The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass Part 15

"Well, if it's to please you, we'll certainly do that thing!" Bob gallantly remarked, and was rewarded by a friendly smile.

"Edna and I will speak to the manager about it this afternoon, and I know it will be all right," she said. "We'll tell you what he says at supper time."

The radio boys, although they were radio enthusiasts themselves, did not actually realize how deeply interested people had become in this new and wonderful science. They were somewhat surprised, therefore, when the manager sought them out that afternoon and told them that he would be more than delighted to have them give a radio concert that evening.

CHAPTER XIV

SCORING A TRIUMPH

When he had gone the boys grinned at one another.

"We're getting to be popular around this place," remarked Bob.

"We sha'n't be quite so popular tomorrow, if the concert broadcasted tonight isn't a good one," said Joe.

"I only wish we could get that loudspeaker to speak just a bit louder," said Herb. "It's only fair now, and those people will be expecting a lot, I suppose."

"I was thinking the same thing," remarked Bob. "And if we're willing to pitch in this afternoon, we can improve the strength of our set a lot"

The others looked incredulously at him.

"Explain," said Joe. "You've got us guessing, Bob."

"The way we've got our set hooked up now, we're using a loop antenna, aren't we? Well," as the others nodded a.s.sent, "why not unwind the loop and string a double aerial on the roof? That would give us a lot more power, you know."

"Right you are!" exclaimed Joe. "That should make a lot of difference."

"But if we do that, we'll have to have a ground, which isn't necessary with the loop antenna," objected Herb.

"That's true enough," agreed Bob. "But that's easy, after all. We can hook our ground wire to one of the steam radiators."

"Trust Bob to think of everything!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jimmy.

"Bob is thinking that we'd better get busy, then," said that individual. "Heave yourself off that nice soft couch, Jimmy, and get your hat and overcoat on."

Jimmy emitted a dismal groan.

"Have a heart, Bob," he complained. "You know I worked so hard this morning that I'm all in."

"All right, then, you stay there; but we'll tell Edna and Ruth that you refused to help," said Joe, cruelly.

This threat had its effect, and Jimmy struggled to his feet and had his outer clothing on almost as soon as the others. It was a beautiful day outside, and after they once got warmed up, they thoroughly enjoyed the work of stringing the aerial on the roof. They brought the leading-in wire to one of the windows of the hotel parlor. It was not necessary to insulate this with anything heavier than friction tape, as this was to be only a temporary installation. Before dark they had everything ready, and then they went inside, moved their receiving set into the parlor, and connected it up to the leading-in wire. Following Bob's suggestion, they attached a ground wire to a radiator, and found that everything worked perfectly. As they had antic.i.p.ated, the signals were considerably louder, and the old phonograph horn filled the big room with a satisfying volume of sound.

During dinner the boys were so excited that they could hardly eat, and immediately afterward they hurried into the parlor. The guests had been notified of the impending concert, and soon almost everybody in the hotel had crowded into the room.

The hotel manager made a little speech introducing the boys to those who had not already become acquainted with them, and mentioning the concert that was to come. Then every one waited expectantly for the promised entertainment.

It proved unnecessary to do much tuning, as the adjustment they had secured that afternoon proved to be very nearly correct still.

When the first clear notes floated into the room many of the audience straightened up in their chairs, while looks of astonishment pa.s.sed over their features. At first they were too engrossed with the novelty of the thing to pay much attention to the music, but gradually the golden notes wove their magic net and held them all enthralled. The night was an ideal one for radiophony, cold and still, with hardly any static to annoy. One selection after another came in clear and distinct, and after each one the audience applauded instinctively, hardly conscious of the fact that upward of one hundred miles of bleak and snow-covered mountains and valleys lay between them and the performers.

At length, to everybody's regret, the last number was played, and the receiving set was silent. Not so the audience, however, who overwhelmed the boys with thanks, and made them promise to entertain them in a similar manner on other evenings.

After most of the audience had drifted out the Salper girls thanked the boys prettily for all they had done, and they felt more than repaid for the hard work of the day, even Jimmy admitting afterward that "it was worth it."

The next day the boys were eager to see Bert Thompson, the radio man, and tell him about their successful experiment, so they set out for the government station soon after breakfast. It had snowed in the early morning, but had now stopped, and the air was cold and bracing.

The four lads relieved the monotony of the long walk with, more than one impromptu exchange of s...o...b..a.l.l.s. It seemed that they had hardly started before they had traversed the miles of difficult going and found themselves in the snug interior of the wireless house.

As they were approaching it, they were astonished to see Mr. Salper emerge, a heavy frown on his usually none-too-cheerful countenance. He only nodded to the radio boys in pa.s.sing, and hurried away through the snow at a pace of which they would never have believed him capable.

When they entered the station they found Bert Thompson excited and angry. When they opened the door he started up, but when he saw who his visitors were, sank back in his chair.

"I'm glad it's you fellows!" he exclaimed. "I thought it was that Wall Street man coming back. I'm not sure but I'll throw him out if he does. I'd like to, anyhow."

"You are all up in the air," said Bob. "Did you have an argument with Mr. Salper?"

"Well, he did most of the arguing," said the other, with a faint smile. "He's so blamed used to having his own way that if any one doesn't do just as he wants, he gets mad.

"I suppose I should make allowances for him, because he has plenty to worry him," went on Thompson. "Some of those Wall Street manipulators are a ruthless bunch, and when they aren't busy taking money from an innocent public, they stage some battles between each other. Mr.

Salper has an idea that a bunch of them are trying to swing the market against him while he's up here, and he seems to think that this is a public radio station, with nothing to do but send and receive messages for him all day. I'm working for Uncle Sam, not for him."

"Oh, well, don't let him get you all stirred up, anyway," said Bob.

"He doesn't mean half of what he says. He was real decent last night while we were giving our concert."

"What do you mean, concert?" asked the wireless man. "Are you in the entertainment game now?"

"Something like that," answered Bob, grinning, and then he told the operator about the concert of the previous evening.

"That's fine," said Thompson heartily, when he had finished. "That was a good idea, to use a regular aerial instead of the loop. It certainly catches a lot more."

"Yes, but the loop is mighty handy, just the same," remarked Joe.

"Especially in a portable set. You can set it up in no time."

"Oh, it's handy, there's no doubt of that," admitted the young wireless man. "I wish I had been there for the concert. I heard most of it here, but it must have been fun to watch the faces of the audience when you started in."

"It was," laughed Herb. "I think that some of them imagined we had a phonograph hidden somewhere because after the concert was over a number of them looked all around the set as though they were hunting for something suspicious."

"Likely enough," agreed Thompson. "Some people are mighty hard to convince."

After some further conversation the boys took their leave, promising to come again for a longer visit. On the way back the chief topic of discussion was Mr. Salper, and the boys wondered more than once just what the nature of the trouble was that caused him to haunt the wireless station and besiege the operator with a flood of messages.