The Clue Of The Screeching Owl Part 10

"Other end of the hollow," Frank answered after listening carefully. "In fact, I'd say somewhere pretty close to Donner's place."

"Hmm! Funny n.o.body startled an owl earlier, with all that coming and going down there tonight," observed Joe.

"I'm glad we didn't meet one," Frank said. "They have a quiet, spooky flight that makes people take them for ghosts."

In another minute the brothers had reached the rim of the valley. Lights burned cheerfully in the windows of Captain Maguire's cabin.

"Boy! Am I glad to see you two!" exclaimed Chet, jumping up from the bunk as they entered. "That witch, or owl, is on the loose again. It woke me up. You heard it?"

"We sure did," Frank replied.

"Brr!" Joe s.h.i.+vered. "Never mind the owl. Just let me near that stove."

"If that's the way you feel," said Chet, "I'll whip up a little snack. I could use something hot, myself."

117 A little later, over mugs of hot chocolate, the Hardys told Chet of their vigil outside the windowless cabin.

"So," Joe concluded, "Webber is Donner's lawyer, apparently, and they both want money."

"Birds of a feather flocking together," Chet observed, adding with a grimace, "but I don't like the sound of Webber's threat to 'attend to the boys.' "

"This Webber is always croaking about money," Joe remarked. "What money do you think he means?"

"They must've been talking about the Donner estate tonight," Frank put in.

"Remember, Colonel Thunder told us the lawyers were still arguing about it?

And Donner said he was tired of waiting-that he was getting desperate."

"Too bad Colonel Thunder didn't show up," said Joe. "After all, part of that money is his."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything dishonest going on," Chet pointed out. "Donner was only talking about money he has a claim to. And another thing-Webber told us Captain Maguire owed him money. Do you suppose the captain never went into the hollow at all, but just ran away somewhere?"

Frank shook his head decisively. "You don't know Captain Maguire, Chet. He never ran away from anything in his life, much less a debt to a tinhorn like Webber 1"

118 "You know what I wonder?" Joe said suddenly. "Donner says he's getting desperate, I wonder what he'll do?"

"What a puzzle!" exclaimed Chet, shaking his head. "We'll never figure it out tonight, fellows. Let's just forget it for a while, and make a fresh start in the morning!"

Frank and Joe needed no further urging. After changing to dry underclothes, the two boys unrolled their sleeping bags and climbed in.

"Four o'clock," noted Chet as he turned out the lanterns and climbed into bed.

"Only a few hours of sleep till breakfast. Let's use them."

"All the same, I'd like to know who was hiding in those bushes," came Joe's drowsy mumble in the dark room. In another moment all was silent.

As he lay in his sleeping bag, Frank was still wondering about the mysterious person who had been hiding near them. In the boy's tired brain, all the 40 perplexing questions of the strange case seemed to whirl madly around and around.

Who had been lurking near Donner's cabin? Where was Captain Maguire?

When Frank dozed off, he had peculiar, fitful dreams. First, he saw a pack of barking dogs being chased by a witch on a broomstick. Next, the dogs turned into owls, which flew around hooting and wailing.

Meanwhile, the witch had turned into Walter Donner, who seemed to be talking calmly to some 119 sheep. Then, weirdly, Walter became William Donner-Colonel Thunder-and the sheep became a snarling black puma.

Colonel Thunder's huge black whip cracked again and again. "Oh-h!" Frank moaned aloud.

Now, in his dream, he heard Wyckoff Webber's rasping voice, "I'll attend to the boys. Nothing can go wrong this time!"

Once more, Frank seemed to see the little lawyer standing in the open doorway of Walter Donner's cabin, talking with Donner. Behind them the orange-yellow flames of the kerosene lamp were burning-burningBurning! It seemed to Frank as if he could even smell the distinctive odor of burning kerosene, that he could feel the heat generated by the lamps! The yellow flames seemed to grow brighter and brighter in his dream until they blotted out everything else.

Again Colonel Thunder's black whip cracked. Suddenly Frank sat up, wide awake.

He was facing the kitchen. For an instant the youth thought that someone had turned on the lights in there. Then, with horror, he realized that one whole side of the cabin was a ma.s.s of swirling yellow flame! The snapping and cracking was the sound of the two-by-fours as they caught fire, as in some gigantic fireplace. The whole cabin had become an inferno!

"Joe! Chet!" he shouted frantically above the 120 roar of the swirling flames. Frank pulled off his sleeping bag and wound it around him, as he shook his brother into consciousness. Then he leaped to the sleeping Chet.

"Joel Wrap your sleeping bag around you and make a dash through the front door!" Frank screamed. By now all four walls were ablaze, and the heat was unbearable.

Instantly taking in the situation, Joe followed instructions. Meanwhile, Frank helped put Captain Maguire's blankets around the still-groggy Chet, and now the three raced outside. Mystery, too, dashed to the yard, yapping in fear.

The boys' hair and brows were singed, and their eyes smarted. The three friends watched in speechless dismay as the flames of the burning cabin lighted up the whole area like a beacon. Sparks shot a hundred feet skyward.

"BoyI" breathed Chet. "There goes all our stuff, and Captain Maguire's too-clothes, food, money, everything. But we're fortunate to get out alive!

What woke you, Frank?"

"A lucky dream," Frank answered gratefully. "Luck was sure on our side."

Fortunately, the Hardys' convertible and Captain Maguire's car had been parked far enough away from the fire to be out of danger. But the cabin, with its drums of kerosene and gasoline, burned fiercely out of control.

"No use driving anywhere to get help," said The three boys raced outside 122 Frank. "No equipment could get here in time." The trio, huddled in their blankets, stared at the flaming cabin.

