in some perplexity.

"I don't quite get you," said Bob.

CHAPTER III

AT THE WIRELESS STATION

"Why, it's this way," explained Larry. "We are vaudeville performers.
Tim's specialty is dancing, and I can tell you, because he's too modest to
say it himself, that he's a peach. Whenever he appears, he just knocks
them off their seats. He's a riot."

"Cut it out," protested Tim. "Leave that to the press agent."

"It's straight goods, just the same," declared Larry. "As for little me,
I've got a knack of twisting myself into knots, and then, too, I do a
little whistling. And because of that they call me on the posters and in
the theater programs the Canary Bird Snake. Kind of mixed up, isn't it?"

The radio boys were tremendously interested. The stage had for them the
touch of mystery and glamour that appeals to youth, and it was an unusual
treat for them to be talking on familiar terms with characters such as
they had only seen hitherto in the glare of the footlights.

"It must be great," said Bob, "to go all over the country as you do and
see all there is to be seen."

"Oh, like everything else, theatrical life has its ups and downs," replied
Larry. "It's all right when they hand you applause, but not such fun when
they throw eggs, especially if the eggs are old. We've never had that
experience yet though, and here's hoping that we never shall. There's lots
of hard work connected with it, and Tim and I have to work a good many
hours each day to keep ourselves in trim. Then, too, when you're playing
one night stands and have to get up before daylight to catch a train,
which in rube towns often turns out to be just a caboose attached to a
freight, it isn't any fun. And it's less fun when you happen to get snowed
in for a day or two, as has happened to us several times. But you get paid
for all that when your turn goes big and the audience is friendly and
gives you a good hand. Oh, it isn't all peaches and cream, but take it
altogether we have a pretty good time."

"That is, when we're working," put in Tim. "It isn't much fun though when
the ghost doesn't walk every Saturday night."

The boys looked a little puzzled and Larry undertook to enlighten them.

"Tim means when the pay check doesn't happen to come along," he said. "In
other words, when we're out of a job. You see we're both pretty young in
the profession and we aren't as well known as we hope to be later on. We
have to take what we can get on th