The Radio Boys' First Wireless Part 4

It was almost with a whoop that the invitation was accepted by his eager hearers, and the minister smiled with gratification at their enthusiasm.

"Now that's all the talking I'm going to do tonight," he said. "And as talking's rather dry work, I'm going to have a little refreshment.

Will you boys join me?"

Would they join him? They would and they did, and the havoc they wrought on the sandwiches and cake and ice-cream that were brought in and pa.s.sed around was something to be remembered. Jimmy in particular ate until his eyes bulged and fully sustained his previous reputation.

And while they ate, the doctor turned on one lively selection after another, finis.h.i.+ng with a selection from a jazz band that sent them into a frenzy of laughter.

They were still tingling with it as they finally said good-night to the doctor and started on their way home.

"Oh, you wireless telephone!" exclaimed Herb.

"Isn't it a wonder?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Joe.

"Wonder!" repeated Bob. "It's a miracle!"

CHAPTER V

CROOKED WORK

"We've got to get busy right away and rig up wireless telephones of our own," continued Bob. "Of course they won't be anything like the doctor's, but they ought to be good enough for us to get a lot of fun out of them."

"You bet we will," agreed Joe. "Gee, I can't wait to get at it! If it wasn't so late I believe I'd start in figuring on it to-night."

"Count me in on it too," chimed in Jimmy. "In a week or so we'll be sending messages everywhere. I'll be talking maybe to that cousin of mine in Michigan."

"Come out of your trance, Jimmy," laughed Bob, clapping him on the shoulder. "Things don't move so fast as that. It'll be a good long time before you'll be sending any messages. You'll have to learn all about receiving them first; and believe me there's a good deal to learn about that. Then before you can send any messages you have to pa.s.s an examination and get a license. But for quite a time we'll have our hands full and our ears full with attending to the receiving end of the game. One step at a time is the rule in radio, as well as in anything else that's worth while."

"I didn't know that," replied Jimmy, somewhat dashed by the information. "I had an idea that we could send just as soon as we got our sets made."

"How about you, Herb?" asked Bob. "You're in it with the rest of us too, aren't you?"

"With both feet," replied Herb. "I think that the wireless is the greatest thing that ever happened. But I don't know about making one for myself. I'm all thumbs when it comes to doing any mechanical work.

You fellows are handy with tools, but I have all I can do to keep out of my own way. I guess I'll ask my dad to buy me a set and let it go at that."

"That's what you think now," replied Joe, "but I'll bet when you see the rest of us getting busy, you'll pitch in too and make your own machine. Besides, from what the doctor says, it doesn't take a genius to put the thing together."

They separated for the night with their heads still full of the wonders they had heard and seen, and the enthusiasm, was still with them when they woke the next morning.

At the breakfast tables the conversation was divided between their experience of the night before and the newspaper account of the auto accident. A good deal of s.p.a.ce was devoted to the latter, and it was gratifying to learn that although the damage to the store had been considerable the loss was covered by insurance and that the young lady whose automobile had crashed into the store had not been seriously injured and was expected to be around again in a few days.

The coolness and courage with which Bob and Joe had acted and the part played by Herb and Jimmy in checking the spread of the flames were not overlooked. The comment that went with it was warm and appreciative, so much so in fact that, while the boys were not wholly displeased with it, they felt, as Joe expressed it, that the reporter was "spreading it on too thick" and feared that they would have to undergo no end of "jos.h.i.+ng" from their mates.

Their lessons in school that day did not receive all the attention that was due them, for their minds were taken up pretty fully by the events of the last twenty-four hours. But three o'clock came at last, and with it came the reminder that they were to call on their way home at the Sterling House, in order to see Miss Berwick, in accordance with her request of the day before.

Bustling, motherly Mrs. Sterling greeted Bob and Joe with a smile, as they made known their errand.

