advancing in strides!"

"Sure! In seven league boots," murmured Amy, following her friend into
the store.

Jessie had noted down the things she thought it would be safe to order
before speaking to her father about the radio matter. Mrs. Norwood had
cheerfully given her consent. Amy had once said that if Jessie went to
her mother and asked if she could have a pet plesiosaurus, Mrs.
Norwood would say:

"Of course, you may, dear. But don't bring it into the house when its
feet are wet."

For the antenna and lead-in and ground wires, Jessie purchased three
hundred feet of copper wire, number fourteen. The lightning switch Mr.
Brill had among his electric fixtures--merely a porcelain base, thirty
ampere, single pole double throw battery switch. She also obtained the
necessary porcelain insulators and tubes.

She knew there would be plenty of rope in the Norwood barn or the
garage for their need in erecting the aerials. But she bought a small
pulley as well as the ground connections which Mr. Brill had in stock.
He was anxious to sell her a complete set like that he was exhibiting
in the show window; but Jessie would not go any farther than to order
the things enumerated and ask to have them sent over the next
morning.

The girls hurried home when they had done this, for it was verging on
dinner time and they did not want to miss going with Nell Stanley and
the Brandons to Parkville for the radio entertainment. Mr. Norwood was
at home, and Jessie flew at him a good deal like an eager Newfoundland
puppy.

"It is the most wonderful thing!" she declared, as she had introduced
the subject to her chum.

She kept up the radio talk all through dinner. She was so interested
that for the time being she forgot all about the girl that had been
carried away in the automobile. Mr. Norwood had not been much
interested in the new science; but he promised to talk the matter over
with Momsy after their daughter had gone to the radio concert.

"Anyhow," said Jessie, "I've bought the books telling how to rig it.
And we're going to do it all ourselves--Amy and I. And Mr. Brill is
going to send up some wire and things. Of course, if you won't let me
have it, I'll just have to pay for the hardware out of my allowance."

"Very well," her father said with gravity. "Maybe Chapman can find
some use for the hardware if we don't decide to build a radio
station."

As they seldom forbade their daughter anything that was not
positively harm