Franklin W. Dixon

“ They crossed the street to the bank and went up to the cashier's cage. They knew the cashier well and he smiled at them as Frank pushed the five dollar bill under the grating.
"Want it changed?" he asked.
"We want to know if it's good, first."
The cashier, a sharp-featured, elderly man with spectacles, then took a sharp glance at the bill. He pursed up his lips as he felt the texture of the paper. Then he flicked the bill across to them again.
"Sorry," he said. "You've been stung, boys. It's counterfeit."
"Counterfeit!" exclaimed Frank.
"You aren't the first one who has been fooled. ”

“ A troop of boys came down the street from the direction of the Bayport high school, and Riley instinctively stiffened. If it were not for those confounded boys, life would be very different for him. They did not seem to appreciate the dignity of his position. They were always contriving schemes to make him look ridiculous.
He spied the Hardy boys with their companions, and his frown deepened. Too smart, altogether, those Hardy lads. They weren't mischievous, he had to admit that, but they were meddling in the work of the police a little too much. ”

“ Frank threw in the clutch, the roar died away to a purr, and the boat backed swiftly and smoothly out into the bay.
"The engine runs like a watch!" reported Frank, in delight.
Once outside the boathouse he headed the craft out toward the open bay. It was soon apparent that the engine of the Sleuth was very powerful, for the boat leaped forward as Frank increased speed, and yet there was very little noise. The nose of the boat cut the water like a knife and the craft skimmed out into the bay like a swallow. ”

“ Frank Hardy had seen that the rope was insecure. He had already laid a plan of action in case the rope broke.
The rapids were just around the bend in the river. The stream was narrow at that point and willow trees overhung the bank. The moment the rope broke Frank leaped into action.
He stumbled free of the group and raced along the river bank toward the willows. He could see Joe struggling helplessly in the swiftly flowing stream and he knew that if the current once carried him beyond the willows his brother would be doomed. No human being could live in those tossing rapids. ”

“ Frank and Joe sweated over the ablative absolute and grumbled over the heroic exploits that could be resurrected from the deathless lines of Cæsar and Virgil if one could but distinguish verbs from nouns, and wondered, as schoolboys have wondered from time immemorial, why they should be obliged to concern themselves with things that happened two thousand years ago and more when they might better be outside playing. ”

“ It did not seem that Uncle Dock was a scientist after all.
"I wish we were rich now," said Lester. "I'd like to go away from here and go to school. I wish Uncle Dock would move into Bayport so I could go to school with you fellows. But I guess there isn't much chance of that."
"Your uncle is pretty sure he's going to be rich?" said Frank.
"Oh, yes. He has told me often that we'd be rich some day and that I could have all the friends I wanted then."
"He must expect the breakfast food to be a success."
"I suppose so."
"Has he ever bought any grain from the farmers around here?" inquired Joe. ”

“ But Markel had just emerged from the mill and his eyes were not yet accustomed to the gloom. As the boys reached the shelter of the willow tree, the moon emerged from behind the cloud and slowly the hillside was again bathed in radiance. ”

“ He was struggling in the water, being swept irresistibly on toward the deadly rapids.
"I can't swim!"
Joe reached the bank, paused to kick off his shoes, then stood poised for a moment above the rushing waters. He dived into the mill race, disappeared beneath the surface, then rose just a few yards away from the struggling boy.
The lad had already gone under once and was gasping for breath. He was just about to go under for the second time when Joe swam toward him with strong, steady strokes and grasped him by the collar. ”

“ For a moment Frank could not understand what the matter was. Then, as the boat gave a lurch more violent than usual, he understood.
He nudged his brother.
"Getting seasick!" he whispered.
Joe glanced back, and when he saw that the stranger's florid face had changed in hue from a deep red to a greenish white he knew that the motion of the boat was indeed taking its effect. He forebore an impulse to chuckle at their passenger's plight.
"Give her a little more gas," ordered the stranger, in a curiously feeble voice. "You're not going fast enough."
He brandished the revolver threateningly. ”

“ Chet assured him earnestly. "You may depend on us, Mr. Riley. We will see that your qualities of leadership are recognized. You're the only man who can wake this city up."
Con Riley, a trifle dazed by this avalanche of flattery, but nevertheless feeling that every bit of it was deserved and that the boys deserved credit for their perception, beamed with appreciation.
"Why, I never had no idea you lads felt like this," he said. ”

“ Frank nudged his brother. So the counterfeiters were planning an early escape!
They peered through the cracks in the floor and watched the three men moving about as the press rumbled and bill after bill was added to the pile on the table.
"Easier way to make money than working," remarked Uncle Dock, with a satisfied smile.
"I'm going to take a trip around the world with my share," said the second man.
"What are you going to do, Markel?"
"I'll follow the horses. I'm going to visit every race track in America this year. I'll double my money."
"You'll lose every cent of it." ”

