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a .
T IDD N R OR MY T RY
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RDY OY MY T RY TORI
T TOW R TR IIR
T OU ON T C IFF
T CR T OF T O D MI
T MI ING C UM
UNTING FOR IDD N GO D
T OR RO D MY T RY
T CR T OF T C
T MY T RY OF C IN I ND
T GR T IRPORT MY T RY
W T PP N D T MIDNIG T
W I T C OC TIC D
FOOTPRINT UND R T WINDOW
T M R ON T DOOR
T IDD N R OR MY T RY
T INI T R IGNPO T
FIGUR IN IDING
T CR T W RNING
T TWI T D C W
T DI PP RING F OOR
T MY T RY OF T F YING
PR
T C U OF T RO N D
T F IC RING TORC MY T RY
T M T D COIN
T ORT-W MY T RY
T CR T P N
T P NTOM FR IG T R
RDY OY D T CTI ND OO
T
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CR T OF U MOUNT IN
IGN OF T CROO D RROW
CR T OF T O T TUNN
W I ING IR N MY T RY
FCR T OF II.D( . T W MP
CRI CRO DOW
Y I. O F T R MY T RY
OOD D W MY T RY
C U IN T M R
CR T OF PIR T I
G O T T TON ROC
MY T RY T D I P W
MY T RY OF T C IN IUN
MY T RY OF T D RT GI NT
T
T
C U OF T CR C ING OW
I ING YM O MY T RY
T MY T RY OF T T C W RRIOR
T UNT D FORT
T MY T RY OF T PIR RIDG
T CR T G NT ON F IG T I01
MY T RY OF T W T TTOO
T RCTIC P TRO MY T RY
T OM Y OOM R NG
D NG R ON MPIR TR I
T M D MON Y
T TT R D M T
T C U OF T I ING RP NT
T MY T RIOU C R N
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:1 : : :. - v
ardy qys /. ste1y tores
T
IDD N R OR
MY T RY
Y
FR N IN W. DI ON
-63
N W YOR
GRO T 8c DUN P
Pubshers
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y GRO T 8: DUN P, INC., 1961
RIG T R R D
I N2 0 448 0894 9 (TR D DITION)
I N: 0 448 -18914-3 ( I R RY DITION)
In ths new story, based on the orgna of the same tte, Mr.
Dxon has ncorporated the most up-to-date methods used by
poce and prvate detectves.
PRINT D IN T UNIT D T T OF M RIC
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Y 7 Iq .: 1;-f- 1..v
C PT R
I
II
III
I

I
II
III
I

I
II
III
I

I
II
III
I

CONT NT
T1-11: I urr
NI ING ICTIM
W T R Mousnm
IN-DI ING UT
M ROON DI
IGN Fnua
MU M NT P R Tnounm
C MPFIR DROPP R
FI ING O T C U
IDD N P G W Y
CRO TIC Dnrncnvns
IG TOR
URRIC N
R ING RGUM NT
CITY O
N MY T CTIC
UND RW T R PRI ON
D NG ROU C RGO
INI T R NC
F1 :u1 s ND
P G
I

22
30
38
47
56
65
73
81
89
99
107
117
124
132
140
150
158
166
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C PT R I
The be ut
Wow That feow sure was n a hurry to get past
us excamed oe ardy, who had been pushed
aganst the rang of the cruse shp s gangpank.
Practcay knocked us overboard agreed hs
brother Frank.
The two boys, descendng the gangpank from
the brghty ghted deck, ooked curousy after
the young man who had shoved them asde.
0e, far-hared and seventeen, and dark-hared
Frank, a year oder, heard the stranger cry out to
a deck attendant:
I te you, I must come aboard
orry, sr, was the rm answer. It s past md-
nght. We sa at dawn. No more vstors.
The ardys contnued down to the per. ud-
deny they stopped and whred. The vstor was
1
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2 The dden arbor Mystery
sayng exctedy, I must see Mr. ardy before
he sas
Maybe t s about a mystery, Frank remarked.
The brothers had |ust sad good-by to ther par-
ents, the we-known detectve, Fenton ardy,
and hs wfe aura, who were eavng from New
York Cty on a Carbbean cruse. Mr. ardy was
makng a combnaton busness and peasure trp,
snce he panned to see a cent n amaca.
Whe Frank and oe stened ntenty to the
conversaton on deck, a powerfuy but man
came from behnd a stack of baggage and saun-
tered to the foot of the gangway. The ardys at-
tenton was attracted by the man s heavy, wheezy
breathng and hs at face turned upward to the
deck.
1 rght, a rght. I gve up, came the de-
|ected voce of the stranger above. s he came
down the gangpank, the rough-ookng man gave
hm a swft gance, then shuffed off qucky.
y now the young man had reached the per.
e was sm n bud, wth reddsh-brown har.
Nervousy he kept sappng hs pam wth a
roed-up newspaper, as f n utter frustraton.
xcuse me, sad Frank, steppng n front of
hm. We heard you menton Fenton ardy.
We re hs sons, Frank and oe.
You are The man s eyes brghtened. e had
a soft, sow way of speakng that marked hm as a
outherner.
G
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The be ut 3
I |ust about knocked mysef out, tryng to
speak to your father, he contnued. I have a case
he must hande
e won t be back for ten days, sad Frank.
I know. The young feow sghed. I caed
your home n ayport. Mss ardy there tod
me about the cruse but begged me not to pester
your father
That s unt Gertrude. oe chucked.
I rushed here to New York, thnkng I mght
at east tak to hm for an hour, the man went on.
You see, I ve read n the newspapers of Mr.
ardy s great successes
The stranger paused, apparenty suddeny re-
cang somethng.
I ve aso read, he contnued, that hs sons
often hep hm out, and that they have soved
some tough cases on ther own. ow about t
Woud you a be wng to hep me
We d ke to. ut, oe reped doubtfuy,
we ve promsed to go campng soon wth a
buddy.
et s hear your case, anyway, Frank suggested
eagery. Maybe we can take t, Mr.
m art Worth, the man sad, hs face show-
ng reef. e ooked about hm.
Is there a pace near here where we can eat
and tak he asked. I was n such a hurry to
catch your dad before he saed I ddn t have tme
for my supper.
It
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4 The dden arbor Mystery
ure. We sten whe you eat, oe sad.
The ardys ed Mr. Worth up a sde street.
They stopped at a wde, steamy wndow bearng
the etterng:
C R 1 s C M ouse
I hear the food s good, oe remarked, and the
tro entered the restaurant.
It was a typca waterfront eatng pace, wth
sawdust on the oor. The pace was crowded wth
dners, despte the ate hour. In one corner sat a
group of we-dressed peope who, ke the ar-
dys, had |ust eft a farewe party on board the
ner. ut most of the customers were rough-ook-
ng men of the waterfront dstrct. The nose of
vey conversatons and the odor of fryng sh
ed the ar.
Frank, oe, and art Worth seated themseves
at a pan wooden tabe n the mdde of the room.
s soon as the water had taken a dnner order
for Mr. Worth and sandwches for the ardys, the
outherner began hs story.
I m owner, pubsher, and edtor of the arch-
mont Record. You a probaby never heard of
us, but t s the ony newspaper n the town of
archmont, Georga, on the tantc coast. Pretty
soon there won t be any Record, though, f a cer-
tan man named amue ackstone has hs way
ow so oe quered, as he and Frank eaned
forward, deepy nterested.
Mr. ackstone s sung me for be, Worth
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The be ut 5
answered. e s about the weathest busness-
man n archmont the eadng ctzen.
o hs n uence s consderabe Frank
prompted.
You mght say he about runs the town, ad-
mtted art Worth. esdes, he s tryng to run
me and my newspaper.
Why Does Mr. ackstone have a grudge
aganst you oe asked.
I te you more about ackstone frst, sad
the edtor. e ves on a arge estate whch s
ony haf the orgna ackstone property. Pro-
fessor Rue Rand, another ackstone descendant,
ves on the other haf n the od famy manson.
Cement ackstone, the great-grandfather of both
men, started the whoe troube. In hs w, he
dvded the pantaton between hs son en|amn
and hs daughter anche, who marred a Rand.
The df cuty began wth the boundary ne he
set up.
Usng a paper napkn, art Worth made a
quck sketch.
The ony andmark mentoned n the w to
ndcate the property ne was the great oak be-
sde the bg pond, the newspaperman ponted
out. Unfortunatey there were two great oaks-
one on ether sde of the pond.
o both hers camed the pond oe deduced.
You ve ht t exacty. The hers bckered and
feuded and went to court for years, but nothng
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6 The dden arbor Mystery
Y -
was ever setted. Fnay, n the tme of amue
ackstone s grandfather, they gave up the ds-
pute. Nobody n the famy was nterested n the
pond any more. The ackstones went nto bus-
ness and made money, and the Rands we,
they ve been gong downh nancay ever snce.
The od pantaton house s pretty run-down now,
athough I guess Professor Rand doesn t mnd t,
beng a bacheor.
What about the be sut, Mr. Worth Frank
asked, ntrgued.
We, a few weeks ago, I heard a rumor that
Professor Rand had become nterested n the
dsputed property a of a sudden, and that the
od feud was on agan
You coudn t prnt a rumor, of course, Frank
observed.
No, the edtor agreed, but I went to the
courthouse, where I earned that Rand had come
n to examne od Cement s w. Then enny
hrnge came to see me. enny s a seamstress, who
worked many years for the ackstones. amue s
wfe, who had been very fond of her, ded about
two years ago. Recenty enny was dscharged.
ust before that, she tod me she had personay
overheard a quarre between ackstone and Pro-
fessor Rand over the pond. We, I acted very cau-
tousy. I smpy wrote a story that there was a
rumor crcuatng nothng more. That was a
true fact, you see.
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The be ut 7
nd t s not beous, Frank commented. o
you shoudn t have any probem there.
That s not a, sad the edtor wth ncreasng
agtaton. When the story appeared n the Rec-
ord t mentoned another rumor a rumor that
the ackstone famy fortune had been but on
smuggng, and recevng stoen goods from p-
rates
You ddn t put that n Frank asked qucky.
I certany ddn t art Worth excamed. I
wrote the orgna story mysef. veryone on my
staff denes changng t. Ths prate rumor has
been common tak around archmont for years.
Now that t s been prnted n my paper, though,
ackstone s sung. e s touchy and proud van
of hs famy s poston. My ony chance s to
prove that the prate rumor s true, whch I hon-
esty beeve t s. If you feows can t hep me do
that, I ose my newspaper
Why not |ust apoogze Frank asked. Can t
you expan thngs to Mr. ackstone
The edtor shook hs head. No. I ve opposed
hs vews and poces n the past n my paper,
whch has nfurated hm. Now he has a motve
for destroyng t. esdes -here the young man
ooked up wth re n hs eyes amue ack-
stone has caed me a ar. I don t take that from
anyone wthout a ght nd f he succeeds n
runng the Record, he have archmont com-
petey bued.
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8 The dden arbor Mystery
ust then the water arrved wth the food.
Whe the edtor went to wash hs hands, oe
sounded hs brother out:
What do you thnk ha we take the case
I don t ke t, Frank answered thoughtfuy.
fter a, ths apparent be was prnted n
Worth s paper. s cam that he doesn t know
how t got there seems pretty weak. n edtor
shoud know what comes off hs press.
You don t trust hm
I thnk we shoud know more about ths bus-
ness before we commt ourseves, that s a,
Frank decared.
uddeny a huge hand and bury forearm
stretched across the ardys tabe. ow about
the ketchup demanded a raspng voce from the
next tabe |ust behnd oe.
For the second tme that nght the boys heard
heavy, wheezng breathng. They ooked up and
saw that the hand beonged to the husky man they
had notced near the gangpank.
ure. ep yoursef, oe sad.
The stranger grunted and took the botte.
few moments ater the young edtor re-
turned, and the three began to eat. ater, as they
eft the restaurant, Worth asked, We, w you
take my case
e and the boys stood together on the sdewak
n front of the ghted wndow. few customers,
ncudng the powerfuy but man, came out the
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10 The dden arbor Mystery
door and then dsappeared down the dark street.
We have to thnk about t, Mr. Worth,
Frank answered, and et you know.
Immedatey the outherner s face regstered
hs dsappontment. I m sorry, he sad a tte
stfy. I had hoped at east that Mr. ardy woud
gve me some advce. nce I coudn t reach
hm, I thought you d hep me. owever, here s
my New York address. e wrote t on a pece of
paper from a pocket notebook.
Then he sad good nght and waked away
brsky. The ardys started off n the opposte
drecton.
uge warehouses ned the street on both sdes.
snge street ght burned dmy on a dstant
corner. uddeny, as the brothers came abreast of
a dark doorway, a hoarse groan from nsde
reached ther ears.
omeone n there s hurt Frank excamed.
The boys stepped cautousy nto the budng.
No sooner had they entered than the door
sammed abrupty behnd them. Four strong arms
sezed the ardys, and rough pams were capped
over ther mouths. The boys heard heavy,
wheezy breathng.
I teach you to mnd your own busness
a threatenng voce rasped.
Then came two quck, hard bows. Frank and
oe had been struck on the head. They sumped,
unconscous, to the foor
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Y r
C PT R n
anshng ctm
o was rst to revve n the ptch-back ware-
house. e stened tensey for the wheezy breath-
ng of one of ther attackers. earng nothng,
oe groped for hs brother and shook hm sghty.
oe . . . you a rght Frank stammered,
st groggy.
ure. We were decoyed n here by that groan
and then knocked out. Remember
Of a the greenhorns Frank murmured n
dsgust. Caught by a trck ke that
oe rubbed hs head gngery. t east t ddn t
eave a ump, he reported. The feows were
experts. nd dd you hear that raspng breathng
ounded ke the tough guy we saw at the per
and n the cam house. e must have overheard
art Worth takng to us, and tred to scare us off
the case. ut why
11
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2 The dden arbor Mystery
Don t know. e pcked the best way there s
to encourage us, Frank retorted grmy. We
make that gora and hs pa sorry they ever tan-
ged wth the ardy brothers
Ths was no empty threat. nce sovng ther
rst mystery, The Tower Treasure, the brothers
had but up a sod reputaton as detectves by
ther shrewd seuthng and resourcefuness n the
face of danger. recent case, The Mark on the
Door, was ther thrteenth successfu adventure.
The boys pcked themseves up, and made ther
way from the warehouse nto the street. ucky,
an a-nght crusng taxcab came by n a few mn-
utes, and took them to ther hote.
Ten o cock the next mornng found Frank at
the room teephone. We ve decded to accept
your case, Mr. Worth, he tod the edtor. We
start by car for archmont eary tomorrow, and
probaby arrve n two days.
Fne nd thanks. I m yng back tomorrow.
Come to my offce when you get there.
Next, Frank caed the teegraph of ce and dc-
tated a cabe to Fenton ardy n amaca:
T RTING N W C TOMORROW
FOR MR. RT WORT , RC -
MONT, G ORGI
oe now took over the phone and daed the
ayport number of ther pump, good-natured
frend, Chet Morton. s cheerfu voce an-
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anshng ctm 13
f-gw-7 -y py I--v
swered. Ready to go campng, now that your
mother and dad have eft he asked.
ure thng, Chet, oe reped hearty. Ony,
nstead of Mane, we re gong to the coast of
Georga. ow s that sound
evera seconds of sence foowed. Then came
a suspcous query, ow come the swtch
tte busness matter turned up.
usness matter expoded Chet. You don t
foo me. nother mystery s what you mean. n-
other crazy, dangerous wd-goose chase that
you re tryng to drag poor oe Chet nto
Chet Morton aways nssted he hated danger,
though he had shared most of the ardy boys
har-rasng adventures.
Then we can count you out asked oe wth
a sme.
We . . . came the grudgng answer. I ve
never been to Georga. I coud e on the beach
and eave you two to your narrow escapes.
We pck you up at dawn tomorrow.
fter a ate breakfast n the hote cafetera,
Frank and oe, eager to start ther seuthng,
took a tran to ayport. s soon as they reached
home, the boys kssed ther ta, anguar aunt,
then tod her the pans. unt Gertrude, at tmes
sharp-tongued and peppery despte her prde n
her nephews, gave her opnon of the whoe ex-
pedton.
Fooshness, she decared. It end n
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14 The dden arbor Mystery
troube, you mark me. nd then Fenton w have
to rush away from the Carbbean to hep you. My
poor brother
Oh, unte You know Dad woudn t want us
to turn down a chaengng case oe sad.
umph I guess not. We, you d better have
a good mea, anyway. nd maybe you d ke to n-
vte Chet.
Ths was done, and t was decded that Chet
and hs gear woud spend the nght at the ardys
because of the eary start. Then Frank backed
the boys powerfu yeow convertbe nto the
drveway. e and oe packed seepng bags, tents,
cookng equpment, spare cothng, and the ar-
dys skn-dvng equpment nto t.
unt Gertrude prepared one of her decous
dnners. Chet, as usua, had second hepngs of
everythng.
You d better know, Mss ardy tod them
ater, that there was a bg, tough-ookng man
hangng around here ths afternoon before you
boys returned. e even came up our drveway.
I caed out to see what he wanted. pparenty
that scared hm away.
For good, I hope, Frank sad. The same
thought occurred to hm and oe. ad ther
hoarse-voced attacker preceded them to ayport
The boys changed the sub|ect, however, not want-
ng to worry unt Gertrude unnecessary.
ust at dawn the next mornng, after break-
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anshng ctm 15
fast and good-bys to Mss ardy, the yeow con-
vertbe, wth Frank, Chet, and oe n the front
seat, purred through the quet ayport streets.
oon t entered the superhghway headng north.
Now, sad Frank, who was drvng, f any-
body s watchng us, he thnk we re st gong
to Mane
I wsh we were, decared Chet. The brothers
had gven hm the detas of ther new case.
bout ten mes farther, however, Frank sent
the car down an ext ramp, passed underneath
the thruway, and entered the hghway on the
other sde. Now they were bound for Georga
The remander of that day, and the next, they
sped aong the smooth concrete under a warm sun
and bue sky. bout noon on the ast day of the
boys |ourney, a custer of poce cars, wth red
ghts wnkng, warned of an accdent ahead.
Passng by sowy, the brothers and Chet saw a
yeow convertbe, the same mode as the ar-
dys , turned upsde down on the center grass strp.
Gves me the creeps Chet shuddered. It
mght have been us
When Frank reached the next servce area, he
pued n to have unch at the counter. The boys
had |ust nshed eatng when two state troopers
came n and took seats nearby.
bad smashup, sad the rst of cer. The
drver and passenger thrown cear, ucky for them.
It was deberate, too. bue sedan forced them
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16 The dden arbor Mystery
-1 -11,-1 w v-w
rght off the road. The drver of the car behnd
them saw the whoe thng, but ddn t catch a
gmpse of the cense number.
Can t our boys stop the sedan farther
aong asked the other trooper.
No. It must have turned off at the next ext.
The wtness caught a gmpse of the drver,
though. g, at-faced feow. ad a bond-hared
man wth hm.
Frank, oe, and Chet pad ther check and ed
out quety. They cmbed nto the convertbe
wth serous faces.
That accdent was meant for us decared
oe as they started once agan. The drver sounds
ke our suspcous frend wth the wheezy breath-
ng.
Constanty aert, the young detectves contn-
ued ther |ourney. oe, now at the whee, turned
off the hghway and contnued south on the sec-
ondary road, to throw off pursut.
ate that afternoon they roed nto archmont,
an od town but around a man square contan-
ng the courthouse and a Cv War monument.
tores ned the edges of the square, and the
boys soon spotted the budng whch housed the
Rec0rd s of ces, whch were on the second oor.
Whe Frank and Chet wated n the car, oe ran
nsde and came back wth a smng art Worth.
Gad to see you sad the young edtor. e
was ntroduced to Chet and shook hands wth
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anshng ctm 7
1 12
hm. oe says you a want to camp. I take you
out now and show you the best spot.
e drected Frank to foow the same road by
whch the boys had entered town. bout a me
out of town, he sad, Turn rght on ths ane. It
eads to the beach about a me away. Ony sher-
men use the ane.
art Worth expaned that haf a me farther
aong the man road was the entrance to the ack-
stone home. It s about hafway between the
shore and the pubc road. Professor Rand has hs
own drveway some dstance from ackstone s.
The ane made ts way among scrubby pne
trees. Fnay the car came to the beach where
the shermen s road, barey dscernbe, turned
eft.
oy, that ocean smes good Chet decared.
Presenty art Worth sad, Ths road ends at
the dunes ahead. They spread aong the shore and
I gured t woud be an dea spot for you a to
camp out. Nobody w know you re around.
The boys seected a secuded spot between two
hgh dunes, then qucky ptched ther camp.
eavng Chet to unpack provsons, Frank and
oe drove the edtor back to town.
ta, pae man wth bond har, wearng a
nen sut and straw hat, stopped them as they en-
tered the newspaper offce.
eo there, Mr. Worth, he sad. I see you
have company.
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8 .7, 5 The dden arbor Mystery
Yes, a coupe of vstors from up North,
Worth responded. oys, ths s Mr. enry Cut-
ter a Yankee ke yourseves. Mr. Cutter and hs
partner, Mr. tewart, are n the antque bus-
ness. They re down here ookng over busness
opportuntes.
That s rght, agreed Cutter, apprasng the
ardys wth hard bue eyes. Once n a whe we
put an ad n the Record for peope nterested
n hepng us start a pro tabe busness. We make
trps nto the countrysde around archmont.
fter shakng hands, the ardys foowed
Worth nto hs prvate offce. ere they dscussed
the ackstone case and how the young seuths
woud rst tacke t.
We take a tte tour of the grounds to-
nght, Frank decded.
Okay, art sad. eep me posted.
When the brothers were drvng back on the
ane, oe asked, What dd you thnk of Mr. Cut-
ter
eemed to me we got a good once-over from
Cutter for |ust a casua meetng, Frank com-
mented.
ack at camp, Chet and the ardys took a swm.
Then, usng ther camp stove, they prepared a
tasty mea of hash and brown bread. fter eatng,
and buryng the debrs, the three sat and taked
n ow tones unt dusk came on. The contnuay
movng sea had darkened, as the sunset s after-
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anshng ctm 19
gow gave way to stars. The ar grew cose and
murky.
I thnk t s tme to nspect the ackstone
property, Frank proposed. It s dark enough
now.
You two go, Chet suggested qucky. I stay
and guard camp.
few mnutes ater the brothers set off on foot
among the dunes toward the ackstone house. It
was df cut wakng through the hgh grass and
oose sand. ere and there a one scraggy pne
endeavored to exst.
Presenty the earth became ess sandy. The
scraggy pnes gave way to thck vegetaton, more
and more tanged.
ccordng to art s drectons, we ought to
come to the pond soon, muttered oe, beamng
hs ashght ahead.
The thck, forbddng tange made hard gong,
even wth ashghts. t ast the brothers struck
a path through cumps of swamp grass, matted
vnes, and huge rottng trees. Then an open space
appeared ahead. Ther ghts shone on an expanse
of st, bracksh-ookng water.
ackstone s pace shoud be to the rght,
sad Frank, pungng forward n a northery d-
recton.
ome dstance beyond, the brothers dscerned
house ghts ahead. There was a narrow path
whch they foowed through swampy ground. n
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20 The dden arbor Mystery
v - ( r 1-v r
omnous growng reached ther ears, and they
skrted a pen contanng two bg, erce-ookng
dogs.
ook, oe Frank excamed, pontng to the
arge, mposng whte-pared manson before
them.
The boys stopped and stared at a brghty
ghted, partay open wndow. Through t they
saw three men. One, facng them, was arge and
porty. The other was ta, dark, and gangng.
Negro servant, wearng a whte buter s coat,
stood near the door.
s the ardys approached steathy, the men s
voces reached them.
Rand, you get t over my dead body
shouted the heavy-set man.
The bg one s ackstone, no doubt, oe
whspered. Wonder what Rand s after.
The ta man, obvousy furous, sad some-
thng ndstngushabe. uddeny ackstone,
hs face vd, sezed a heavy chna vase from a desk
and smashed t aganst the professor s head
Instanty the ght went out. Frank and oe
dashed up the steps and pounded on the door.
Wthn twenty- ve seconds t was opened.
Yes
The Negro servant who had been n the room
stood ookng at the boys camy from the ha-
way.
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anshng ctm 21
a-r-qrw 1
We d ke to see Mr. ackstone rght away
Frank cred.
Wthout a word, the servant ushered the broth-
ers nto the bay-wndowed room. There, com-
fortaby seated n an easy char and readng a
book, was the arge man. To the ardys pro-
found astonshment, they found no trace of Pro-
fessor Rand.
ven more astonshng was the fact that the
chna vase whch had been smashed aganst hs
head stood whoe upon the desk
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C PT R III
Water Monster
F011 moment Frank and oe remaned too as-
tonshed to speak. The heavy-set man put down
hs book and stood up.
You want to see me he asked gruffy.
Yes. You are Mr. ackstone Frank
spoke up.
I am. What do you want
We . . . we heard a cry, and thought maybe
there had been an accdent
ccdent The man gave the brothers a steey
ook of suspcon. No, there s been no accdent
that I know of. I ve been spendng a quet evenng
readng. You re the rst vstors I ve had tonght.
y the way, what are you dong on my property
We re vstng the area, oe answered
prompty. We ve |ust been exporng the beach
and came up here.
22 5
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Water Monster 23
Treacherous swamp around here, Mr. ack-
stone commented. Incdentay, my dogs are usu-
ay et oose at nght, so I woudn t advse your
gettng ost n ths drecton agan. Mnne how
these young men to the door.
young Negro mad entered the room.
The ardys were surprsed. They had expected
to see the somewhat edery man who had an-
swered ther knock. They ooked around for hm
on the way out. ut he, too, was gone.
If we hadn t both seen that ght I d thnk I
was crazy, oe muttered, as he and Frank eft.
Oh oh, Frank whspered. Mr. ackstone
has another caer. nen-suted gure was ap-
proachng on foot up the drve.
Mr. Cutter oe excamed.
moment ater ta enry Cutter mounted the
steps. e ganced at the boys sharpy, but merey
nodded as he went past them nto the house.
Wonder what he s here for, Frank mused.
For a few mnutes the brothers ngered un-
der a huge spreadng cypress near the house.
They saw ackstone draw the curtans across the
bay wndow, but st hs gruff voce coud be
heard ceary.
Those boys ust a coupe of nosy North-
erners. I got rd of them. ook here, Cutter, t s
no use comng around. I won t se.
The men apparenty moved away from the wn-
dow, for the young detectves coud hear no more.
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24 The dden arbor Mystery
I 7 7Yf
s qucky as possbe they retraced ther steps
to the pond, and toward camp.
What happened to Professor Rand asked
oe. I thought he got a knockout waop. nd
how dd ackstone mend that broken vase so
fast
I coudn t even see a crack n t, Frank added.
I wonder what Cutter wants to buy from
ackstone, oe sad. omethng for hs antque
busness
Wsh I had an answer, hs brother reped
wryy. et s try our uck at Rand s home tomor-
row.
s they ate an eary breakfast, Chet ponted
out a dapdated shng smack some dstance off
shore. Wonder what s runnng, he murmured.
Frank and oe dd not repy. They set off for
the pond. Reachng t, they turned eft.
We get Rand s story about ast nght,
Frank decared.
uge ve oaks, hung wth pansh moss, party
hd a statey whte outhern manson n need of
pant. Wstera bossoms hung be-ke from
vnes cmbng the was. The ardys mounted
the steps of the st statey portco, supported
by hgh, once-whte round coumns.
Frank knocked repeatedy on the door. There
was no response. s they crced the negected
structure, they rapped on wndows, caed out,
pounded on sde and back doors, wth no resuts.
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Water Monster 25
an .
-v -r v tw -
The professor s not here or he |ust doesn t
want vstors, oe concuded. rght, then-
back to ackstone s
amue ackstone s estate, wth ts carefuy
tended ower beds and pruned shrubbery made
a sharp contrast wth hs cousn s run-down prop-
erty. When Frank spotted a young gardener push-
ng a power mower, he stroed over to hm.
ookn for somebody The peasant-faced
young man squnted at them n the brght sun-
shne.
Yes the edery buter who works for Mr.
ackstone, oe answered. We can t nd hm.
Grover the gardener drawed. We, now,
he s gone on vacaton |ust ths mornng, I hear.
Frst one n thrty- ve years. Don t t beat a
ure does. oe aughed. ut the mnute he
and Frank were aone, Frank noted, Mghty sud-
den vacaton, f you ask me.
ery, oe agreed tersey as he foowed the
drve, whch ooped around the house before
eadng to the road. The route took them past
the dog pen. The poce dogs eaped and whned
as though eager to attack the boys.
I d sure hate to have them at my throat oe
remarked, grnnng.
Meanwhe, Frank had been thnkng out the
boys next step. We d better head for arch-
mont, he advsed, and ook up enny hrnge.
he overheard Rand and ackstone quarreng
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111-
26 The dden arbor Mystery
before, and accordng to art, she aso tod hm
the rumor that the ackstone money orgnay
came from smuggng.
Why dd she te Worth a ths oe won-
dered, as he and Frank hurred toward ther
camp.
Revenge, Frank reasoned. he d been a
seamstress n the famy for years, and |ust atey
ackstone red her. he probaby wanted to get
square wth hm.
The brothers brought Chet up to date on the
news, then set off n the convertbe for arch-
mont. Frank consuted a sp of paper, then
watched the street sgns unt he found the one
he wanted. e turned onto an unpaved road that
ended n a steep raway embankment. The
houses aong the road were sma and dngy.
ere we are, Frank announced, pontng to a
boxke cottage overgrown by scraggy bushes.
The ardys went to the door and knocked.
Meow back-and-whte cat came around
the corner and rubbed hersef aganst the boys
egs. Once more Frank rapped urgenty.
Meow, was the ony answer.
ere, ktty, ktty, ktty sang a voce nearby.
Turnng, the ardys saw a heavy, mdde-aged
woman cang from the porch of the house next
door. In her hands she hed a saucer of mk.
Mss hrnge Frank nqured.
No. nd I don t know where enny s, re-
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Water Monster 27
W T7
ped the woman, who appeared wng and even
eager to tak. ut t s rght strange about her go-
ng. he eft here wthout provdng for her cat.
fter pacng the saucer on the ground, the
neghbor contnued, Now ths s why t s funny.
he eft the house yesterday mornng |ust after
dawn. That s not a tme for aw-abdn foks to be
about. enny had no sutcase, and not even a
pocketbook. ust spped out n her best dress -
reay a tte od shabby back one and an od
owered hat.
Do you know where she went oe asked.
The woman shrugged. I reckon she waked out
to the man road. Maybe somebody sent for her.
Maybe not. ut why be so sneaky about t
The ardys were noncommtta n order not to
arouse the woman s suspcons. oon the brothers
sad good-by and returned to camp for unch.
fter eatng, and teng Chet about the strange
dsappearance, the chums rested under some
pnes near the tent.
Three peope nvoved n ths case have ds-
appeared, oe summed up n exasperaton.
nd no eads as to where they mght have
gone Frank added.
Chet yawned. Maybe we shoud report these
dsappearances to Mr. Worth or the poce.
et s wat one more day, Frank urged. I
want to expore the pond tonght. fter a, t s
the centra ssue n ths whoe case. If we don t
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28 The dden arbor Mystery
turn up anythng, we ca n the authortes.
We, I hod the fort here, Chet offered
cheerfuy. Fshng s great.
That evenng, the hazy ght of dusk found the
two detectves advancng quety among the sand
dunes and the ta grass. ecause of the nsects,
they had smeared ther arms and faces wth re-
peent. so, as a precauton aganst an onsaught
by ackstone s dogs, oe carred a stout cub.
In the dm ght the dead trees and hummocks
of swamp grass assumed fantastc shapes. Frogs
croaked, and now and then one woud sp wth a
gurge nto a brown, stagnant poo. t ast the boys
reached the pond between the two propertes.
Ths way, whspered Frank, turnng eft.
et s try Rand s sde rst.
e and oe pushed through the dense growth
around the pond s edge. It was totay dark when
they emerged at a at, open space. efore them
rose the branchess trunk of an ancent oak tree,
neary twenty feet hgh. It was shouetted aganst
a moont but party couded sky.
Carefuy the boys examned the remans of the
od tree. Ths must be one of the trees men-
toned n the w, Frank sad, as the boys made
ther way back aong the pond unt they came
to the ackstone sde of the water. ere the oak
stump was shorter.
Dsapponted, Frank and oe swtched off ther
ghts and ooked around. Overhead, moonght
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Water Monster 29
gowed sver around the frnge of a coud. ud-
deny oe grasped Frank s arm and whspered,
Over there The yeow beam of a ashght
coud be pany seen on the far rm of the pond.
The ght moved around the oak stump ke
some gant re y. Once, when the moon saed
free of couds, the boys caught a gmpse of a ta,
dark gure, pacng back and forth.
e s ookng for somethng Frank whs-
pered.
uppose t s Rand
The ght began movng around the edge of
the pond toward them. Nearer and nearer t came.
The boys wated breathessy. ut before they
coud make a move, heavy, crashng steps re-
treated through the underbrush and ded away.
We shoud ve nabbed hm oe sad n ds-
gust.
t ths dstance Frank sad. Then he ponted
n amazement toward the mdde of the pond.
The whte moon, thny veed by a few mack-
ere couds, showed up a sudden rong ds-
turbance on the gassy surface. arge crces of
rppng water were expandng outward. t ther
center a geamng row of nke humps sd nto
vew. fantastc, monstrous head rose bre y,
drppng, nto the moonght. Then t sank be-
neath the dark waters
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C PT R I
kn-Dvng euths
T ardy boys coud amost beeve they had
behed a prehstorc creature wth ts |agged n
and enormous head. Frank and oe peered n fas-
cnaton at the swamp-bordered pond.
There t s agan oe whspered n awe.
The grotesque shape had agan surfaced, and
now cut through the water to the rear bank. ere
t wrgged up and dsappeared.
Come on oe cred, swtchng on hs ash-
ght. et s go after that thng
They found the swamp at the rear of the pond
amost mpassabe. tumbng over roots, dodgng
under hangng moss, snkng n the rank mre, the
two boys doggedy made ther way aong.
That monster must have come out near here
Frank panted, shnng hs ght around.
In ths spot the thck vegetaton grew rght to
the water s edge. The ardys punged through
so
w- _- -7 - -_
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kn-Dvng euths 31
the tange unt they fet the tepd water ap over
ther sneakers.
Ther ashght beams pcked out crushed
eaves and staks where somethng arge must
have dragged tsef ashore. ut the tra ended a
few feet from the water, n the thck growth. No
further sgns of the strange creature coud be
found.
Maybe the monster spped back nto the
pond, oe whspered apprehensvey.
uddeny Frank snapped off hs ashght and
sgnaed hs brother to do the same. t the edge
of the goomy pond, where the bg swamp
stretched toward the man road, a ght was mov-
ng
In a moment the ardys were ghtng ther
way through the dense undergrowth toward the
gure. The moon was ther ony ght, as they
crept forward senty and swfty. oon a gow
about fty yards ahead of them t up a grove of
werd, moss-covered cypress trees. Underneath
one of them, Frank and oe dscerned a ta gure
n a ong coat and oppy hat, hs back to the boys.
carcey breathng, Frank and oe spped for-
ward. In one hand the strange gure carred a
sma antern. e frequenty stooped to ex-
amne the ground. Once he crouched for a ong
tme ookng at somethng. The boys crept coser.
uddeny the gure stood to hs fu heght, as
f stenng keeny. Then, ke a shot, he went off
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32 The dden arbor Mystery
at a swft, ong-egged run through the swamp.
e s headng for Rand s Frank whspered
tensey, as the boys raced forward.
protrudng root suddeny sent oe spraw-
ng. Frank, behnd, ped on top of hm. head,
the gure wth the swngng antern ganed
ground. eapng to ther feet, the boys ran on,
out of the swamp and up a sght h toward the
Rand estate. Presenty, a hgh, sod hedge, s-
houetted aganst the moont sky, came nto vew.
t the same moment, the pursued man and hs
antern dsappeared nto the dense shrubbery.
Pantng, the boys pounded up and punged
through t.
Whoa cred Frank.
eyond the hedge the ground dropped off
sharpy about seven feet. eow them ay a broad
meadow. The man wth the antern was not n
sght.
Gven us the sp, oe admtted.
t breathng hard from the chase, the broth-
ers waked drecty toward the ocean. They
found Chet at camp, yng on hs stomach, munch-
ng an appe and readng a mystery story.
Good nght Where have you been wm-
mng n mud he needed, ookng at ther
soggy, spattered cothng.
oe grnned. Chet, you must go up to the pond
and see the monster
The what No, thanks. ut you re kddng
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kn-Dvng euths 33
We mean t, Frank reped, and he tod the
story, exaggeratng t a bt to tease Chet. You re
reay mssng a the exctement, Chet.
It s okay wth me. I pu a sh out of the
water that be monster enough for me.
e arose, ghted the camp stove, and pre-
pared mugs of steamng cocoa. uddeny he sad,
Wat a mnute, feows Dd you reay see some
knd of prehstorc . . . dnosaur . . . n that
pond
We, not qute that bg. Frank had to augh.
ut the thng was as bg as a man, at east.
Chet ooked around fearfuy. Do you thnk
the monster mght be connected wth the mys-
tery
earch me, oe shrugged. I wonder f that
prower out there tonght saw the creature.
Funny busness. Chet shook hs head.
The campers nshed ther cocoa, then crawed
nto ther bags and sept soundy. fter breakfast
next mornng, the boys attended unday church
servce. They had unch n town, then Frank sad,
et s drve to Professor Rand s house. If the pro-
fessor sn t there, we go to the poce. I don t care
what ackstone says. We saw Rand take a nasty
crack on the head. e may be serousy n|ured,
or worse
When the three boys reached the run-down
pantaton house, they found t as empty as t had
appeared the day before. They headed at fu
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84 The dden arbor Mystery
speed for archmont and went to art Worth s
home.
You have news he asked expectanty.
oe reated the erce quarre the ardys had
wtnessed n the ackstone manson two nghts
before. art, the boy went on, has anyone
mentoned havng seen the professor atey
The young edtor shook hs head and grabbed
hs hat n one movement. It s a case for the po-
ce now, he sad, rsng. ut Frank restraned
hm.
You d better not become nvoved, the boy
advsed. fter a, oe and I were the wtnesses.
The poce know you have a feud wth ackstone,
and mght not beeve you. so, we don t want
ackstone to know we re workng for you.
art agreed, and the boys eft to make a report
to the authortes.
archmont s poce staton was a trm budng
of whtewashed brck, |ust across the square from
the courthouse. desk sergeant ed the three nto
the o ce of Poce Chef Gerad. Frank gave an
account of the attack to the mdde-aged aw of-
cer, who stened ntenty.
mm . . . by the tme you entered the
room, the vase had been mended, the chef re-
peated. e stared ahead n deep thought. What
do you young feows want me to do he asked.
We thnk you shoud procure a warrant and
search 1ackstone s house, Frank urged prompty.
..c
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kn-Dvng euths 35
The chef smed, pcked up the teephone,
and daed a number.
eo he began potey. Mr. ackstone,
ths s Chef Gerad. ome vstors to our town
have been teng me about a ght at your pace
two nghts ago. One of the men Professor Rand,
by the sound of t s supposedy mssng. I m
afrad I be obged to get a warrant and make
a search of your pace.
The three boys watched the o cer s face
eagery for some hnt of ackstone s reacton.
ut they coud te nothng unt the chef hung
up. e ooked at the boys quzzcay and re-
ported, Mr. ackstone says I don t need a war-
rant. Tod me to come on out there rght now,
and brng the vstors wth me that he hasn t
anythng to hde.
Chef Gerad summoned one of hs patromen
and ed Frank, oe, and Chet to a poce car out-
sde. Wthn twenty mnutes they were parked n
front of the arge brck house. amue ack-
stone stood watng on the porch.
Ths way, Chef, he greeted the aw o cer,
not watng for an ntroducton to Chet Morton.
I want you to see everythng. The heavy-set
man dd not address the boys drecty.
Mr. ackstone conducted them to every part of
hs house. Frank and oe kept a sharp watch, but
saw nothng out of the ordnary. Fnay, he ed
the group to the front door.
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36 The dden arbor Mystery
You ve seen the house, sad ackstone. N ow
read ths.
e produced a note wrtten on Professor
Rand s statonery. The chef read t aoud:
Dear amue, f you want me I m at the
torm Isand ghthouse for a few days, dong
some research. Rue.
My cousn s an archaeoogst, ackstone ex-
paned. s specaty s mercan Indan cv-
zaton. e s aways ookng for od recs.
We, ths note sounds frendy enough, com-
mented Gerad as he handed t back.
nd are you sats ed The bg man suddeny
turned hard, antagonstc eyes on the ardys.
Not yet, oe spoke up wthout nchng.
We d ke to tak to your man, Grover. e saw
that ght, too.
Grover s oder brother n Chcago s very ,
ackstone returned prompty. e begged me
to et hm go to see hm, and I dd. It s hs rst
vacaton n many years, and I won t have hm
brought back for any such nonsensca reason.
ackstone accompaned the boys and the po-
ce of cer when they returned to the watng pa-
tro car. Chef Gerad, he sad warnngy,
these boys have aready trespassed on my and.
Now they practcay accuse me of somethng un-
derhanded. If they ever set foot on my property
agan, or annoy me n any way, I m gong to ask
you to arrest them
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kn-Dvng euths 37
Turnng qucky, he strode back to the house.
Then the poce car drove out of the ong prvate
road and back toward archmont.
We, boys, the chef tod them, you ve
made a powerfu enemy.
That doesn t bother us, Frank sad. Not f
we nd out the truth.
That afternoon, back at ther camp, the three
young detectves hed a conference. We must nd
out why that pond s so mportant, Frank n-
ssted. I m for gong back there tonght wth our
skn-dvng gear, and trackng down the monster
That evenng, as a bg, round yeow moon rose
above the trees of the dark swamp, the three boys
stood at the pond s edge. Frank and oe, n bath-
ng trunks, hed dvng face masks and ppers.
ach had an aquaung strapped to hs back. Chet
stood by wth a Thermos of hot broth.
We, here goes, sad Frank quety. e put
on hs mask, ad|usted hs breathng hose, and
spped nto the back water.
The next nstant Chet and oe were started by
a sudden crash of brush on the far sde of the
pond. s the boys stared amost hypnotzed, a
huge shape makng remarkaby tte nose wrg-
ged off the bank nto the water.
econds ater, a saw-tooth n broke the smooth
moont surface of the pond and headed straght
for the spot where Frank had gone under
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C PT R
Maroaned
T monster It s after Frank cred oe as the
creature s ong serrate n dsappeared beneath
the pond s surface.
ucky ad|ustng hs own face mask and breath-
ng tube, oe punged nto the dark, menacng
water. e kcked powerfuy wth hs ppers,
and shot down through the water. The bottom of
the pond was absoutey back, but |ust enough of
the moon s pae ght tered down through the
murk for hm to dstngush voent thrashng mo-
tons dead ahead.
Instanty oe encrced hs brother s shouder
wth one arm. t the same tme, he came to grps
wth somethng cod and sppery that was tuggng
Frank s mp body deeper nto the pond.
Fearessy oe attacked. ut the creature pos-
sessed great power and graduay wrested hm
down nto the thck ooze at the bottom.
as
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)

