”
“But—” Bob started to ask a question but Mr. Stokes interrupted:
“No, of course, I don’t believe in ghosts, but there’s something
mighty strange going on up there.”
“Such as what?” Jack asked.
“Well, this ghost is a most accomplished one it seems: does about
all the tricks you ever read of ghosts doing: groaning in a most
frightful manner, pulling the bed clothes off one in the middle of the
night, banging doors and all the rest of the stunts. I spent nearly
two weeks trying to catch it or him and couldn’t learn a single thing.
A number of guests came while I was there but the bravest stayed
only two nights. Now you can easily see that unless a stop can be
put to it my investment is ruined. I can’t keep guests and I doubt if I
could give the place away as things are now.”
“It’s too bad, that’s a fact, but I hardly see where we come in,”
Bob said as he paused.
“You will in a minute. What I want is for you two boys to go up
there and solve the mystery.”
“But if you couldn’t—’ Bob began, but Mr. Stokes interrupted:

“Remember I’ve talked with Rex Dale about you boys and he has
told me some of the things you have done, so it seems to me that
getting the best of a few ghosts ought to be a simple matter for
you.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Bob shook his head. “Rex is very
apt to exaggerate about some things but, of course, we’ll be glad to
do what we can for you, eh Jack?”
“What you say goes for me,” Jack grinned.
“Then that’s settled,” and Mr. Stokes heaved a huge sigh of relief.
“Now I’ll tell you what I think will be best. You can go up there as
boarders paying the regular rates which, of course, will be returned
to you, and not let anyone know that you are working for me. You’ll
find the fishing good, as you probably know, even in the summer,
and I don’t think the time will hang heavy on your hands. Now as to
terms, how will this suit you? I’ll engage you for one month and will
pay you five hundred dollars whether or no and if you succeed I’ll
give you a thousand.”
“That’s altogether too much,” Bob declared and Jack nodded his
head in agreement.
“Please let me be the judge of that,” Mr. Stokes smiled. “I am
ashamed to say that I’m a pretty rich man and the money doesn’t
count. Buying the place was just a fad, but I hate to fail at anything
I undertake, so we’ll say no more about the money end of it.”
“If that’s the case we’re more than satisfied and we’ll do our best
to earn the thousand,” Bob said.
“I’m sure of it and I certainly hope you will succeed.”
“But have you any suspicion as to who’s at the bottom of it?” Bob
asked.
“Not a glimmer,” Mr. Stokes declared. “Of course someone is at
the bottom of it, as you say, and I think I know why even if I do not
know who.
“Why, then?”
“What would you consider the most likely reason? I’d like to see if
your idea agrees with mine.”

“Well, I should say that someone wants to get hold of the place
cheap and thinks that he’s taking a good way to do it.”
“My idea exactly. I hardly think there can be much doubt about it
as I have no enemy in that part of the world who might be trying to
injure me.”
“How about the man who’s running it? Jacques, I believe you said
his name is,” Jack asked.
“Yes, Jacques Bolduc. Of course, I’ve considered him, but I’m
pretty sure he’s not guilty. In the first place he’s run it for several
years and has always been perfectly honest so the man who sold it
to me assured me. And then, when I bought it, I offered to let him
have a half interest in it and pay for it out of the profits.”
“And he turned down an offer like that?” Bob asked.
“Yes. He thanked me very prettily, but said he’d always worked for
wages and would rather keep on that way. I thought it rather
strange but you know those fellows well enough to understand that
there’s no accounting for the way their minds run.”
“That’s true too,” Bob declared, “but it seems strange that he
should turn down so good an offer as that.”
“And there’s no one else you suspect?” Jack asked.
“Not a soul, and mind, I didn’t mean that I suspect Jacques. It
was only an idea. You see, although I’ve been going up there for
some years I really know but a few people, almost no one you might
say.”
“That’s not strange seeing it’s a pretty wild and unsettled country,”
Bob suggested.
“And how soon can you get up there?”
“Let’s see,” Bob mused. “Commencement is day after tomorrow,
which will be Wednesday. We’ll start for home early Thursday
morning and we ought to get there Friday night or Saturday at the
latest. We’re going to make the trip on our motorcycles which we
had shipped to us a few days ago.”
“You run them with an electric cell. I think Rex told me,” Mr.
Stokes broke in.

