The Flickering Torch Mystery Part 2

"I almost believe that rat would have run us down!" he stormed. "Just wait till I meet Hefty Cronin again! Trying to give us a scare, eh?"

"He succeeded," Frank said.

The boys did not think the truckman had tried to run them down deliberately, but on the other hand, it was a dangerous trick to play. Had either boy given way to panic, had one of the bicycles swerved the wrong way, there could have been a fatal accident.

22 When they reached home, they found a visitor in the kitchen. A fat, red-cheeked, roly-poly youth was sitting beside the table, within convenient reach of a jar of Aunt Gertrude's cookies. His mouth was full, and he was munching placidly.

"Now these cookies," he was saying to the woman, "are very like some my grandma baked last year. She entered them in a contest at the State Fair." He took a gingersnap from the jar and examined it critically. "Yes, this looks exactly the same as hers." He popped it into his mouth. "Tastes the same, too-except that these are better. Don't tell my grandma I said that, though," he grinned.

"You say she entered her cookies at the State Fair?" queried Aunt Gertrude.

"Won first prize," declared Chet Morton, the fat youth.

Miss Hardy beamed at him with pleasure. He could have had the entire jar of cookies right then. The lad winked at the Hardy boys and reached for another.

"Hi-ya, fellows. I just came around to say good-by. I hear you're going farming."

"You ought to join us, Chet," said Joe.

A pained expression crossed the fat youth's face. "Farming," he pointed out, "is hard work."

"Honest toil never hurt anyone!" declared Aunt Gertrude.

"I spent a week end at my uncle's farm last 23 year and had to pitch hay," said Chet. "I was stiff and sore for three days afterward.

Don't tell me honest toil can't hurt."

"You'd be able to reduce," said Frank. "A month out at the Experimental Farm, and you'd probably lose about thirty pounds. It would make a new man of you."

"I don't want to be a new man, thank you," replied Chet. He got up from the chair and moved over to the icebox. "I promised your aunt I'd help her, seeing she's in a hurry to get packed. So I guess I'll clean out the icebox."

Chet cleaned it out thoroughly. When the Hardy boys came downstairs a few minutes later, after packing the purchases they had made at the store, Chet had the contents of the icebox out on the kitchen table. He was nibbling at the last of a small ham and tucking a banana in his pocket.

"No sense in letting good food go to waste," he observed. "I'm glad I came around. You would have had to throw out this stuff."

Chet's fondness for food was well known. He was a good-natured youth, a great favorite with his chums, and he had shared in many of the Hardy boys' adventures.

"I'll miss you fellows," he said wistfully.

"We have a mystery to solve, and we may need your help," grinned Joe. "Be ready for a call."

"Well, don't make it midnight like you did once before," their chum replied. "You know, 24 disturbing a man's sleep-" he winked at Aunt Gertrude.

Joe backed the car out of the garage. The boys discovered that Aunt Gertrude's idea of light luggage consisted of a steamer trunk, two bulging suitcases, two parcels wrapped in brown paper, a knitting bag, a shopping bag, and a shoe box full of sandwiches.

"Just going away for a day or so, I see," remarked Chet gravely, with a wink at his chums.

"Oh, we'll be away a good deal longer than that," declared Aunt Gertrude, "but I couldn't see any sense carting along a whole lot of baggage. I'm just taking what I really need."

The main electricity switch was cut off, the windows were closed, the house and garage were locked, and Aunt Gertrude and most of her belongings were stowed in the rear seat.

Farewells were shouted, and the car pulled away. The last the boys saw of Chet, he was standing thoughtfully on the sidewalk, digging another cookie out of his pocket.

Their drive along the river into the country was without incident. The Hardys pulled up at last before a tree-shaded farmhouse set well back from the road on a lane. It was a big, rambling, old-fashioned building with a homey air. Mrs. Trumper herself was a thin, shy woman in her late fifties.

"I'm glad you came with the boys," she told Aunt Gertrude in a soft voice. '' There's plenty A Eunaway 26 of room and I get lonesome at times without anyone to talk to.''

The boys carried the luggage into the house. Aunt Gertrude, after regarding Mrs.

Trumper closely a few minutes, decided she was going to like her hostess. When she was shown to a neat, sunny room with a fine view of green fields and meadows, she decided she would like the Trumper farm, too.