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e
Marooned 39
f r vzw -y v . -v I
oe grtted hs teeth but never et go hs hod
on Frank. In a moment he wrenched hmsef oose
from the monster. It cosed n agan. Desperatey,
oe shook off hs ppers and kcked wth a hs
mght aganst the cod, smy body of the attacker.
Ths propuson speeded the boys upward
through the water to the surface. Wth a frantc
one-arm stroke, oe swam to the shore, st grasp-
ng hs unconscous brother. Chet waded out and
heped pu them n. few mnutes ater Frank
was sttng up and shakng hs head groggy.
Drnk ths, ordered Chet, handng over the
Thermos of beef broth. What happened
That thng got me from behnd, Frank re-
ported, after a gup of the hot broth. My ar ne
was ncked. tarted to get a trcke of water. I
hed my breath t I backed out
oe, meanwhe, had removed hs own equp-
ment and was examnng hs brother s ar hose.
|agged cut, he tod them. Coud be from
severa thngs knfe, caws, shears, teeth.
Teeth echoed Chet. You mean an aga-
tor
oe shook hs head. The monster s head we
saw was no agator s.
Chet shuddered. That s enough seuthng for
one nght, he decared rmy. et s go
The ardys agreed, but they were more de-
termned than ever to dscover the pond s secret.
In spte of hs cose ca, Frank awakened t and
G
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e
40 The dden arbor Mystery
aert the next mornng. et s hre a boat and go
out to torm Isand today, he proposed at break-
fast. I want to see f Rand s reay there. I don t
trust ackstone s frendy note. nybody mght
have wrtten t.
fter ceanng up camp, the three frends
headed for town n the convertbe. s they drove
through to the far sde of archmont, they saw
masts, cabes, and booms of shng boats, wth sea
gus appng ther wngs among them.
archmont docks, Frank announced.
They had no troube n hrng a boat for the
day. Whe Frank was settng a dea wth the
owner of a motorboat, Chet and oe bought some
bread, cheese, and cod cuts at a nearby grocery.
ust as the boys were ready to shove off, a ta, fa-
mar, pae-faced man approached them.
Where to, feows enry Cutter asked. s
tone was frendy, but he watched them sharpy.
nother man, whom the boys assumed was Cut-
ter s partner, Mr. tewart, |oned hm.
Oh, t s such a swe day, reped Frank, casu-
ay squntng overhead, we thought we d take a
sghtseeng cruse.
mm. We, have fun. Come aong, tewart.
The two men waked off.
They re a nosy par, Chet companed, set-
tng back n the boat, an od wooden craft wth
deep sdes and a hgh wndshed. agery oe
took the whee, whch resembed a shp s hem.
G
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2
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e
Marooned 41
Frank and Chet sat on the wooden box housng
the engne. oon the craft was movng toward the
mouth of the net nto the tantc.
torm Isand s a tte south of here, ex-
paned Frank, openng a chart. It s nothng but
a pe of rocks n the sea, accordng to Worth. The
ght hasn t been used n years, snce there s no
more shppng from archmont.
They eft the harbor and headed the boat
south on the bue-green sea. The whte dunes of
the beach were far over to ther rght. The hor-
zon was a ne where the powder-bue sky met the
darker hue of the ocean. Then a pe of |umbed
rocks came nto vew.
Must be torm Isand, Frank sad bre y.
s they came coser, they saw that the set was
ndeed nothng but a mass of rock, about a hun-
dred yards ong. From ts center rose a conca
wooden tower wth a back roof and gapng wn-
dows.
They anded at a tte stone |etty and ted
up the boat, then mounted some stone steps that
apparenty ed to a path to the ghthouse.
ucky the boys ooked around for the gangng
gure of the professor. No one was n sght.
Professor Rand oe caed out. No answer.
The boys waked around the set, peerng nto
crevces of |agged rocks, and cang out perod-
cay. There was no response.
Maybe he s nsde the ghthouse, Chet sad.
G
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44 The dden arbor Mystery
had aready drfted a dstance too great to swm.
I m sure I ted those nes tghty Frank de-
cared. They were cut by somebody n that
speedboat, I bet.
ut why oe burst out. oy, what a mess
Not ony have we come way out here on a wd-
goose chase, but to top t off, we re marooned
Chet was so de|ected at ths thought he coud
ony groan agan, our food gone The boys
returned to the ghthouse and took stock of ther
stuaton. From every pont of vew t seemed des-
perate.
We have one quart of drnkng water n my
canteen, Chet nformed them, and one package
of cookes I brought n my pocket. Oh, a that
wonderfu cheese, meat, and I can t stand t
No ocean-gong vesses pass anywhere near
here, Frank put n gumy. nd I guess ths
sn t a popuar spot for peasure crusng. The
water s too rough
The boat owner thnks we re on a peasure
rde, oe added, but he doesn t know where.
nd somehow I doubt that Cutter and hs pa
w advse anyone f they nd out we re mssng.
Frank |umped up. et s go outsde and see f
there s anythng on ths sand we can rg for a
sgna
afternoon the youths expored ther sea-
ocked prson. The sand was composed of sharp,
craggy rock faces wth steep drops n between.
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e
Marooned 45
The surf on the ocean sde had made a network of
shevng edges and hoow caves.
t suppertme they sat down 011 the rocks and
Chet doed out to each boy a raton of two choco-
ate cookes and two swaows of water. s they
chewed ther meager mea, starng dy at the od
tower, Frank burst out:
I know what We aways carry match packets
wth us when on a campng trp, so et s ght the
beacon tonght as a dstress sgna. these od-
fashoned ghthouses used acetyene beacons. If
we can t make ths one work, what good s the
chemstry we re earnng n hgh schoo
agery Frank ed the way nto the ghthouse.
ure enough, n a sma ground- oor room d-
recty at the center of the tower, they found a bg
tank wth a ppe rsng up toward the ght.
ut where w we get the gas for the tank
Chet wanted to know.
t that moment oe pred the d off an od
drum. ere we are--cacum carbde
Frank expaned. We put some of ths chem-
ca n the tank and pour sea water over t. The
chemca reacton produces acetyene gas, whch
burns wth a brght whte ght.
ready dusk was fang. They sent Chet out
wth a bucket for sea water. Meanwhe, oe
cmbed the starcase to the beacon. There he
found a bg meta rng wth mutpe |ets. ook-
ng out one of the broad, paneess wndows, he
5
:
I
t

F
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2
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6
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1
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G
M
T


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#
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o
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e
46 The dden arbor Mystery
saw Chet returnng wth hs bucket of water.
Then oe heard the tnkerng of meta far be-
ow. e took a packet of matches from hs pocket
and hed one ready to strke.
Okay came the mu ed sgna. ght her
Crouchng, oe hed hs arng match to the
|ets. The stff breeze, whppng through the wde
wndow, snuffed t out. gan and agan he
brought a fame over the hoes, but wthout re-
sut. Fnay, a hs matches were gone. t that
moment the boy heard the foor creak nearby.
s oe turned, somethng fted hm up and
rushed hm toward the wde-open wndow. Wth
a wd cry of ep oe fet hmsef pungng
nto space

. .