“That’s right. We’ll have to spend a few days with the folks and
it’ll probably be about the middle of next week when we get there.”
“That’ll be all right. I don’t want to hurry you although you can, of
course, understand that the sooner the matter is cleared up the
better it will suit me.”
“Well, as I said before, we’ll do our best but I hope you haven’t
got your expectations up too high. We may fall down on the job, you
know, and I’d hate to have you disappointed,” Bob smiled.
“If you do I’ll know it’s not your fault,” Mr. Stokes assured them.
“But I’m betting you won’t. And now I’ll not keep you any longer,
only I want you to know that my mind’s at rest now that you’ve
taken the job.”
“What do you think of it?”
They had accompanied Mr. Stokes as far as the gate and were
walking slowly back to the building. It was Jack who asked the
question.
“That’s a hard question,” Bob replied slowly. “You see we haven’t
much of anything to come and go on so far. It may be a simple thing
and then again it may not.”
“And I’m rather inclined toward the latter view,” Jack declared
decisively.
“Why?”
“How did Mr. Stokes strike you?” Jack asked instead of answering
Bob’s question.
“Like a pretty keen business man.”
“Well, that’s the answer. He impressed me about the same way
and I figure that if he couldn’t find out who’s cutting up those
monkey shines, it’s not going to be a very simple problem.”
“Your reasoning’s good all right: no doubt about that,” Bob
assured him. “I reckon we’ll have our work cut for us fast enough.
But, tell me, do you think it’s that fellow, Jacques?”
“Hardly. What do you think?”
“Same thing.”

“Well it won’t be the first time we’ve had a run in with ghosts,”
Jack laughed.
“But not just this kind,” Bob reminded him.
“I reckon we’ll find that this or these are not so much different
from the others,” Jack insisted.
“Maybe not. If we’re successful I believe I would write a book
entitled, ‘Ghosts I have met’.” Bob laughed as they mounted the
steps at the front entrance.
“What did you think of my friend Stokes?”
The last taps following the sham battle of commencement day
had sounded and Bob and Jack had hurried to greet their friend Rex
Dale whom they had spied in the stand. They had not seen him for
several weeks and had hurried him up to their room and he was
sitting on one of the “downy cots” while they were getting into “cits.”
“He impressed me as being a mighty fine man,” Bob replied.
“Same here,” Jack added.
“I’m very glad to hear that,” Rex told him. “He is a fine man, one
of the best and, if you’ll turn your heads so as to hide your blushes,
I’ll tell you that he was very favorably impressed with you.”
“I wish you were going up with us,” Bob declared a little later,
after they had talked over the matter of the “ghost.”
“Don’t I? But it’s impossible just now. You see we’re tremendously
busy at the office and father’s not at all well and I’ve simply got to
stick for awhile. Maybe in a couple of weeks I can get away for a
few days and if I can be assured you’ll see me just as quick as I can
get there. I can smell the spruce and the pine right now to say
nothing of the fun of hunting down that ghost.”
“Mr. Stokes said he was a rich man, is that right?” Bob asked.
“He’s worth several millions. Why?”
“Well, you see, he offered to pay us a thousand dollars in case we
are successful and five hundred if we’re not and it’s a pretty big sum
of money to pay a couple of boys and—”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Rex interrupted laughingly. “The
money’s nothing to him and you needn’t hesitate to take it. I fancy

he’d pay a million right this minute to have the mystery cleared up.”
“That’s all right then. I just wanted to be sure about it.”
“I suppose Sherlock has the matter all figured out,” Rex laughed
nodding at Jack. “You notice that he hasn’t said much. Regular ‘still
waters run deep’ sort of fellow.”
“But when he does talk it usually makes sense,” Bob declared with
a proud look toward his brother.
“I’ll tell the world it does,” Rex said hitting Jack a resounding
whack on the back.
“My natural modesty, of course, prevents me from taking part in
the conversation at this point,” Jack said soberly.
Rex had insisted on taking the boys up to his Philadelphia home
for supper and afterward to the theatre so it was after twelve o’clock
when they got back. They were to leave early so they lost no time in
getting to bed after setting the alarm clock for four o’clock.

CHAPTER II
GOING HOME.
Day was just breaking when the two boys sprang into the saddles
of their motorcycles and with a farewell wave of the hand toward
“Old Main” headed for Philadelphia. Noiselessly they turned into the
pike, for the wheels, equipped with electric motors in place of the
usual noisy gas engine, gave forth no sound as they sped through
the morning mist.
“There’ll be no traffic for three hours and we ought to make a
hundred miles in that time,” Bob had said just before they started.
They did better for it was but a few minutes after six o’clock when
they drove on to the ferry boat at Dykeman Street a hundred and
fifteen miles from their starting point.
“At this rate we’ll be home easy tomorrow night,” Jack declared as
he shut off his motor.
“But we can’t go so fast the rest of the day,” Bob cautioned him.
“We don’t want to get pinched and you know the cops are pretty
plenty along the Boston Post Road.”
“I know, but we’ve got a dandy start and ought to have no trouble
in making Uncle Jim’s by six easy. It’s only about three hundred
miles from here.”
“But that’ll be averaging pretty close to thirty miles an hour.”
For another hour they found the traffic light and it still lacked a
few minutes to eight o’clock when they reached New Haven.
“Half an hour for breakfast,” Bob announced as he brought his
wheel to a stand in front of a restaurant.
“Sounds good,” Jack declared as he joined his brother.
“And here’s hoping it’ll taste better,” Bob laughed as he pushed
open the door.