"We're going to report to the Experimental Farm right away," Frank said, when the boys came downstairs. They had put on their blue jeans and straw hats.

"Those nice new outfits won't stay clean very long," remarked Mrs. Trumper. She had settled herself on the front porch with her knitting. Aunt Gertrude had found a comfortable rocking chair and the two ladies were in the process of getting acquainted.

"Don't be late for supper 1" ordered Misa Hardy.

The boys set off across a field to the grounds of the big Experimental Farm. They skirted a field of corn, heading toward the big red-roofed barns and the main buildings. A man working beside one of the stables directed them to the office of the superintendent.

This man, busy making out a report, looked up from his desk.

"Oh, yes," he said. He took a typed sheet from a drawer and studied it for a moment.

"You're the boys from Bayport. I didn't ex26 pect you until tomorrow." He smiled a little at the brand new work clothes. "I don't know just what you can do today. Better come around in the morning."

"Yes, sir," said Frank. "Do we report to you?"

"I'll a.s.sign you to the underwater section. When you show up in the morning, any of the men will direct you. We're doing some experimental work in growing plants without soil.

Chemical stuff."

"Plants without soil?" asked Joe in surprise.

"We put chemicals in the water. You'll be amazed at some of the results we get,'' said the superintendent. "In the meantime, just look around, and take in all you can. Care for horseback riding?"

"Yes, indeed," replied Frank.

"Ask one of the stablemen to saddle a couple of horses for you, and you can use them for getting about while you're here."

The superintendent returned to his typewriter. "Sorry I haven't time to show you around myself. Your father telephoned about your having some time off, and I'm sure you can take care of yourselves.''

The boys left the office and made their way back to the stables. The man who had directed them to the superintendent quickly saddled two horses.

"This is a pretty big farm, as you'll find," he said. "For a long time we used cars in 27 getting around from one section to another, but now the men ride horseback a good deal."

Frank meanwhile was busy rubbing some dirt and grime on his overalls.

"What's that for?" the stableman asked in surprise.

"Our clothes are a little too new. People won't think we're farmers, if we look as though we had just stepped out of a store window!"

The stableman laughed. "You won't need to go to that trouble by this time tomorrow," he prophesied.

Joe grimed up his jeans and dropped his straw hat on the ground for good measure,, adding an artistic touch by way of a smudge ol dirt on his face. Then he hoisted himself into the saddle. The horses trotted out of the yard into the lane.

"I have an idea," Frank said quietly.

"The Grable place!"

"You guessed it. I think this is a good chance to go over there and look around."

Fifteen minutes later the boys rode up the driveway of the scientist's property. The sun gleamed on the slanting gla.s.s roofs of the greenhouses back of the man's home. At the entrance to the driveway was a large sign, which read: STRICTLY PRIVATE-KEEP OUT.

28 "But that doesn't mean us, thank goodness," grinned Frank. '' Here is Asa Grable himself.''

The elderly scientist was coming down the lane. At first glance he did not recognize the boys.

'' Afternoon, Mister,'' drawled Frank. '' Mind if we come in and have a look at your livestock?"

"Just happened to be pa.s.sin' thisaway and reckoned we'd like to drap in," piped up Joe.

Asa Grable stared at them. Then he smiled as he recognized the boys. He glanced around, and his expression changed when he saw a man coming down the path from the house.

'' Not at all, boys,'' said the scientist. '' What's your names and where do you come from?"

"I'm Hank and this is Lem," said Frank. "We work over yonder to the Experrymental place."

Asa Grable gave no sign that he recognized them. He unlocked the padlock of the big gate, and showed them where to tie their horses. The Hardy boys dismounted. Frank gave Joe a nudge as the man from the house approached.

"Archibald Jenkins," he whispered.

They wondered if by any chance Jenkins would recall them as the two boys who had been in the Bayport hardware store when he ordered the magnifying gla.s.s.

"What's the trouble, Mr. Grable?" he asked as he came up.

"No trouble at all, Archie," replied the scien29 tist mildly. "Just a couple of boys who want to look around.''

"I don't like the idea of letting strangers have the run of the place," said Jenkins. "What's the use of having locks and signs if we're going to let everyone in?"

Apparently the man had no idea who the boys were.

