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diff --git a/35594.txt b/35594.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7018c15..0000000 --- a/35594.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6055 +0,0 @@ - THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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 http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Radio Boys at Ocean Point - -Author: Allen Chapman - -Release Date: March 17, 2011 [EBook #35594] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT -*** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net. - - -[Illustration: _Getting up the aerial was a blistering hot job._] - - - ---- - - - THE RADIO BOYS SERIES - - (Trademark Registered) - - THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT - - OR - - THE MESSAGE THAT SAVED THE SHIP - - BY - - ALLEN CHAPMAN - - AUTHOR OF - The Radio Boys' First Wireless - The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass - Ralph of the Roundhouse - Ralph the Train Despatcher, Etc. - - WITH FOREWORD BY JACK BINNS - - _ILLUSTRATED_ - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - Made in the United States of America - - - - ---- - - - *BOOKS FOR BOYS* - By Allen Chapman - 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - - *THE RADIO BOYS SERIES* - (Trademark Registered) - - - - THE RADIO BOYS' FIRST WIRELESS - Or Winning the Ferberton Prize - - THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT - Or The Message that Saved the Ship - - THE RADIO BOYS AT THE SENDING STATION - Or Making Good in the Wireless Room - - THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS - Or The Midnight Call for Assistance - - THE RADIO BOYS TRAILING A VOICE - Or Solving a Wireless Mystery - - - *THE RAILROAD SERIES* - - - RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE - Or Bound to Become a Railroad Man - - RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER - Or Clearing the Track - - RALPH ON THE ENGINE - Or The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail - - RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS - Or The Trials and Triumphs of a Young Engineer - - RALPH THE TRAIN DESPATCHER - Or The Mystery of the Pay Car - - RALPH ON THE ARMY TRAIN - Or The Young Railroader's Most Daring Exploit - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York - - - ---- - - - Copyright, 1922, by GROSSET & DUNLAP - _The Radio Boys at Ocean Point_ - Published June, 1922 - - - - ---- - - - FOREWORD - - - - By Jack Binns - - -In these days of Radio broadcasting, when the country has gone wild over -wireless music and entertainment, there is a tendency to overlook the -other phases of radio--such as its use as a means of saving life at sea, -and for navigational purposes generally. There is no doubt about the -interesting character of broadcasting, and equally, there is no doubt -about the importance of radio as a means of life saving. - -With this thought in mind, I think that the present volume, detailing -the adventures of the Radio Boys, serves a very useful purpose in that -it forcibly portrays the use of wireless to bring aid to a disabled ship -on the high seas in a storm. - -By doing this it will inculcate a desire among boys to learn the -wireless code and transmit wireless telegraphy messages themselves, and -in doing so will tend to develop that nucleus of communication experts -in the coming generation, which is always an imperative necessity to -every nation. - - - ---- - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - CHAPTER I--TAKEN UNAWARES - - CHAPTER II--JUST IN TIME - - CHAPTER III--MARVELS OF RADIO - - CHAPTER IV--FACING THE BULLY - - CHAPTER V--A BIG ADVANCE - - CHAPTER VI--THE WONDERFUL TUBE - - CHAPTER VII--BASEBALL BY WIRELESS - - CHAPTER VIII--A THRILLING CLIMAX - - CHAPTER IX--THE LOOP - - CHAPTER X--OFF FOR THE SEA SHORE - - CHAPTER XI--A LONG SWIM - - CHAPTER XII--THE RADIO STATION - - CHAPTER XIII--EXCITING SPORTS - - CHAPTER XIV--FUN IN THE SURF - - CHAPTER XV--SKIMMING THE WAVES - - CHAPTER XVI--A THANKLESS RESCUE - - CHAPTER XVII--AN OCEAN BUCKBOARD - - CHAPTER XVIII--IN THE WIRELESS ROOM - - CHAPTER XIX--DANCING TO RADIO - - CHAPTER XX--THE RADIO CONCERT - - CHAPTER XXI--A DASTARDLY ATTACK - - CHAPTER XXII--IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM - - CHAPTER XXIII--FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH - - CHAPTER XXIV--A TERRIBLE PLIGHT - - CHAPTER XXV--THE FIGHT IN THE DARK - - ---- - - - THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT - - - - - -CHAPTER I--TAKEN UNAWARES - - -"Jiminy, but this is hot work!" exclaimed Bob Layton, as he laid down -the hammer he was using and wiped his perspiring forehead. - -"Hot is right," agreed his friend, Joe Atwood, as he also took a -moment's breathing space. "You might almost think it was August instead -of early June. Old Sol must have got mixed up in his calendar." - -"I'd call it a day and knock off right now if we were doing anything -else," remarked Bob. "But, somehow, when I get going on this radio -business I can't seem to quit. There's something about this wireless -that grips a fellow. Work seems like play." - -"Same here," said Joe. "I guess we're thirty-third degree radio fans all -right. I find myself talking radio, thinking radio, dreaming radio. If -there was any such thing as radio breakfast food I'd be eating it." - -"I'm afraid we'll get thin if we wait for that," laughed Bob, picking up -his hammer and resuming work on the aerial that they were stringing on -the top of his father's barn. "But come along now, old scout, and get a -hustle on. We're going to finish this job to-day if it takes a leg." - -Joe stretched himself lazily. - -"I hope it won't come to that," he replied. "I need both legs in my -business." - -"Well, come along and shake a leg anyway," counseled Bob. "I'm not -asking you to lose one." - -"I'm glad we decided to make this aerial in umbrella shape," remarked -Joe, as, following his friend's example, he set busily to work. "I think -it has it all over the vertical one. We'll be able to hear the messages -from the broadcasting station a heap better than we ever did before." - -"I'm sure we shall," returned Bob. "That's the kind Doctor Dale is using -on his set, and he tried both the vertical and the flat-top kind before -he finally settled on this. It's better for long-wave work. It stands to -reason that since it has the greatest surface area it also has the -greatest capacity. Then, too, the end of the antenna that has the -greatest potential is nearest the ground. The doctor gave me a lot of -dope about it that sounded reasonable. He knows by actual experience, -and that's better than all the theory in the world." - -"What Doctor Dale says goes with me all right," replied Joe. "He's never -been wrong yet in any of the tips he's given us. It's funny, isn't it," -he continued, as he deftly drove a nail, "that we're never satisfied -with what we've got in this radio work? That first set we put together -looked pretty good to us at the time. Then the ones with which we won -the Ferberton prizes looked a good deal better yet. But now here we are -making it still better." - -"That's the beauty of radio," said Bob, with enthusiasm. "The surface of -it hasn't been more than scratched so far. It's practically a brand new -thing with a million features to be explored and countless improvements -to be made. I suppose a few years from now we'll be laughing at the -instruments we're using now. They'll seem as old fashioned as the stage -coach and the kerosene lamp. Some of the best brains in the world are -working at it now, and there's hardly a day that you don't hear of -something new in connection with it. It keeps you guessing all the time -as to what will turn up next." - -"Right you are," agreed Joe. "Did you read the other day about that man -in Paris who runs his house by radio? You know they have a powerful -radio outfit on the Eiffel Tower. That starts operations at six o'clock -every morning. This fellow has rigged up things all over his house that -are controlled by the waves that come from the tower. First the shutters -fly open, then the curtains are drawn back, then electric heaters get -into action and begin to make the coffee----" - -"Say," interrupted Bob, turning to look at his friend, "what are you -giving me? Trying to get me on a string?" - -"Honest to goodness, I'm not trying to kid you," replied Joe. "This is -straight goods. The coffee begins to bubble in the percolator, the -breakfast is started cooking, and the people are waked up by electric -bells placed alongside their beds. If the weather is hot, the electric -fans are started working." - -"Does it wash and dress the baby, too?" demanded Bob, with a laugh. - -"I don't know whether they've got as far as that yet," replied Joe, with -a grin; "but it starts a lullaby at night and sings the baby to sleep. -It sure does wonders. There seems to be no limit to what it can be made -to do." - -"We'll have to tell Jimmy about that," chuckled Bob. "Anything that will -save work will make a hit with him. He'll want to hitch it up so that it -will saw wood for him and mow the front lawn. By the way, Joe, when did -Jimmy say he'd be around? He promised to help us out with this." - -"He said he wouldn't be able to get here before three," replied Joe. "He -had to go on an errand for his father. But to-day's baking day at his -house, and I smelled doughnuts cooking as I came past. Ten to one he's -filling up on those. That beats working on a roof in a hot sun." - -"I shouldn't wonder if you were more than half right," agreed Bob. "But -what's keeping Herb? He promised to help out on the job." - -"There's company at his house," explained Joe. "But he said he'd slip -away as soon as he could and get over here." - -"Sounds mighty uncertain," said Bob. "Looks like a case of doing it -ourselves if we want it done. And it's got to be done this afternoon. -They've got a dandy program on at the broadcasting station to-night, and -I don't want to miss it." - -The two boys set to work with redoubled energy, despite the sweat that -rolled down their faces and made them have frequent recourse to their -handkerchiefs. - -"What's the idea of all those rocks down at the side of the barn, Bob?" -inquired Joe, at the moment that his work brought him close to the edge -of the roof. - -"They're for some repairing that dad's going to do to the barn," replied -Bob. "The side of it has settled some, and he's going to put in a new -stone foundation. The old shebang needs a lot of fixing, anyway. The -water pipes are rusty, and they'll have to be replaced. He wants to get -the place in shape before we go down to Ocean Point for the summer." - -"Ocean Point!" repeated Joe, with a sigh. "Why do you want to bring that -up now when I'm dripping with sweat? It's cruelty to animals. Say, Bob, -what would you give just at this minute to be taking a dip in the briny? -Just imagine yourself at the end of the pier with your hands above your -head, ready to dive down into that cool green water, down, down, down, -and feel it closing all around you and----" - -"Who's cruel now?" groaned Bob. "Stop right where you are or I'll throw -something at you. Don't you suppose I'm just as crazy as you to get down -there? It's only last night that I dreamed I was there. Oh, boy! The -swimming, the fishing, the boating, the games on the sand, the----" - -"Radio," suggested Joe. - -"Righto!" agreed Bob. "That will be a new thing there that we've never -had before. And instead of being in a hot, stuffy room, we can sit on -the veranda, with the sea breeze blowing all around us, and the ocean -stretched before us in the moonlight, and the lights of ships passing up -and down the coast and----" - -"Back up," laughed Joe. "You're getting poetical. You could almost set -that to music. But you're dead right that it will be just what the -doctor ordered to listen to a radio concert under such conditions. Where -can we put up our radio set? In your cottage or mine, I suppose." - -"I've got an idea it would be a good thing to put it up in the community -hall," replied Bob. "Then everybody could enjoy it, and there's a -broader and bigger piazza there than any of the cottages have. We're all -like one big family there anyway." - -"That's a dandy plan," agreed Joe. "I shouldn't wonder, too, if we -caught a good many messages from ships while we are down there. Almost -all the vessels now are equipped with wireless, and we ought to be able -to listen in on lots of talk going on with the shore." - -"I only wish we could talk back to them," said Bob. "I'm keen for the -time when we can send messages, as well as listen in on them. But that -will be possible, too, before the end of the summer. I'm studying up -hard on the code and I know you are too, and we ought to be able to pass -our examinations soon and get the right to have a sending station. But -look who's going down the street, Joe!" he exclaimed, interrupting -himself suddenly. - -Joe followed the direction of his glance and gave a grunt of disgust. - -"Buck Looker and his bunch," he remarked contemptuously. "Carl Lutz and -Terry Mooney always trailing along with him! I wonder what low-down -thing they're cooking up now." - -"No knowing," replied Bob carelessly. "They've steered pretty clear of -us since we got back that set of Jimmy's that they took. I have to laugh -whenever I think of them rolling over and over in the dark and fighting -each other when they thought they were fighting us." - -Joe laughed too at the recollection. - -"We put one over on them then all right," he agreed. "And I have to -laugh, too, when I think how he crawled yesterday when you called him -down in the school yard while he was bullying little Sam Ashton." - -"I didn't want to soil my hands with him," returned Bob. "I'd made up my -mind never to speak to him again. But it made my blood boil when I saw -the way he was tormenting a boy half his size and I had to interfere." - -"It did me good to see how he backed down," chuckled Joe. "I really -hoped he wouldn't, for I wanted to see him get a good trimming. But -Buck's memory is good, and I guess he remembered the thrashing you -handed him the night he was trying to wreck your aerial." - -"Perhaps," laughed Bob. "I sure was sore at him that night and I guess I -gave him good and plenty." - -"The pity of it was," said Joe, "that nobody was around to see you do -it. Ten to one he told his cronies afterward that it was he who licked -you. But there was no mistake yesterday. Lutz and Mooney were standing -close by and saw him take water. He turned fairly green with fright when -he saw you double up your fists. You want to keep your eyes open, Bob, -for he'll try to get even by doing you a dirty trick whenever he thinks -he can get away with it safely." - -"Let him try," replied Bob indifferently. "That's the least of my -worries. What's bothering me a good deal more now is why Jimmy and Herb -haven't turned up to help us out on this job." - -"Guess they've got stalled somewhere," hazarded Joe. "But even if they -don't turn up we'll be done in half an hour or so. Then it's me for a -cold bath and some dry clothes! I'm drenched to the skin." - -A half hour later there was no sign of the truants, but the job was -done, and Bob and Joe ran their eyes over it with keen satisfaction. - -"Some little mechanics, old scout!" chuckled Bob, slapping his friend on -the shoulder. "Now for that cold bath you were----" - -He stopped suddenly and gave vent to an exclamation of surprise. - -"What's the matter?" queried Joe, who was adjusting his belt. - -"The ladder!" exclaimed Bob. "It's gone!" - -Joe looked toward the edge of the roof, and saw that the top of the -ladder by which they had mounted was no longer in sight. - -"It must have fallen down," he said; "but it's queer we didn't hear it." - -"Fallen nothing!" snorted Bob, as he crawled to the edge of the roof and -looked over. "It was resting solidly against the roof when we left it, -for I shook it with my hand to make sure. Somebody has taken it down. -There it is lying on the ground, twenty feet away from the barn." - -"Now we're in a nice fix!" exclaimed Joe, in dismay. "Have we got to -stay here all the afternoon and be baked to a frizzle by this scorching -sun? Call to somebody in the house, Bob." - -"That's the worst of it," replied Bob lugubriously. "Mother's out -calling to-day and there isn't a soul at home." - -The boys looked at each other, and the same thought came into the minds -of both. - -"Buck Looker!" they exclaimed in one voice. - -"That's who it was," declared Bob savagely. "He and his gang have done -this. If we could see him, it follows that he could see us, and he -thought he'd keep us up here broiling while he had the laugh on us. No -doubt the whole crowd are hiding somewhere and watching us at this -minute." - -"Well, they're not going to make a show of us," Joe almost shouted in -his wrath. "I'm going to get down off this roof and I'm going to get -down quick, ladder or no ladder." - -Before Bob could stop him he had grasped the water pipe that ran -alongside the barn and started to slide down. - -"Don't! Don't!" cried Bob, in alarm. "The pipe's rusty! It'll break! For -the love of Pete----" - -His voice ended almost in a scream. - -For at that moment what he feared happened. - -The pipe broke beneath Joe's weight. The lad felt it going and grabbed -frantically at the upper part that was still fastened to the roof. He -caught it and held on, his legs dangling in the air directly over the -pile of rocks more than twenty feet below. To fall on those rocks meant -broken limbs or death! - - - - -CHAPTER II--JUST IN TIME - - -At just the place in the pipe that Joe had grabbed there was a band -running around it, perhaps a quarter of an inch thick. It was smooth and -slippery, but yet gave more support to his clutching hands than would -have been afforded by the pipe itself. To this precarious support poor -Joe clung with desperation that was rapidly becoming despair as he felt -his arms tiring and his hands slipping. A glance below had told him what -awaited him if he fell on that pile of rocks. - -Simultaneously with the breaking of the pipe Bob had flung himself at -full length on the roof, with his arm extended over the edge. His feet -felt around frantically and found a cleat in the roof in which he -gripped his toes. Reaching as far as he could over the edge with one -hand and holding on with the other, he found that he could just reach -Joe's hands with his own. - -If the roof had been flat, he might have been able by sheer strength to -pull his friend up. But it was sloping, and, as he lay, his feet were -considerably higher than his head. So he had no purchase, no way to -brace himself and pull upward. As it was, he had to dig his toes tightly -against the cleat just to sustain the weight of his own body. - -There was imminent danger that if he even grasped Joe's hand the added -weight would pull him over the edge of the roof. But this did not deter -him for a second. He reached down and caught Joe around one of his -wrists. - -"I can't pull you up, Joe," he panted; "but I can hold on to you until -help comes." - -He lifted up his voice to shout for help, when just at that instant Herb -Fennington and Jimmy Plummer turned the corner of the barn. They were -talking and laughing gaily together, but stopped short with a cry of -alarm as they saw the terrible plight of their friends. - -"Quick! Quick!" cried Bob. "Get the ladder and put it up. Quick!" - -There was no need of his frantic adjuration, for Jimmy and Herb -understood instantly the tragedy that impended. They ran for the ladder, -and with some difficulty, for it was long and heavy, put it up alongside -the barn and close to Joe's swaying figure. - -Then Herb, who was the stronger of the two, ran up the rungs until he -was directly opposite his comrade. - -"I'll hold on to one arm, Joe," cried Bob. "Let go the pipe with the -other and give it to Herb." - -Joe did as directed and the two boys swung him over to the ladder. He -felt for the rung with his feet, and when they were firmly planted on -it, Herb placed one of his hands on another rung and Bob followed suit. -Then while Jimmy held the ladder at the foot to keep it from slipping, -Joe and Herb made their way slowly to the ground and Bob came after. - -They seated Joe on a box that stood nearby, and his comrades crowded -around him; joyful beyond words at his narrow escape, clasping his hands -and slapping him on the back. - -Joe was gasping under the muscular and nervous strain that he had -undergone in the few minutes that had seemed to him like ages, but he -rallied gamely and tried to joke. - -"I said I was going to get down off that roof quick," he said. "But I -came mighty near coming down quicker than I wanted to. I can't thank you -fellows enough." - -And while they stand around him jubilating over his rescue, it may be -well, for the benefit of those who have not read the preceding volume of -this series, to tell who the Radio Boys were and what had been their -adventures up to the time this story opens. - -Bob Layton was a stalwart, vigorous youth of fifteen years, who lived in -the thriving town of Clintonia, a city of about ten thousand population -and located some seventy-five miles from New York City. His father was a -prosperous druggist and chemist, esteemed and respected, and a leader in -the civic life of the town. Bob was tall for his years, of dark -complexion, with merry, flashing eyes. He was a leader in baseball, -football, and the other athletic sports in which boys of his age -delight. He was frank, truthful, courageous and a general favorite. - -His special chum was Joe Atwood, son of a prominent doctor of Clintonia. -Joe differed from Bob in being fair-skinned instead of dark. But the -qualities of character of both boys were such as to make them close -friends, and where one was to be found the other was seldom very far -away. Joe, however, was impulsive, and his temper was of the "hair -trigger" variety that required frequent curbing from his cooler-headed -chum. - -Of the many friends they had in town, the chief perhaps were Herbert -Fennington and Jimmy Plummer. Herbert, or Herb, as he was usually -called, was the son of a merchant, and was an easy-going, good-natured -boy who was not especially fond of work, but who had an unusual liking -for jokes and conundrums. He was slightly younger than Bob and Joe, but -not enough to make much difference. Jimmy Plummer, the youngest of the -four, was the son of a carpenter. He was jolly, fat, and round, with an -appetite that made him the subject of good-natured jesting on the part -of the other boys. He had been nicknamed "Doughnuts" because of his -special fondness for that toothsome delicacy, and he did his best to -live up to the name. - -The boys were always much together, but of late their association had -become still closer because of their common interest in the wonders of -the wireless telephone. The marvelous features of this great invention -had caught fast hold of their youthful imaginations, and they were soon -so much absorbed in it that almost everything else was forgotten, or at -least had to take second place. - -Two things happened at almost the same time that increased their -enthusiasm in this subject. One was a talk given to them on radio -discoveries by Dr. Amory Dale, the pastor of the Old First Church of -Clintonia, who had a scientific turn of mind and was most keenly -interested in radio. The inspiration he gave them by his talk, together -with practical object lessons on the making of radio sets, had an -importance that could hardly be overestimated. - -Shortly after this the member of Congress from the district in which -Clintonia was included, Mr. Ferberton, offered prizes open for -competition to all the boys of the district for the best radio sets made -by the boys themselves. As the first prize was for a hundred dollars and -the second for fifty, they were well worth trying for, and Bob, Joe, and -Jimmy set to work in earnest to win one of them. Herb, owing to his -natural indolence, did not enter into the competition, a circumstance -that he afterward regretted. - -They had a good many troubles and misadventures about this time, owing -chiefly to the malice of Buck Looker, a bully of the town, who, together -with his cronies, Carl Lutz and Terry Mooney, almost as bad as himself, -did all they could to hinder the radio boys in their plans. Jimmy's set -was stolen by them on one occasion and on another Bob detected Buck -trying to destroy his aerial at night, and gave the bully the trouncing -that he richly deserved. - -A curious accident that happened in the town opened to the boys a -mystery that seemed difficult of solution and set their feet on the path -of exciting adventures. How they rescued a girl whose automobile had run -wild and dashed through the windows of a store, what they learned of her -story and how they got on the track of a rascal who had swindled her, -and what part the radio played in the unraveling of the plot, are -narrated in the first book of this series, entitled: "The Radio Boys' -First Wireless; Or, Winning the Ferberton Prize." - -It did not take Joe long to recover from the shock he had had when he -found himself suspended in midair over the rocks that had been gathered -for the repairing of the foundation of the barn. Bob's danger also had -been great, and all felt that they had reason for being profoundly -grateful over the happy outcome of the adventure. - -"You just came in time, fellows," said Bob. "Joe is no featherweight, -and my arm was getting numb. A minute or two more and we'd both have had -a tumble that I hate to think about." - -"That shows what good judgment we had in picking just the right time to -come," replied Jimmy, winking slily at Herb. "It takes some brains to be -Johnny-on-the-spot just when you're needed. Not a minute too late, not a -minute too soon----that's my motto." - -"I'll admit that you took good care not to get here too soon," replied -Bob, with a laugh. "Where have you been all the afternoon? Why did you -leave Joe and me to hold the bag?" - -"Look at his pockets and you'll find the answer," said Joe, pointing to -suspicious bulges in Jimmy's jacket pockets. - -"That's all the credit a fellow gets when he tries to be generous," -complained Jimmy, in an aggrieved tone, as he emptied the pockets in -question of half a dozen doughnuts. "Here I wait until the doughnuts are -made so that I can bring along a lot for you fellows, and what do I get? -Nothing but abuse. I was just crazy to help you fellows put up that -aerial, but I sacrificed my own feelings and waited for the doughnuts so -that you could have some." - -"Those doughnuts were cooking three hours ago," retorted Joe. - -"How do you know?" asked Jimmy. - -"Because I smelled them as I came past your house," replied Joe. - -"Oh, that was the first batch," explained Jimmy. "Most of those have -gone by now." - -"What became of them?" grinned Bob. - -"How do I know?" countered Jimmy. "My father and mother have pretty good -appetites. Then of course I sampled one or two. Mother would have -thought I didn't like her cooking if I hadn't. And if there's anything I -won't do it's to hurt my mother's feelings. We never have more than one -mother, you know," he added virtuously. - -"Sampled one or two!" sniffed Joe. "One or two dozen you mean." - -"How did you fellows come to get in such a fix?" queried Herb. "Did the -ladder fall down?" - -"It did not," returned Bob with emphasis. "It was taken down while we -weren't looking by somebody who wanted to play a trick on us. And I can -come pretty near to guessing who did it, too," he added. - -"Why not come right out with it?" said Joe, his face flushing with -indignation. "It was Buck Looker and his gang who did it. I'm just as -sure of it as though I had seen them. It's no thanks to them that I'm -not dead or a cripple this minute." - -"That explains something that Jimmy and I noticed just before we came -up," said Herb eagerly. "We saw Buck and Lutz hot-footing it down one -street and Terry Mooney down another. I thought they were having a race -around the block or something like that." - -"That just proves what I said," declared Joe. "They were waiting around -to gloat over the hole they thought they had put us in. Then when they -saw that one or both of us were going to be smashed on the rocks and -perhaps killed, they got scared and lit out so as to be as far away as -possible when the thing happened. Then they couldn't be suspected of -being mixed up in it. It's all as clear as daylight, and it adds another -tally to the score we have against those fellows." - -"Oh, well, a yellow dog is a yellow dog, and he acts according to his -nature," said Bob. "But now since you fellows are here, come up the -ladder and take a look at the aerial and see what kind of job we've made -of it." - -Herb and Jimmy followed him up the ladder and were loud in their praises -of the new contrivance. - -"Couldn't have done it better myself," said Jimmy patronizingly. "I -didn't worry about my not being here, for I had the fullest confidence -in you and Joe. I knew you'd get it up all right." - -He avoided the pass that Bob made at him, and after the boys had -gathered up the tools and left everything shipshape, they came down the -ladder and rejoined their comrade. - -"I guess it's home for us now," said Herb. - -"And mighty glad I am that none of us has to be carried home," put in -Bob. - -"You bet," remarked Joe, as he rose to go. "Do you remember what you -said, Bob, about finishing that job if it took a leg? Well, it came -pretty near to taking one--or two--or perhaps even worse than that." - - - - -CHAPTER III--MARVELS OF RADIO - - -"Don't forget now," Bob reminded them, as his friends passed out of the -gate on the way to their respective homes. "Be over at the house a -little before eight, for the concert begins at eight o'clock sharp, and -there aren't many things in it that we want to miss. It's the best -program that I've seen for a month past. There's violin music and band -marches and opera selections and a bit of jazz mixed in." - -"Sounds as if it were going to be the cat's whiskers," said Jimmy. - -"Jimmy, I'm ashamed of you," said Bob, with mock severity. "When are you -going to leave off using that horrible slang?" - -"He might at least have said the 'feline's hirsute adornments,'" -muttered Joe. "That would have been a little more dignified. But dignity -and Jimmy parted company a long time ago." - -"I didn't know they'd ever met," remarked Herb. "But if they were -'lovers once they're strangers now.'" - -"I shook it when I found that it wasn't good to eat," said the graceless -Jimmy, nowise abashed. "But you fellows had better stop picking on me or -it'll be good-bye to any more doughnuts." - -They laughed and parted with another admonition by Bob to be on time. He -himself went into the house and solaced himself with the cold bath and -change of clothes that he had been promising himself all through that -hot afternoon. A brisk rubdown with a rough towel did wonders, and by -the time his mother returned he was feeling in as good shape as ever, -with the exception of a touch of lameness in the right arm that had been -subjected to such an unusual strain that day. - -There were grave looks on the faces of both his parents as, at the -supper table, he narrated the events of the afternoon. Mingled with -their gratitude at his and Joe's escape from injury, was a feeling of -deep indignation against the probable authors of the trick. - -"That Buck Looker is one of the worst if not the very worst boy in -town!" ejaculated Mr. Layton. "There's hardly a week goes by without -hearing something mean or rowdyish with which he's mixed up. He's the -kind of boy that criminals are made of after they grow up." - -"One might have overlooked the taking down of the ladder in itself," -commented Mrs. Layton; "but the contemptible part was in