The Tower Treasure thb-1 Read online

  "We'll get rid of him in a hurry," Joe determined.

  The boys turned around and climbed back up the embankment. By this time

  Oscar Smuff had stepped from his car and was walking down to meet the

  boys.

  "Well, I found you," he said.

  "You mean you've been looking for us?" Frank asked in astonishment.

  The detective grinned. With an ingratiating air he explained to the boys that

  he had trailed them for miles. He had seen them leave home on their

  motorcycles, and almost caught up with them at the Bayport station, only to

  lose them. But the stationmaster had revealed the Hardys' next destination,

  and the aspiring sleuth had hastened to talk to the flagman, Mike Halley.

  "He told me I'd find you here," Smuff said, self-satisfaction evident in his

  tone.

  "But why do you want us?" Joe demanded.

  "I've come to make a proposition," Smuff announced. "I've got a swell clue

  about Jackley and that loot he hid, but I need somebody to help me in the

  search. How about it, fellows? If old Smuff lets you in on his secret, will you

  help him?"

  Frank and Joe were astounded at this turn of events. Did the man really

  know something important? Or was he suddenly becoming clever and trying

  to trick the Hardys into divulging what they knew? One thing the brothers

  were sure of: they wanted nothing to do with Oscar Smuff until they had

  searched the old water tower.

  "Thanks for the compliment," Frank said. He grinned. "Joe and I think

  we're pretty good ourselves. We're glad you do."

  "Then you'll work with me?" Smuff asked, his eyes lighting up in

  anticipation.

  "I didn't say yes and I didn't say no," Frank countered. He glanced at Joe,

  who was standing in back of the detective. Joe shook his head vigorously.

  "Tell you what, Smuff," Frank went on. "When Joe and I get back to

  Bayport, we'll look you up. We came out here to have a picnic lunch and

  relax."

  Smuff's face fell. But he was not giving up so easily. "When I drove up, I saw

  you running like mad down the bank. Do you call that relaxing?"

  "Oh, when you sit around awhile eating, your legs feel kind of cramped," Joe

  told him. "Anyway, we have to keep in practice for the Bayport High baseball

  team."

  Smuff looked as if he did not know whether or not he was being kidded. But

  finally he said, "Okay, fellows. If you'll get in touch with me the first of the

  week, I can promise you a big surprise. You've proved you can't win the

  thousand-dollar reward alone, so we may as well each get a share of it. I've

  already admitted I need help to solve this mystery."

  He turned and slowly ambled up the embankment to his car. The boys waved

  good-by to the detective and waited until he was far out of sight and they

  were sure he would not return. Then Frank and Joe hurried down to the

  tracks, vaulted the fence, and ran pell-mell toward the old water tower.

  "If only we have stumbled on the secret!" Frank said enthusiastically.

  "It'll clear Mr. Robinson-"

  "We will earn the reward by ourselves-"

  "Best of all, Dad will be proud of us."

  The old water tower reared forlornly alongside the tracks. At close quarters

  it seemed even more decrepit than from a distance. When the boys glanced at

  the ladder with its many rungs missing, they wondered if they would be able

  to ascend to the top on it.

  "If Jackley climbed this ladder we can too," said Frank as he stopped,

  panting, at the bottom. "Let's go!"

  He began to scramble up the rotted wood rungs. He had ascended only four

  of them when there came an alarming crack!

  "Careful!" Joe cried out from below.

  Frank clung to the rung above just as the one beneath him snapped under his

  weight. He drew himself up and cautiously put his foot on the next rung. This

  one was firmer and held his weight.

  "Hey!" Joe called up. "Don't break all the rungs! I want to come up too!"

  Frank continued to climb the ladder as his brother began the ascent. When

  they came to any place where a rung had broken off, the boys were obliged to

  haul themselves up by main force. But finally Frank reached the top and

  waited until Joe was just beneath him.

  "There's a trap door up here leading down into the tank," Frank called.

  "Well, for Pete's sake, be careful," Joe warned. "We don't want any more

  accidents with trap doors."

  The boys climbed onto the roof of the tower, which swayed under their

  weight. Both fully realized their peril.

  "We can't give up now!" said Frank, and scrambled over the surface of the

  roof until he reached the trap door. Joe followed. They unlatched and raised

  the door, then peered down into the recesses of the abandoned water tank. It

  was about seven feet in depth and twelve in diameter.

  Frank lowered himself through the opening, but clung to the rim until he was

  sure, from feeling around with his feet, that the floor would not break

  through. "It's okay," he told Joe, who followed his brother inside.

  Eagerly the boys peered about the dim interior. The place seemed to be partly

  filled with rubbish. There was a quantity of old lumber, miscellaneous bits of

  steel rails, battered tin pails, and crowbars, all piled in helter-skelter fashion.

  At first glance there was no sign of the Applegates' stolen possessions.

  "The jewels and bonds must be here somewhere," Joe declared. "But if

  Jackley did put the stuff here, he wouldn't have left it right out in the open.

  It's probably hidden under some of this junk."

