The Campfire Girls of Roselawn; Or, a Strange Message from the Air

by Margaret Penrose

  CHAPTER IV

  STRINGING THE AERIALS

  Parkville was reached within a short time. It was still early evening.The girls from Roselawn and their host and hostess found a number ofneighbors already gathered in the drawing-room, to listen to theentertainments broadcasted from several radio stations.

  They were too late for the bedtime story; but from the cabinet-grand,like an expensive talking machine, the slurring notes of a jazzorchestra greeted their ears as plainly as though it were coming froma neighboring room instead of a broadcasting station many miles away.Amy confessed that it made her feet itch. She loved to dance.

  There was singing to follow, a really good quartette. Then a humoristtold some of his own funny stories and an elocutionist recited a bitfrom Shakespeare effectively. The band played a popular air and theamused audience began singing the song. It was fine!

  "I'm just as excited as I can be," whispered Jessie to Nell and Amy."Isn't it better than our talking machine? Why! it is almost likehearing the real people right in the room. And an amplifier of thiskind is not scratchy one bit."

  "There is no static to-night," said Mr. Brandon, who overheard theenthusiastic girl. "But it is not always so clear."

  Jessie and Amy were too excited over this new amusement to heedanything that suggested "a fly in the ointment." When they drove homethey were so full of radio that they chattered like magpies.

  "I would put up the aerials and get a set myself," Nell declared,"only we don't really need any more talking machines of any kind atour house. Dear me! I sometimes wonder how the Reverend can write hissermons, there is so much noise and talk all the time. I have tackedfelt all around his study door to try to make it sound-proof. But whenBob comes in he bangs the outer door until you are reminded of theBlack Tom explosion. And Fred never comes downstairs save on hisstomach--and on the banisters--and lands on the doormat like a load ofbrick out of a dumpcart. Then Sally squeals so!" She sighed.

  "Nell Stanley," Amy said, "certainly has her own troubles."

  "I do not see how the doctor stands it," commented Mrs. Brandonsympathetically.

  "The Reverend is the greatest man in the world," declared Nell, withconviction. "He is wonderful. He takes the most annoying things socomposedly. Why, you remember when he went to Bridgeton a month ago tospeak at the local Sunday School Union? Something awfully funnyhappened. It would have floored any man but the Reverend."

  "What happened?" asked Amy. "I bet it was a joke. Your father, Nell,always tells the most delightful stories."

  "This isn't a story. It is so," chuckled Nell. "But I suppose that waswhy they asked him to amuse and entertain the little folks at onesession of the Union. Father talked for fifteen minutes, all aboutJacob's ladder, and those old stories. And not a kid of 'em went tosleep.

  "He said he was proud to see them so wide awake, and when he wasclosing he thought he would find out if they really had beenattentive. So he said:

  "'And now, is there any little boy or any little girl who would liketo ask me a question?'

  "And one boy called out: 'Say, Mister, if the angels had wings why didthey walk up and down Jacob's ladder?'"

  "Mercy!" ejaculated Mrs. Brandon. "What could he say?"

  "That is it. You can't catch the Reverend," laughed Nell, proudly."And nothing ever confuses him or puts him out. He just said:

  "'Oh, ah, yes, I see. And now, is there any little boy or any littlegirl who would like to answer that question?' And he bowed and slippedout."

  The laughter over this incident brought them into Roselawn, whereJessie and Amy got out, after thanking the kindly Brandons for theevening's pleasure. Nell lived a little further along, and went onwith Mr. and Mrs. Brandon.

  "If I can find the time," called Nell Stanley, as the car startedagain, "I am coming over to see how you rig your aerials, Jessie."

  "If I am allowed to," commented Jessie, with a sudden fear thatperhaps her father would find some objection to the new amusement.

  But this small fear was immediately dissipated when she ran in afterbidding Amy good-night. She found her father and mother both in thelibrary. The package of radio books had been opened, and Mr. and Mrs.Norwood was each reading interestedly one of the pamphlets Jessie hadchosen at the bookshop.

  The three spent an hour discussing the new "plaything," as Mr. Norwoodinsisted upon calling it. But he agreed to everything his daughterwanted to do, and even promised to buy Jessie a better receiving setthan Brill, the hardware man, was carrying.

  "As far as I can see, however, from what I read here," said Mr.Norwood, "a better set will make no difference in your plans forstringing the aerials. You and Amy can go right ahead."

  "Oh, but, Robert," said Mrs. Norwood, "do you think the two girls cando that work?"

  "Why not? Of course Jessie and Amy can. If they need any help they canask one of the men--the chauffeur or the gardener, or somebody."

  "We are going to do it all ourselves!" cried Jessie, eagerly. "This isgoing to be our very owniest own radio. You'll see. We'll put the setupstairs in my room."

  "Wouldn't you rather have it downstairs--in the drawing-room, forinstance?" asked her mother.

  "I know you, Momsy. You'll be showing it off to all your friends. Andpretty soon it will be the family radio instead of mine."

  Mr. Norwood laughed. "I read here that the ordinary aerials will dovery well for a small instrument or a large. It is suggested, too,that patents are pending that may make outside aerials unnecessary,anyway. Don't you mind, Momsy. If we find we want a nice, big set forour drawing-room, we'll have it in spite of Jessie. And we'll use heraerials, too."