running away -instead of running to help when he saw that the boys were in danger of -being crippled or killed. He and his cronies could have got the ladder -up in time, for they knew of the danger before Herb and Jimmy did. But -he'd have let the boys be killed rather than take a chance of himself -being blamed. That shows the stuff the boy is made of." - -"Pretty poor stuff, I'm afraid," agreed Bob. "But, after all, Mother, -here I am safe and sound, and all's well that ends well." - -By a quarter to eight that evening the boys began to come, and even the -tardy Jimmy was on hand before the time scheduled for the concert to -begin. In addition to the pleasure they anticipated from the unusually -fine program, they were keenly curious to learn what improvement, if -any, had been made by the installation of the umbrella aerial. - -They were not long left in doubt. From the very first tuning in there -was an increase in the clearness and volume of the sound that surpassed -all their expectations. The opening number chanced to be a violin solo, -played by a master of the instrument. It represented a dance of the -fairies and called for such rapid transitions up and down the scale as -to form a veritable cascade of rippling notes, following each other with -almost inconceivable swiftness. And yet so clearly was each note -reproduced, so distinctly was each delicate shading of the melody -indicated, that the player might have been in the next room or even in -the same room behind a screen. - -The boys and the others were delighted. They listened spellbound, and -when in a glorious burst of what might have been angel music the -selection ended, the lads clapped their hands in enthusiastic applause. - -"That's what you can call music!" ejaculated Bob. - -"That player knows what he's about," was Herb's tribute. - -"And how perfectly we heard every note," cried Joe. "We certainly made a -ten strike, Bob, when we rigged up that new aerial. It's got the other -beaten twenty ways." - -"I guess you're right about that," said Jimmy. "I don't grudge a minute -of the time you spent this afternoon in putting it up. It was worth all -the trouble." - -Bob looked hard at him, but Jimmy was as sober as a judge, and before -either Bob or Joe could frame a suitable retort the crashing notes of a -military band came to their ears and put from them the thought of -anything else. It was a medley that the band played, composed of -well-known airs ranging from "Hail Columbia" to "Dixie" and so inspiring -was it that the boys' hands were moving and their feet jigging in time -with the music all through the performance. - -For fully two hours they sat entranced through a varied program that -included things so dissimilar as famous grand opera selections, the -plaintive melodies of Hawaiian guitars, and some jazz, and when at last -the list was ended the boys sat back with a sigh of satisfaction, their -faces flushed and their eyes shining. - -"Ever hear anything like it?" asked Bob, as he relaxed into his chair -and took off his ear pieces. - -"It's the best ever!" declared Joe. "And to think that we can have -something like it almost any night we choose, and all of that without -going out of this room!" - -"That's the beauty of it," Bob assented. "To hear a concert that -included such fine talent as that we'd have to go to New York. That -would mean all the time and trouble of dressing up, the long ride on the -railroad train, the getting back home at two or three o'clock in the -morning, to say nothing of the ten dollars apiece or thereabouts that -we'd have to pay for train fare and tickets for the concert. For us four -that would mean about forty dollars. Now we haven't paid forty cents, -not even one cent, we haven't had to dress, we've sat around here lazy -and comfy, we can go to bed whenever we like, and we've had the concert -just the same. And what we did to-night we can do any night. I tell you, -fellows, we haven't begun yet to realize what a wonderful thing this -radio is. It's simply a miracle." - -"Right you are," agreed Joe. "And just remember that what's true of us -four is true of four thousand or perhaps four hundred thousand. Take the -biggest concert hall in the United States and perhaps it will hold five -thousand. When it's full, everybody else has to stay away. But there's -no staying away with radio. And every one has as good a seat as any one -else. Think where that concert's been heard to-night. People out as far -as Chicago and Detroit have heard it. They've listened to it on board of -ships out at sea. In lonely farmhouses people have enjoyed it. Men -sitting around campfires up in the Adirondacks have had receivers at -their ears. Sick people and cripples lying on their beds have been -cheered by it. Lonely people in hotel rooms far away from home have -found pleasure in it. There's absolutely no limit to what the radio can -do. It seems to me that it throws in the shade everything else that's -ever been invented." - -"You haven't put it a bit too strong," chimed in Herb. "But talking -about a lot of people hearing it makes me think that perhaps we fellows -have been a bit selfish." - -"What do you mean?" asked Jimmy in some surprise. "It isn't so long ago -that we got the old folks and sick folks together and gave them a -concert at Doctor Dale's house--Joel Banks and Aunty Bixby and the rest -of them." - -"I don't mean that," explained Herb. "That was all right as far as it -went, and I hope we'll do it soon again. But what I have in mind are our -own folks and our friends. Our fathers and mothers haven't heard much of -this concert to-night, and there are some of the fellows that we might -have invited in." - -"But we have only four sets of ear pieces," objected Jimmy. "I suppose -of course we could attach a few more----" - -"I get Herb's idea," interrupted Bob, "and it's a good one. He thinks -that we ought to have a loud-speaker--a horn that would fill the room -with sound and do away with the ear pieces altogether." - -"You hit the bull's-eye the first time," Herb conceded. "In other words, -instead of having a concert for four have it for fourteen or forty." - - - - -CHAPTER IV--FACING THE BULLY - - -The radio boys ruminated over Herb's suggestion for a little while. - -"The idea itself is all right," pronounced Joe slowly, "but the trouble -is that we couldn't do it very well with this set, which is the best -we've been able to make so far. We can hear the sound that comes over -the wire well with these earpieces glued to our ears, but the sound -would be lost if it were spread all over the room." - -"Wouldn't the horn help out on that?" asked Herb. - -"Not by itself, it wouldn't," answered Bob. "It's a mistake to think -that the horn itself makes the sound or increases its loudness. The only -use of the horn is to act as a relay for the diaphragm of the receiver -and connect it with the air in the room. But the sound itself must first -be in the receiver. And with a crystal detector, such as we're using in -this set, I'm afraid that we couldn't get volume of sound enough. It -would be spread out over the room so thinly that no one would be able to -hear anything. We'll have to amplify the sound, and to do that there's -nothing better than a vacuum tube. That's the best thing that the world -has discovered so far." - -"I guess it is," remarked Jimmy. "Doctor Dale has one in his set." - -"Yes," chimed in Joe. "He even has more than one. The more there are the -louder and clearer the sound." - -"I don't suppose we could make one," Herb remarked. - -"No; that's one thing that costs real money," replied Bob. "But don't -let that bother you. I've got quite a lot left of that hundred dollars -of the Ferberton prize, and there's nothing I'd rather spend it for than -to improve the radio set." - -"Count me in on that, too," said Joe. "I've scarcely touched my fifty." - -"How about the horn?" queried Jimmy. "Will that have to be bought, too?" - -"No," replied Bob. "That's something you can make. That is, if you're -not too tired from the work you did on setting up the aerial this -afternoon." - -"But," objected Jimmy, ignoring the gibe, "I don't know anything about -working in tin or steel. I haven't any tools for that." - -"The horn doesn't have to be made of metal," answered Bob. "In fact, -it's better if it's not. Some horns are even made of concrete----" - -"Use your head for that, Jimmy," broke in Herb irreverently. - -"But best of all," Bob continued, while Jimmy favored the interrupter -with a glare, "is to make the horn of wood. Take some good hard wood, -like mahogany or maple, polish the inside with sandpaper after you've -hollowed it out, give it a coat of varnish or shellac, and you'll have a -horn that can't be beaten. It's very simple." - -"Sure!" said Jimmy sarcastically. "Very simple! Just like that! Simple -when you say it quick. Simple as the fellow that tells me how to do it." - -"Just imagine you're hollowing out a doughnut," put in Joe, grinning. -"You're an expert at that." - -"I'll tell the world he is," agreed Herb, with enthusiasm. - -"That reminds me," said Bob, "that there's some pie in the pantry and -sarsaparilla in the ice-box that mother told me to pass around among you -fellows. That is, of course, if you care for it," he added, as he paused -in seeming doubt. - -"If we care for it!" cried Jimmy, the creases of perplexity in his brow -disappearing as if by magic. "Lead me to that pie. I'll fall on its neck -like a long-lost brother." - -"It'll fall into your neck, you mean," chuckled Herb, and in less than -two minutes saw his prophecy verified. - -"And now," said Bob, after the last crumb and drop had disappeared, "I -don't want to tie the can to you fellows, but I hear dad moving around -and locking up, and that's a sign to skiddoo. We'll think over that idea -of Herb's and get a tip from Doctor Dale as to the best way to go about -it." - -There was a chorus of hearty good-nights and the radio boys separated. - -Two days later, as Bob and Joe were coming home from school, the latter, -looking behind him, gave vent to an exclamation that drew Bob's -attention. - -"What's up?" he asked, turning his head in the same direction. - -"It's Buck Looker and his bunch!" exclaimed Joe, a flush mounting to his -brow and his eyes beginning to flame. "He's been careful to keep out of -my way so far. Let's wait here until he catches up to us." - -"You'll wait a long time then, I guess," replied Bob, "for he's seen us, -too, and he's slowing up already. He doesn't seem a bit anxious to -overtake us." - -"Then we'll have to go back and meet him," said Joe grimly. "I'm going -to have it out with him right here and now. He needn't think he's going -to get away scot free after the trick he played on me." - -"What's the use, Joe?" counseled Bob. "You can't prove it on him and -he'll only lie out of it. It's bad policy to kick a skunk." - -But Joe had already turned and was striding rapidly back toward Buck and -his companions, and Bob went along with him. - -There was a hurried confabulation between Buck and his cronies as they -saw Bob and Joe advancing toward them, and a hasty looking from side to -side, as though to seek some means of escape. But there was no street -handy to turn into, and as it would have been too rank a confession of -cowardice to turn their backs and run, the trio assumed a defiant -attitude and waited the approach of the swiftly moving couple. - -Joe stopped directly in front of the bully, while Bob ranged alongside, -keeping a sharp watch on the movements of Lutz and Mooney. - -"Why did you take down that ladder the other afternoon, Buck Looker?" -asked Joe, looking his opponent straight in the eye. - -Buck's look shifted before Joe's gaze, but he affected ignorance. - -"What ladder and what afternoon?" he countered, sparring for time. "I -don't know what you're talking about, and for that matter I guess you -don't either." - -"I know perfectly well what I'm talking about, and so do you," replied -Joe, coming so near to him that Buck gave ground. "You and your gang -took away the ladder from the side of Bob's barn, and in trying to get -down I nearly broke my neck." - -"Pity you didn't," blustered Buck. "If your ladder fell down and you -didn't have sense enough to wait for some one to come along and put it -up for you, that wasn't any fault of mine. I wasn't anywhere near -Layton's barn that whole afternoon." - -"We know better," said Joe. "Bob and I saw you going along the street a -little while before we missed the ladder, and Herb Fennington and Jimmy -Plummer saw you and your crowd running away like mad while I was hanging -to the pipe alongside the barn." - -"You shut up!" yelled Buck, in a burst of rage. - -"Take off your coat, Buck Looker," cried Joe, dropping his books to the -ground, "and I'll give you the same kind of a trimming that Bob gave you -the night you tried to wreck his aerial." - -For answer Buck tightened his grip on the strap that held his books. - -"You stand back, Joe Atwood," he cried, with a quaver in his voice, "or -I'll soak you with these books!" - -Joe laughed his disdain. - -"You coward!" he exclaimed, and was springing forward when a warning -exclamation came from Bob. - -"Stop, Joe," he commanded. "Here comes Mr. Preston." - -A look of vexation came into Joe's eyes and a look of relief into Buck's -as they looked and saw the principal of the high school walking rapidly -toward them. - - - - -CHAPTER V--A BIG ADVANCE - - -With the coming of the school principal and the certainty that the -threatened row was over, for the present at least, all Buck Looker's -usual truculence returned. - -"It's lucky for you that Preston happened to turn up just now," he -snarled. "I was just getting ready to give you the licking of your -life." - -"I noticed that," said Joe dryly, as he picked up his books. "Only -instead of doing it with your fists, you were going to do it with your -books, like the coward that you are. You gave yourself away that time, -Buck. It isn't necessary for any one to show you up. You can be depended -on to do that job yourself." - -By this time the principal was only a few yards away, and Buck and his -friends walked away rapidly, while Bob and Joe followed more slowly, so -that Mr. Preston soon caught up with them. - -"Good afternoon, boys," he said, as he came abreast of them. "You seemed -to be a little excited about something." - -"Yes, we were having a little argument," admitted Joe. - -The principal looked at them sharply and waited as though he expected to -hear more. But as nothing further was said, he did not press the matter. -If the trouble had taken place in the school or on the school premises, -he would have felt it his duty to go to the bottom of the affair. But he -had no jurisdiction here, and he was too wise a man to mix in things -that did not directly concern him or his work. - -"Well, how goes radio?" he asked, changing the subject. "Are you boys -just as enthusiastic over it as you were the night you won the Ferberton -prizes?" - -"More so than ever," replied Bob, and Joe confirmed this with a nod of -the head. "It's getting so that almost every minute we have out of -school we're either tinkering with our set or listening in. We've just -finished putting up a new umbrella aerial, and it's a dandy." - -"I use that kind myself," said Mr. Preston. "I get better results with -it than I do with anything else." - -"Why, are you a radio enthusiast, too?" asked Bob, in some surprise. "I -didn't have any idea you were interested in it." - -"Oh, yes," affirmed the principal, with a smile. "I'm one of the great -and constantly increasing army of radio fans. I understand there are -more than a million of them in the United States now, and their ranks -are being swelled by thousands with every day that passes. I use it for -my own personal pleasure and for that of my family, but I also have an -interest in it because of my profession." - -"I understand it's becoming quite a feature in education," remarked Joe. - -"It certainly is," replied Mr. Preston. "Many colleges and high schools -now have radio classes as a regular part of their course. College -professors give lectures that go by radio to thousands where formerly -they were heard by scores. I've been thinking of a plan that might be of -help in the geography classes, for instance. Suppose some great lecturer -or traveler who has been in faraway lands should give a travel talk from -some broadcasting station. Then while he was describing China, for -instance, we might have moving pictures thrown on a screen in the -classroom showing Chinese cities and customs and types. Both the eye and -the ear would be taught at the same time, and in a most interesting way, -it seems to me. What do you think of the idea?" - -"Fine," said Bob. - -"Dandy," agreed Joe. "There wouldn't be any lack of interest in those -classes. The boys would be eager to have the time for them come." - -"Well," smiled Mr. Preston, "it's only an idea as yet, but it's -perfectly feasible and I shouldn't be surprised to see it in general use -in a year or two." - -He turned into a side street just then with a pleasant good-bye, and the -boys went on their way together, picking up Jimmy, who was just emerging -from a store. - -"What was Mr. Preston talking to you about?" asked Jimmy, with some -curiosity, for he had witnessed the parting. "Hauling you over the -coals, was he, for something you've done or haven't done?" - -"Nothing like that," replied Joe. "We just found out that he is a radio -fan like the rest of us." - -"Funny, isn't it, how that thing is spreading?" murmured Jimmy musingly. -"You couldn't throw a stone now without hitting somebody who is -interested in radio." - -"All the same, I wish he hadn't caught up to us when he did," grumbled -Joe. "I was just going to mix it with Buck Looker when he came along." - -"Buck has lots of luck," commented Jimmy. "Tell me all about it." - -They told him all the details of the meeting, and became so engrossed in -it that they almost ran into Dr. Dale, who was just coming up from the -railroad station. - -He greeted them with great cordiality, which met with quite as hearty a -response on their part, for the minister was a prime favorite with them -and they always felt at their ease with him. There was nothing prim or -professional about him, and his influence among the young people was -unbounded. - -He chatted with them for a few minutes until they reached Bob's gate. - -"Won't you come up on the porch for a few minutes, Doctor?" asked Bob. -"There are some things we'd like to ask you about radio." - -"Certainly I will," replied the doctor, with a smile. "There's not much -that I'd rather talk about. In fact, I was just about to tell you of an -interesting experience that I had this very afternoon." - -He went with the boys up the steps and dropped into the chair that Bob -drew up for him. - -"Tell us about that first, Doctor," urged Bob. "Our questions can come -afterward." - -"I just had the luck to get on a train coming home that had a car -attached to it where they were trying out a new radio system," replied -the minister. "I heard about it from the conductor, whom I know very -well, and he arranged it so that I could go into the car where they were -making the experiments. They had a radio set in there with a horn, and -the set was connected with an aerial on the roof of the car. They sent -out signals to various stations while the train was going along at the -rate of forty miles an hour, and got replies that we could hear as -plainly as though one of the people in the car were talking to the -others. The whole thing was a complete success, and one of the officials -of the road who happened to be in the party told me that the express -trains on the road were going to be equipped with it. - -"Of course, if one road does that, it will not be any time before all -the others will, too. It'll not be long before we can be sitting in a -car traveling, let us say from New York to Albany, and chat with a -friend who may be on another train traveling between Chicago and Denver. -Or if a business man has started from New York to Chicago and happens to -remember something important in his office he can call up his manager -and give him directions just the same as though he pressed a buzzer and -called him in from the next room." - -"It sounds like magic," remarked Bob, drawing a long breath. - -"If we'd even talked about such things a few hundred years ago we'd have -been burned at the stake as wizards," laughed the doctor. - -"The most important thing about this railroad development," he went on, -"is not the convenience it may be in social and business life, but in -the prevention of accidents. As it is now, after a train leaves a -station it can't get any orders or information until it gets to the next -station. A train may be coming toward it head on, or another train ahead -of it and going in the same direction may be stalled. Often in the first -case orders have come to the station agent to hold a train until another -one has passed. But the station agent gets the message just a minute too -late, and the train has already left the station and is rushing on to -its fate. Then all the agent can do is to shudder and wait for news of -the crash. With the radio equipment he can call up the train, tell of -the danger, and direct it to come back. - -"Or take the second case where a train is stopped by some accident and -knows that another train is coming behind it on the same track and is -due in a few minutes. All they can do now is to send back a man with a -red flag to stop the second train. But it may be foggy or dark, and the -engineer of the second train doesn't see the flags and comes plunging on -into the first train. With the radio, the instant a train is halted for -any reason, it can send a message to the second train telling just where -it is and warning of the danger. Hundreds have been killed and millions -of dollars in property have been lost in the past just because of the -old conditions. With the radio installed on trains, that sort of thing -will be made almost impossible in the future. - -"But there," he said, with a smile, "I came up here to answer your -questions, and I've been doing all the talking. Now just what is it you -wanted to ask me about radio?" - - - - -CHAPTER VI--THE WONDERFUL TUBE - - -"It's about getting a vacuum tube," replied Bob, in answer to the -doctor's question. "The crystal detector is all right when we use the -ear pieces. But we got to thinking about a horn so that lots of people -could enjoy the concerts at the same time, and we figured that the -crystal wouldn't be quite good enough for that." - -The doctor smiled genially. - -"I knew you'd be wanting that sooner or later," he said. "It's the -second natural step in radio development. While you were still getting -familiar with the working of the wireless, the crystal would do very -well. But there comes a time to all amateurs when they get to hankering -after something that is undeniably better. And the vacuum tube is that -thing." - -"It seems funny to me that the vacuum tube could have any use in radio," -put in Jimmy. "I never thought of it in any way but as being used for an -electric light." - -"Neither did lots of other people," replied the doctor, smiling. "Even -Mr. Edison himself didn't realize what its possibilities were. He did, -though, discover some very curious things about it. In fact, he made the -first step that led to its use for radio. He put a plate in one of his -lamps. The plate didn't touch the filament, but formed part of a circuit -of its own with a current indicator attached. Then when he turned on the -light and the filament began to glow, the needle of the indicator began -to twitch. Since the filament and the plate weren't touching, the -movement of the needle indicated that the electricity must have jumped -the gap between the two. But this simply showed that an invisible -connection was established between the filament and the plate and -nothing more came of it at the time. - -"Now, it's likely that even yet we shouldn't have had that discovery of -Edison's used for the development of radio if it hadn't been for the new -theory of what electricity really is. That theory is that everything is -electricity. This chair I'm sitting on, the railing to this porch, the -hat that Jimmy is holding in his hand--all that is electricity." - -Jimmy gave a little jump at this, and held his hat rather gingerly at -arm's length and looked at it suspiciously. - -The doctor joined in the laugh that followed. - -"Oh, you needn't be afraid that you'll get a shock," he said. -"Electricity won't hurt you as long as it's at rest. It's only when it -gets stirred up that high jinks are apt to follow." - -Jimmy looked relieved. - -"Now," continued the doctor, "the theory is that all matter is composed -of an infinite number of electrons. An electron is the smallest thing -that can be conceived, smaller even than the atom which used to be -thought of as the unit. There may be millions, billions, quadrillions of -them in a thing as big as a hickory nut. And when these electrons get -busy you can look out for things to happen. - -"Every hot object sends out electrons. That's the reason that the -filament in the electric light tube sends them out." - -"I suppose a red-hot stove would send them out, too," suggested Joe. "If -that is so, I should think that people would have found out about them -long ago." - -"Ah, but there's this difference," explained the doctor. "The red-hot -stove does send them out, but the air stops them. Remember that the -atoms of which the air is composed are so large that the poor little -electrons have no chance against them. It's like a baby pushing against -a giant. It can't get by. - -"Now the vacuum tube comes along, knocks out the giant of the air, and -lets the baby electrons pet past him. The air is pumped out of the tube -and the electrons have nothing to stop them. That's why Mr. Edison saw -the needle on the plate begin to move, although the plate wasn't -touching the filament. The electrons jumped across the gap between the -filament and the plate because there was nothing to stop them. - -"With this discovery of Mr. Edison's to aid him, a man named Fleming -came along, who found that the oscillations caused by the flow of -electrons to the plate could be utilized for the telephone by the use of -what he called an oscillation valve that permitted the passage of the -current in one direction only. That was the second important step. - -"But these two steps alone wouldn't have made radio what it is to-day if -it hadn't been for the wonderful improvement made by DeForest. He -mounted a grid of wire between the filament and the plate connected with -a battery. He found that the slightest change in the current to the grid -made a wonderfully powerful increase in the current that passed from the -filament to the plate. Just as when you touch the trigger of a rifle you -have a loud explosion, so the grid magnifies tremendously the sound that -would otherwise be weak or only ordinary. And by adding one vacuum valve -to another the sound can be still further magnified until the crawling -of a fly will sound like the tread of an elephant, until a mere whisper -can become a crash of thunder, until the ticking of a watch will remind -you of the din of a boiler factory, and the sighing of the wind through -the trees on a summer night will be like the roar of Niagara. - -"But there," he broke off, with a little laugh, "I'm letting my -enthusiasm carry me away. It's hard to keep calm and cold-blooded when I -get to talking about radio." - -"Well, you don't care to talk about it more than we care to hear about -it, you can be sure of that," said Joe warmly. - -"Yes," chimed in Jimmy, "to me it's more interesting than a--a pirate -story," he added rather lamely. - -"With the advantage," laughed Dr. Dale, "that the pirate story usually -has lots of pain and misery in it for somebody, while the radio has -nothing but benefit for everybody. Why, you can scarcely think of any -experience in which the radio won't help. Take an Arctic expedition for -instance. It used to be that when a ship once disappeared in the ice -floes of the Arctic regions it was lost to the world for years. Nobody -knew whether the explorers were alive or dead, were failing or -succeeding, were safe and snug on board their ship or were shipwrecked -and freezing on some field of ice. Look at the Greeley expedition, when -for months the men were freezing and starving to death. If they had had -a radio outfit with them, they could have communicated with the outside -world, told all about their plight, given the exact place they were in, -and help would have gone to them at once. Not a man need have perished. -So if a crew were shipwrecked on a desert island, they wouldn't to-day -have to depend on a flag or bonfire to catch the attention of some ship -that might just happen to be passing near the island. All they would -have to do would be to send out a radio message--provided, of course, -they had one from the wrecked ship's stores or had material to make -one--and a dozen vessels would go hurrying toward them. Those naval -balloonists that were lost in the wilds of Canada a couple of years ago, -that other expedition that perished in the heart of Labrador, and -similar cases that might be counted by the dozens--all could have been -helped if they had been able to tell their troubles to the outside -world. I tell you, boys, we haven't half begun to realize what the -discovery of radio means to the world. - -"Now all this leads us back to vacuum tubes, for it's only with them -that all these things would be possible. Perhaps in the future something -better yet will be invented, but they're the best we have at present. -I'm heartily in favor of you boys using a tube instead of a crystal, -because it will give you vastly more enjoyment in your work. I wouldn't -have more than one at the start, but later on it may be well to have -more. I have a catalogue up at my house of the various makes and prices, -and if you'll run up there any time I'll give it to you. At the same -time I'll show you just how it's got to be inserted and attached. Maybe -also I'll be able to help you in the making of the horn. I'll have to go -now," he added, looking at his watch. "It's surprising how the time -flies when we get on this subject. Good-bye, boys, and don't forget to -drop in at the house whenever you can." - -The radio boys watched the minister's straight, alert figure as he went -rapidly up the street. - -"Isn't he all to the good?" asked Bob admiringly. - -"You bet he is!" agreed Jimmy emphatically, the others nodding their -assent. - - - - -CHAPTER VII--BASEBALL BY WIRELESS - - -For the next week the radio boys worked like beavers. They had pored -over the catalogue that, according to his promise, Dr. Dale had lent -them, and, acting on his advice, had picked out a tube of well-known -make that could be bought for a moderate price. They had had to send to -New York for it, because Dave Slocum did not have just that kind in -stock, and they were feverish with impatience until it arrived. In the -period of waiting they pitched in and helped Jimmy with the horn, and -even Herb became sufficiently infected by the energy of the others to -turn to and do his share of the work. - -The precious tube arrived on Saturday morning, and Bob, who had ordered -it, was gloating over it when the other boys came over to the house. - -"It's come at last!" he cried exultantly, holding up the tube for their -inspection. - -There were exclamations of satisfaction as the others gathered round Bob -and examined it. - -"And it's come just in time to get a good christening," declared Joe. -"That is, if we can have everything ready by three o'clock this -afternoon." - -"What do you mean?" asked Bob. - -"Why, I just read in the morning paper that the broadcasting station is -going to send out the big baseball game between the Giants and the -Pittsburghs at the Polo Grounds