  Frank pulled out a flashlight and swung it around. In its glow Joe began to

  hunt frantically, casting aside the old pails and pieces of lumber. One entire

  half of the tower was searched without result. Frank turned the flashlight to

  the far side and noted that a number of boards had been piled up in a rather

  orderly crisscrossed manner. "Joe," said Frank, "I'd say these boards hadn't

  been thrown here accidentally. It sure looks as if somebody had placed them

  deliberately to hide something underneath." "You're right."

  Like a terrier after a bone, Joe dived toward the pile. Hastily he pulled away

  the boards.

  Revealed in the neat little hiding place lay a bag. It was an ordinary gunny

  sack, but as Joe dragged it out he felt sure that the search for the Applegate

  property had come to an end. "This must be it!" he exulted. "The Tower

  treasure!" Frank smothered a whoop of joy.

  Joe carried the sack into the light beneath the trap door.

  "Hurry up! Open it!" Frank urged.

  With trembling fingers Joe began to untie the cord around the sack. There

  were many knots, and as Joe worked at them, Frank fidgeted nervously.

  "Let me try," he said impatiently.

  At last, with both Hardys working on the stubborn knots, the cord was untied

  and the bag gaped open. Joe plunged one hand into it and withdrew an

  old-fashioned bracelet of precious stones.

  "Jewelry!"

  "How about the securities?"

  Again Joe groped into the sack. His fingers encountered a bulky packet.

  When he pulled it out, the boys exclaimed in unison:

  "The bonds!"

  The bundle of p
apers, held together by an elastic band, proved to be the

  securities. The first of the documents was a negotiable bond for one thousand

  dollars issued by the city of Bayport.

  "Mr. Applegate's property!" Frank cried out triumphantly. "Joe, do you

  realize what this means? We've solved the mystery!"

  The brothers looked at each other almost unbelievingly, then each slapped

  the other on the back. "We did it! We did it!" Joe cried out jubilantly.

  Frank grinned. "And without old Smuff," he said.

  "Now Mr. Robinson's cleared for sure!" Joe exclaimed. "That's the best part

  of solving this mystery."

  "You're right!"

  The boys rejoiced over their discovery for another full minute, then decided

  to hurry back to Bayport with the precious sack.

  "You go down first, Frank," said Joe. "I'll toss the sack to you and then

  come myself."

  He picked up the bag and was about to hoist it to his shoulders when both

  boys heard a sound on the roof of the tower. They looked up to see an

  evil-looking, unshaven man peering down at them.

  "Halt!" he ordered.

  "Who are you?" Frank asked.

  "They call me Hobo Johnny," the man replied. "This here is my quarters and

  anything in it belongs to me. You got no right in my room. You can't take

  anything away. And t'anks for finding the wad. I never thought to look

  around."

  Joe, taken aback a moment, now said, "You may sleep here, but this is

  railroad property. You don't own what's in this tower. Now go on down the

  ladder, so we can leave."

  "So you're going to fight, eh?" Hobo Johnny said in an ugly tone. "I'll see

  about that!"

  Without warning the trap door was slammed shut and locked from the

  outside!

  CHAPTER XX

  The Escape

  "LET us out of here!" Frank shouted at Hobo Johnny.

  "You can't get away with this!" Joe yelled.

  The man on the water tower roof gave a loud guffaw. "You think I ain't got

  no brains. Well, I got enough to know when I'm well off. I ain't in no hurry to

  collect that treasure you found in the tower. A few days from now will be all

  right for me to sell it."

  "A few days from now?" Joe exclaimed, horrified. "By that time we'll be

  suffocated or die of starvation."

  Frank put an arm around his impulsive brother's shoulder. In a low tone he

  said, "We won't do either, Joe. I don't think it's going to be too hard to get

  out of here. If not by the trap door, we'll hack our way out through one side

  of the tank."

  Joe calmed down and both boys became silent. This seemed to worry Hobo

  Johnny, who called down, "What're you guys up to?"

  No answer.

  "Okay. I'm leaving you now, but I'll be back for that treasure. Don't try any

  funny stuff or you'll get hurt!"

  The man on the roof waited a few moments for an answer. Receiving none,

  he shuffled across the tower to the ladder.

  "I hope he doesn't break all the rungs," said Joe worriedly. "We won't be

  able to get down."

  Again Frank patted his brother on the shoulder. "I noticed an iron pipe

  running from the top of this tower to the bottom," he said. "If necessary, we

  can slide down the pipe."

  "How long do you think we should wait before trying to break out of here?"

  Joe asked.

  Before replying, Frank pondered the situation. Not knowing anything about

  Hobo Johnny's habits, he wondered how far away from the tower the man

  would go. If not far, the boys might find him waiting below and a tough

  person to handle. Finally, Frank decided that since the tramp had said he

  would return in an hour, he must be planning to go some distance away,

  perhaps to get a couple of his hobo friends to come back and help him.

  "I'd say that if we leave in fifteen minutes we'll be safe," was Frank's

  conclusion.

