SOLVING THE MYSTERY
Just whom Mr. Salper had got the radio boys could not tell with
certainty, but they had a shrewd suspicion that Mohun was the hapless
individual.
The financier walked happily and springily about the office, chuckling
to himself, and Jimmy declared afterward that if they had not been
there he would have danced a jig.
At last, when he had given sufficient vent to his elation, Mr. Salper
turned to Bob.
"I'm sure I can't tell you how I thank you," he declared, with a
cordiality and heartiness that they had never yet seen in him. "This
matter was one of the most important that has come to me in the whole
course of my life. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were involved in
it, and I'd surely have lost out if I hadn't had your services in this
extremity. And now I'm going to prove my gratitude. A check--"
"No, thank you, Mr. Salper," interrupted Bob hastily. "We don't want
money for the service we've been to you. It's been exciting and
interesting work for us, and I, at least, have been more than paid in
the experience I've got through sending."
"Well then I'm going to get you the finest radio set that money can
buy," persisted Mr. Salper.
"Not even that, thank you," returned Bob, smiling. "It's awfully good
of you, and we appreciate it, but we've learned more of radio by
building our own sets than we possibly could have done in any other
way. If you want to send a check to the Red Cross or some other
society of the kind, it would suit us better than anything else."
"You're a stubborn young rascal," said Mr. Salper, with a smile, "and
I suppose I'll have to let you have your way. But just bear in mind
that you boys have a friend in me for life, and if I can ever be of
service to any of you in business or anything else, let me know and
I'll be only too glad to do it."
He bade them good-by and went off briskly toward his bungalow to tell
his family of the news that had lifted such a heavy burden from his
brain and heart.
The third day after the episode at the radio station the radio boys
had gone further afield than usual and came upon a little shack that
had evidently been used by workmen as a place for storing their tools.
It was little more than a shed, and the boys, bestowing on it only a
casual glance, had come nearly abreast of it when Bob, who was
slightly in advance, heard a voice that he recognized as that of Buck
Looker.
He stopped dead in his tracks, and his companions did the same as he
held up his hand in warning.
"We certainly did put it over on those boobs all right," Buck was
saying, and the remark was followed by laughs of satisfaction.
"Yes, but we're not yet out of the woods," came the voice of Carl
Lutz, with a touch of uneasiness in the tone. "Suppose when they put
us on the stand to testify that we found Bob Layton and the other
fellows in the cottage the evening before it burned, their lawyer asks
us if we were in it too?"
"Well, let them ask," replied Buck. "All we'll have to do is to deny
it. We know they were in it. They don't know we were in it. Who knows
that we slipped in later and sat there until nearly midnight smoking
cigarettes?"
With a bound Bob was at the door of the shack.
"I know it!" he cried. "I didn't know it till just this minute, but
now I know it by your own confession."
"We all heard it," echoed Joe, as he, with Herb and Jimmy, followed
Bob into the shack.
Consternation and conscious guilt was written on every one of the
three faces.
Buck was the first of the cronies to recover some measure of
self-possession.
"Think you've put something over, don't you?" he sneered. "Well,
you've got another think coming to you. This won't do you a bit of
good in court. I'll simply swear that I didn't say anything of the
kind and that you've made up the story out of whole cloth. It'll be
simply my word against yours, and you'd be interested witnesses trying
to help your fathers out by cooking up this story. So what are you
going to do about it?"
"I'll show you what we're going to do about it!" cried Joe, starting
forward.
But Bob stopped him.
"Wait a minute, Joe," he said. Then he turned to Buck. "Do you mean to
say," he demanded, "that you'd take a solemn oath in court to tell the
truth, and then go on the stand and swear to a downright lie?"
The contempt in his tone stung Buck into fury.
"You can put it any way you like," he shouted. "I'm simply not going
to let you get the best of me. Who cares for the old confession as you
call it? You can have as many of those as you like and it won't do you
any good. Here's another one now for good measure. We were in the
house late that night. We were smoking cigarettes. Probably that's
what caused the fire to break out later. I tell you these things just
because it won't do you any good. In court I'll deny that I ever said
them. You'll say I did. But the court will know that you have as much
interest in lying as I have, and it'll just be a standoff. You'd have
to have a disinterested witness, and that you haven't got."
"Oh, yes, they have," came a voice from the doorway, and Mr. Salper
stepped into the shack.
An exclamation of delight broke from the lips of the radio boys, while
Buck and his cronies slunk back in terror and confusion.
