THE STOLEN SET
Meanwhile, Bob, Joe and Jimmy were working like beavers on their
prize sets, and were making great progress. Mr. Ferberton's offer
had aroused great interest in the town, and several other boys were
working for the coveted prizes. The knowledge of this only spurred
the radio boys to greater efforts, and they began to acquire a deeper
insight into the mysteries of radio work with every day that passed.
They began to talk so learnedly of condensers and detectors that Herb
wished more than once that he had started to make a set of his own,
and he was at last driven in self defense to study up on the subject
so as not to be left too far behind.
Almost two weeks had passed since they first started work on the prize
sets when one evening Doughnuts came rushing into Bob's workroom with
woe writ large on his round countenance.
"What do you think, Bob!" he burst out. "Some crook has stolen
my set."
"Stolen your set!" echoed Bob. "What in the world do you mean?"
"Just that," went on poor Jimmy. "I had it in my father's shop back
of the house. I was working on it last night, and when I went out
this evening, it was gone."
"Was anything else stolen?" asked Bob.
"No. That's the funny thing about it," replied Jimmy. "Nothing was
touched but my set."
"Then it looks to me as though Buck Looker or one of his crowd had
taken it," said Bob, after thinking a few minutes. "You know they
have it in for us, and they'd do anything to harm us."
"Yes, but if that's so, why should they steal my set instead of yours
or Joe's?" argued Jimmy.
"Probably because it was easier to steal yours," said Bob. "We keep
our sets in the house, while yours, being in a shed at the back,
would be a lot easier to get away with."
"Jimminy crickets! I'll bet you're right," exclaimed Jimmy. "It would
be just the kind of dirty trick they'd be likely to play, too."
"If it's Buck Looker and his crowd that's responsible for this, we'll
have your set back or know the reason why," said Bob, throwing down
his tools. "Let's go around and get the others, and we'll have a
council of war."
A peculiar whistle outside their friends' houses brought them out
at once, and when they were all together Jimmy told them about his
misfortune. They were as indignant as Bob, and had little doubt that
Buck Looker was the author of the outrage.
"It's dollars to doughnuts that gang's got it," said Bob. "Now, when
a thing needs to be done, it's usually best to do it right away.
We've got to get Jimmy's set back, and I've got an idea where we
can find it."
"Where?" they all asked in chorus.
"Well, you know that crowd often hang out in that shack back of Terry
Mooney's house--the place that his father built to keep an automobile
in, and then could never get enough money to buy the automobile. They
spend a lot of their time there. And if they've taken Jimmy's outfit,
that's the place they'd naturally keep it. They wouldn't want to take
it into any of their homes, because then their folks wound likely find
out about it and make them give it up."
"Gee, I believe you're right!" exclaimed Joe. "Let's go there right
away and accuse them of it."
"Better yet, let's go there and take it away from them," proposed Bob,
with a grim set to his mouth. "Are you with me?"
For answer they all started off in the direction of Terry Mooney's
house, and as they went, Bob outlined a plan of attack.
"We'll scout around first, and see if they're in the place," he said.
"If they are, we may be able to get a look inside and see if there is
any sign of Jimmy's outfit. If they've got it, we can decide the best
way to take it away from them after we get there."