Read The Yellow Feather Mystery Online
Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
The Yellow Feather Mystery (5 page)
“He never explained?” Frank prompted.
“No. He was getting pretty feeble. I thought it was just a case of his mind wandering, so I didn't press him for an explanation.”
Frank was about to ask for more details when the door of the cottage opened and Mrs. Teevan walked into the room. Weakly she groped for a chair.
“Martha, what's wrong?” her husband cried, helping the tottering woman to a seat.
“I'm so upset about this yellow feather business that I feel sick,” she wailed. “I couldn't stay in that kitchen another minute. The girl will have to get dinner alone tonight.”
“I'm very sorry we disturbed you,” Frank said apologetically. “Please forget the whole thing.”
“Forget!” she sobbed. “To think I was almost implicated in nearly causing Mr. Greg's death!”
“But everything turned out all right,” Joe assured her.
“Yes, thank goodness. But I'm going to be accused,” Mrs. Teevan sobbed. “I fixed that coffee and it had poison in it!”
The Hardys' concern for her welfare mounted as they realized the woman was close to hysteria.
“We'd better call a doctor,” Frank advised, and moved across the room to the telephone.
“I'll stay here until he arrives,” Joe offered. “Frank, you go back to the Academy and see what else you can find out.”
“All right. Meet me near the gym in an hour,” Frank agreed.
He left the cottage and headed for the main building. H took a little-used trail and was deep in thought when he gave a sudden start. The young sleuth had heard the rustle of branches in a large cluster of rhododendron which he had just passed.
He turned quickly but was too late. His arms were pinned to his sides and he was dragged from the path, struggling helplessly.
Frank glimpsed two masked faces as a gag was shoved into his mouth!
CHAPTER VI
Framed!
ONE hour later Mrs. Teevan was resting comfortably under the doctor's care, so Joe strode up to the gymnasium to meet his brother. Seeing Skinny Mason, he called to him, “Have you seen Frank?”
“No. But there's a pickup hockey game on the pond. Maybe he went over there. I'll show you where it is.”
“I doubt it,” Joe thought. Where could his brother have gone? And what was he doing? Had he run into trouble?
“Well, I'll take a look on the pond anyway,” Joe decided.
Skinny led him to a ravine in which a frozen pond afforded a fine ice rink. There was no sign of Frank.
“Say, Skinny, we'd better start searching,” Joe said apprehensively. Worried that perhaps the Yellow Feather had caught up with Frank, he led the way back to the Teevans' cottage.
“Frank intended to go straight to the gymnasium from here,” Joe told Skinny “That would mean this way.”
With his young assistant, Joe walked slowly along the flagstone path, trying to pick out his brother's footprints in the few patches of snow that were left. Suddenly Skinny stopped at a large planting of rhododendron.
“Hey, look at this!” he cried, pointing.
All around the front of the bushes were clusters of footprints.
“It seems there's been a real struggle here,” Joe said. “And I'm sure Frank was involved in it.”
“I'll check behind those bushes,” Skinny of fered.
“Wait! Let me go first,” Joe ordered.
He had hardly pushed the branches aside and started down an incline when he uttered a cry and raced ahead. Half-hidden by more shrubs, a trussed figure lay twisting and squirming in a snowbank below.
“It's Frank!” he shouted.
Joe quickly removed the gag; then whipped out his pocketknife. Skinny, who had caught up to him, watched him cut through the bonds.
Frank was stiff from the cold. Joe helped him to his feet and he moved around to revive his circulation. Then he told how the two masked figures had caught him by surprise.
“Did you get a look at them?” Joe asked.
“No. They wore ski masks. But it wouldn't surprise me,” he continued, “if one of them were Benny Tass!”
“What makes you think that?”
“One was exactly Benny's size and build. And he'd want to get square for our accusing him of running into our car.”
“Right. And now, we'd better get you home,” Joe insisted.
As the boys walked through the woods, Skinny spoke up for the first time.
“Gee, Frank, you might have frozen to death,” he said. “Do you really think Benny's that bad?”
The Hardys realized that in their excitement they had taken Skinny into their confidenceâperhaps unwisely. If he mentioned this to any of the other boys, it might endanger their work. Joe was just about to ask Skinny to guard their secret when the boy saved him the trouble.
“You don't want me to say anything about this, do you?” he asked. “But I'll watch Benny Tass if you like and let you know what I find out.”
“Thanks,” Joe said. “You could be a great help!” Skinny's chest swelled with pride. As they reached the campus, he announced that he was going to start shadowing Benny at once and left them.
“Before we go home, Joe,” said Frank, “I think we ought to tell Kurt about the coffee incident. And we'll have to report it to the police.”
“Okay. I'll do it. You get in the car and turn on the heater,” Joe proposed.
He hurried off to the headmaster's office but the man was not there. After asking a student where Kurt's bedroom was, Joe went to it and knocked.
Kurt poked his head out. His manner was anything but cordial.
“May I come in?” Joe requested. “I have something very private to talk to you about.”
“Private?” Kurt repeated. He looked more annoyed than curious. “Well, all right, come in. But I'm very busy. I can give you only a minute.”
“It won't take that long to save your life,” Joe retorted, annoyed by the man's attitude.
“What do you mean?” Kurt flared.
Briefly Joe told the story of the poisoned coffee, suggesting that the headmaster be wary of a similar incident. To the boy's amazement Kurt broke into a sardonic laugh.
“Well, if I ever heard of a ridiculous story, that's it!” he exclaimed.
