SOLVING THE MYSTERY
One night after another performance all of the radio boys were waiting in
the railroad station when Larry, who had stepped to the news stand to buy
a paper, came hurrying back to where they were sitting.
"I've spotted the men who ran me down in the motor boat!" he gasped.
"They're talking together over in that corner!"
"Are you sure?" asked Bob, as he looked in the direction indicated.
"Dead sure," declared Larry. "The look I had at them as the motor boat was
making for me is engraved on my memory so that I couldn't forget it if I
wanted to. Now's the chance to get those fellows jugged. You know the
police were looking for them after they ran us down and there's a warrant
out for their arrest. The police didn't have their names, so the warrant
read for John Doe and Richard Roe. We've got to act quickly, as they may
get up to take a train at any minute."
"Keep your eye on them while I get a station policeman," admonished Bob,
as he hurried off.
He found the officer, who listened attentively as he told his story. Then
he walked with Bob toward the men who were still engaged in earnest
conversation.
As the officer's eyes fell upon them, he gave a start.
"That's Red Pete and Bud McCaffrey, two of the oldest crooks in the
business," he said. "They're wanted for more things than that affair of
yours. It will be a feather in my cap if I gather them in."
He tightened his grip on the club as he came close to the two men. They
looked up at him, and a startled look came into their eyes as they saw his
uniform.
"Hello, Pete. Hello, McCaffrey," he greeted them. "I guess you'd better
come right along to headquarters. The Chief would like to have a talk with
you."
With a snarl the men leaped to their feet and sought to get past the
officer. He was too quick for one of them, whom he grabbed by the collar
and reduced to submission by two cracks with his club. The other eluded
him, however, and promised to make good his escape. But quick as a flash
Bob thrust out his foot and tripped him, at the same time falling upon
him.
The fall knocked the breath out of the fugitive, and Bob had no trouble in
holding him until Joe and the other boys came up, together with another
policeman, who had been attracted by the fracas. A patrol wagon was
summoned and the prisoners were conveyed to the nearest police station,
where they and the bags they had carried were searched in the presence of
the boys, who had missed their train in order to be present and give what
information they could about the motor boat affair.
The bags were found to contain, among jewelry and other things that were
apparently the proceeds of robberies, a number of pawntickets calling for
stickpins, watches and other articles which the police lieutenant at the
desk announced would be looked up by some of his men. The prisoners were
locked up to await a court examination, and the boys, after having given
their names and addresses in case they were wanted later on as witnesses,
left for home in a state of high excitement over the stirring events of
the night.
Bob kept in touch with the case, and a few days later came rushing up to
his friends in high glee.
"What do you think, fellows?" he announced. "After the extra performance I
gave to-day at the broadcasting station, I dropped in at the police
station and had a look at some of the loot the police had gathered up on
the strength of the pawntickets. And among them what do you think I
saw?"
"The Crown Jewels of England," guessed Herb.
Bob withered him with a look.
"The stickpins and watches of Buck Looker and Carl Lutz!" announced Bob
impressively. "Their initials were on the watches."
"Glory be!" cried Larry, who was present. "That clears me in that matter.
I know none of you fellows believed Buck's dirty fling, but all the same
I've felt uncomfortable ever since."
"Now you'll get a nice letter of apology from Mr. Buck Looker--I don't
think," remarked Joe.
The information was conveyed to Buck and Lutz, and they identified and
recovered their property. But as Joe had predicted, not a word of apology
for their unfounded charges was received from either one of the pair.
Not long afterward the arrested men were convicted and sentenced to long
prison terms. It developed that they were old offenders who made a
specialty of robbery at summer resorts.
Larry grew steadily better and there was every prospect that his lameness
would in time wholly disappear. But he was doing so well at the
broadcasting station that he determined to give up any further idea of
vaudeville and devote himself to radio, going to a technical school in the
meantime to perfect his education. Tim steadily advanced in his chosen
vocation, and the boys heard from him frequently. No one rejoiced more
than they when they learned that he was at last in the big-time circuit.
