gory,
"would have been to have got there first and covered our own boats. Is
that right?"

"Yes. But that is not so easy as it sounds."

"It is not so hard either," Gregory went on. "I have an idea that I
think will work out all right."

Dickie's eyes flashed.

"Forget your ideas!" she snapped. "You've got to have a whole lot more
than ideas when you start out to beat Mascola."

Gregory felt his patience oozing from him at her words. It was bad
enough to lose an order from a firm he hoped to get in strong with,
without the girl rubbing it in.

"You haven't done anything yet but find fault," he said. "You have been
at this game a lot longer than I have. Maybe you have something to
suggest."

Something in his voice caused Dickie to quiet down. She began to cast
about in her mind for an answer.

"You've got to keep your boats in closer touch," she began. "So Mascola
can't work this same deal on us again."

"That is exactly what I am going to do."

"You'll have to show me."

"I will. I'm going to show you and Mascola both. By wireless."

Before she could interrupt, he hurried on: "Listen. Half of these navy
men know the International code. The others can learn easy enough with
some one to teach them who has worked at a radio key. I have several who
have done that and can rig the sets."

"You must think you're a millionaire. You aren't running a line of
steamships. Come down to----"

"The sets won't cost much," Gregory went on calmly. "If they did all
these kids along the shore wouldn't have them. A fifty or
one-hundred-mile radius would be enough for us. And it wouldn't take
them long to pay for themselves. If we had had the boats equipped with
radio outfits to-day we could have beaten Mascola at his own game. When
Big Jack 'chummed' up the albacore the rest of our boats would have
known it before Mascola got there. The fish he caught to-day would pay
for quite a few sets."

"It would pay for itself in another way if it would work," supplemented
Dickie, much to Gregory's surprise. "Lots of times a boat breaks down
and drifts on to a reef. If she could get word to some one close by they
could take her in tow or even pull her off before she was hurt much."

Discussing the pros and cons of the new idea, they took their way toward
Legonia. When they arrived at the Lang wharf the girl grudgingly
admitted that the plan might work. At least it might justify a trial.
Leaving Dickie at her own dock Gregory was