Joe felt hot anger rising in him at the man's reaction.
“My story is straight,” he said. “And I'm going to report the incident to Chief Collig of the Bayport police.”
Instantly Kurt's attitude changed. He mumbled an apology. “I thought you were joking. Now, in regard to the policeâlet me handle it. I don't want the story spread all over the school. I'll call the chief and explain.”
Joe gave him a cold stare. “Well, okay,” he said and left. He hurried to the car, jumped in, and slammed the door. As Frank started the motor, he remarked:
“What's up? You look pretty upset.”
After telling Frank of Kurt's cutting remark, Joe added, “I guess he doesn't think much of us as detectives.”
“Don't let it bother you,” Frank advised. “And, by the way, we'd better not mention my little adventure at home. No use worrying Mother.”
Joe agreed, and added, “What do you say we go back to the Academy tonight when no one's expecting us and do some sleuthing?”
“Good thought.”
After dinner Frank and Joe picked up their repaired convertible and set off. Joe parked the car on a side road near the school grounds, and from there they made their way on foot to the apparently deserted campus. Few lights were in the windows of the main building.
Suddenly Frank gripped Joe's arm. “See that light over the dining roomâisn't that Elias Woodson's study?”
“Sure is. Somebody must have sneaked in. I'm going to take a look!” Joe announced. When the boys reached the bay window beneath the study, he added, “Give me a hand up, will you?”
Frank bent over and Joe climbed to his shoulders. From there he was able to haul himself onto the sloping roof below the study window. Cautiously he raised his eyes to the level of the sill.
In the dim light Joe could see a man in a dark overcoat and hat, his back to the window, busy examining the drawers of a desk which stood against the opposite wall. Evidently disgusted at not finding what he wanted, the man slammed them shut, one after another.
Then he turned. He was completely masked! Joe's heart pounded with excitement. Was this the Yellow Feather?
The boy watched for several seconds as the masked figure began a thorough search of the rest of the room.
“Maybe we can trap him in the study,” Joe thought and started to climb down.
But as he moved he lost his footing on the sloping roof. Unfortunately the noise alerted the masked man. As Joe grabbed the sill, he saw the intruder make for the door and disappear.
With a warning cry to his brother, Joe swung himself to the ground. In a few whispered words he told what had happened.
Together the boys dashed to the main entrance of the building, hoping to catch the intruder. As they reached it Frank and Joe were halted by a sudden command.
“Stop where you are!”
The voice, coming from the doorway, had a ring of authority. The order was followed by the beam of strong flashlight which caught them squarely. Henry Kurt, bareheaded, stepped toward the Hardys, scowling.
“Oh, it's you two again!” he exclaimed, clicking off his light. “I thought you were students breaking rules. What are you doing, anyway?”
“Mr. Kurt!” Joe cried. “I just saw a masked man in Mr. Woodson's study. Help us catch him!”
The headmaster stared at them in disbelief. “Nonsense! How could you see anyone in an upstairs room with no light in it? That room is locked, anyway.”
“I know what I saw,” Joe insisted. “We mustâ”
As if he were placating small children, Kurt stepped aside and let the boys in. “Go ahead and look.”
The man was completely masked
He followed them up the stairs. The study door was locked and no crack of light showed beneath it.
“I hope this satisfies you,” Kurt remarked with exaggerated politeness. “I'm sorry I have no key or I'd let you in. And now, with this farce behind us, I have something to say to you. You make up such fantastic stories about other people breaking into private property. But what about yourselves?”
“What do you mean?” Frank asked. “We have permission to work on the mystery of the Yellow Feather.
Your
permission. We haven't broken into any place.”
Your
permission. We haven't broken into any place.”
“Then what were you doing in my private office?” Kurt stormed.
Joe was indignant. “We weren't there!”
“Come with me!” Kurt commanded. “I have proof that you not only were there, but broke in!”
Thunderstruck at the headmaster's charge, the Hardys followed him downstairs.
“What in the world is he up to now?” Joe whispered to his brother.
“I have no idea what he's talking about. But I guess we'll find out.”
Kurt reached the office and pointed to the door. “First of all,” he said, “the lock has been jimmied. Quite obvious, isn't it?” His tone was sarcastic.
The boys inspected the spring lock of the door and saw that the mechanism, indeed, had been forced.
“What makes you think we did it?” Frank asked angrily.
“I came in here tonight to go over some papers,” Kurt said icily, “and found this!”
He walked ahead inside and stopped before the table. On it was a man's hand-knitted scarf. Woven into it were the initials F. H.!
“My scarf! ”Frank cried.
“Just as I thought,” Kurt said triumphantly. “Now suppose you explain what it is doing in my private office.”
Embarrassed, Frank fingered the scarf, a Christmas gift from Callie Shaw. Quickly he thought back over the day's events. Then suddenly he snapped his fingers.
“Now I know!” he exclaimed, looking Kurt straight in the eyes. “This scarf was stolen from me this afternoon during a scuffle.”
“Which means,” Joe added, “that someone tried to frame my brother by planting it here.”
Kurt glanced incredulously from one boy to the other, waiting to hear more.
“And if you want to know whom I suspect,” Frank went on, “it's Benny Tass.”
The headmaster started in surprise. Then quickly regaining his composure, he said. “Ridiculous! Tass is one of our finest boys.”
Frank and Joe made no comment.
“Besides,” Kurt went on, looking at Frank, “why would Tass want to frame you?”
“That's something we'd like to find out,” Frank replied. “He seems to have gone out of his way to make things uncomfortable for us.”
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