Radio Boys Cronies

Radio Boys Cronies, by Wayne
Whipple and S.

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Whipple and S. F. Aaron
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Title: Radio Boys Cronies
Author: Wayne Whipple and S. F. Aaron
Release Date: March 31, 2004 [eBook #11861]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO
BOYS CRONIES***
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RADIO BOYS CRONIES

or
Bill Brown's Radio
by
Wayne Whipple
Author of "Radio Boys Loyalty"
and
S. F. Aaron
Co-author of "Radio Boys Loyalty"

[Illustration: MADE IN U.S.A.]
CHAPTER I
THE CRONIES
"Come along, Bill; we'll have to get there, or we won't hear the first of
it. Mr. Gray said it would begin promptly at three."
"I'm doing my best, Gus. This crutch----"
"I know. Climb aboard, old scout, and we'll go along faster." The first
speaker, a lad of fifteen, large for his age, fair-haired, though as brown
as a berry and athletic in all his easy, deliberate yet energetic
movements, turned to the one he had called Bill, a boy of about his own
age, or a little older, but altogether opposite in appearance, for he was
undersized, dark-haired, black-eyed, and though a life-long cripple with
a twisted knee, as quick and nervous in action as the limitations of his
physical strength and his ever-present crutch permitted.
In another moment, despite the protests of generous consideration for

his chum's strenuous offer, William Brown was heaved up on the broad
back of Augustus Grier and the two cronies thus progressed quite
rapidly for a full quarter of a mile through the residential section of
Fairview. Not until the pair arrived at the entrance of one of the
outlying cottages did husky Gus cease to be the beast of burden, though
he was greatly tempted to turn into a charging war horse when one of a
group of urchins on a street corner shouted:
"Look at the monkey on a mule!"
Gus cared nothing for taunts and slurs against himself, but he deeply
resented any suggestion of insult aimed at his crippled friend. However,
although Bill could not defend his reputation with his fists, a method
which most appealed to Gus, the lame boy had often proved that he had
a native wit and a tongue that could give as good as was ever given
him.
"Here we are, Gus, and how can I ever get square with you?" Bill said,
his crutch and loot thumping the steps as the boys gained the doorway.
In answer to the bell, a sweet-faced lady opened the door, greeted the
boys by name and ushered them into a book-lined study where already
several other boys and girls of about the same age were gathered about
their school teacher.
Professor James B. Gray, although this was vacation time, was the sort
of man who got real and continued pleasure out of instruction,
especially concerning his hobbies. Thus his advanced classes, here
represented, had come into much additional knowledge regarding the
microscope and the stereopticon and had also greatly enjoyed the
Professor's moving-picture apparatus devoted to serious subjects. The
latest wonder, and one worthy of intense interest, was a newly installed
radio receiver.
"Come in, come in, David and Jonathan,--I mean William and
Augustus!" greeted Professor Gray. "Find chairs, boys. I'm glad you've
come. Now, then, exactly in nine minutes the lecture starts and it will
interest you. The announcement, as sent out yesterday, makes the

subject the life and labors of the great scientist and inventor, Thomas
Alva Edison, and it begins with his boyhood. Don't you think that a
fitting subject upon an occasion where electricity is the chief factor?
But before the time is up, let me say a few words concerning our little
boxed instrument here, out of which will come the words we hope to
hear. Some of you, I think, have become pretty familiar with this
subject, but for those who have not given much attention to radio, I will
briefly outline the principles upon which these sounds we shall hear are
made possible.
"It would seem that our earth and atmosphere," continued the Professor,
"and all of the universe, probably, is surcharged with electrical energy
that may be readily set in motion through the mechanical vibrations of
a sensitive diaphragm much as when one speaks into a telephone. This
motion is transmitted in waves of varying intensity and frequency
which are sent into space by the mechanism of the broadcasting station,
which consists of a