The little company had some further interesting talk, and then, as it was getting rather late, Dr. Dale and his friend rose to go.

"I'm glad to have met all you fellows," said the radio expert, shaking hands all around. "If there's anything I can do to help you along at any time, Dr. Dale can tell you where to find me, and I'll be glad to be of service."

The boys thanked their visitor heartily, and promised to avail themselves of his offer in case they found that they needed help.

Then Bob saw the visitors to the door, and returned to his friends.

"We're mighty lucky to have met a man like that, who knows this game from start to finish," said Joe. "I'd give a lot to know what he does about it."

"You never will know as much," said Jimmy. "Mr. Brandon is a smart man."

"Meaning that I'm not, I suppose?" said Joe. "Well, there's no need of my being smart as long as you're around with your keen young mind."

"It's nice of you to say so," said Jimmy, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in Joe's tone. "I never expected to hear you admit it, though."

"I'll have to get you two Indians a pair of boxing gloves, and let you settle your arguments that way, pretty soon," came from Bob.

"Nothing doing," said Jimmy. "Boxing is too much like work, and it's time to go home, anyway," and he rose to look for his hat. "Anybody coming my way?"

"Well, if there were any more messages coming in, I'd ask Bob to let me stay all night," said Joe. "But as it is, I suppose I might as well go, too. Coming, Herb?"

"Yes, I suppose I'll have to."

"Not at all," put in Jimmy. "I'm sure Mrs. Layton would just love to have you two fellows planted on her for a life time."

"Nothing doing!" declared Bob, laughing.

In a few moments three tuneful whistlers were making their way homeward, with hearts elated at the success of their first venture into the wide field of radio telephony.

CHAPTER XVII

THE FERBERTON PRIZE

For several days nothing of special interest happened in Clintonia.

Buck Looker made his appearance about the streets, one eye covered by a black patch. This he explained to his cronies by telling them that he wore the patch to keep out the sun, but even they had to take this with a large grain of salt, as Bob's friends took pains to let the real cause of Buck's trouble be known. Buck knew that he was not 'getting away' with his excuse, and the knowledge made him more surly and unpleasant than before. In the course of a few days he was able to discard the patch, but unfortunately he could not discard his mean and revengeful nature so easily, and his mind was continually occupied with plans to "get even."

"We'll put that crowd out of business some way, you see if we don't,"

said Buck to Carl Lutz.

"I'd like to do it, all right, but I don't see just how we're going to manage it," replied Lutz. "If Bob Layton can lick you, he can lick any of our bunch, so we don't want to get into trouble with them until we've got a sure thing."

Buck agreed heartily with this unsportsmanlike att.i.tude, but had more confidence in fortune.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "We'll get our chance all right!

And then won't we rub it into Bob Layton and his crowd!" and his face wore even a more ugly and sinister look than usual.

For the next few days the boys' radio set was in much demand. Of course all their immediate relatives had to listen in, as it is called, and they also invited many of their friends, both boys and girls, to try it.

"Oh, it's too wonderful for anything," declared Joe's sister Rose.

"To think of getting all that music from such a distance!"

"Yes, and that splendid sermon Sunday afternoon!" exclaimed Mrs.

Plummer. "I declare, if Dr. Dale doesn't look out they'll make it so n.o.body will have to go to meeting any more."

"I've certainly got to hand it to you boys," was Doctor Atwood's comment. "I didn't think you could really do it. This radio business is going to change everything. Why, a person living away off in the country can listen in on the finest of concerts, lectures, sermons and everything else. And pick up all the very latest news in the bargain."

One day Bob had to go out of town on an errand for his father and he was allowed to take Joe along. At the out-of-town railroad station they quite unexpectedly ran into Nellie Berwick. The girl had recovered from the shock of the automobile accident but looked much downcast.

"No, I haven't heard from Dan Ca.s.sey yet," she said, in reply to a question from Bob.

"Then he didn't come back?" questioned Joe.

"No--or, if he did, he is keeping in hiding. I guess my money is gone," and the girl heaved a deep sigh.

"The rascal, the dirty rascal!" was Bob's comment, after they had left Miss Berwick. "Oh, how I would like to hand him over to the police!"

"Yes, but give him a good licking first," added his chum.

While Buck Looker was still racking his brains for an appropriate form of punishment for Bob and his chums, a most interesting thing happened to the radio boys. The Representative in Congress of the district in which Clintonia was located, Mr. Ferberton, came out with an offer of a prize of one hundred dollars for the best amateur wireless outfit made by any boy in his district, and a second prize of fifty dollars.

It was stipulated that the entire set, outside of the head phones, must be made by the boy himself, with out any a.s.sistance from grown-ups. A time limit of three weeks was allowed, at the end of which time each set submitted was to be tried out by a committee composed of prominent business men and radio experts, and the prizes awarded to those getting the best results and making the neatest appearance.

It may be imagined what effect this offer had on the four radio boys.

The announcement was made at the high school one day, and from that time on the boys were engrossed with the idea of winning the coveted prize.

"Just think of the honor it would be, let alone the hundred dollars,"

said Bob. "Whoever wins that prize will be known through the entire State."

"I wouldn't care much who got the honor, so long as I got first prize," said Jimmy, avariciously. "What I couldn't do with all that money--yum, yum!"

"Yes, or even fifty dollars wouldn't be anything to sneeze at," said Joe. "I give you fellows notice right here that you'll have to step mighty lively to beat yours truly to one of those fat plums."

"Gee, you'll never have a chance," said Jimmy. "Why, my set will be so good that it will probably win both prizes. n.o.body else will have a look in."

"All you'll win will be the nickel plated necktie for trying," said Herb. "If you really want to see the winner of the first prize, just gaze steadily in my direction," and he grinned.

"I'm not saying anything, but that doesn't prove that I'm not thinking a lot," said Bob. "Never leave little Bob Layton out of it when there's a prize hanging around to be picked."

"It would be just like your beastly luck to win it," said Jimmy.

"There won't be much luck about this, I guess," said Joe. "By the time the judges get through picking the winner, the chances are it will take a pretty nifty set to pull down first prize--or second, either, for that matter," he added. "There's a lot of fellows trying for it, I hear."

"Well, as far as we four go, we all start even," continued Bob.

"All that we know about radio we learned together, so n.o.body has a head start on the other."

"That doesn't help me much," said Herb. "What I need is a big head start. I think I'll enjoy myself working the set we have already, and let you fellows slave your heads off trying for prizes. I know I'd never win one in a thousand years, anyway."