Part 16 (1/2)

”I'm sure I heard a cry for help,” she said. ”It might be the boys, Fenton.”

”I'll turn around, Gertrude,” the driver said, ”but I didn't hear anything. Did you, Cartwright?”

”No, but-----”

'' Help! Help I'' came a distant cry.

”It's the boys! I knew it!” shouted Aunt Gertrude triumphantly. '' That's Frank's voice. I'd know it anywhere.”

Fenton Hardy hurried toward the sound. ”In the middle storage room,” he decided.

In a few moments they could see Frank's face through the ventilator.

”Are you all right?” cried Aunt Gertrude.

”Yes. Gee, we're glad to see you.”

His aunt began to ask questions, while Ms father and the other detective tried to open the door to the building.

171 ”It's no use. I'll go to the Farm office and get a key,” volunteered Cartwright.

While he was away, the others carried on a two-way conversation through the ventilator.

”You can thank your aunt for your rescue,” said Fenton Hardy. '' She suspected that note the moment she read it! And now I would have gone right past you. I was following a clue to your stolen car. Thought maybe you'd been taken away in it.”

”We might have been at that,” said Joe, who was taking a turn at speaking. ”Was any big robbery pulled off last night?”

”No. Whatever the flickering torch gang has in mind, it hasn't happened yet. Well, here comes the key.”

The S. E. F. Director was with Cartwright. He was very much upset about what had happened, and asked the boys many questions as he let them out.

”We suspect Boots,” said Frank. ”Where ishef”

”He didn't report for work this morning,” the man told him.

The Hardys and Cartwright had agreed not to tell the director anything about the flickering torch gang, as he might let a word drop which would upset their sleuthing in the case. He felt, and they did not disabuse his miud, that it was entirely a personal animosity of Boots toward the boys.

172 ”I know he didn't seem to like you two, but I didn't think he'd resort to kidnaping to prevent your working here,” he said. ”By the way, if you're not too tired, I wish you'd lend a hand at the underwater section. Without Boots-----”

The boys looked at their father. '' Go ahead,'' he said. ”I'll see you later.” Aside he added in a low tone, ”I'll do some investigating this afternoon, and tonight we'll lay plans. I think you boys have made more headway on this case than you imagine.”

That compliment to the boys spurred them on in their work in the underwater section.

They did not fancy doing the ch.o.r.es of the absent Boots, but they looked forward to catching him later.

Finally work was over for the day. As the boys were about to start for home, the director came to speak to them.

”Your Dad phoned that he checked on Boots,'' he said. '' The man has left his boarding house and given no forwarding address.”

Apparently Boots had cleared out. Had he taken alarm and fled before the net closed about him?

The boys trudged off toward Mrs. Trumper's.

”What say to a swim?” decided Frank. ”You know that pool between here and home?”

The deep dark pool, shaded by huge trees, was just off the property line of the Experimental Farm. The boys had pa.s.sed it a num173 her of times on their way to and from work when they crossed the fields. It had seemed odd to them that they never had seen any of the village boys swimming there.

”That ought to be the most popular swimming hole in the neighborhood,” said Joe as they crossed the meadows. ”It seems like an ideal spot.”

The sides of the pool were steep and rocky. The water was so black that the brothers realized it must be very deep. They stripped off their clothes and went in. The sides of the pool dropped straight down.

The place was perfect for diving. Splas.h.i.+ng and laughing in the cold water, the boys enjoyed their dip immensely.

”Although I must say,” gasped Joe, ”this water is so cold there must be ice at the bottom.”

”I'm wondering if there is is any bottom,” said Frank. He poised himself for a dive, and any bottom,” said Frank. He poised himself for a dive, and went straight down as far as he could go. But his groping fingers encountered no bottom to the pool. He emerged, gasping. ”I don't think this is a pool at all. It's a bottomless pit!”

Its depth had given the boy an idea. Hurriedly he began scrambling into his clothes.

”Maybe I'm wrong,” he said mysteriously, ”but I have a hunch. Get dressed and come along.''

”Where to?”

”To Mrs. Trumper's. She knows all about 174 this neighborhood. If there's any story connected with this pool, she's bound to know it.”

There was was a story connected with the pool. As Frank had guessed, the Widow Trumper a story connected with the pool. As Frank had guessed, the Widow Trumper did know about it. She was quite bewildered when the Hardys rushed into the house, asking her to tell them about the spot.

”That!” exclaimed the widow. ”That's no swimming pool. My goodness, don't tell me you boys went swimming there. You might have drowned. I intended to warn you about that place.” She turned pale at the thought of what might have happened, and began fanning herself with a newspaper. ”Dear me, it makes me quite faint to think of it. Last night you were kidnaped, your aunt told me-she's gone home again, by the way-and today you nearly drown!”

”Well, we're home safe and sound,” Frank a.s.sured her. '' But how about the pool ? Why is it so dangerous?”

”Because it's hundreds of feet deep, that's why,” declared the widow. ”It's a mine pit.

There used to be iron mines around here, way back in the days of the American Revolution.''

”A mine shaft!” Frank snapped his fingers in excitement, and motioned to his brother to Frank snapped his fingers in excitement, and motioned to his brother to follow him upstairs. ”Why didn't I think of that before?” he added in the privacy of their room.

”It's the very clue we've been waiting for.”

”Tell me,” said Joe eagerly.

175 ”Don't you see?” cried Frank. ”If there's a mine pit, there is also a mine. Perhaps the shaft to it is under Wortman's cottage. Maybe this will explain a whole lot of things that have been bothering us. Eemember how Wortman went down into his cellar? Perhaps that is the place where Boots is hiding I”

CHAPTER XXI.

UNDERGROUND.