The Boys of the Wireless Part 15

"Oh, I'm only a novice, a mere amateur," insisted Tom modestly.

"What's that now?" inquired the visitor, reaching a careless hand very near to the coherer.

"Look out!" shouted Tom warningly.

"What's the trouble?" calmly interrogated the man.

"Danger. You'll get a hard shock if you touch that."

"I'll be careful," pledged the stranger, and to Tom's amazement with a deft expert touch he dislodged the cap of one of the gla.s.s tubes. "I say, my friend," he added, gazing down into the cup critically, "you'd get much better action if you'd mix in some fine bra.s.s filings here. The old stuff is pretty well corroded."

"I had noticed that," said Tom, "and have sent to the city for new material."

"There's another point worth your attention," resumed the man, pointing up at the secondary circuit. "A double coil to that condenser would strengthen your current."

Tom stared at the speaker in a vague way. He was a good deal surprised and also suspicious at the facility with which this avowed seeker for information exhibited a profound knowledge of the very subject under discussion.

"You seem to know something about it," observed Tom.

The man did not reply. He busied himself with a fixed and calculating glance through the roof skylight up at the metal nets and spirals.

"Very good," he said, half aloud, "and kept in very fair order, too."

"I'm glad to hear you say it, Mr --?"

"I am expecting a friend who will introduce us," said the stranger, with a peculiar smile. "Ah, there he is now."

He moved to the window, and in quite a friendly fas.h.i.+on waved his hand to an occupant of an automobile that had just driven up from the beach road.

Tom at once recognized it as the Morgan machine. Its owner alighted, and a minute later came up the ladder.

"Glad to see you, Barnes," he hailed cheerily, shaking hands with the young wireless operator. "You didn't wait for me at the village as agreed, Mr. Mason," he added, addressing Tom's guest.

"I fancied I had better come on ahead and get an unprejudiced view of the proposition," observed Mr. Mason.

"Strike you all right?" intimated the magnate pleasantly.

"Capital," answered the stranger with emphasis.

"That's good. Barnes, this is Mr. Mason, inspector for the International Wireless Company, of New York."

"Oh," said Tom, a little dubiously and a trifle fl.u.s.tered.

"I knew how you were interested in this wireless business, Barnes,"

resumed Mr. Morgan, "and I spoke to my friend here of the independent station you were running."

"Which I wish to take into the service, you included," broke in Mr.

Mason in a clear, straightforward way. "I hear of some good work you have done here. The location can be made an important one, and, if you are ready for it, I'll talk business with you."

"There is not much doubt about the utility of the station here,"

observed Mr. Morgan. "Barnes saved me half my fortune through an intercepted wireless. He has my unqualified recommendation and support, Mr. Mason."

"So you told me," returned the wireless professional in a brusque, business-like way. "Practically you own the apparatus here, Mr. Barnes?"

he questioned.

"Yes, sir," announced Tom.

"Is there any lease on the site?"

"You mean the old tower here?"

"Yes."

"No, sir. It belongs to the house that burned down about a year ago, and is entirely out of commission as a windmill."

"I see."

"The man who owns the place gave Mr. Edson full permission to use the old wreck free of charge as long as he liked."

"The company would like a formal lease for two years. Do you think you could arrange that?"

"Oh, yes, I am sure of it," replied Tom.

"Very well. Offer him a trifle-say fifty dollars for the term. Now then, as to your outfit here. Would you be willing to turn over your right and interest here to the company at a fair price, in consideration of a contract for two years establis.h.i.+ng you here as their accredited operator?"

Tom's face changed to all colors. His eye sparkled.

"Mr. Mason," he said frankly, "you take my breath away!"

The wireless professional smiled indulgently. Mr. Morgan rested a friendly, encouraging hand on Tom's shoulder.

"The equipment here," continued Mr. Mason, making a swift mental calculation, "is not worth a great deal. The installation, however, cost something. I shall recommend the company to offer you five hundred dollars for the outfit."

Tom gasped now. Business was business, and he realized that the keen-faced man of affairs who was talking to him was too shrewd to throw anything away or buy a bad bargain. For all that, he was fairly stunned at the good fortune that had come to him.

"I will be glad to do as you suggest," he said, choked up from varied emotions.

"Good!" cried Mr. Mason. "The papers will be sent to you soon as I can report to headquarters. In the meantime, you can negotiate for the lease we spoke about I will have a contract forwarded to you, accompanying full instructions as to your duties as our representative."

"What will you pay Barnes?" inquired Mr. Morgan, a practical business man on all occasions.

"Sixty dollars a month," was the reply.

"Don't fall off your chair, Barnes!" laughed Mr. Morgan, "You're going to reach bigger things than that in the wireless line, I predict."

"There was one thing," said Tom a little anxiously; "I have a friend, a chum, who knows almost as much as I do about the business."

Mr. Mason took out his memorandum book.