this afternoon," replied Joe. "They say -that they're going to send out the game play by play, every ball -pitched, every strike, every hit, every base stolen, every run scored, -so that you can follow the game from the time the first man goes to the -bat till the last man goes out in the ninth inning. What do you think of -that?" - -What they thought of it was evident from the chorus of jubilation that -followed. All of them were ardent baseball fans, and in addition to that -were good players themselves. Bob was pitcher and Joe first baseman on -the High School nine, while Jimmy played a good game at short and Herb -took care of the center field garden. - -Naturally, with this love of the game, they were keenly interested in -the championship races of the big major league ball teams and, during -the season, followed the ups and downs of their favorites with the -closest attention. That spring the race had been especially hot between -the Giants and the Pittsburghs. Both had started out well, and the -Giants had cleaned up the majority of games in the East, while the -Pittsburghs had been cutting a big swath in the West. - -Now the Pittsburghs were coming to New York on their first invasion of -the year, and interest ran fever high in the Metropolis and the section -round about. The newspapers were devoting columns of space to the teams, -and it was certain that there would be a record attendance at the game -that afternoon. - -"Bully!" cried Herb, as he danced a jig on the receipt of Joe's news. - -"It will be almost as good as sitting in the grandstand behind the home -plate," exulted Jimmy. - -"Best thing I've heard since Sitting Bull sat down!" exclaimed Bob, as -he clapped his friend on the shoulder. - -"First time we'll ever have seen a championship baseball game without -paying for it," laughed Joe. - -"I wouldn't exactly call it seeing the game," said Bob. "But it's -certainly the next thing to it. But now let's get busy so that we'll be -sure to have everything ready by the time the game begins." - -They needed no urging and worked so fast and well that by dinner time -they had the tube and horn arranged to their satisfaction. That left -them time enough to go around among their friends and invite them to -come in and enjoy the game with them. The invitation was accepted with -alacrity, and some time before the hour set for the game to begin Bob's -room was filled with expectant boys. - -Naturally, Bob, as host, was a little anxious and nervous as the moment -approached when his improved set would be put to the test. It would have -been a mortifying thing for him to fail. - -He felt sure that every attachment and connection had been properly made -and that nothing essential had been overlooked. Still, it was with a -certain feeling of apprehension that he turned the knob to tune in when -his watch told him that it was three o'clock. The day was hot, and -"static" was likely to be troublesome. - -There was a moment of hissing and whistling while he was getting -perfectly tuned. Then he caught it just right, and into the room, clear -and strong, came the announcement of the umpire, repeated by the man at -the broadcasting station: - -"Ladies and gentlemen: The batteries for to-day's game are Blake and -McCarthy for Pittsburgh, Hardy and Thompson for New York. Play ball!" - -There was a roar of delight from the boys in the crowded room and a -clapping of hands that made Bob's face flush with pleasure. But he held -up his hand for silence, and the excited boys settled back in their -chairs, listening intently so as not to miss a feature of the game. - -Then followed, play by play, the story of the first inning with the -Pittsburghs, as the visiting team, first at bat. - -The hum of conversation had ceased in the room, and the boys leaned -forward intently, anxious not to lose a syllable. - -"Strike one!" came in stentorian tones. - -"Ball one!" followed. - -"Strike two!" - -"Elton singles to center. Allison made a bad return of the ball, and -Elton by fast running reached second. Maginn at bat." - -"Strike one!" - -"Maginn lays down a sacrifice between first and second and is out at -first. Elton gets to third on the play." - -It was evident that the Giant pitcher had not yet got into his stride, -for he passed the next two batters, and the bases were filled with only -one man out. - -"He's as wild as a March hare," whispered Jimmy to Herb. - -"Sure looks like a run with Krug coming up," replied Herb. "He can -everlastingly lambaste the ball. He's made two homers this week -already." - -"Ball one," "ball two," "ball three," followed in quick succession. - -"Looks as if he were going to pass him, too, to get a chance at -Hofmeyer," murmured Joe. - -"That would be poor dope, for it would force in a run," replied Bob. "I -guess he simply can't locate the plate. It's funny the manager doesn't -take him out." - -"Krug hits a sharp grounder to Helmer," came the voice. "Helmer shoots -the ball to Menken, forcing Ackerson at second, and Menken by a -lightning throw gets Krug at first. Three out. One hit, no runs." - -There was a ripple of applause at the snappy double play. - -"That pulled the pitcher out of a tight hole all right," laughed Bob. -"Gee, but I bet the Pittsburghs are sore. The bases full and only one -man out, and yet they couldn't score." - -"That's what makes a baseball game so exciting," returned Joe. "You -can't be sure of anything. Just when you think the game is all sewed up -something happens and the whole thing goes ke-flooey." - -"Can't you imagine how the Giant rooters are yelling their heads off at -the Polo Grounds?" chuckled Jimmy. - -The Giants in their turn at bat went out in one, two, three order. - -"Ladies and gentlemen," came the voice a moment later: "Roberts now -pitching for New York." - -"I thought they'd take out Hardy," commented Herb. "He was as wild as a -hawk in that first inning, and the manager isn't going to take chances." - -In the next three innings neither side scored. Roberts, the new choice -of the manager, was pitching like a house afire, and did not let a man -reach first. The Pittsburgh pitcher was also on his mettle, and mowed -his opponents down almost as fast as they came to the plate. - -In the fifth inning, however, the Giants broke the ice. - -"Wharton lifts a Texas leaguer back of second," came the voice. "Krug -and Hofmeyer went for it, but the ball fell between them." - -"Strike one!" - -"Foul--strike two!" - -"Miller lines the ball to right. Maginn, instead of waiting for the ball -on the bound, rushes in to make a shoestring catch and the ball gets -past him. Elton retrieves the ball and makes a great throw to the plate -to catch Wharton, who has rounded third and is racing for home. He -slides under the catcher's arm and scores. Miller in the meantime makes -third." - -Again there came the murmur of applause that showed how the boys were -wrought up by the play that they saw in their minds' eye almost as -plainly as if it were right before them. - -"Helmer hits to Hofmeyer," went on the voice, "and Miller is run down -between third and home, the batter reaching second on the play." - -"Ball one!" - -"Ball two!" - -"Helmer makes a clean steal of third." - -"Ball three!" - -"Guess the Pittsburgh pitcher is getting a little nervous," whispered -Jimmy. - -"That steal, together with the error in center, is getting his goat," -assented Herb. - -"Allison sends the ball on a line into the right field bleachers for a -homer, scoring Helmer in front of him," the voice announced. - -"Gee, but that must have been some clout!" ejaculated Joe. "That fellow -sure can kill the ball." - -The pause that followed told them as plainly as words of the yelling and -excitement at the grounds that were holding up the game. - -"Ladies and gentlemen," came the announcement: "Ralston now pitching for -the Pittsburghs." - -"Batted the other fellow out of the box!" exclaimed Jimmy gleefully, who -made no bones of the fact that he was rooting for the Giants. - -"Him for the showers," agreed Herb, who was also a Giant adherent. - -"I guess the Giants have put the game on ice," exulted Joe. - -"Don't be too sure," warned Bob. "Those Pittsburghs are fence breakers, -and they may stage a rally any minute. It takes more than a three-run -lead to make them curl up." - -That they were not going to "curl up" became evident as the game -progressed toward its close. They fought like tigers for every -advantage, made hair-raising stops and throws and slugged the ball -ferociously. But a Giant fielder seemed to be in front of every ball, -and when the Pittsburghs came up for their last inning the score was -still 3 to 0 in favor of the New York team. - -But in that ninth inning! - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--A THRILLING CLIMAX - - -It is certain that the Polo Grounds was a bad place for any one troubled -with a weak heart during that ninth inning of the Giant-Pittsburgh game. - -That the boys from the Smoky City were "out for blood" was evident from -the moment that Elton, the first man up, faced the pitcher. - -"Elton swings at the first ball offered and sends a screaming liner to -left," proclaimed the radio voice. "It caromed off the left field wall -and was skilfully handled by Miller, who by a quick return was able to -hold the runner to two bags." - -"Pretty good beginning," murmured Herb, shifting a little uneasily in -his seat. - -"Oh, that's nothing," Joe reassured him. "One swallow doesn't make a -summer and one hit doesn't win a ball game." - -"Maginn sends a grasser between second and third," continued the voice. -"Elton scored easily and Maginn reached second on a close decision." - -"That saves Pittsburgh from a shut-out anyway," muttered Jimmy. "But I -guess that'll be about all." - -In this, however, he was mistaken. - -"Wilson drives the ball on a line over second," went on the voice. -"Menken made a great attempt to spear it but couldn't reach. A quick -relay of the ball kept Maginn from getting beyond third, but on the -throw-in Wilson reached second." - -"Men on second and third and no man out!" ejaculated Joe. - -"Those fellows have got their batting clothes on," commented Bob. "Did -you notice that each one of them offered at the first ball pitched? I -guess they've solved Roberts at last." - -That the manager of the Giants had reached the same conclusion was -evident from the pause that followed and the subsequent notice that -Compton had taken Roberts' place in the box. - -"Strike one!" - -"Strike two!" - -"That begins to sound better," Jimmy comforted himself. - -His satisfaction was of short duration. - -"Ackerson hits to deep short. The ball took a high bound and Helmer by a -brilliant effort knocked it down, but too late to get the runner at -first. Maginn scored and Wilson reached third." - -"That makes two runs," sighed Herb. "One more and they'll tie the -score." - -"And with two men on bases and nobody out, they're almost sure to do -that much at least," muttered Bob. "It's too bad to have the Giants blow -the game just when they had it in their kit bags." - -The silence was almost painful as the boys waited for the next -announcement. - -"Ackerson steals second just beating Thompson's good throw by a hook -slide." - -Almost a groan went up in the crowded room. Some of the boys got so -restless that they rose and paced the room, or sat forward in their -chairs as though they were straining their eyes to look at the actual -diamond. - -"A single now will bring in two runs and put Pittsburgh in the lead," -groaned Jimmy. - -"And with Krug, their clean-up man at the bat!" said Bob glumly. - -"Strike one!" - -"Ball one!" - -"Ball two!" - -"He's trying to make him bite at bad ones," commented Herb. - -"Strike two!" - -"Ball three!" - -"Now he's got Compton in a hole," murmured Jimmy. "He's got to put the -next ball over." - -"And if he does, I'm afraid that Krug will kill it," gloomed Joe. - -There was a momentary pause. - -"Krug hits a terrific drive to the box," announced the voice. "Compton -leaps into the air and spears it with his left hand. He throws to Albers -and catches Wilson, who had left the bag, Albers hurls the ball to -Menken and gets Ackerson, who was trying to scramble back to second. -Triple play, three men out and the Giants win, three to two!" - -There was a moment of stupefaction in the crowded room. Then a roar -broke out that brought Mrs. Layton up to the room in a hurry under the -impression that something dreadful had happened. - -"It's all right, Mother," laughed Bob. "We're only excited over the -baseball game. It came out so unexpectedly that it took us all off our -feet." - -"You seem to be all on your feet, as far as I can judge," Mrs. Layton -smiled back. "But you can make all the noise you want as long as you are -happy," and with a wave of her hand she left them. - -"A triple play!" exclaimed Bob hilariously. "The thing that happens only -once in a blue moon. Say, fellows, maybe we didn't pick out a corking -game to christen our radio with!" - -"And almost as good as though we were right at the grounds," cried Joe. -"I've seen many a game, and I never got more real excitement over one -than I've had this afternoon. I could almost hear my heart beat while I -was wondering what Krug was going to do." - -"And just think what it will be when the World's Series comes along in -the fall!" chuckled Jimmy. "We'll take in every game without going out -of Clintonia." - -"That is, if it's played in the East," put in Herb. "It may not be so -easy if it's played in the West." - -"It doesn't matter where it's played," rejoined Jimmy. "By the time fall -comes, we'll probably have improved our radio set so that we can listen -in on Chicago just as easily as we have to-day on Newark. And, anyway, -the results will be sent to the Newark station so that it can be -broadcasted all over the East. We'll take them all in, never you fear, -and we won't have to pay a fortune to speculators for the tickets -either. But what is that I smell?" he broke off suddenly, sniffing the -air that had become laden with savory odors. - -"See his nose twitch," gibed Joe. "Trust him to forget baseball or -anything else when doughnuts are around." - -"Doughnuts!" exclaimed Jimmy, an expression of cherubic bliss coming on -his face. "Can it be? Yes, there can be no mistake. It must be--it -is--doughnuts!" - -"Right the first time," laughed Bob. "I didn't want to say anything -about it while the game was on, but Mother gave me a tip that she'd -start making them so that we could have them fresh and hot by the time -we were through. So come ahead downstairs, fellows, and if any of you -get away without having your fill of about the niftiest doughnuts ever -made, it will be your own fault." - -There was no need of a second invitation, and the boys, with Jimmy in -the van, hurried downstairs where several big dishes heaped high with -crisp, delicious doughnuts awaited them. They fell to at once, and the -table was swept clear as though by magic. - -"That puts the finishing touch on a perfect day," sighed Jimmy, with -perfect content. - -"Right you are," agreed Joe. "And say, fellows, wasn't that a peach of a -game?" - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE LOOP - - -"Do you know, fellows," remarked Bob, as he was talking with his friends -a few days later, "I've been thinking----" - -"Bob's been thinking!" cried Herb. "Fire the cannon, ring the bells, -hang out the flags. Bob's been thinking!" - -"Are you sure it's that, or have you only been thinking that you've been -thinking?" grinned Joe. - -"When did it attack you first?" asked Jimmy, with great solicitude. "And -where does it hurt you worst? Are you taking anything for it? You don't -want to let it go too long, Bob. I knew a fellow who had that same -trouble and didn't think it was worth while to send for a doctor, and -before he knew it----" - -Bob made a dive at him that Jimmy adroitly ducked, losing nothing but -his hat in the process. - -"Listen to me, you boneheads," Bob commanded, "and I'll try to get down -on the same level with your feeble intelligence. I've been thinking that -perhaps we can better our set still more in the matter of aerials." - -"Alexander always looking for new worlds to conquer," murmured Joe. "We -nearly got killed the last time we bettered our aerial. What's the -matter with the umbrella type? I thought that was the _ne plus ultra_, -the _sine qua non_, the--the----" - -"The _e pluribus unum_," Herb helped him out, "the _hoc propter quod_, -the _hic jacet_, the _requiescat in pace_, the----" - -At this point his hat followed Jimmy's. - -"The umbrella kind is good, all right," admitted Bob; "and, for that -matter, I'm not dead sure that it isn't the best. It certainly gave us -fine results in the baseball game on Saturday. But there's nothing so -good that there may not be something better, and I thought it might be -well to rig up a loop some day and try it out. If it works as well or -better than the umbrella, we may use it when we come to set up our radio -at Ocean Point." - -"Is it a big job?" asked Herb, who as a rule was not on speaking terms -with anything that looked like work. - -"No," answered Bob. "It's easy enough to make. We'll just get Jimmy here -to make a frame for it down in his father's carpenter shop----." - -"Jimmy!" repeated that individual, in an aggrieved tone. "We'll just get -Jimmy to make the horn. Sure! We'll just get Jimmy to make a frame. -Sure! I suppose if one of us was marked out to die, you'd say, 'We'll -just let Jimmy do it.' Just as easy as that." - -"Stop right there, Jimmy," commanded Joe. "You'll have me crying in a -minute, and it's an awful thing to see a strong man weep." - -"After Jimmy has made the frame," continued Bob, not at all moved by the -pathos of the situation, "all we'll have to do will be to wind it about -eight times with copper wire. That will give us a lot of receiving area -and capacity. The frame ought to be about four feet square. It'll have -to be mounted on a pivot----" - -"Let Jimmy make the pivot," murmured Jimmy. - -"So that it can be swung end on in the direction of the broadcasting -station," continued Bob, not deigning to notice the interruption. "It -has to be pointed in that direction in order to get the message. If it -were at right angles, for instance, we probably would hear only very -little or perhaps nothing at all. You see, with that kind of aerial we -don't have to put up anything on the roof at all. We could have it -inside the room. It could be fastened to a hook in the ceiling, so that -when we weren't using it we could hoist it up and get it out of the way. -That kind is used a lot on ships and at ship stations on shore. They -call it sometimes a 'radio compass.' You can see it must be pretty good -or they wouldn't use it so widely." - -"It is good," broke in a bass voice behind them, and as they turned in -surprise they were delighted to recognize in the owner of the voice Mr. -Frank Brandon, the radio inspector, by whose aid they had been able to -track down Dan Cassey, the rascal who had tried to defraud Nellie -Berwick, an orphan girl, of her money. - -There was an exclamation of pleasure from all of the boys, with whom Mr. -Brandon was a great favorite. - -"What good wind blew you down this way?" asked Bob, after the greetings -and hand-shakings were over. - -"A little matter of business brought me down to a neighboring town, and -while I was so near I thought I would run over to Clintonia and call on -my old friend, Doctor Dale," replied Brandon. "He told me that you boys -won the Ferberton prizes," he continued, addressing Bob and Joe, "and I -congratulate you. I wasn't surprised, for I knew you'd been doing hard -and intelligent work on your sets. And I can see from the conversation I -overheard that you're just as much interested in it as ever." - -"More than ever," affirmed Bob, and the others agreed. "We're just crazy -about it. We think it's just the greatest thing that ever happened." - -"There are lots more who think the same thing," said Brandon, with a -smile. "And I guess they're about right. By the way, there's an -interesting thing about that radio compass you were speaking about that -isn't generally known. I was over on the other side when the thing -happened, and I got some inside dope on it." - -"Tell us about it," urged Bob, and the others joined in. - -"It was just before the battle of Jutland," replied Brandon, "which, as -of course you know, was the biggest naval battle fought during the World -War. The German fleet had been tied up in their own home waters for -nearly two years, and hadn't ventured out to try conclusions with the -British fleet that was patrolling the North Seas. In fact, it began to -be thought that they never would come out. But at last the German naval -leaders determined to risk a battle. They made their preparations with -the greatest secrecy, because, their vessels not being as numerous as -those of the British, their only chance of success lay in catching a -part of the British fleet unawares before the rest of the fleet could -come to their rescue. - -"But the British naval authorities were on the alert. They had this -radio compass you were talking about developed to a high point of -efficiency and were able to listen in on the orders given by the German -commanders to their vessels. The Germans hadn't any idea that they could -be overheard and used their wireless signals freely. Now, you remember -that the battle took place on May thirty-first." - -They did not remember at all, but they nodded their heads and tried to -look as wise as possible. Jimmy especially had such an owlish expression -that the others could hardly keep from laughing. - -"On the night of May thirtieth," resumed Brandon, "the German flagship -wirelessed a lot of instructions that were heard at several places on -the British coast. These were compared and it was possible to ascertain -just where the flagship was stationed. The next morning the flagship -sent another lot of orders, that were also heard by the British. It was -then found that the flagship had moved seven miles down the river from -the station where she had been the night before. That showed that the -fleet was on the move. Instantly the British fleet was sent out to meet -them. So when the Germans came out to surprise the British, they found -that it was the other way around and it was they themselves that were -surprised. Well, you know the result. The German ships had to retreat to -their harbor, and they never came out again except to surrender after -the war was over. That was one way that radio helped to win the war." - -"Just as it helped our aviators," put in Joe. - -"Precisely," assented Mr. Brandon. "The Germans are usually pretty well -up in science, but we put it all over them in the matter of wireless -while the war was on." - - - - -CHAPTER X--OFF FOR THE SEA SHORE - - -"But valuable as the radio was in war," Brandon went on, "I believe it -is going to be still more valuable in the matter of maintaining peace. I -think, in fact, that it may do away with war altogether." - -"I don't quite get you," said Bob, with a puzzled air. - -"In this way," explained Brandon. "It's going to make all the people of -the world neighbors. And when people are neighbors they're usually more -or less friends. They have to a large extent the same interests and they -understand each other. - -"Now, most wars have been due to exclusiveness and misunderstandings. -Each nation has dwelt in its own borders, behind its own mountains or -its own rivers, and they've shut out of their minds and interests all -people outside of themselves. They've grown to think that a stranger -must necessarily be an enemy. Some little thing happens that makes them -mad and they're ready to fight. - -"But the radio is going to break down all these barriers of -exclusiveness and remove these misunderstandings. When people get to -talking together each finds that the other one isn't such a bad fellow -after all. When a man in Paris picks up his telephone and has a chat -with one man in England and then another man in Spain and still another -in Italy he finds that they are all human beings and very much like -himself. If he had the Englishman, the Spaniard, the Italian in his -office together, he'd probably invite them out to dinner and they'd all -have a good time. When the time comes that in every country in South -America men can tune in on the radio and listen to the inaugural address -of the President of the United States coming from his own lips, they'll -know that we have no unfriendly designs on their country and are only -anxious to see them happy and prosperous. We'll hear the same speeches, -we'll listen to the same concerts, and gradually we'll come to feel that -we're all neighbors. That's why I say that the radio may in the course -of time make all wars impossible, or at least very improbable." - -"It sounds reasonable," commented Bob. "I only hope that you're right." - -"I'm mighty glad that we happened to be in town when you dropped in to -see the doctor," said Joe. "A few days later and we'd all have been down -at Ocean Point for the summer." - -"Ocean Point!" exclaimed Mr. Brandon. "Is that where you boys are -going?" - -"Yes," replied Joe. "Our folks have a little colony down there, and we -go every summer. Why, do you know anything about the place?" - -"I should say I did!" replied Mr. Brandon, "I usually spend a week or -two at Ocean Point myself, and I have a cousin there who has charge of -the Ocean Point radio station. His name is Brandon Harvey. His first -name you see is the same as my last name." - -"Why, that's fine!" exclaimed Bob. - -"Radio seems to run in your family," said Herb, with a smile. - -"We'll look him up and introduce ourselves," said Joe. "We're all radio -fans, and that's a sort of freemasonry." - -"You'll find him a good fellow," said Brandon. "And I'm sure he'll be -glad to meet you. If I happen to get down there about the same time that -you do, I'll take you around and introduce you myself. You'll find that -what he doesn't know about radio isn't worth knowing. He can run rings -all around me." - -"He must be pretty good then," laughed Bob. "Though I don't believe it. -But it will be dandy if you are able to spend part of the summer with us -down there." - -"What time are you going?" asked Mr. Brandon. - -"Just as soon as school closes," answered Bob. "The closing exercises -are to be held next Wednesday, and we expect to get off the next day." - -"Not losing any time, are you?" smiled Brandon. "Well, I'll see how I -can fix it, and I shouldn't be surprised if you'd find me waiting for -you when you get there." - -They had reached the school gate by this time, and with cordial -farewells they separated. - -The next few days passed with great rapidity. The boys were busy in -preparing for the closing examinations, and even their beloved radio had -to be laid aside for a time. Bob and Joe had kept well up in their -classes and did not anticipate much trouble in passing, but Jimmy and -Herb had been more remiss, and it took many anxious nights and much -"boning" to prepare for the ordeal. - -However, they all got through, Bob and Joe with flying colors and Jimmy -and Herb with marks that were at least respectable. And it was a happy -group of boys who on the Wednesday afternoon that the school term came -to a close tossed their books up on the shelves, not to be disturbed -again until the fall. - -But there is apt to be a fly in the ointment, and the fly on this -occasion was the news that Jimmy passed on to his companions the night -before they left for Ocean Point. - -"Say, fellows, who do you think is going down to Ocean Point for the -summer besides our bunch?" he asked, almost out of breath with the haste -he had made to come over to the Laytons' house, where the friends were -seated on the porch enjoying the evening breeze after a hot day. - -"President of the United States, for all I know," answered Joe -flippantly, as he fanned himself with his cap. - -Jimmy glared at him. - -"It can't be the old Kaiser," said Herb. "Don't tell me, Doughnuts, that -it's the Kaiser." - -"Worse than that," answered Jimmy. "Buck Looker and his gang are going -to be there." - -There was a general straightening up of his astonished hearers. - -"What?" ejaculated Bob. "I'm knocked all in a heap!" - -"Say that again," demanded Joe. "Or, rather, don't say it again. Let me -think it's all a horrible dream." - -"Sure as shooting," affirmed Jimmy. "I was in Dave Slocum's store when -Mr. Looker came in to get some fishing tackle. He got to talking to -Dave, and told him that he was going to take his family down to Ocean -Point for the summer, and that Buck was going to take a couple of his -friends along with him. He didn't say who the friends were, but of -course we know it wouldn't be any one but Carl Lutz and Terry Mooney. In -fact, those are the only fellows he hangs out with. None of the decent -fellows in town will have anything to do with him. So what do you think -of that?" - -"Punk!" declared Joe. - -"It's a shame that we can't get rid of that gang even in vacation time," -said Bob. "Half the fun of getting through with school was the thought -that we wouldn't have to look on Buck's ugly face for a couple of -months." - -"It's lucky the air down at the Point is salt, or Buck would poison it," -remarked Herb disconsolately. "That fellow's a regular hoodoo." - -"Oh, well," Bob comforted himself, "we don't have to mix up with him, -anyway. He won't be living in our little separate colony, and our folks -and his never had anything to do with each other. It'll probably be only -once in a while when we have to come across him. And it's more than -likely that he'll steer clear of us, for he knows he's about as popular -with us as a rattlesnake at a picnic party." - -"If he tries any of his low-down tricks there won't be any Mr. Preston -to save him again from a licking," put in Joe. "But let's forget him and -think of something pleasant." - -The women of the party had gone that same day to the Point in order to -get everything ready for the coming of the boys and their sisters on the -morrow. The fathers were still in town, where business or profession -detained them. Their plan for the summer was to go down to the Point for -the week-ends only. - -Dr. Atwood, Joe's father, had taken his wife and the other women down to -the resort in his spacious car early in the morning. It was only a -pleasant spin of about forty miles, and after seeing them comfortably -settled, he had returned in order to take the boys and girls down on the -following day. - -He found on his return, however, that a friend of Herb Fennington's -sisters, Agnes and Amy, had arranged to take the girls down early that -evening. They had asked Rose Atwood to go down with them, so that left -only the radio boys to take the trip down the next day in the doctor's -car. - -And as the boys had to pack their suitcases and get their fishing tackle -and other sporting material together they stayed chatting only for a -little while on Bob's porch that evening and separated early. - -The next morning dawned gloriously and gave promise of a perfect day. -The doctor was on hand at about ten o'clock, and the boys bundled into -the car, full of the highest spirits and looking forward to a summer of -unalloyed fun and sport. - -The doctor himself drove, and the car, under his skilful handling, made -rapid time along the beautiful roads. The boys joked and laughed and -sang and enjoyed themselves to the full. They were like so many frisky -colts let out to pasture. - -As they passed through the little town of Lisburn they saw a young girl -watering the flowers in the garden of one of the houses. Bob's keen eye -detected and recognized her at once. - -"It's Miss Berwick!" he cried. "Doctor, would you mind stopping here a -minute?" - -"Certainly I'll stop," replied the doctor, with a smile, and slowed down -immediately. "Take all the time you want." - -Bob and Joe jumped out and ran to the gate. The girl looked at them for -a moment and then with a glad cry came hurrying toward them. - -"How glad I am to see you," she cried, extending both hands in welcome. -"Come into the house." - -"Thank you," answered Bob. "We'd like to, but we're with a party and can -stay only a minute. But we had to stop to say how do you do and ask you -how everything was going with you." - -"Couldn't be better," she answered, with a smile. "I've got my health -back completely. And I have my house, and my mind's at rest, thanks to -you two boys. I'll never forget what you did for me in rescuing me from -that wrecked auto and then later in getting that mortgage back from the -man who was trying to cheat me." - -"Oh, what we did was nothing much, and anybody else would have done the -same thing," disclaimed Bob. "But tell us about that rascal, Dan Cassey. -Have you seen or heard anything about him?" - -"Only once," replied Miss Berwick. "He came back to this vicinity to -wind up his affairs and get out. I met him one day on the road when no -one else was about. I was going to pass him without speaking, for I -dread the man almost as much as I despise him, but he planted himself in -my way and went on dreadfully about you boys. Said he was going to fix -you for butting into his affairs--those were the words he used. Some one -came in sight just then and he passed on. But what he said has worried -me. I do hope you boys will keep on your guard against him. I'd feel -dreadful if anything happened to you for being so good to me." - -"Don't worry about us," Bob adjured her. "We're able to take care of -ourselves." - -"Did he stutter as much as usual?" asked Joe, with a grin. - -"Worse, if anything," Miss Berwick answered. "He had to whistle to go -on." - -They all laughed, and after a moment more of conversation and repeated -warnings from the girl to be careful, the boys said good-bye and went to -the car. She waved to them until the car was out of sight. - -The doctor put on a little extra speed to make up for the delay, and the -car purred along the road until finally Ocean Point came in sight. A cry -of delight broke from the boys as they saw the ocean stretched out -before them, that shimmering, sunlit ocean that seemed so friendly now, -but whose menace and danger they were soon to feel. