Boys of the Wireless; Or, A Stirring Rescue from the Deep

by Frank V. Webster

  Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttps://www.pgdp.net.

  TOM SPEEDILY GAVE THE CALL TO THE STATION AT THE DIXON PLACE.]

  THE BOYS OF THE WIRELESS

  Or

  A Stirring Rescue from the Deep

  BY

  FRANK V. WEBSTER

  AUTHOR OF "AIRSHIP ANDY," "COMRADES OF THE SADDLE,""BEN HARDY'S FLYING MACHINE," "BOB THE CASTAWAY," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  NEW YORKCUPPLES & LEON COMPANYPUBLISHERS

  BOOKS FOR BOYS

  By FRANK V. WEBSTER

  12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.

  ONLY A FARM BOYTOM, THE TELEPHONE BOYTHE BOY FROM THE RANCHTHE YOUNG TREASURE HUNTERBOB, THE CASTAWAYTHE YOUNG FIREMEN OF LAKEVILLETHE NEWSBOY PARTNERSTHE BOY PILOT OF THE LAKESTHE TWO BOY GOLD MINERSJACK, THE RUNAWAYCOMRADES OF THE SADDLETHE BOYS OF BELLWOOD SCHOOLTHE HIGH SCHOOL RIVALSBOB CHESTER'S GRITAIRSHIP ANDYDARRY, THE LIFE SAVERDICK, THE BANK BOYBEN HARDY'S FLYING MACHINETHE BOYS OF THE WIRELESSHARRY WATSON'S HIGH SCHOOL DAYS

  Cupples & Leon Co., Publishers, New York

  Copyright, 1912, byCUPPLES & LEON COMPANYTHE BOYS OF THE WIRELESS

  Contents

  - CHAPTER I--TOM BARNES' WIRELESS - CHAPTER II--STATION Z - CHAPTER III--"SPOOKS!" - CHAPTER IV--"DONNER" - CHAPTER V--A BOY WITH A MYSTERY - CHAPTER VI--A TIP VIA WIRELESS - CHAPTER VII--GRACE MORGAN - CHAPTER VIII--QUICK ACTION - CHAPTER IX--STRICTLY BUSINESS - CHAPTER X--A YOUNG CAPITALIST - CHAPTER XI--A GREAT STEP FORWARD - CHAPTER XII--"SUN, MOON AND STARS" - CHAPTER XIII--THE BLACK CAPS - CHAPTER XIV--TURNING THE TABLES - CHAPTER XV--AN UNEXPECTED RESCUER - CHAPTER XVI--KIDNAPPED - CHAPTER XVII--UP TO MISCHIEF - CHAPTER XVIII--THE TOY BALLOONS - CHAPTER XIX--A STARTLING MESSAGE - CHAPTER XX--THE LAUNCH - CHAPTER XXI--BRAVING THE STORM - CHAPTER XXII--THE RESCUE - CHAPTER XXIII--"EVERY INCH A MAN" - CHAPTER XXIV--THE KIDNAPPED BOY - CHAPTER XXV--TOM ON THE TRAIL--CONCLUSION

  THE BOYS OF THE WIRELESS

  CHAPTER I--TOM BARNES' WIRELESS

  "What's that new-fangled thing on the blasted oak, Tom?"

  "That, Ben, is a wireless."

  "Oh, you don't say so!"

  "Or, rather the start of one."

  "Say, you aren't original or ambitious or anything like that, are you?"

  The speaker, Ben Dixon, bestowed a look of admiration and interest onthe chum he liked best of all in the world, Tom Barnes.

  Tom was reckoned a genius in the little community in which he lived. Hehad the record of "always being up to something." In the presentinstance he had been up a tree, it seemed. From "the new-fangled thing"Ben had discovered in passing the familiar landmark, the blasted oak,wires and rods ran up to quite a height, showing that some one had donesome climbing.

  Ben became instantly absorbed in an inspection of the contrivance beforehim. He himself had some mechanical talent. His father had been aninventor in a small way, and anything in which Tom had a part alwaysattracted him.

  "Tell me about it. What's that thing up there?" asked Ben, pointingdirectly at some metal rods attached to the broken-off top of the tree.

  "Those are antennae."

  "Looks like an--twenty!" chuckled Ben over his own joke. "There's awhole network of them, isn't there?"

  "They run down to a relay, Ben, catching the electric waves striking thedecoherer, which taps the coherer and disarranges a lot of brass filingsby mechanical vibration. That's the whole essence of thewireless--otherwise it is no different from common telegraphy--a groupof parts each for individual service in transmitting or receiving theelectric waves."

  "Thank you!" observed Ben drily. "How delightfully plain that all is!You rattle those scientific terms off good and spry, though."

  "So will you, as soon as you do what I've been doing," asserted Tom.

  "And what's that?"

  "Getting a glance at the real wireless outfit Mr. Edson is operatingdown at Sandy Point."

  "I heard of that," nodded Ben.

  "He's a fine man," said Tom enthusiastically. "He's taken all kinds oftrouble to post me and explain things I wanted to know. This little sideshow of mine is just an experiment on a small scale. I don't expect anygrand results. It will work out the principle, though, and when I get totaking messages----"

  "What! you don't mean to say you can do that?"

  "Just that, Ben," declared Tom confidently.

  "From where?"