“ These were not empty compliments, for the Barmet people prided themselves on knowing a good boat when they saw one and there was nothing grudging in their approval of the Sleuth. Two old fishermen sat on the wharf with their feet dangling over the water and discussed the motorboat in every detail from bow to stern, agreeing that she combined strength and appearance in a remarkable degree. ”

“ The other boys gave murmurs of agreement.
"Go along if you like," said Stummer, shrugging his shoulders. "It ain't none of my affair. Just thought I'd tell you, that's all. They don't like strangers around."
"We won't bother them," promised Frank. "What do you say, fellows? Should we take a trip around that way or should we not?"
As usual, the mere fact that something of a mystery surrounded the old mill made all the boys eager to turn their steps in that direction.
"We'll go down the old road, anyway," said Joe. "I'd like to get a look at the place. It'll give us somewhere to go." ”

“ He had not seen them, but there was something so furtive in his manner that the Hardy boys made themselves as inconspicuous as possible in the shadow of one of the pillars near by.
Markel lounged about near the coach, now and then glancing up anxiously, as though expecting some one.
Within a few minutes, just as the conductor shouted, "All aboard!" a tall, thin-faced man with a neat black mustache, emerged from the coach. He glanced hastily down at Markel, nodded swiftly, said something in a low tone, and Markel forthwith handed him the package. ”

“ Mrs. Hardy was silent. She felt the loss of the valuable rug very keenly, and still more keenly did she feel the ignominy of having been imposed upon after all the warnings that had been circulated regarding counterfeit money. But the rug merchant had been so plausible, and as she was an unsuspecting woman by nature, she had never for a moment considered the possibility of trickery.
"We'll go down and have a chat with the police," said Frank, getting up. "Although I'm afraid it won't do any good."
"Chief Collig will tell us that he is busy following up clues," remarked Joe, with a laugh. ”

“ Frank and Joe Hardy were the sons of Fenton Hardy, a private detective of international fame. Mr. Hardy, who had been for many years on the New York police force and who had later resigned to carry on a private detective practice, was a criminologist of note. He knew by sight and by reputation most of the notorious criminals of his day, and his mastery over all the branches of his profession was such as to place him at the very forefront of American detectives. ”

“ The boys emerged from the bushes and crossed the weed-grown open space near the front of the mill. The other lad had not yet seen them. He was standing by the mill race, some distance below, gazing into the water, now and then raising his head to look at the clacking wheel that turned monotonously in showers of dripping water.
"I'm curious about this patent food story," Frank said. "It's queer there wasn't anything in the papers about it. Nobody except the farmers, like Stummer, seems to have heard about the mill being taken over." ”

“ Their chums were immediately interested.
"Put me down for one of the first passengers," shouted "Biff" Hooper, a tall, broad-shouldered boy who had just pushed his way through the circle.
"We're thinking of getting one like Tony Prito's," said Joe.
"I wish it was mine!" exclaimed Tony. His father, one of the most respected citizens in the Italian colony of Bayport, owned a speedy motorboat which had proved of great service to the Hardy boys in their conflict with the smugglers of Barmet Bay. "But if you're getting a boat at all you can't do any better than get one just like it." ”

“ Out of one boathouse came a rakish black craft that the boys recognized instantly as the motorboat belonging to Tony Prito's father.
"There's Tony!" exclaimed Frank. "He always goes boating on Saturday mornings. Let's give him a race."
"His boat's supposed to be the fastest on the bay."
"I don't care whether it is or not. He'll have to go some to beat the Sleuth. We'll challenge him." ”

“ It's probably because the Hardy Boys, Joe and Frank, are fellows like yourself. They like action, plenty of it. They are as full of curiosity as a couple of bloodhounds. And just leave a mystery around and they'll be in it before you can say "Sherlock Holmes!" ”

“ A faint streak of light was apparent through a crack in the boards.
"That must be where their workroom is," Frank whispered.
The sound of machinery in motion continued.
"We've struck them at the right time," said Joe, in a low voice. "They must do their work at night."
"We've got to make sure."
"How can we get inside the mill?"
"The willow tree. We'll have to climb it and drop down on the roof."
"What if they hear us? We won't have a chance to get away."
"They won't hear us," said Frank confidently. "The walls are of stone. Anyway, the sound of machinery will drown out any noises from outside. ”

“ The motorboat raced on down the bay. The storm clouds that had been collecting all morning now hung heavily in the sky. The bay was sullen and slate-colored, and a heavy sea was running. White caps broke on the surface of the water. ”

“ Hardy, a pretty, fair-haired woman, sighed.
"I'm sure I don't know what the world's coming to," she said, "when men will make bad money and know that poor people are going to lose by it. It's a shame."
"There's nothing some of them won't stop at when it comes to filling their own pockets," declared her husband. "But perhaps when the expert sends me his report on these bills I'll have something more to work on. If it turns out that there is one central gang circulating this money we'll all have to be on the lookout." ”