"I was out taking a stroll," explained Mr. Salper, "and as I heard
loud voices coming from the shack I stepped up to see what was the
matter. I was just in time to hear the full confession of this
estimable young man"--here he turned a withering glance on Buck--"and
while I'm here, I guess I'll take it down."
He drew from his pocket a notebook and a fountain pen and wrote
rapidly, while Buck and his companions looked at each other like so
many trapped animals.
In a few minutes Mr. Salper had finished. Then he read in a clear
voice just what he had written. It was a complete confession similar
to that which Buck had made, with date and place affixed. He handed
this over to Buck with the fountain pen, with a crisp demand that he
sign it.
Buck hesitated as long as he dared, but with those keen eyes used to
command fixed upon him from beneath Mr. Salper's beetling brows, he
finally signed his name, and Lutz and Mooney shamefacedly followed
suit.
"I guess that will settle the law case," Mr. Salper remarked, with a
smile, as he handed the precious document to Bob, who folded it
carefully and put it in his breast pocket. "Now perhaps we would
better go and leave these worthy young gentlemen to their meditations.
I don't think they'll be especially pleasant ones."
The radio boys left the shack, followed by the black looks of the
discomfited conspirators.
"You certainly came along in the nick of time, Mr. Salper," said Bob.
"We're very grateful to you."
"I'm glad if I've been able to be of service to you," replied Mr.
Salper. "It's only paying back in small measure what you've done for
me. The bulk of the obligation is still on my side."
It was a happy group of radio boys that returned to the Mountain Rest
Hotel that afternoon.
"Adventures have surely crowded in on us lately," remarked Bob.
"More than they ever will again," prophesied Joe.
But that he had not foretold the future correctly will be seen by
those who read the following volume of this series, entitled: "The
Radio Boys Trailing a Voice; Or, Solving a Wireless Mystery."
That very night they sent the news of the confession to Dr. Atwood
with the request that he would communicate the tidings to the fathers
of the rest of the boys. The lawsuit, of course, was dropped at once,
and Buck and his cronies slunk home in disgrace.
"Radio is lots of work, but it's also lots of fun," remarked Joe that
night, as they sat late reviewing the events of the day.
"Radio," repeated Bob. "It's more than fun. It's excitement. It's
romance. It's adventure. It's life!"
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 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
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 RIDDLE CLUB BOOKS
By ALICE DALE HARDY
Individual Colored Wrappers. Attractively Illustrated.
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
Here is as ingenious a series of books for little folks as has ever
appeared since "Alice in Wonderland." The idea of the Riddle books is
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six youngsters, but as an added attraction each book is filled with a
lot of the best riddles you ever heard.
THE RIDDLE CLUB AT HOME
An absorbing tale that all boys and girls will enjoy reading. How the
members of the club fixed up a clubroom in the Larue barn, and how
they, later on, helped solve a most mysterious happening, and how one
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THE RIDDLE CLUB IN CAMP
The club members went into camp on the edge of a beautiful lake. Here
they had rousing good times swimming, boating and around the campfire.
They fell in with a mysterious old man known as The Hermit of Triangle
Island. Nobody knew his real name or where he came from until the
propounding of a riddle solved these perplexing questions.
THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS
This volume takes in a great number of winter sports, including
skating and sledding and the building of a huge snowman. It also gives
the particulars of how the club treasurer lost the dues entrusted to
his care and what the melting of the great snowman revealed.
THE RIDDLE CLUB AT SUNRISE BEACH
This volume tells how the club journeyed to the seashore and how they
not only kept up their riddles but likewise had good times on the sand
and on the water. Once they got lost in a fog and are marooned on an
island. Here they made a discovery that greatly pleased the folks at
home.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK
FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL STORIES
Durably Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers.
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
The Ralph Henry Barbour Books for Boys
In these up-to-the-minute, spirited genuine stories of boy life there
is something which will appeal to every boy with the love of
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LEFT END EDWARDS
LEFT TACKLE THAYER
LEFT GUARD GILBERT
CENTER RUSH ROWLAND
FULLBACK FOSTER
LEFT HALF HARMON
RIGHT END EMERSON
RIGHT GUARD GRANT
QUARTERBACK BATES
RIGHT TACKLE TODD
RIGHT HALF HOLLINS
The Christy Mathewson Books for Boys
Every boy wants to know how to play ball in the fairest and squarest
way. These books about boys and baseball are full of wholesome and
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PITCHER POLLOCK
CATCHER CRAIG
FIRST BASE FAULKNER
SECOND BASE SLOAN
PITCHING IN A PINCH
THIRD BASE THATCHER, By Everett Scott
GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK
End of Project Gutenberg's The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass, by Allen Chapman