The Clue of the Screeching Owl by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: &NEW, Detective and mystery stories, Pocono Mountains (Pa.), Mystery & Detective, YA, Juvenile Fiction, Hardy Boys (Fictitious Characters), Braille books, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Fiction, Robbers and Outlaws - Fiction, Boys & Men, Mysteries (Young Adult), Crime, General, Mystery and detective stories
ISBN: 9780448089416
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1962-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII

Chefs Ruse

back, at the old car Chet was still asleep, but Mystery greeted Frank and Joe

with excited yapping.

"What . . . ? Who . . . ?" grunted the fat boy, starting up and blinking. "Are

we still in Forestburg?"

While he sat rubbing his eyes, Frank and Joe, grinning, climbed into the front

seat of the car.

"Are we in Forestburg?" repeated Joe with mock disgust. "We've only been here

two hours, that's all. And listen to this!" He related what the brothers had

learned.

Chet was astounded-and also disappointed not to have been there to hear his

friends' discoveries firsthand. Meanwhile, Frank had been poring over a road

map. Now he started the car and headed out of town in a westerly direction.

"Say!" Chet exclaimed. "Where are we off to now?"

96

Chet's Ruse 97

"Riverville," Frank replied, and explained that Klatch's Carnival was there.

"This back road should get us to the place in half the time the highway would

take."

With an injured look on his broad face, the stout boy sat back and folded his

arms. "So you walked out on me. You two just wait. I'll show you who's the

detective around here!"

"We'll wait!" Joe chuckled.

Captain Maguire's old car seemed well suited to the narrow, badly rutted road.

Maneuvering carefully to avoid holes, Frank drove past dense woods that lined

both sides. Sometimes the road followed a stream, at others it ran along

ridges. There were no buildings in this area.

"We must be getting close," observed Frank, looking at the speedometer. "But

what a place to run out of gas!"

No sooner had the youth spoken than the three friends, rounding a turn, came

upon a station wagon parked on the left side of the road. The hood pointed

skyward. Across each fender leaned a man in blue dungarees, his head almost

invisible under the hood as both peered at the motor.

"Let's see what we can do," said Frank, pulling over. "We have plenty of

time."

As the boys stepped from their car a huge dog bounded swiftly toward them.

Page 33

"Oh, oh!" said Chet hastily. "Better stay

98 The Clue of the Screeching Owl

inside, Mystery!" The big dog gave a curious but not unfriendly sniff at

Frank's outstretched hand.

At the same moment one of the men raised up. He was bony and had red hair.

"Here, Blue!" he called and turned to greet the boys. "Don't you fellows worry

about Blue. He won't bother nobody."

"What's the trouble?" Frank asked.

"She conked out, somehow," the man answered with a perplexed grin. "Just won't

go!"

Joe was already peering at the engine. "Mind if we have a look? My brother and

I have done a good bit of work on motors."

"Help yourself," invited the other man, who wore a loud print shirt. "Got to

do something -can't stay here all morning!"

Somewhat puzzled at the helplessness of the two men, Frank and Joe rolled up

their sleeves.

"Got any tools?" Joe asked the man.

"Nope," the red-haired one answered. "Wouldn't you just know it?"

"Have much trouble with her?" Frank inquired.

The man scratched his head and grinned. "Well, now, I can't say, 'cause she's

not mine. Just borrowed her, y'see, to deliver all these apples."

"Apples?" Chet beamed, and he strolled around to the back of the station

wagon, which was open.

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