He had hardly ceased speaking, when one of the automobiles appeared, so covered with snow that it was hard to believe that it was actually a car at all. Shortly afterward the Salper car appeared, came to a halt when its driver saw the other two at a standstill, and its French chauffeur descended and advanced stiffly to where Bob and the driver of the second Layton car were standing.

"Pah!" he exclaimed. "In all France there is no road like that which I have just traverse. I am hire to drive ze petrol car, not ze snow plough. It eez ze so great mystery zat we have arrive so far."

"Mystery is right," agreed Jim, the injured driver. "The only casualty up to date is my busted wing, which is a lot better than a busted neck. But you'd better get back in your gla.s.s house, Frenchy, because we're all frozen stiff, and the sooner we land at the hotel, the better. My arm feels as though it must be broken in twenty places."

The Frenchman looked doubtfully at Jim when he spoke of an injured "wing," but evidently set it down as being one more incomprehensible vagary of the English language, for he only shrugged his shoulders and returned to his car without comment.

The short day was drawing rapidly into night when the little party at last saw the cheerful lights of the hotel shining through the storm.

Fifteen minutes later the lads were all seated in front of a roaring open fire in the big parlor and were telling their experiences to the amazed guests.

Bob was the only uncomfortable one in the crowd, as he heard everybody speaking in praise of the way he had risen to the emergency and was thankful for more reasons than one when dinner was announced.

"Dinner!" exclaimed Jimmy, rapturously. "Bob, I've got to hand it to you. Not only do you get us here through a howling blizzard, but you land us just in time for a turkey dinner. Oh my, oh my!"

The Mountain Rest Hotel had a reputation for serving generous meals, and for this the boys were thankful that night. Through all the long, cold day they had eaten nothing but a few sandwiches, and now they strove to make up for lost time. Not in vain, either. Even Jimmy had to own up that he could not eat another mouthful, which was a statement he could seldom truthfully make.

Owing to the sickness in Clintonia, there had been an unprecedented rush of visitors to the hotel, and the Layton party discovered that they would have to take one of the small cottages adjoining the hotel, although they would board in the main establishment.

The cottage was snug and comfortable, however, and they were all delighted with it. Indeed, it was better for the radio boys than rooms in the hotel, because they could set up their receiving set more readily. Of course, it was out of the question to erect an outdoor aerial, but they were not bothered by this and decided to use a loop aerial instead. They had brought with them a knock-down frame on which to wind their antenna, and this frame could be moved around and set against the wall when not in use.

The first night at Mountain Pa.s.s they had little thought, however, even for their beloved radio, and were content to tumble into bed shortly after dinner. But the next day they were up early, and after a hearty breakfast set to work to put up their set.

CHAPTER X

CONVINCING A SKEPTIC

It was a simple matter for the boys to wind the loop aerial, for they had become expert in the manipulation of wire, tape, and the numerous other accessories that go with the art of wireless telephony. After the aerial was completed they unpacked their receiving set and quickly connected it up. They worked skillfully and efficiently, and before the lunch bell rang at noon they were ready to receive signals.

But even their enthusiasm was not proof against the seductive summons of the genial looking old darky who rang the bell, and they washed hastily and started for the dining room at a pace that would have reflected credit on the hungriest boarder who ever lived.

"Gang way, Bob!" panted Jimmy, as they clattered down the last flight of stairs and dashed for the entrance to the hotel. "I'm hungry, and, therefore, desperate. Get out of the way before I trip over you!"

"Good night!" shouted Bob. "You're getting too fresh to live, Jimmy,"

and he picked up a handful of snow and dropped it carefully and with precision down Jimmy's fat neck.

"Ugh!" exclaimed that corpulent youth, stopping short in his wild rush and digging snow from under his collar. "I'll get even with you for that, Bob, you old hobo. Just you wait!"

"Can't wait a second," grinned Bob. "I don't want to be late and miss all the good things, even if you do."

"Come on, Doughnuts, don't stand there all day picking snow off you,"

entreated Herb. "I can't see where there's any fun in that."

Jimmy reached down, packed a handful of snow, and sent it flying after the others. They were close to the door, however, and ducked in unscathed, while the s...o...b..ll spread out in a big patch against the door casing.

