the Hooper party
arrived and about three minutes thereafter who should appear but
Professor Gray, hurried, eager, registering disappointment when he saw
the empty room, then smiling as the Hoopers and Mary Dean came to greet
him.

"I had hoped to find my class here," he began and was interrupted by the
thump of Bill's crutch on the steps without. Forgetting his support the
boy leaped, rather than limped, forward, followed more sedately by
several lads and lasses he had rounded up.

"If this isn't the best thing that _ever happened_!" shouted Bill,
grasping the hands of the two men held out to him. "Both of you! And
you, too, Mrs. Hooper. Great! Just got back, Professor! And now we're
going to get the very thing we talked about, Mr. Hooper: we're going to
hear Mr. Edison's voice or that of his right-hand man, nearly three
hundred miles away. The rest of the bunch will be here in a minute. I
expect Gus and Ted and Cora to fetch in a few dozen besides. Hello,
here's Terry with the eats."

CHAPTER XXVI

GOOD COUNSEL

"This quite overcomes me," said Professor Gray to Mr. Hooper. "I hurried
back to invite some of my pupils to hear a message from Mr. Edison's
laboratory; but trust Bill to do the thing in a monumental fashion!"

"That there lad's a reg'lar rip-snorter, Perfesser. You can't beat him.
Well, now, let's set down here in the middle; eh, Mother? an' wait fer
what's a-comin'. I want a chance to tell the Perfesser 'bout that there
water-power plant an' what them boys done. Them's the lads, I'm
a-sayin'."

But conversation was out of the question, for in came another troop of
youngsters, landed by Cora, Dot and Lucy, followed a moment later by
more, invited by the boys, who had joined forces in the street. The hall
was half filled by an expectant and noisy throng. Of course, half of
them anticipated the refreshments more eagerly than anything else. These
were already, under the ministration of a young woman from the
confectionery hastily engaged by Terry, now becoming evident.

Bill was beside the radio outfit, silently listening with the ear
'phones clamped to the side of his head. Suddenly he arose and shouted:

"Quiet! Silence, everybody, and listen hard!"

Out of the horn again came the well-known voice of the transmitting
station official announcer:

"It gives us great pleasure to be able to broadcast very worth while
messages of helpfulness and cheer to the youth of America. This occasion