5

I
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f
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.
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)

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2
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1
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6
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1
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:
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G
M
T


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D
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a

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,

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o
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d


/


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#
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o
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e
C PT R vr
gna Fre
D P n the tower, Frank and Chet were eectr-
ed to hear a wd cry for hep, and then another
fanter ca, whch seemed to come from outsde
the ghthouse.
Fra-ank
It s oe cred Frank. e sprnted up the rck-
ety starcase so fast that the structure shook under-
neath hm. Chet ran behnd.
The two ped nto the empty beacon room.
For a moment Frank and Chet heard ony the
strong wnd sweepng through and the sound of
the sea breakng on the rocks beow. Then came
a kckng sound outsde.
Frank rushed to the wndow. Two tanned hands
cung to the s. Over the sde, n the eary eve-
nng darkness, he coud see oe dangng nnety
feet above the sharp rocks.
Chet Over here Frank yeed, at the same
47
G
e
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f
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@
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a
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.
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(
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)

o
n

2
0
1
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6
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3

1
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:
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G
M
T


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c

D
o
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,

G
o
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z
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e
48 The dden arbor Mystery
tme sezng hs brother s wrsts. The hefty boy
was at hs sde n a second. Together, they haued
oe n to safety.
omebody threw me out the boy gasped
as he sank to the foor to rest. I managed to grab
the s.
Thank goodness you dd, sad Frank.
Chet sad n astonshment, ut there s nobody
on the sand
Wat Frank sgnaed abrupty. uet
peechess, the three boys stened. The sea
crashed over the rocks. The wnd hummed
through the room. Dd they aso hear creakng on
the od starcase beow
Frank hurred steathy hafway down the
steps. ut he nether saw nor heard anythng and
returned to the patform.
You sure the wnd ddn t bow you out Chet
asked oe. It s pretty strong.
No. y now oe had recovered from hs cose
ca. I was grabbed and pushed through the wn-
dow. No doubt about t.
ut how coud anybody have cmbed the
stars wthout our knowng t Frank frowned.
There s got to be an answer, oe returned.
et s have a ook at the stars. nybody got a
ashght
Chet produced a tny one from a pocket, but t
woud not ght. Guess t needs new batteres,
he apoogzed.
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gna Fre 49
Frank brought out a packet of matches and
ghted ther way down. When he reached the two
mssng steps, Frank cautousy eaned down nto
the open space and struck another match. net-
work of thck dagona supportng beams was re-
veaed n the ckerng ght.
rsky pace to hde, he sad. ut t coud
be done by a strong and age person.
We d better face up to t, oe sad sombery.
We re beng dogged by a dangerous enemy, and
he s on ths sand wth us
Yes, Frank agreed, swfty pecng together
recent events. e must have been dropped off
by that speedboat we saw headng away. Then he
unted our boat and hd among the rocks unt he
heard us menton ghtng the beacon.
You mean he spped up to the tower ahead of
us Chet asked.
Frank nodded. e stayed behnd these sup-
ports unt oe cmbed to the beacon, then fo-
owed. e spped down the stars whe we were
pung oe n. That was the creakng we heard.
rght, agreed oe. ut we have a hard
tme ndng hm at nght f he s hdng out n
those rocks. We have nothng but matches.
Frank and Chet pued out ther packets, whch
were ony party ed.
Most of these matches were used to hunt for the
fourth person who, they earned, was not nsde
the ghthouse.

-
N

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111

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50 #2 The dden arbor Mystery
Ony one thng for us to do, sad Frank.
We ock the door and bunk n the keeper s
quarters. Whoever our enemy s can spend the
nght on the rocks Then n the mornng we
nd hm.
Good pan, oe assented. We take turns
standng guard.
s Frank took the rst watch, oe and Chet
stretched out on the oor to seep. t mdnght
Frank awakened the stout boy. oe took the eary-
mornng shft. There had not been a dsturbng
sound durng the nght.
t dawn the three stranded seuths emerged
from the ghthouse. red ba of sun was comng
out of the stee-gray sea. ght mst hung over
the water.
The thrd straght mea I ve mssed, moaned
Chet n a voce of genune sufferng.
Manfuy, however, he handed round a break-
fast of cookes and two gups of water apece. ust
enough for unch and supper, he sad, and care-
fuy stored the provsons agan. Maybe I can
catch a sh ater.
Now, et s nd our enemy, sad Frank. nd
stay together, so we can hande hm when we do
mornng, as the sun rose hgher, the boys
combed the deep cuts and passageways n the
rocks.
ow coud anybody hde here Chet won-
dered.
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gna Fre 51
e coudn t, oe assured hm. I beeve
someone came back here n a boat and took the n-
truder away. Probaby turned off the motor and
used oars so we woudn t hear what was gong on.
Chet now asked, Why ddn t the beacon work
ast nght
Gas ddn t get up to the ght, oe reported.
I never dd sme t. Probaby there s a break n
the od ne.
ow about the amps up there suggested
Chet. e referred to a crce of o amps, backed
by once-shny tn re ectors, extendng a around
the tower patform.
No o, Frank sad. Those go back to the
days when ths ght was but ong before t was
converted to acetyene.
t that moment oe, n hs dark-bue |ersey,
gazed at the tower. Frank ooked at hs brother,
then at hs own maroon shrt. Fnay he stared
wth sudden hope at Chet s whte garment, whch
bazed wth a wd, coorfu desgn.
ay, what are you up to the chunky boy
asked uneasy.
We need your shrt, reped oe. It be a
perfect dstress ag.
Wth a martyred ar, Chet pued of hs shrt,
and the ardys rgged t on the shaft of an od
broom n the ghthouse. They mounted the sg-
na on the tower.
o far, so good, oe sad when they were on
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52 The dden arbor Mystery
the ground once more. What about a sgna for
tonght et s nd somethng to make a re.
nother tour of the sand turned up ony a few
sodden bts of drftwood. fter a cheeress unch
of water and cookes, Frank and oe went to scour
the ghthouse for fue, whe Chet tred hs best
to snare a sh but faed.
fter a tme the brothers dragged out a heavy
armchar wth the stuf ng about to burst from the
seams. Whe they kcked ths apart, Chet ooked
curousy at a tte brck structure about the sze
of a dog kenne.
eo an od brck oven, he thought.
The openng had been seaed up wth brck
and masonry. Chet worked at the mortar wth hs
pocketknfe. It crumbed, and Chet pued out the
brcks. e peered nsde.
tn box he yeed. Treasure
Instanty Frank and oe eft ther demoshed
char and rushed over.
There s more than treasure, oe sad exct-
edy, peerng n. ook at that pe of newspa-
pers Now we get a re gong tonght
e yanked out a great stack of od papers, some-
what damp and mody wth age.
What s new n the word qupped Chet.
ay, these are funny newspapers. No headnes.
The reef of Genera McCean from com-
mand of the mercan Federa armes has been
announced, . oe read from one of the sma-
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gna Fre 53
prnt coumns. ey It s a about the Cv War.
These papers were pubshed n ondon.
Our hstory teacher w shoot us f we burn
these, Chet ob|ected.
If we don t burn them, we may never see our
hstory cass agan, Frank remnded hm. et s
|ust hope we won t have to. Open that tn box,
Chet.
Usng hs knfe, the stout boy comped. Insde
was a package of papers, carefuy ted wth a
prnted note on top.
It says these papers were saved from the ay
nn, an ngsh shp returnng to merca, when
she was wrecked on the reef, he announced.
Du stuff, probaby, commented oe. Wth
Chet s hep, he began spreadng the od newspa-
pers n the sun to dry, weghtng them wth brcks
from the oven.
Frank, meanwhe, eafed through the tte
package of documents. They were mosty shp-
png nvoces and nsurance papers for the shp s
cargo. Du stuff, as oe had sad. ut then, tucked
among them, a note on pan whte paper caught
hs attenton. uddeny he eaped to hs feet.
oe Chet sten to ths It s a memo from the
ay nn s captan to hmsef
When the other two had dashed over, aston-
shed, Frank read the memo:
ast voyage my frend, Cement ack-
stone, embarked wth hs entre famy for ng-
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54 The dden arbor Mystery
and, from dden arbor. efore sang, Cem-
ent nformed me, as hs boyhood frend, that the
famy fortune and papers were hdden nearby,
and gave me drectons for ndng them, n case
he shoud never return. Memorzed drectons n
order to avod commttng them to wrtng.
oe gave a whste. Maybe you ddn t nd a
treasure, Chet, but you ve gven us a cue to one.
ut where s dden arbor There s nothng
hdden about archmont s net.
dden arbor, Frank mused. I/ herever t
s, the ackstone fortune s nearby.
oe sghed. If we don t get off ths sand, we
never nd t, he remnded the others. et s
spread out the rest of these papers to dry, and
then get the char stuf ng out n the sun, too.
They wated hopefuy throughout the day for
ther dstress sgna to be notced, but no one ap-
peared. Fnay, when evenng came, the three
boys carred the stu ng, the papers, and peces of
the wooden char-frame to the hghest pont on
the rocks. start sky spread overhead, but a
hard wnd and a heavy sea had set n. The hgh-
dashng spray was caught by the wnd and
whpped over the tte sand ke gusts of ne
ran. Whe Frank and Chet acted as sheds, oe
ghted one of ther few remanng matches. fee-
be ame began to ck at the crumped papers,
ony to be extngushed by the drvng spray. n-
other match was used, wth the same resut.
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gna Fre 55
ha we use our ast two matches oe asked.
Try one more, Frank answered.
Ths tme a bush-yeow nger of ame
cmbed, spread out, caught at the char stuffng,
and began to ck at the wood.
t that moment a shout, foowed by the sud-
den roar of a motor, brought the boys to ther
feet.
It came from the |etty cred oe.
Racng around the ghthouse, they saw a dark
gure eap nto a motorboat, whch then churned
out from the sand.
Frank and oe ran at top speed to the end of the
stone dock, punged nto the rough water, and
struck out after the eeng boat.
For a whe the heavy waves sowed the boat
more than the swmmers. ut |ust as oe came
wthn grabbng dstance, t suddeny spurted
ahead and roared off nto the darkness.
Where was that guy hdng Frank asked
hmsef dsmay.
Thoroughy soaked and chatterng wth cod,
the ardys returned to ther re, ony to nd
darkness.
I dd my best to keep t ave, Chet apoo-
gzed.
The heavy spray had quenched the ames, and
the hgh wnd had scattered the remanng paper
a over the wet rocks.
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C PT R II
musement Park Troube
MI R Y, the three boys podded back to the
sheter of the ghthouse. unger and the ack of
dry cothes combned to make a tfu nght s
seep. Next day, as the marooned tro stepped
nto the mornng sunght, a fant dronng sound
aerted them to a svery ob|ect passng hgh over-
head.
seapane oe cred wdy. ey ep
trppng off ther shrts, Frank and oe waved
mady, whe Chet beowed at the top of hs
ungs. The pane contnued toward the manand.
No breakfast raton today, boys, Chet sad
grmy. No cookes, no water. I won t put up
wth t. There are sh n ths ocean, and I m go-
ng to get one somehow
Whe the stout boy umbered of wth a deter-
sa
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musement Park Troube 5 57
mned frown, Frank and oe dscussed the case
once more.
Who s tryng to get rd of us asked Frank.
ackstone Then he sure w go to any ength
to keep art from provng the rumor.
It must be ackstone, oe decded. e de-
beratey et us thnk Rand was out here. e
must have faked that note.
e coud have been fooed by t, Frank com-
mented. Who ese mght have guessed we d come
here Cutter tewart The boat owner
Maybe Cutter and tewart, oe agreed.
That pae-faced Cutter seems mghty nterested
n us. Maybe he s workng for ackstone.
shout from Chet nterrupted ther specua-
tons. Drppng wet, the stout boy husted to-
ward them. In hs arms geamed a bg mackere
It was washed nto a tde poo, he cred ex-
ctedy. I waded n after t
few mnutes were enough to rp out part of
the rang of the wooden starcase and bud a
re. ere goes my ast match, sad Chet. oon
he had panked the mackere n ne stye. Usng
sea water for sat, the boys regaed themseves on
the tasty sh.
s they nshed, a drone overhead announced
the return of the sver seapane. The boys sg-
naed frantcay. Ths tme the craft crced once,
then setted down on the cam water.
ot dog yeed Chet n fervent reef.
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58 The dden arbor Mystery
The seapane taxed up to the stone dock, and
the cabn door opened. eo, there, caed
the sm, sunburned young pot, eanng out. I
ddn t see your sgnas earer, but my passenger
dd. e ddn t te me unt we anded thought
t was a |oke.
ome |oke sad Chet as the boys cam-
bered n.
Fgured I d better check, sad the pot. My
name s West. I take you to archmont r-
port and drve you to town, f that hep.
Thanks a mon oe sad gratefuy.
ame here Frank excamed. We thought
we were stuck on that rock pe for good
xacty one hour ater the ardys and Chet,
who was st shrtess, stepped from West s
car, waved good-by, and trooped nto the arch-
mont Record of ce.
art Worth stared at them, abbergasted, and
upon hearng ther story, expressed st further
amazement. You come home wth me for a
change of cothes and a sod mea, he ordered.
nd you d better forget my case. Ths news-
paper sn t worth rskng your ves.
We accept that mea, Frank answered for
the three, but f you thnk anythng coud keep
us from ths |ob now, you re mstaken. We have
severa scores of our own to sette.
Whe the hungry youths feasted at Worth s
bountfu tabe, the edtor paced the oor.
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musement Park Troube 59
The awsut aganst me s comng up for tra,
and I haven t a shred of proof that some outsder
tampered wth my edtora, he sad. enny
hrnge rst tod me that story. he may have
somethng to back t up, f we coud nd her.
omebody besdes her neghbor must have
seen her eave, Frank reasoned. We comb the
town.
Good sad Worth. I come aong.
The boys set out, accompaned by the edtor.
Frst, Chet bought a bazng yeow shrt wth a
pattern of zgzag ghtnng on t.
Ths make a swe dstress sgna he
grnned f we need one agan.
They started from the town square and ques-
toned everyone who mght have notced the
seamstress departng a few mornngs before. No
one had. Graduay the four worked ther way to
the docks, where the man from whom the boys
had rented the boat eyed them suspcousy.
Where s my boat he asked.
Drfted off, Frank answered.
Drfted off Then you a w pay for her
art Worth mmedatey drew out hs check-
book. You boys were workng n my nterest
when you ost t, he nssted, despte the ardys
protests.
Once more they pressed the search. uddeny
Frank hated before a sma gft shop not far from
the docks.
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60 The dden arbor Mystery