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--A LONG SWIM - - -"Ocean Point strikes me as being just all right," said Bob, as he -stretched out luxuriously in one of the comfortable chairs on the shady -porch. - -"Right you are," agreed Joe, heartily. "We ought to acquire a coat of -sunburn here that will last over the winter and into next spring." - -"It wouldn't take long out in that sun to get cooked nice and brown on -both sides," said Bob. "It's going to be hot work putting up the -aerials." - -"Yes, but the best of it is that, no matter how hot you get, you can -always cool off again in jig time by taking a dive in the ocean," said -Joe. "And that's what I'm going to do pretty soon, too." - -"You won't have to go alone, I can promise you that," said Jimmy. "I -don't want to go in before we get the antenna strung up, though, because -when I once do get there, I shan't want to come out in a hurry." - -"You'll come out soon enough, Doughnuts, when you find a big shark -chasing you," said Herb, with a sly wink at the others. "I've been told -that there's a big man-eating shark around here that's just lying in -wait for somebody to come in and furnish a nice dinner for him." - -"Shark, nothing!" exclaimed Jimmy. "Anyway, if there were sharks around -here, they'd be just as apt to eat you or Bob or Joe as they would be to -go after me." - -"Not a bit of it," said Herb seriously. "This shark I'm telling you -about doesn't care for any one but very fat people. That's what makes me -think it would be dangerous for you to go in." - -"Well, I don't know that I can blame the shark for preferring me to -you," said Jimmy, refusing, with the wisdom born of long experience, to -take Herb's story seriously. "If the shark swallowed you, I'll bet he'd -die of indigestion afterwards." - -"All right, then, do as you please, but don't say I didn't warn you," -said Herb resignedly. "You don't get much gratitude for trying to do -people favors anyway, I've found." - -"If you fellows put as much energy into getting that aerial strung as -you do in chinning with each other, we'd be receiving messages by now," -said Bob, laughing. "Let's get busy and get things fixed up, and then -we'll go down and see if there's any sign of that shark friend of -Herb's." - -The radio boys all agreed to this, and without further delay took up the -business of stringing the antenna. They had brought two masts with them, -and these they proceeded to mount on the roofs of the two bungalows -occupied by the Laytons and the Atwoods. These were so situated that the -umbrella antenna ran directly over the community living room, thus -giving an ideal condition for sending, as the boys intended to set up -their apparatus in the big living room, so that everybody in the little -colony could get the benefit of the nightly concerts and news bulletins -sent out by the big broadcasting stations. - -As the radio boys had surmised, getting up the aerial was a blisteringly -hot job, and before they had been at it many minutes the perspiration -was running off them in streams. They kept doggedly at it, however, and -at last the final turn-buckle had been tightened up, and everything -looked taut and shipshape. - -"There!" exclaimed Bob, looking with satisfaction at the result of their -labors. "I guess it will take a pretty strong gale to knock that outfit -over." - -"A cyclone, you mean," said Joe. "I don't think anything short of that -would even bother it." - -"Well, we'll hope not," said Bob. "Who's going for a swim? It would take -a whole school of sharks to keep me out of the water now." - -The others were of the same mind, and it did not take them long to jump -into their bathing suits and make a dash for the white beach. A gentle -surf was breaking with a cool, splashing rumble that seemed almost like -an invitation to come in and get cool. The boys were not long in -accepting it, and dashed in with shouts and laughter. They were all good -swimmers, and they gave themselves up to the delight of breasting the -incoming breakers, rising and falling with the slow heave and swell of -the cool, green ocean. Puffing and blowing, flinging the spray from -their eyes, they passed beyond the surf, and then slowed down, just -exerting themselves enough to keep their heads above water. - -"Wow!" exclaimed Jimmy. "This is the life, eh, fellows?" - -"I'll say so!" agreed Bob. "Where's that shark of yours, Herb?" - -"Oh, I suppose he's away visiting some friends of his," said Herb. "But -if you wait around long enough, we'll probably see him. Just have a -little patience, can't you?" - -"All the patience in the world," laughed Joe. "I don't really care how -long he stays away, myself." - -"He couldn't catch me if he did come around," boasted Jimmy. "I'll bet -none of you hobos can catch me, anyway," and he was off in a smother of -foam. - -This was a challenge not to be overlooked, and the rest were after him -like hounds after a fox. Jimmy soon found it an impossibility to make -good his boast, and before he had gone fifty yards he was overhauled by -Bob, and then by Joe. Herb did his best for a while, but soon decided -that it was more trouble than it was worth, and turned over on his back -and floated instead. - -"Why, you couldn't beat a lame crab, Doughnuts," chaffed Bob, as they -all slowed up to get their wind. "I thought from the way you talked that -you were the boy wonder of the world." - -"Oh, I don't care. I made you fellows work hard, anyway," panted Jimmy, -puffing out a mouthful of water that he had inadvertently shipped. "This -is one place where I can exercise without getting overheated, anyway." - -"No danger of that," said Joe. "I'm about ready to go in for a while. -How about you fellows?" - -"Guess it might be a good idea," said Bob. "We're out further than I -thought, as it is." - -In fact, when the boys looked toward the shore, it did look a long -distance away. But they swam in easily, with long, easy strokes, -reveling in the clean tang of the salt water and the joy of the -brilliant sun on their faces as they clove through the sparkling waves. -Before long they had reached the outer line of gentle combers, and let -themselves be carried shoreward in a rush and swirl of white foam. A -little further, and they felt the hard sand of the beach, and got on -their feet, somewhat winded, but intoxicated with the joy and sense of -glorious well being that comes of salt spray, glinting sun, and salty -breeze. - -"That was the greatest ever!" exclaimed Bob, flinging himself down in -the soft, hot sand. "Fresh water is all right, but give me old ocean for -real sport." - -Each boy burrowed out a comfortable nest in the sand, which felt very -warm and grateful after the cold sea water. But it was not very long -before the sun began to make itself felt, and pretty soon their bathing -suits were steaming. - -"Say!" exclaimed Jimmy, at length, scrambling to his feet, "it's me for -the water again. I can begin to feel my skin drying up and getting nice -and crispy. Who's game for another swim?" - -It appeared that they all were, and with shouts and laughter they once -more dashed into the surf. They did not stay in so long this time, -however, as it was drawing on toward evening, and they all had ravenous -appetites that told them it must be nearly supper time. - -Jimmy was the first to put this thought into words. - -"I feel as though I hadn't eaten anything in days," he remarked. "I've -often heard that salt water was a great thing to give a person an -appetite, and now I know it." - -"Yes, but I don't believe that you have to come all the way to Ocean -Point, Doughnuts, to get one," said Herb. "I don't see how you could -very well eat more than you do when you're in Clintonia." - -"Huh! I don't suppose you feel hungry at all, do you?" asked Jimmy. - -"Well, I must admit I feel as though I could punish a pretty square -meal," said Herb. "But if I were as fat as some people I know, I'd be -ashamed to talk about eating, even." - -"Maybe if I floated around on my back while I'm in the water, instead of -really swimming, I wouldn't feel so hungry, either," said Jimmy -scathingly, and this turned the laugh on Herb. - -"He's got you there, Herb," said Bob. "If you keep on you'll be getting -fat yourself. If you ever do, you'll be out of luck, because Jimmy will -never get through pestering you about it." - -"I guess I won't have to worry about that for a while yet," said Herb. -"It will take me a good many years to catch up with Jimmy." - -"Don't you worry about me," said that aggrieved individual. "I don't -worry about you just because you look like an animated clothespin, do -I?" - -Herb was still trying to think up some fitting reply to this when his -meditations were cut short by their arrival at the little bungalow -colony. - -There were several small bungalows grouped about one much larger one. -This latter contained a large dining and living room and a kitchen big -enough to supply the needs of all the families residing in the smaller -buildings. It was in this large central living room that the boys had -started to set up their radio apparatus when the lure of the ocean had -tempted them away. - -They returned none too soon, for the evening meal was ready, but, as Joe -remarked, "It was no more ready than they were." They did all the good -things ample justice, and then went out on the wide veranda to rest and -allow digestion to take its course. - -"We ought to be able to get the set working this evening," remarked Bob, -as they sat looking out over the sand, with the boom of the surf in -their ears, "provided, of course, we all feel energetic enough to tackle -it." - -"Well, I'm willing to take a fling at it a little later," said Joe. "But -just at present I don't feel strong enough even to handle a screw -driver." - -"I'll bet Jimmy's crazy to get to work, anyway," said Bob. "How about -it, old energetic?" - -But the only answer was a gentle snore from Jimmy's direction, and -everybody laughed. - -"Guess that swim has tired him out," said Joe. "Swimming in salt water -always seems to leave you mighty lazy afterward." - -"You boys must be more careful when you go swimming, and not go out so -far from shore," said Mrs. Atwood, Joe's mother. "This afternoon I was -watching you from the porch, and it seemed to me you went for a dreadful -distance before you started back." - -"Oh, that's two-thirds of the fun of swimming, Mother," said Joe. -"There's no use in puttering around close to shore. What's the use in -knowing how to swim, if you do that?" - -"We keep pretty close together, anyway," Bob added. "So if one should -get tired, the others could help him in." - -"Yes, I know," said Mrs. Atwood. "But just the same, I wish you'd be -careful." - -The boys promised that they would, and then, feeling somewhat rested, -they woke Jimmy, after some difficulty, and went inside to rig up their -receiving set. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE RADIO STATION - - -"Just when I was having a swell nap, too," complained Jimmy. "Somebody's -always taking the joy out of life." - -"Never mind about that now, Doughnuts," said Bob. "Just grab hold of a -screw driver and open some of these boxes. There's nothing like a little -exercise to drive the sleep out of your eyes." - -"You'll find sympathy in the dictionary, Jimmy," said Joe heartlessly. - -"Yes, and that's about the only place I will find it around here," said -Jimmy. "But give me the screw driver. Somebody's got to do all the hard -work, and I suppose I'm elected, as usual." - -In spite of his grumbling, he worked faithfully, and soon had the lids -off a number of mysterious looking boxes, from which the boys got out -much complicated looking apparatus. They had brought Bob's set, the one -that had been awarded the big prize the previous spring, and Bob handled -this lovingly. - -All the radio boys worked with a will, and the way in which the various -apparently unrelated parts became connected up into a compact and highly -efficient receiving station was surprising. After two hours of steady -work they had the set in condition to test. - -"I don't think we've forgotten anything," said Bob, carefully going over -the various connections. "Everything looks all right to me, so here goes -to test it out." - -And sure enough, it was not long before they heard the familiar call of -the big Newark broadcasting station and were listening to a big band -perform in stirring style. - -"That sounds familiar," said Joe, as the band finished its selection -with a flourish. "It doesn't seem to be any different than when we were -in Clintonia, even though we're considerably further away from the -sending station." - -"I guess a few miles don't make much difference to old man Electricity," -said Herb. - -"It wouldn't make any difference to me, if I could travel as fast as he -does," grinned Jimmy. - -"You've got to train down a good deal before you can do that," remarked -Herb. - -"Well, I guess my chances of traveling one hundred and eighty six -thousand miles per second are about as good as yours, anyway." retorted -Jimmy. - -"Who's talking about traveling at such extremely high rates of speed?" -asked a voice behind them that they all recognized. Turning, they saw -Frank Brandon, the government radio inspector who had been of so much -assistance to them a few months before in locating the scoundrel, Dan -Cassey. - -"Glad to see you. Sit down and make yourself at home," they chorused, -and almost before he knew it the radio inspector found himself seated in -the most comfortable chair with a set of earphones over his head. - -"You see, I haven't lost any time coming to see you, as I promised," he -remarked. "I spoke to my cousin, Brandon Harvey, about you fellows, and -he said to bring you up to the big station any time you wanted to go, -and he'd show you all around it." - -"That's fine!" exclaimed Bob. "That's what we've all been wanting to see -for a long time. I think we'll take your cousin at his word and land -down on him to-morrow. How about it, fellows?" - -This met with the enthusiastic approval of all the radio boys, so it was -settled that they should go to the big station early the following day, -where Frank Brandon would be waiting for them and would introduce them -to his cousin. - -Accordingly, they set out the next day immediately after breakfast. The -station was located something over a mile from the bungalow colony, but -it was a beautiful day, and the walk seemed like nothing to the boys. -The antenna of the station covered a large tract of land, and the -station was capable of sending and receiving messages of almost any wave -length. The station itself was a snug-looking building, ample enough to -accommodate all the apparatus, and provide comfortable sleeping quarters -for the operators as well. - -As the boys approached this building they could see their friend, the -inspector, sitting on the porch. When he caught sight of the boys he -rose and stood waiting for them. - -"You're earlier than I expected you," he said. "You must have set the -alarm clock away ahead." - -"No, not that. But we had a hunch that there would be a lot to see, and -we thought the earlier we started the better it would be," said Bob. -"Besides, we didn't want to keep you waiting." - -"I've only been here a few minutes myself," replied Brandon. "Come -inside, and I'll introduce you to my cousin. He's even more of a radio -fan than I am." - -The boys followed him into a large, well-lighted room that seemed -literally packed with electrical apparatus. Switchboards, dials and -various recording instruments lined the walls, while in one corner stood -a glittering high frequency alternator. Seated at a table covered with -wires was a young fellow of about Brandon's own age, who looked enough -like him to proclaim their relationship. - -At the time the radio boys entered he was receiving some message, but as -soon as he had finished he took the headphones off and turned to greet -his visitors. - -He and the boys were introduced, and their common interest in radio work -made them all feel like old friends in a short time. - -"I suppose you fellows want to see all there is to see," said Brandon -Harvey, after they had chatted on general subjects a few minutes. "We -have a pretty complete layout here, and I'll be glad to show you around -and tell you all I can about it." - -The boys were not slow to avail themselves of this offer. The radio -inspector volunteered to substitute for his cousin while the latter was -busy with the boys, which left Mr. Harvey free to explain the -bewildering details of the plant to his guests. - -"I wouldn't take this much trouble with everybody," he said. "But Frank -tells me that you fellows are so interested in the subject and have -studied it up so much that you'll be able to understand what I show you. -Lots of people come in here that know absolutely nothing about -radiophony, and expect me to explain the whole science to them while -they wait." - -"They'd have to wait a long while," grinned the irrepressible Jimmy. -"I've just about learned enough about it to know I don't know anything, -if you understand what I mean." - -"I get you, all right," returned Harvey, with a smile. "I've worked at -it a long time myself, but as it is I can hardly keep up with all the -new developments. There seems to be something new discovered every day." - -All that morning he took the boys about the plant, showing and -explaining the various instruments. Some of these the boys were familiar -with, while others were entirely new to them. But by dint of asking many -questions, which were answered with great patience by the wireless man, -they obtained a reasonably clear idea of the functions of the various -parts and their relations to each other, and when they finally departed -they felt that they had learned a great deal. Harvey even allowed them -to "listen in" to messages arriving from big ships hundreds of miles out -at sea. - -"Well, we've had a wonderful morning and learned a lot, but I guess we -must have tired you out, Mr. Harvey," said Bob, as the boys were taking -their leave. - -"Not a bit of it," denied the radio man. "I'll be glad to see you any -time you want to drop in. Lots of times there isn't much coming in, and -it gets pretty lonely around here." - -"You can bet we'll be only too glad to come," said Bob, and the boys -left with many expressions of friendliness on both sides. - -"We're in luck to be located so near this station and to be friends with -one of the operators," said Joe, as the boys started homeward. - -"We surely are!" agreed Bob. "I know I feel as though I'd learned a good -deal this morning, and I guess you fellows do, too." - -"Mr. Harvey is certainly a prince," declared Jimmy enthusiastically. "He -answers questions without making you feel as though you were a natural -born fool for having asked them, the way some teachers I know do." - -"Yes, we'll have to take advantage of Mr. Harvey's invitation and visit -him often while we're down here," said Bob. "He even promised that he'd -give me lessons in sending when he had time." - -"Good enough!" exclaimed Joe. "It's lots of fun receiving, but that's -only half the game. We ought to be able to send, too." - -"If you like, we'll study up on the code a little this evening," said -Bob. "I brought the book with me. We've already got so much from it that -we ought to be able now to finish up." - -"I agree to that," said Joe, and so that was settled. - -"How quiet the ocean is to-day," remarked Herb, as they noted how little -surf there was and how lazily the waves were breaking on the beach. - -"You wouldn't think there was anything cruel about it to look at it -now," said Jimmy. "And yet we know that it is about the most cruel thing -in the world." - -"It's taken millions of lives without the least thought of mercy," put -in Bob thoughtfully. "To-day it's like a tiger asleep. But it's a tiger -just the same, and when it wakes up--then look out!" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--EXCITING SPORTS - - -By this time the boys were almost home, and their pace was accelerated -as they drew nearby the sound of a musical and welcome dinner bell. In -fact, walking seemed entirely too slow under the circumstances, and the -last hundred yards was covered in close to record time. - -"I was beginning to think something dreadful had happened to you," said -Mrs. Layton, as they dashed panting up on the porch. "Was the wireless -station so interesting, then?" - -"I should say it was!" said Bob, answering for all of them. "We'll tell -you all about it while we're eating lunch." - -This was not so easy to do, however, as the feminine portion of the -family had not the interest in wireless possessed by the boys. - -"Instead of going to that old wireless station, why don't you boys go -and catch some crabs for us once in a while?" queried Rose, Joe's -sister. - -"We've heard that there are lots of them in that inlet back of the -beach, and I don't see why you couldn't catch some just as well as not." - -"Girls do have good ideas once in a while, don't they?" said Joe. "What -do you say to going crabbing this afternoon?" - -"Great!" his chums exclaimed, and resolved to start on the expedition -immediately after lunch. In anticipation of this, the grown-ups had -brought crab nets with them, so it only remained to secure some chunks -of meat as bait, and the boys were off to the beach intent on reducing -the number of the crab population. Rose Atwood and Agnes and Amy -Fennington had been invited to go, too, but had refused on the ground -that while they liked crabs after they were cooked, they did not like -them while they were alive. - -"Don't know that I blame them much," said Jimmy, commenting on this. "A -crab is a mean customer, and can give you a bad nip from those big claws -of his." - -"The idea is not to let him get close enough to do it," said Herb. - -"I know that's the idea, all right," said Jimmie. "But sometimes it -doesn't work out." - -"We don't have to worry about that yet," said Bob. "Chances are we won't -see a crab all afternoon. It usually happens that way, it seems to me." - -But contrary to this prophecy the boys saw many crabs. There was a wide, -shallow inlet where the ocean had worked a way in back of the beach for -a considerable distance. At high tide the water here was several feet -deep, but at low tide it was anywhere from six inches to a foot. Many -crabs were washed in here with the tide, and remained after the tide had -gone out. They had a way of hiding under bunches of seaweed, and when -dislodged would go scuttling away along the sandy bottom for dear life. -It looked easy to drop the crab net over one of these awkward creatures, -but the boys soon discovered that it was more difficult than it -appeared. The crustaceans exhibited a surprising nimbleness, and in -addition, when they were in imminent danger of being captured, had a -trick of suddenly changing their course and darting toward their -pursuers with claws waving and giving every evidence of being willing -and able to do battle. - -The boys were in their bathing suits, and as they waded barefooted -through the shallow water, they found the sport more exciting than they -had anticipated. - -"Gee!" exclaimed Jimmy, making a wild dash for shore, after a sudden but -futile sweep of his net into the water. "That fellow was after my toes -as though he meant business. I'd about as soon tackle a cage full of -wild tigers as these man-eating crabs." - -"Stick to it, Jimmy," said Bob, as he deftly scooped up a struggling -crab in his net. "At the worst you'll only lose a leg or two." - -"Yes, and what's that to the pleasure of having nice fresh crabs for -dinner to-night?" said Herb. "You don't go at it in the right spirit, -Doughnuts. Just watch--yeow! ouch!" he ended, with a yell, and kicked -out wildly with one foot, to which a crab, a determined and stubborn -crab, was clinging. - -Joe, who was nearest, lashed at the clinging crustacean with his net, -and caught the creature fairly in the middle with the iron frame. The -crab dropped back into the water, and Herbert dashed to the safety of -the beach. - -"Oh, my poor foot!" he groaned. "I'll bet that confounded crab could -pinch the propeller off a battleship." - -"Oh, don't mind a little thing like that," said Jimmy vengefully. "Just -think of the nice crabs you'll have for dinner to-night, and it won't -hurt any more." - -"Oh, shut up!" exclaimed Herb, for Bob and Joe, while they were sorry -for him, could not help laughing at his woebegone appearance. "It won't -be as much fun when one of you gets nipped." - -"I get out before they have a chance to catch me," said Jimmy. - -"Well, you'd better get in again, and do some catching yourself," said -Joe. "Bob and I aren't going to catch them for the whole bunch. Just -make a swipe at them with the net as soon as you see them. Don't chase -along after them first, because then they know you're after them, and -they turn and go for you." - -Herbert was rather doubtful about venturing back into the water. But he -knew the others would never get through chaffing him if he did not; so, -after nursing his injured foot awhile, he ventured in. Following Joe's -advice, he escaped further accident, and at the end of a couple of hours -the boys had enough crabs in their baskets to supply the whole four -families. - -"It seems to me there must be an especially wicked and scrappy lot of -crabs in this neighborhood," said Bob. "Just look at them in the basket. -They're fighting each other just as though they enjoyed it." - -"Probably they do," said Jimmy. "A crab is foolish enough to like -anything." - -"They remind me of Buck Looker and his gang," said Herb, laughing. -"They're always on the lookout for trouble, and they usually get the -worst of it when trouble comes along." - -"Yes, but these fellows are real scrappers, while Buck is just a big -bully," said Bob. "I wonder if they've come to Ocean Point yet. I -suppose if they had, we'd have seen something of them." - -"Oh, I suppose they'll come pestering around as soon as they get here," -said Joe. "But if they do, I guess we'll be able to take care of them." - -"We'll do our best, anyway," said Bob. "They're still sore about the way -we broke into their shack after they'd stolen Jimmy's wireless outfit." - -"It only served them right," said Jimmy. "I think we let them off pretty -easily that time. Next time we'd better rub it in a little harder." - -"Well, don't let's spoil a perfect day by thinking about that crowd," -said Joe, shouldering the basket of crabs. "I'll carry this until my -back begins to break, and then somebody else can have a chance at it." - -"That's fair enough," assented Bob, and the boys started for home, well -pleased with the result of their expedition. There were so many jokes -bandied back and forth that Joe forgot all about the weight of the -basket, and it was only when he threw his load down on the porch that he -remembered that none of the others had done his share. And by that time -it was of no use to protest. - -"Well!" exclaimed Rose, when she saw the laden basket, "old Izaak Walton -didn't have anything on you. I never had any idea that you'd catch as -many as that. To tell the truth, the honest truth, I didn't think you'd -catch any." - -"That's all the confidence my sister has in me, you see," said Joe, with -a resigned air. - -"They're all alike," said Herb. "They none of them really appreciate -what a blessing it is to have a brother." - -"We do appreciate it once in a while," returned Agnes. "Especially when -they work up energy enough to go and catch some nice fat crabs. I just -dote on crab salad." - -"If you only knew how close your brother came to losing his foot on -account of those same crabs, you'd feel sorry for him," said Bob, with a -mischievous grin. - -"Oh, do tell us about it," said Amy. "What happened, Herb?" - -"Aw, why can't you keep quiet about that, Bob?" protested Herb. - -But the girls were not to be put off so easily, and had to be told the -story of Herb's defeat at the claws, as it were, of one small crab. - -"Well, I don't care," he said, goaded by the laughter of the girls, -"I'll get even by eating as many of those animals as I can, and maybe -one of them will be the one that bit me." - -"It won't do any harm to think so," said Bob. "I hated to tell on you, -Herb, but that story was too good to keep." - -"All right! I'll get even with you some day," threatened Herb. "It's -just your confounded luck that you didn't get nipped instead of me." - -"Oh, well, it's all in the day's fun," said Bob. "I'll bet these fellows -will taste so good we'll forget about the trouble we had while we were -catching them." - -This prophecy was fully justified that evening when the unfortunate -crabs disappeared as if by magic. - -"We'll have to try this again some day soon," said Bob. "I never knew a -crab could taste so good." - -They all agreed to this, and were still discussing the afternoon's fun -when they heard a familiar voice on the porch, and a moment later Dr. -Amory Dale walked into the room. They all sprang to their feet and gave -him a hearty welcome. - -He told them all the local news of Clintonia, and then broached the real -object of his visit. He had conceived the idea of making up a party -consisting only of the adults and taking a tour through the South, -taking in Washington and other of the larger Southern cities. As -outlined by him, the party was to go by rail, and return by steamer from -Norfolk, Virginia, to Boston. - -"Mrs. Dale has not been well recently," he concluded, "and, as the -doctor has ordered a change of scene for her, I thought it would be nice -to get a small party of friends and all take the trip together. What do -you think of the proposition?" - -All the adult members of the party received the idea with approbation, -although for one reason or another some of them feared that they would -be unable to go. Their objections were argued away by Doctor Dale, -however, and before the evening was over Mr. and Mrs. Layton, Mrs. -Plummer, and Mrs. Atwood had promised to make the trip. Rose begged so -hard to go that finally she, too, was included. The rest of the evening -was taken up by excited discussion of the proposed trip. Dr. Dale was -urged to stay all night, and finally, as it was getting late, he agreed. -He found time to question the boys about their trip to the big wireless -station, and they told him enthusiastically all about it. The evening -passed so quickly that they were all surprised to find that it was -considerably past their usual bedtime, and it was a tired but happy -quartette of lads that finally said "good-night" and left the older -people to complete the plans of their forthcoming trip. