, the theory of radio activity and the practice of wireless fully
stuffed into them, they turned often to Bill and Gus for help. There
were a number of the well-to-do, even among the seniors, who wanted
radio receivers made, or coaching in making their own, and to this Bill
and Gus responded out of school hours, with the consent of the
president, thus earning a good many dollars.

So as not to interfere in any way with the school-shop program, and not
to crowd those lads who were finding the room in the shop and the tools
to their advantage, Bill and Gus rented an unused storeroom in the
basement of the dormitory. They cleared it out, sent for their own tools
at Freeport, purchased others--a foot-power lathe, a jigsaw and a hand
wall-drill--and put up some benches. Besides working therein themselves,
they charged also the modest price of twenty-five cents an hour to
others mechanically inclined.

The liberal-minded school faculty found no fault with an arrangement
which could only mean a more thorough learning and a finer comradeship
among the students. The professors, who often visited and even worked in
the little shop--some of them paying their quota also--came to refer
familiarly to the place as the "commercial and sales department."

Professor Grant, the very able teacher of physics, who possessed far
more theoretical knowledge than practice, gave the boys many valuable
ideas out of class, and got some himself, being also a deadhead. And
Search, the manual-training teacher, who knew the use of tools as a bee
knows honey, got a few ideas while imparting many, as he also was made
welcome to tinker around the boys' shop.

These were truly strenuous days and weeks for Bill and Gus. They had
little studying to do, for Bill grasped problems as a trout takes in
minnows, and he needed but to coach Gus briefly. The latter spent only a
quarter-hour each day in the gym, never indulging in contests, but
content to work hard at the things that best kept him fit. He had
elected not to put himself under the instructor, grudging the time. But
one day when he went over and, with his bare, work-hardened fists,
punched a lively rubber bag for several minutes, Professor LeRoy, who
had been watching, came to Gus with almost a demand that he join the
boxing class in view of the Marshallton Tech entering contests with
other schools during the coming winter. But Gus declined.

"No; I haven't the speed and I am weak with my left, as yo