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A Hazing Trick






 

CASTING hopeless glances at each other, Frank and Joe struggled desperately at their bonds while the diesel locomotive drew closer.

The rumble of the wheels grew deafening. But then, as if by a miracle, the engine throbbed past, leaving only the clickety-clack of freight cars trailing in its wake.

Unscathed but shaken, Frank and Joe continued to work at the ropes which secured them to the planks. By straining until his muscles ached, Frank stretched his bound wrists to where he could dimly see a spike protruding from a railroad tie. Over and over he snagged the knot upon the spike. Each effort loosened the rope a little more. Finally it fell open.

With his wrists released, Frank tore out his gag and reached over to do the same for Joe.

" Whew! " Joe gasped. " I thought our goose was cooked! "

" It would have been an awful way to say good-by to mother earth, " Frank replied grimly, quickly freeing himself from the plank.

Then he released his brother. The two boys stood up and stretched painfully, massaging their cramped muscles. Twenty yards away the polished rails of another railroad line glimmered in the moonlight.

" Look, these tracks we were on are rusty, " Frank noted.

" Must be a spur line, " Joe said, " which isn't used any more."

" A great way to give a guy gray hair at a tender age, " Frank remarked.

" It wasn't funny, " Joe said, between clenched teeth.

" I'll say not, " his brother agreed. " I'd like to find the nut who planned this trick! "

" If I see him first, I'll take care of that joker, " Joe said.

After walking along the tracks some distance, the boys came to the highway. There they flagged a friendly trucker, who readily agreed to drive them to their motel.

Jouncing up and down in the cab beside the driver, the Hardys continued to speculate.

" You suppose what happened to us was just a crazy mix-up? " Joe asked in low tones. " Why should those fellows pick on us? "

Frank frowned. " I have a hunch the whole thing was intended to scare us away from Ken-worthy before we could find a good clue."

" Then you think Todd could have been kidnapped? "

" Let's not rule out that possibility, " Frank said.

As the truck approached the Palm Court grounds, Joe suddenly chuckled. " If Chet and Biff wanted excitement-they should've been with us tonight. Honeycomb Caves must be pretty tame compared with the Kenworthy capers."

Frank grinned widely. " Chet would've lost ten pounds from fright."

The truck swung over and stopped. The Hardys hopped out, thanking the trucker for the lift.

" Sure thing, fellows. So long."

The brothers made a beeline for the office.

" Now to question Baldy, " Frank said. He stabbed the buzzer beside the door repeatedly until a light shone inside. The manager, sleepy-eyed and holding up his trousers with one hand, opened the door. He was not in a good mood.

" What do you mean waking me up at this hour? " he asked crossly. " If you're going to check out, wait till morning, for Pete's sake."

" Somebody else checked us out, " Frank said. " We'd like to ask you some questions."

Alarmed by the boys' determination, the manager let them in. There the Hardys learned that the instigator of the room switch was a member of a local fraternity at Kenworthy College.

" I thought these college kids were just going to have some fun with you, " the man said.

" The police might give it a different label, " Frank replied grimly. " Now what's this fellow's name and where does he live? "

After the man had jotted down the information, Frank and Joe drove directly to the Delta Sigma fraternity house. Dawn lay like a pink halo on the eastern horizon, but the Hardys' thoughts were anything but heavenly as they rapped on the fraternity-house door. No one answered. Joe rang the bell while Frank continued banging.

Finally a young fellow in pajamas opened up and yawned in Frank's face. " Whatever it is, we don't want any, " he said, then started to close the door.

Frank reached for his shoulder and whirled him about. " This isn't any joke, " he said. " We're looking for Jack Hale."

" Oh, the president, " the youth said, stifling another yawn. " I can't wake him up-he's special."

" I'll say he is, " Joe declared.

" But you fellows don't understand." The college boy regarded the Hardys earnestly with his pale-blue eyes. " We don't wake the fraternity president until eight o'clock. He doesn't have his first class until nine."

" He's going to have a lesson right now, " Frank said sternly. " Get him up! "

The youth shrugged, and padded off in bare feet to the second floor. Listening below, the boys heard shouts and angry words, preceding the appearance of a thick-set youth several years older than the Hardys. In red-and-white striped pajamas he thumped down the stairs. When he saw Frank and Joe, he stopped with a startled expression.

" Isn't it kind of early–" Jack Hale started to say.

" Not for a punch in the jaw, " Joe declared hotly, and stepped forward with fists cocked.

" Wait a minute, Joe, " Frank said. " Let's get some questions answered before you start swinging." He walked over to Hale, who backed away nervously. " I'll put it on the line, " Frank said. " What's the idea of leaving us on the railroad track? And why did you switch our motel room? "

" Wait a minute, fellows! Hold it! " Hale said. " We thought you'd guess it was just a little pretesting job. Anyway, why are you working up such a head of steam–"

" Yes, why? " the blue-eyed youth put in.

Hale continued, " You two were never in any real danger. We had a lookout posted to keep an eye on you in case you needed help. Say, you are going to be Delta Sigma pledges, aren't you? "

" Of course not, " said Joe, his biceps still flexed.

" So you were hazing us? " asked Frank. " Who told you to do that? "

Jack Hale looked embarrassed. He cast a fleeting glance up the stairs and seemed relieved when several other Delta Sigma boys moved quietly down behind him.

" I can't tell you who it is, " Hale said.

The blue-eyed youth nodded vigorously. " We're honor bound not to reveal his identity."

" We thought you were going to be Delta Sigma pledges, " Jack said. " Honest we did."

" Well, then you ought to let prospective pledges in on it, too, " Frank said. He turned away. " Come on, Joe. Let's get out of here. We have work to do."

Looking somewhat the worse for wear after their strenuous night, the Hardys nonetheless planned another bit of sleuthing before returning to their cottage for sleep.

" Let's examine Todd's room before Quill gets up, " Frank suggested.

Joe readily agreed. " At six A.M. Quill's probably still asleep." Joe reached into his pocket. " I have the key to Todd's apartment."

The Hardys encountered a few milk-delivery trucks and one newspaper boy as they made their way to Shelly Row. Joe inserted the key quietly and turned it in the lock. The boys entered. Frank pressed his ear against the apartment wall. Silence.

" He's still in the arms of Morpheus, " Frank whispered.

" Okay, " Joe said. " Let's look around."

Enough daylight filtered through the two front windows to allow the boys to examine the apartment carefully. While Joe concentrated on objects of furniture, Frank looked through notes and textbooks lying about. But the boys could find no evidence of where Morgan Todd might have gone.

" I guess the police search was pretty thorough, after all, " Joe commented. " What are you looking at, Frank? "

His brother held one of the mimeographed examination sheets in his hand and was scrutinizing it. Joe watched Frank as he scanned sentence after sentence on the white paper. Then a strange expression came over his face. Joe had seen it before when Frank was on the trail of a clue.

" You found something? " Joe asked excitedly.

" I'll say I have! " Frank declared, sucking in his breath. " Wow! Look at this! "

 


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