The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass; Or, The Midnight Call for Assistance

by William Osborn Stoddard

  CHAPTER XXIII

  THE MIDNIGHT CALL

  Skillfully Bob tapped out the message and in an inconceivably smallspace of time it had been received by the station HRSA and relayed toH. & D. The boys would have been interested if they could have knownthe sensation caused by the few words.

  "Oh, boy!" cried Hanson, of the firm of Hanson and Debbs. "I'vesuspected this slick fellow Mohun for a long time. Now with Salper'sauthority we can go in and clean him out."

  "Salper wouldn't make an accusation of that sort," said Debbsthoughtfully, "if there wasn't something in it. He's had some sort ofinside tip all right."

  "Well," returned the other briskly, "we'll let the old man know we'reon the job, and then get busy."

  Accordingly, a few minutes later Bob received and transcribed thismessage:

  "Right. We'll have him inside of twenty-four hours."

  At the confidence contained in the message Mr. Salper straightened hisshoulders as if a great load had been lifted from them and held out afriendly hand to Bob.

  "I can't tell you what you have done for me," he said, cordially. "Ofcourse I'm not safe yet from the crooked work of these men, but atleast Hanson and Debbs have been warned to look out. And that'stwo-thirds of the battle."

  "I'm mighty glad we've been able to help," said Bob, adding earnestly:"If there's anything else we can do please call on us. Mrs.Salper----"

  He paused, for at mention of his wife's name the relief disappearedfrom Mr. Salper's face and in its place was the old worried frown.

  "Yes--my wife," he muttered, and, without another word to the boys,turned and stalked out of the room. The man, who had all this timelingered near them, turned and went out after Mr. Salper and the boyswere left alone.

  "Say, you sure did turn the trick that time," said Herb admiringly."If they succeed in getting those crooks, Mr. Salper will love you allthe rest of his life."

  "It was more luck than anything else," Bob repeated. "Imagine gettingthat station first throw out of the box."

  "Never mind," said Joe, adding truthfully: "No one else about thisplace would have been able to do as much."

  They lingered for a while, talking over the exciting events of the dayand tinkering with the complicated apparatus.

  "Did you hear the latest prediction of Marconi?" asked Joe. "He saysthat he has positive proof that in the near future a radio set will beperfected which will send messages entirely around the world."

  "Yes," said Bob eagerly. "He even declares that we'll be able to put asending and receiving set side by side on the same table and receivethe messages that a moment before we've sent out."

  "It only takes a second of time too," said Herb. "Imagine sendingmessages completely around the world at such speed. If Marconi didn'tsay it could be done, I sure wouldn't believe it."

  "We'll be talking with Venus or Mars pretty soon," said Bob. "Marconisays he has already received messages that don't come from anywhere onthe earth."

  Although they said little about it, the boys were elated at Bob'ssuccess with the code, and it was surely a pleasant thought that theyhad helped Mr. Salper, if only that they might make Mrs. Salper andthe girls happy. They had even, despite his usual gruffness, begun tofeel a sort of liking for Mr. Salper himself.

  During the long snow-bound afternoon they thought often of Mrs. Salperand wondered if she were better. They wanted to inquire, but they wereafraid of making themselves a nuisance.

  Toward evening they strolled over to the hotel to ask after theoperator and found to their delight that he was better. The nurse, whohad become very friendly toward them, said she thought the trouble hadbeen checked in time and that the sick man's recovery, though it mightbe slow, was sure.

  With hearts lightened on that score they went home. After dinner atthe hotel they spent some time tinkering with their set. One time theynoticed that in a vacuum tube was a pale blue glow, and Joe was at aloss to know how to account for it.

  "We've got too high a voltage on the B battery," said Bob, after amoment of study.

  "But how would that affect it?" asked Herb, interested.

  "Why," answered Bob, thoughtfully, "the high voltage causes a sort ofelectrical breakdown of the gas in the tube and it's apt to affect thereceiving."

  "Say, Bob's getting to be a regular blue stocking," commented Jimmyadmiringly. "We'll have to get a move on to catch up with him."

  "You bet _you_ will," said Herb, with insulting emphasis on thepronoun. However, Jimmy was too interested to notice.

  "Let's reduce the voltage, Bob," Joe was saying eagerly. "We'll testout the theory."

  "It isn't a theory," replied Bob, as he reduced the voltage and theblue glow disappeared as though by magic. "You can see for yourselfthat it's a fact."

  This discussion led to others, and they sat for some time eagerlyexperimenting with their set. It was just as well that they did forthey had just gone over to their cottage and thus were able to answerquickly the imperative summons that came to them a few minutes later.

  In response to a knock on the door they found Mr. Salper standingoutside in the bitter night air looking so white and shaken that theywere startled.

  He came just inside the door and spoke in quick, jerky sentences likea man talking in his sleep.

  "My wife is dangerously ill," he said. "She seems so much worsetonight that there is imperative need of a doctor. There is no doctorup here, and in this weather it would take too long to summon one. Thetrained nurse who is with her suggests that we try to get in touchwith a doctor by radio and ask his advice. The idea is far-fetched,but it seems about our only hope. If that fails----" he paused and Joebroke in eagerly.

  "My father's a doctor, Mr. Salper," he said, and there was pride inhis voice.

  "A doctor, eh?" returned the broker quickly. "Oh, if only he werehere!"

  "I don't see how you are going to get hold of your father," broke inHerb. "He's in Clintonia. Even if he got our message, through DoctorDale or somebody else with a receiving set, he couldn't send anymessage here."

