The Secret Of The Old Mill

make the plates from which the bills were printed.

"Which one of you rode Ken's bike and left the typed warning for our father?" Frank asked.

"I did," Markel replied promptly.

"Why? He wasn't involved with the counterfeiting case."

We thought he was when we overheard a company bigwig say Fenton Hardy was 'taking the

case.'"

"Yeah," Docker said. "I wasn't kidding when I sent the warnings-on paper and by phone."

He had acquired some sheets of bond paper from Elekton on a pretext; also the Manila

envelopes used to deliver the bogus money to Peters. Docker admitted he had "unloaded" the counterfeit twenty at Pritos' yard by mistake.

Peters broke in abruptly. "We'd better get rid of these kids right now!"

The three men held a whispered conference, but Docker and Markel did not take their eyes

from the Hardys. Suddenly the boys' keen ears detected the put-put of an approaching

motorboat.

One thought flashed across their minds-Chet and Tony were bringing help. But in a few minutes

their hopes were dashed! A heavy-set, dark-haired man peered into the mouth of the cave.

"Blum!" Market said.

"Who are these kids?" Blum asked, squinting at Frank and Joe.

"Their name is Hardy-" Docker began, but Blum cut him short.

"Hardy!" he said sharply. "ListenI just gave Fenton Hardy the slip at the Bayport dock. He was on a police launch."

"We've got to move fast!" Markel urged. "Docker and I caught these sons of his snooping. Pay us what you promised and we'll scram."

Blum looked disgusted. "Stupid amateurs! You let kids make it so hot you have to get out of town?" The heavy-set man pulled out his wallet. "Here's your cut for letting me into the plant,"

he continued scornfully.

"I'm glad to get rid of such bunglers."

"It's not just these kids that made it hot for us!" Docker stormed. "If we'd known you were going to blow up that lab, we never would've gotten mixed up with you."

The Hardys noticed that Paul Blum appeared startled at Docker's words.

Frank spoke up boldly. "Sure. We all know you're back of the sabotage. Who pays you for doing it?

And who's your inside man at Elekton?"

Blum glared, then in a sinister tone replied, "You'll never live to sing to the cops, so I'll tell you.

Several countries that want to stop United States progress in missiles are paying me. My friend in the plant is a fellow named Jordan."

The saboteur revealed that his accomplice had first carried out smaller acts of sabotage, the

ones which Chet had heard about from his father. It had been Blum himself who had driven the

truck into the grounds and placed the dynamite in the laboratory. "Jordan and I gave your father the slip, then, too!"

"You guys can stand here and talk!" snapped Peters. "I'm going. You'd better take care of these Hardys." He backed out of the cave and raced off.

The counterfeiters discussed heatedly whether "to get rid" of Frank and Joe immediately, or take "these kids" and dispose of them later.

"That's your worry!" Blum said. "I'm taking off!"

"Oh, no, you're not. You can't leave us in the lurch." Markel waved his gun meaningfully.

At that instant there was a crashing noise outside the cave. The three men swung around.

This was all the Hardys needed. They hurled themselves at their captors, forcing them

backward onto the rocky beach. From the woods they heard Chet yell, "Here we come,

fellows!"

Frank had tackled Blum, and Joe was wrestling with Docker on the beach.

Tony Prito yelled, "Got you!" as he took a flying leap at Markel and brought him to the ground.

The older men, though strong, were no match for the agile Hardys and the furious onslaught of

Chet and Tony.

Finally the struggle ended. The saboteur and counterfeiters were disarmed and lined up before

the cave, their arms pinioned behind them by Joe, Chet, and Tony. Frank took charge of the

revolvers. "Good work, you two!" he said to his friends. Chet, out of breath, grinned proudly.

"I'm glad Tony and I stuck around when we saw these guys high-tailing it through the woods."

Now Frank turned to the prisoners. "Okay. March!" he ordered.

But before anyone could move, footsteps were heard approaching through the woods. A

moment later Chief Collig and another officer appeared. With them, in handcuffs, was Victor

Peters.

"Chief! Are we glad to see you!" Joe exclaimed.

The chief stared in amazement at the boys and their captives. "I got your message from Ken Blake," he told Frank. "Looks as if you have your hands full!"

"Oh, we have!" Joe grinned, then, puzzled, he asked his brother, "What message?" "Just before I left the house I told Ken to call Chief Collig if we weren't back by eleven, and tell him where we had gone."

While Blum and the counterfeiters stood in sullen silence, the four boys learned that Ken had

called the chief just minutes after Fenton Hardy had left in the police launch in pursuit of Paul Blum.

"When we reached the mill we met this crook running out of the woods." Chief Collig gestured toward the handcuffed Peters. "I recognized him from Chet's description. When we found

phony money on him, he told me where you were, hoping to get off with a lighter sentence."

"You rat!" Docker's face contorted with rage.

At that moment the group became aware of a police launch churning toward them, the beam

from its searchlight sweeping the water. In the excitement, no one had heard the sound of its

engine.

"Dad!" cried the Hardys, spotting the detective's erect figure standing in the bow. Soon the launch was beached, and Mr. Hardy, with several officers, leaped ashore.

"Well," Mr. Hardy said sternly when he saw Blum, "you won't be escaping again."

The captured lawbreakers were handcuffed and put aboard the launch. Mr. Hardy looked at his

sons and their friends proudly. "You've done a yeoman's job-on both cases, yours and mine," he said.

After the police cruiser had departed, Frank and Joe led their father and the others into the mill cellar and showed them the secret room.

"This is all the evidence you need against the counterfeiters, Chief," said Mr. Hardy. "I can see there are plenty of fingerprints on this equipment. We know some will match the one on the

finger guard. Besides your evidence, boys, Ken's testimony should be more than enough to

convict them."

"What about Jordan, Blum's confederate at Elekton?" Frank asked.

Mr. Hardy smiled. "He was my big prize and I'm glad to say he is in jail!" The detective explained that further sleuthing had led to Jordan -and through him, Paul Blum. Mr. Hardy's first break

had come when he learned that one Elekton employee had seen Jordan going toward the

laboratory building at closing time on the day of the explosion.

A police guard was assigned to watch the counterfeiters' workshop and its contents. Then the

four boys, Mr. Hardy, and the chief left the mill. Outside, they paused and looked back at the turning wheel.

Frank laughed. "Its signaling days are over."

"Sure hope so," Chet declared firmly. "No more mysteries for a while, please!"

Tony chuckled. "With Frank and Joe around, I wouldn't count on it."

His words proved to be true. Sooner than even the Hardy boys expected, they were called upon

to solve the mystery of THE MISSING CHUMS.

Now Joe turned to their plump friend. "Good thing you bought that microscope, Chet. We

started to look for nature specimens and dug up the old mill's secret!"