  Every second seemed like an hour, but finally when the fifteen minutes were

  up, the boys lifted a plank and tried to push up the trap door. It would not

  budge.

  "Where do we try next?" Joe questioned.

  Frank was examining the seams around the trap door with the flashlight.

  Presently he pointed out a section where the wood looked completely dried

  out.

  "It shouldn't be too hard to ram a hole here, Joe. Then you can boost me up,

  so I can reach through and turn the handle on the lock."

  Joe picked up a crowbar and jabbed the sharp end between the edge of the

  trap door and the board next to it. There was a splintering sound. He gave

  the tool another tremendous push. The seam widened. Now he and Frank

  together wedged the end of the crowbar up through the opening.

  In a few moments they had sprung the two boards far enough apart so that

  Frank, by standing on Joe's shoulders, could reach his arm through the

  opening. He found the handle which locked the trap door and turned it. Joe

  pushed up the door with the plank.

  The boys were free!

  Frank pulled himself up through the opening and hurried to the edge of the

  roof. He looked all around below. Hobo Johnny was not in sight; in fact, there

  was no one to be seen anywhere.

  "Clear field ahead I" he announced.

  Now the boys began to carry out their original intention of removing the

  stolen property from the old water tower. Frank went back to the trap door

  and Joe handed up the sack, then joined his brother on the roof. The older

  boy went down the ladder quickly and his brother tossed the treasure to him.

  Joe lost no time in following.

  "We'd better get away from here in a hurry!" Frank advised, and both boys

  sprinted to their motorcycles.

  "Let's divide this stuff. It'll be easier to carry," Frank suggested.

  He opened the sack and handed Joe the bundle of securities, which the boy

  jammed into his pocket. Frank stuffed the sack containing the jewelry into

  his own side pocket. Then they hopped onto their motorcycles, stepped on the

  starters, and roared down the road toward Bay-port. It was not until they

  were several miles from the old water tower that the Hardys relaxed. Grins

  spread over their faces.

  "I don't know who's going to be the most surprised-Hurd or Adelia

  Applegate, or Chief Collig or-"

  "I have another guess-Dad!" said Frank.

  "I guess you're right," Joe agreed. "And the most disappointed person is

  going to be one Oscar Smuff!"

  "What clue do you suppose he wanted us to follow?"

  "It's my idea he didn't have any. He just wanted to hook on to us and then

  claim the glory if we found the treasure, so Collig would give him a job on the

  force."

  "Where do you think we ought to take these valuables?" Joe asked

  presently.

  The boys discussed this as they covered nearly a mile of ground and finally

  came to the conclusion that since Hurd Applegate had given their father the

  job of finding the stolen property, the detective should be the one to return it

  to the owners.

  Half an hour later the brothers pulled into the Hardy driveway and soon were

  overwhelming their parents with the good news.

  "It's wonderful! Simply wonderful!" Mrs. Hardy cried out,
hugging each of

  her sons.

  Their father's face wore a broad grin. "I'm certainly proud of you," he said,

  and slapped Frank and Joe on the back. "You boys shall have the honor of

  making the announcement to the Apple-gates."

  "How about Chief Collig?" Frank asked. "And we'll report Hobo Johnny to

  him."

  "And we'll invite the Robinsons to hear the announcement," Joe added.

  The detective said he thought there should be a grand meeting at the

  Applegates' home of everyone involved with the tower mystery. He suggested

  that when the boys called up, they try to arrange such a meeting for that very

  evening.

  Frank was selected to make the report to Hurd Applegate; the others could

  hear the elderly man exclaim in amazement. "I didn't think you'd do it!" he

  said over and over again.

  Shouting for his sister, he relayed the message, then said, "Adelia wants me

  to tell you she's the most relieved woman in all of Bayport. She never did like

  any of this business."

  The Applegates readily agreed to a meeting at their home early that evening

  and insisted that Mr. Robinson be there. Mr. Hardy was to see to it that Chief

  Collig released the man at once.

  "This is going to be a lot of fun," Frank declared at supper. "Mother, I think

  you should come along? Will you?"

  "I'd love to," Mrs. Hardy replied. "I'd like to hear what the Applegates and

  Mr. Robinson and Chief Collig are going to say."

  "And Chet should be there too," Joe said. "After all, it was his stolen car

  that gave us the clue to Red Jackley." Chet was called and gave a whoop of

  delight. He agreed to meet the Hardy family at the Tower Mansion.

  "There's one more person who ought to attend," said Frank with a twinkle in

  his eye. "Oscar Smuff. I'd like to watch his face, too."

  "At least we should tell him that the mystery has been solved," Joe spoke up.

  Frank waited until his father had phoned Chief Collig, who promised to

  release Mr. Robinson at once and bring him out to the Applegates' home.

  Then Frank called Detective Smuff. He could not resist the temptation to

  keep Smuff guessing a little longer, and merely invited him to join the

  conference for a big surprise.

  At eight o'clock one car after another arrived at the Tower Mansion. When

  the Hardy family walked in they found all the Robinsons there. The twins