The Secret Wireless | Page 6

toward Roy Mercer's house.
But Roy was not at home. He was, as Henry had suspected he would be,
at work in the garage where he had been employed during the school
vacation. But Henry thought it would be well to secure permission from
Mrs. Mercer for Roy to take the trip to New York, for she was inclined
to be rather strict with Roy.
"Captain Hardy has just sent me a request for four of the boys of the
wireless patrol to come to New York," said Henry, diplomatically, "and
Roy is one of the four he wants. We came to see if he may go."
Mrs. Mercer looked at Henry keenly. "What are you going to do in
New York," she demanded, "and who's to pay the bills?"
"I don't know exactly what we're to do," said Henry, "but we're to help
the wireless service. I think they want us to listen in and pick up
low-length messages that the high-powered government stations don't
get. The government will pay our expenses."
"Humph!" said Mrs. Mercer. Then she was silent a moment in thought.
"When does Dr. Hardy want you to go?"

"He wants us to meet him in New York at two o'clock Friday afternoon.
That means we should have to leave here on the early morning train
Friday."
"I don't know about this," said Mrs. Mercer. "All play and no work is
just as bad for a boy as no play and all work. And Roy has done
nothing but play all summer. He has been at that camp of yours ever
since school closed. And besides, he is earning three dollars a week
working at the garage."
Henry had feared that Mrs. Mercer would object to Roy's going. Roy's
father had been sick and unable to work for some weeks, and Henry
knew that the three dollars Roy earned each week were badly needed in
the Mercer home.
"I think that the government will pay Roy more than he earns now,"
explained Henry. "And I hope that you will let him go because Captain
Hardy wants only certain boys and Roy is one of them. He is very
necessary to the success of our work."
"I'll see what Roy's father says," was the reply, and Mrs. Mercer
vanished within the house.
Meantime Henry and Willie stood on the porch hardly daring to speak
to one another, so fearful were they that Roy might not be allowed to
go. When Mrs. Mercer suddenly appeared again and announced briefly
that Roy could go, they thanked her, and as soon as they could get
around a corner, they gave vent to their feelings in a loud whoop.
Lew Heinsling was picked up a few minutes later, with no objection on
the part of his parents, and the three boys raced to the garage, where
they imparted the news to Roy.
School, which normally should already have been in session, had been
kept from opening by an epidemic of measles; and no one knew when
it would convene. But there was no apparent chance of an early
opening, for the epidemic was then at its worst. There was no obstacle
now in the way of the four boys. Roy got his employer's permission to

leave the garage for an hour, and the four boys hurried to the wireless
patrol headquarters in Henry's shop, to discuss the adventure that lay
before them.
That night the entire patrol assembled in the little workshop and those
who were not to go enviously discussed the coming adventure with the
four who had been summoned to duty. For no one in the patrol doubted
that the expedition would end in adventure and excitement, to say
nothing of the delights of a trip to the nation's metropolis. Their
common experience in running down the dynamiters at the Elk City
reservoir gave these boys the certainty that both adventure and danger
lay ahead of their four lucky fellows. But could they have known how
truly thrilling and adventurous were the days ahead of their companions;
could they have foreseen all the strange and exciting situations that
would confront their fellows; could they have guessed the part their
comrades of the wireless patrol were about to play in wiping out this
hidden menace to our troops on the ocean, they would have been
envious indeed.
But they could not know these things. And they recognized the fact that
Captain Hardy had asked for these four because of their superior
attainments, because they were best fitted to do the work in hand. So
the stay-at-homes loyally crushed down their feeling of envy and united
in a hearty send-off for their fellows. Every member of the patrol was
at the railroad station Friday morning to bid good-bye to their four
comrades who