CHAPTER III
INTEREST IN RADIO SPREADS
Over the George Washington sundaes at the New Melford Dainties Shopthe girls discussed the mysterious happening on Dogtown Lane until itwas, as Amy said, positively frayed.
"We do not know what it was all about, my dear, so why worry ourminds? We shall probably never see that girl again, or those twowomen. Only, that lean one--well! I know I have seen her somewhere, orsomebody who looks like her."
"I don't see but you are just as bad as I am," Jessie Norwood said."But we did not come to town because of that puzzling thing."
"No-o. We came to get these perfectly gorgeous sundaes," declared AmyDrew. "Your mother, Jess, is almost as nice as you are."
"We came in to get radio books and buy wire and stops and all that forthe aerials, anyway. Of course, I shall have to send for most of theparts of the house set. There is no regular radio equipment dealer inNew Melford."
"Oh, yes! Wireless!" murmured Amy. "I had almost forgotten that."
They trotted across the street to the bookstore. Motors were coming upfrom the station now, and from New York. They waved their hands toseveral motoring acquaintances, and just outside Ye Craftsman'sBookshop they ran into Nell Stanley, who they knew had no business atall there on Main Street at this hour of the afternoon. Nell was theminister's daughter, and there were a number of little motherlessStanleys at the parsonage (Amy said "a whole raft of them") whousually needed the older sister's attention, approaching supper time.
"Oh, I've a holiday," laughed Nell, who was big and strong and reallyhandsome, Jessie thought, her coloring was so fresh, her chestnut hairso abundant, her gray eyes so brilliantly intelligent, and her teethso dazzling. "Aunt Freda is at the house and she and the Reverend toldme to go out and not to show myself back home for hours."
"Bully-good!" declared Amy. "You'll come home to dinner with me, andwe will spend the evening with Jess helping her build a radio thing sowe can do without buying the New Melford _Tribune_ to get the localnews."
"Oh, Jess, dear, _are_ you going to have a radio?" cried Nell. "It'sjust wonderful. Reverend says he may have to broadcast his sermonspretty soon or else be without an audience."
The pet name by which she usually spoke of her father, the ReverendDoctor Stanley, sounded all right when Nell said it. Nobody else evercalled the good clergyman by it. But Nell was something between adaughter and a wife to the hard working Doctor Stanley. And shecertainly was a thoughtful and "mothering" sister to the little ones.
"But," Nell added, "you are too late inviting me to the eats, Amy,honey. It can't be done. I'm promised. Mr. Brandon and his wife saw mefirst, and I am to dine with them. Then they are going to take me intheir car out to the Parkville home of their daughter--Oh, say! Ifyour radio isn't finished, Jess, why can't you and Amy come with us?The Brandon car is big enough. And they tell me Mrs. Brandon'sdaughter has got a perfectly wonderful set at her home. They have anamplifier, and you don't have to use phones at all. Has your radio setgot an amplifier, Jess?"
"But I haven't got it yet," cried Jess. "I only hope to have it."
"Then you and Amy come and hear a real one," said Nell.
"If the Brandons won't mind. Will they?"
"You know they are the loveliest people," said Nell briskly. "Mrs.Brandon told me to invite some young friends. But I hadn't thought ofdoing so. But I must have you and Amy. We'll be along for you girls atabout seven-forty-five, new time."
"Then we must hurry," declared Jess, as the minister's daughter ranaway.
"I'm getting interested," announced Amy. "Is this radio business likea talking machine?"
"Only better," said her chum. "Come on. I know several of the littlebooks I want to get. I wrote down the names."
They dived down the four steps into the basement bookshop. It was afine place to browse, when one had an hour to spare. But the chumsfrom Roselawn were not in browsing mood on this occasion.
They knew exactly what they wanted--at least, Jessie Norwood did--andsomewhat to their surprise right near the front door of the shop was a"radio table."
"Oh, yes, young ladies," said the clerk who came to wait upon themonly when he saw that they had made their selections, "we have quite acall for books on that topic. It is becoming a fad, and quitewonderful, too. I have thought some of buying a radio set myself."
"We're going to build one," declared Amy with her usual promptassurance.
"Are you? You two girls? Well, I don't know why you shouldn't. Lots ofboys are doing so."
"And anything a boy can do a girl ought to do a little better," Amyadded.
The clerk laughed as he wrapped up the several books Jessie hadcharged to her father's account. "You let me know how you get onbuilding it, will you?" he said. "Maybe I can get some ideas from yourexperience."
"We'll show 'em!" declared Amy, all in a glow of excitement. "And whydo you suppose, Jess, folks always have to suggest that girls can't dowhat boys can? Isn't it ridiculous!"
"Very," agreed Jessie. "Although, just as I pointed out a while ago,it would have been handy if Darry or Burd had been with us when we sawthat poor girl kidnaped."
"Of course! But, then, those boys are college men." She giggled. "AndI wager Burd is a sea-sick college man just now."
"Oh! Have they gone out in the _Marigold_?" cried Jessie.