“ Mr. Hardy had followed one man to a near-by city and seen the fellow pass a small package to a woman in black, who had quickly disappeared in a crowd. But the noted detective knew the woman and knew where she could be located when wanted.
The boys had arrived back from school, had left their books at the house, and had set out with Chet Morton for a cruise in the motorboat. When Mr. Hardy came back he glanced over his mail and was settling down to read the evening paper when his wife remembered the note that had been left at the door that afternoon. ”

“ Why should they have so much secrecy about a new kind of breakfast food? Why won't they even let Lester into the workroom with them?"
"Something fishy about it. And it's plain by now that Uncle Dock doesn't like strangers around the place."
"That poor kid must lead a lonely life with that gang. It's a wonder he doesn't run away from them."
"He has no place else to go, I suppose. He seems a nice sort of chap, too," Joe answered.
"Well, we didn't get anything definite from him, but we know enough to make us mighty suspicious of what's going on in that old mill." ”

“ Then, from the mill, they heard a surly voice:
"I saw some one out on the hillside."
They were startled. But still they did not move. Their only hope of safety lay in silence and in remaining motionless.
"You're crazy, Markel," replied some one. "There's no one out there." ”

“ They caught up to him at the entrance to the lane leading into Carl Stummer's farm, forcibly divested him of his hiking-boots, socks and necktie and proceeded to wreak revenge.
"We'll cure you of practical jokes for a while," promised Frank, with a grin, as he cast one boot into a field wherein a bad-natured bull was grazing, and the other into a field at the other side of the lane, with a heavy growth of thistles around the fence.
"See if you're as good at untying knots as you are at tying them," added Jerry, as he twisted Chet's necktie into a veritable Chinese puzzle. ”

“ It was quite evident that Uncle Dock and his strange associates were not desirous of encouraging any outside trade for the old mill, However, Frank realized that the men had a right to manufacture patented food in secret if they wished, so he nudged Chet as a signal against any further questions.
They had reached the door of the mill by now, and Markel hustled Lester inside before he had a chance to say anything further to the boys, although the lad cast an appealing glance behind as though he would have liked again to express his thanks to his rescuers.
"Where do you fellows live?" ”

“ This is the biggest counterfeiting deal that has ever been put across in the United States. I'd imagine you'd be feeling proud of yourself. By the time it is all over we should be worth a quarter of a million dollars each."
"All the more reason for being careful. You have to watch your step in a game like this."
"And haven't we watched our step? Who would ever suspect this old mill? Why, there's Hardy, the detective, living right in Bayport. He has never suspected a thing. And the Federal dicks think we have a plant somewhere in the woods back of Barmet village!" ”

“ To this pleasantry Markel made no reply, but trudged on down the slope until he again reached the mill. The boys pressed close to the willow tree.
"You may think I'm being too careful," they heard Markel saying. "But we've got good reason to be careful. You know what'll happen to the whole crowd of us if we're caught." ”

“ But I'm practically convinced that the old mill is where this counterfeit money is coming from. The only way we'll ever find out is to go there ourselves. If we told the town police what we suspected they would only laugh at us and probably they'd be so clumsy about taking any action that the counterfeiters would get wind of it. The only way is to keep it to ourselves and go out there quietly and see what we can find. ”

“ The accident had happened so quickly that it was not for a few moments that the Hardy boys and their chums realized the lad's danger.
Then, as they saw him struggling in the torrent, they began to run toward the spot to which the lad was being rapidly carried.
Joe was in the lead, and as he ran he was taking off his coat. Just below the mill race the river was full of rocks, and the rapids dashed over them in a boiling fury of spray and foam. If the youth were ever swept into the rapids he would be doomed. ”

“ He hasn't enough to take him more than a few miles."
"Good!" exclaimed Tony. "That's where we have the edge. My boat may not be as fast as the Sleuth but the gas tank's full and there's some more in that can. We'll chase him till he has to quit."
But if the gas in the Sleuth's tank was low, there was no sign of it just then. The motorboat sped on up the bay, gradually widening the distance between itself and the pursuing craft. Tony crouched at the wheel, impassively watching the flashing white streak far ahead.
"I wonder where he's heading for," said Frank. ”

“ When Friday night came they emerged from the haze of declensions and vocabularies, axioms and theorems, equations and symbols in which they had been engulfed all week and decided that Saturday should see them as far away from school as possible.
"Let's get out of the city altogether," suggested Frank, as the Hardy boys left the classroom on Friday afternoon. "What say we all go for a hike out into the country?"
"Suits me," agreed Chet. "No motorcycles either. Let's walk." ”