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--FUN IN THE SURF - - -The next morning the boys learned that the tourists had decided to leave -on the following day. Mrs. Fennington, Herbert's mother, had decided to -stay at Ocean Point and "take care of the boys and her girls," she said. -All that day there was great excitement and bustle of packing, and by -evening all was ready for the tourists' departure. Everybody went to bed -early that evening, as they intended to get the early train to -Clintonia, whence they were to go direct to Washington. - -Everything went according to schedule, the boys going down to the -station with their parents to see them off. Many were the injunctions -laid on the boys to "be careful" and "not to swim out too far." This was -duly promised, although the boys prudently forebore to say just what -they considered "too far." Anything less than a mile was all right, as -they figured it. - -At last the train pulled out, and after it was lost to view around a -curve the boys took their way rather more quietly than usual back to the -bungalows, which seemed to them to wear a rather forlorn and deserted -air. But their usual good spirits soon asserted themselves, and they -began to plan what they should do for the rest of the day. - -"It's a swell day for a swim," said Bob. "Let's jump into our bathing -suits and fool the hot weather." - -"I'll never say no to a swim," said Jimmy. "It seems to me that all I do -all summer is melt and sizzle except when I can get into the ocean. -That's about the only time I feel comfortable." - -"A swim it is, then," said Joe. "And the last one down to the beach gets -thrown in by the others." - -There was a mad scramble as the boys rushed into their respective -bungalows and changed from regular clothes to bathing suits. Articles of -clothing flew in every direction, and in an incredibly short space of -time Joe emerged, followed closely by Bob, and they set off at an easy -pace for the beach, looking backward from time to time to see if the -others were coming. Jimmy was the next to emerge, and he started off -with head down and hands and feet flying, evidently determined not to be -the last this time. - -But he had hardly started when Herbert came bursting out of the door and -made after his corpulent friend. But Jimmy had gained quite a lead, and -it was hard to predict which would be the last to the beach and -therefore subject to a thorough ducking at the hands of his friends. - -Bob and Joe were so far in the lead that they were in no danger, and -they enjoyed the race between Jimmy and Herb immensely. - -"They say an elephant can run fast, and Jimmy's just like one," said -Joe. "He's certainly putting his heart into it. Which do you think will -win, Bob?" - -"It's hard to tell," laughed Bob. "But if Jimmy loses he'll be so hot -that he won't mind being ducked, so it will be all right anyway." - -They were all close to the beach now and Herb was fast catching up with -Jimmy, who was making heavy weather of it in the deep sand. Herb kept -gaining. He was not three feet back of Jimmy when suddenly the latter -stumbled and fell. Herb was so close to him that he had no time to stop -or swerve, and he tripped over his prostrate companion and went -sprawling. Like a flash Jimmy was on his feet again, and before Herb -could recover from his fall and get started again, Jimmy had reached the -edge of the water, where Bob and Joe were already waiting. - -Herb came along a few seconds later, primed for an argument. - -"You tripped me up on purpose, Jimmy," he accused, when he could get his -breath. "That was nothing but a trick." - -"You bet it was a trick, and a mighty good one, too," said Jimmy. "It -saved me a ducking, anyway. You'd better get ready to take your -medicine." - -"Jimmy's right," ruled Bob. "Come on, fellows." - -With one accord the other three rushed on the unfortunate Herb, cutting -short his vehement protests. Seizing him by the hands and feet, they -lugged him out until the water was three feet or so deep, and then, -swinging him back and forth a few times like a pendulum, they threw him -with a resounding splash into the crest of an incoming breaker. - -Herb struggled to the surface in a few seconds, puffing and sputtering. - -"Aw, I don't care!" he shouted. "I was going in anyway, so you just -saved me the trouble of walking in. So long! I'm going to swim to -Boston!" - -But he did not get very far on this extended journey, for the surf was -so high that day that the boys were content to spend their time diving -into the big combers and letting themselves be carried shoreward by the -big waves. After they had had enough of this, they went up on the beach -and played ball with a cork surf ball that Bob had brought with him. - -"This beats digging away in school, by a long sight," said Jimmy. "Next -winter when we're working away like real good boys, we can think of this -and wish we were back here." - -"Not on your life!" said Joe. "This place is very nifty now, but there's -nothing more cold looking than a beach in winter." - -"Oh, well, you know what I mean, you big prune," said Jimmy. "We'll wish -it were summer and we were back here. It's just as easy to wish for two -things as it is for one." - -"Who's a big prune?" demanded Joe. "Did you hear that insult, Bob? What -shall I do to him?" - -"Make him lie down in the sand and roll over," replied Bob, grinning. -"You can't let him call you a prune, even if you are one." - -"That's what I'll make him do," said Joe, ignoring this last thrust, and -he went after Jimmy. - -But that individual did not wait his coming, but meekly lay down on the -sand and rolled over in most approved fashion. - -"Want me to do it again?" he asked Joe. "Anything to make you happy, you -know." - -"Once is enough," said Joe. "That means that you're sorry and apologize, -you know." - -"Like fun it does!" said Jimmy. "I just did that because it was less -trouble than throwing you into the drink, and, besides, I was afraid of -hurting you." - -"Oh, I see," said Joe. "But don't let that stop you, Doughnuts. I'll -take a chance of getting hurt." - -"No, I guess I'll stay here," said Jimmy, gazing placidly up at the blue -sky. "Please don't bother me any more. Make him stop bothering me, Bob." - -Joe picked up a double handful of heavy wet sand and dropped it squarely -on Jimmy's rotund body. - -"Let's see you make me stop, Bob," he called, as Jimmy emitted an -outraged howl. - -Bob was not slow to accept the challenge, and made a flying leap for -Joe. The sand flew as they wrestled back and forth, each one striving to -throw the other. Finally both went down with a thud, and Bob managed to -land on top. Laughing, the two friends scrambled to their feet and dug -the sand out of their eyes and ears. - -"Thanks, Bob," said Jimmy. "You landed on him almost as hard as that -sand landed on me, so we're quits. Before anything else happens to me, -I'm going home and get something to eat, so as to have strength to stand -it. You fellows may not know it's pretty near dinner time, but I do." - -Thus reminded, all the boys suddenly discovered that they were hungry, -and they started for home, after taking one more dip to wash the sand -off. - -"Do you know," said Bob, as they started off, "Mr. Harvey told me the -other day that we could borrow his motor boat any time we wanted it and -he wasn't going to use it? What do you say if we try and get it -to-morrow and take a little cruise?" - -This proposal met with instant favor, and that evening the boys planned -to leave immediately after breakfast the next morning and try to borrow -the motor boat from their new friend at the radio station. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--SKIMMING THE WAVES - - -The next morning dawned without a cloud in the sky, and the boys were so -anxious to get started that they could hardly take breakfast. Crisp -brown bacon and fried eggs are not to be lightly ignored, however, and -they managed to eat a pretty hearty meal, starting on their expedition -immediately afterward. - -"We couldn't have picked out a better day if we'd planned for a week -ahead of time," observed Joe. "If we can only get that boat now, -everything will be fine and dandy." - -"I think we'll be able to get it, all right," said Bob. "The only thing -that can stop us is the chance that Mr. Harvey will want to use it -himself, and even then, likely enough, he'd take us along." - -"Well, there's no use worrying about it till we get there," said Jimmy -philosophically. "Even if we can't get it, I guess we'll be able to -survive the shock." - -But when they arrived at the big station they found their misgivings had -been groundless. Mr. Harvey seemed very glad to see them, and when they -asked him about the motor boat he told them to "go as far as they -liked." - -"I'm pretty busy here these days, and don't have much time to use it -myself," said the radio man. "You boys will be welcome to the use of it -to-day, or any other time. It seems a shame for it to be lying idle a -day like this." - -"Well, if you'll show us where you keep it, we'll see that it gets a -little exercise," said Bob. - -"Sure thing," said the wireless man. "Come along." - -He led the boys a short distance from the station to a narrow inlet that -ran back from the ocean. At the head of this inlet was a snug little -boathouse which Brandon Harvey unlocked. - -"There she is," he said, a note of pride in his; voice. "What do you -think of her?" - -"She's a little beauty!" exclaimed Bob. "That's a mighty nifty boat, Mr. -Harvey." - -The others were equally unqualified in their praise, because the boat -was a beautiful model, twenty-five feet long, with a snug little hunting -cabin built up forward. It had a sturdy four cylinder engine, and -everything looked to be in perfect order. - -Mr. Harvey was evidently pleased by their appreciation of his pet, and -pointed out some of the boat's good qualities. - -"She's as staunch as they make 'em," he said. "She's a mighty seaworthy -and dependable little craft. I think you'll find plenty of gasoline in -the tank, so you won't have to worry about anything. I only wish I could -go with you." - -"I wish you could," said Bob. "But we'll take the best of care of it, -and we'll be back before dark. We'll not go far, anyway." - -"Well, enjoy yourselves," said Brandon Harvey. "Can you get the engine -started all right?" - -For answer Bob gave the flywheel a twirl, and the engine started upon -the first revolution. Joe took the wheel, while Bob acted as engineer. -They backed carefully out of the boathouse, and then shifted into -forward speed and proceeded slowly down the creek toward the bay, the -engine throttled down until one could almost count the explosions, and -yet running sweetly and steadily, without a miss. - -"Say, this engine is a bird!" said Bob enthusiastically. "Just make out -I wouldn't like to own a boat like this!" - -"Who wouldn't?" asked Joe. "It's about the neatest boat of its size I -ever saw. I'll bet it can go some if you want it to, too." - -"We'll, you know Mr. Harvey told us it could make twenty-five miles an -hour, and that's fast enough to beat anything but a racer," said Herb. - -By this time they had reached the mouth of the creek, and the whole -expanse of the big bay opened out in front of them. There was just -enough breeze to ruffle the surface of the water, upon which the sun -played in a million points of flashing light. The cool, exhilarating -salt wind filled their lungs, and they shouted and sang with the pure -joy of living. - -"A life on the ocean wave, a home on the rolling deep!" chanted Jimmy. -"Whoever wrote that song knew what he was talking about." - -"He'd probably never have written it if he had known you were going to -sing it," said Joe. - -"You mind your own business and steer the boat," retorted Jimmy. "I've -got lots of courage to sing at all with you steering us. You'll likely -run us onto a rock or a sandbar before we fairly get started." - -"Leave that to me," said Joe. "The nearest sandbar is about half a mile -away now--straight down." - -"Well, that isn't any too far for safety when you're the pilot," said -Jimmy. "Anyway, I'm going up on top of that cabin and have a sun bath. -Please don't wreck us until I have a chance to rest up a little, will -you? It looks like a long swim to shore." - -"Go ahead then, you blooming landlubber," grinned Joe. "Leave the -running of the ship to a real salty old mariner like me." - -With a grunt that might mean anything, Jimmy clambered up on the low -cabin, and in a few minutes, lulled by the gentle motion of the boat, -was sound asleep. Herb propped himself comfortably against the side of -the cabin and gazed dreamily out over the bright expanse of the bay. Bob -opened the throttle a little, and the boat picked up speed, her sharp -bows cutting through the water in fine style, with a slow rise and fall -as they went further from shore and began to feel the ocean swell. White -clouds flecked the deep blue sky, and sea gulls wheeled and soared -overhead, calling to one another and ever and anon swooping swiftly -downward to seize some unfortunate fish that had ventured too near the -surface. - -The splash and gurgle of the water alongside was beginning to make the -boys feel drowsy when they suddenly noticed another boat ahead of them. -This craft was holding a course diagonal to their own, so that the two -boats were drawing slowly together, although at present they were -perhaps a mile apart. - -"There are some other people out enjoying themselves," said Bob. "Wonder -if they're anybody we know." - -"We'll soon be close enough to tell," said Joe. "By Jimmy!" he -exclaimed, a few moments later. "I believe we do know 'em, Bob, worse -luck. Don't you recognize that big fellow that's steering?" - -Bob shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed steadily for a few seconds. - -"Buck Looker!" he exclaimed finally. "And if I'm not much mistaken, his -whole gang is with him." - -"Yes, I can see Carl Lutz and that little beast, Terry Mooney," said -Joe. "And I guess they've recognized us, too. See how they're pointing -in this direction?" - -The motor boats were drawing closer together, and their occupants could -now see each other plainly. Looker and his friends were in a freakish -looking craft. It looked as though it might have been a speed boat once, -but now wore a shabby and dilapidated air. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--A THANKLESS RESCUE - - -The two motor boats by now had drawn close together and were holding -parallel courses. - -"Hey, you fellows!" yelled Buck Looker. "I suppose you think you've got -a fine, fancy boat there, don't you?" - -"That's just about what we think, all right," called back Bob. "It looks -it, doesn't it?" - -"Looks ain't much," said Buck. - -"The looks of that tub of yours aren't, anyway," said Herb -sarcastically. "A few gallons of paint would make it look more like a -real boat." - -"Oh, is that so?" said Buck, with a sneer. "Well, let me tell you, this -is a fast boat. We can make circles around that thing you've got there." - -"Open her up, Buck, and run away from them," urged Lutz. "Show them what -speed looks like." - -"We'll have to admit you fellows are good at running away," commented -Joe. "But this time it may not be as easy as you think." - -"We'll show you!" squeaked Terry Mooney. "Open 'er up, Buck." - -His amiable friend did "open 'er up," and, with a terrific noise from -the exhaust and a cloud of smoke, their boat darted ahead. - -But Bob opened the throttle of the _Sea Bird_ a little, and their boat -surged forward, apparently without an effort, until they were again -abreast of the Looker coterie. - -"What's the matter, Buck?" queried Joe, with mock solicitude. "Won't it -go any faster to-day?" - -Both boats were hitting a pretty speedy clip, and this question seemed -to infuriate Buck. - -"You bet it can go faster!" he yelled. "Pump some more oil into that -engine, Carl." - -His friend did as directed, and Buck juggled the spark and throttle -controls until his craft attained a speed that would have been -sufficient to have left the average cruising motor boat far in the rear. -But the _Sea Bird_ was built both for long distance cruising and for -speed, and the faster Buck's craft went, the faster went the Harvey -craft. - -Straight out to sea the boats headed, diving into the rollers and -throwing showers of spray over their occupants. Crouching low in the -engine cock-pit, Bob nursed the motor lovingly, an oil can in one hand -and a bunch of greasy waste in the other. He was mottled with oil and -grease, and the perspiration trickled down his face in little rivulets, -but he had never been happier in his life. The engine was running like -clockwork, and he knew there was plenty of power and speed in reserve if -he needed them. - -Buck, on the other hand, was fussing and fuming over his engine, trying -to make it go a little faster. But it was working up to its limit, and -do what he would, he could not coax an extra revolution out of it. - -Joe, who was steering the _Sea Bird_, looked back at Bob, a question in -his eyes. He yelled something that Bob could not hear above the whistle -of the wind and the throb of the engine, but he knew what Joe meant, and -nodded his head. - -The time had come to show Looker and his friends what speed really was. -Bob opened the throttle to the limit. The engine responded instantly, -and the _Sea Bird_ leapt forward, gathering more speed every second. -Leaping from wave to wave, it seemed to be trying to live up to its -name, and actually fly. Buck Looker's craft dropped away as though -standing still, and there was soon a long strip of swirling white water -between the two boats. - -All four radio boys laughed and shouted exultantly, and Jimmy and Herb -pounded each other madly on the back in the excess of their joy. - -"This is some little through express!" screamed Jimmy into his -companion's ear. "Can't she hit it up, though?" - -But now Buck Looker and his friends were quite a way astern, and Bob was -forced to slow down, as they were plunging into the waves at a dangerous -speed. One big wave swept over the boat and left them dripping, and for -the first time they realized how high the seas were running. They were -now well outside the bay, and a stiff southwest wind had arisen and was -kicking up a nasty chop. Bob slowed down to half speed, after which they -took the big seas more easily, but they all judged it was high time to -start back. In the excitement of the race they had gone much further -than they had intended, and Joe made haste to swing the bow around and -head back for quieter waters. - -"I wonder how Buck is making out," shouted Bob to Joe. "Can you see them -yet?" - -"Yes, I can see them. But they seem to be having trouble of some sort," -replied Joe. "They're rolling around in the trough of the waves, and I -can only see them when they come up on top of one." - -"If they're in trouble, I suppose we'll have to help them out," said -Bob, and as there could be no question about this, the radio boys -directed their course toward their erstwhile competitors. - -Buck and his cronies were indeed in a bad plight, for their engine had -stalled and they were unable to get it going again. This left them at -the mercy of the waves, as they had not even an oar aboard. Their boat -had not been designed for rough weather, and now it rolled dangerously -broadside on to the waves, threatening at any moment to capsize. - -As the radio boys approached the helpless craft Terry and Carl stopped -long enough in their frantic bailing to shout wildly for help. Buck was -still tinkering with the engine, but without result. Their boat was -drifting out to sea, and altogether they were in a sorry plight. - -Joe approached the helpless craft cautiously, while Bob throttled the -engine down until they had only steerage way. - -"You'll have to jump for it!" yelled Joe. "We'll come as close as we -can, and then you can jump aboard." - -Terry Mooney was the first to make ready to jump. He gave a wild leap, -but fell short, and would have fallen into the ocean, had not Herb and -Jimmy grasped him as he fell and dragged him aboard. Buck and Carl had -better luck, and landed safely on the deck of the _Sea Bird_. They left -their craft none too soon, for one of its seams had started to leak, and -it was rapidly filling with water. At first the radio boys thought they -might be able to tow the disabled craft in with them, but it soon became -apparent that it would not stay afloat long enough for this. It settled -lower and lower, and even as the _Sea Bird_ picked up speed for the run -home the unfortunate craft dived under as an unusually large wave broke -over it, filling it with water. - -"We got you off just in the nick of time," said Bob. "If we hadn't been -around, it looks as though you would have had a long swim home." - -"Oh, somebody else would have picked us up if you hadn't," said Buck -ungraciously. "This boat isn't the only one at Ocean Point, you know." - -"It seems to be the only one around just now," said Joe, which was true -enough. There was no other craft in sight, and it would have fared ill -with Buck Looker and his cronies had the radio boys not been at hand to -aid them. - -However, gratitude was not to be expected of such boys as Buck and his -friends. They drew off sullenly to the stern of the _Sea Bird_, and as -for the radio boys, they wasted no more breath on them. They headed -directly for the mouth of the little creek leading to the wireless -station, and as they came within the sheltering headlands of the bay the -sea became less rough and gradually lessened in violence as they entered -more shallow waters. - -As they went out that morning, the radio boys had taken special note of -conspicuous landmarks, so that they had little difficulty in locating -the inlet. Bob throttled the engine down to a low speed, and they were -soon creeping up the quiet waters of the creek that were in striking -contrast to the turbulent seas outside. - -Mr. Harvey had left the doors of the boathouse open, so the boys nosed -the _Sea Bird_ carefully into its berth, Herb and Jimmy standing by with -fenders to keep it from bumping against the timbers and taking off -paint. - -Bob had hardly shut off the engine before Buck Looker and Terry and -Lutz, without a word of thanks or even saying good-bye, leaped ashore -and made off. - -"Oh, well, it's good riddance," said Jimmy cheerfully. "I'm sure we -don't want them hanging around." - -"I suppose they felt sore about losing their boat," said Bob. "But they -could hardly blame us for that. It was they who proposed to race." - -"And they got all the race they wanted," said Joe. "Isn't this boat a -little peacherino, though?" - -"It's a wonder," said Bob. "I'd almost be willing to undertake a trip to -Europe in it. I'll bet she'd make it all right." The others agreed with -him in this estimate of the _Sea Bird's_ prowess, and they discussed her -many virtues as they cleaned up the decks and made everything neat and -shipshape. This accomplished, they proceeded to the wireless station, -where they met their friend just coming off duty. - -"Well, how did you enjoy yourselves?" he questioned. "Did the boat act -up all right?" - -"I should say she did!" said Bob, and gave him a brief account of the -day's happenings. - -"Shucks!" exclaimed Harvey, when he had finished. "Those boys must be -poison mean not to have even thanked you for picking them up. I didn't -think anybody could be quite that ungrateful." - -"You haven't had the experience with them that we have," said Bob. "But -we enjoyed the trip immensely, anyway, and certainly want to thank you -for lending us your boat." - -"Oh, that's all right," said Harvey heartily. "Any time you want it -again, just say so. When are you coming to visit me at the station -again?" - -"Why, we've been meaning to get there for several days past," said Bob. -"If you're going to be there to-morrow, we can drop in then. How about -it, fellows?" turning to his friends. - -"Sure thing," said they all, and so it was agreed. Mr. Harvey had been -walking with them in the direction of the bungalow colony while the -foregoing conversation took place, but now his path branched off from -theirs, and he said good-night after reminding them of their promise to -visit him the following day. - -The boys continued on home, discussing the events of the day. They -arrived just a little before the evening meal was served, and they fell -on the repast like a pack of young wolves, as they had taken no lunch -with them, not expecting to be out so late. - -"My goodness!" exclaimed Mrs. Fennington, when they had at last -finished. "I'm glad you boys don't go motor boating every day. You'd -soon eat us out of house and home if you did." - -"If we owned the _Sea Bird_, Mother, we wouldn't need any home," said -Herb. "We'd live aboard, wouldn't we, fellows?" - -The others laughingly agreed to this. - -"There's a dandy concert on to-night," remarked Jimmy. "I saw the -program in the newspaper. Some colored singers from a college down -South." - -"Suits me," returned Joe, and a little later all the boys and a number -of the others were listening in. The musical numbers were well rendered, -and they listened with delight. - -"Hark!" cried Bob, when they were waiting for another announcement by -wireless. "There goes a regular code message. Wish we could read it." - -"I can make out some of it," answered Joe. "W--I--K--no, I guess that -was L. Maybe it was WILL. Might be 'will arrive,' or something like -that," and he sighed. "Gee, if we only could get onto it!" - -"We will some day," answered Bob. - -"You bet!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--AN OCEAN BUCKBOARD - - -One morning soon after their arrival at Ocean Point the boys went down -to the beach equipped with a novelty that they had often heard about, -but had never seen until the night before. - -It had been Jimmy's birthday, and his father had made and sent him a -gayly decorated surfboard to celebrate the occasion. When he first saw -it Jimmy was at a loss to know what kind of strange present he had -received, but when he showed it to the other radio boys, Bob quickly -told him what it was for. - -"I saw a moving picture once that showed the beach at Tampa," said Bob. -"It looked as though almost everybody had one of those surfboards, as -they are called." - -"Yes, but what do you do with the thing? That's what I want to know," -complained Jimmy. "It looks like something that would be fine for -scaring the birds away from the garden, but, aside from that, I can't -think of much use for it." - -"Why, you just flop down on it against the crest of a surf wave, and the -wave does the rest," explained Bob. "At least, that's the way it looked -in the pictures. The wave carries you and the surfboard along in front -of it, and believe me, you travel some, too." - -"Well, that listens all right," said Jimmy dubiously. "But since you -know all about it, it's up to you to try it out, Bob." - -"Surest thing you know, I'll try it out," returned Bob. "I suppose we'll -get plenty of duckings while we're learning how, but we'll be out for a -swim, anyway, so what's the difference?" - -On the morning following they sallied out bright and early, eager to -experiment with this latest means of amusement. - -"I only hope there's a good surf running," said Bob. "I suppose now that -we want it to be a little rough, the sea will be as smooth as a mill -pond." - -"Well, I hope not," said Jimmy. "I've never seen a mill pond myself, but -according to all the dope they must be about the stillest things that -ever happened. I wonder if there is such a thing as a rough mill pond. -If there is, I'd be willing to go a long way to see it." - -"Oh, there are lots of things like that," said Herb, laughing. "For -instance, whoever saw an aspen leaf that didn't quiver?" - -"Yes, or a terrier that didn't shake a rat," said Joe. - -"Or a pirate that didn't swagger," said Jimmy. - -"Or even a pancake that wasn't flat," added Bob. - -"Good night!" laughed Herb. "What have I started here, anyway? We'll all -be candidates for the lunatic asylum if we keep this up very long." - -"Oh, well, after being around with you so long, we'd feel right at -home," said Jimmy sarcastically. - -"I haven't any doubt _you'd_ feel at home, all right," retorted Herb. -"I'll bet you'd feel at home right away." - -"You bet I would," said Jimmy. "All I'd have to do would be to tell them -some of your bum jokes, and they'd elect me a charter member right off -the bat." - -"I think Jimmy would show up even better as a member of the Pie-eater's -Union," said Joe. "He has such a special gift in that direction that -he'd soon be champion of the whole outfit." - -"Well, it's something to be a champion of anything in these days of -competition in sports," said Jimmy. "But here we are, Bob, and here's -_your_ chance to demonstrate how to become a champion surfboard artist." - -"All right, I'm game," said Bob. "Hand over that instrument of torture, -and I'll be the goat and give you fellows a good chance to laugh at me." - -The surfboard was about the shape and size of a small ironing board, -although much lighter. Equipped with this device, Bob waded into the -surf, holding the surfboard over his head until he got into water as -deep as his shoulders. There was a fairly high surf running, in spite of -his pessimistic prophecy to the contrary. Bob waited until an unusually -high breaker came curling in, and then launched himself and the -surfboard against the green wall of water. - -More by good luck than anything else he caught it at the right angle, -and went whirling toward the shore at breath-taking speed. For perhaps a -hundred feet he held his position, but then tilted to one side, and in a -moment he and the surfboard disappeared in a smother of foam and spray. -Tumbled over and over, he finally got to his feet, after the force of -the wave had spent itself, and waded into shore, puffing and blowing. - -"I got a good start, anyway," he panted. "I guess it takes practice to -keep your balance and come all the way in, but it's a great sensation. -I'm going to try it again." Suiting the action to the word, Bob waded -valiantly in again. After several attempts he finally caught a big wave -just right, and by frantic balancing rode all the way in to shallow -water. "There you are!" exclaimed Bob triumphantly. "Say, when we once -get on to this, it ought to be barrels of fun. Who's going to be the -next one to try it?" - -"I'll take a whirl at it," said Joe. "It looked easy enough the way you -rode in the last time." - -"Sure it's easy," grinned Bob, shaking the water out of his ears. "Go to -it, Joe. I'll stand by to rescue you if you need it." - -Joe made several attempts, and received some rough handling from some -big breakers before he finally contrived to make a fairly successful -trip. - -"Wow!" he exclaimed, scrambling to shore and throwing the surfboard at -Jimmy. "It's fun if you have luck, but I thought I was going to drink -the whole Atlantic Ocean once or twice. You try it, Jimmy. It's your -board, anyway." - -"Yes, I know it's my board," said Jimmy. "Don't you want to try it next, -Herb?" - -"Oh, I wouldn't think of using it before you," said Herb. "I want to -have the fun of seeing you get drowned before me, Doughnuts." - -"Well, I suppose I shouldn't refuse to give you that pleasure, so here -goes," returned Jimmy, and he waded manfully into the surf, the board -poised above his head. - -He made a lunge at the first big breaker that came along, but instead of -planting the board at an angle, he slapped it against the wave in a -vertical position, and the next second he was underneath the board and -was being ignominiously rolled and tumbled along the sandy bottom. When -the wave finally left him, he staggered to his feet and found the -treacherous surfboard floating within a yard of him. - -His companions, seeing him safe, laughed heartily at his woebegone and -bedraggled appearance. - -"It's great sport, isn't it, Jimmy?" chaffed Bob. - -"Sure it is, when you do it right," sputtered Jimmy. "I'm going to try -it again, if it kills me," and he seized the recalcitrant surfboard and -waded doggedly out again. This time his persistence met with a better -reward, for, warned by his previous experience, he placed the board -flatter this time, and rode in almost to shore before getting upset. - -"That's enough for a starter," he gasped. "There certainly is plenty of -excitement to it. Go ahead and try it, Herb, with my blessing." - -Herb did not seem any too anxious to follow his friend's bidding, but -nevertheless he took the board, and after several attempts got the hang -of it well enough to get enthusiastic over it. - -"It's simply great when you get started right!" he exclaimed. "We'll -each have to get one, and we'll have more sport than a little with -them." - -For the rest of the morning the boys took turns with the contrivance, -and by the time they stopped to go home for lunch had gotten quite -expert. That afternoon they got their tools, and by evening had -fashioned three duplicates of Jimmy's board. On following days they used -them to good effect, and before they left Ocean Point that summer they -were all adepts at this new form of sport. