Hardy Boys Mystery Series by 33

Author:33 [33]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2010-08-23T01:11:26.835000+00:00

CHAPTER XIV

A Puzzling Ad

kurt, noticing that Frank had seen the strange message carved into the desk, tugged

nervously at his beard.

"Vandalsl Destroyers of school property!" he exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Greg asked innocently.

"I mean that boys who do things like this Harris D are a liability to the school. It costs

money to replace a desk like that. Such behavior ought to be punished severely. If I had

been headmaster-"

The threat went unfinished.

"Who was Harris D?" Frank inquired.

"I don't know," Kurt snorted.

"Judging from the condition of the carving, he must have been a student here several

years ago," Frank speculated.

He looked hard at Kurt to see if the man were

111

112 The Yellow Feather Mystery

withholding some information, but the headmaster did not flicker an eyelid.

He urged Frank and Greg into the hall and on toward their rooms. In the morning Frank

told Joe what had happened.

"There must be something very important in that classroom," his brother remarked.

"What could it be?"

"It certainly had something to do with that desk," Frank answered as he pulled on his

sweater. "Kurt was pretty eager to get us away from it."

"Why don't we go back there and take another look at the desk?" Joe suggested.

"There may be more strange words carved in it."

"And Kurt will still be in the dining hall," Frank added.

The brothers finished dressing and hurried toward the classroom. The entire corridor

was deserted. No one saw them enter. Employing caution, however, Joe remained at the

door while Frank crossed to the carved desk.

"Joe!" Frank gasped hoarsely.

"What is it?" Joe asked.

"Someone has removed the carved desk top!" Frank called. "There's a brand-new top

here now!"

"I'm sure Harris D is the answer," Joe asserted. "If we can find him, he might give us a

clue!"

The boys decided to work on this new angle as soon as possible. But first the

mysterious ad in the Personal column of the newspaper had to be exA Puzzling Ad 113

amined. Joe returned to the guest room, while Frank hastened to the entrance of the

building. There he met Mr. Teevan just arriving in a station wagon with several copies of the

Bayport Times.

"Good morning. May I borrow one of these?" Frank asked.

"Sure. You can keep it."

"How is your wife?" the young detective asked.

"Tolerably well," the custodian answered. "She ain't got over her fright completely. But I

dare say she'll be around in a day or two. Well, good-by, son."

Frank waved him away, then bounded up the stairs to the guest room. Rushing in, he

spread the paper on the table and turned to the Personal column. Quickly he ran his finger

down the advertisements, pausing now and then to reread one that Kurt possibly might have

sent in. As he neared the bottom of the list, Frank gave a shout.

"What is it?" Joe asked.

At this moment Greg and Chet walked into the room.

"Listen to this in the Personal column," Frank said excitedly. " 'Yellow Feather: Meet

100 F.R. Pt. 2101.'"

"Jumpin' grasshoppers!" Chet exclaimed and added, "Surely Kurt didn't put that in!"

"I suppose not," Frank answered, studying the advertisement. "Unless-"

"Unless what?" Greg asked.

"Kurt might have put it in to send us on some

114 The Yellow Feather Mystery

wild-goose chase," Frank replied.

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