A couple of miles outside of Hartford, Jack had a bad blowout in
his front tire and it took the better part of an hour to make the
repair.
“I told you you’d better get a new shoe for that wheel before we
started,” Bob said as he rode slowly back to where Jack was looking
at the hole.
“And you were right as usual,” Jack laughed. “Lucky I’ve got a
good strong patch.”
The remainder of the day’s trip was uneventful and it was just
beginning to get dark when they rode up to their uncle’s home in
Winthrop a few miles outside of Boston.
It was nearly ten o’clock before they could get away the next
morning. Jack had been down to the town before going to bed and
purchased a new shoe for his front wheel and it took some time to
put it on and a much longer time to convince their Uncle and Aunt
that it was impossible for them to stay over a few days.
“But we’ll make you a good long visit the first of September,
before we go back to college,” Bob promised as they mounted the
wheels.
“Two hundred miles to go,” Jack cried as they got under way. “We
ought to make it by supper time.”
“Either that or jail,” Bob laughed back.
The traffic through Boston was very heavy and, do their best, it
was over an hour before they were outside the city limits.
“I’d like to see the cow that laid out the streets of Boston,” Jack
declared as he pulled up alongside his brother as the traffic began to
thin out. “I’ll bet it was a blind cow or at least one with the blind
staggers.”
“The streets aren’t exactly what you’d call straight.”
“Straight! I know my way about fairly well, but honestly all the
way through I was expecting to meet myself coming back.”
“Twenty-five miles an hour along here,” Bob shouted about three
hours later.

Jack, who was a few yards ahead, slowed down and allowed Bob
to pull up beside him.
“What’s the idea?” he asked. “This is a good straight road.”
“That’s just the idea, it’s too good and the cops are right on the
job along here. You see it’s only about five miles into Portland and
it’s a favorite ‘pick ’em up’ stretch. Don’t you remember Slim Jones
telling how he got pinched last year for doing thirty-eight and it
costing him thirty-seven dollars and ninety-two cents? Well it was
right along here that it happened. Safety first, you know.”
Put-put-put-put-put-a-put put.
“There’s one of ’em now,” Jack said as he turned his head. “Hope
to goodness he isn’t after us.”
A few minutes later the approaching motorcycle drew up
alongside and the driver, a young fellow about the age of Bob,
dressed in the uniform of the cycle corps of Maine, waved his hand
for them to stop.
“Say, for the love of Mike, what kind of machines have you got
there?” he asked as they dismounted. “At first I thought you were
coasting but when you went up that hill a piece back I knew you
couldn’t be, but you didn’t make a bit of noise. What kind of a
muffler you got?”
“None at all.” Bob smiled. “You see these wheels are run by an
electric motor.”
“But how about the battery? I don’t see any place for one.”
Bob opened a small case strapped behind his saddle and took out
a brass cylinder about eight inches long and an inch thick.
“This is the kind of cell we use.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“We made it.”
“Then you must be the Golden boys.”
Bob smilingly acknowledged the accusation.
“I’ve heard of you and I’m mighty glad to meet you,” and the
officer held out his hand.

“And we thought we were pinched,” Jack grinned as he grasped
his hand.
“Not this time,” the officer smiled, “and you can go the limit for all
of me but you’d best not go over thirty-five as I’m not the only cop
along here.”
Bob took several minutes explaining the working of the motor to
the officer and then he accompanied them into Portland.
“If you ever get held up along here send for Jim Pratt,” he told
them as he bade them good bye in front of the Congress Square
hotel.
Bob invited him in to the hotel to take dinner with them, but he
refused on the ground that he was on duty and might get into
trouble.
“Pretty nice chap, that,” Jack said as they entered the hotel.
“Yes, he seemed to be, but you might not have thought so if he’d
happened along a little sooner when we were doing forty-five,” Bob
declared.
A few minutes later Bob gave his brother a kick beneath the table
just as the latter was conveying a juicy bit of steak to his mouth.
“What’s the—” Jack began and then stopped warned by the look
on Bob’s face.
“Don’t turn around now, but in a minute look back of you at the
man sitting close to the door,” Bob whispered.
A moment later Jack dropped his napkin and, in picking it up, cast
a hasty glance toward the door.
“Ever see him before?” Bob whispered as he straightened up in
his chair.
“It’s King.”
“You sure?”
“I’d know that mug if I saw it in Egypt.”
“He’s been watching us for some minutes.”
“Did you lock your wheel?” Jack asked referring to a switch,
cunningly hidden beneath the saddle, which made it practically
impossible for anyone to start the motor.

