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 Boys Loyalty, by Wayne Whipple and S. F. Aaron
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Boys Loyalty, by Wayne Whipple and S. F. Aaron
Project Gutenberg's Radio Boys Loyalty, by Wayne Whipple and S. F. Aaron This eBook is for the use of
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Title: Radio Boys Loyalty Bill Brown Listens In
Author: Wayne Whipple S. F. Aaron
Release Date: June 10, 2008 [EBook #25753]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO BOYS LOYALTY ***
RADIO BOYS LOYALTY
OR
BILL BROWN LISTENS IN
BY
WAYNE WHIPPLE Author of "Radio Boys Cronies"
AND
S. F. AARON Co-author of "Radio Boys Cronies"
MADE IN U. S. A.
M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK
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Copyright, 1922, by Hurst & Company
Printed in U. S. A.
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BILL BROWN LISTENS IN
 CHAPTER I
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CHAPTER I
STUDENTS
"They've got a splendid broadcasting station at the Tech, Bill."
"I know it; hence my general exuberance. And if we don't get at it once in a while, it'll be because we can't
break in."
"What do you want to shout into it first off?"
"Why, I thought you knew, Gus. I've got it all fixed, date and time, for Professor Gray and Mr. Hooper to
listen in. They're the chaps that are responsible for our getting into the Tech and they deserve our first
message. I'll explain to President Field and I know he won't object."
"What's this you were telling me about hazing?" asked Gus, but as though really little interested.
"Terry Watkins was telling me; his cousin went there. Lost a new hat the third day, a pair of glasses the fourth
and most of his clothes the fifth. His dad has a lot of dough, so he needn't have minded, but that won't be the
case with us. I guess it's me for carrying a gun."
"If they're mean enough to pick on you, old scout, I'll carry one, too, but I think you'll be exempt. If I'm to be a
victim, I reckon I'll have to grin and take----"
"No; you won't, either. We've come here to study--not to fool--and we haven't got money to spend on ruined
duds just to gratify a lot of chumps. There are better things, too, than a gun; not so crude and not illegal."
"I can imagine," laughed Gus, and turned again to watch the fleeting landscape.
The chums journeyed in silence then, their minds busy conjecturing what their experiences and adventures
were to be, after they became students of the Marshallton Technical School, which they were rapidly
approaching and from which they held high hopes of gaining much knowledge. The institution, despite its
modest name, was nothing less than a university of broad constructive teaching, with departments of
engineering, electricity, chemistry, manual training and biology.
It was within the first two of these departments that William Brown and Augustus Grier were to concentrate
their mental efforts. They had, as already related, earned this long-hoped-for opportunity to gain technical
knowledge and training by showing what they could do along these lines. They had installed a small
water-power plant and an electric lighting system for the Hooper estate, and had also won greater credit for
constructing high-class radio receivers through which they had heard a no less personage than Thomas A.
Edison speak. The boys had been saving their earnings to meet tech school expenses for at least a year. Their
high school records, good common sense and scientific inclinations had been such as to receive the plaudits of
their teacher, Professor Gray, and the members of their class.
Intense application and mental force characterized William Brown, who was called "Billy" by the high school
girls--fine, bright-minded young women--and "Bill" by the boys. He was just Bill to nearly everyone. His
friends referred to him as the school genius; and such he had proved to be on more than one occasion. Though
compelled by a twisted leg to use a crutch and to abstain from strenuous physical participation in sports, he
was a favorite. All saw his worth, and Professor Gray said of him that he possessed the mind of a philosopher
and the expressiveness of a poet.
 CHAPTER I
4
Cheerful, delighting in the strength of others, Bill's natural love of friendly contests and admiration for
physical prowess impelled him to adopt as his best chum Gus Grier, who had much in common with him
concerning mechanical matters. Gus was in many things almost the exact counterpart of the lame boy.