0

Those two orenta vases, he sad, pontng to
the wndow. They re the same knd as the one
ackstone used to ht Rand
agery the party went nto the store. Chet no-
tced a sma, shy-ookng Negro boy, who had
been taggng them constanty, enter after them.
Oh, those chna vases, the shopkeeper sad n
answer to Frank s queston. Yes, they re aways
sod n pars.
That expans how ackstone repaced hs,
Frank murmured to the others, as they turned
to go. ucky the tte ad spped out n front
of them.
That kd s been eavesdroppng on us for haf
an hour, Chet nay remarked.
That youngster art shook hs head doubt-
fuy. e s dong no harm, I m sure.
Next, the ardys and ther frends stopped at
an open-ar sh market. Whe Frank, oe, and
art questoned the paunchy vendor, Chet
watched the tte boy sneak up behnd the hgh
whee of a oaded cart of sh, and sten wth
brght, nqustve eyes.
enny hrnge the vendor repeated. ure,
I saw her. ust the other day, eary
Crash Chet had made a frantc dve at the t-
te eavesdropper. The boy had dodged nmby,
but Chet had caused the whoe cartoad of fresh,
wet sh to tp forward on ts two whees. The sh
cascaded n a heap on top of Chet
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musement Park Troube 61
My sh cred the vendor.
My new shrt Chet waed.
Get that kd cred oe to others on the
street. ut the tte boy dsappeared.
fter Chet had been heped to hs feet, and the
ardys had pad for the sh, the vendor, mo ed,
went on wth hs story.
I was settn up my sta t other mornng.
Pretty soon I saw enny come by and get on the
sx-o cock bus for ea Cty. he s got kn there,
you know, Mr. Worth. Rght funny, though, she
ddn t carry a sutcase.
That settes t, sad Frank wth satsfacton.
We re off for ea Cty
They hurred back to the Record s parkng ot,
where the four got nto Worth s green sedan and
sped out to the boys camp among the dunes. ere
Chet qucky changed hs shy shrt, and the
party drove off.
They traveed at the hghest ega speed toward
ea Cty. uddeny art sowed down.
That parked car back there on the shouder
he excamed. Professor Rand was n t
Reay asked Frank, amazed. Cutter was at
the whee
Impatenty art sped forward ookng for a
chance to turn back, but traf c was heavy n both
drectons. t ast he found a chance, but when
they retraced ther route to the spot, the parked
car was gone.
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62 The dden arbor Mystery
You re sure t was Rand Frank asked as they
headed for ea Cty once more.
Yes, Worth stated. e saw me, too.
We, why doesn t he want anyone to know
he s st around oe wondered.
Nobody coud answer ths queston. I/ hen they
reached the man street of ea Cty, Frank hopped
out and went nto a drugstore wth a phone booth.
Returnng, he reported, Ony one hrnge
sted n the teephone book, and gave art the
address.
oon they pued up before a tte whte bun-
gaow on a sde street. The ardys and art
aghted and knocked on the door.
bad, mdde-aged man answered. Oh, you
a want to see my cousn enny he sad. Yes,
she s stayng here, but she s gone for the day to the
amusement park on the boardwak.
Now the tra was gettng hot When they
reached the amusement secton, art parked hs
car, and the four waked onto the crowded board-
wak.
It was |ust after unchtme. Crowds of vacaton-
ers were |ust eavng a custer of tabes shaded by
great beach umbreas near a boardwak restau-
rant.
There cred art, pontng.
mdde-aged woman wth gray har was seated
at one of the tabes. he was sppng an ce-cream
soda. s Worth caed to her, she ooked up at
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musement Park Troube 63
hm. Instanty she |umped up, grasped a back
purse, and scutted away.
enny Wat caed the edtor, as he and the
boys dashed after her.
Wth surprsng speed, enny hrnge dodged
n and out of the throng. Frank ganed on her.
Mss hrnge he cred out.
he ganced back wth a pancky ook but dd
not sow down.
uddeny she darted off the wak and hated at
one of the amusement tcket wndows. The next
mnute the four frends, runnng toward her, saw
her dsappear nto a brghty panted fun house
bed as uebeard s Paace.
t one sde of the hgh, bzarre budng, a we-
greased wooden sde shot the screamng custom-
ers down to the boardwak.
Chet foded hs arms. We, he sad, a we
do s wat here t enny hrnge comes out. he
can t stay n there forever.
art shook hs head. Ths fun house s too
rough for a woman of enny s age.
We d better go n, Frank agreed, before she
gets hurt. art, you wat here.
e qucky purchased admsson tckets, and the
three boys entered the fun house. Frank ed the
way through a dark, narrow tunne. Chet fo-
owed, then oe.
s fast as possbe, they stumbed forward.
Werd screams started them. angng cobwebs
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64 The dden arbor Mystery
brushed ther faces. thery, snakeke forms
wrthed underfoot. Fnay reachng a eve pace,
they waked ahead rapdy ony to nd them-
seves on a treadm carryng them backward
t ast, Frank, steppng off the treadm after
the others, entered a dmy ghted chamber wth
dstorton mrrors around the was.
uddeny he stopped short. Confrontng hm
was a wde-shoudered, gant gure wth a very
narrow wast. Frank burst out aughng. It was hs
own mage, greaty exaggerated Then, re ected
behnd hm oomed another gure of gora-ke
proportons, wth a famar attened face.
I warned you a hoarse voce rasped.
s the huge arms grabbed for hm, Frank
ducked nmby nto the next room. In the werd
haf-ght the boy saw that the oor tted sde-
ways, and the was were tpped crazy. Frank
found that he was forced to run downh wthout
beng abe to stop hmsef.
In another nstant he bowed, hepess, nto
Chet and oe, who had |ust pcked themseves up
at the far wa. The next second, the heavy buk
of the fat-faced man hurted nto ther mdst.
four went down on the foor n a heap.
Frank, who had been struck hard n the pt of
the stomach, gasped for breath. s the four roed
about n a voent strugge, he caught the geam of
a knfe n the bg man s hand
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C PT R III
Camp re avesdropper
OO out Frank yeed. e has a knfe
The boy threw hmsef on the man s brawny
forearm, sezed hs wrst, and cung to t grmy.
s ther antagonst strugged for a foothod, oe
dved under the bade for an anke-hgh tacke.
The man smacked heavy nto the ncned oor,
where Chet pounced on hs chest.
ths tme Frank had cung to the man s arm.
Now he gave the thck wrst a sudden twstng
wrench. The man gave a roar of pan. s bg st
opened, and the knfe sd harmessy away over
the tted oor.
Ths fun house sn t much fun any more oe
excamed.
avagey the bg man kcked and ashed out.
The boys gave hard, choppng bows n return.
New customers paused at the entrance to the
tted chamber. Wth one desperate heave, the
65
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Camp re avesdropper 67
at-faced man shoved the boys asde and ed.
Recoverng, Frank, oe, and Chet punged nto
a dark passage n pursut. xcted screamng
reached ther ears from the backness ahead. ud-
deny they found themseves camberng on hands
and knees, for the passage now soped sharpy up-
ward. bove them appeared a round hoe wth
the brght dayght showng beyond.
It s the ext wth the steep chute oe
warned. urry
uddeny the short, pudgy gure of a woman
teetered n the openng at the top of the sde.
Oh, oh she shreked n terror. Pease,
somebody pease hep me
ust ahead of the boys the hoarse-voced man
cmbed nto the ght. asty he dved for the
chute, knockng the frghtened woman off ba-
ance, and gong ahead of her. Wth a scream, she
too began to sde down backward.
Frank, quck as ghtnng, stretched forward,
grabbed the woman, and haued her back to safety.
Where s the man oe asked, reachng the
top.
ust went down, Frank answered.
Immedatey oe, foowed by Chet, whsked
down the chute to contnue the chase.
I can t do that sobbed the woman.
It s a rght, Mss hrnge, Frank sad sooth-
ngy. You are Mss hrnge he nodded, as he
went on, There must be a starway nearby.
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68 The dden arbor Mystery
s other customers pressed behnd them, the
boy detected a camou aged door |ust besde hm.
e guded the shaken seamstress through t onto
a we-ghted ght of steps. They ed down be-
hnd the facade of the budng.
s Frank, supportng enny, returned to the
boardwak, oe, Chet, and art Worth hurred
up. ost that bg guy n the crowd, oe re-
ported. ow s Mss hrnge
he be a rght, Frank assured them as he
ed Mss hrnge to a bench.
Yes, yes thank you so much, the seamstress
mumbed. ut she avoded meetng ther eyes-
especay art Worth s.
Why dd you run away from me, enny he
asked presenty.
The woman foded her hands n her ap and
stared ahead. ecause--because I m not aowed
to speak to anyone now. he spoke the words de-
anty, but there was fear n her voce.
Not aowed by whom the edtor prompted.
Dd you come here ony to vst your cousn
The seamstress shook her head emphatcay.
Is t ackstone somethng to do wth the
rumors you tod me about
The woman smpy pressed her ps together n
stony sence.
rght. ave t your way. art sghed. If
you want to freshen up, we wat and drve you
back to your cousn s.
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Camp re avesdropper 69
Mss hrnge nodded and hurred off.
nyway, we ve earned somethng, Frank
ponted out, |ust from the questons she won t
answer. We know she s tryng to keep certan n-
formaton from us.
Yes. The name ackstone s the sgna for
enny to cam up competey, oe remarked.
Dd you notce her dress Frank went on. It
was new nothng ke the best dress her negh-
bor descrbed. The same wth her handbag and
hat. omebody pad her to get out of archmont
and keep st
ackstone, Worth put n wth satsfacton.
It must mean he knows my story can be proved
Rdng back to her cousn s wth them, enny
hrnge preserved an obstnate sence.
enny, you ve got to understand how serous
ths s, the edtor peaded. Professor Rand ds-
appeared rght after these boys saw ackstone
strke hm durng an argument.
That s rght, Frank sad. Yet, when we
brought back the poce for a search of ack-
stone s pace, your former empoyer showed us a
frendy note from the professor to prove the
two of them are on good terms.
cker of surprse showed n the woman s
gray eyes. brupty she addressed Frank.
You heped me, she sad, so I te you ths
much. In a the thrty years I worked n that
house, the ackstones had nothng to do wth the
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70 The dden arbor Mystery
Rands. Oh, they weren t feudng. They |ust g-
nored each other -never even sent greetng
cards. Rue Rand woud as soon wrte ackstone
a frendy note as |ump nto that pond I heard
them quarreng about
Then you don t thnk Rand wrote t Frank
asked as he escorted the woman up to her cousn s
tte whte house.
Impossbe, sad enny, sppng nsde.
In thoughtfu sence the young detectves and
ther cent drove back to archmont. Nght had
faen before they reached the hgh dunes around
the campste. s the sound of art s car ded away
on the road back to town, the boys bused them-
seves wth supper preparatons.
The camp stove was ghted. Meanwhe, Chet
broke a dozen eggs nto a bow and beat them fur-
ousy. oe heated a greased deep sket over the
ame. Whe the ardys watched, Chet poured
hs omeet mxture, mutterng a the tme ke a
wtch over her brew.
h . . . bts of ham so. Chopped on-
ons . . . potatoes . . . sat . . . Now, wth the
turner, p
few mnutes ater, each boy was baancng a
tn pate ed wth a huge steamng thrd of the
puffy omeet, and eatng by ashght.
Fnshng, Chet gave a sgh of appeased hunger.
t that moment, n the rays of the ght, oe saw
a par of whte eyes n a dark face. ucky he sg-
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Camp re avesdropper 71
naed the others to reman st. fter a moment,
the face dsappeared.
It s the boy who was eavesdroppng on us to-
day, oe whspered. Now our campste s
known. e and Frank decded to tra the ad.
The sma gure proved easy to foow among
the dunes, for the moonght was aready brght.
e s carryng a package, Frank noted.
The boy had struck across the sand toward the
pond. Wth the hep of the moon, the young
seuths kept hm n sght a the way.
e s headng for the Rand pace, oe ob-
served as the ad turned eft at the pond.
The tte boy, however, merey skrted the wa-
ter and went nto the swamp.
I bet he knows we re foowng hm, whs-
pered Frank. e s tryng to throw us off.
The ad took the same tra over whch the
ardys had chased the ta gure n the ong coat
a few nghts before. The hedge oomed up at the
end of the path. The boy dsappeared through t.
et s wat here, Frank suggested. e
thnk he s rd of us and come back.
The brothers crouched behnd a bush. Pres-
enty a ght rustng n the hedge aerted them.
In a moment the sma boy passed by them. Wth-
out hs package, he scutted aongsde the pond
and over to the ackstone property. Frank and
oe saw hm pause near the bg house and ook
back. Then he vanshed nto ts cear.
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72 The dden arbor Mystery
That s funny. e sure knows hs way around
here. Wonder who he s, Frank muttered.
Mysterous character number seven. oe
chucked. et s have another ook at the pond.
Noseessy the two boys waked on unt they
reached the westery edge of the st water. ud-
deny, n the moonght, a rppe marred the sur-
face very near them.
The monster oe whspered exctedy.
The saw-tooth n emerged eery n the moon-
ght. The huge creature remaned vsbe for a
few seconds, then spped out of sght nto the
depths of the pond.
ack to camp, oe sad exctedy. We get
our dvng gear and brng underwater ghts.
We nd out what that thng s yet
Rght, Frank agreed. et s cut through
ackstone s property and go to the beach that
way. It be easer gong, and we save tme.
When the ardys reached the weathy man s
we-kept yards, they senty sprnted across the
dark awns, keepng away from the ghted house.
ut as they raced toward the beach, two enor-
mous, boundng back shapes suddeny ew at
them from the sde. ackstone s two ferocous
watchdogs had been turned oose
Wth a vcous snar, the arger of the poce
dogs eaped at Frank and knocked hm to the
ground.
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C PT R 1x
Fshng oat Cue
T huge dog bared ts teeth as t hovered over
Frank. Rong to the sde, he sezed the anma s
throat to hod the fangs away from hs body.
oe had aready whpped off hs sweat shrt. e
rushed n and bagged the dog s head wth t.
Whe the baffed anma eaped about, gvng
short, confused barks, the brothers sprnted to-
ward the ocean. They expected the smaer dog to
streak after them, but t remaned wth ts pa.
That was cose oe panted. You okay,
Frank
Yes, but I sure had a good scare. ay, wonder
f somebody nsde tod Mr. ackstone we were
around, and he deberatey set hs dogs on us.
Woudn t put t past hm, oe grumbed.
In camp once more, the young seuths tod Chet
73
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74 - I The dden arbor Mystery
ther pan, then oaded aquaungs, masks, weghted
bets, Frank s ppers, and underwater ghts nto
rucksacks. Wth Chet carryng ther shng spears,
they set out for the pond.
To avod ackstone s dogs, the boys went by
way of the tanged underbrush drecty to the
pond. The ardys rgged themseves out for ther
punge. ach brother grasped a spear n one hand
and an underwater amp n the other.
Chet, Frank sad, f anybody comes, or f
you see that monster surface, knock two stones to-
gether under water to warn us.
Check.
The two dvers submerged. For a whe Chet
coud see ther amps movng n ever-wdenng
arcs away from hm. oon the ghts grew dm and
nay vanshed atogether. Chet fet very much
aone wth the goomy swamp across the pond, a
mysterous, deserted manson to hs eft, and erce
dogs to hs rght.
spash started hm. n unearthy ookng
creature suddeny reared up from the water cose
by and came toward hm.
Y ep he beowed.
eep st, for Pete s sake came oe s cam
voce. I got some mud on me, that s a.
oon Frank, aso ookng ke some sort of mon-
ster n hs mud-covered equpment, waded
ashore.
Nothng, he reported. No sgn of the pre-
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Fshng oat Cue 75
hstorc crtter. We covered the whoe pond.
ucky the brothers washed and dressed.
houderng ther packs, they hked back to camp
for a we-earned nght s rest.
In the brght sunshne of the next mornng,
the waves roed n from the bue tantc. Frank
and oe, n bathng trunks, dashed across the
beach and dved nto the breakers.
Terr c oe yeed, rdng n on the crest of
a wave. Where s Chet
Gettng breakfast Frank shouted as he swam.
nce when can he wat to eat
uddeny Frank swam over to oe. There s
that shng smack agan, he sad, gancng sea-
ward. It s coser ths mornng.
oe nodded. I |ust reazed that boat s been
out there ever snce the mornng after we set up
camp. Once n a whe I ve spotted a gure on
deck, but mosty the boat ooks deserted. ud-
deny he stared at hs brother. You don t thnk
somebody s anchored out there to spy on us
That s a good hunch, Frank answered as the
boys swam ashore. et s ook nto t ater, he
proposed. Frst, though, we d better see f we
can ocate Grover or Professor Rand. I m con-
vnced both know somethng mportant to art s
case.
ater, as the chums ate breakfast, Frank sad, I
wonder f that tte boy s a reatve of Grover s,
and was takng that package to hm
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76 The dden arbor Mystery
Mm. oe pondered ths. What do you sup-
pose was n the package
Food, Chet sad prompty. What ese
Though the ardys aughed, they consdered
Chet s concuson a good one. If Grover s n hd-
ng for some reason, Frank sad, maybe the t-
te boy brngs hm hs meas. et s go over to Pro-
fessor Rand s ths mornng and scout around that
hedge.
n hour ater oe was sppng through the
hedge openng where the Negro boy had dsap-
peared the nght before. e sd down to the
meadow beneath. Frank and Chet foowed.
Once n the ed, they saw that the hgh bank of
shrubbery extended from the back of the od
manson deep nto the swamp. The boys moved
aong the base of the seven-foot rse toward the
house.
thck backberry patch choked the end of the
meadow. Pckng and eatng the frut as he
tramped through the patch, Chet suddeny caed
out, ay, here are some brcks, feows. ooks
ke a chmney. nd here s a corroded copper pot.
Must be the runs of an od ktchen.
That s t Frank cred, runnng over.
What oe asked.
We re rght behnd the bg house, hs
brother ponted out. Chet has |ust found the re-
mans of the od pantaton ktchen.
o
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Fshng oat Cue 77
. ..,r - .-.1
That s how the prower n the ong coat van-
shed There must be an underground passage
from ths spot to the house whch was used for
carryng the cooked food n oden days.
Come on cred oe. et s nd t
Carefuy the boys scoured the surroundng ter-
ran, but they saw no evdence of any passage.
We come back tonght, oe proposed, and
watch for the tte boy. e ead us to t.
Rght, Frank sad. Our next move s to n-
vestgate the shng smack.
Once more the frends returned to camp. fter
unch they mapped out carefu pans for ther
seuthng maneuvers. Then the ardys ped
ther skn-dvng gear nto the yeow convertbe
and, wth Chet, drove to the archmont docks.
nother boat repeated the man at the boat
very. Why, you feers ddn t brng back the
rst one you rented
We w ths tme, Frank assured hm. We d
ke to buy some shng tacke and bat, too.
The transactons were competed. oon the
young detectves were chuggng over the bue-
green water past the buoys. When the boat had
eft the net behnd, t turned aong the shore
ne.
s panned, Chet at the whee guded the craft
graduay n the drecton of the shng smack.
Meanwhe, Frank and oe put on ther dvng
gear and ay down out of sght beow the gun-
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78 The dden arbor Mystery
waes. Presenty Chet anchored a few hundred
yards from the suspcous shng vesse. uety
the ardys spped over the sde nto the ocean,
hopng they had not been seen. Nonchaanty the
pump boy began to sh.
short tme ater Frank and oe came nose-
essy to the surface besde the smack s hu.
Treadng water, they stened ntenty as hot, an-
gry voces reached ther ears.
We ve gven you every opportunty, ed,
came one voce ouder and sharper than the oth-
ers. You muffed them a. Frst the warehouse
trck, then you wrecked the wrong car. They got
away from the ghthouse ave and spped
through your ngers n ea Cty. What good does
t do for tewart and me to watch ther move-
ments and nform you
I coudn t hep t, companed a famar
hoarse voce. Those kds are a tougher |ob than
I expected.
xctedy oe whspered, o the at-faced guy
s named ed and he s n cahoots wth Cutter
Frank nodded tensey. The argument aboard
contnued. We, see that you don t fa next
tme, barked Cutter. We never get what we
want f we don t stop those meddng snoopers
The speakers owered ther voces, makng t
mpossbe for the boys to hear more. ubmerg-
ng, Frank and oe stroked back to ther own boat.
oy, have I got sh, Chet announced proudy
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Fshng oat Cue 79
as he heped hs frends aboard. ook at these
We made a catch, too. oe tod hm what they
had overheard at the shng vesse as the tte
boat chugged back to harbor.
of whch means, Frank added, that Cut-
ter s out to get us, and that hoarse-voced feow
s n eague wth hm, and was the ghost on
torm Isand
Chet ooked myst ed. You thnk Cutter s an-
tque busness s |ust a cover-up and he s n ack-
stone s pay
Coud be, Frank reped. so, he coud be
n Rand s pay, for that matter. Though I st have
a hunch the professor sn t a crook. Maybe Cut-
ter s workng some game of hs own.
fter returnng the boat, the boys drove
straght back to the dunes.
Out of the way Chet ordered as the ardys
offered to hep wth supper. These are speca
sh. Oe Chet caught em, Oe Chet w cook em,
and Oe Chet w serve em
Okay. Frank aughed. ust so Od Chet
doesn t do a the eatng, too.
Tme to work oe grnned, as they nshed
supper. On we go to Professor Rand s.
Though t was st dayght, the boys took ther
ashghts and set off. When they reached the
meadow, they hd n the berry patch and setted
down to wat for the tte Negro boy to appear.
Frank s eyes narrowed as he scrutnzed the sur-
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80 The dden arbor Mystery
roundng area. You know, he whspered, these
od ktchen fragments may have been moved here.
Ths may not have been a ktchen at a. et s try
those other bushes at the base of the bank.
Good deducton, sad oe.
The youths arose and searched carefuy be-
hnd the thck screen of brush Frank had ponted
Ot.
ere oe sgnaed, hs ngers touchng a
stone frame set nto the steep rse under the
hedge. The other boys |oned hm.
atedy, the three stared at a heavy wooden
door. The entrance to the passageway, I bet
Chet excamed.
h Frank warned. omeone s comng
The three shrank nto the bushes and wated
breathessy. There was fant rustng, and the t-
te boy came by wth a newspaper-wrapped pack-
age. e went through the door
s soon as they dared, Frank, oe, and Chet
noseessy foowed, and entered a dark brck-
waed passageway. head and to ther eft, a dm
shaft of ght knfed nto the darkness, then van-
shed as the sma boy went through a ow door.
The youths crept forward. Chet and oe tensed
expectanty as Frank paced hs hand on the door
ready to shove t nward.
ere goes he whspered.
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C PT R
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r FR N s push the heavy door swung nward
and banged aganst the wa.
Oh oh go away, sr. Go away sang out a
chd s cear voce.
The ardys and Chet stared n astonshment at
the scene before them. The yeow ght of a kero-
sene amp on a sma wooden tabe reveaed the
seated gures of the tte Negro boy and the od
servant, Grover. In the man s hands, partay
opened, was the sma package, contanng meat
and bread.
In hs confuson the ad amost tpped over
backward n hs char. e eaped up and scam-
pered nto the shadows of severa huge wooden
barres ranged sdeways upon racks.
ut the edery man stood up camy and faced
the boys across the gass chmney of the amp.
What s t you want he asked n a ow voce.
21
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82 The dden arbor Mystery
You must know, Grover, Frank answered as
oe and Chet stepped nto the ght. You saw
Mr. ackstone strke Professor Rand, and you
saw us come to ask about t. We know there s
somethng pecuar gong on, and we are tryng to
nd out what t s.
I m not takng to you. The thn od man s
eyes ashed n sudden anger. You ve got no bus-
ness here. Tmmy e turned to the ad. Dd
you show these foks where to nd me
n eye and a forehead peered around a cask.
No, Grandpa, came Tmmy s sma voce.
You come on out here, Grover ordered.
We ve been found. There be a heap of troube
for you and me now.
We re sorry, Frank sad kndy, as the tte
boy crept tmdy to hs grandfather s sde. We
don t ntend any harm. I don t thnk you reaze
how mportant t s for us to tak to you. ome-
body s been tryng to k us, or at east scare us
off ths case. Professor Rand mght te us why,
but he has evdenty dsappeared. Uness you hep
us, we haven t a chance of straghtenng thngs
out.
s bre y as possbe, Frank expaned to the
edery retaner why the boys had come to arch-
mont. Whe he spoke, the od servant watched
hm cosey. The anger faded from hs eyes, and
the nes of hs face deepened wth concern.
I |ust knew, f they started that feud up agan
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dden Passageway 83
there wasn t any good gong to come of t
Grover sghed. rght, sr, I te you foks
what I can. I don t ke troube. The faster every-
thng s ceared up, the happer ots of foks
w be.
Dd Mr. ackstone send you here to hde
from us oe quered.
Yes, sr, he dd, Grover admtted. From Mr.
Worth, too. nd he sent Mss hrnge some
money to go off and vst her reatves.
o you were here the whoe tme, nstead of
n Chcago, oe contnued.
Mr. ackstone wanted me to go out there,
Grover admtted. ut when a body gets as od as
I am, he s knd of scared to rde n trans or ar-
panes way off a thousand mes away from where
he s been vng a hs fe. o I sad I d keep
snug n ths beverage room, nstead. I suppose
you guessed ths s the od pantaton ktchen pas-
sage. oth sdes of the famy know about t.
You ve been wth the ackstones a ong
tme Chet spoke up.
1 my fe, sr. My father served the ack-
stones, and hs father dd, too. Used to be a grand
famy, way back.
ut why dd ths Mr. ackstone make you
hde out oe prompted. ecause we d ask you
about the quarre we saw
Yes. The two gentemen are ghtng over that
pond agan. ut somehow they don t want peope
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84 The dden arbor Mystery
to know they re ghtng over t. oon as Mr.
ackstone ht Mr. Rand wth that vase, I
swtched off the ghts n case somebody was
watchng.
ut how dd you cover t up so fast oe won-
dered.
Oh, Mr. ackstone and I carred Professor
Rand nto the next room. Then we swept the
broken peces of the vase under a rug. Mr. ack-
stone put on hs reaxng |acket and set that twn
vase on hs desk. e opened up hs book. Then I
went and et you boys n.
Professor Rand s a rght, then Frank n-
qured.
Yes, he came round after an hour, mad as a
wet hen. Coudn t compan much though, be-
cause they ddn t want to attract anybody s atten-
ton about ther argung over the and. fter Pro-
fessor Rand eft, Mr. ackstone sad that he
wanted me to go to Chcago for a whe.
Do you know where the professor s stayng
Frank asked.
Grover shrugged. If he s gone, I don t know
where he s keepn hmsef. Tmmy, have you
seen Mr. Rand around atey
No, Grandpa, reped the ad meeky. Wth
round eyes, he watched the boys.
Tmmy s been sort of shadowng you, the od
man expaned. e was afrad you d make trou-
be for me f you found me. Grover smed at hs
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dden Passageway 85
grandson. These gentemen are a rght,
Tmmy. No need to fear.
t ths pont oe decded to try a new ead.
Grover, he began, do you know why the
Rands and ackstones are ghtng over the bor-
der ne property agan Is t because the ack-
stone famy fortune s bured on t somewhere
so, where s dden arbor Frank added.
For a moment Grover bnked at the boys n
amazement. ow d you a know about that
ucky oe recounted the dscovery of the cap-
tan s note whe the boys were marooned at the
ghthouse.
You a know about as much about t as I do,
Grover nformed them. Od Mr. Cement ack-
stone, they say, bured hs money and famy pa-
pers before he saed away to ngand. That was