Jimmy did not allow himself to be delayed very long at any time when there was food in prospect, however, and his friends had hardly seated themselves at the table when he came in, his collar badly dampened, but his appet.i.te in prime condition. He shook his fist surrept.i.tiously at the others, but he was incapable of staying angry long, and was soon his usual jolly and happy-go-lucky self.

The snowstorm had stopped during the night, the weather had grown warmer, and a brilliant sun now shone down on a dazzlingly white world. The snow had come ahead of time, as all the "regulars" at the Mountain Rest Hotel united in a.s.serting, and now it gave every indication of disappearing as fast as it had come.

The boys wanted to get back to their radio set after dinner, but the snow looked so inviting that they could not resist the temptation to have a snow fight. Some of the men, seeing them hard at it, cast dignity to the winds and joined them, until quite a miniature battle was raging. Ammunition was plentiful, and there was a good deal of shouting and laughter before both sides became tired and agreed to call it a draw.

The radio boys were pretty damp with snow water, and their hands were stiff with cold, but trifling discomforts such as these did not bother them much. They had had a good time, and they knew that there is seldom any fun that does not have its own drawbacks. They went to their rooms, changed the wettest of their clothing for dry articles, and were soon ready to test their set.

They were just making a final inspection of their connections when Mr.

Layton entered the room, accompanied by two other gentlemen.

Mr. Layton introduced the two latter as the owners of the store he was thinking of purchasing.

"Mr. Blackford and Mr. Robins are rather skeptical about radio,"

explained Mr. Layton, when the introductions had been duly accomplished. "I happened to mention it this morning, and as they both seemed to think I was exaggerating its possibilities, I asked them here to see and hear for themselves."

"It's no trouble to show goods," said Bob, grinning. "We haven't tested for signals yet, but the set is all hooked up, and I guess all we'll have to do is tune up and get about anything you want."

"You seem pretty confident," remarked one of the two strangers, Mr.

Robins. "My opinion is, that this radio stuff is mostly bunk. A friend of mine bought a set just a little while ago, and he couldn't hear a thing with it. Paid fifteen dollars for it, too."

"I shouldn't imagine he could," said Bob, drily. "Mountain Pa.s.s must be at least a hundred miles from the nearest broadcasting station, and that set you speak of could never be expected to catch anything more than twenty-five miles away, at the most."

"Well, I'll bet dollars to doughnuts you can't hear anything with that outfit you've got there, either," broke in the other of the two strangers.

"You'd lose your money, Blackford," said Bob's father. "Go ahead and convince these doubting Thomases, Bob."

Bob adjusted a headset over his ears and switched on the current through the vacuum bulb filament. Then he manipulated the voltage of the "B," or high voltage, dry battery, and also varied the current flowing through the filament by means of a rheostat connected in series with it. Almost immediately he caught a far-away sound of music, and by manipulation of the variometer and condenser k.n.o.bs gradually increased the strength of the sounds.

Meantime Mr. Layton's two acquaintances had watched proceedings with open skepticism, and often glanced knowingly at each other. But suddenly, as Bob twisted the k.n.o.b of the variable condenser, the music became so loud that all in the room could hear it, even though they had no receivers over their ears.

"If either of you two gentlemen will put these receivers on, he'll be convinced that radio is no fake," said Bob quietly, at the same time removing his headset and holding it out.

After a moment's hesitation Mr. Robins donned the receivers, and a startled look came over his face, replacing the incredulous expression it had worn heretofore.

"Let's hook up another set of phones, Bob, and let Mr. Blackford listen at the same time," suggested Joe.

This was done, and soon both skeptics were listening to their first radio concert. Mr. Layton regarded them with an amused smile. Mr.

Robins extended his hand curiously toward the condenser k.n.o.b, and immediately the music died away. He pulled his hand hastily away, and the sounds resumed their former volume.

"Don't be frightened," laughed Mr. Layton. "It won't bite you."

"But what made it fade away in that fashion?" asked Mr. Robins.

"Don't ask me," said Bob's father. "I'm not up on radio the way the boys are. I enjoy it, without knowing much of the _modus operandi_."

"That was caused by what is known as 'body capacity,'" explained Bob.

"Every human being is more or less of a natural condenser, and when you get near the regular condenser in that set, it puts more capacity into the circuit, and interferes with its balance."

The other nodded, although in reality he understood very little of even this simple explanation. He was too much absorbed in listening to what was going on in the phones.