"So here are the young heroes that the paper has been making so much fuss about," she said mischievously, and Bob and Joe blushed to their ears. "Just wait a minute until I run up and see if Nellie is ready to receive you."

"If it's too late, we can wait until another day," said Bob.

"Oh, no," replied Mrs. Sterling. "She's been looking forward to your coming all day and has spoken about it a number of times. She is very anxious to thank you both, and I'm sure it will do her good to see you. The doctor was here this morning and said it would be all right.

Of course, it won't do to stay too long, for the poor lamb is still rather nervous after her accident, and no wonder. Just wait here a minute."

She disappeared, but a moment later was at the head of the stairs motioning to them to come up.

They were ushered into a bright, sunny room, where they found Miss Berwick resting in an easy chair, propped up with pillows.

She was a pretty girl with blue eyes and brown hair and regular features. Her age appeared to be about twenty. Her face was pale, as was natural under the circ.u.mstances, but it lighted up with a friendly and grateful smile as the party, entered.

She extended her hand to the boys in turn, as Mrs. Sterling introduced them.

"You must excuse my not rising," she said, "but I've had a rather nerve-racking experience, as no one knows better than yourselves.

I want to thank you with all my heart for the way you came to my help when I was unable to help myself."

"Oh, you make too much of it, Miss Berwick," Bob replied, and Joe a.s.sented with a nod of his head. "We just had the good luck to be close at hand, and if we hadn't done it, somebody else would."

"That doesn't change the fact that you did it," replied the girl.

"And you took a chance of losing your lives. The gasoline tank might have exploded and killed us all."

"We're mighty glad that you came out of it as well as you did,"

said Bob warmly.

"It's almost a miracle that you weren't killed," added Joe.

"I suppose I deserve a severe scolding for having caused all this excitement and damage," was the response. "I don't know what on earth caused the accident. There seemed to be something the matter with the steering gear. Then I got excited and dizzy and tried to stop the machine. What I think happened was that I put my foot on the accelerator when I meant to put it on the brake. Then when I saw that the car was plunging toward the window, I either fainted or was made unconscious later from the shock. After the first awful crash I didn't know anything more until I woke in this room and found the doctor bending over me."

"You're a stranger to this town, aren't you?" asked Bob, with an idea of getting her mind off the subject, which he could see was beginning to excite her. "Mrs. Sterling was telling us that you had only been here for a few days."

"Yes," responded the girl. "I live in the town of Lisburn, about ten miles from here. I'm all alone in the world"--here a shade of sadness pa.s.sed over her expressive face. "My father and mother are dead and I live with an aunt of mine. I never had any brothers or sisters.

My father died some months ago and left me some property, and it was in connection with that matter that I came to Clintonia. This is the county seat, you know, and I wanted to consult the records in the office of the County Clerk. There seems to be a terrible tangle about the whole thing. Perhaps it was because I became so nervous over the matter that things went wrong yesterday."

"I'm sorry, that you've had so much trouble," said Bob sympathetically, "and I hope that it will all come out right in a little while."

"If it were just a little confusion or mistake, it probably would,"

replied Miss Berwick, with a touch of despondency in her manner.

"But there's dishonesty involved. I know there is, but I don't see how I'm going to prove it."

"Do you mean that somebody's trying to cheat you out of your property?" asked Bob, with quickened interest.

"It must be the meanest kind of a rascal that would swindle an orphan," put in Joe indignantly.

"I'm afraid there are only too many of that kind in the world,"

replied the girl, with a faint smile in which there was no trace of mirth. "You see I've never had the least bit of business training and I suppose I would be easy prey. But I'm afraid I'm boring you with my troubles," she added, catching herself up suddenly.

"Not at all," replied Bob, as Joe also made a gesture of dissent.

"In fact I hope you'll go right ahead and tell us all about it. Of course we don't know much about law, but our fathers have lived in this town for years and know almost everybody in the county, and they may be able to be of some service to you. Who is the rascal that you think is trying to cheat you out of your property?"