CHAPTER XVII
THE UNEXPECTED
"Where did you come from, Gus?" Bill asked, still inclined to laugh.
"The road. Slipped away from the others for I was wondering whether youmight not get into trouble. Couldn't imagine that chump would springanything that wouldn't make you mad, and I knew you'd talk back. So Idid the gumshoe."
"Well, I suppose he would have made it quite interesting for me and I ameternally grateful to you. If it weren't for you, Gus, I guess, I'd havea hard time in--"
"By cracky, if it weren't for you, old scout, where would I be? Nowhere,or anywhere, but never somewhere."
"That sounds to me something like what Professor Gray calls a paradox,"laughed Bill.
"I don't suppose you're going to peach on Thad," Gus offered.
"No; but wouldn't I like to? It's a rotten shame to have that lowdownscamp under Mr. Hooper's roof. It's a wonder Grace doesn't give himaway; she must know what a piker he is."
"Bill, it's really none of our business," Gus said. "Well, see you inthe morning early."
The boys wished once more to go over carefully all the completed detailsof the water power plant; they had left the Pelton wheel flying aroundwith that hissing blow of the water on the paddles and the splashingwhich made Bill think of a circular log saw in buckwheat-cake batter.The generator, when thrown in gear, had been running as smoothly as aspinning top; there were no leaks in the pipe or the dam. But now theyfound water trickling from a joint that showed the crushing marks of asledge, the end of the nozzle smashed so that only enough of the streamstruck the wheel to turn it, and there was evidence of sand in thegenerator bearings.
Then appeared George, with an expression of mingled sorrow, shame,wonder and injured pride on his big ebony features, his eyes rollingabout like those of a dying calf. At first he was mute.
"Know anything about this business, George?" asked Bill.
"Don't know a thing but what Ah does know an' dat's a plenty. What'shappened here?"
"The plant has been damaged; that's all."
"Damage? When? Las' night, close on t' mawnin'? Well, suh, Ah 'low thatthere ghos' done it."
"Ghost? What--where was any ghost?"
"Right yer at de tool house. Come walkin' roun' de corner fo' Ah couldgrab up man stick an' Ah jes' lef' de place."
"What? Ran away and from your duty? You were put here to guard theplant; not to let any old--"
"Didn't 'low t' guard it 'gainst no ghos'es. Dey don' count in decontrac'. Folks is one thing an' ghos'es--"
"Ghosts! Bosh! There's no such thing as a ghost! If you had swung yourclub at the silly thing you'd have knocked over some dub of a man thatwe could pretty well describe right now, and saved us a heap of troubleand expense--and you'd have kept your job!" Bill was disgusted andangry.
"Lawsee! Ah ain't gwine lose mah job jes' fo' dodgin' a ghos', is I?"
"What did this fellow look like?" asked Gus.
"Ah nevah could tell 'bout it; didn't take no time for' t' look sharp.Ah wuz on'y jes' leavin'."
"Now, see here, George," said Bill, his native gentleness dominating,"if you'll promise to say nothing about this, keep on the job and grabthe next ghost, we'll let you stay on. And we'll make an awful goodguess when we tell you that you'll find the ghost is Mr. Hooper'snephew. If you do grab him, George, and lock him in the tool house,we'll see that you're very nicely rewarded,--a matter of cold cash. Areyou on?"
"Ah shore is, an' Ah'll git him, fo' Ah reckon he's gwine come again.'Tain't no fun tacklin' whut looks lak a ghos', but Ah reckon Ah'll makethat smahty think he's real flesh an' blood fo' Ah gits through withhim!"
The boys were two days making repairs, which time encroached upon theirplan to get their promised radio receiver into action. Having no shopnor proper tools for finer work, they would be handicapped, for they haddecided, because of the pleasure and satisfaction in so doing, to makemany of the necessary parts that generally are purchased outright. Billmade the suggestion, on account of this delay, that they abandon theiroriginal plan, but Gus, ever hopeful, believed that something might turnup to carry out their first ideas.
