The Radio Detectives Part 15

"Well, you didn't name any limit," replied Mr. Henderson chuckling. "You said 'call the police' and I called 'em. Might as well be on the safe side, you know."

As Mr. Pauling helped Tom into Mr. Henderson's car he saw the man whom Rawlins had captured in his spectacular battle under the river being shoved into a patrol wagon.

"Do tell me who he is," begged Tom. "Is he a German spy?"

His father laughed. "You've forgotten the war's over and done with and there are no spies," he replied. "No, my boy, he's not even a German.

But you'll have to wait a bit before I can tell you anything more."

"Well, where did you send those policemen, then?" asked Tom. "You can tell me that."

Mr. Pauling's eyes twinkled. "They've gone to get your phantom radio man," he replied. "Henderson's men couldn't find him before, but I'll wager we located him this time. You see, Reilly happened to know about that old sewer and he says it runs under the block where you located the sender of those odd messages. Henderson thinks if he finds one he'll find the other. We'll run around past there and see if anything is happening."

As Frank and Henry crowded into the little car, the boys saw a stretcher bearing a shrouded form being carried from their workshop to an ambulance, and the next moment they were moving slowly through the crowd which reluctantly made way before the insistent screams of the horn.

Close behind them came another car with Mr. Henderson and Rawlins and a moment later they were through the crowd and speeding towards the block to which Mr. Pauling had dispatched the police.

As they swung around a corner they saw a surging, densely packed throng blocking the street, while from beyond came the sounds of shouts and cries. Above the heads of the people the boys could see the glaring bra.s.s and shining paint of two patrol cars and, moving here and there, rising and falling as if tossed about upon a troubled sea, the low-visored, flat-topped caps of policemen.

"Can't get through there!" declared Mr. Pauling, as his horn screeched and fell on unheeding ears. "Looks like a riot!"

Mr. Henderson had leaped from his car and was beside them. "Guess the men found something," he remarked. "I'll push through and see what's up."

With Rawlins by his side, he wedged his way into the crowd and the two were instantly swallowed up. But a moment later they reappeared, hats and collars awry, coats torn open, and panting.

"Whew!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "Might as well try to get through a solid wall. h.e.l.lo! There's another wagon!"

As he spoke, a bell clanged harshly and above the heads of the mob a car crowded with police could be seen forcing its way towards the center of the disturbance which appeared to be a large garage.

At this moment a huge, lumbering motor truck crept slowly from the garage door and an angry bellow rose from the crowd. But even an East Side mob must give way before a five-ton truck and the crowd, surging back to make way for the truck, swept around the boys and the two cars and engulfed them like a sea of rough clothes and angry, grimy faces.

"How the d.i.c.kens can we get clear now!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson, as to save themselves from being knocked down and trampled underfoot he and Rawlins leaped upon the running boards and flattened themselves against the body of the car.

"Expect we'll have to stick here until the crowd leaves," replied Mr.

Pauling, and added, "Unless they pick us up car and all and carry us out."

Now the crowd was surging still farther back as though pressed by an irresistible force and above the bellowing, moving, multicolored wave of human heads and shoulders appeared a half-dozen mounted police, their well-trained horses forcing back the human wall which, despite jeers, taunts, threats and imprecations, gave way steadily before them.

As the police drew near and the crowd thinned out, one of the officers caught sight of the two cars and their occupants.

"Here you!" he shouted, urging his horse towards the car. "Get them flivvers out o' here! Right about now and move lively!"

Mr. Pauling chuckled and Mr. Henderson grinned. "Show us how!" cried back Mr. Pauling.

"No sa.s.sing back there!" stormed the policeman now riding close. "Get a move on or I'll pinch the bunch of ye for interferin' with the police, resistin' an officer and blockadin' traffic. I'll get enough charges against ye to send youse to the island for a year."

Mr. Henderson and Tom's father were shaking with laughter. "Don't be foolish, officer. Don't you see we can't move?" Mr. Henderson asked.

