FRIENDLY RIVALS
The radio boys, Herb excepted, finally decided each to make his own
set without any consultation with any of the others, and submit it
to be judged strictly on its merits.
"Three weeks ought to give us plenty of time," said Bob. "I'm going
to do a lot of experimenting before I start in to make the real set.
Of course, the one we've already got belongs to all of us equally,
and you fellows know you can come and use it any time you feel like
it."
"Your mother will be putting us out if we spend much more time at
your house," replied Joe. "It seems as though we have just about
been living there lately."
"Oh, don't let that worry you," said Bob. "You know you're welcome
at any time. Besides, we won't have to put all our time on the new
sets, either. We can have plenty of fun in the evening with our
present one."
The boys finally agreed to build their sets each by himself, and
to say nothing about any features or improvements that they might
incorporate in it. They were all enthusiastic over their chances,
although they knew that the winners would have to overcome a lot
of first-class opposition.
Herb felt sorry at times that he had not started a set of his own,
but his was an easy-going disposition that took things as they came,
and while the other boys were studying all the books they could find
on the subject and consulting Dr. Dale, Mr. Brandon having departed,
he was listening to music and talk over the original set, and
enjoying himself generally.
"You go ahead and have all the fun you want now," said Joe one time,
when Herb was teasing him about working so hard. "My fun will come
later."
"Yes--if you win the prize," said Herb. "But if you don't, you won't
be any better off than I am, and you'll be out all your work besides."
"Not a bit of it," denied Joe. "Even if I don't win either prize, my
set will be returned to me after the judging is over, and I'll have
that to show for my trouble, anyway."
"Maybe you will, if they don't tear it all apart while they're looking
it over," said Herb.
"Aw, forget it," advised Joe. "If I don't get anything out of it but
the experience, I won't think that I've wasted my time."
"Well, that's the spirit, all right," said Herb. "Go to it. But you
ought to have heard the concert I heard last evening while you slaves
were working your heads off."
"Yes, but when I get this outfit of mine working, I'll be able to hear
everything a lot better than you can with the set we've got now," said
Joe. "I've got some good kinks out of a radio magazine that I'm going
to put in mine, and it's going to be a regular humdinger."
"Oh, all right, all right," said Herb, laughing. "That's the very
thing that Jimmy was telling me only this afternoon. He's putting
a lot of sure fire extras on his set, too. I don't think there will
be enough prizes to go around."
"I don't care whether there are or not, so long as I get one," said
Joe, with frank selfishness. "One is all I want."
"That's probably exactly one more than you'll get," grinned Herb.
"But you may astonish us all by working up something really decent.
Funny things like that do happen, sometimes."
"'It's easier to criticize than to create,'" quoted Joe. "Likewise,
'he who laughs last, irritates.' If those two wise old sayings don't
hold you for a while, I'll try to think up a few more for you."
"Oh, don't bother, that's plenty," laughed Herb. "It doesn't take
many of those to satisfy me."
"Well, I'll have to leave you to your troubles," said Joe. "Now that
I've got this idea in my noodle, I won't be able to rest until I get
it worked up.
"Say, wait a minute," said Herb. "I heard a swell joke to-day, and
I know you'll enjoy it. There was an Irishman and a Jew--" but at
this formidable opening Joe rushed out, slamming the door behind him.
"Well, it's his loss," thought Herb. "But it is a crackerjack story,
just the same. I'll have to go and find Bob and tell it to him."
He found Bob hard at work at his bench downstairs.
"Hey, Bob, want to hear a good joke?" he asked.
"Nope," said his friend, with discouraging brevity.
"Gee!" exclaimed Herb, "you're as bad as Joe. You neither of you
seem to appreciate high-class humor any more."
"Oh, we appreciate high-class humor all right," said Bob, with a
wicked grin. "It's only your kind that we can't stand for."
"Bang!" exclaimed Herbert. "That settles it. Any one of you knockers
who wants to hear that story now will have to come to me and ask for
it."
"That's all right, Herb. Just you hold on to it until we do. Maybe
it will improve with a little aging."
"This story is so good that it can't be improved. But I'm going home
now, so if you want to give yourself the pleasure of hearing it,
you'd better say so right away."
"No, I'll get along somehow without it," answered Bob. "But maybe
Jimmy would like to hear it. Have you tried it on him?"
"No, and what's more, I'm not going to. I've lost my confidence in
that story now. I guess it can't be so good after all."
"Probably not," agreed Bob gravely.
"Oh, get out!" cried Herb. "I'm going home!" and he departed
indignantly, slamming the door behind him.