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII--IN THE WIRELESS ROOM - - -"SAY, Bob," said Joe, as the four radio boys were walking briskly in the -direction of the wireless station the following morning, "we must get -Mr. Harvey to give us lessons in sending. That must be half the fun of -radiophony, and we might as well do all there is to do. What do you -say?" - -"I think you're dead right," said Bob heartily. "We'll speak to him -about it to-day, and I guess he'll show us how all right. In fact, he -offered to do that very thing the first time we were there, if you -remember." - -"I know he did," said Joe. "And I'm going to remind him of it as soon as -I get a chance." - -The chance was not long in coming, for that was one of the first things -Mr. Harvey spoke of after their arrival at the station. - -"You fellows ought to practice up on receiving and sending," he said. -"You can't really claim to be full-fledged radio fans until you can do -that." - -"That's just what we were speaking of on our way here," said Bob. "If it -wouldn't be asking too much of you, we'd like nothing better than to -have you show us how." - -"Well, of course, it doesn't take very long to learn the international -code, and after that it's chiefly a matter of practice," said the radio -man. "I have a practice sending set here now, and if you like I'll give -you your first lesson." - -The boys were only too glad to take advantage of this friendly offer. -Harvey had a simple telegraph key, connected up to a buzzer and a couple -of dry cells. The buzzer was tuned to give a sound very much like an -actual buzz in an ear-phone. In addition he had a metal plate on which -all the letters of the alphabet were represented by raised surfaces, a -short surface for a dot, and a long one for a dash. The low spaces in -between were insulated with enamel. In this way, if one wire was -attached to the brass plate and the other brushed over the raised -contact surfaces, each letter would be reproduced in the buzzer with the -proper dots and dashes. - -The boys found this device a big help, as they could memorize the proper -dots and dashes for each letter, and then by moving the wire along the -plate could hear the letter in the buzzer just as it should sound. - -"But with this thing, it seems to me you don't need to take the trouble -to memorize the code," said Herb. "Why, I could send a message with it -right now." - -"You could, but it would be a mighty slow one," replied Brandon Harvey. -"That thing is useful to a beginner, but it wouldn't work out very well -for actual sending. It's too clumsy." - -"Yes, I suppose that's so," admitted Herb. - -"You fellows can take that along with you when you go," said the radio -man. "You can dope out the code from that, but you'll need a key to -practice with, too. If you like, I'll lend you this whole practice set -until you get a chance to buy one yourselves." - -"You bet we'll take it, and many thanks!" exclaimed Bob. "We should have -brought something of the kind down with us, but we didn't, so your set -will be just the thing for us." - -"It's been some time since I've had any use for it," said Harvey. "But I -came across it the other day, and it occurred to me that maybe you -fellows could use it, as you told me the first time you were here that -you intended to take up sending." - -"It was mighty nice of you to think of us," said Joe, his face beaming. - -"Oh, well, we radio fans have to stick together," returned Harvey, with -a smile. "There's some extra head sets lying around here somewhere, and, -if you like, you can listen in on some of the messages coming in. Things -were pretty lively just before you fellows came in." - -The boys lost no time in taking advantage of this offer, and were soon -absorbed in listening to the reports of shipping, weather conditions, -and occasional snatches of conversation that came drifting in over the -antenna. Harvey's pencil was busy as he jotted down reports and -memoranda. The boys felt that they were in intimate touch with the whole -wide world, and the morning flew by so fast that they were all -astonished when Harvey announced that it was lunch time. - -"Say, but you certainly have an interesting job, Mr. Harvey," said Bob. -"I only wish I were a regular radio man, too." - -"So do I," said Joe. "It's about the most fascinating work I can think -of." - -"You might not like it so much if you were doing it every day," said -Brandon Harvey. "But it's a big field, and getting bigger every day, so -maybe a few years from now you may join the brotherhood. If you ever do, -why, all the experience you're getting now will come in mighty handy." - -"Yes, but I know something else that might come in pretty handy, too," -put in Jimmy, "and that's a little lunch. I think we'd better make -tracks toward home mighty soon." - -"Nothing doing!" protested Harvey. "You're going to stay here and have -lunch with me. I can't give you much, but it will probably enable you to -totter along until this evening, anyway." - -The boys protested against putting the radio man to so much trouble, but -he would not take no for an answer, so they allowed themselves to be -persuaded, gladly enough, in truth. - -It did not take the radio man long to prepare a simple but nourishing -meal, all the cooking being done on an electric stove he had rigged up -himself. While they ate they talked, and Brandon Harvey told them -something about himself. It seemed that he had formerly been an -accountant, having taken up radio as a hobby at first, but then, finding -himself deeply interested in it, had resolved to make it his life work. - -"I still do a little at my old trade, though," Harvey told them. "I'm -treasurer of the Ocean Point Building and Loan Association, and that -sometimes keeps me pretty busy in the evenings after I'm off duty here." - -"I should think it would," commented Bob. "What do you have to do, -anyway?" - -"Oh, I keep the books straightened out, and occasionally I make -collections of cash," answered Harvey. "I'll probably get knocked on the -head sometime when I'm carrying the money around with me. I always feel -rather uneasy when I have any large sum about, there seem to be so many -holdups these days." - -"Have you a good safe place here to keep the money?" asked Joe. - -"Yes, fairly safe," responded Harvey. "I put it in the Company's safe -here, and I don't suppose anybody would bother about it. But just the -same, I don't leave it here unless I simply haven't had time to deposit -it in the bank." - -The talk drifted into other channels, and the boys thought little more -of what he had told them at that time. After lunch they practiced -sending with the buzzer set, and got so that they could recognize some -of the letters when they were sent very slowly. - -"Huh," said Jimmy, elated at his success in making out two letters in -succession, "I'll be sending and receiving thirty words a minute in a -little while." - -"How little?" grinned Bob. - -"Just about a hundred years or so," put in Herb, before Jimmy could -answer. - -"Hundred nothing!" said Jimmy indignantly. "Don't think because it will -take you that long that I'll be just as slow. I'm going to show you some -speed." - -"Go on!" chaffed Herb. "Who ever heard of anybody as fat as you showing -speed? You don't know what that word means." - -"Just the same, I haven't seen you read _any_ words yet," retorted -Jimmy. "About the only one you know is E, and that's because it's only -one dot." - -"Well, I'll know the whole blamed thing pretty soon," said Herb. "You -see if I don't." - -"I've no doubt you'll all be experts in a little while," laughed Harvey. -"'Practice makes perfect' in that as in most other things." - -The boys remained at the big station until late in the afternoon, and -then, with many thanks to their friend for his assistance, they started -back home. - -"Mr. Harvey is one of the finest men I've ever met," said Bob, as they -walked briskly along. "He and his cousin are a good deal alike. They -both know a lot, and they're both willing to help other people -understand the things they're interested in." - -"Yes, we couldn't have made a better friend," said Joe. "I only hope we -have the chance to do something for him some day. I feel as though I'd -learned a lot about radio just since we came to Ocean Point." - -Jimmy and Herb warmly indorsed this statement, and had the radio man -been able to hear them, he would probably have felt fully repaid for his -efforts in their behalf. - -He, for his part, felt indebted to the boys. Their eager enthusiasm had -stirred him deeply, and their laughter and good fellowship had come like -a fresh breeze into the routine of his daily life. He was still young -enough himself to feel in perfect touch with them, and he welcomed their -coming and regretted their departure. - -He sat for some time musing, with a smile on his lips after they had -left him. Then the conversation he had with them about the money he held -in trust recurred to him, and he stepped over to the safe, took out the -funds and counted them. - -He gave a whistle of surprise when he realized how much had accumulated. - -"Too much to have on hand at one time," he said to himself, as he closed -the safe. "I must get that over to the bank!" - - - - -CHAPTER XIX--DANCING TO RADIO - - -"That talk with Mr. Harvey has certainly made me ambitious," remarked -Bob that evening, as the boys were tinkering with their radio set. - -"Who was that poet who said: - - 'I charge thee, fling away ambition, - 'Twas through ambition that the angels fell,' - -quoted Joe. - -"Pretty good dope, too, if you ask me," said Jimmy. - -"I might have expected that that would hit you pretty hard," replied -Bob, with what was meant to be withering sarcasm, though Jimmy did not -"bat an eyelash." "But it doesn't apply to me at all. In the first -place, I'm not an angel----" - -"How you surprise us," murmured Herb. - -"So that what happened to angels needn't necessarily happen to me," -continued Bob. - -"I prithee, gentle stranger, in what direction doth thy ambition lead?" -asked Herb, at the same time looking around at the others and tapping -his forehead significantly. - -"In the direction of that loop aerial that we were talking about before -we left Clintonia," answered Bob. "You know Mr. Brandon said it was -good, and you remember what he told us about the way the British used it -to trap the German fleet. That's been running in my head ever since. -What do you say to rigging one up and seeing just what it will do? If we -find it better than our present aerial, we'll use it altogether." - -"Well, I'm ready to try anything once," chimed in Joe. - -"I suppose here's where Jimmy gets busy in making a frame for it?" -suggested Jimmy, in an aggrieved tone. - -"Likely enough," replied Bob heartlessly. "You need a little work to get -some of that fat off of you, anyway. But after you get the frame and the -pivot made----" - -"Oh, yes, the pivot, too!" said Jimmy. "All right, go ahead. Be sure you -don't overlook anything." - -"The rest of us will pitch in and wind the wire," finished Bob. - -Jimmy heaved a long sigh, and to revive his drooping spirits, produced a -pound box of assorted chocolates that an aunt in Clintonia had sent him. - -But Jimmy chose an unfortunate moment to exhibit these delicacies, for -at that moment Herb's sisters, Amy and Agnes, entered the room and -immediately espied the box of tempting confections. - -"Oh, isn't that nice!" exclaimed Agnes. "Did you bring these just for -Amy and me, Jimmy?" - -"Well--er--not exactly," stammered Jimmy. "I was figuring that we'd all -have a hack at them, I guess." - -"But I thought boys didn't care for chocolate creams," said Agnes. -"They're just for girls, aren't they?" - -Jimmy fidgeted uncomfortably, but before he could think of anything to -say, Herb came to his rescue. - -"You'd better act nicely or you won't get any," he said with true -brotherly frankness. "If you're real good we may let you have one or -two, though, just as a special favor." - -"I thought those candies belonged to Jimmy," said Amy quickly. "I don't -see what you've got to say about them, anyway, Herbert darling." - -"I guess we'd better compromise," suggested Bob, laughing. "Suppose we -set them on the center table, and then we can all help ourselves. That's -fair enough, isn't it?" - -"Yes it is not!" exclaimed Herb. "The girls'll eat them all while we -boys are fooling with the radio. But I suppose we might as well let them -have the things that way as any other. They'll get them some way, you -can bet on that." - -"You're just mad because you can't have them all yourself," said Agnes -serenely, as she nibbled at a chocolate. "You boys go ahead with your -radio. We'll take care of the candies." - -"What did I tell you?" said Herb disdainfully. "That's about all girls -think of anyway--eating candy." - -"Oh, go on," said Amy. "We don't like them a bit better than you boys -do, only you won't admit it." - -"They couldn't like them much better than Jimmy does, that's a fact," -said Joe. - -"Aw, forget it," said Jimmy. "We're all in the same boat when it comes -to that. Let's get busy with the radio." - -The candy incident was soon forgotten in the interest of the concert -they heard that evening. There was an unusually fine program, one of the -features of which was a lecture on radiophony. The boys listened -attentively to this, and got some valuable information in regard to the -latest developments of the science. After this was over there were a -number of band and orchestral selections. The girls listened to these, -too, and when they were over, Agnes made a suggestion. - -"Since your set works so well, why couldn't we give a dance?" she asked. -"You can always find a station that is sending out dance music, can't -you?" - -"Say, that's a pretty good idea!" exclaimed Bob. "There are plenty of -other young people in the bungalows around here, and I don't think we'd -have any trouble in getting a good crowd." - -"Fine and dandy!" exclaimed Joe. "By that time we may have our loop -aerial finished, and it will be a good chance to try it out." - -"Suits me all right, provided I can work the set and don't have to -dance," stipulated Jimmy. "If I try to dance these hot nights, I'll just -melt away like a snowball in front of the fire." - -"Maybe when some of the pretty girls around here come in you'll change -your mind," said Agnes. - -"Well, we ought to have lots of fun, anyway," said Bob. "We'll leave it -to the girls to give the invitations, and we'll guarantee to furnish all -the music you want. We'll make Ocean Point sit up and take notice." - -"You've got to ask some of the younger girls, too, and not just your own -set," put in Herb quickly, for his sisters were both older than he was -by a few years. - -"Oh, of course," promised Agnes. "This will be a free for all." - -The rest of the evening they spent in making plans for the forthcoming -party, and the next morning the boys set to work like beavers on the -loop aerial. They hardly paused for meals, and before the day was over -they had it completely made and set up. The girls, as well as the boys, -were greatly interested in the first test, and they all waited -breathlessly for the sounds that should issue from the throat of the -horn. It was not long before the boys picked up a concert that was going -on in Boston, and the effect was startling. After they had tuned out all -interferences the music came in sweet and full and in such volume that -they even had to tone it down a little. Mrs. Fennington, seated on the -porch, could hear everything distinctly, and applauded each number. - -The evening of the party arrived in due course, and the guests all -arrived early, many of them curious and somewhat sceptical about hearing -dance music by radio. Agnes and Amy had told them about the -loud-speaking apparatus, and they were all prepared for something novel. - -But it is safe to say that few of them were prepared for as pleasant an -evening as this one turned out to be. Receiving conditions had never -been better, and the boys had no trouble in picking up fox trots, -waltzes, or any other style of dance music. Between the dances they got -some more serious music that happened to be "in the air" from some other -station than that sending out the dance music, and their entire -apparatus worked like a charm all through the evening. - -The radio boys did not spend all their time over the radio set, either. -They found plenty of opportunity to dance and laugh with the many pretty -girls who had been invited, and everybody concerned enjoyed the evening -hugely. Mrs. Fennington had provided plenty of ice-cream, cake, and -lemonade, articles which did not lack appreciation among the youthful -company. - -When the party finally broke up all who had been present expressed -themselves as having had a wonderful evening. - -"I think we just had a perfectly spiffy time," said Agnes, somewhat -slangily but with undoubted feeling. "I think I'll be as crazy about -radio as you boys are, pretty soon." - -"It's about time," commented Herb. "You never cared so much about it -before, but now that you can dance to it, you think it's fine." - -"Well, she's right," said Amy, coming to the defense of her sister. -"What is there that's better than dancing?" - -"Oh, the world's full of better things," declared Herb. "But there's no -use my trying to tell you what they are, I suppose." - -"You can't tell 'em anything," chuckled Jimmy. "They won't believe you -if you do." - -"If we believed all the fairy stories Herb has told us, we'd have to be -pretty silly," said Agnes. - -"Well, you're both pretty, anyway," said Joe gallantly. - -"Thank you," said Agnes. "That's more than Herb would say in a hundred -years." - -"I heard him saying that to one of the girls he was dancing with this -evening," said Bob slyly. "How about it, Herb?" - -"Aw, you didn't anything of the kind," declared Herb, but he betrayed -himself by blushing furiously. - -"Poor old Herb," said Joe. "He must be pretty hard hit. What do you -think, Bob?" - -"Looks that way to me," answered Bob. "He sounded as though he meant it, -anyway." - -"Well, so I did," said Herb. "If she hadn't been pretty, I shouldn't -have been dancing with her." - -"Gracious! how my young brother hates himself," exclaimed Agnes. - -"How can I hate myself, when all the girls fall for me so?" asked Herb -brazenly. - -"Oh, you're a hopeless kid," said Agnes, laughing. "Come, Amy, I'm going -to bed," and the two girls said good-night and left the room. - -"I guess it's about time we all turned in," said Bob. "We've had a -mighty fine evening, though, and I'm proud of the way our outfit showed -up." - -The others felt the same way. They were just about to disperse when Mrs. -Fennington entered the room. - -"This evening has been so successful," she said, "that I was wondering -if we couldn't give a concert in aid of the new sanitarium that is being -built here. They are greatly in need of money to carry the project on, -and I'm sure you would be doing a wonderful thing if you could help it -along." - -The boys were for the project at once, and said so. - -"But do you think people will pay to hear a radio concert?" asked -Herbert. - -"Of course they will!" exclaimed his mother. "They pay to hear every -other kind of a concert, don't they? And when they know it is to aid the -new sanitarium they will be all the more anxious to come." - -"I'm sure we'll do our share," said Bob. "We'll be glad to give the -concert, and if people shouldn't come to it, that wouldn't be our -fault." - -"That will be excellent then," said Mrs. Fennington. "I'll speak to some -of the other ladies about it, and we'll set a date and make all the -arrangements." - -"That plan of mother's reminds me of something I was reading about the -other day," said Herb, after Mrs. Fennington had left the room. "It was -in connection with that drive they were making for the disabled war -veterans. Do you remember the 'flying parson' that won the -transcontinental air race a couple of years ago? Well, he has a radio -attached to his airplane and he arranged to have an opera singer give a -concert over it. She sat in the plane and sang, and her voice was heard -over a radius of five hundred miles. Then the parson gave a short, -red-hot talk in behalf of the soldiers, and thousands of people heard -about the drive that wouldn't have known of it otherwise. They say that -money poured into headquarters by mail during the next few days." - -"Good stuff!" exclaimed Bob. "Our work will be on a smaller scale, but -the spirit will be there just the same, and I bet our old radio will -rake in a heap of coin for the sanitarium." - - - - -CHAPTER XX--THE RADIO CONCERT - - -"When do we give the concert, Herb?" asked Bob at breakfast the next -morning. - -"Mother isn't quite sure yet," replied Herb to Bob's question. "Not -until she consults with some of the others, anyway. But she thinks that -a week from to-night will be all right. Guess one night's the same as -another as far as we are concerned." - -As a matter of fact, the projected concert was scheduled several days -sooner than Herb had predicted, being set for the ensuing Saturday -night, so as to get as many of the week-end visitors as possible. -Tickets to the affair sold well, and from the first it became evident -that there would be a large attendance. People were only too glad to -come, both for the sake of hearing good music and to know that they were -contributing to a worthy charity. The boys, as the volume of sales -increased, realized that it was up to them to see that the visitors -should have the worth of their money and they went over the set with a -"fine-tooth comb," to use Herb's expression, in order to make sure that -every part of it was in fine working order. - -"We'll have to test everything out pretty thoroughly," remarked Bob, -that Saturday morning. "We'd never hear the last of it if anything went -wrong to-night." - -"You bet!" said Joe. "We've got to have everything in apple-pie order." - -The audience began to arrive early. A large space had been roped off in -front of the central bungalow and furnished with rows of campchairs. The -boys had set up the loud-speaking horn on a small table on the porch, -running leads from it to their apparatus in the living room. This -enabled them to operate the set out of sight of the audience. - -By eight o'clock almost everybody was in his place, waiting expectantly, -and in some cases somewhat sceptically, for the music to begin. - -But they had not long to wait. Inside the bungalow the boys, excited and -tense, heard the familiar voice of the announcer at WJZ, the big Newark -broadcasting station. While he was speaking the boys had the horn -outside disconnected, but with their head phones they tuned until the -announcer's voice was distinct and clear and all other sounds had been -tuned out. Then, as the announcer ceased speaking, and in the brief -pause that ensued before the first selection on the program started, the -boys connected in the loud-speaker on the porch. - -The concert commenced. Violin solos, vocal selections, and orchestral -numbers followed each other in quick succession, every note and shade of -tone being reproduced faithfully by the radio boys' set. - -The audience sat in absorbed silence, listening spellbound to this -miracle of modern science. At intervals they could not resist -applauding, although the artists producing the music were many miles -away. When the concert was over at last there was a regular storm of -handclapping and calls for the boys, who at length had to appear on the -porch, looking, it must be confessed, as though they would rather have -been almost anywhere else. - -Cries of "Speech! Speech!" came from the audience, and at last Bob -stepped forward. - -"We're mighty glad if all you folks enjoyed the concert," he said. "We -boys are all very much interested in radio, and we want to have -everybody know what it is like. Maybe before the sanitarium gets -finished you'll have to listen to another concert," he added, with a -grin. - -Cries of "we hope so" and "make it soon" came from the audience, which -then dispersed with many expressions of commendation for the evening's -entertainment. - -When the receipts for the evening were counted it was found that they -had taken in over four hundred dollars, which was soon turned over to -the trustees of the sanitarium. - -The concert was the chief topic of conversation in the neighborhood for -the next few days, and the radio boys were deluged with requests for -information concerning radio and radio equipment. They were somewhat -surprised at the furor caused by their concert, but that was probably -the first time that most of those present had ever heard radio music or -had reason to give more than passing thought to the subject. - -But the boys had other interests in addition to radiophony to absorb -their attention. At last word had come that the tourists had started -home, and the boys were excited at the thought of soon seeing their -parents and Rose again. They had written that they would come from -Norfolk to Boston on the steamer _Horolusa_, a combination freight and -passenger ship. - -"Say!" exclaimed Bob, when he read this, "wouldn't it be great if they'd -send us a wireless message from their ship when they pass Ocean Point on -the way to Boston?" - -"You bet it would," said Joe. "Do you suppose they'll think of it?" - -"They'll probably be passing here some time to-morrow," said Jimmy; "so -it will be up to us to keep close to the radio outfit in case they do -send a message. Probably they'll never think of it, though." - -"I hope they have good weather for the trip," said Bob. "It doesn't look -very favorable just now." - -"It doesn't, for a fact," agreed Joe. "It's been cloudy and muggy for -the last two days, and it's worse than ever to-day. But it probably -won't amount to anything. There isn't apt to be a bad storm at this time -of year." - -But the weather failed to justify Joe's optimism. As the day wore on the -cloudiness increased, and toward evening a breeze sprang up that kept -freshening until it had attained the proportions of a gale. All that -night it blew with increasing violence, and the next day, when the boys -went down to look at the ocean, they were alarmed at the size and fury -of the surf. Toward evening their anxiety increased, as no word had come -from the _Horolusa_, although they had spent the afternoon at their -radio set. They overheard messages of distress from other vessels, -however, and knew that the storm was creating havoc along the coast. -Night came on early, with the gale still blowing with unabated fury, and -after supper Bob proposed that they go to the big radio station and see -if there was any news there of the _Horolusa_. - -"That will be fine," said Jimmy. "If they haven't received any news of -the ship there, we can be pretty sure that she is all right, because -they would have been sure to get any distress message if it had been -sent out." - -The boys made a hasty end of their meal, and then started through the -storm and darkness for the wireless station. It was raining in torrents -that were driven before the gale and penetrated the thickest clothing. -The only light the boys had came from an occasional jagged flash of -lightning, and they kept to the path more by instinct than knowledge of -its direction. But, with heads lowered to the storm, they plodded -doggedly on, their minds filled with forebodings of disaster to their -loved ones. The terrible roar of the breakers on the beach made them -shudder with dread. - -Suddenly a tremendous flash of lightning split the sky, and in the -fraction of a second that the vivid glare endured they saw a man coming -toward them whom Bob and Joe recognized at once. It was Dan Cassey, the -scoundrel who had tried to cheat Nellie Berwick in the matter of the -mortgage on her home. - -More from instinct than anything else, the radio boys sought to block -the man's path, guessing that he was probably on some evil errand and -remembering the warning that Miss Berwick had given them. Cassey struck -out at random, and one lucky blow caught Joe unawares and knocked him -down. The other boys sprang at Cassey, but in the darkness he managed to -elude them and took to his heels. - -It was hopeless to attempt to find the rascal in the pitch blackness, -and after running a few steps the boys realized this and returned to -help their comrade. - -The latter had gotten to his feet and was fuming with anger, and it was -all that his friends could do to dissuade him from rushing off through -the darkness in quest of his assailant. - -"But he was headed for the village probably," expostulated Joe. "We'll -probably find him there if we get there before he has time to light -out." - -"Maybe. But it's more important just now to get to the wireless station -and find out if there's any news of the _Horolusa_," said Bob. "If we -find out that she's all right, we can get after Cassey later." - -"That's good dope," said Jimmy. "The sight of that rascal has made me -feel more scared than ever for the folks. He's a hoodoo, a raven, a sign -of bad luck. I'm not superstitious, but meeting him has given me the -creeps." - -The boys resumed their interrupted journey, and before long could see -the lights of the radio station shining through the rain. - -"Now, if we can only find out that the steamer is safe!" sighed Bob. - -"If we only do!" came from Joe. "It would be terrible if anything went -wrong in this awful storm." - -The boys increased their pace, and were soon mounting the steps of the -porch. To their surprise, the door was wide open, and almost by instinct -they felt that