The policeman's face grew purple with anger and he pushed his mount close beside the car, calling to a fellow officer to help him.

Exasperated by the crowd, naturally quick-tempered and in a frenzy of rage at these "swells," as he mentally dubbed them, defying his orders, he drew his club and raised it threateningly.

Mr. Henderson leaped from the running board to the policeman's side and in tones which even the angry blue coat recognized as authoritative exclaimed,

"Here, that's enough from you! You'll find yourself broke if you don't look out. Your job's to protect citizens-not to abuse them!"

A look of mingled amazement and anger swept over the officer's face.

"An' who may youse be?" he began, hunching himself forward and shooting forth his pugnacious jaw.

Mr. Henderson stepped a bit closer and turned back the lapel of his vest.

The sudden change in the man's att.i.tude and expression caused the boys to burst out laughing. Surprise, incredulity, fear, and regret all spread over his big Hibernian features in turn. His half-raised arm dropped to his side, he seemed to shrivel and shrink in size, his pale blue eyes seemed about to pop from between his red-lashed lids.

Then Irish humor came to his rescue. Drawing himself stiffly up he saluted and with a twinkle in his eyes blurted out,

"B'gorra, Sir, 'tis sorry I am. But how was I to know, Sir? What with your kelly dinted in and your tie adrift and all. Sure I'll see ye through here in a jiffy."

The crowd had now been driven far back, and, escorted by the mounted men, the two cars proceeded slowly up the street until opposite the garage. A few idlers were still hovering about and were being chased away by blue coats, but inside the garage the boys could see a closely packed ma.s.s of men with policemen's caps much in evidence, while the broad doorway was blocked by officers with drawn clubs.

As Mr. Pauling brought his car to a stop, a plain-clothes man pressed through the line of police and hurried to the car.

"What's up?" demanded Mr. Pauling as the man came close. "Find anything?"

"Find anything!" repeated the other, his gimlet eyes fairly glistening with satisfaction. "You bet your-beg your pardon-I'll say we did. Got the whole bunch-men, cars, booze an' all. Want the story now?"

"No, don't stop now, Murphy," replied Mr. Pauling, "After everything's cleaned up come around to the house and we'll hear the whole yarn, the boys are ent.i.tled to know it. I'm expecting a call to the hospital at any time and must be on hand. Glad you got them."

"I guess I'll stay and see the fun," said Rawlins, "that is, if I may."

"Let Mr. Rawlins in, Murphy," commanded Mr. Pauling. "He's one of our crowd and all right. Wouldn't have got this job over without his help.

See you later."

As the car drove off, the boys saw Rawlins pushing through the cordon of police by Murphy's side and all three breathed a sigh of regret that they, too, could not remain to see what exciting and interesting things were taking place within the garage.

But they realized that it was no place for boys and, to tell the truth, all three were quite ready and willing to go home and have a chance to calm down and rest. Tom, of course, had been through a racking experience and was utterly exhausted nervously and physically, and Frank, who was younger and of a far more nervous temperament, had been so worried and frightened over Tom's plight and the uncertainty of what was occurring under the water that he had become almost hysterical when it was all over. Even Henry had experienced enough excitement to last him for some time and boylike was crazy to rush home and tell his parents all about the remarkable adventures of the afternoon.

Leaving Henry at Gramercy Square, Mr. Pauling drove the car home while Mr. Henderson went to his office and Tom and Frank, who was staying at the Pauling home while his parents were in Europe, breathed a sigh of satisfaction when they found themselves once more in the cool, quiet interior of the house on Madison Avenue.

CHAPTER XI

HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW

When, after parting with Mr. Pauling and the boys, Mr. Henderson drove towards his office, he was in high good humor. The afternoon, thanks to the boys' radio and Rawlins' diving suits, had been a most eventful and highly satisfactory one. Not only had the discoveries resulted in the raid on the garage, the seizure of a vast amount of contraband and probably the breaking up of the gang of rum-runners which for so long had baffled his men and himself, but it had brought in two prisoners, one of whom at least he had recognized and was mighty glad to see.