whe the Cv War was gong on. Mr. Cement
never came back. e ded over there after the
war. Then the Rands and ackstones started
feudng about that and.
Where was the treasure bured, exacty oe
pursued. Ddn t anybody ever dg t up
eems they knd of ost track of thngs, some-
how, the od man answered, obvousy puzzed
hmsef. My daddy tod me when I was a boy he
once heard t was bured at the mouth of dden
arbor, but I don t know any dden arbor.
mm, that s somethng new, anyhow, oe ob-
served. t the mouth of the harbor.
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86 The dden arbor Mystery
It s the key to the whoe case, Frank decared
earnesty. Not the money, but the papers.
They te us how the fortune was made. They
mght prove art s story
fter a moment s re ecton, he n|ected a new
dea. You say everybody ost track of the for-
tune, Grover, Frank sad. Ddn t the feud de
down |ust about the same tme There must be
some connecton.
You mean, oe put n, both fames wanted
the dsputed and n order to ocate Cement s
bured fortune. ut after they ost track of t, the
and wasn t mportant to them any more
Rght, Frank sad. The feud has started up
agan because somebody found a cue to the for-
tune.
I can t be rghty sure, Grover suddeny de-
cared, but t seems to me Professor Rand s knd
of ookng for that money. Fact s, he was the one
started up ths feudng. Mr. ackstone, he s a rch
man he doesn t need any more money than he s
got. ut Mr. Rand--we, you boys have seen hs
house. e sure coud use a fortune.
That s a ogca dea, oe agreed.
Then what s ackstone makng such a fuss
about demanded Chet, bewdered.
Oh, ackstone may not want the money, oe
ponted out. It s those famy papers he doesn t
want found, because they contan proof of some-
thng he doesn t want pubczed.
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dden Passageway 87
I get t The pracy and smuggng charges
Chet excamed. The evdence art needs
Frank nodded decsvey. ths bos down
to one thng, feows: We must nd dden ar-
bor and nd t fast, before art s case comes to
court
uddeny oe hed up hs hand, warnng for s-
ence. From outsde the room, the sound of
eather hees strkng upon brck reached them.
omebody s comn down the passage, Grover
whspered nervousy.
ucky the od man bent over the amp chm-
ney and gave a strong puff. The od beverage
room was punged nto tota darkness. The foot-
steps passed by, unhurred, n the drecton of
the pantaton house.
Who coud t be Frank asked Grover.
I don t know, sr, was the answer. Nobody
knows ths pace except the famy and the serv-
ants.
oe, you and I w foow that man Frank
decded qucky. Chet, stay out n the passage by
ths room. ust make sure the feow doesn t sp
back and escape.
Cautousy Frank pued back the door, and the
three spped nto the dark passageway. head,
the footsteps sounded on the brck oor wth a
reguar, hoow rng.
nows hs way, oe murmured as the broth-
ers crept aong n pursut.
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88 The dden arbor Mystery
brupty the sharp hee taps ceased. mo-
ment ater came a steady scrapng sound.
e s cmbng stars, whspered Frank.
urryng forward, the young seuths found
that the passage branched nto two corrdors. One
ed to a narrow brck starway.
Must go to the second story, Frank deduced.
The other branch probaby eads to the ktchen
of the house.
frad to turn on ther ashes est they be de-
tected, the boys mounted the steps. narrow st
of ght ndcated a door sghty a|ar above them.
fter stenng carefuy a moment, Frank pushed
t ghty, and he and oe stepped nto an empty
coset.
t the front of the coset was another door,
opened a crack. Wary, the brothers stepped nto
a ampt room.
s the young detectves ooked curousy
around them, a sudden sound on ther rght
caused them to whr sharpy.
The ha door to the room they had entered was
|ust cosng. The ardys heard the metac cck
of a key turnng, and a ock bar sdng nto pace.
Fearng troube, oe raced to the tunne en-
trance. It was ocked.
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C PT R I
erobatc Detectves
ocx n n excamed oe, rattng the door
hande. What s the dea e and Frank heard
the booted footsteps retreatng aong the ha and
down a starway.
The boys surveyed ther tte prson. narrow
bed and broad wrtng tabe were the extent of
the furnture, except for we-stocked book-
sheves that covered two was from oor to ce-
ng.
Ths must be Professor Rand s study, Frank
whspered. e examned the voumes bre y.
They re a on ancent Indan cvzatons, he
noted. nd ook ere are some wrtten by
Professor Rand.
ery nterestng, oe sad wryy. Rght now
I m more nterested n gettng out of here.
89
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90 The dden arbor Mystery
et s try the wndow, proposed Frank.
e pued open two narrow french doors.
gust of cod wnd from the sea struck the boys as
they stepped onto a raed bacony.
No ground supports, oe noted, eanng out
over the ra. We re too hgh to |ump.
The brothers ooked around from ther perch,
ocated on the front face of the manson. The huge
trees were out of reach, as was the roof above
them.
uddeny, beow them, the ardys dstncty
heard the sound of a door cosng.
Over there oe ponted toward a ta man s
gure. The man paused to |erk a ashght from
hs pocket. In the same moton, somethng whte
uttered to the ground. Then the man, carryng a
spade, spped around the corner of the house.
Must be Professor Rand oe hssed exct-
edy. I wsh we coud get hod of that paper he
dropped.
Frank nodded. Wonder f he ocked us n.
ust then a swft gust of wnd carred the whte
square upward. It wavered, and spraed around
drecty toward the boys
The ardys cutched and pawed the ar. Mad-
denngy the paper swooped hgh, sdespped,
and anded on another tte bacony two wndow
wdths from ther own.
Too far to |ump, Frank |udged. ee f we
can brdge t. We must get that paper. I ve a
-1 .... . _.
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crobatc Detectves 91
hunch t s mportant he decared grmy.
They stepped over the top ra together. s
Frank wedged hs toes under the bottom ra and
grasped the ower sectons of two of the sturdy
spndes, oe, facng outward, bent down and took
hod of hs brother s ankes.
Ready he caed.
Frank oosened hs foothod but hed fast to
the spndes as oe gave a mghty swng, carry-
ng both boys nto the ar. oe, ndng he coud
reach the next bacony, hooked hs knees over
ts rang, et go hs grp on Frank, and pued hm-
sef up. ut |ust as he stepped to safety, a fresh
gust of wnd whred the whte paper upward and
away.
The paper saed farther and farther. Fnay t
dsappeared around the corner of the house.
Now, tryng the french wndows on hs own ba-
cony, oe found them ocked securey. The boys
groaned and Frank sad, Ths woud have been a
swe tme to foow the feow n the rancoat.
I bet he ocked us n, oe reasoned. e
eft the secret door through the coset open and
the ght on n the study, to trap us.
Frank had another theory. Maybe t wasn t
Rand whose steps we heard. omeone ese
coud ve set the trap. The professor mght ve been
here the whoe tme and never reazed what was
gong on.
uddeny, between rushes of wnd, a fant
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92 The dden arbor Mystery
whstng came to the boys ears from the
grounds.
Who coud that be the ardys wondered.
gan the whstng came. Then a whte-shrted
gure crept cautousy out n front of the house.
Chet caed Frank wth reef.
ere I am, came the repy. Got tred of
watng n that od passage. What are you two do-
ng up there, anyhow
We re ocked out, oe tod hm. ee f you
can get nto the house and free us.
The stout boy marched up to the front door,
and tred t. ocked, he muttered. most auto-
matcay he stooped and ooked under the mat.
Yes. ere we are a key.
Insertng t n the ock, Chet opened the
heavy door and vanshed nsde. In two mnutes
he freed oe, then Frank. That was easy, he
sad. Where do we go now
ack outsde, Frank answered. We have a y-
ng cue to brng down
fter botng the room door, the three raced
downstars, ocked the front door, repaced the
key, and ran around the house. y now the dusk
had deepened.
No ashghts, sad Frank. We have a bet-
ter chance to see the paper aganst a dark back-
ground.
Frank turned hs gaze upward. There t s he
announced.
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crobatc Detectves 93
gh n the wstera coverng the wde chm-
ney, uttered the whte square of paper.
Oh-h, moaned Chet. Three of us standng
on each other s shouders coudn t reach that
hgh.
No, but f the top man had a stck, he mght,
Frank ponted out.
Whe Chet and Frank kept watch on the unpre-
dctabe paper, oe found a faen branch.
You re eected anchor man, Chet, oe sad,
returnng. Frank haued hmsef up to stand on
the stout boy s shouders. Then oe hosted hm-
sef up onto hs brother s. e cutched the wstera
vne for baance and began to sh upward wth
the stck.
Can t . . . reach t. oe grunted, extendng
to hs utmost ength.
You re steppng on my ear, warned Frank.
In desperaton, oe took am and ung hs
branch upward. Wth a rustng of eaves, the
paper came free. The human adder coapsed,
the ardys breakng ther fa by somersautng.
The tro dashed after the whte square, whch now
saed toward the back of the house.
ere the wnd was not so strong. The paper
ost attude, and oe, rushng up wth a cry of
trumph, made a neat two-handed catch.
Whe Chet hed hs ashght, the ardys ex-
amned ther nd. Two sheets of whte paper
were staped together. The one on top ap-
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94 The dden arbor Mystery
peared to be a carefuy hand-drawn map.
It s the Rand property, sad Frank. ere s
the house, wth the pond and swamp behnd. ut
what s ths encrced area quntng coser, he
read the sma prnted words whch covered the
pond and part of the swamp:
IT OF NCI NT INDI N I G
What s on the second page oe asked.
It s a etter to Professor Rand from tate Un-
versty, Frank reported, after scannng the docu-
ment bre y. It says they have no funds for ex-
cavaton of the ste ndcated, wthout more proof
that somethng of archaeoogca vaue exsts.
o that s what Rand wants to nd oe ex-
camed. n ancent Indan vage not the
bured famy fortune
Don t be too sure, Frank cautoned. e may
be tryng to k two brds wth one stone. Maybe
he wants the money to nance the excavaton.
fter tuckng the two papers n hs pocket,
Frank ed the way toward the pond. ght moved
sowy among the bg, moss-hung cypresses of the
swamp.
s the boys crept nearer, they spotted the ta
gure dggng, and stoopng to examne each
spadefu.
That must be Professor Rand oe whs-
pered. Impetuousy he started forward, but Frank
pued hs brother back.
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crobatc Detectves 9 5
I/ hat s the matter We ve been tryng to
catch up wth Rand for days oe argued.
It s not the rght tme, Frank countered.
e s dong hs best to hde hs actvtes, besdes
dodgng us Do you thnk we d earn anythng
from hm at ths pont
We, I guess he woudn t be very frendy,
oe admtted.
e be more on hs guard than ever, Frank
went on. It woud be better to et hm thnk
we ve gven up. ut we spy on hm, startng
rght now.
t, we can t wat too ong, oe nssted.
The tra aganst art Worth s gettng coser,
and we haven t turned up the evdence he needs.
ths tme the boys had been movng for-
ward and presenty were n an advantageous pos-
ton to watch the dgger. To ther dsappont-
ment the man stopped hs work amost mmed-
atey, swung the shove over hs shouder, and
started back n the drecton from whch he had
come.
I guess he s through for tonght, and we ddn t
earn a thng, Chet companed, soshng n and
out of the mucky swamp.
The dgger, famar wth the area, outdstanced
them. When the boys reached the Rand house, t
was n darkness.
et s get back to camp, Chet begged. I ve
had t. esdes, there s food back there.
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96 The dden arbor Mystery
The ardys, feeng they coud earn nothng
more at the moment, agreed. Next mornng found
them drvng to archmont on a new ange.
Guess oe and I w have a hstory esson at
the brary, Frank tod Chet, whe you stock up
on food.
They stopped at the town s pubc brary and
the ardys went nsde. Chet contnued on to
shop for food. oon Frank and oe were engrossed
n a thcky bound stack of yeowed newspapers
datng back before the Cv War.
Penty of pracy and smuggng gong on
aong ths coast |ust before the war, Frank ob-
served.
Yes, oe corroborated. Of cas coudn t
te where a the stoen goods and contraband
were comng from.
The name ackstone seems to have become
more and more promnent n busness, soca, and
cvc events, Frank went on. nythng ese n-
terestng
Ths paper reports a tremendous hurrcane
|ust after the Cv War ended. Nothng to do
wth our case, I suppose.
The boys nshed ther research and eft the -
brary. Chet was watng outsde n the convert-
be.
aw Mr. Cutter hangng around the super-
market, he reported. Thnk he saw me but
ddn t et on.
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crobatc Detectves 97
e s so busy keepng tabs on us he doesn t
have tme for hs own busness, oe stated.
Why don t we tra hm
Frank had another dea. I thnk now we ought
to ook for dden arbor from the ar, where
we have a better vew. The ackstones coud
have done a the smuggng mentoned n the
newspapers by means of such a secret harbor. That
woud expan ther sudden prosperty, and aso
why Rand and ackstone, despte ther dffer-
ences, are so hush-hush over everythng.
You feows go on, Chet sad. I take ths
stuff back to camp. What you do for a pane
ngage West, oe answered. I check
wth the arport.
The boy made hs ca from a booth n a store.
e earned that the young pot woud be gad
to take them up. Come rght over, sad.
When oe eft, he spotted Mr. tewart seated
n the ad|onng booth Dd he overhear me
oe wondered.
Chet drove the convertbe back to camp wth
the suppes, whe Frank and oe haed the
rather antquated yeow-and-back town tax.
oon they were headng aong the man road to
the arport. Frank watched carefuy, but nobody
seemed to be foowng them.
t the arport greeted the ardys affaby
and nvted them to unch n the arport cafetera.
fterward, the three boarded s trm am-
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98 The dden arbor Mystery
phban. Frank sat besde the pot, oe behnd
hm n a comfortabe eather seat. fter gettng
cearance from the tower, gunned the pane
down the runway, eased back on the whee, and
they were ar-borne. For some mnutes the shp
ganed attude. Then, wthout warnng, t
urched voenty to portsde and nosed down.
Frank was thrown aganst the pot, who
sammed sdeways aganst the cockpt wndow.
What s wrong oe shouted.
Don t know, Frank reped, then suddeny he
sad, s out cod We crash
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C PT R x11
gator
WIT engnes roarng, the amphban was head-
ng toward the ground at a steep ange.
Good nght oe yeed.
Frank sprang nto acton. e pushed back
nto the seat wth hs eft arm, sezed the whee
wth hs rght hand, and pued back. No re-
sponse
oe reached forward, grasped s shouders,
and straghtened the mp pot n hs seat. Frank,
wth both hands on the whee now, straned to
eve the faterng pane. weat stood out on hs
forehead as the wooded swamp beneath them
seemed to rush upward.
arey at treetop eve, the craft recovered from
ts sckenng dve.
s eyes uttered open. e shook hs head,
then he came fuy aert as severa branches
scraped the bottom of hs craft. e grasped the
99
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100 The dden arbor Mystery
whee from Frank, and wth hs |aw set grmy,
fought for attude.
Nobody spoke unt banked toward the
arport.
Thanks, he sad, I thnk we make t.
What happened oe asked.
Contro faure. omethng went haywre.
radoed for emergency cearance, and
brought the pane n for a rough andng. When
they cmbed out, shaken by ther cose brush
wth death, summoned the mantenance crew.
Together they went over the contros.
ere s your troube, one of the mechancs sad
nay. stabzer cabe has been cut
abotage oe excamed.
Frank nodded understandngy. tewart
must ve heard you teephone the arport. ut how
dd he have tme to get here and cut the cabe
before we arrved
oe, seeng a puzzed ook on s face, tod hm
of Cutter s and tewart s apparent attempts on
the boys ves.
The pot frowned. hat road dd you take
out here he asked.
The man hghway from archmont.
There s a shorter way, over back roads. That
od tax probaby crawed ke a sna, too. tewart
coud easy have beaten you here, and tampered
wth the shp whe we ate unch.
brought out hs too kt and qucky xed
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gator 101
the damaged cabe. e threw a cacuatng gance
at the sky, where dark couds were formng n
the west.
torm s comng up, he sad. ut I guess we
st have tme to ook around before t hts.
Once more, the sver amphban raced down
the runway and fted nto the ar.
I hope Chet nas thngs down at camp,
Frank remarked.
e d better. aven t you heard asked.
urrcane warnngs have been out snce ast
nght. There s a bg one workng up from the
Guf of Mexco, but she shoudn t arrve here for
severa hours.
The craft passed hgh over archmont, then
wnged above the ocean. The choppy water was
a deep, back-tnged green. Whte nes of foam
stroked far up on the beach.
There s our tent oe caed out.
Yes, and there s our enemy s observaton
post. Frank ponted to the shng smack bob-
bng at anchor on the rough water.
West banked the shp nand across the pae,
hgh-peaked sand dunes. From ths heght, a the
huge ancestra ackstone pantaton was vsbe
at once. On the rght, the shny sates of amue
ackstone s home peeped through we-spaced
trees. Rand s manson, neary overgrown, was
harder to pck out. etween the two houses, the
pond re ected the troubed gray sky. t the edge
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02 The dden arbor Mystery
of the water on the ocean sde, back-cypress
foage ndcated the swampand.
You say you re ookng for a harbor was
perpexed. harbor means a break n the coast,
feows. It s sod beach and dunes aong here.
Frank was eyng the ngers of water eadng
from the pond, some wde, some narrow, whch
ost themseves among the dunes or stretched nto
the swamp among the cypresses.
Go ower, , Frank drected. et s see where
some of those bayous ead.
Okay, sad . ut none of those tte nets
reaches to the ocean or ever has so ong as I ve
been around here and that s a my fe
coser vew appeared to upset a theory Frank
had that at one tme there mght have been a
channe eadng to a harbor. ut now every nger
of water was choked by stumps or ended n a mass
of vegetaton.
The amphban spraed sowy upward agan,
then made another run over the area.
ay, Frank cred out suddeny, the pond
does have a bg oop n t drecty n the center
of the ocean sde, and one of these ngers runs
straght toward the sea.
The others agreed. Then Frank added, I see
somethng ese. That nger of water s of a
ghter shade than the pond. There may st be
an underground stream runnng from the ocean
to the pond but not enough to cause any per-
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gator 103
ceptbe rse and fa of the pond wth the tde.
Why s the net ghter oe asked.
Probaby a dfferent knd of so underneath,
remarked . We, feows, do you a want to
head back now
od t oe cred suddeny. There s a
boat On one of those strps of water
kcked hs shp nto a sharp wng over that
brought hs craft ow over the spot. rowboat
was qucky pued out of sght n the hangng
moss.
What woud a boat be dong n there Frank
wondered.
Yes, oe put n. I d ke to go down and nd
that man
Maybe we can, Frank suggested. ow about
t, Coud you set us down on the pond
pprehensvey the pot checked the couded
skes. e ooked at hs watch.
Okay, he agreed. ut don t make t ong.
When that storm hts, she be a honey. I want
ths shp safe n her hangar ong before then
eerng round, the sver craft came n |ust
over the cypresses, gded onto the pond, and
oated toward shore.
ucky the ardys rgged moorng nes. Then
the brothers waded ashore and punged nto the
swamp.
Duckng under vnes and hangng moss, eap-
ng from one sod foothod to another, they
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104 The dden arbor Mystery
pushed toward the spot where they had seen the
rowboat dsappear.
Under the cypresses, sence prevaed. In
spte of the unsetted weather above, the thck
mossy curtans scarcey moved. Frank and oe
forged ahead and presenty found themseves be-
sde a wde stream, whch was runnng toward
the pond.
Frank tasted the water. Fresh, he announced.
Narrowng and branchng, the tte stream
ed them deeper nto the treacherous area. t ast
oe hated, crouchng, behnd a huge faen tree
trunk. head, through the moss, he had spotted the
rowboat.
bue-shrted, sghty but man wth hs back
to the boys eaned over the stern. e wore goves.
and over hand, he brought up a drppng ob|ect
n a net.
baby agator Frank whspered.
The man dropped the repte nto a deep box
on hs boat, and owered hs net agan. Twce
more the ardys watched hm brng up a
smar catch.
That s ega, Frank commented quety. e
spped over the huge tree trunk and crept ahead.
oe, foowng, supported hmsef aganst one of
the tree s ow-hangng mbs. uddeny the branch
gave way wth a oud crack.
Instanty the stranger dropped ow n hs boat.
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gator 105
The next moment he came up agan wth a bue
shotgun barre traned n the ardys drecton.
bast and a puff of gray smoke foowed rapdy.
Deady peets rpped shreds n the hangng moss
and eaves |ust besde the brothers.
Frank and oe were huggng the mucky earth
when the second bast sounded. Ths tme the
shot ratted nto a faen tree trunk rght behnd
them.
eep down Frank warned. e may have an-
other she ready
ut now the stranger was bendng ow over hs
oars. Wth quck pus on them he sent the boat
up the tte stream, and n a moment was out
of sght around a bend.
etter et hm go f we don t want to get shot,
Frank sad. et s ook at the agator nest.
Frank and oe cambered forward to the mud-
bank.
esdes poachng baby agators, sad Frank,
he was steang the eggs, too. ook. There s the
nest he was rfng.
The boy ponted to a freshy dug mound of mud
at the very end of the oozy bank. af sunk n the
muck and water was a faen tree trunk. aancng
themseves, the boys waked out on t for a ook.
I guess these poachers se the baby agators
to toursts and pet shops, oe sad.
We, the feow shoud be reported, Frank
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I06 The dden arbor Mystery
stated aty. gators n ths country are pro-
tected by aw aganst poachng. That s why he
shot at us.
toopng, Frank peered nto the muddy hoe,
but no eggs were vsbe. e straghtened up, then
ooked around, puzzed.
ay, whch way s the pane We coudn t have
come far, but I ve ost my sense of drecton n
ths pace.
Ye, oe suggested. When answers, we
know whch way to go.
West The boys voces echoed
through the sent swamp.
ouder oe urged, cuppng hs hands and
takng n a tremendous breath. ey
Where are you
In hs strenuous effort, the boy ost hs baance
on the sppery trunk. Wth a spash he went
down nto the water. Grabbng the trunk wth
both hands, he tred to host hmsef out.
My egs They re caught n some vnes he
gasped.
toopng to ad hs brother, Frank spotted a
sudden movement on the surface of the stream.
Then he recognzed the snout of an agator. The
angry repte was swmmng straght toward
. oe
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C PT R III
urrcane
o , trapped, banched when he caught sght of
the oncomng agator. Frank baanced hmsef on
the faen trunk and ganced qucky about for a
means of rescue. stout og about four feet ong
oated by. ezng the og, Frank fted t over hs
head n both hands.
When the agator s ugy snout came nto
range, Frank hured hs weapon wth a mghty
thrust. sod crack tod hm that the heavy og
had struck the anma s head. The huge repte
roed over, ts short egs ang hepessy and
ta ashng from sde to sde.
Meanwhe, Frank |umped nto the water besde
hs brother. Three quck sashes wth hs |ack-
knfe severed the underwater vnes, and the two
boys scrambed onto the trunk n safety.
101
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108 The dden arbor Mystery
Whew oe guped. Thanks, fesaver
et s go.
The brothers once more started off n the d-
recton they |udged the seapane to be.
they kept shoutng. West
No answer from the pot came through the dm
swamp. ut now, the tops of the cypresses swayed
and the hangng moss quvered as the advance
wnds of the storm began to pck up. uddeny,
from some dstance behnd the ardys, an ar-
pane engne roared.
e ve been headng n the wrong drecton
Frank cred out. Come on urry
The treacherous, boggy ground prevented
quck progress, however. around the ght was
qucky dmmng. Frank and oe forged doggedy
on, and nay the throb of the pane s engne
grew ouder.
We re gettng there Frank panted n reef.
t ast they broke through to the shore of the
pond. Overhead, dark shreds of couds were beng
drven across the sky ke streams of smoke. ght
ran santed across the water and West, wth a
Worred frown, was |ust about to take off.
Upon seeng Frank and oe, he gave a |oyfu
shout. You were gone such a ong tme, he
caed, I got scared, and revved up the motor for
a sgna. torm s arrvng ahead of schedue. If we
take off now, we |ust about make t
ucky the boys cmbed aboard. Turnng the
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urrcane 109
pane, ran t down the pond unt she rose,
buckng, nto the stff gusts of the approachng
storm.
Now the ead-gray sea, crossed wth whte foam,
was runnng hgh up the beach beow.
Chet Frank excamed suddeny. e s had
no warnng of the hurrcane. We must get to hm.
, can you set us down near our camp
The pot ooked out hs wndow, aganst whch
the ran was beatng hard. ea s gettng too mean
for ths shp, he sad. ven that shng smack
has run for sheter somewhere. I know There s
a at, rm beach a tte way up from your pace.
Mnutes ater, the sked pot brought hs
pane down n a neat andng ony yards from the
bg breakers now crashng hgher and hgher up
the sand.
o ong good uck the ardys caed as
fted hs craft nto the bufferng ar currents once
more, and wnged for the arport.
Frank and oe powed through the sand toward
camp. Wow oe excamed, struggng aganst
the wnd. It must be bowng at forty mes an
hour aready
Whrng sand and gae-drven ran sashed at
the boys as they raced aong the beach and
rounded the bg dune. ust as they dd, Frank
gave a shout.
Our tent
Ther canvas sheter, stranng from ts one re-
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I10 The dden arbor Mystery
manng rope, suddeny |erked oose and was car-
red off by the howng wnd.
F earfuy the brothers ooked around the
devastated camp, now a confuson of ropes, poes,
and bowng sand. There was no sgn of Chet.
Maybe he s taken sheter, oe yeed above
the screamng gae. We d better nd some our-
seves
et s try the underground passage to Rand s,
Frank decded qucky. It s the safest pace.
s the wnds ncreased to hurrcane force,
makng a contnua eere wa n the scrubby
pnes, the boys set out on a opng run from the
beach toward the pond.
The storm rose to fu fury. The sky had become
ptch dark, athough t was ony about sx
o cock. Cod, heavy sheets of ran drove n sde-
ways from the sea. The wnd pressed reentessy
at the boys backs.
They were forced to break nto a fast run aong
the pond toward Rand s. uddeny, above them,
came an exposve spnterng sound.
, ook out Frank yeed, yankng oe asde.
The next nstant an enormous dead oak, throw-
ng up ts network of roots, anded rght n
front of the boys
Cose ca cred oe.
1 They skrted around the faen tree, and
pounded uph toward the hedge. Then they
roed down the steep embankment on the other
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112 The dden arbor Mystery
sde, and groped ther way unt they found the
heavy wooden door. t ast, exhausted, they stum-
bed nto the dry darkness of the od brck pas-
sage.
The sound of voces and a ckerng ght came
from the od beverage room ahead. s the ardys
dashed n, a buky, comca-ookng person was
takng off hat after hat, coat after coat, banket
after banket, shrt after shrt. ookng on and
aughng were Grover and hs grandson Tmmy.
Chet Morton Frank cred wth mnged re-
ef and amusement. Cownng t up n the md-
de of a hurrcane
Ther frend turned hs grnnng face to them.
ad to do somethng to keep from worryng
about you feows. Thank goodness you re okay
Then he expaned cheerfuy, Coudn t waste
tme carryng cothes. ad more mportant thngs
to carry. Chet ponted to a we-packed carton