  "But he isn't in Clintonia!" shouted Joe, eagerly. "He went to Newark,New Jersey, to attend some sort of medical convention and see if hecouldn't find out more about the epidemic that hit Clintonia."

  "Newark!" came simultaneously from Joe's chums.

  "Why, the big radio sending station is there!" exclaimed Bob.

  "Why can't you send a message to that station and ask them to get holdof your father?" broke in Jimmy.

  "Maybe I could do it," announced Joe. And then he looked at Bob."Perhaps you had better do the sending. You'll probably have to callthem in code."

  Bob was willing, but first he went up to tell his mother and fatherwhere he and his chums were going and beg them not to worry if theydid not come back soon.

  On the way to the radio station they stopped at the Salper bungalow,where the calm-faced nurse was waiting for them. She had left theSalper girls in charge of their mother, giving them minuteinstructions as to what to do, and was going with Mr. Salper in thehope that they might possibly secure medical advice by radio.

  The station was finally reached. It looked deserted and gloomy at thathour of the night, and as Bob sent a call for help vibrating throughthe ether he felt a creepy sensation, as though he were, in some way,dealing with ghosts.

  There was just the slightest chance in the world that they would reachDoctor Atwood. Just a chance, but if they did not take that chanceMrs. Salper would die.

  For a long time they tried while the nurse sat quietly in the shadowsand Mr. Salper strode up and down, up and down, his face drawn andwhite, his usually elastic step heavy and dragging.

  Again and again went out the call for the Newark station. Minute afterminute passed, and still Mr. Salper walked up and down uneasily.

  "I guess you'll have to give it up----" Herb was beginning whensuddenly Bob motioned for silence. The radio was speaking, and he wastaking down the message as well as he was able.

  "I've got Newark!" the young opera
tor cried excitedly. "Now I'll putin a call for your father, Joe. Where is he staying?"

  "At the Robert Treat Hotel."

  Once more Bob went to work rather excitedly and even a littleclumsily, yet his message went through. In reply he received another,stating that Dr. Atwood had been called by telephone and would be atthe sending station inside of fifteen minutes.

  "And the best of it is, he is to radiophone," added Bob to Joe. "Soyou can talk to him direct."

  After that the minutes passed slowly, both for Mr. Salper and theboys. They thought the end of the wait would never come. But at lastthe words so eagerly awaited reached them.

  There was no mistaking it, even though static interfered and thetuning was not good--Dr. Atwood's voice, cheery, reassuring, helpful.In his joy at the sound of it, Joe shouted aloud.

  "Hello, WBZA," came the voice. "If this is Joe talking, give me thehigh sign, my boy."

  During the message Bob had tuned in the right frequency and, withstatic eliminated one might have thought the speaker was in the sameroom.

  Then there followed a battle with death that the boys would rememberas long as they lived. As soon as Doctor Atwood was made to understandthe nature of the service asked of him, he became immediately hisbrisk, professional self.

  The nurse, instantly alert herself, gave him a description of the caseand it was wonderful as soon as the connection was switched off tohear his kindly voice responding, giving full directions for the careof the patient. He declared that he would be on call all during thenight and requested that some one call him every hour--oftener, if itbecame necessary--to report the progress of the patient.

  The nurse hurried off, accompanied by Mr. Salper, and for the rest ofthe night the boys kept busy, marking a trail between the Salpercottage and the radio station, taking reports from the nurse andcarrying directions from Doctor Atwood.

  It seemed strange and weird, yet wonderful and soul-stirring, thistending of a patient by a doctor many miles away. Once, during thenight, hope almost failed. Mrs. Salper scarcely breathed and lay sostill that Edna and Ruth were sure the end had come. They clung toeach other sobbing, while Mr. Salper strode up and down, up and downthe room as though if he stopped he would die too.

  Then came another message from Doctor Atwood. The nurse followed hisdirections and once more hope came back to the Salper home. Thepatient rallied, stirred, and for that time at least, the danger waspast.

  So dawn came at last and Joe and the two younger boys went back totheir cottage to try to catch a few hours of sleep. Bob remained atthe station, declaring that he felt not at all tired and as soon asthe other boys had rested they could come to his relief.

  A hard vigil that for Bob. In spite of all he could do, his head wouldnod and his heavy eyelids close, to be jerked open next moment by thearrival of some one from the Salper home or a message from DoctorAtwood.

  News of the struggle had spread all over Mountain Pass, and peoplewatched with admiration and interest the brave fight that was beingmade for a woman's life. And sometimes it seemed that, despite alltheir efforts, the struggle must end in failure.

  All that day the battle waged and the next night--the boys takingturns at the radio board, untiring in their determination not to lose.And Doctor Atwood was as determined as they.

  And then, on the morning of the second day came news that the patienthad passed the much-dreaded crisis and, with the most careful nursing,was sure to recover.

  "She'll be all right now," came Doctor Atwood's cheery voice. "It'sbeen a hard pull, but she's past the danger point now. Keep in touchwith me, boys, so that, in case of a relapse, I can tell you what todo."

  Joe turned to the boys with the light of pride and affection in hiseyes.

  "That's some dad I've got!" he said.

  Later, when the boys walked over to the Salper home to offercongratulations, the girls received them with literally open arms.

  "You've saved mother's life!" cried Ruth, with a catch in her voice.

  "And we love you for it!" added Edna gratefully. "You just wait tillmother knows!"