something was wrong. Their suspicions were confirmed the -next moment, for as they entered the house the first object they saw was -their friend, Brandon Harvey, stretched unconscious on the floor with -blood trickling from a wound on his head. The little safe of which he -had spoken the last time the boys were there stood wide open, and the -cash drawer lay empty on the floor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI--A DASTARDLY ATTACK - - -With horror-struck faces the radio boys hastened to examine and aid -their friend. - -"He isn't dead," said Bob, as he felt the wounded man's heart beat. -"Somebody's given him a terrible blow, though. Let's lift him over to -that couch, and I'll get him a drink of water and see if we can't bring -him around." - -This was quickly done, and the boys chafed his wrists and did everything -they could think of to restore him to consciousness. At last their -efforts were rewarded, for Brandon Harvey's eyelids flickered, and a -spot of color came into his cheeks. As his eyes opened recognition came -into them, and he made a feeble effort to rise, but sank back on the -couch with a groan. - -"Who hit you?" asked Bob. "Do you remember what happened?" - -"I was at the table, taking a message," panted Harvey, in a voice little -above a whisper. "I remember hearing a footstep behind me, but before I -could turn around somebody struck me on the head, and I knew nothing -more until I came to and found you boys here. Is the safe all right?" he -exclaimed suddenly, as a terrible thought crossed his mind. - -"I'm afraid that whoever hit you robbed the safe, too," replied Bob. -"It's empty now, anyway. The door of it was open when we came in." - -"Good Heaven!" exclaimed Harvey, and would have leaped to his feet had -the boys not restrained him. "Why, there was over three thousand dollars -in that safe! I had been meaning to go to the bank, but the weather was -so bad that I let it slide. I can't imagine who the thief could have -been." - -The same thought occurred to all the boys at once, and was voiced by -Bob. - -"I'll bet any money I know who the thief was!" he exclaimed. "It must -have been that low-down crook, Dan Cassey. He was hurrying away from -here when he bumped into us, fellows." - -"That's about the size of it!" Joe ejaculated. "And to think that we let -him get away from us!" - -"Dan Cassey?" queried the wireless man. "Why, that's the same man my -cousin was telling me about; the one you fellows had trouble with last -spring. Are you sure this was the same one?" - -"No doubt of it," declared Bob. "We had a scrimmage with him not half an -hour ago, but in the darkness he managed to get away from us. If we had -had any idea that he had attacked and robbed you this way, though, we'd -have gone after him." - -"But we can't be sure that he was the thief, anyway," said Brandon -Harvey. "How did you boys happen to be coming here?" - -"Before we talk any more I'm going to fix your head up," said Bob. -"You've had a pretty bad crack there, and you'd better stay as quiet as -you can. After I've fixed you up, I'll tell you what we came for." - -The wireless station was equipped with a complete medical outfit. Bob -sponged the ugly looking gash, then applied iodine and bandaged the -wound as well as he could. - -"There!" he exclaimed. "That isn't very fancy, but it's a whole lot -better than nothing. How do you feel now?" - -"Pretty much all in," Harvey confessed, essaying a smile. "I don't mind -the rap on the head as much as I do the loss of the money. I'll have to -make it good, and that will take some while out of a wireless operator's -pay." - -"Don't worry about that money," said Joe. "It isn't as though you didn't -know who took it. There isn't a doubt in any of our minds but Cassey is -the guilty party. If we can locate him, we'll either make him give it -back or else wish he had." - -"Well, I only hope so," said Harvey doubtfully. "But you haven't told me -yet what lucky accident brought you to my assistance." - -"Why, we wanted to find out if there was any news of the _Horolusa_, the -steamer that our folks are coming home on," explained Bob. "We've been -listening at our set all the afternoon for word from her, but haven't -heard anything. We thought that perhaps you had caught something that -got past us." - -"No, I haven't heard a thing from that particular ship," said Harvey, -shaking his head. "There are plenty of others, though, having a hard -time of it. This is the worst storm on record for this time of year. I -don't remember--ah! there's a distress signal now. I'll have to answer -it," and he attempted to get to his feet, but fell back on the couch -with a face as white as chalk. - -The boys looked at each other in dismay, for while they had been -practicing sending and receiving in the international code, they hardly -felt competent to take an important message like this. But after a -second's hesitation, Bob jumped to the big table. - -"I've got to try, anyhow," he muttered, grimly. He snatched the head -phones and fastened them over his ears. At first he was so excited that -he could make nothing of the jumble of buzzings in the receiver that -sounded like a gigantic swarm of hornets. But in a few seconds he began -to catch words here and there, and, seizing a pencil, he began -feverishly jotting them down. - - "Steamer _Horolusa_," he wrote. "Have struck - derelict--sinking--help--quick--are about five miles--Barnegat - shoals." - -Bob reached for the sending key, while the other boys, their faces -white, read the message that he had just written down. - -Outside the wind roared and howled, the rain dashed against the windows -in sheets, and, although they were quite a way from the beach, the boys -could hear above everything else the angry roar of the breakers. They -could envision the ill-fated vessel fighting a losing battle with the -elements, and their hearts stood still as they thought of the terrible -peril in which their dear ones stood. - -Bob manipulated the sending key slowly and no doubt made more than one -mistake, but nevertheless succeeded in making himself understood by the -operator on board the _Horolusa_. - - "Message received at Station YS," he sent. "Will relay to all - ships. How are things with you now?" - - "Lifeboats smashed as soon as put overboard," came back the - answer. "Only chance is to be picked up by other vessel. For - God's sake, do your best." - -"They're in a pretty bad fix," said Bob, turning a tragic face to his -friends, "I'll relay the S. O. S. call, and probably we'll reach ships -that the _Horolusa's_ wireless couldn't, as this station is so much more -powerful. While I'm doing that, why don't you fellows call up the life -saving station at Barnegat, and tell them to be on the lookout." - -"That's a good idea!" exclaimed Joe, and he rushed for the telephone, -while Bob sent out the call for help for the _Horolusa_. - -"Central must be asleep!" exclaimed Joe impatiently. "I can't get any -answer at all to this blamed thing," and he worked the hook up and down, -but to no effect. - -Meanwhile Bob had had better success with his instrument, and had got -into communication with two ships that promised to go immediately to the -aid of the _Horolusa_. They were both only a few miles from that -unfortunate vessel, so when at last Bob left the key, the load of -anxiety that had lain so heavily on his heart was considerably -lightened. - -"What's the matter, Joe?" he inquired of his friend, who was still -making frantic but ineffectual efforts to get into communication with -the life saving station. "Can't you get any answer?" - -"Not a word, worse luck!" exclaimed Joe. "I guess the wires must have -been blown down by the storm." - -"Yes, or they might have been cut by the thief before he attacked Mr. -Harvey," suggested Herb, struck by a sudden thought. - -"I'll bet that's just what's the trouble!" exclaimed Joe. "I'm going -outside and investigate." - -He caught up a flashlight that was lying on the table, and dashed -outside, followed by the others. Sure enough, the telephone wires had -been cut a few feet above the ground. Evidently the thief had planned -everything carefully. - -"Good night!" ejaculated Joe disgustedly. "No wonder I couldn't get any -answer. And all the time I was blaming the poor operator for being -asleep." - -When the boys went inside again they found Brandon Harvey sitting up, -and he declared that he felt a good deal better. - -"I'll be as good as ever in a little while," he declared. "I guess I was -in the land of dreams for a little while, though. What's been going on -while I was down and out?" - -The boys told him about the message from the _Horolusa_ and about the -telephone wires being cut. - -"Well, I guess you've done about all that can be done," he remarked, -after they had finished. "Chances are those two vessels you spoke will -stand by the _Horolusa_ and take the passengers off in case it becomes -certain that she's going to founder. But I think I'm strong enough to -push a key down now, if you'll help me over to the table." - -This was soon done, and while the wireless man was still somewhat shaky, -he nevertheless stated that he had recovered enough to carry on the -duties of the station. - -"You fellows don't need to worry about me," he said. "I'll hold down the -station all right, if you want to go after this Cassey. You might be -able to catch him before he leaves the town, because he didn't leave -here in time to catch the last train out, and I doubt if he'd be able to -hire an automobile on a night like this. It would be worth an attempt, -anyway." - -"It doesn't seem right to leave you here alone," said Bob doubtfully. -"But I suppose you know best how you feel." - -"We'll hook up the telephone before we go, and get a message through to -the life saving station," said Joe. - -The radio boys set about this task without loss of time. They soon had -the instrument working again, and this time had no difficulty in getting -a connection with the life saving station. The life savers reported that -there was no vessel near the shoals at that time, but promised to keep a -vigilant lookout. - -"Well," said Bob, when this had been accomplished, "I suppose there -isn't much more that we can do around here, so let's get after Cassey. -We'll have to flash a lot of speed if we're going to stand any chance of -catching him." - -"I guess we can do that, all right," said Joe. "Let's go," and with that -the boys were off on the trail of the thief. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII--IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM - - -The _Horolusa_ had left Norfolk with the sun shining, but after she had -steamed a day on her way to Boston the weather changed, the sun becoming -obscured by heavy clouds and the air growing sultry and heavy. The -passengers took little note of this, except in a casual way, but the -ships' officers wore a somewhat worried look as they went about their -duties, for the barometer had been falling steadily all the morning and -had now reached a low point that forecasted trouble, and that in the -near future. The sea was calm, with a long, oily heave that soon sent a -number of the passengers to the seclusion of their staterooms. - -Dr. Dale and his party were fairly good sailors, however, and they -stayed in a corner of the deck that they had preempted, and discussed -the various happenings during the trip. Everybody had had an enjoyable -time, and they could look back and think of a dozen pleasant incidents -that had made the tour one to be remembered in after years. - -"I think it was nothing short of an inspiration that led you to propose -this trip, Doctor Dale," said Mrs. Layton. "I anticipated a good time, -but I never imagined that it could be half so enjoyable as it has turned -out to be." - -"It has indeed been a memorable one," agreed the doctor. "In fact, it -has been so very successful that I think we should take others from time -to time. The change is good for all of us, too. Mrs. Dale claims to feel -infinitely better than when we started, and I am sure we can all say the -same thing." - -"Yes, indeed," agreed Mrs. Plummer. "I hope the weather will continue as -perfect as it has been so far, although it doesn't look very promising -just at present." - -"It has clouded over rather rapidly," said the doctor, surveying the -gloomy sky. "But I hardly imagine it will amount to anything. It is very -unlikely that we shall have a storm at this time of year, you know." - -Even as he spoke a sharp puff of wind blew across the decks, whistled in -the rigging, and died away. A few minutes later another gust came, this -time a little stronger, and before they fairly realized it, a brisk -breeze was blowing. Meanwhile, the cloudiness had deepened, and the sea -was beginning to rise. Under the lowering sky the ocean turned a dull -gray color, flecked by little white caps as the breeze continually -freshened. - -By the time the dinner gong sounded, the little party was glad to go -below decks out of the wind, which had a raw edge to it. The boat was -now rolling and pitching considerably, and there was a comparatively -scanty gathering around the long tables. Conversation was rather -limited, and immediately after dinner the ladies of the party retired to -their staterooms. - -Dr. Dale and Mr. Layton went up on deck again, and they were astonished -at the change which had taken place even in the short time they had been -below. - -The wind had risen to a gale, and was driving before it big rolling seas -crested with foam. The vessel plowed into these, at times plunging her -bows completely under and sending a flood of green water back over her -decks as she rose and shook herself free of the weight of water. Life -lines had been rigged about the decks, and without these it would have -been almost impossible to get about at all. The doctor and Mr. Layton -and a few other men sought the lee of a deck house, where they gazed out -over the wild waste of waters with astonishment not unmixed with alarm. -Still, they knew that their ship was a staunch one and that they had -little to fear unless some unforeseen accident took place. - -All that afternoon the ship wallowed and plunged through the angry seas, -her speed reduced until she had only enough to keep her head into the -wind. At times the stern would rise high in the air, until the propeller -was lifted clear of the water, whereupon the engines would race madly -for a few seconds before the stern went down and the propeller bit into -the water once more. Everything moveable about the decks had been lashed -down, or it would have been over the side long ago. - -Darkness came early over the tossing waste of waters, and the men -retired to the snug smoking room, where they discussed the storm in a -desultory manner. - -Those who felt so inclined had just risen to go to the dining room for -supper when they were thrown back into their chairs by a shock that -caused the vessel to shiver from stem to stern. It seemed to hesitate -and stand still for a moment, and then started on again as though -nothing had happened. Excited voices and footsteps were heard all over -the ship, and those in the smoking room gazed at one another in -consternation. - -A few minutes later the engines stopped, and as her steerage-way -slackened the great vessel fell into the trough of the waves, where she -rolled and wallowed in a helpless manner. - -"We'd better go and look after the ladies," said Dr. Dale. "I'm afraid -something serious has happened." - -Dr. Dale and Mr. Layton made their way with all possible speed to the -staterooms occupied by the ladies, whom they found grouped together in -the corridor anxiously awaiting their arrival. - -Meanwhile events were moving quickly on the ship's bridge and in her -wireless room. The _Horolusa_ had struck a derelict, floating awash with -the surface of the sea, and a big rent had been torn in her bows. The -ship's officers realized at once the serious nature of the accident. The -pumps were set going and the wireless man was instructed to send a call -for assistance. For what seemed an age he repeated the S. O. S. call -without receiving any answer, but at last his receiver buzzed, and he -listened eagerly for the answer. But at once a puzzled look came over -his face, and he turned to his fellow wireless man. - -"Whoever's answering our message gives the call of the Ocean Point -station, and yet it can't be either of the regular radio men there," he -said. "This message is being sent by an amateur, I'll swear to that." - -"Sounds that way," the other agreed, after listening to the head set a -moment. "But you can tell by the strength of the signals that it can't -be just an amateur station. Possibly the regular operator is away or -sick, and some amateur has taken his place." - -"Well, he says he will relay our call, anyway," said the other. "Amateur -or not, he seems to be on the job and doing the best he can for us. And -Heaven knows we need all the help we can get, because we're in a bad -way." - -The _Horolusa_ was indeed in sore straits. Her bow had settled low in -the water and the big waves broke over it continually. The crew had made -several attempts to launch the lifeboats, but the vessel was rolling so -badly that they were smashed to splinters against her sides before they -could reach the water. The wind howled wildly around the superstructure -and in the rigging, and it was also raining heavily, soaking the -shivering passengers to the skin as they stood huddled about the decks. -Life preservers had been handed about and nearly everybody wore one of -these. - -High up in the wireless cabin the two operators could hear the call for -help flashing out loud and clear from the powerful land station as it -was repeated over and over by the unknown sender there. Little did Bob's -father and mother suspect that their son was aware of their peril and -was trying desperately to save their lives and those of the hundreds of -other passengers on the big ship. - -At last, after what seemed an interminable time to the anxious wireless -men, they heard an answering call from some ship laboring through the -black and stormy night, and a little while later they heard still -another ship promise to go to their assistance. - -"Glory be!" they exclaimed, in unison. "I hope they're not far away," -said one. "I'm afraid the old _Horolusa_ has taken her last voyage. If -the forward bulkhead gives way, she'll go down like a shot." - -"They can't make much speed in a sea like this, either," said the other -anxiously. "But I see the YS station has stopped sending. I guess he -must have heard those boats promise to come to our help. And they sure -can't get here a bit too soon." - -The _Horolusa_ was indeed in a desperate condition. Below decks the -engineer force was laboring mightily to brace the forward bulkhead so -that it would stand against the tremendous pressure of the water -without. The bulkhead was sagging inward, and even as the men labored -they could see flakes of paint come off the iron as it bent inward. It -took the highest kind of courage to work in the face of such peril, -because they knew if the bulkhead once gave way they would be drowned -under tons of water without any chance whatever to escape. They braced -big timbers against the frail wall that meant the only barrier between -them and instant death. - -"I guess that's about all we can do, men," said the chief engineer at -length. "I'll call for a few volunteers to stay below and keep the pumps -running, and the rest of you had better get up on deck. She's likely to -go at any minute." - -A few hardy souls volunteered, and the rest swarmed up the long iron -ladders, thankful to get away from the awful menace of that bulging -bulkhead. Arrived on deck, they found conditions there little better -than those they had just left below. Several of the lifeboats had been -wrecked by big seas, and the remainder had been stove in when the crew -attempted to lower them down the side. - -Dr. Dale's little party kept together, and they all did the best they -could to encourage each other. The passengers had been informed that two -vessels were coming to their assistance, but even to the inexperienced -eye of a landsman it was evident that the _Horolusa_ was settling -steadily lower in the water. Big seas broke constantly over her bows and -encroached further and further up the sloping decks as the passengers -were driven steadily toward the stern. The ship's officers passed about -the decks, keeping order and doing the best they could to reassure the -passengers. The captain had ordered rockets sent off from the bridge, -and these soared aloft at intervals and cast a momentary light over the -wild and endless succession of mountainous waves that seemed like a -victorious army marching on a helpless city. - -Dr. Dale offered up an earnest prayer for their safe deliverance from -this terrible peril, in which all those within hearing joined; and it -seemed indeed as though nothing short of divine interposition could save -them from a watery grave. - -The clank of the pumps resounded through the ship and sounded to the -passengers like the knell of doom. The crew worked in relays, and as -fast as one shift had toiled to the verge of exhaustion another group -took their places. They worked with the energy of desperation, for they -knew that they were fighting for their own lives as well as for those of -the passengers. - -In the meantime the engineers were risking their lives a dozen times -over in trying to patch up the rent in the damaged bow of the boat. Some -of them had been lowered over the side by means of ropes, and the sea -dashed over them constantly as they sought to cover the rent with heavy -canvas. If this could be done successfully it would keep out the bulk of -the water, and the pumps might be able to keep the vessel going until -the promised help arrived. - -That help seemed an endless time in coming, but at length the captain's -night glasses caught sight of a point of light upon the waves. It came -nearer and nearer until it became evident that a ship was bearing down -upon them. A great rocket soared into the air in answer to those sent up -by the _Horolusa_, and in the light from it could be seen the outline of -a large steamer that changed its course and swept around until it was -parallel with the _Horolusa_ and yet at a sufficient distance to prevent -the vessels being driven into each other. - -The roar of the storm prevented any call being heard from one captain to -the other, but down in the wireless room the operators were busy and a -plan of action was agreed upon. By this time the patch of sail had been -fastened over the hole in the bow of the _Horolusa_, and she had ceased -to settle in the water. With the sea shut out from the bow, the pumps -speedily cleared out the water that was already in the hold of the ship -and she was perceptibly rising in the water. If the patch held, the -vessel might still be saved, or at least kept afloat until the sea -calmed down, when permanent repairs could be made. - -As the fate of the _Horolusa's_ lifeboats had proved that it was -impossible for small boats to live in such a sea, it was arranged that -the _Falcon_ as the rescuing vessel was named, would stand by until -morning or until the storm abated, and then either take the _Horolusa's_ -passengers aboard or try to help the vessel itself into port. - -Two hours later the lights of another vessel loomed above the horizon -and the steamer _Esperanto_ came hurrying to help. She too offered to -stand by and give every assistance in her power. - -The relief of the passengers of the _Horolusa_, who for hours had been -gazing into the very eyes of death, were beyond the power of words to -express. When Dr. Dale, who had visited the wireless room, came back to -report that the S. O. S. message that had brought the two vessels to -their aid had been relayed from Ocean Point the wonder of those from -Clintonia broke out in exclamations. - -"And a curious thing," the doctor added, "is that the operators feel -sure that the call was sent by amateurs. There was something about -it--something halting, uncertain--that made them sure it didn't come -from a professional. Perhaps--who knows?--it may have been Bob or Joe -whose message saved the ship!" - -"If we are really saved," came with a shudder from Mrs. Layton. "If only -the storm were over!" - -"And we were safe on land," added Mrs. Plummer. - -She had scarcely spoken when the steamer gave a mighty heave and they -heard the rush of water over her bow. - -"We're sinking! We're sinking!" came a scream from one frightened -passenger. - -"Not yet," added another quickly. "But it looks mighty bad." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII--FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH - - -It was in a tumult of excitement that the radio boys started out to run -down Dan Cassey, who they felt sure was the rascal who had assaulted -Brandon Harvey and robbed the safe. They were, too, in a frenzy of -apprehension about the fate of their parents and friends out on the -stormy sea. - -Still they had been relieved to some extent by the assurances that -vessels were hastening over the wild wastes of water to the help of the -imperiled ship and by the knowledge that all had been done that could be -done under the circumstances. It seemed to them that it was now clearly -their duty to assist in the running down of a criminal who had made such -a dastardly attack upon one of their best friends. - -Their task was made the harder by the blackness of the night and the -fury of the storm. The gale had risen in violence until it had reached -nearly a hundred miles an hour. It buffeted them about, and at times -turned them completely around. Fortunately the sand was sodden with -rain, otherwise the boys would have been choked and blinded by the -flying particles. - -But the rain that helped them in this respect hindered them in another, -for it drenched their clothes and made them cling close to their skins -so that rapid progress was made almost impossible. - -"Never mind, fellows," Bob shouted. "The same things that are bothering -us are bothering Cassey too. But there's no use in our all sticking -close together. Let's spread out like a fan, and if one of us doesn't -come across him, another may. The first fellow that catches sight of him -can let out a shout and we'll all close in. Come ahead now, fellows. -Speed's the word." - -They set out with redoubled determination and made their way the best -they could against the fury of the elements. The din created by the -roaring of the gale and the thunderous beating of the surf upon the -beach was beyond description. It was like the roar of a dozen Niagaras, -and fairly deafened the boys as they plowed along with heads down -against the storm. And if it was as terrible as this on land, where at -least they were safe, what must it be on the howling waste where was -tossing at this moment the crippled ship that held their loved ones. - -In the mind of each was that same vision--that ship a mere speck on the -mighty waters, as helpless as a bird with a broken wing, utterly at the -mercy of the giant of the storm. - -Yet not utterly, thank God! The wonderful radio had flashed its message -through the black night, had reached out over the mighty waves, had gone -to one ship and said "Come," had gone to still another and said "Come," -perhaps to still another and still another, always with the same message -"Come! A comrade is in danger. I'll lead you to him. Come! Come -quickly!" - -And one gallant ship had heard and answered; and still another had heard -and turned its prow in the direction of the sinking vessel, and by this -time perhaps others were tearing through the waves toward the helpless -craft that the ocean threatened to engulf. - -This was the hope that buoyed up the comrades and kept them from despair -as they hurried as fast as they could through the Egyptian darkness of -the night. - -The path that they were following, or rather the direction in which they -were going--for in that blackness no path could be seen--was toward the -bungalow colony, beyond which lay the town. It was their plan to go -straight on to the town, if they were not successful in coming up with -Cassey before they got there, and send out a description of the -scoundrel to all nearby towns and warn the authorities to be on the -alert to apprehend him. - -Between the radio station and the bungalow colony was a little inlet -into which the sea ebbed and flowed with the movement of the tide. It -was from fifty to sixty feet wide, and a bridge stretched across it at a -height of twenty feet above the water. - -The inlet, or cove, was a comparatively quiet place and was much -frequented by the boys, and indeed all the members of the bungalow -colony, for fishing and paddling about in rowboats and canoes, craft -that would have been too frail for the open sea. - -"Must be getting pretty near the bridge, don't you think, fellows?" -asked Bob, after they had got some distance from the radio station. - -"Seems so to me," replied Joe. "Though in this darkness you can hardly -see your hand before your face." - -"We've got to be mighty careful and watch our step, or one of us will be -tumbling in," said Herb. "And while I'm fond enough of bathing as a -rule, I want to go in of my own accord." - -"I guess we'll have to depend on our ears instead of our eyes to warn us -when we're getting close," replied Joe. "And from what I think I hear, -our ears will be quite sufficient. Listen!" - -The boys stood still for a moment, and then they all heard a sibilant, -shrill, hissing sound that was entirely distinct from the beating of the -surf along the shore. - -"That's something new," remarked Bob. "We didn't hear that when we came -from the colony a little while ago." - -"No," replied Joe. "But in the meantime the ocean has been getting in -its work and has forced its way into the inlet. From the sound, the -water's rushing through there like a mill race. And it's all the fiercer -because the channel is so narrow. I guess Herb was right when he said -we'd have to watch our step." - -"Let's all keep close together until we've got on the other side," -suggested Bob. "It seems to me that I can see the outline of the bridge -just a little way ahead." - -By advancing slowly, step at a time, they found their way to the -entrance to the bridge and Bob heaved a sigh of relief as his hand -rested on the railing. - -"Here we are all right," he said. "Now follow close in Indian file." - -"The inlet has surely gone on a rampage," Joe remarked. "Just hear the -way the water goes tearing along. And from the sound it isn't so far -below the level of the bridge. Don't let's dawdle, fellows. I for one -will feel a mighty sight better when we get on the other side." - -The others felt the same way, and all quickened their steps. Nor was -their apprehension allayed by the way the bridge shook and quivered -beneath their feet. - -They had nearly reached the middle of the span when an ominous cracking -was heard. - -"Quick, fellows, quick!" shouted Bob. "The bridge is breaking. Run for -your lives!" - -He sprang forward like a deer and the others followed him pell-mell. -They could feel the bridge giving way beneath them, and the hiss of the -water was drowned by the horrid roar of crashing timbers. One last -frantic rush and they cleared the bridge and felt the solid ground -beneath their feet. - -They were not an instant too soon. Even as their feet left the planking -there was a splintering crash and the bridge parted in the middle. The -ends still clung to the abutments on either side, but the central -portions fell into the stream, where they were swung to and fro by the -force of the current so violently that it seemed that but a short time -would elapse before the ends also would be torn loose from the banks and -the whole structure swept down toward the sea. - -Cold chills chased each other up and down the boys' spines as they -realized what a narrow escape they had had from being engulfed in those -raging waters. - -"That was a close call," panted Bob, as he took out his handkerchief and -wiped the perspiration from his face. - -"I'll tell the world it was," agreed Joe. - -"Another five minutes, yes, another five seconds, and we'd have gone -down with it," said Herb. "And I hate to think what it would mean to be -fighting for life in that whirlpool." - -"Well, we didn't go down, thank Heaven," rejoined Bob. "And a miss is as -good as a mile. But where's Jimmy?" he asked suddenly, as he saw that -only two were standing beside him. - -"Why, he must be right around here," replied Joe, peering into the -darkness on either side. "I suppose he's sitting down for a minute to -get his breath. Jimmy," he called. - -There was no answer. - -An awful fear clutched at the boys' hearts. - -"He's trying to scare us," ventured Herb, but without much conviction in -his tones. - -"Jimmy! Jimmy!" called Bob. "Don't frighten us, old scout. Where are -you?" - -Again that dead, terrible silence. - -Then, so thin and weak that it sounded as though from a great way off, -they heard Jimmy's voice. - -"Help! Help!" - -"He's down in the water," cried Joe. - -"He didn't get off the bridge in time," Herb shrieked, in an agony of -apprehension. - -The three boys rushed to the bank and peered down into the dense -darkness where the only light they could discern came from the white -spray that crested the waves of the raging torrent. - -"Jimmy!" Bob shouted at the top of his voice. "Where are you?" - -"I'm down here in the water," came Jimmy's voice. "I'm holding on to the -broken end of the bridge. But I can't hold on much longer. Hurry up, -fellows, or I'm a goner." - -The boys were frantic with excitement. - -"Hold on, Jimmy!" yelled Bob. "Hold on, for the love of Pete! We'll get -you!" - -But how? - -The broken part of the bridge hung almost perpendicularly for a distance -of nearly twenty feet before it reached the water. The rain had made it -as slippery as glass. The end on the bank was grinding at its supports -and threatened every moment to tear loose and fall into the stream. - -All these things Bob took in, in a flash. - -"There's only one way," he said grimly. "And I'm going to take it. I'm -going to work my way down and try to get him." - -"Let me go," put in Joe, but Bob was off before any one could stop him. - -He threw himself down flat on the bridge and began to work his way down -backward on his hands and knees. The slope was so steep that it was like -going down a ladder, with the difference that with a ladder he would -have had rungs on which he could have planted his feet solidly, while -here he had to dig his fingers and toes into every crevice he could find -to keep himself from sliding down into the abyss of waters. Foot by -foot, with infinite care and caution, he let himself down, keeping his -eyes shut so that the sight of the madly racing waters beneath him -should not make him dizzy and force him to let go his hold. - -"I'm coming!" he shouted. "Hold on. I'm coming. I'll be with you in a -minute." - -"I'll try to, but my arm is getting numb," answered Jimmy. "Hurt it when -I went down, I guess. My fingers are slipping. Hurry." - -A flash of lightning came just then, and Bob, looking over his shoulder, -caught a glimpse of Jimmy's face, usually so ruddy, but now ghastly -white. His body was in the water and swung to and fro, while one hand -clung desperately to a part of the broken bridge railing from which the -waves were trying to wrench him. - -"I'm going," cried Jimmy despairingly. "Oh, Bob, hurry!" - -"Hold on," shouted Bob. "Hold on just one second more!" - -He reached his comrade just as Jimmy's cramped fingers were torn from -their support. Like lightning, Bob's arm shot out and grasped Jimmy's -wrist. - -"I've got you, old boy," he shouted. "Just try to keep your head above -water and I'll pull you out." - -With one arm thrown over the railing of the bridge to give him purchase, -he pulled Jimmy toward him with all his strength. The current tugged at -Jimmy's body like a ravenous beast unwilling to be balked of its prey. -But although the muscles of Bob's arm felt as though they would break, -the indomitable will behind them had its way, and inch by inch he drew -Jimmy in until the latter was able to get hold of the swaying planks and -lessen in part the strain. Then with infinite care and the utmost -exertion of his strength, he half helped, half lifted Jimmy out on the -planking, where he lay exhausted and gasping. