The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell

"Say, Jack, do you have any idea that this thing is going to work?"

"I don't know, Bob, the theory is all right, but how it will work out in practice is a cat of another color; one thing is sure, though, and that is if it don't work we are out of the running in the race, for the new boat the Jenkins boys have just bought, will run circles round the Sprite."

"Well, we'll soon know, for it's about ready to test."

This conversation took place one afternoon in the latter part of July in the basement of a house in Skowhegan, Maine. The room was fitted up as a combined workshop and laboratory, and a single glance would indicate that the two boys were by no means novices, for it contained many expensive and intricate pieces of machinery.

Jack and Bob Golden, 15 and 17 years old respectively, were sons of a rich manufacturer, who had made a large part of his fortune through his own inventions. Mr. Golden was an indulgent father and seeing that his inventive genius had descended to his sons, had fitted up a modern machine shop and laboratory for them and had supplied them liberally with money for experiments. He had by no means been disappointed in the results, for although they were but boys, they had already worked out several designs, which had been patented and had proved very successful.

Mr. Golden was proud of his boys and with good reason. They were large for their age, Bob standing 5 feet 10 inches in his stockings and Jack being but two inches shorter. They were fine, manly, looking fellows, and their clean-cut open faces told that they were generous to a fault and were boys to be trusted.

The rest of the family consisted of Mrs. Golden, a small lovable woman, and a daughter Edna, 14 years old, who was almost worshipped by her big brothers. Altogether they were as happy and jolly a family as one would find in a long journey.

Through the center of the town ran the Kennebec river, and six miles to the north lay a beautiful sheet of water, five miles long by two wide, known as Hayden Lake. Here the boys kept their motorboat, and as Mr. Golden had a large cottage on the shore of the lake, the family spent the greater part of the summer there. The shores of the lake were dotted with cottages, and probably thirty or more motor boats were owned by the people who made the place their summer home. During each summer many races were held, and proud indeed was the boy or man who secured the blue ribbon given to the winner of the final race held the first week in August.