"We don't aim to make no trouble," said Frank. "We just heard this was a right inter-estin' place to visit."

"It is," answered Asa Grable. "Very interesting. Come along, boys, and I'll show you around."

He led the way toward one of the larger greenhouses. The brothers hoped they might have an opportunity for some private conversation with Asa Grable, but that hope was doomed. Archibald Jenkins followed closely at their heels. Perhaps he was afraid his employer might unwittingly reveal some of the secrets of his work; perhaps he was just naturally officious. Whatever the reason, he did not let the boys out of sight or hearing during the whole hour of their visit.

They found the tour of the place very absorbing, however. Asa Grable had spent a great deal of money on the premises. His greenhouses contained scores of mulberry trees and Oriental plants. The objects of his special pride, of course, were the silkworms. He showed the boys the coc.o.o.ns, and the moths, 80 thousands of which were flying about in the gla.s.s enclosures.

"As you know," explained Asa Grable, "the silkworms live on mulberry leaves, so we have to watch temperatures closely or the plants would die and the insects would have nothing to eat."

In one house the coc.o.o.ns were about four inches long, and the white moths were huge.

"I didn't know they growed so big," Frank said. "Why, I reckon them fellows has a wing-spread of close to eight inches."

Asa Grable smiled. "The average coc.o.o.n ifr three inches long, and the moth has a wing-spread of only six inches. But these Grable silkworms are------"

Archibald Jenkins, hovering near by, spoke up irritably. "After all, Mr. Grable, these boys are strangers," he said. "I don't think they should be told about our work here."

Joe paid no attention, and asked quickly, "How much silk would you get from one of them there coc.o.o.ns? A couple yards?"

"If you should unwind the fiber from that worm there, it would be about fifteen hundred feet long," Asa Grable told them. "Three hundred more than the average."

The boys whistled in surprise. They were beginning to realize the tremendous importance of Asa Grable's work. But Archibald Jenkins apparently decided that they had heard enough. He persuaded the scientist to cut short the visit 31 on the pretext that some coc.o.o.ns in a small greenhouse marked "secret" were in need of attention. Reluctantly the elderly man led the boys back to where their horses were tethered at the entrance. Even then Jenkins remained close at their heels. However, Mr.

Grable was able to say in a low voice: "Lost some more coc.o.o.ns last night. Some of the prize ones."

Frank nodded to indicate that he had heard the remark.

"Well, Mr. Grable," he said in a loud voice, "we're sure much obleeged to you for showin' us around this here farm. It's been right en-tertainin' to see all them bugs and worms and b.u.t.terflies."

"b.u.t.terflies!" snorted Jenkins. "They're moths."

"Look like b.u.t.terflies to me," piped up Joe, swinging into the saddle. "Maybe we'll come around and pay you a visit some other time.''

Asa Grable a.s.sured them that they would be welcome, although his a.s.sistant gave them a sour look. The boys rode away.

"Well," said Frank, when they were out of earshot, "what do you think?"

"The place seems well protected," Joe replied. "If there are thieves around, I don't think they would find it very easy to get in. The greenhouse doors seem quite secure.''

"The only bad feature, as I see it," Frank said, "is that if a man gets into one greenhouse 32 he can get into them all, just by going from building to building.''

The layout, they had observed, was in the form of a hollow square. The courtyard in the middle was covered from building to building by several layers of cotton material like cheesecloth, which would prevent the escape of any moths when the inner windows of the greenhouses were open.

"I think we had better watch the place tonight," Joe decided. "If we see anything sms-picious, we can tell Mr. Grable.''

The boys stabled their horses in the Trumper barn and, after a hearty supper, waited 7intil dark before setting out again. They walked down the road in the direction of the greenhouses, and went past the entrance to the lane. Frank decided it would not be wise to go any closer, as they did not wish to run into Archibald Jenkins and arouse that young man's suspicions.

They found a side road running parallel to the property, and made up their minds to investigate it.

This was not much more than a lane bordered by trees. On one side was a high fence.

In the moonlight the boys could see the gla.s.s roofs of the Grable greenhouses just across the field.

"It would be an easy matter for a thief to climb this fence and reach the place from the back,'' Joe said. '' In the darkness he w ouldn 't be seen------"

33 "Joe!" interrupted his brother quickly. "Look!"