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV--A TERRIBLE PLIGHT - - -For a few moments both boys were so used up by the terrific mental and -physical strain they had been through that they were unable to move. But -the danger was still imminent, and how great it was they learned through -a call that came from above. - -"Hurry up, fellows," came from Joe. "The bridge is giving way up here -and the whole thing may go down any minute. I'm coming down to help you -get Jimmy up." - -"No, don't do that," cried Bob, rousing himself to fresh exertions. -"Your weight down here would only help to pull the bridge down the -quicker. You and Herb stand by to give us a hand when we get near the -top." - -"Now, Jimmy," he continued, turning to his comrade, "we've got to brace -and get up to the top somehow just as soon as we can. You crawl up -alongside of me, grabbing anything you can find to give a hold to your -fingers in the cracks of the planking, and I'll boost you along just as -much as I can." - -Jimmy summoned up the last remnants of his strength, and they commenced -their arduous climb up the slippery planks of the bridge. - -It was like a nightmare. They would advance a little and then slip back, -losing sometimes as much as they had gained. But they kept on with an -energy born of desperation. As often as Bob found a secure grip with his -right hand, he would reach out with his left and give Jimmy a vigorous -boost upward and forward. Every second now was precious, for they could -tell from the grinding noise above and the increased swaying of the -bridge that its last supports were rapidly giving way. Yet despite their -utmost endeavor, they were only gaining inches when they should have -been gaining feet. - -"Buck up, Jimmy," Bob encouraged his comrade, though his own strength -was fast ebbing. "We've only got six feet more to go." - -"Not that much," cried a voice that they recognized as Joe's, and the -next instant a pair of vigorous arms reached out and two strong hands -gripped Jimmy's wrists. - -Joe had thrown himself flat, head downward, from the top of the bridge, -while Herb at the top held on to his heels. - -"Leave Jimmy to me," commanded Joe. - -"We'll swing him up and then we'll give you a hand. Pull away, Herb." - -Herb, with his feet braced in two deep holes he had dug in the sand, -pulled with all his might until Joe's knees were over the top, thus -giving him a purchase. The next instant they had Jimmy up and lying on -his back on the bank. - -Bob in the meantime, relieved of his care for Jimmy, had got close to -the top. Joe rushed to him, caught one of his arms with his two and -pulled him off the bridge just as the last support gave way and the -whole structure, with a hideous crash, went down into the boiling -torrent. - -For a little while not one of the boys could speak. They had been -engaged in a fight with death and they had conquered only by the -narrowest of margins. They were spent and breathless, but above all they -were supremely grateful. - -When at last they had recovered somewhat, they turned their attention to -Jimmy, who had been the greatest sufferer in the events of that never to -be forgotten night. - -"How are you feeling now?" asked Bob, as he clapped the stout boy -affectionately on the shoulder. - -"About as though I had been drawn through a knothole," replied Jimmy, -trying to grin. "I'm as sore as an aching tooth all over, but I guess -there are no bones broken. I'm bruised most in my feelings, I reckon. -Don't see any signs of my hair having turned white, do you?" he joked. - -"No," laughed Bob. "Though in this darkness I couldn't tell whether it -was white or black. But you went through enough to turn it white, I'll -vouch for that." - -"Not much more than you went through for me," replied Jimmy gratefully. -"I'll never forget as long as I live, Bob, how you took your life in -your hands to come to my help." - -"Oh, forget it," returned Bob lightly. "It's just exactly what any one -of you fellows would have done for me if I'd been in the same fix. I -tell you, Jimmy, our hearts stood still for a minute when we found you -weren't with us." - -"It all happened so quickly that I don't know just yet how I came to be -hanging on to that bit of railing," said Jimmy. "I can just remember a -fearful crash, and then I went tumbling down with the same feeling at -the pit of my stomach that you feel when you drop down fast in an -elevator. Then the water closed in over me, and I just reached out -wildly and caught hold of something and held on for dear life. I called -out two or three times before you heard me. The water was making such a -fearful racket that it's a wonder you heard me at all." - -"We'd have come down as soon as we missed you on a chance of finding -you, even if we hadn't heard you at all," replied Bob. "But we sure had -a close call. That was a dandy idea of Joe's and Herb's of forming a -human chain. If they hadn't done it, we would have gone down with the -bridge." - -"Well, now that we're safe and sound, let's get after Cassey," suggested -Jimmy. "We're losing time staying here." - -Bob laughed outright, and Joe and Herb joined in. - -"You sure have kept your grit, Jimmy, old boy," said Bob admiringly. -"But you've done all the chasing after Cassey that you're going to do -to-night. It's you for the bungalow and bed just as fast as we can get -you there. Then the rest of us will keep up the hunt for that rascal." - -Jimmy protested strongly that he was as well as ever, but when he got on -his feet he was so weak and trembling from his terrible experience that -he could scarcely stand. So he had to give in, and with the other boys -supporting him he made his way painfully and slowly to his parents' -bungalow. - -Their arrival created a sensation with Mrs. Fennington and the girls, -who were deeply concerned when they heard of the strenuous doings of the -night. Jimmy was taken in charge at once and put to bed. There was grief -and consternation also when they heard of the plight of the _Horolusa_ -and her precious freight, but the boys allayed this as much as possible -by the reassuring news that other vessels had been signaled and were -hurrying to her assistance. - -"And now," said Bob, after they had briefly recounted the news, "we -still have a lot of work to do and we must be off. We're going to head -off that Cassey if possible, and then we're going back to the wireless -station. We'll let you know all that happens just as soon as we can." - -With many adjurations to be careful ringing in their ears, they hurried -out. Once again in the open, they hastily laid out the plan of their -further campaign. - -"Suppose, Herb, you go right on to the police station," suggested Bob. -"Tell them just what has happened and urge them to get busy in sending -out messages to surrounding towns and try to have Cassey rounded up. In -the meantime, Joe and I will go to the garages and try to find out -whether Cassey has been to any of them trying to get a car. That would -be the thing he'd most likely do, since there are no trains that he -could get away on." - -They all made haste, and in a few minutes reached the town. Herb made a -bee line for police headquarters, while Bob and Joe hurried to make -inquiries in the three garages of which the town boasted. - -At the first two they got no clue. But they were luckier at the third. - -"Any one inquiring for a car?" repeated the owner of the garage. "Yes, -there was one fellow not fifteen minutes ago. Wanted to get to -Allendale, where he said he could catch a train." - -"Did the man stutter?" asked Bob eagerly. - -"Should say he did!" replied the garage owner, grinning. "Got so tangled -up that he had to whistle to go on." - -"Cassey!" cried the boys in one breath. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV--THE FIGHT IN THE DARK - - -The man looked at them curiously. - -"Friend of yours?" he questioned. - -"Friend!" exclaimed Bob. "He's a thief, and it's only luck that he isn't -a murderer. He blackjacked Mr. Harvey over at the radio station and got -away with a pile of money. Which way did he go?" - -"Over in the direction of Allendale," replied the man, pointing out into -the darkness. "So he's a thief, is he? If I had known that I'd have -nabbed him. That explains why he was so excited. He offered me any money -for a car, but mine were all out at the time." - -"I tell you what!" said Bob. "We've got to get that man and we can't -waste a minute. Suppose you go to the police station and tell them what -you know and have them call up the Allendale police and tell them to be -on the watch for a man that stutters." - -"I'll do that, sure," replied the man, and immediately suited the action -to the word. - -"Come along, Joe," cried Bob, and they both plunged into the darkness, -following the direction that the man had pointed out. - -Cassey had had a fifteen-minute start, but the distance to Allendale was -nearly four miles, and the boys had no doubt that they would be able to -overcome that handicap, provided Cassey kept to one of the two roads by -which it was possible to reach the town. Those roads ran nearly parallel -for quite a distance, separated at places by a quarter of a mile and at -others by half a mile, but joining each other about half a mile before -Allendale was reached. - -"Of course, we don't know just which road Cassey has taken, and if we -stick to either one we may make the wrong guess," said Bob. "So it will -be good dope for us to separate and each take one of the roads. If -either of us gets the skunk he can give our regular yodel call and the -other one can come hurrying to him across the fields. We'll never be -more than half a mile from each other." - -Joe assented to this and took the road that ran almost parallel to but -at the left of the one that Bob was following. - -The rain by this time had diminished somewhat in violence, but the roads -were muddy and progress for Bob was slow. It was so dark that it was -impossible to choose one's footing, and he had to splash along as best -he could. - -On a night like that no one was abroad that was not compelled to be, and -the road was completely deserted. For the first mile there was nothing -to indicate that Bob was anywhere near his quarry. And he had almost -covered a second mile before he thought that he could hear footsteps -splashing along in front of him. - -He quickened his pace, and the sound of steps ahead grew louder. But -that his own steps could also be heard by the fugitive was indicated by -the sudden cessation of the noise in front. - -Had Cassey, if he were indeed the man in front, stopped? Was he hiding -until his pursuer had passed? Was he lying in wait to brain him as he -came along? - -All these reflections passed through Bob's mind like a flash. And he too -stopped for a moment while he pondered his course of action. - -For less than a minute he hesitated. Then he moved forward. Anything was -better than inaction. If his enemy was lying in wait for him and they -came to handgrips--well, that was what he was looking for. All he asked -was a chance to lay his hands on the villain who had assaulted and -narrowly escaped killing his friend. Boy as he was, he was as tall and -muscular as many a man, and he was willing to take his chance. - -He had gone perhaps a hundred feet when nature came to his aid. There -was a terrific clap of thunder, and the lightning flash that followed -flooded all the landscape with light. - -There at the side of the road, not ten feet from him, was Cassey, trying -to climb a fence. His intent was obvious--to steal off through the -fields while his pursuer was vainly hunting him along the road. - -With a shout Bob leaped toward him. He covered the ground in two jumps, -caught Cassey by the coat, and yanked him back to the ground - -With a savage snarl the rascal drew a blackjack and aimed a blow at -Bob's head that would certainly have knocked him out had it landed. But -with pantherlike swiftness Bob leaped aside, and as Cassey tried to -regain his balance, Bob's fist shot out with terrific force and caught -Cassey right on the point of the jaw. Cassey went down in the mud, and -in an instant Bob was on top of him and had wrenched the weapon from his -hand. - -"Now, Cassey," Bob commanded, emphasizing his words by a tap with the -blackjack, "keep quiet or I'll give you a crack with this that will send -you to the land of dreams. Understand?" - -That Cassey understood was shown by the fact that he instantly ceased to -struggle and lay limp beneath his captor, who sat astride of him. - -Keeping the weapon ready for instant use and not taking his eyes from -his captive, Bob lifted up his voice in the yodel call that had been -agreed upon between him and Joe. The shrill call carried far, and Bob -had no doubt that it would be heard. - -Knowing that force was of no avail, Cassey resorted to pleading. - -"L-l-let me g-go," he begged. "I'll g-g-give you a th-th-thousand -dollars if you l-let me go." - -"Keep still, you skunk," ordered Bob. "Do you think I'm a crook like -yourself?" - -"I'll m-m-m-make it two th-th-thousand," stuttered Cassey. - -"Not if you made it a hundred thousand," replied Bob. "I've got you, -Cassey, and you won't get off this time as easily as you did when you -tried to rob an orphan girl. It's you for jail, and you'll stay a good -long while where the dogs won't bite you." - -At intervals Bob repeated his call in order to guide his friend, and in -a few minutes there was a crashing of the bushes and Joe stood at his -side, almost breathless with the haste he had made. - -"What is it, Bob?" he asked, peering down on the prostrate form of -Cassey, on which Bob was still sitting. - -"I have met the enemy and he is ours," answered Bob exultingly. "I'm -afraid he's a little out of breath from my sitting on him. So just slip -off your belt, Joe, and fasten his feet together and then I can get up -and stretch my legs." - -It took but a minute for Joe to pinion Cassey's feet securely, and then -Bob got up. He told Joe briefly what had taken place. - -"There's just one thing to do, Joe," Bob concluded. "You streak it for -town and bring a policeman and we'll turn this fellow over to him. In -the meantime I'll stand guard--Hello, what's that?" - -There was a glare of light from the lamps of an automobile that was -coming from the direction of Ocean Point. The car had just turned a -curve in the road a hundred yards away and was bearing down upon them -rapidly. - -Both boys leaped into the center of the road and waved their hands. The -driver of the car saw the boys and slowed down, and as the car came to a -stop Herb jumped down and ran toward them. - -"We've got Cassey," shouted Bob. - -"Glory hallelujah!" cried Herb. "I got this car and came after you, and -I've got a couple of policemen with me. Where is the rascal?" - -They dragged Cassey to his feet and delivered him into the care of the -two officers, who had followed close on Herb's heels. They bundled him -into the car and the whole party drove rapidly back to town. There the -rascal was searched, and the whole amount of the theft was found stowed -away in his pockets. The money was taken in charge by the proper -officials to be delivered to Brandon Harvey in the morning, and Cassey -was dragged off to a cell. Then the boys left the station, with their -cheeks burning from the praise that was heaped on them by the -authorities for their quick-wittedness and bravery. - -"Such a night!" exclaimed Bob, as the boys took their seats in the car -which they had retained to carry them over to the radio station. - -"We'll never have such an exciting one again as long as we live," -declared Joe emphatically. - -But he was mistaken, as will be seen in the next volume of this series, -entitled: "The Radio Boys at the Sending Station; Or, Making Good in the -Wireless Room." - -As the bridge was down they had to skirt the head of the inlet to reach -the radio station. There they found Mr. Harvey, still badly shaken by -the attack, but steadily getting better. His cousin, Frank Brandon, who -had been notified of the trouble, was with him and was attending to the -duties of the station. - -Both men leaped to their feet as the boys entered. The sight of the -three happy faces told its own story. - -"We got him!" cried Bob. "Nailed him on the road between here and -Allendale. And we've got back every cent of the money." - -Infinite relief dawned in Brandon Harvey's eyes as he shook hands with -the boys and thanked them again and again. - -"You've given me a new lease of life," he cried. "And now I've got some -good news for you in return. The _Horolusa_ is safe. The leak is patched -up, the _Falcon_ and _Esperanto_ are standing by, and the storm is -subsiding. In a day or two your folks will again be with you, safe and -sound at Ocean Point." - -Then jubilee broke loose and the boys fairly danced about the room in -their relief and delight. - -"How can we ever thank you enough!" cried Bob. - -"Don't thank me," returned Harvey. "I did a little, but you did more. -For don't forget that it was your message that saved the ship." - - - THE END - - - ---- - -*THE TOM SWIFT SERIES* - -By VICTOR APPLETON - -UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. INDIVIDUAL COLORED WRAPPERS. - -These spirited tales, convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advances -in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed upon the -memory and their reading is productive only of good. - - TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE - TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT - TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP - TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT - TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT - TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE - TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS - TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE - TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER - TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE - TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD - TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER - TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY - TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA - TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT - TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON - TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE - TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP - TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL - TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS - TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK - TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT - TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH - TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS - TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - ---- - -*THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES* - -BY VICTOR APPLETON - -UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. INDIVIDUAL COLORED WRAPPERS. - -Moving pictures and photo-plays are famous the world over, and in this -line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films -are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures -to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in -the Wild West, among the cowboys and Indians, thrilling rescues along -the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage -beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of -earthquakes. The volumes teem with adventures and will be found -interesting from first chapter to last. - - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE WEST - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE COAST - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE JUNGLE - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN EARTHQUAKE LAND - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AND THE FLOOD - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT PANAMA - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS UNDER THE SEA - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE WAR FRONT - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON FRENCH BATTLEFIELDS - MOVING PICTURE BOYS' FIRST SHOWHOUSE - MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT SEASIDE PARK - MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON BROADWAY - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS' OUTDOOR EXHIBITION - THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS' NEW IDEA - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - ---- - -*THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH SERIES* - -By GRAHAM B. FORBES - -Never was there a cleaner, brighter, more manly boy than Frank Allen, -the hero of this series of boys' tales, and never was there a better -crowd of lads to associate with than the students of the School. All -boys will read these stories with deep interest. The rivalry between the -towns along the river was of the keenest, and plots and counterplots to -win the champions, at baseball, at football, at boat racing, at track -athletics, and at ice hockey, were without number. Any lad reading one -volume of this series will surely want the others. - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH - Or The All Around Rivals of the School - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE DIAMOND - Or Winning Out by Pluck - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE RIVER - Or The Boat Race Plot that Failed - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE GRIDIRON - Or The Struggle for the Silver Cup - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE ICE - Or Out for the Hockey Championship - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH IN TRACK ATHLETICS - Or A Long Run that Won - - THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH IN WINTER SPORTS - Or Stirring Doings on Skates and Iceboats - -12mo. Illustrated. Handsomely bound in cloth, with cover design and -wrappers in colors. - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - ---- - -*THE OUTDOOR CHUMS SERIES* - -By CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN - -The outdoor chums are four wide-awake lads, sons of wealthy men of a -small city located on a lake. The boys love outdoor life, and are -greatly interested in hunting, fishing, and picture taking. They have -motor cycles, motor boats, canoes, etc., and during their vacations go -everywhere and have all sorts of thrilling adventures. The stories give -full directions for camping out, how to fish, how to hunt wild animals -and prepare the skins for stuffing, how to manage a canoe, how to swim, -etc. Full of the spirit of outdoor life. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS - Or The First Tour of the Rod, Gun and Camera Club. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE - Or Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST - Or Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE GULF - Or Rescuing the Lost Balloonists. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AFTER BIG GAME - Or Perilous Adventures in the Wilderness. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON A HOUSEBOAT - Or The Rivals of the Mississippi. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE BIG WOODS - Or The Rival Hunters at Lumber Run. - - THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AT CABIN POINT - Or The Golden Cup Mystery. - -12mo. Averaging 240 pages. Illustrated. Handsomely bound in Cloth. - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - ---- - -*THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SERIES* - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of "The Bobbsey Twins Series." - -12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING - -The adventures of Ruth and Alice DeVere. Their father, a widower, is an -actor who has taken up work for the "movies." Both girls wish to aid him -in his work and visit various localities to act in all sorts of -pictures. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS - Or First Appearance in Photo Dramas. - - Having lost his voice, the father of the girls goes into the - movies - and the girls follow. Tells how many "parlor dramas" are filmed. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT OAK FARM - Or Queer Happenings While Taking Rural Plays. - - Full of fun in the country, the haps and mishaps of taking film - plays, and giving an account of two unusual discoveries. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SNOWBOUND - Or The Proof on the Film. - - A tale of winter adventures in the wilderness, showing how the - photo-play actors sometimes suffer. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS UNDER THE PALMS - Or Lost in the Wilds of Florida. - - How they went to the land of palms, played many parts in dramas - before the camera; were lost, and aided others who were also - lost. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT ROCKY RANCH - Or Great Days Among the Cowboys. - - All who have ever seen moving pictures of the great West will - want to know just how they are made. This volume gives every - detail - and is full of clean fun and excitement. - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT SEA - Or a Pictured Shipwreck that Became Real. - - A thrilling account of the girls' experiences on the water, - - THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS IN WAR PLAYS - Or The Sham Battles at Oak Farm. - - The girls play important parts in big battle scenes and have - plenty - of hard work along with considerable fun. - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - ---- - -*THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES* - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of the popular "Bobbsey Twin Books" and "Bunny Brown" Series. - -UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. INDIVIDUAL COLORED WRAPPERS. - -These tales take in the various adventures participated in by several -bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life. They are clean and -wholesome, free from sensationalism, and absorbing from the first -chapter to the last. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE - Or Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE - Or Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR - Or The Haunted Mansion of Shadow Valley. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP - Or Glorious Days on Skates and Ice Boats. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA - Or Wintering in the Sunny South. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW - Or The Box that Was Found in the Sand. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND - Or A Cave and What it Contained. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE - Or Doing Their Bit for Uncle Sam. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE - Or Doing Their Best for the Soldiers. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT BLUFF POINT - Or A Wreck and A Rescue. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT WILD ROSE LODGE - Or The Hermit of Moonlight Falls. - - THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN THE SADDLE - Or The Girl Miner of Gold Run. - -Grossett & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT -*** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35594 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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