Gus was bright, shrewd, practical, reticent. He had the sort of mentality that made him a good follower, with
enough native wit to discover his own limitations and to acknowledge Bill's superior characteristics. Both
displayed that loyalty of friendship whose rare quality has made notable history. Sometimes their classmates
called the boys David and Jonathan, or Damon and Pythias; sometimes, the head and body, the former
referring to Bill and the latter, with no less admiration, to Gus because of his splendid athletic ability. The
muscles of Gus were quite as remarkable in their way as Bill's brains; and both boys were modest, aiding one
another in every time of need, doubling all their efforts with the term "we," which Bill used oftenest.
If Bill mastered a mental problem it was: "We did it by this method." If Gus entered upon a trial of strength or
physical skill it was: "We'll do our best," and then: "Well, we won, but it was no cinch"--in deference to the
efforts of a beaten opponent. All this was a matter of course. And now, regarding the present, either friend
might have said, "We've passed our exams and we're going to Tech."
"Guilford! Guilford! All out for Marshallton!" shouted the brakeman, and in half a minute the boys were
climbing into a taxi bound for the school; in half an hour they were facing the great buildings which stood for
so much learning, and in half a day they had matriculated and were of the student body.
CHAPTER II
5
CHAPTER II
FOOLED
"Come here quick and watch this!"
"What's going on? I've got this letter----"
"This is some livelier than letter writing, Bill," Gus declared, and a moment later Bill was of the same mind.
The boys gazed out of the window of their room in the school dormitory to witness an upper-class reception
of one of the freshmen, a lad of almost tender years, yet husky and of undoubted good nature. He was
expensively dressed to begin with, a little foppish in appearance even, and it was known that his people were
very wealthy. Such as he, then, could well afford the sacrifice demanded of him to become a member in high
standing of the Marshallton student body. Whatever was done, short of actual physical injury, must contribute
to the violently initiated youth's general glorification, at least this was the popular impression. It occurred to
but few to make serious objections to that which was customary in the school.
Hazing, long since taboo or forbidden in many educational institutions, was still a part of Marshallton Tech,
by reason of the belief that a high mentality and virile spirit demanded the extreme mental and physical
show-down which hazing is wrongly supposed to bring out. Though severe enough, perhaps the initiations
were not so terrible as to call for much complaint.
"By cracky, that's rotten!" exclaimed Gus, as he watched the progress of the affair.
"Worse than mean!" agreed Bill.
This comment was called forth as the victim, in his efforts to escape from his tormentors, had his coat and vest
torn from him. In a little time his shirt was reduced to ribbons. A fine gold watch and its broken chain lay on
the ground among the feet of the struggling boys, and an unsuspecting heel soon reduced the time-piece to
little more value than the metal in the case. A wallet slid out of a pocket and disgorged from its folds
considerable cash and paper, some of which the bystanders gathered up with much difficulty. The freshman's
panama, kicked about in the dust, was not rescued until it resembled an uprooted weed.
"We wouldn't enjoy being treated that way," commented Gus, the sentimental.
"We couldn't afford it," amended Bill, the practical. "That sort of thing may be well enough for rich fellows,
though I think it's rank foolishness at any time. But, Gus, we've got to dodge it in some way."
Gus made no reply. He was thinking that his chum was right, but, still interested in the excitement without, he
left the usual whatever-it-must-be with Bill. When Bill spoke again, some few minutes after the well-hazed
youth had made a get-away, Gus listened with interest.
"We can get the materials," Bill finished, "and it won't take long to do the work."
And it did not. Having procured a permit from the professor of physics--and no one could have refused Bill
with his convincing tongue--the boys returned well loaded to their room. They took from a paper packing box,
whose contents had been hidden from the curious, a lot of wire, some switches, some acid and a number of
storage battery cells.
On their way from the central building the chums had been stopped by a number of upper classmen. It was
mid-afternoon, an optional study or playtime, and just the hour for brewing mischief. This is what happened.
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