“Well, it wasn’t.” Sally talked rapidly. “It was attached to what was left of a large, paper balloon. As it went up, taking the radio with it, the balloon expanded. It got larger and larger. At seventy thousand feet the balloon burst and the radio came down.”
“I see,” said Marjory Mills.
“No—you don’t see. At least, I’m quite sure you don’t.” Sally half apologized. “The radio had been sent up by a very nice old man who wanted to know about the weather. As it went up, the radio, a sending set, broadcast certain information about the weather. Don’t ask me how because I don’t know all about that. All I knew at the time was that attached to the radio was a card and on the card was written: ‘If the finder of this radio will return it to C. K. Kennedy at Ferndale he will receive a five dollar reward!’”
“And you needed a new spring dress, so you returned the radio.”
“Exactly! How did you ever guess that?” They joined in a merry laugh.
“But I’m not joking.” Sally’s face sobered. “It’s every bit true.”
“Of course,” was the quick response. “Tell me the rest.”
“Well, you know, that nice old man, C. K. Kennedy, had lived in my own town for three years and I’d never heard of him. He owned a tiny house down by the river. Back of the house was his shop, where he invented things.”
“Oh! Then he was an inventor!”
“Sure he is! When I brought him the radio I asked him why he sent it up into the sky. He told me all about it, how he could learn all sorts of things about how cold it would be, when it would rain, and all that just by sending up radios to listen in for him.