"The walls seemed to go up all at once," Frank remarked to the others. "It wasn't as if the fire had started in the kitchen and spread to the living room. Everything went up at once."

Joe looked grim. "No fire could start that way 41 -unless-unless it was set deliberately by someonel"

CHAPTER XV.

Ragged Footprints chet gulped. "The cabin was set on fire?" he cried.

"Right," said Joe.

Frank nodded. "From the way the fire spread, I'd say someone poured kerosene all around the foundation and then lighted a match to it. I smelled kerosene strongly right at the beginning!"

Suddenly Frank and Joe recalled Webber's words: "I'll attend to the boys."

Could it be that he was the incendiary?

"But that would make him a murderer!" Chet exclaimed. "Is he that bad?"

"Oh, we're not accusing him yet," Joe said quickly.

"Or anyone else," Frank added. "When it's safe to look in the ruins, we'll hunt for clues."

Helplessly, Frank, Joe, and Chet watched the blaze. Though the mysterious fire had begun suddenly, it burned for some time. The logs of the cabin, soaked in creosote to withstand the weather, now burned fiercely until consumed. When morning came, the once trim cabin was a ma.s.s of rubble, glowing here and there with orange sparks.

"It's a crime!" Joe said. "If somebody did burn down the cabin, I'd like to get my hands on him!"

Suddenly Chet pointed out, "Fellows, we haven't a st.i.tch of clothing except our underwear!"

Despite the gravity of the situation, all three boys began to laugh. "This is a fine situation," said Frank.

"Of course we have blankets and sleeping bags," Joe spoke up. "We can play Indian."

"But there's no chow," Chet reminded him, "to have a feast."

"It seems funny that no one has come here to see where the fire is," Frank remarked. "You'd think a forest-fire observer would have spotted it from his tower and investigated."

No one arrived, however. When the intense heat had abated, Frank went toward the ruins. He noted that Captain Maguire had built his cabin on a stone foundation, using concrete for mortar. After finis.h.i.+ng, he had spread his surplus gravel around the entire foundation.

125 Now the three young detectives found that this gravel still preserved the warmth of the fire. But even more important, it had preserved something else-several deep, distinct, footprints!

"You were right, Frank, about somebody set-ing this fire!" Joe exclaimed. "The prints are on all sides. If only we'd brought our moulage equipment from home, we could have made some fine plaster casts for evidence."

"We'll have to do without," replied his brother. "But we can still take measurements."

He placed his own bare right foot over the right indentation left by the suspect. "Somebody with a short, wide shoe," Frank observed. "And look here!

All the left prints have this ragged outer edge. Looks as if the sole of the man's shoe had been damaged by a stone or a knife!"

So absorbed were Frank, Joe, and Chet in examining the fresh prints that they were suddenly startled to discover someone standing directly behind them.

Simon, the mute boy, had just appeared from the encircling woods. He gaped in astonishment at the blackened ruins.

"h.e.l.lo, Simon," Joe called. Instantly he dropped his eyes from the boy's face to his feet. Frank and Chet, having the same idea, also looked down.

In spite of his long legs, Simon had average-size feet. And his battered tennis shoes could not have made the footprints in the gravel.

126 42 "Somebody burned us out, Simon," explained Joe. "Take a look at these prints!"

Though Simon followed Joe's pointing finger obediently, he merely shook his head and shrugged.

"Well, what do we do now?" Chet asked.

"First, let's get some clothes," Frank answered.

"Oh, sure," said Chet. "And what are we using for money and clothes to go into a store with? Every cent we had was burned in the fire. We can't go shopping in our underwear!"

Mysteriously, Frank's face brightened. "Simon," he said, "you'll have to do our shopping for us." Frank quickly explained their needs to the mute boy.

Simon nodded comprehension and consent.

"Now, the money." Taking a small screw driver from the glove compartment of the car, Frank pried up the horn b.u.t.ton. As the piece popped out, a bill, folded very small, fell out too.

"Emergency money," explained Frank, grinning.

"Thank goodness," said Chet.

Once more the yellow convertible made its way over the hilly country roads to the town of Forest-burg. Purposely, Frank parked the car a good hundred yards from the first house of the town.

"Nothing like driving in bare feet," he remarked. "Tickles!"

127 "What a sight we must be!" Joe laughed. "No clothes, singed eyebrows-refugees from a circus, or something!"

"At least Mystery still has his coat on," Chet joked.

"Quiet!" commanded Joe, and grinned. "I'm writing down sizes for the clerk.

Let's see-trousers about six feet around the waist, Chet?"

Finally the lithe figure of Simon emerged from the car. He made his way, with some hesitation, down the street toward Ciller's General Store.

As soon as he had gone, the three boys began to talk over the footprints around the burned cabin.

"I'll bet anything they belong to Webber," Joe declared.

Frank's suspicions were nearly as strong as Joe's, but he advised caution.

"Better hold your horses a little, Joe. This is a very serious charge. We'll need airtight proof before we can accuse Webber."

"And even if you're right," Chet spoke up, "why did Webber and Donner want us out of the way? What 15 it that he didn't want to go wrong?"

"Wish I knew," said Joe. "Since we're not involved in the estate, I'd say Webber and Donner must be tied up in some kind of underhanded business. Maybe Colonel Thunder is in it too, and got word to his brother about our visit to him."

"What a mess!" Chet said with a sigh. "Say," he 128 added, looking at his watch, "Simon's been gone twenty minutes. What's he doing all this time! Suppose somebody should come by?"

"Duck, fellows! Here comes a lady!" Joe warned.

"Where? Is she close?" Chet and Frank scrambled to the floor.

"Guess I made a mistake!" Joe chuckled.