Can this iBook be connected?

Due to a series of limitations, including a husband who harvested my beloved iBook's Airport Card, I'm faced with a challenge of trying to network said iBook (circa 2000 G3 Dual USB) to our Time Capsule and Apple TV without the usual means. I have a USB WiFi adapter but it requires 10.4 if it will even work with that old architecture and I'm stuck at 10.1 with icy roads between us and the blank CDs needed to burn the Install Discs. Alas, I did not spring for the DVD ROM, only the CD. I do have the right FIrewire cable to connect to another machine but is there any way to run the installers on the iBook in Firewire? I do have one blank CD, if that helps.

This will sound silly but I honestly don't know. Can the iBook recognize Ethernet without an Airport Card? Just connecting it to our Time Machine router did nothing but this was without trying to configure the connection.

For anyone wondering WHY I'm doing such an odd thing I want to experiment with using the iBooks as a) a simple server for music and ebooks or, failing that, as b) a kitchen computer for recipes and NPR.

Thanks for any help!