of groceres. o I |ust wore everythng I coud.
Why ddn t you wear the tent, too oe
needed. We |ust saw t bow away .
Chet had rescued enough shrts and trousers
for Frank and oe to change nto dry cothng.
Guess you a coud use a bte to eat, sad
Grover. Immedatey Chet went nto acton. The
stout boy dug nto hs suppes, and usng
Grover s tte stove, soon had a steamng supper
of stew, bread, and hot coffee for everyone.
fterward, the ve drew chars up to the
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urrcane t @ I3
wooden tabe and stened to the shrekng of the
wnd outsde.
Man, that s some storm Chet commented.
Yes, sr, t sure s, Grover agreed. ut I
reckon t s not so bad as the one grandpappy used
to te about when I was |ust a mte of a boy.
That bg storm came when he was a young fe-
ow, |ust after the Cv War. Waves were as bg
as houses, he sad. nocked down so many trees
and bew thngs so every whch way, nobody coud
recognze ths pace after t was over
It must have been the same bow we read
about ths mornng n the od town newspapers,
Frank sad.
The od man took a thoughtfu ook at hs ce-
ng. Yes, sr, he went on, that od storm dd
such a powerfu ot of damage, t was a foks
coud do to straghten thngs out.
Whe Grover went on to te of other bad
storms, tte Tmmy stened wth wde eyes.
Now and then he ngered some tte trnket from
hs pocket.
What have you there, Tmmy oe asked
curousy. May I see t
hyy the boy owered hs eyes and shook hs
head.
Come on, oe coaxed. I won t hurt t, cross
my heart.
ut the youngster retreated behnd hs grand-
father and punged both hands nto hs pockets.
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114 The dden arbor Mystery
I have an dea, sad Frank n a short tme.
et s pay a game. ach person has to take two
thngs he doesn t especay want out of hs
pocket, and put them on the tabe. e must te
where he got them. fterward, each payer
chooses one thng from somebody ese and
keeps t.
Chet and oe exchanged comprehendng
gances wth Frank. ere s a chocoate bar and a
ucky rabbt s foot, sad the stout boy. I bought
the candy and the rabbt s foot at a statoner s.
oon the wooden tabe was covered wth sma
artces. Tmmy, eyng them exctedy, ad out a
chpped arrowhead and a at stone bade.
That s a hde scraper, Frank thought ex-
ctedy. n Indan one
Found em n the drt, Tmmy sad hurredy,
near the pond by a bg od dead oak.
Okay, Tmmy, sad Frank, tryng to concea
hs exctement. You re sure you want to part
wth these
Oh, yes, sr.
Okay. Now you choose somethng you d ke.
agery the tte boy snatched up a ashght
key chan that oe had put down. oe pcked up
the chpped arrowhead and Frank chose the hde
scraper. The boys offered the rest of the tems to
Tmmy, who scooped them up happy.
ater, Chet, sensng that the ardys wanted to
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urrcane 1 15
examne ther wnnngs, encouraged Grover to
remnsce some more about oca events.
Frank and oe bent over the artfacts. These
must be from the ost Indan vage Professor
Rand s ookng for, oe surmsed.
Frank agreed. If we coud ony nd the actua
ste, he sad, maybe we coud bargan wth
Rand. We trade hm recs for nformaton about
the ackstone famy.
The storm contnued unabated. s the nght
wore on, od Grover and Tmmy ay down on cots
at the back of the beverage room. Frank, oe, and
Chet, not seepy, sat up around the kerosene
amp and taked n ow voces. t ast the sound
of the wnd dropped off, and nay stopped a-
together.
Must be about over, sad oe. e checked hs
watch. It s amost mornng.
eavng the od man and the boy aseep, the
three bew out the amp and spped nto the pas-
sage. Cautousy they pushed open the heavy door
and emerged nto the meadow.
ght ran st fe, wth short gusts of wnd.
ut overhead, the rst ght of dawn was showng
n the gray-whte sky.
The worst s past, Frank announced. It
cear off ater.
The boys made ther way wth d cuty toward
the pond. normous uprooted trees ay on the
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116 The dden arbor Mystery
ground, some crsscrossed atop one another. ogs
and eafy debrs oated on the surface of the pond.
The boys headed for the beach. ven from a
dstance they coud see huge waves st runnng
up much farther than usua.
Where s our campste Chet gasped. nd
the two bg dunes
competey at beach ay around them for
hundreds of yards.
anshed decared Frank, astounded. You d
never know they d been here
uddeny hs own words seemed to eectrfy the
youth. Frank whred and began to run. ack to
the pond, he caed to the others.
Myst ed, oe and Chet raced after hm. oon,
breathng hard, they gazed agan on a competey
changed scene of faen trees, uprooted brush,
and new poos of water. Portons of the bank had
been broken down and washed nto the pond.
Yes, of course Frank excamed. Ths s t
oe s eyes t up wth exctement as he, too,
suddeny understood.
Is what Chet asked banky.
dden arbor Frank exuted. We ve
found t
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C PT R I
Reveang rgument
W found dden arbor asked Chet,
eagery ookng around. Where s t
Rght here Frank answered |ubanty.
The pond s dden arbor
The stout boy appeared more puzzed than
ever.
It |ust occurred to me, Frank expaned, f
the hurrcane we had ast nght coud wpe out
those bg sand dunes and knock over trees the sze
of these around here, what a terr c amount of
damage the tremendous Cv War storm must
have caused. It coud have changed the topography
around ths whoe bay Probaby cosed up the
channe from the ocean wth st, trees, brush,
and sand. If prates dd use dden arbor, they
had to stop ther smuggng nto t.
117 .
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118 The dden arbor Mystery
xctedy oe snapped hs ngers. Remember
the wde strp of ghter water we spotted from
the ar That s part of the od channe fter the
Cv War hurrcane t became cogged wth sand.
Whoopee Chet cred, eated at the dscovery.
When do we start ookng for the bured fortune
Grover sad t s at the mouth of the harbor.
That woud be the sde of the pond nearest the
ocean.
Yes, Frank con rmed. We start rght away.
ut rst we need our skn-dvng equpment.
I hope there s somethng eft of t, oe sad
goomy.
Oh, I put the gear n the trunk of the car,
Frank remnded hm. It ought to be a rght.
ay Where s the car, Chet
Parked n some pnes a few hundred yards from
the beach.
I brng back the equpment, Frank offered.
Meantme, why don t you two take a haf hour s
rest I see you at the pond.
ccordngy, Frank hked to the pne trees
aone. e found the yeow convertbe un-
damaged, but haf covered by drftng sand. Frank
ceared the car, and took out the dvng gear. It
was ntact. e hosted the rucksack contanng the
out ts to hs shouders and headed for the pond.
s he neared t, Frank passed the huge faen
oak. e ooked about for Chet and oe. e was
about to ca out when the sound of an angry
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Reveang rgument 119
voce made hm duck behnd an od gnared tree.
The harsh tones were those of amue ack-
stone
Wth a crash of brush the heavy-set man broke
nto the open space n front of Frank s hdng
pace. ehnd hm traed the beanpoe gure of
enry Cutter.
No roared ackstone. I postvey w
not se my rghts to ths pond. Can t you get
that through your head, Cutter
You have to admt, though, the pond has
been nothng but troube to you, Cutter sad
unctuousy. Indrecty, t has damaged your
famy name, and ed you nto brngng a awsut.
Why, t s even caused you to reopen the od fam-
y quarre wth Rand. What good s t to you
nd what use s t to you, sr, may I ask
ackstone retorted.
Mr. tewart and I, Cutter sad patenty, as
I ve tod you, woud ke to purchase ths water,
wth the surroundng and, to set up a sma pr-
vate shng cub. We woud stock the pond, open a
channe to the ocean, and brng partes n by
motorboat.
Fshng cub snorted ackstone. Do you
thnk I was born yesterday, Cutter What s your
rea game You re n wth Rand, aren t you The
two of you tryng to get my property. That n-
teectua thnks he knows where to nd the ost
fortune, and wants t for hmsef
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120 The dden arbor Mystery
Infurated, ackstone sezed hs pae compan-
on and shook hm.
No one s gettng a square nch of my and or
a drop of ths pond whe I m ave he thun-
dered. You hear Not whe I m ave
Wth that, he reeased the thnner man and
strode off. Cutter, paer than ever, gared after the
retreatng ackstone. Then he turned abrupty
and dsappeared nto the swamp.
Wsh I had tme to foow Cutter, Frank
thought. ut rght now I have another |ob.
fter watng a few mnutes, Frank emerged
from behnd the tree. famar ow whste
came from above. e ooked up. Peerng at hm
from a strong tree mb, sat oe and Chet ucky
the two boys dropped to the ground.
We heard ackstone shoutng, oe tod hs
brother, so we shnned up out of sght.
aw the whoe thng, Chet added.
ome hot argument oe remarked. eems
to prove Cutter sn t workng for ackstone. Do
you make anythng ese out of t
Ony ths, Frank reped. The od feud was
caused by both the ackstones and the Rands
knowng about Cement s bured treasure. The
feud started not |ust because of the dvson of
and, but because each sde thought the treasure
was bured somewhere between those two oak
trees, and woudn t gve up one foot of ground.
Chet sghed. oy, ths thng s sure gettng
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Reveang rgument ma. I21
compcated. We, are you ready to go dvng
Ready.
Chet heped Frank and oe put on ther dvng
equpment.
Ths w be the rst tme we ve been down n
dayght, Frank noted. sbty ought to be a
ot better.
You d better take your spears n wth you,
Chet warned, n case that monster s urkng
underwater
oon the boys submerged off the ocean sde of
the pond. The sun had broken through, and Chet,
stranng hs eyes, coud see the boys kckng
aong wth ther ppers, testng the bottom. ut
nay they moved off nto deeper water.
For two hours the search went on. The swm-
mers dug nto mud and sand, and poked ther
spearheads nto caverns formed by twstng cypress
roots. Occasonay, they surfaced to rest.
Durng one of ther pauses, Frank sad, The
money and papers are probaby n a meta chest.
ard to guess the sze, snce we don t know how
much s n t.
tremendous amount of st coud have set-
ted over t snce the stuff was bured, oe re-
marked.
The brothers contnued the underwater search
but were unabe to nd any meta ob|ect.
There s a mess of sand down there, sad oe
as the dvers removed ther gear. What we need
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122 The dden arbor Mystery
are some rea dggng and scrapng toos.
Yes, and a meta detector, Frank added. We
ought to be abe to pck up one n archmont.
We go shoppng ater, Frank sad, f we
can get our car started.
Why don t we go rght away, feows Chet
companed. We haven t eaten n ages. I m a
hoow nsde.
I/ hy, Chet oe grnned, fuy dressed once
more. Who wants to eat when we can spend
pro tabe hours ookng for Indan recs
Recs, Chet amented. You can t eat a
rec.
oe took the arrowhead from hs pocket and ex-
amned t. Tmmy says he found t rght near
the dead oak at the eft of the pond, he sad.
ounds ogca, Frank reasoned. The tree
probaby stood there for a coupe of centures. If
there ever was an Indan vage n ths spot, t
mght have been a favorte pace for the men to
st and chp arrowheads.
I d ke to chp my teeth on a nce bg steak
muttered Chet.
Frank took pty on ther sufferng frend.
We re hungry, too. We eat soon, honest. ut
as ong as we re here, et s dg around the tree.
rght Chet sghed. ut you st haven t
any toos.
We won t need toos, Frank assured hm.
The hurrcane s done our dggng for us.
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Reveang rgument 12 3
e ed the way aong the pond toward the
Rand property to the upper branches of the
faen oak. They foowed the enormous trunk to
the huge round hoe n the earth, where the
tree had stood. The pt, neary ve feet deep at
the center, yawned open n front of them.
teppng down nto t, the boys began to sft the
st-damp earth through ther ngers.
Found somethng oe caed after a few mn-
utes. Thn and at, ke a dme.
It s a brd pont, Frank announced after a
bref examnaton. sma, ne arrowhead for
kng brds.
We re gettng somewhere, a rght, Frank sad
cheerfuy. s he shfted hs poston n the pt,
hs canvas sneaker seemed to catch on somethng
sod. toopng, he oosened and drew out the
muddy fragment of a curved surface.
Pottery he excamed. ere s another
pece. There seems to be more stuff at ths ower
eve
Workng swfty, the boys unearthed severa
more arge peces of od cay vesses. In addton,
oe found a wedge-shaped stone that mght have
been used as an axhead.
e straghtened up suddeny. Feows, I
thnk we ve found the ste of the ancent Indan
vage
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C PT R xv
ea Cty oax
T RDY and Chet fet a thr of dscovery.
o ths s the ost Indan vage Frank sad as the
three cmbed from the rec- ed depresson.
Now, sad oe, we have somethng to offer
Professor Rand n exchange for nformaton.
Yes, Frank agreed. so, Rand, or a traned
archaeoogst, w consder our nd more vauabe
f t s reatvey undsturbed. We take these
arrowheads and pottery shards as proof we ve
found the ste.
The boys carefuy covered over the pace they
had dug up. fter ceanng the recs n the pond,
Frank asked Chet to get a bag or carton from
Grover n whch to carry them.
If t means we re headng for town and
food, the hungry boy sad, I do t.
When Chet returned wth a carton, they packed
124
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ea Cty oax 125
t and started back for the beach. Chet and oe
carred the dvng gear whe Frank cutched the
precous recs.
They reached the yeow convertbe and Frank
opened the door to pace the carton on the rear
oor. e groaned. There s a ton of sand n here
The hard-drven sand had tered nto the
vehce and ped up reguar mounds on the seats
and oor
ope the engne sn t fu of sand, too,
oe sad, after the boys had ceaned out the n-
teror. e took the whee and tred to start the
car. Nothng happened.
The mechancay mnded ardys wasted no
tme n gettng the hood rased. oe ceaned and
wped the spark pugs, then checked the wrng
for short crcuts. Meantme, Frank and Chet,
drawng some gasone from the tank, bathed the
parts whch had become cogged by the drvng
sand.
oon the pstons were operatng smoothy.
ppng nto ow gear, oe gunned the engne.
Wth Frank and Chet pushng, the convertbe
powed steady through the drfted sand to the
road.
We d better report to art Worth rst thng,
sad Frank.
They found archmont n the mdst of mop-
png up after the hurrcane. Power-ne crews
were busy, and throughout the town faen trees
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126 The dden arbor Mystery
were beng cut up wth roarng power saws, and
haued away.
The boys parked and went up to the offces of
the archmont Record. What a madhouse
Chet excamed.
The pace was ed wth the dn of cackng
typewrters and typesettng machnes, |angng
teephones, and shoutng between copy-desk ed-
tors and reporters. Prnters wth nk-smeared
aprons rushed n and out of the composng room.
art Worth, ookng exhausted, moved about n
shrt seeves gvng drectons.
e haed the ardys and Chet wth a shout of
reef and husted them nto hs prvate offce. I
was sure worred about you feows. ope you
found sheter. We ve been busy a nght cover-
ng ths storm.
We made out okay, oe assured hm.
Good. art gave a weary sgh and began pac-
ng the oor. I have more troube. ackstone s
used hs n uence wth the court, and had the
tra moved up If I don t get proof soon, I m
sunk.
We may have some hepfu news for you,
Frank announced quety. In the rst pace,
we re convnced that the smuggng story s
true.
e and oe went on to gve a fu account of
ther experences and dscoveres snce they had
ast seen art.
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ea Cty oax 127
The edtor s eyes brghtened wth amazement
and hope. o, he sad, the Rand- ackstone
pond was once a secret harbor, connected to the
sea by a channe What a perfect setup for the
ackstones to conduct ther smuggng opera-
tons.
Then art Worth s face couded. ut how can
we prove a ths
y ndng the famy papers, Frank reped.
They re bured at the mouth of the od dden
arbor. The ony probem s, the boy admtted,
how to ocate that.
t ths pont oe hed up the box of ancent
Indan artfacts.
We try to set up a trade wth Professor
Rand, he expaned, by teng hm where to
nd the Indan vage, provdng he te us
where to nd the proof we need f he knows.
art nodded. It s the way to Rue Rand s
heart, a rght, he agreed. ut can you catch
up wth hm n tme
We do our best, Frank promsed.
ay I have another ead, the edtor burst
out suddeny. most forgot wth ths hurrcane
busness. Ths mornng I receved a ca from a
man who camed to be enny hrnge s cousn
n ea Cty. ccordng to hm, enny has changed
her mnd wants to te me somethng mportant
about the case. I m supposed to meet her ate ths
afternoon n the obby of the urfsde ote n
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128 The dden arbor Mystery
ea Cty, and brng you feows wth me.
ounds phony to me was oe s prompt reac-
ton. convenent way to get us a n one
pace, then get rd of us
t, t may be a rea ead, the edtor n-
ssted. We can t afford to pass t up.
Then why the secrecy oe demanded. nd
why does she want Frank and me aong
he may be afrad of ackstone, Worth
argued. esdes, I thnk she s gratefu to you
boys for rescung her n the fun house.
We go, then, Frank assented, but I
woudn t be too hopefu about t, art.
Whe art Worth toed fevershy to get hs
hurrcane edton on the presses, the three hun-
gry frends went to a restaurant whch Chet
Morton had seected we n advance. fter a
hearty steak and dessert of fresh peach shortcake,
Chet revved notceaby.
One tte thng bothers me, he sad. We
don t have a camp any more. No tent, no food.
Our cothes and bankets are at Grover s hde-
out, and most of our utenss were bured n the
sand. esdes, he added, you feows need dg-
gng toos and a meta detector.
In other words, Frank sad, aughng, you re
vounteerng to stay here, buy what we need, and
set up camp agan.
You ve guessed t Chet admtted. I m more
sure of reguar meas and seep, too.
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ea Cty oax 129
oon the tro separated, and Chet took the ye-
ow convertbe to do hs errands. tte ater
Frank, oe, and art Worth set out for ea Cty
n the edtor s green sedan. Couds had covered
the sun agan, and gusts of wnd shook the car as
t sped aong the hghway.
We re eary, Frank noted. We may as we
pck up enny at her cousn s, art.
The three went up and knocked at the tte
whte bungaow. The same mdde-aged man
they had met prevousy opened the door.
We ve come about your phone ca ths morn-
ng, Mr. hrnge, art expaned.
Phone ca the man repeated, bewdered.
enny Dd you teephone and ask these foks to
come here
Now the short, pump woman appeared at her
cousn s sde. he peered at the vstors susp-
cousy.
I tod you a once I m not aowed to tak to
you, enny sad.
The ardys and art Worth exchanged mean-
ngfu gances. The phone ca had been a hoax
Frank turned to the seamstress. orry to have
bothered you, Mss hrnge. Guess t was a
mx-up.
When the three returned to the car, oe urged,
et s go to the hote, anyway. Maybe we can turn
the tabes and nab the gang we tod you we heard
on the shng boat.
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130 The dden arbor Mystery .
The others agreed and soon art parked near a
ong, two-story wooden budng that was bady
n need of fresh pant. Od-fashoned, hgh-
backed rockng chars, mosty empty, were ds-
trbuted aong a front porch whch was as wde as
the od hote tsef.
art, you go up on the porch and wat,
Frank proposed, oe and I w crce the pace
to see f anybody s urkng outsde.
ucky the ardys moved around the run-
down hote. In the rear were severa wngs, aso
wth porches, ookng toward the beach. No one
Was n sght.
Must have been qute a pace n ts heyday,
oe observed. ure s dead now, though.
The brothers returned to the porch to ook for
art Worth. ut the edtor was not n sght.
bad od man, seated n a rockng char next to
the man entrance, eyed them wth open cur-
osty.
Maybe art went back to the car, oe sug-
gested. I check. e soon came back, shakng
hs head.
et s go nto the obby, Frank sad.
Perpexed, the two boys waked nto the dark
shabby foyer, wth ts worn carpets. curtan of
hangng strands of brght-coored beads covered
a doorway at the back of a ha next to a starway.
The pace seemed empty; even the room cerk s
desk was deserted. Frank and oe stroed out to
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ea Cty oax 131
the porch, where the bad man n the rockng
char stared at them once more.
Was there a man wth reddsh har watng
here when you sat down oe asked hm.
The edery man dd not answer mmedatey
and contnued to gawk at the boys. Fnay he
drawed, Yes. One was standng here. eman
came out sad the stranger had a phone ca.
Must st be takn , I reckon.
Where s the phone oe asked qucky.
Go though the hangn curtan, the man d-
rected. Phone s n the corrdor there rght be-
sde the back stars.
art must have waked rght nto the snare
Frank whspered worredy as the brothers stepped
to the entrance.
uddeny oe grasped Frank s arm and ponted
nto the dm obby. man had appeared behnd
the reservatons desk. The boys recognzed hm
nstanty: Mr. tewart, enry Cutter s partner.
Now tewart eaned across the counter to tak to
a unformed beman.
What s he dong here oe muttered. Work-
ng ntque busness must be bad.
The next moment, to the boys surprse, the
beman came strdng out to the porch.
Frank and oe ardy he asked them. Tee-
phone ca for you n the back ha. It s by the
stars.
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C PT R I
nemy Tactcs
UIC as a ash Frank decded on a pan of acton.
I take the ca, he tod the beman.
s the empoyee waked off, Frank murmured
to oe, If t s a trap, I chance t aone. You
stay free n case I need hep.
Okay. I go up the man starcase n the
obby, oe vounteered, and ook for the back
steps next to the phone.
Re-enterng the obby, the boys noted that the
room cerk s desk was vacant once more. oe
cmbed the wde starway, whe Frank ducked
through the curtan of hangng beads.
e found hmsef n a dm haway ghted ony
by a tny wndow at the end. Near the rear,
Frank spotted an od-tme wa teephone, wth
the recever dangng amost to the oor.
Wary, he approached t.
132
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nemy Tactcs 33
Frank noted that a the room doors were cosed
except one |ust across from the phone. Ths was
sghty a|ar. Watchng the door carefuy, he
reached the teephone. Frank stood stenng
ntenty. The od hote was amost unnaturay
quet. uddeny the young seuth stffened. From
behnd the open door came the famar sound of
hoarse, wheezy breathng
ed Frank thought.
Deberatey, the boy turned hs back. t the
same tme, he grasped the teephone cord n hs
rght hand.
s stranng ears caught a footfa on the car-
pet. Whrng, Frank swung the heavy recever
by ts cord and caught the at-faced man a smash-
ng bow on the ear. Wth a cry of pan, the an-
gered thug urched forward and sezed Frank s
rght arm n an ron grp. Frank mmedatey
sent three choppng eft |abs nto the feow s
mdrff. Now another gure came racng down the
dm haway. tewart
Got hm he cred, reachng Frank and pn-
nng the boy s arm behnd hs back.
t the same nstant there was a screechng
whoop from above oth assaants heads |erked
upward. oe ardy had vauted onto the back-
stars banster, and sd down fu speed, crash-
ng feet rst aganst the bury man s chest. Frank
wrenched free and anded a stff uppercut
on tewart s |aw. The two boys bounded up the
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134 The dden arbor Mystery
starcase and aong the second- oor corrdor.
ere cred oe, duckng nto an open, vacant
room. From the starcase came the poundng
steps of ther pursuers. Then the boys heard the
openng and sammng of doors aong the ha.
Passng from one sute to another through con-
nectng doors, the boys dodged ther enemy.
When the chase was over, and t was quet n the
corrdor, they cautousy tptoed outsde.
The next nstant oe cocked hs head. I m sure
I hear groans n here
e yanked open the door to a arge nen coset.
art Worth, bound and gagged, ay on the oor.
ucky Frank and oe reeased hm. Overhead,
the ceng shook under heavy runnng footsteps
up and down the thrd oor.
Good Those crooks are ookng for us up-
stars oe sad.
ut before the tro coud sp out of the hote,
they heard tewart and ed dashng downstars.
Pung the coset door shut, the three frends ay
ow whe the men rushed past and down to the
obby.
Frank, oe, and art stepped nto the ha.
Frank, carryng a arge hamper of cean nen,
went to the second- oor andng and ooked
around. The oor boards creaked oudy beneath
hm.
There they are cred tewart from the foot
of the stars.
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nemy Tactcs 135
s the thugs, foowed by the beman, charged
up the wde starcase agan, Frank suddeny
heaved the bg hamper at them. bzzard of
whte sheets, towes, and powcases bowed
down upon the men. Whe they strugged to ds-
entange themseves, art cred, eave them
aone. We get the poce
e and the boys sprnted for the front door.
They ran to art s car and roared away from the
od hote.
orry to get mysef caught ke that, the
edtor apoogzed. ut I d tod my of ce to reach
me here f I receved an mportant phone ca
I ve been expectng. o I reay fe for t, when
the beman paged me.
Who |umped you oe asked. tewart and
hs crony ed
Yes. I heard them tak about somebody
they caed the boss, who wanted the three
troubemakers gotten rd of ths tme wthout
fa
We were sure ackstone wasn t behnd ths
scheme, oe remarked. Now, I don t know what
to beeve, after that faked ca from |enny
hrnge.
y ths tme art had pued up at the ea Cty
poce headquarters. Insde, the edtor reported
the assaut on hmsef and the boys. Two squad
cars were dspatched wth srens screamng. The
chef asked the ardys and art to reman n case
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136 The dden arbor Mystery
they shoud be needed to dentfy ther assaants.
Frank and oe, however, fet sure that tewart
and ed had aready eft the hote. Ther concu-
son proved to be correct. When the offcers re-
turned, they reported that the thugs and the
beman, whom the men evdenty had brbed,
had ed. The manager, who doubed as cerk, had
been away durng the fracas.
We nd those hoods Frank decared as
art and the ardys drove of. They can t get
away wth ths
art sad he woud treat the ardys to supper
n archmont. s they ate, the brothers tred to
cheer the young edtor, who appeared greaty de-
pressed.
I bet ackstone was behnd ths ambush,
art nssted. e d be most apt to use enny
hrnge s name. ut I can t prove that, ether
omehow I doubt he d go to such engths to
wn a be sut, Frank stated. ven f hs fam-
y s reputaton s at stake. Don t forget, he rea-
soned, Cutter s men worked ths trap. We dd
overhear Cutter n a rea argument wth ack-
stone ths mornng. Of course, they coud be
workng together to get rd of us, and st ghtng
among themseves.
In any case, the three of us are n rea dan-
ger, art stated grmy.
Yes, the three of us, cred Frank, rsng sud-
deny from the tabe, and Chet e s a aone
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nemy Tactcs 137
Those hoods know we d do anythng to rescue
Chet f they kdnaped hm
asty art pad the check and they ran to the
car. mantaned an anxous sence as they
sped for archmont. t ast the sedan was on the
shermen s road, headng for the campste.
When they reached t, Frank, oe, and the ed-
tor eaped from the car and turned on ashghts.
scene of devastaton such as that caused by the
hurrcane met ther eyes. Food, cothng, equp-
ment ay strewn around. brand-new tent
sashed n rbbons hung from ts poe. In the sand
was a confuson of footprnts.
We re too ate oe groaned. Chet s gone
uddeny, on the shore road, two yeow head-
ghts approached the stunned tro.
They re comng back Frank sad.
ucky the three put out ther ghts and
ducked behnd a cump of sma pnes. The car
drew up and stopped. The door sammed. ome-
one shuf ed across the sand. n unmstakabe
tuneess whste warbed on the nght ar.
Chet
Frank, oe, and art rushed forward n |oyfu re-
ef to greet ther frend.
ure t s me, reped the stout boy. Who
ese ey e capped a hand to hs head.
eapn zards What went through ths pace
The new tent runed My pots and pans My
food
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138 T The dden arbor Mystery