"They left New Haven the minute they could get away and joined theyacht at Groton, over across from New London, where it has been tiedup all winter. Father insisted that Darry shouldn't touch the yacht,when Uncle Will died and left it to him last fall, until the collegeyear was ended. We got a marconigram last night that they had passedBlock Island going out. And _now_--well, Burd never was at sea before,you know," and Amy laughed again.
"It has been rather windy. I suppose it must be rough out in theocean. Oh, Amy!" Jess suddenly exclaimed, "if I get my radio riggedwhy can't we communicate with the _Marigold_ when it is at sea?"
"I don't know just why you can't. But I guess the wireless rigging onthe yacht isn't like this radio thing you are going to set up. Theyuse some sort of telegraph alphabet."
"I know," declared Jessie with conviction. "I'll tell Darry to put ina regular sending set--like the one I hope to have, if father will letme. And we can have our two sets tuned so that we can hear each otherspeak."
"My goodness! You don't mean it is as easy as all that?" cried Amy.
"Didn't you read that magazine article?" demanded her chum. "Anddidn't the man say that, pretty soon, we could carry receiving andsending sets in our pockets--maybe--and stop right on the street andsend or receive any news we wanted to?"
"No, I sha'n't," declared Amy. "Pockets spoil the set of even a sportsskirt. Where you going now?"
"In here. Mr. Brill sells electrical supplies as well as hardware. Oh!Amy Drew! There is a radio set in his window! I declare, New Melfordis advancing in strides!"
"Sure! In seven league boots," murmured Amy, following her friend intothe store.
Jessie had noted down the things she thought it would be safe to orderbefore speaking to her father about the radio matter. Mrs. Norwood hadcheerfully given her consent. Amy had once said that if Jessie went toher mother and asked if she could have a pet plesiosaurus, Mrs.Norwood would say:
"Of course, you may, dear. But don't bring it into the house when itsfeet are wet."
For the antenna and lead-in and ground wires, Jessie purchased threehundred feet of copper wire, number fourteen. The lightning switch Mr.Brill had among his electric fixtures--merely a porcelain base, thirtyampere, single pole double throw battery switch. She also obtained thenecessary porcelain insulators and tubes.
She knew there would be plenty of rope in the Norwood barn or thegarage for their need in erecting the aerials. But she bought a smallpulley as well as the ground connections which Mr. Brill had in stock.He was anxious to sell her a complete set like that he was exhibitingin the show window; but Jessie would not go any farther than to orderthe things enumerated and ask to have
them sent over the nextmorning.
The girls hurried home when they had done this, for it was verging ondinner time and they did not want to miss going with Nell Stanley andthe Brandons to Parkville for the radio entertainment. Mr. Norwood wasat home, and Jessie flew at him a good deal like an eager Newfoundlandpuppy.
"It is the most wonderful thing!" she declared, as she had introducedthe subject to her chum.
She kept up the radio talk all through dinner. She was so interestedthat for the time being she forgot all about the girl that had beencarried away in the automobile. Mr. Norwood had not been muchinterested in the new science; but he promised to talk the matter overwith Momsy after their daughter had gone to the radio concert.
"Anyhow," said Jessie, "I've bought the books telling how to rig it.And we're going to do it all ourselves--Amy and I. And Mr. Brill isgoing to send up some wire and things. Of course, if you won't let mehave it, I'll just have to pay for the hardware out of my allowance."
"Very well," her father said with gravity. "Maybe Chapman can findsome use for the hardware if we don't decide to build a radiostation."
As they seldom forbade their daughter anything that was notpositively harmful, however, there was not much danger that Jessie'sallowance would be depleted by paying a share of the monthly hardwarebill. Anyhow, Jessie as well as Amy, went off very gayly in theBrandon car with the minister's daughter. Mr. Brandon drove his owncar, and the girls sat in the tonneau with Mrs. Brandon, who did notseem by any means a very old lady, even if she was a grandmother.
"But grandmothers nowadays aren't crippled up with rheumatism andotherwise decrepit," declared Amy, the gay. "You know, I think it israther nice to be a grandmother these days. I am going to matriculatefor the position just as soon as I can."
They rolled out of town, and just as they turned off the boulevard totake another road to Parkville, a big car passed the Brandonautomobile coming into town. It was being driven very rapidly, butvery skillfully, and the car was empty save for the driver.
"What beautiful cars those French cars are," Mrs. Brandon said.
"Did you see her, Jess?" cried Amy, excitedly. "Look at her go!"
"Do you speak of the car or the lady?" laughed Nell Stanley.
"She is no lady, I'd have you know," Amy rejoined scornfully. "Didn'tyou know her when she passed, Jess?"
"I thought it was the car," her chum admitted. "Are you sure that wasthe woman who ran off with the girl?"
"One of them," declared Amy, with confidence. "And how she candrive!"
Naturally Mrs. Brandon and Nell wished to know the particulars of thechums' adventure. But none of them knew who the strange woman whodrove the French car was.
"She is not at all nice, at any rate," Jessie said emphatically. "Ireally wish there was some way of finding out about that girl theycarried off, and what became of her."
STRINGING THE AERIALS