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!"