041-The Clue Of The Screeching Owl by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T14:26:28+00:00

himself!"

"Oh, great!" thought the bewildered Joe. "Simon and Donner are blaming the dog stealing on each other now. Who is guilty?"

While Frank and Chet, too, looked puzzled, Joe said aloud, "Well, there's one thing I want to know." He turned to Simon. "Why did you throw stones at us this afternoon?"

The Tailor's Clue 89

Going to the table once more, Simon quickly produced sketches of three very lifelike rattlesnakes. Frowning, he looked at Frank and Joe, and made as though to push them away with his hands.

"I get it! He was trying to warn us about those deadly snakes, not hurt us,"

Frank said.

"Well, he sure picked a forceful way to do it!" Joe rubbed his forehead ruefully. "That would mean he didn't think we were in cahoots with Donner."

Frank nodded. "Simon's given us something to work with. It seems pretty clear the self-styled hermit has been stealing dogs, and for my money, that ties him in with Captain Maguire's disappearance, too."

"You think the captain went after the dognaper himself and ran into trouble?"

Joe queried.

"Well, apparently the captain had a dog," his brother reasoned. "Now suppose Donner stole the animal and Captain Maguire traced him to the hollow. Then suppose when he got down there the captain saw something he wasn't supposed to see."

"Then Donner, or somebody, had to get him out of the way because he knew too much!" Joe finished grimly. "Remember the blood we found on the leaves?"

Absorbed in this new possibility, Frank, Joe, and Chet failed to notice that Simon had been 90 The Clue of the Screeching Owl making his way quietly toward the back door. In a moment the tall boy had slipped out into the night!

"Hey!" called Chet. "Stop him!"

"No, let him go," said Frank Hardy calmly. "Simon's on our side, all right."

"I just wish we could do something to help him," Joe put in. "With his talent for drawing he might make out very well in spite of his handicap. He should go to a special art school."

Frank agreed, then said reflectively, "I can't seem to get Colonel Thunder out of my mind, and his resemblance to Donner. Also, I wonder if it could be more than coincidence that the German word for thunder is donner. What do you say we find the carnival, and talk to the colonel? He just might be a relative of Donner."

"Suppose we drive to Forestburg in the morning," Joe suggested. "Maybe we can learn something there about the Donner family, and find out where the carnival is. Besides, it's about time we called Mother to see how things are in Bayport!"

Morning dawned bright and fresh after the rain, everything seemed greener than before, and the boys' spirits rose. Frank and Joe emerged from the cabin, followed by Chet, who cradled Mystery in his arms. But suddenly Frank stopped and frowned.

"Oh-oh! So much excitement last night we The Tailor's Clue 91

forgot to put up the convertible top before the storm. Now look!"

Sure enough, there were puddles on the floor of the Hardys' car, and the seats, though protected by covers, were wet.

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