The afternoon that they had everything in normal condition again, Mr.Hooper came down to see them; he knew nothing of the tampering with thework, but it became evident at once that his nephew had slyly andforcibly put it into his head that amateur radio construction waslargely newspaper bunk, without any real foundation of fact. Thad mayhave had some new scheme, but at any rate the unlettered old man wouldswallow pretty nearly everything Thad said, even though he oftenrepudiated Thad's acts. Again Mr. Hooper, Bill and Gus got on thesubject of radio and the old gentleman repeated his convictions:
"I ain't sayin' you boys can't do wonders, an' I'm fer you all the time,but I'm not goin' t' b'lieve you kin do what's pretty nigh out o'reason. Listen to me, now, fer a minute: If you fellers kin rig up amachine to fetch old man Eddy's son's talk right here about two hundredan' fifty mile, I'll hand out to each o' you a good hundred dollars;yes, b'jinks. I'll make it a couple a hun--"
"No, Mr. Hooper, we value your friendship altogether too much to takeyour money and that's too much like a wager, anyway." Bill was mostearnest. "But you must take our word for it that it can be done."
"Fetch old man Eddy's son's voice--!"
"Just that exactly--similar things have been done a-plenty. People aretalking into the radio broadcasters and their voices are hearddistinctly thousands of miles. But, Mr. Hooper, you wouldn't know Mr.Edison's voice if you heard it, would you?"
"N--no, can't say as how I would--but listen here. I do know a fellerwhat works with him--they say he's close to the ol' man. Bill Medders.Knowed Bill when he was a little cack, knee-high to a grasshopper. Theysay he wrote a book about Eddy's son. I'd know Bill Medder's voice if Iheard it in a b'iler factory."
Bill Brown could hardly repress a smile. "I guess you must mean WilliamH. Meadowcroft. His 'Boys' Life of Edison' sure is a dandy book. I likedit best of all. Sometimes no one can see Mr. Edison for weeks at a time,when he's buried in one of his 'world-beaters.' But I reckon we can letyou hear Mr. Meadowcroft's voice. He wrote me a pippin of a letter onceabout the Chief."
"All righty. I'll take Medders's. I know Bill, an' you can't fool me onthat voice."
"Mr. Hooper, I'll tell you what," said the all-practical Bill eagerly."This demonstration will be almost as interesting to you as it is to us,and you can help us out. We can get what little power we need from anypower plant. But we want a shop most of all--a loft or attic with roomenough to work in. We're going to get all the tools we need--"
"No. I'll get 'em fer you an' you kin have all that there room over thegarage." (The old gentleman pronounced this word as though it rhymedwith carriage.) "An' anything else you're a mind to have you kin have.Some old junk up there, I reckon," he went on. "You kin throw it out, ermake use of it. An' now, let's see what you kin do!"
The boys were eager to acknowledge this liberal offer, and theyexpressed themselves in no measured terms. They would do better thanmake one receiver; they would make two and one would be installed in Mr.Hooper's library,--but of this they said nothing at first. Get busy theydid, with a zeal and energy that overmatched even that given the powerplant. That afternoon they moved into the new shop and were delightedwith its wide space and abundant light. The next day they went to thecity for tools and materials. Two days later a lathe, a grinder and aboring machine, driven by a small electric motor wired from the Hoopergenerator were fully installed, together with a workbench, vises, acomplete tool box and a drawing board, with its instruments. No younglaborers in the vineyard of electrical fruitage could ask for more.
"Isn't it dandy, Gus?" Bill exclaimed, surveying the place and theresult of their labors in preparation. "If we can't do things here, it'sonly our fault. Now, then--"
"It is fine," said Gus, "and we're in luck, but somehow, I think we mustbe on our guard. I can't get my mind off ghosts and the damage overyonder. I'm going to take a sneak around there to
-night again, alongaround midnight and a little after. I did last night; didn't tell you,for you had your mind all on this. George was on duty, challenged me,but I've got a hunch that he knows something he doesn't want to worry usabout and thinks he can cope with."