Don t worry about t, Frank sad. The man

thng s, you re okay. Where dd you go
Got onesome and went to the moves. I m
sorry, feows. Guess I m a punk guard.
You dd the rght thng, Frank assured hm.
You woudn t have stood a chance aganst those
crooks They wrecked ths pace.
The boys then tod ther frend of the ea Cty
adventure.
Chet guped. I sure was ucky. We can aways
get a new tent and more food
veryone aughed, ncudng art, whose
sprts seemed to have fted. ome mnutes ater,
the edtor sad good nght.
s the taghts of art s car dsappeared down
the road, Chet and the ardys set about restorng
what order they coud. uddeny oe caed out,
ey a ght Way n the dstance. Mght be
n the swamp around Rand s property
Immedatey Frank ran over to hs brother.
Maybe t s the ta feow we thnk s the pro-
fessor et s take the Indan recs and have a tak
wth hm
Fortunatey, the vaued artfacts had been
ocked n the convertbe s trunk. The boys fted
out the carton and set out. oon, wth ashghts
off, they were treadng carefuy around the pond.
h Frank warned the boys and stopped. I
thought I saw somethng move n the swamp
The searchers peered ntenty ahead. very-
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nemy Tactcs 139
thng appeared motoness. gan they went for-
ward. Out of nowhere, t seemed, a geam of ght
darted about n the swamp |ust ahead. s the
boys crept steady coser, they made out a fam-
ar hat.
Must be Rand oe hssed. e s examnng
somethng n hs hand.
Wordessy Frank motoned oe to move up on
one sde of the man, and Chet the other. The
boys set themseves to surround hm n hopes of
preventng a sudden ght.
ep hep
stranged cry foowed by a heavy spash
came from the dark pond behnd them
The ong-coated man straghtened up and
started forward. ut he stopped when the three
boys broke from cover and dashed toward the
pond n the drecton of the cry. Now a chd s
terr ed scream rent the nght ar.
oe, n the ead, reached the bank of the pond
rst, and beamed hs ashght fu ahead. To hs
astonshment, Grover and tte Tmmy were
runnng back and forth, wang and ookng n
panc toward the water.
uck, quck cred Tmmy as oe came
up. ome dev |ust pued Mr. ackstone un-
der the water
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C PT R II
Underwater Prson
W R dd Mr. ackstone go down cred oe.
t the same tme, Frank and Chet crashed
through the bushes onto the bank of the pond.
Th-there Tmmy ponted to a swr n the
dark water about twenty feet from shore.
Chet hed two ashghts whe the ardys
punged n. They submerged and stroked down-
ward. oe, gropng hs way through the under-
water darkness, suddeny grasped what fet ke
cothng.
e coud barey make out the shape of a heavy-
set person. amue ackstone ezng one of the
bg man s arms, oe tred to push upward. ut he
coud make no progress. ackstone was beng
dragged deeper
Whe oe kept tuggng, Frank spotted hs
brother, gded n, and grasped ackstone about
the wast. uddeny the boy came n contact wth
140
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Underwater Prson 141
somethng soft and sppery, that was tghty
camped around the vctm s body and hodng
hm down
The monster Frank thought.
Wth a hs mght he wrenched at the smy
form unt ts grp was oosened. Though t
wrgged back threatenngy, oe pued Mr.
ackstone free.
Ther ungs burstng, the swmmers bore the
unconscous man to the surface. Chet qucky
waded n and heped hau a three to shore.
Tmmy, ordered hs grandfather, you run
up to the house and brng back hep. Gt, now
Meanwhe, Frank oosened Mr. ackstone s
cothng and admnstered art ca respraton.
oe, Chet, and Grover worredy ooked on, watch-
ng for sgns of fe.
Fnay, to everyone s vast reef, Mr. ackstone
gasped, sputtered, and began breathng.
asy, sr, Frank cautoned hm. |ust e st
and rest.
oe turned to the edery servant. Dd you see
what happened Te us everythng.
I was takng my wak, as I do every nght,
when me and Tmmy met Mr. ackstone on the
path. e hurred to the edge of the pond ke
he saw somethng. Next thng we knew, he gave
a ye, and somethng dragged hm rght nto the
Water
Now the watng group heard excted voces,
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142 The dden arbor Mystery
then a seres of ghts coud be seen wndng
toward them through the brush.
In a moment three of Mr. ackstone s servants,
carryng ashes, bankets, and axes, and ed by
tte Tmmy, reached the bank.
uck Cut two sapngs, Frank drected.
When ths was done, the ardys and Chet con-
structed an mprovsed stretcher, and ackstone
was fted onto t and carred up to hs house.
Rand, he muttered ncoherenty as the boys
and Grover wated n hs spacous bedroom for
the famy physcan to arrve. Rand dd t.
Frank, oe, and Chet stared at one another n
puzzement. They stened as ackstone rambed
on, Rand sent note meet hm at pond tak
over our dfferences Rand dd t.
t that moment thedoctor entered and hurred
to the man s bedsde. fter a quck examnaton,
he warned, Mr. ackstone mustn t tak or be
questoned. I must ask you a to eave.
The boys and Grover ed out. oe whspered,
ut Professor Rand coudn t have been re-
sponsbe e wasn t near the pond.
Grover, Frank asked, where does Mr.
ackstone keep hs ma We d ke to see that
note from Professor Rand he |ust mentoned. I
assure you we re tryng to hep Mr. ackstone.
e mght not ke t f I do what you ask,
the buter ob|ected.
We have to take that chance, Frank sad.
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Underwater Prson 143
The servant nodded and ed them downstars to
the study where the ardys had wtnessed the
quarre between the cousns. Grover handed
Frank a spnde of papers from the desk. On top
was a hand-prnted note sgned, Rue.
I keep ths for evdence, the boy tod
Grover. I wrte a recept for t.
fter dong ths, the three boys hurred back
to camp. There Frank drew Professor Rand s map
from the gove compartment of the convertbe,
and compared the prntng to that on the note.
Not the same oe expaned. The note s a
fake I/ hoever sent t probaby thought forged
prntng woudn t be detected. ut on ths map
Rand uses a tte oursh at the begnnng of
each word.
We must nd Rand, Frank sad sobery. e s
nnocent, but not n ackstone s eyes.
The boys headed for the pond. Off n the
swamp they notced the sotary ght st movng
about.
oe started forward, but Frank restraned hm,
sayng, No eave hm there. Foow me.
The boy ed the way to the Rand property
and nto the underground passage. They then en-
tered the beverage room and ghted the amp.
Frank took care to eave the door a|ar.
Now, he sad, we wat for the professor
here. e probaby come home ths way.
ome tme ater the boys heard the door to the
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144 The dden arbor Mystery
passage creak open. ow, weary footsteps came
aong the corrdor. brupty, the steps stopped n
front of the beverage room.
e s seen the ght oe whspered.
The ardys and Chet shrank back behnd the
door, whch moved nward. ta gure n a ran-
coat and a oppy hat stepped toward the tabe.
ucky Frank pushed the door shut, and the
boys stood aganst t.
Wh-what The man whred.
Pease st down, Professor Rand, sad Frank.
We re sorry to starte you, but t s very mportant
that we have a tak wth you.
The ta man sank nto a char. Recoverng hs
composure somewhat, he excamed, Tak wth
prowers and ntruders Never
You are Professor Rand Frank quered.
Of course I am. Who are you nd why are
you snoopng around
Peasanty Frank made ntroductons, and ex-
paned that the boys had been retaned by art
Worth. e asked us to hep hm prove that a
certan story prnted n hs newspaper about the
od ackstone famy was the truth.
Rand nodded. What has that to do wth me
oe reped, Mr. ackstone neary drowned
n the pond tonght. omebody or somethng
pued hm n, and he s bamng you
The professor ooked shocked. ow terrbe
I dd not reaze that cry I heard was amue s. I
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Underwater Prson I45
was about to see who t was when I spotted you
boys gong toward the pond. Rand added em-
phatcay, amue and I may be at odds, but I
woud not resort to such tactcs.
You may be n danger yoursef from the same
thng, Frank tod Rand. You and Mr. ack-
stone both cam ths pond and the and around t.
We boys have a hunch your cousn s assaant
may be a person who has a nefarous nterest n
ths property.
The boys then tod of someone s ockng them
n Rand s room. The professor s started reacton
convnced them he had not done t. To thnk the
scoundre foowed me n and out of the house,
he sad worredy.
s accompce must have ocked the coset
door from the tunne sde, Frank added. They
probaby panned to harm us ater, and ddn t
expect us to escape
It was a cose shave oe murmured.
We beeve the person s dong a he can to
bock us, Frank sad. s you know, Professor,
we must prove that the ackstone fortune was
made orgnay by smuggng. We understand
the buk of t s bured at the mouth of a hdden
harbor.
umph It s true, Professor Rand broke n,
f that s what you want to know. The pond be-
tween our propertes was od Cement s harbor.
o we ve earned. ut we need proof, Frank
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146 The dden arbor Mystery
tod hm. If you furnsh some, we may be abe
to gve you a start toward unearthng the Indan
vage you re ookng for.
The schoar s eyes ghted wth nterest and
surprse, athough he asked dubousy, ow do
I know you can do what you say
In answer, Frank handed over the professor s
own map, whe oe hed out the arrowhead and
hde scraper.
Ths tme Rand dd not restran hs enthusasm.
Wonderfu Perfect Where were these found
In a spot not far away from where we found
penty of other recs, oe spoke up. ut we
eft most of them undsturbed.
There was a moment s sence whe the pro-
fessor weghed the offer. Fnay he sad, I agree
to the trade. nd I carry out my end of the
bargan rst.
The ardys and Chet stened eagery as the
professor went on. I never had the sghtest n-
terest n the dsputed property unt I reazed
the area near the pond was probaby the ste of
an od Indan vage. efore excavatng, I wanted
a cear tte to the and, and that started my
quarre wth amue. e camed I actuay n-
tended to dg for the bured fortune.
Ddn t you oe asked.
Not at rst. ut when nobody woud under-
wrte the excavaton, I decded I woud have to
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Underwater Prson 147
nd the treasure mysef n order to nance t.
Then, because I wanted no nterference, and
amue s so touchy about hs famy name, we
agreed to cover up our dsagreement. I dsap-
peared so I coud hunt undsturbed for the
money I hope to nd.
oth of you want the property for dfferent
reasons, Frank sad. Mr. ackstone s many
concerned about anyone ese ndng the treasure,
because of the famy papers conceaed wth t. Is
our deducton rght
Professor Rand nodded. xacty.
Do you know where the fortune s, sr oe
asked suddeny.
I ve known t a my fe, but t hasn t done
me any good.
Why not Chet burst out.
I once read n a etter of my grandmother s
that t was bured beneath a gant cypress at the
mouth of the dden arbor. The probem s,
where was the cypress
For a moment, a four frowned n deep
thought.
I know Frank exuted.
Professor Rand, oe, and Chet turned to hm
eagery. Te us, pa Chet begged.
ach tme we ve made a search of the pond,
I ve notced a secton of tanged root ends, Frank
expaned, and, way underneath, a ong rreguar
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148 The dden arbor Mystery
outne I knew was a huge faen tree. That must
have been the cypress whch once stood besde
the od channe at the harbor s mouth
What are we watng for oe cred out.
The professor, as excted as the boys, hurred
wth them toward the beach. oon the four, carry-
ng toos, ghts, dvng equpment, and a meta
detector, made ther way eagery back to the
edge of the pond. Frank offered to dve rst.
ook out for the monster oe warned.
ucky Frank put on hs out t. e attached
the amp to hs forehead and sung the meta de-
tector at hs bet. Then, takng a ong-handed
spade, he submerged.
Deeper and deeper Frank stroked. s amp
showed up the enormous faen tree s mass of
roots. uddeny the detector began to cck
Frank swam under the huge roots and |abbed
the spade nto the st. The stee too thudded
aganst somethng sod. d|ustng hs amp, Frank
saw by ts murky geam what appeared to be the
corner of a wooden chest.
The treasure he thought eatedy. The box
s probaby made of cypress wood to protect a
meta chest
The ob|ect proved to be out of Frank s reach.
Tough, gnared roots we over a hundred years
od had grown so cosey around the chest that
try as he mght, Frank coud not move t by hand
or shove.
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Underwater Prson 149
Dsapponted, he turned back through the tan-
ge of roots. s Frank twsted n and out, hs ar
ne became foued. It was tghty snagged be-
tween two roots Frank strugged to free the ne,
but to no ava.
oe and the others expect me to stay down for
a whe, the trapped boy thought frantcay.
Uness I can sgna, they won t come after me
unt t s too ate
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C PT R xvnr
Dangerous Cargo
O DING hs breath, Frank agan fought des-
peratey to free hs ar ne from the bndng
roots. e thrashed hs arms and egs n a fute ef-
fort to |erk t oose.
t ast he worked one hand down to hs ead-
weghted bet, where hs ngers tore open a
sma pastc compartment. From t he pucked a
whte png-pong ba, whch he sent bobbng
through the roots toward the surface of the pond.
Ths ba was a troube sgna the ardy brothers
had worked out.
If ony oe s ght pcks t up Frank thought.
t the pond s edge, meanwhe, oe, Chet,
and Professor Rand watched the smooth surface.
I m actuay gong to see the ong-ost famy
fortune, the professor decared. I can hardy be-
eve t
150
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Dangerous Cargo 15
so, responded oe, who stood by n hs dv-
ng apparatus, we have ths case cked
uddeny Chet excamed, whte bubbe
The next nstant oe spotted the png-pong
ba. Frank s n danger he cred out and
punged underwater. e stroked down, hs ght
beam percng the dark water. s he approached
the fantastcay twsted cypress roots, oe caught
sght of Frank, struggng to free hmsef.
oe drew hs knfe and moved n, cuttng a
path as he went. The two stout roots hodng
Frank gave way before the razor-sharp bade.
ezng hs brother s mp arms, oe maneuvered
hm through the roots to the surface.
For a moment the treasure was forgotten com-
petey, whe Chet and the professor worked to
revve Frank. ucky he had hed hs breath a
ong tme, and had swaowed very tte water.
In a tte whe he was sttng up and beng
rubbed vgorousy wth a towe.
I saw part of a chest, Frank tod the oth-
ers. It s enmeshed n the st and tree roots. We
have to bast t out.
The boys suggested that they obtan dynamte
and return the foowng day. Professor Rand
agreed to the dea but remnded them that the
next day was unday. No stores w be open.
We have to wat unt Monday.
The group agreed to keep the matter a secret,
then separated. The boys went back to ther
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152 The dden arbor Mystery
campste, had a ate snack, and bedded down on
the sand under the open sky.
Monday mornng was cear and sunshny, as
they headed for town n the yeow convertbe.
Frst, Frank parked n front of a drugstore and
went nto the phone booth to ca the ea Cty
poce. In a few mnutes he came back and re-
ported, They ve had no uck trackng down
those thugs who attacked us n the hote.
The tro decded to enst the edtor s hep n
obtanng the dynamte. They went to hs of ce
and tod of ther dscovery at the pond. ghy
excted, art was gad to accompany the tro to
make the purchase.
nythng to retreve that chest, he ex-
camed as they entered archmont s ony hard-
ware store. art made hs request to an edery
cerk.
Dynamte, hey the shopkeeper repeated n
a oud voce of surprse. Other customers turned
to ook. One thng we don t have. ust a mnute,
though.
The cerk went to the cear doorway and
shouted down the stars. enry Foks here need
some dynamte now where they can get some
Uneasy, the ardys, Chet, and art ganced at
the curous faces peerng at them.
What say came a voce from the cear.
Dynamte, roared the cerk. Foks here
want to do a tte bastng
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Dangerous Cargo 153
Oh, dynamte enry shouted back. They
can get t n Dobbsve
Thanks very much, sad art, and the four
hasty eft the store.
s they stepped nto the car, oe noted rue-
fuy, We, f anyone n town doesn t know we
need dynamte, they w n a few mnutes
You sad t. round here they don t need a
oud-speaker Chet grnned.
art Worth drected the way to Dobbsve.
Once there, he and the ardys entered the hard-
ware store, whe Chet went off to make a pur-
chase of hs own. e returned wth a paper bag
|ust as the others were gngery pacng a sma
wooden case marked dynamte on the rear oor of
the convertbe.
Dangerous cargo, Chet remarked.
It sure s, art agreed, then asked the ardys,
Do you feows know how to hande ths stuff
Frank nodded. Dad has taught us about ex-
posves.
Rght now, Chet put n, et s eat ap-
py the stout boy pued out some huge sand-
wches ed wth severa ayers of ham, ettuce,
tomatoes, and cheese. I got four of these for our
unch.
ooks ke a seven-course mea oe teased.
art smed. I d ke to |on you boys, but I
have to do an errand, You go on ahead. I take
a tax back and meet you at the pond n an hour.
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54 The dden arbor Mystery
few mnutes ater the ardys and Chet were
headng for archmont. The car crossed a crysta-
cear brook wndng through a shady stand of
pnes set back on a kno.
top ordered Chet. ere s the pace for our
submarne sandwches.
aughng, the boys parked off the road and got
out. oon they were sprawed on the soft pne
neede carpet of the grove, where they coud |ust
see the sunght ashng on the front of the con-
vertbe.
To Chet s amusement, the ardys reshed the
four hearty sandwches as much as he.
Wow I must ve been hungry oe chucked.
short tme ater they were en route agan.
uddeny oe excamed, I sme somethng burn-
ng. Whew The next nstant he cred, Pu
over, Frank uck
Frank swerved the bg car onto the shouder.
It urched to a stop. ook n the back oe
shouted. The dynamte
To ther horror, a crude strng fuse, nserted
nto the box, was sputterng up to the d. oe
eaped over the seat, yanked the strng, and ung
t from the car.
I thought I heard a car sow up whe we were
eatng, he sad grmy. ut t never came nto
vew.
It probaby dropped someone off, Frank
reasoned. e coud have put n that fuse, work-
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Dangerous Cargo 155
ng on the road sde of the convertbe to keep
out of our sght.
e wated unt he saw us comng back, oe
added. Then he ghted the fuse and spped
nto the woods across the road.
Yes. Where hs pa n the car w pck hm up
agan, Frank concuded. Remember, everybody
n archmont knew we d gone to Dobbsve for
the exposve. ome of the gang foowed us, a-
though there was no car n back of us before we
parked.
haken, the boys went on. oon they were speed-
ng aong the shermen s road toward ther camp.
ere they encountered the ta gure of Pro-
fessor Rand pacng nervousy up and down. I m
so excted, I coudn t st at home and wat he
confessed.
We re a set. Operaton Dynamte s under
way oe announced.
In a matter of mnutes the sma processon
headed for the pond. Chet toted the rucksack of
dvng gear. Professor Rand carred dggng m-
pements and the meta detector. Frank and oe
took turns carryng the box of dynamte.
t ast they reached the water s edge. The pro-
fessor had aready concurred wth the ardys
that t woud be best to attempt rasng the chest
rst. ater the boys woud show hm the pace
where they had unearthed the Indan recs. I
reaze, he sad, that by now the gang knows
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56 The dden arbor Mystery
you ads have escaped ther macous trap. They
may try somethng worse at any tme.
The ardys had |ust put on ther underwater
gear when art arrved. Then Frank opened the
wooden case and checked the paper-wrapped
stcks of dynamte.
We rg one stck, he decded qucky. It
may be a we need. esdes, t s safer that way.
Wth Frank carryng the exposve, the broth-
ers submerged. oe swam ahead, cuttng a path
through the cypress roots. Frank foowed, and
carefuy panted the charge near the base of the
tree trunk, but at suf cent dstance not to damage
the chest. Whe oe stood by, Frank took a bast-
ng cap from hs bet and qucky nserted t nto
the dynamte. e then connected the cap s wres
to a battery. Ths done, the brothers struck out
swfty to the surface.
wmmng ashore, the ardys ed Rand,
Worth, and Chet around the bank away from the
bastng area. Frank checked hs waterproof
watch. ny mnute now.
Tensey the ve stared at the pacd waters.
There she bows oe sang out as a muffed
rumbe shook the ground. sudden agtaton
showed on the water s surface as f a geyser had
gushed up from beow. grotesque, cawke root
rose nto the sunshne, then sank back nto the
muddy waters.
nxousy the onookers wondered f the ex-
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Dangerous Cargo 157
posve had freed the chest. We et thngs set-
te down a bt, Frank advsed.
When the water had ceared somewhat, many
od, ong-submerged trees coud be seen pushed
up nto shaow water.
Frank and oe, after another mnute, punged
n. n ng downward, they darted nmby be-
tween and under oosened ogs and chunks of
rotted trees. To the mpatent boys, the pond
seemed bottomess.
Determnedy the brothers sought out the ste
of the ancent cypress. agery they scanned the
muddy area, st churnng from the bast. mu-
taneousy Frank and oe spotted the square
wooden box protrudng from the st. They
tugged and nay fted t out. The boys carred
t between them, as they swam to the surface.
On shore, Professor Rand eaped wth excte-
ment, whe Chet gave a whoop of |oy. art
Worth shouted, Nce work, feows
t ast Frank and oe paced the od chest
safey on the pond s bank. The professor grabbed
a hammer, ready to knock off the sturdy cypress
ock
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C PT R I
nster bsence
W IT Frank ordered. The boy paced one
foot on the d of the box. Nobody opens ths
chest now
Why not art Worth asked n amazement.
Ths s what we ve a been workng for
art, Frank expaned, your be sut s
nvoved. The chest has been found on dsputed
ground. If we break the ock, ackstone can cam
we nserted the papers that prove your case.
ut Professor Rand s a wtness
Not a very good one, from the court s pont of
vew, Frank answered. e has a quarre of hs
own wth ackstone, who coud cam some of the
money n the chest had been stoen. If we open
the box now, both of you stand to ose what you
want from t.
rsa
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nster bsence 159
The professor seemed unwng to take hs
hands from the vauabe chest. urey the aw
w aow us at east to open t and ook nsde.
