CHAPTER VI
ANOTHER FELLOW
It was in and over the work of the boys' shop that Bill and Gus firstmet the Italian student. Among the upper classmen they had noticed asmall, olive-skinned, black-eyed chap, with a rather solemn face, whoappeared to be very reticent. It was said that he was a close and abright student who, though not lacking for money, took little interestin sports, belonging only to the "bruisers," as the boxing class wascalled. One afternoon, with Gandy, who was getting a radio set made, thestranger appeared and stood in the doorway, gazing at the busy workers.At first neither of the radio experts saw him. Then he advanced.
"I have the desire very much to make for myself complete a radiogetter--ah--what you call? Yes, a receiver." He addressed Gus, who waslaying out the hook-up for a crystal set.
"There's nothing very hard about it," Gus replied, looking up with hisready smile and scrutinizing the Italian boy.
"You pay the right here, the privilege; is that not so?"
"Yes, we rent the room," said Gus.
"Ah, so; but I mean--" The newcomer turned partly toward Bill who drewnear at the moment and had overheard the question.
"You mean we charge those who work here? Yes, for the use of our toolsand machines, but not for any hints and advice we can give. The schoolshop is at your mercy, too, without charge, as you know." Bill alsosized up his questioner with a certain curiosity and was pleasantlyimpressed.
"I do not like the school shop. There are so very many con--con--whatyou call it? Yes, conflicting. I should like--prefer--choose to comehere, if I may do so."
"Come along. You keep account of your own time here, and you can pay uswhen you like. You can get your own materials, or we can get them foryou at the prices we pay. We bought up some old pieces of furniturecheap to cut up for bases and cabinets--enough walnut to make a hundred.No charge for it. Help yourself."
"You are, I wish to say it, veree liber--kind--generous. It is toolittle that you pay--charge, I mean it. I will ask for your materialsand I will commence--begin--start, eh? on to-morrow. Will that besatisfy?"
"Any old time. If we are not here, walk in and go to it. Check yourhours up on this pad, see? What is your name?"
"Anthony Sabaste it is. I am called Tony by most. My country it isItaly, but American I now am. My father is of the city--living there.Here, now, I will pay you five dollars on acc----"
"No, you won't," said Bill. "We'd rather have you pay after a while andyou can see that the work goes all right. Here, I'll show you theropes."
"Ropes? But I care not to make--build a ship. It is a radio----"
"Oh, sure, I get you; but that's only slang. You have been here longenough, I should guess from your talk, to get on to our American guff.Well, we're glad to know you, Mr.----"
"Sabaste, but I best like--I prefer calling me Tony. It means in yourlanguage, I get on to it, as fine, grand, fat--no--but swellout--somebody much, eh?"
"It does, sure! I'll introduce my partner, Augustus Grier; Gus forshort, or he'll get mad. They call me Bill Brown, generally forgettingthe Brown, even here at school, where 'most everyone gets his last name.First names are more friendly."
"I like it, too. In my native it is more mostly Signor, even toyoung--what you call it? Kids, as us, eh?" Tony smiled genially, hisface lighting up most agreeably. "Some they call me 'Wop,' or'Sphagetti'."
The boys learned that the intelligent young foreigner was in thegraduating class which had escaped a lot of practical radio work; thathe kept much to himself, either because of a real or fancied notion thatsocial lines might be drawn against him, or because he was naturallyunsocial. But after he began the making of a radio set and came in dailycontact with Bill and Gus, the young Italian seemed to grow a little outof himself, becoming less reticent and secluded. The good fellowship oftwo lads a little younger than he, both giving him friendship andconfidence, laughing at his errors of speech in perfect good nature andwithout ridicule, and at their own foibles as well, compelled theItalian boy to like the country of his adoption much better than he hadbefore. This he expressed to Gus:
"You like me--no, I mean I you like. Yes, that is making to laugh, eh?Funny, very. Well, I mean to say it, you and Bill very much also. Whynot? You love the live. You love the study. You make the happiness. Youhave the great--the large, eh? the big heart. All to you is nice andfine and it is equal to the doing, but you say it, it is worth thewhile. This makes good-will and kind thoughts to others, also byothers--no; from others. You are like one _dolce_ picture in my home. Itis by two little birds fabricating their nest and all the time thus theyare of song, singing, gay with living and working, helping so muchalways also to make all the country, this old world happy andsatisfy--content. So, to my--to me, you are really it, eh? You are thereal thing."
"If Bill had heard you say all this, Tony, he'd declare you're both anorator and a poet," said Gus, laughing.
"And neither am I. But of my country there are many of such, and oflearning also, science, the great learning. Many large men of theyesterday and many of the to-day also. In this work, too, the first, foris not Marconi----"
"Say that name to Bill and hear him shout some praises."
"So? And will Bill speak good--noble--high of Signor Marconi? Then I,too, can speak noble of Signor Edison, the American. But what say now ifI can tell it to you that my father, he is one sure and big friend ofSignor Marconi. Our home, in Italia, what you call--the estate of us, itis not much a great distance from Signor Marconi of his estate. Often Ihave seen him. And so you understand?"
"By cracky! Radio must have been in the air over there and you caughtit!" declared Gus. "Nobody could have it down any more pat than youhave. Bill and I have got some dandy ideas from you."
"That we have," agreed Bill, thumping in. "What is it now, Gus, that ourfriend----"
"Why, Bill, Tony knows Marconi! Just telling me about it." And Gus wenton briefly to repeat that which the Italian had related. Bill, to use aterse but slangy term, proceeded to go up in the air.
"Why, holy cats, Tony, you are from henceforth the cheese! This schoolhas gone wireless mad,--you know that,--and the country is pretty muchin the same fix, and for the reason that radio is about the biggestthing in the world. And, fellows, this just fits. We are doingthings--everybody is--in radio and now we are going--this school isgoing--to honor the situation if we can start it that way. For, fellows,Marconi's yacht, the _Elettra_, is in New York Harbor, with Marconi onboard most of the time. And Tony, we'll get Doctor Field to let us havea whack at the transmitter and you can talk to your friend, or telegraphyour dad and have him come up and radiophone Marconi. And then we'lllisten in for his reply, for I've read he's awfully fine andgood-natured. Isn't that so?"
"It is so, sure and indeed!" declared the Italian youth. "I amoverenjoyed; you say so, eh? that we shall do this. Let us now go, uponthis moment, and talk to the good doctor. There will be no lecturing atthis time over the casting abroad----"
"The broadcasting transmitter? No, we can surely get a whack at it."