“Sure.”
“Then I guess they’re safe. But what do you suppose he’s doing
here?”
“Don’t know, but he’s going now.”
“Well, I hope we don’t see him again.”
They continued with their dinner for a few minutes then suddenly
Bob jumped up from his chair and, without a word, rushed from the
room. Too surprised to follow at once Jack reached the steps of the
hotel just as Bob was hurrying back.
“He’s got it,” he gasped.
“You mean the bikes?”
“No, I mean that cell I was fool enough to leave in my saddle
bag.”
“Great guns in the morning!” Jack’s face was the picture of
despair.
“Oh, what a fool I was,” Bob groaned. “After all we’ve been
through to keep those cells out of his hands to go and leave it there
for him to take.”
“What’ll we do?”
“What can we do? He’s got it and goodness knows where he is
now. Of course we’ll report it at the police station, but I doubt if it’ll
do much good. He’s tried too hard to get hold of one of those cells
to make any false moves now that he’s got it.”
Too downhearted to finish their dinner they paid their bill and a
few minutes later were giving a description of the man who, they
believed, had taken the cell, to the chief of police.
“I know the man,” the chief assured them. “He escaped from
prison about a year ago and not a trace of him was found. Are you
sure it was he?”
“Absolutely,” Bob replied. “Of course he’s changed a lot and I
doubt if many would recognize him, but you see I got to know him
pretty well and I’m sure I couldn’t have been mistaken.” And he told
the officer about the time when King had kidnapped him and had
tried to force him to disclose the secret of the cell.

“We’ll do our best to catch him of course,” the chief promised.
“Leave your address and if we get him I’ll let you know.”
“It’s a pretty slim chance that they’ll catch him,” Bob said
gloomingly as they left the station house.
“But I’m banking on that chance so cheer up, old man. It’s never
so bad, but that it might be worse, you know,” Jack grinned as he
hopped to his saddle.
They had nearly reached Brunswick, a small town some twenty
miles from Portland and were riding side by side when Bob spied an
automobile in the middle of the road some distance ahead.
“Someone having engine trouble I guess,” he said as he noticed a
man leaning over the raised hood.
Evidently the man did not hear them as they rode up behind him
and stopped for he did not look up or turn his head.
“Anything we can do to help?” Bob asked.
The man gave a sudden start and turned around and the boys
found themselves looking into the eyes of the man King.
“You?” the man growled, and then by an effort tried to efface the
look of surprise from his face. “Pardon me,” he said. “At first I
thought you were someone I knew.”
“I guess you made no mistake about that,” Jack told him.
“Anyhow we know you all right,” Bob added.
“You are mistaken, I tell you. But who do you think I am?”
“Your name was King the last time we saw you,” Jack replied.
“I told you, you were mistaken. My name is Long and always has
been Long,” the man snapped.
“Well, no need to get mad about it,” Bob said easily as he moved
around toward the rear of the car. “We all make mistakes, you know.
And I suppose this man’s name never was Nip,” he cried as he
leaned over the side of the car and saw a man with a hunched back
crouching on the floor.
“Suppose it is or suppose it isn’t, what are you going to do about
it?” the man demanded as he came close to Bob’s side.
“Then you acknowledge that his name is Nip?”

“I acknowledge nothing.”
“All right, suit yourself about it,” Bob smiled. “I know who you are
and you know that I know it, but if it suits you to deny it I’m sure
I’ve no objection.”
“Well, what do you want?” King snapped.
“We want the cell you stole from my saddle bag.”
“And I suppose you think you’ll get it,” King sneered.
“I’m not quite sure about that,” Bob said slowly, “but one thing I
am sure and that is that the police will get you in a very short time if
we don’t.”
King started violently.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You heard me the first time,” Bob’s voice was stern.
For a moment the man hesitated as though undecided what to do
then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he said as he turned again to his
engine:
“You’d better run along now. You can’t bluff me and I’ve wasted
all the time on you that I intend to.”
“As you please,” Bob said as he took hold of the handle bars of his
wheel. Then, turning to Jack, he added: “Come on, Jack, we’re late
now.”
But as he spoke he gave his brother a wink which the latter was
quick to understand. King was leaning over the engine of his car as
Bob pushed his wheel past and, before he knew what happened, the
boy had caught him by the shoulder with his left hand and pulled his
head around and, before he had time to defend himself, a well
directed blow, delivered to the point of his chin, stretched him on
the ground.
“I hated like the dickins to sneak up behind him and hit him like
that,” Bob afterward confided to Jack, “but I figured it would be
wrong to let him get away, let alone the fact that he had the cell.”
For the moment Bob had forgotten the hunchback in the back of
the car, but he was reminded of his existence by a loud shout from
Jack just as King fell.

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