It w, Frank assured hm, as ong as we do
so n ackstone s presence. There s no other
safe way.
Frank s rght, agreed oe.
though Professor Rand contnued to protest,
art Worth gave n wth a sgh. I see the pont,
he admtted. fter a, I don t want to damage
my own evdence. ut suppose the papers aren t
there he added anxousy.
We have to take that chance, Frank reped.
oon the yeow convertbe was headng back
swfty toward town. The cypress box rested on
the front seat between Frank and oe.
ccompaned by art and the professor, the
boys carred the chest up to the Record of ce.
Meantme, Chet ran off to the hardware store.
oon he returned wth a new padock, whch
Frank prompty snapped on the box, sppng the
key nto hs pocket.
Now, art, he asked, w you open your
safe and put the chest nsde, pease
enty, the young edtor comped. Then
Frank pcked up the teephone and caed ack-
stone s resdence.
veryone n art s tte offce was sent as
Frank wated for an answer. Fnay the recever
at the other end was pcked up.
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160 The dden arbor Mystery
eo. Ths s ackstone. The bg man s
voce sounded consderaby weaker than usua.
Mr. ackstone, ths s Frank ardy, the boy
began.
ardy yes, yes, the young feow who pued
me out of the water. The busnessman hestated,
then added gruf y, ave to thank you.
Gad we coud hep, sr, Frank reped. I
have some news for you. We ve found the chest
whch I beeve contans your ancest0r s hdden
fortune and famy records.
Found t Where
t the bottom of the pond, ths afternoon.
Instanty the merchant s tone grew aggressve.
You must have trespassed on my property. If
you ve opened that box, or taken anythng from
t, I have the aw on you
D0n t worry. We haven t opened t, Frank tod
hm camy. The box has |ust been paced n a
safe here at the Record o ce. new padock has
been put on. I assure you the chest won t be
opened unt you re here to watch. ow soon can
you come, sr
ackstone s voce fatered. ook here, I--I m
st a bt shaky from the cose ca I had. My
doctor nssts I can t eave the house for another
day.
Tomorrow nght, then
t nne-thrty, ackstone agreed.
Frank went on, dsnterested person w
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nster bsence 161
stay at the offce unt then to guarantee that
nobody tampers wth the chest.
s soon as Frank had hung up, art protested
hoty, I woudn t dream of tamperng.
I know, Frank camed hm. ut we must
gve Mr. ackstone a safeguard, so he can t ds-
pute your evdence ater.
Who s ths dsnterested person Chet spoke
up suspcousy.
Frank and oe smpy grnned at hm.
Oh, no the stout boy protested. day
and a nght I have to stay n ths tte of ce
You earn the newspaper trade, oe tod
hm.
ure, sure. What w you two be dong a ths
tme Chet demanded.
Frst, Frank reped, we show Professor
Rand where the Indan vage s. We be back
here about nne-thrty to keep you company.
That s better, Chet sad, mo ed.
t a sgna from the ardys, art Worth fted
out a cardboard box from behnd hs desk and set
t on top.
ere s a treasure you can open, he sad to
Professor Rand.
The others stood by smng as the professor
undd the wrappng and examned wth deght
the Indan artfacts unearthed by the boys.
xceent Marveous specmens he exuted.
I d ke to see the Indan ste rght away
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162 The dden arbor Mystery
ccordngy, Frank, oe, and Rand eft the
budng. Rand cmbed nto the convertbe, but
suddeny Frank remembered somethng. We
need a good rake for sftng.
The brothers hurred up the street to the hard-
ware store. evera mnutes ater they came out
wth the too. t the same tme, the boys saw a
famar gure eanng over the convertbe door.
e was carryng on a heated dscusson wth
Rand.
Cutter oe excamed, and the ardys hur-
red forward.
No, no, the professor was sayng n a oud
voce. I postvey not se my rghts to the
pond. specay not now. That s na
Cutter s face took on an ugy ook. efore the
ardys coud reach hm, he caught sght of the
boys. e ran down the street, and dsappeared
around the corner.
et s go after hm oe urged. I want to ask
hm a few questons about hs partners, tewart
and ed
Frank hed hs brother back. We catch up
wth hm ater, after we keep our promse to
the professor.
s they drove toward the beach camp, oe sad
casuay, ounded ke Cutter was offerng to
buy your cam to the pond, Professor Rand.
The gangng schoar nodded mpatenty.
Yes. e wants to make t nto a shng cub, or
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nster bsence 163
some such nonsense. The man s an nferna
nusance ust another of amue s hrengs.
That s funny, Frank mused. Mr. ackstone
thnks Cutter s workng for you, and you thnk
he s workng for ackstone. nd he gave both of
you the same ne about the shng cub.
The professor ooked up, started. What
ow do you know that he demanded sharpy.
We overheard Cutter try to buy Mr. ack-
stone s rghts, Frank expaned. Your cousn
gave hm a na No, and a shakng besdes. That
was the same nght Mr. ackstone was dragged
nto the pond
You suggest I shoud be afrad of that pest
Cutter asked Rand wth contempt. bsoute
nonsense. I have one enemy n the word: amue
ackstone. ven he woudn t go so far as to er
harm me, ether wth hs henchman s hep or
wthout t.
The boys dd not menton havng seen ack-
stone strke Rand. ut Frank sad, omeone ese
mght the person who neary drowned Mr.
ackstone.
amue shoud keep away from the water,
Rand stubborny retorted. e aways thnks
somebody s out to get hm.
They had no sooner reached the camp than, to
the ardys great surprse, Rand asked them to
drve hm home.
I do want to see the Indan ste, expaned
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64 The dden arbor Mystery
the professor n some agtaton. ut we, I
want to expore t wthout nterrupton. If we go
there now, ths feow Cutter mght show up and
start badgerng me about the and. I meet you
boys by the pond tonght, at seven-thrty. We
go then.
hruggng, the ardys agreed, and took the
schoar to hs house. e on your guard, Frank
warned hm.
It was |ust seven-thrty when Frank and oe,
equpped wth dggng toos, arrved at the pond.
They aso carred dvng gear, n case they shoud
need t.
Professor Rand oe caed out.
There was no repy. The boys wated. The sun
sank ower. Presenty bufrogs began croakng
from the pond and deep wthn the swamp. t
the ta man dd not arrve.
When amost an hour had eapsed, the young
detectves fet a twnge of concern. What was de-
ayng the professor e had been so eager to
vst the Indan spot.
Maybe he s at home and forgot the tme, oe
sad hopefuy. I check.
e made hs way up toward the od house. ut
n a few mnutes he returned aone.
I caed and knocked, oe reported. No
answer.
sudden thought crossed Frank s mnd. up-
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nster bsence 165
pose the professor was so eager he came eary, he
suggested.
nd the same thng happened to hm as hap-
pened to ackstone oe nshed.
Fevershy the boys strpped off ther cothes
and donned ther ppers, ungs, and face masks.
Then Frank took an underwater ght n one hand
and submerged.
e swam steady aong the pond s shore ne.
s ght showed up the usua stones and sunken
trees, but no trace of the mssng professor.
Frank turned and worked back deeper aong the
bottom.
oe stood watng tensey as the moon cmbed
over the swamp trees. Fnay Frank s head
popped above the surface and he stood up n the
shaows.
What uck oe caed. Dd you
ut horror choked of the words. dark,
sthery creature had oomed out of the water
behnd hs brother. Now, wth sharp ns gsten-
ng and fantastc head wavng from sde to sde, t
advanced on the unsuspectng Frank.
ook out oe shreked. The next moment
somethng struck hm on the back of hs head,
and he fe, unconscous.
ust as Frank whred, the monstrous creature
sprang upon hm.
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C PT R
F eua s nd
ow Y oe opened hs eyes. e found hmsef
yng on the oor of a sma room. The boy
thought he must be dzzy from the bow, for he
fet a rockng moton. Then he became aware of
a soft appng nose and sat up gngery.
Despte hs throbbng head, oe s keen eyes
took n hs surroundngs. dm ght was burn-
ng n the room. In one wa were two round wn-
dows.
boat s cabn he thought.
omebody groaned besde hm. Frank rased
hmsef up and shook hs head. Where are we
Wsh I knew, oe answered.
Frank made a face. From the sme, I d say
we re n the shng boat Cutter s been usng to
spy on us. ay Professor Rand s here too
ong, anguar gure on the oor beneath the
porthoes strred, then sat up aso. The professsor
- -11 .. - , 166
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Feud s nd 167
bnked at the ardy boys n bewderment.
re you a rght oe asked hm.
Yes I thnk so, consderng I was struck on
the head.
I was conked, too, sad oe. e turned to hs
brother. Dd that monster knock you out
Must have, Frank reped. ast thng I re-
member s when t grabbed me. mm. I won-
der
Frank crawed over to a back foot ocker wth
a poo of water spreadng out from t.
I thought so, he muttered, peerng nsde.
The boy pued out a arge back rubber dvng
sut, wth a sharp serrate n and enormous rubber
head attachment
ere s our monster he announced. I
thought I smeed rubber when t got me.
ome costume oe excamed wryy. ut
who was wearng t
I was came a voce from the doorway.
Mr. Cutter gasped the professor.
The ta, pae man sneered at them as he en-
tered the cabn. etter come down, ed, Cutter
caed. The prsoners are awake.
moment ater the bury, at-faced man
shuf ed nto the cabn. You kds won t be so
cocky after ths ed rasped trumphanty.
The ardys kept coo heads. Now Frank sad,
Why not te us your rea scheme, Cutter, snce
we re your prsoners
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168 The dden arbor Mystery
The erstwhe antque deaer answered ready.
I m after the ackstone fortune, too. Read about
t n a book of ost mercan treasures. The
money, pus the man vaue of the pond, make t
a desrabe body of water
Man vaue, oe repeated. You mean for
your shng resort
Won t te you that. Cutter aughed. ut
thanks for rasng the bured chest. One of my
hepers saw you carry t nto the Record of ce
and heard you make that nne-thrty date.
Through hm, too, I kept constant track of you
three, your fat frend, Worth, and ackstone.
I made up my monster sut to search the
pond and frghten away any curous ntruders,
he went on. That ncuded you ardys the nght
I made my second dve. ee ths rope wth the
weghts on both ends That s what I used to drag
ackstone nto the water. y the way, I was a
prnter by trade. I managed to sneak nto the
Record of ce s composng room and nsert the
extra bt n Worth s story. Thought I d make
ackstone so tred of the pond he d be gad to
se.
nd now, the man sad, as he ashed a sef-
sats ed sme, I m on asy treet. You ve done
t. t nne-thrty tomorrow nght, tewart, ed,
and I go to that meetng at Worth s o ce, sette
ackstone, te up your frends, and come out
wth the money
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Feud s nd 169
What happens to us oe demanded tersey.
y then you a be out of the pcture per-
manenty. Wth Rand here, and ackstone gone,
I buy up the pond area. Nether man has hers.
The executors w be gad to se.
Guess agan, oe retorted de anty. Chet
w mss us and thnk of ths boat
et hm, sad Cutter. We re far from our
usua anchorng pace. tewart has sent a note to
art Worth, supposedy from you ardys, that
you re n a nearby town and w be back for the
meetng.
o tewart s the one who dd the other phony
notes, oe broke n.
Cutter nodded. . Too bad they ddn t work, and
that you escaped when we xed the pane, and
t the dynamte fuse n your car; aso at the ght-
house -that was ed and tewart s |ob. You
were ucky gettng out of Rand s house before
ed and I returned. ut ths tme we be very
thorough
For the remander of the nght and nto the
foowng day, Frank, oe, and Professor Rand sat
on the cabn oor. They were gven ony a tte
water and stae bread. Desperatey the boys
wated for a break. ut ther guards were vgant.
t noon, and agan as the ght faded outsde, the
captors speed one another for meas.
Okay, ed, Cutter sgnaed ater that eve-
nng. Get busy
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17 0 The dden arbor Mystery
The powerfu man eft the cabn. oon the
boys heard severa sharp, spnterng bows.
set caed the hoarse voce.
Good-by. n|oy yourseves sad Cutter
peasanty, as he stepped out and ocked the cabn
door.
In a few mnutes the three captves heard the
put-put of a motorboat.
The gang s pued out and we re not even ted
up oe excamed.
mutaneousy the cabn tted over to one
sde. The boat s snkng Frank cred out.
That s why They mean to drown us and destroy
the evdence
The ardys mnds raced for a way out of ther
predcament. One chance occurred to Frank.
ep me wth ths foot ocker, oe he cred.
The brothers swung the heavy chest wth a
ther strength at the door, so that ts sharp corner
smashed through the wood. oe reached through
the |agged hoe and turned the ock.
The ardys, foowed by Professor Rand,
rushed up on deck. ere they found sea water -
ng the afterpart of the vesse.
I can t swm cred Professor Rand.
I have a pan, Frank assured hm. oe, take
the re axe and knock oose whatever peces of
wood you can.
Frank, meanwhe, ran to the cabn, now anke-
deep n water, and returned wth a botte of rub-
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172 The dden arbor Mystery
bng acoho. On deck, where the gang had appar-
enty eaten, was an opened ve-pound box of
sugar.
s oe whacked off the bg chunks of wood,
Frank sprnked them wth sugar and saturated
them wth acoho. s he worked, the boy asked
the professor to gnte the peces.
Fevershy Rand struck one match after an-
other. s the wood ared up, oe sd the eere,
green-burnng oats onto the dark surface of the
sea.
ope somebody spots them, oe sad tensey.
It s our ony chance, and maybe Chet s
oon the ocean was pourng over the gunwaes
of the snkng boat. oe aunched hs ast green
are. The boys heaved the cabn door overboard,
and punged after t wth Professor Rand. ehnd
them, the shng smack setted qucky beow the
sea.
od on to the door, Professor, Frank d-
rected. oe and I w stay on ether sde of you.
we can do now s wat.
The strange, green- amng oats bobbed a
around them. tars twnked overhead. uddeny
oe sghted red and yeow ghts movng n the
dstance. s the vesse drew coser, he shouted n
reef, Coast Guard
oon the ong, trm cutter bore down on them,
ts powerfu searchght sweepng the water.
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Feud s nd 17 :
hoy shouted a crewman. We drop a ad-
der. ang on.
Wthn mnutes the exhausted tro had been
haued aboard.
archmont Frank gasped. We must get
there rght away. It s a matter of fe or death
The cutter powed through the water at fu
speed. s t gded aongsde the dock at arch-
mont, Frank, oe, and Rand eaped over the sde
and set out at a dead run for the town square.
Frank s watch showed nne-thrty
The three raced aong the sdewak toward the
newspaper of ce. s they reached t, a car sped up
and screeched to a stop.
Get them caed a rm voce.
Two men |umped from the automobe and
grabbed the ardys. Poce cred oe.
What
Frank oe came a famar voce behnd
them. You here, and a rght
Dad burst out the astounded brothers as
Fenton ardy stepped forward.
It s okay, he sad to the o cers. These are
my sons.
We ve no tme to ose, Dad sad Frank.
re y, he brought hs father up to date. Wth
revovers drawn, the men foowed as Frank and
oe tptoed upstars.
They were |ust n tme to see four masked men
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174 The dden arbor Mystery
backng away from art Worth s o ce One, a
brawny, broad-shoudered feow, carred the cy-
press chest. The ta, thn eader was n the door-
way, hs psto eveed at amue ackstone
Frank and oe dved forward and brought the
armed man to the oor. shot rang out. buet
whacked nto the ceng. Then oe tore of the
feow s mask. enry Cutter ay garng at them.
The other thugs turned to fee.
Drop your weapons F enton ardy ordered
crspy. You re covered. You there put down
that chest
Chet, art, and ackstone rushed from the of-
ce.
You got my O , Mr. ardy cred Chet. I
knew when art showed me that note t wasn t
from Frank and oe
ucky the pocemen unmasked Cutter s
henchmen. They proved to be ed, tewart, and
the man the ardys had seen catchng agators.
The prsoners were handcuffed and ed away.
ow dd you get here so fast, Dad Frank
asked.
Fortunatey I got a reservaton on a |et from
amaca as soon as I got Chet s wre, the detec-
tve expaned.
The ardys capped ther stout frend grate-
fuy on the back, and the others thanked a three
boys for the rescue.
Now amue ackstone stepped forward. I
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Feud s nd 175
wsh to sette the matter of the chest. Remember,
whatever s n t beongs to the ackstone fam-
y.
Not at a, Rand returned hoty. The money
was made by smuggng through dden arbor,
whch s at east party my property
ackstone thundered, Rue, you nd your-
sef up aganst a sander sut f you nsnuate that
my sde of the famy was dshonest
They were smuggers of prate goods the
professor nssted vehementy.
art Worth spoke up. Open the chest. If the
papers are there, you won t be sung anybody,
Mr. 1ackstone.
Frank qucky opened the ocks and rased the
d, dscosng another, smaer chest. Unatchng
ths, the boy unted a coth pouch and opened t.
Money Chet whooped. Mons
Mr. ackstone and Professor Rand both
reached for the bag. Mne they cred together.
uddeny an odd expresson crossed F rank s
face. e hed up one of the packages of bs.
Confederate tates of merca, he read sowy.
stunned sence foowed. Wordessy, Frank
and oe removed the stacks of worthess Cv War
bs. Then Frank drew out a at oskn enveope.
Insde was a eather book. wfty the boy eafed
through the pages.
We art Worth asked tensey. What does
t say
G
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176 The dden arbor Mystery .
Frank ooked up. verythng: dates, amounts,
and prces for stoen goods receved from prate
shps at dden arbor. ook for yoursef, Mr.
ackstone.
The bg man quety took the edger. s face
darkened as he read the notatons. s aggressve
manner dsappeared.
I m a proud man, he admtted n a ow voce.
I ve aways suspected ths was true, but I I
coudn t admt t, even to mysef. e turned to
Worth. I apoogze to you, sr. Of course, I
cance my sut.
o there was no treasure n the pond after
a, Rand concuded sady.
Yes, Frank sad unexpectedy, there s
veryone stared at hm n dsbeef. What do
you mean Chet asked.
Frank s amazng announcement came as a sur-
prse to Chet. e had been deep n thought won-
derng when he woud be nvoved wth the
ardys n another mystery. ooner than he ex-
p6Ct d, T INI T R IGNPO T was to be ther next
chaenge.
In answer to Chet s queston, Frank sad,
I/ hen I was searchng for Professor Rand n the
pond ast nght, I notced that a the trees ex-
posed by the bastng were cypress. Most of them
have stood there for centures, and w brng a
huge fortune n vauabe wood to persons who
can get t out and market t
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Feud s nd 177
o that s what Cutter meant oe excamed.
The cypress s the pond s man vaue
Frank nodded, and turned to the cousns.
You know where your treasure s. e smed.
You both pro t from t by workng together.
I have some money, ackstone ob|ected,
but not enough for a pro|ect ths sze. esdes, I
don t thnk I coud work wth Rue as a partner.
ame here snapped Rand.
Try ths dea, Fenton ardy suggested sud-
deny. My cent n amaca deas n vauabe
umber. e d ke to branch out n ths country,
and I know he d make a thrd partner for you
both. e woud contrbute the necessary cap-
ta, but not uness you two sette your squabbe.
I ve no money, Professor Rand sad thought-
fuy, but we coud bud the workng pant on
my and, and I d gve my home over for busness
of ces. ut the Indan vage must be excavated
rst. tate Unversty w certany nance t,
when they see what the ardy boys have dug up
We grumbed ackstone, a rght. ut
I bet we can t work together
You can make the dea work, art spoke up.
Don t forget, Frank and oe saved both your
ves. The east you can do s make peace.
That s so, ackstone admtted.
enty, he reached across and shook Rand s
outstretched hand. The od feud was over. d-
den arbor had gven up ts secret
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PN Dxo5 3 v.14
Dxon, Frankn W
The hdden harbor mystery
UN 0 5 2008
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I IN N OP WIT P YM NT
RDY UY MY T RY RI
Now that you ve seen Frank and oe ardy n acton, we re sure
you want to read more thrng ardy oys adventures. To make
t easy tor you to purchase other books n ths exctng seres, we ve
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
ORD RFORM
encosed ths handy order form.
56 TIT T YOUR O0I( I. R
UR UIYIPI T ND M I T I
NDY OIIPIIN TU:
GRO T & DUN P, INC.
P.O. ox 941, Madson quare Post Ottce, New York, N.Y. 10010
M te and dventure ook(s) checked beow

| M m
9.
Pease send me the ardy oys ys ry .
2.50 each, pus 25 per book postage and handng. My check or money order
tor s encosed.
1. T T 901-7 28. The gn of the Crooked rrow s929.9
2. 5 . I oehgrztttt 8902-5 29. The ecret of the ost Tunne s929-1
2 3. ecret of the Od MIII 903-3 30. Wang re MY5 9 Y 8930-0
D 4. Mssng Chums 3904.1 31. ecret of Wdcat wamp 8931-9
t s. untng for dden God 8905- 32. Crsscross hedow 932-7
6. shore Road Mystery 599s.s 33. The Yeow Feather MY TGFY 8933-5
7. ecret 01 the Caves 8907-8 34. The ooded awk Myst9f 3934-3
w . Mystery ct Cabn Isand 8908-4 35. The Cue n the mbers 8935-1
9. Great rport Mystery 8909-2 as. The secrets or Prates -mt s9as-x
.4, 10. What appened t Mdnght 910-6 37. Ghost at keeton Rock 8937-8
D 11. Whe the Cock Tcked s9n-4 as. Mystery at Dev s Pat 8935-6
. 12. Footprnts Under the wndow s91:-2 39. Mystery t the Cttnew - k 89394
I 13. Mark on the Door s91s-0 40- Mystery 01 the Desert Gt 894041
. 14. dden arbor Mystery 5914.9 41. Cue of the creechng Ow 8941-6
O 15. nster gn Post s91s-1 42. kng ymbo Mystery 8942-4
D r 16. Fgure n dng 59ts.5 43. Mystery of the ztec Warror 8943-2
(gt 17. ecret Warnng 8917-3 44. aunted F0 s9444
ta. Twsted Caw s91s-1 45. Mystery of the ttrtt rdtt 945-9
or 19. Dsappearng Foor 3919.x 46. ecret gent on Fght 101 8946-7
_, 20. Mystery of hehFI)gr19k Dg g sszo-3 ythystryyot gret Wftrate rgtw 33 -g
t 21. Th C ot e to en a e s921.1 . e rc c a ro Y5
22. Th: Ff|terng Torch M story a9gg.)( 49. The ombay oomerang 8949-1
t Y .
a 23. Meneq Cans 3923.3 50. Danger on ampre Tra 8950-5
( 24. hort Wave Mystery e924-e 51. The Masked Monkey 5951-3
_. 25. ecret Pane 2925-4 52. The shattered emet 8952-3
U 2e. The Phantom Freghter aeze-2 sa. The cte ct the sstng erpent 8958-
3 27. ecret o1 ku Mourtan 927-O U 54. The Mysterous Caravan 954-8
55. The Wtchmaster s ey sass-s
. 956-4
IP To: D 56 The unge Pyramd
N M _ 3
T (pease prnt) I C) :
_ aooaess . CITY T T IP _
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