  The next day Brill sent up the things Jessie had purchased, but thegirls could not begin the actual stringing of the copper wires untilthe morning following. Ample study of the directions for the workprinted in the books Jessie had selected made the chums confident thatthey knew just what to do.

  The windows of Jessie's room on the second floor of the Norwood housewere not much more than seventy-five feet from the corner of anornamental tower that housed the private electric plant belonging tothe place. It was a tank tower, and water and light had been furnishedto the entire premises from this tower before the city plants hadextended their service out Bonwit Boulevard and through Roselawn.

  Jessie's room had been the nursery when Jessie was little. It was nowa lovely, comfortable apartment, decorated in pearl gray and pink,with willow furniture and cushions covered with lovely cretonne, anopen fireplace in which real logs could be burned in the winter, andpictures of the girl's own selection.

  Her books were here. And all her personal possessions, includingtennis rackets, riding whip and spurs, canoe paddle, and even a bag ofgolf sticks, were arranged in "Jessie's room." Out of it opened herbedroom and bath. It was a big room, too, and if the radio wassuccessful they could entertain twenty guests here if they wanted to.

  "But, of course, father is getting a set with phones, not with anamplifier like that one out at Parkville," Jessie explained to herchum. "If we want to use a horn afterward, we may. Now, Amy, do youunderstand what there is to do?"

  "Sure. We've got to get out our farmerette costumes. You know, thosewe used in the school gardens two years ago."

  "Oh, fine! I never would have thought of that," crowed Jessie.

  "Leave it to your Aunt Amy. She's the wise old bird," declared Amy. "Ialways did like those overalls. If I climb a ladder I don't want anyskirt to bother me. If the ladder begins to slip I want a chance toslide down like a man. Do the 'Fireman, save my cheeld' act."

  "You are as lucid as usual," confessed her chum. Then she went on toexplain: "I have found rope enough in the barn for our purpose--newrope. We will attach the end of the aerial wires with the rope to theroof of the old tower. It will enable us to make the far end of theaerials higher than my window--you see?"

  "Necessary point; I observe. Go ahead, Miss Seymour."

  "Please don't call me 'Miss Seymour,'" objected Jessie, frowning. "Forthe poor thing
has a wart on her nose."

  "No use at all there. Not even as a collar-button," declared Amy. "Allright; you are not Miss Seymour. And, come to think of it, I wonderif it was Miss Seymour I was thinking of last night when I thoughtthat woman driving the kidnappers' car looked like somebody I knew? Doyou think----?"

  "Oh! That horrid woman! I don't dislike Miss Seymour, you know, Amy,even if she does teach English. I think she is almost handsome besidethat motor-car driver. Yes, I do."

  "Wart and all?" murmured Amy.

  But they were both too deeply interested in the radio to linger longon other matters. They laid out the work for the next morning, but didnothing practical toward erecting the wires and attendant parts thatday. Amy came over immediately after breakfast, dressed in herfarmerette costume, which was, in truth, a very practical suit inwhich to work.

  The girls even refused the help of the gardener. He said they would beunable to raise the heavy ladder to the tower window; and that was afact.

  "All right," said the practical Jessie, "then we won't use theladder."

  "My! I am not tall enough to reach the things up to you from theground, Jess," drawled Amy.

  "Silly!" laughed her friend. "I am going up there to the top window inthe tower. I can stand on the window sill and drive in the hook, andhang the aerial from there. See! We've got it all fixed on the groundhere. I'll haul it up with another rope. You stay down here and tie iton. You'll see."

  "Well, don't fall," advised Amy. "The ground is hard."

  It had been no easy matter for the two girls to construct theiraerial. The wire persisted in getting twisted and they had all theycould do to keep it from kinking. Then, too, they wanted to fasten theporcelain insulators just right and had to consult one of the booksseveral times. Then there came more trouble over the lead-in wire,which should have been soldered to the aerial but was only twistedtight instead.

  The girls worked all the forenoon. When one end of the aerial wasattached properly to the tower, Amy ran in and upstairs to her chum'sroom and dropped a length of rope from one of the windows. Jessie camedown from her perch and attached the house-end of the aerial to therope. When Amy had the latter hauled up and fastened to a hook driveninto the outside frame of Jessie's window, the antenna was complete.

  At that (and it sounds easy, but isn't) they got it twisted and had tolower the house-end of the aerial again. While they were thus engaged,a taxi-cab stopped out in front. Amy, leaning from her chum's window,almost fell out in her sudden excitement.

  "Oh, Jess! They've come!" she shouted.

  "What do you mean?" demanded Jessie. "We were not expecting anybody,were we?"

  "You weren't, but I was. I forgot to tell you," cried Amy. "They justwent around Long Island and came up the East River and through HellGate and got a mooring at the Yacht Club, off City Island."

  "Who are you talking about?" gasped her chum, wonderingly.

  "Darry----"

  "Darry!" ejaculated Jessie with mixed emotions. She glanced down ather overalls. She was old enough to want to look her best whenDarrington Drew was on the scene. "Darry!" she murmured again.

  "Yes. And Burd Alling. They telephoned early this morning. But Iforgot. Here they come, Jess!"

  Jessie Norwood turned rather slowly to look. She felt a strong desireto run into the house and make a quick change of costume.

  THE FRECKLE-FACED GIRL