"What you hear is the rise of our pitch," explained Dick.
"I should think it was the rise of something," grumbled Mr. Crowninshield.
"We are running up our meters in order to catch the higher tuned waves," Bob added. "That is part of the bedlam."
"And the rest?"
"It is static interference."
"What's that?"
"Well, static is the big bugbear of radio," answered Bob, pausing a moment in regulating his tuner and detector. "It is caused by stray waves moving in various directions through the atmosphere, and by electrical conditions. It is the defect all wireless people have to fight. Sometimes it is worse than others and unfortunately to-night it promises to be pretty bad. You see it has been a close, heavy day and no doubt thunderstorms are in the air. A thunderstorm will kick up no end of a rumpus with wireless."
"But we haven't had any thunderstorm," Nancy called above the hubbub.
"No, but somebody else's thunderstorm would bother us almost as much," Bob explained good-humoredly.
"Never mind the thunderstorms now," put in Mr. Crowninshield. "Aren't we going to hear anything but this whistling and groaning? Whee! There it goes again. It is for all the world like a chorus of cats."