  "Well, mostly from Mr. Edson's station at Sandy Point, and maybe somestray ones that may slip past him."

  "Say!" cried Ben, on fire at once with emulation and optimism, "what'sthe matter with me starting a station, too, down at my house? Then wecould have all kinds of fun over our line."

  "It isn't much work nor expense," said Tom. "You can get an outfit cheapfor a home-made apparatus--you need some coarse and fine wire for themain coil, a glass tube, a bell, sounder and a buzzer, someelectromagnets----"

  "I see," interrupted Ben with a mock groan, "just a few things picked upanywhere. Oh, yes!"

  "You won't be discouraged once you get interested, Ben," assured Tom."We'll talk about your starting a station later. Just now you can helpme quite a bit if you want to."

  "Sure!" returned the enterprising Ben with vim.

  "All right; I want to string a coil of new wire I got yesterday,"explained Tom, going around to the other side of the tree. "Why, it'sgone!" he cried.

  "What's gone?" queried Ben.

  "The wire. Now, isn't that a shame!" cried Tom indignantly, fussingaround among the grass and bushes. "That coil couldn't have walked away.Some one must have stolen it."

  "Don't be too hasty, Tom. Some one passing by may have picked it up. Youknow the fellows are playing ball over in the meadow just beyond here.Some of them may have cut across and stumbled over your wire."

  "Couldn't they see that I was putting up a station here?" demanded Tomwith asperity.

  "Station?" repeated Ben with a jolly laugh. "See here, old fellow, youforget that we scientific numbskulls wouldn't know your contrivance herefrom a clothes dryer."

  "Well, come on, anyway. I've got to find that wire," said Tom withdetermination.

  In the distance they could hear the shouts of boys at play, and passingthrough some brushwood they came to the edge of the open meadow liningthe river.

  Half a dozen boys were engaged in various pastimes. Two of them playingat catch greeted Tom with enthusiasm.

  There was no boy at Rockley Cove more popular than Tom Barnes. Hisfather had farmed it, as the saying goes, at the edge of the littlevillage for over a quarter of a century. While Mr. Barnes was notexactly a wealthy man he made a good living, and Tom dressed prettywell, and was kept at school right along. Now it was vacation time, andoutside of a few chores about the house morning and evening Tom's timewas his own.

  The result was that usually Tom had abundant leisure for sports. Thewelcome with which his advent was hailed therefore, was quite natural.

  "I say, Tom," suddenly spoke Ben, seizing the arm of his companion insome excitement, "there's Mart Walters."

  "Ah, he's here, is he?" exclaimed Tom, and started rapidly across themeadow to where a crowd of boys were grouped about a diving plankrunning out over the stream. "I'm bothered about that missing coil, butI guess I can take time to attend to Walters."

  The boy he alluded to was talking to several companions as Tom and Bencame up. His back was to the newcomers and he did not see them approach.Mart Walters was a fop and a braggart. Tom noticed that he was arrayedin his best, and his first overheard words announced that he wasbragging as usual.

  Mart was explaining to a cred
ulous audience some of the wonderful featsin diving and swimming he had engaged in during a recent stay in Boston.With a good deal of boastful pride he alluded to a friend, Bert Aldrich,whose father was a part owner of a big city natatorium. Tom interruptedhis bombast unceremoniously by suddenly appearing directly in front ofthe boaster.

  "Hello, Mart Walters," he hailed in a sort of aggressive way.

  "Hello yourself," retorted Mart, with a slight uneasiness of manner.

  "I've been looking for you," said Tom bluntly.

  "Have?"

  "Yes, ever since I heard some criticisms of yours yesterday on mybungling swimming."

  "Oh, I didn't say much," declared Mart evasively.

  "You said enough to make the crowd believe you could beat me all hollowat diving."

  "Well," flustered Mart desperately, "I can."

  "Want to prove that?" challenged Tom sharply.

  "Some time."

  "Why not now? We're all here and the water is fine. We'll make it a dashfor the half-mile fence and return, under water test, somersaults anddiving."

  Mart had begun to retreat. He flushed and stammered. Finally he blurtedout:

  "I'm due now at Morgan's with a message from my folks."

  "You haven't seemed in a hurry," suggested Ben.

  "Well, I am now."

  "Yes, might muss your collar if you got wet!" sneered a fellow in thecrowd.

  "All right," said Tom, "when will you be back?"

  "Can't say," declared Mart. "You see, I don't know how long I may be."

  He started off, flushed and sheep-faced under the critical gaze of thecrowd. As he did so Tom noticed that he had something in his hand.

  "Here!" he cried, "where did you get that?"

  Tom had discovered his missing coil of wire. His hand seized it. Mart'sdid not let go. The latter gave a jerk, Tom a twist.

  "That's mine," Tom said simply. "You took it from where I was stringingup my wireless."

  "I found it," shouted Mart, thoroughly infuriated in being crossed inany of his plans. "It was kicking around loose. I'll have it too--takethat!"

  He came at Tom so suddenly that the latter, unprepared for the attack,went swinging to the ground under a dizzying blow.

  It looked as if Mart was about to follow up the assault with a kick. Tomoffset that peril with a dextrous maneuvre.

  Seated flat, he spun about like a top. His feet met the ankles of theonrushing Mart.

  Mart stumbled, tripped and slipped. He tried to catch himself, lost hisbalance, fell backward, and the next instant went headlong into thewater with a resounding splash.