During all these events the boys had been busy at developing the receiving
set, and at last it was finished to their satisfaction. In the course of
their work they gathered a large amount of familiarity with radio which
proved of immense value later on, as will be seen in the next volume of
this series, entitled: "The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass; Or, The Midnight
Call For Assistance."
The special set that represented the advance they had made in radio
reception included the regenerative principle. This feature added
immensely to the sensitiveness of the set. It consisted of a coil,
variously known as the tickler, the intensity coil, and the regeneration
coil. It involved three controls, the wave-length tuning, the regenerative
coil, and the filament rheostat. The result of the combination was not
only that the radio frequency waves could be carried over into the plate
circuit, but that they could be amplified there by the energy derived from
the local battery in the plate circuit without change of frequency or wave
form, and that they could be fed into the grid circuit, where they
increased the potential variations on the grid so that the operation
constantly repeated itself.
This "feed-back" regeneration enormously increased the loudness of the
receiving signals, and its value to the boys was demonstrated one night
when the air was unusually free of static and they clearly heard the
signals from Nauen, Germany, and the Eiffel Tower, Paris. They looked at
each other incredulously at first, and then as they heard the signals
again too certainly to admit of doubt, they jumped to their feet, clapped
each other on the shoulder, and fairly went wild with delight.
"The first boys in this old town to pick up a message from Europe!" cried
Joe. "What next?"
"Asia perhaps," suggested Jimmy.
"Then Australia," ventured Herb.
"Or Mars," predicted Bob. "Who knows?" he added, as he saw the smile of
doubt on his comrades' faces. "Marconi thought he might, and he's no
dreamer. What is impossible to radio?"
THE END
This Isn't All
Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in
this book?
Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and
experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author?
On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will
find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where
you got this book.
Don't throw away the Wrapper
Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But in
case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete catalog.
The Radio Boys Series
(Trademark Registered)
By ALLEN CHAPMAN
Author of the "Railroad Series," Etc.
Individual Colored Wrappers. Illustrated.
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
A new series for boys giving full details of radio work, both in sending
and receiving--telling how small and large amateur sets can be made and
operated, and how some boys got a lot of fun and adventure out of what
they did. Each volume from first to last is so thoroughly fascinating, so
strictly up-to-date and accurate, we feel sure all lads will peruse them
with great delight.
Each volume has a Foreword by Jack Binns, the well-known radio expert.
THE RADIO BOYS' FIRST WIRELESS
THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT
THE RADIO BOYS AT THE SENDING
STATION
THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS
THE RADIO BOYS TRAILING A VOICE
THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE FOREST
RANGERS
THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE ICEBERG
PATROL
THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE FLOOD
FIGHTERS
THE RADIO BOYS ON SIGNAL ISLAND
THE RADIO BOYS IN GOLD VALLEY
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
THE TOM SWIFT SERIES BY VICTOR APPLETON
Uniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers. Every Volume
Complete in Itself.
Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is a bright,
ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the most interesting
kind of reading.
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER
TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
THE DON STURDY SERIES by VICTOR APPLETON
Individual Colored Wrappers and Text Illustrations by WALTER S. ROGERS
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
In company with his uncles, one a mighty hunter and the other a noted
scientist, Don Sturdy travels far and wide, gaining much useful knowledge
and meeting many thrilling adventures.
DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY;
An engrossing tale of the Sahara Desert, of encounters with wild animals
and crafty Arabs.
DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS;
Don's uncle, the hunter, took an order for some of the biggest snakes to
be found in South America--to be delivered alive!
DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD;
A fascinating tale of exploration and adventure in the Valley of Kings in
Egypt.
DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE;
A great polar blizzard nearly wrecks the airship of the explorers.
DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES;
An absorbing tale of adventures among the volcanoes of Alaska.
DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS;
This story is just full of exciting and fearful experiences on the sea.
DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS;
A thrilling story of adventure in darkest Africa. Don is carried over a
mighty waterfall into the heart of gorilla land.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK