THE YELLOW FEATHER MYSTERY by FRANKLIN W. DIXON No. 33 in the Hardy Boys Series
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THE YELLOW FEATHER MYSTERY By FRANKLIN W. DIXON No. 33 in the Hardy Boys series. This is the 1953 original text. In the 1953 original, the Hardy Boys go to the Woodson Academy to solve the mystery of a missing will. The 1971 revision is slightly altered. The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon, the first 58 titles. The first year is the original year. The second is the year it was revised. 01 The Tower Treasure 1927, 1959 02 The House on the Cliff 1927, 1959 03 The Secret of the Old Mill 1927, 1962 04 The Missing Chums 1927, 1962 05 Hunting for Hidden Gold 1928, 1963 06 The Shore Road Mystery 1928, 1964 07 The Secret of the Caves 1929, 1965 08 The Mystery of Cabin Island 1929, 1966 09 The Great Airport Mystery 1930, 1965 10 What Happened at Midnight 1931, 1967 11 While the Clock Ticked 1932, 1962 12 Footprints Under the Window 1933, 1962 13 The Mark on the Door 1934, 1967 14 The Hidden Harbor Mystery 1935, 1961 15 The Sinister Sign Post 1936, 1968 16 A Figure in Hiding 1937, 1965 17 The Secret Warning 1938, 1966 18 The Twisted Claw 1939, 1964 19 The Disappearing Floor 1940, 1964 20 The Mystery of the Flying Express 1941, 1968 21 The Clue of the Broken Blade 1942, 1969 22 The Flickering Torch Mystery 1943, 171 23 The Melted Coins 1944, 1970 24 The Short Wave Mystery 1945, 1966 25 The Secret Panel 1946, 1969 26 The Phantom Freighter 1947, 1970 27 The Secret of Skull Mountain 1948, 1966 28 The Sign of the Crooked Arrow 1949, 1970 29 The Secret of the Lost Tunnel 1950, 1968 30 The Wailing Siren Mystery 1951, 1968 31 The Secret of Wildcat Swamp 1952, 1969 32 The Crisscross Shadow 1953, 1969 33 The Yellow Feather Mystery 1953, 1971 34 The Hooded Hawk Mystery 1954, 1971 35 The Clue in the Embers 1955, 1972 36 The Secret of Pirates' Hill 1956, 1972 37 The Ghost of Skeleton Rock 1957, 1966 38 The Mystery at Devil's Paw 1959, 1973 39 The Mystery of the Chinese Junk 1960 40 The Mystery of the Desert Giant 1961 41 The Clue of the Screeching Owl 1962 42 The Viking Symbol Mystery 1963 43 The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior 1964 44 The Haunted Fort 1965 45 The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge 1966 46 The Secret Agent on Flight 101 1967 47 The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo 1968 48 The Arctic Patrol Mystery 1969 49 The Bombay Boomerang 1970 50 Danger on the Vampire Trail 1971 51 The Masked Monkey 1972 52 The Shattered Helmet 1973 53 The Clue of the Hissing Serpent 1974 54 The Mysterious Caravan 1975 55 The Witch-Master's Key 1976 56 The Jungle Pyramid 1977 57 Mystery of the Firebird Rocket 1978 58 Sting of the Scorpion 1979 NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE YELLOW FEATHER MYSTERY PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Contents I A Strange Request II A Gimmick On Ice III A Three-Cornered Puzzle IIV A Surly Student V Unwanted Detectives VI An Odd Bookmark VII The Masked Figure VIII An About-Face IX A Thwarted Intruder X Cat-And-Mouse Sleuthing XI A Worrisome Search XII A Near Fight XIII A Mysterious Envelope XIV A Puzzling Ad XV Flying Harpoons XVI Dangerous Waters XVII A Disastrous Fire XVIII A Minor Explosion XIXx The Wild Chase XX A Frightened Bully XXI An Unexpected Twist XXII A Startling Story XXIII Cannon Balls of Ice XXIV Victory Snatched Away XXV The Final Roundup THE YELLOW FEATHER MYSTERY CHAPTER I A Strange Request Skating against the stiff evening wind, Frank and Joe Hardy streaked across the frozen surface of Willow River toward Woodson Academy. The bright winter moon was rising beyond the big square buildings that loomed on their right along the sloping riverbank. "Why do you suppose Gregory Woodson phoned us to meet him at the school boathouse?" Joe asked his brother. "Just before the connection was broken, Greg said he feared that someone might overhear us in the dormitory," Frank replied. "I guess what he's going to tell us must be top secret." "It sure sounds so," Joe remarked as the boys approached the meeting place. "Well, he ought to be here. It's five-thirty." Dark-haired Frank Hardy, eighteen, and his blond brother, a year younger, were known in Bay- i 2 The Yellow Feather Mystery port, where they lived, as clever amateur detectives. Although they were still high school students, they often helped their father, a nationally famous sleuth, solve baffling cases. Occasionally they were asked to solve a mystery on their own, like the present one. Joe reached the boathouse raft a few feet ahead of Frank. His brother skated in behind him and stopped short. The building was pitch black and the silence intense. Suddenly from only a few feet away a youthful voice called to them quietly: "Come straight across the float, fellows. I'm right in front of you!" "Is that you, Woodson?" Frank asked. "Yes, it is. You're the Hardys?" "That's right." As the boys walked forward on their skates, a tall, slender young man moved out of the shadows. The Hardys judged him to be about twenty-two years old. "I'm sorry we were interrupted when you phoned," Frank began. "You want us to help you solve a mystery?" "Yes, I need help badly. My grandfather, Elias Woodson, was headmaster and owner of the Academy until his recent death. It's about him and the inheritance I'm supposed to receive that I'd like to talk to you." Both Hardy boys immediately warmed up to the pleasant young man and Joe said, "Dad's an alum- A Strange Request 3 nus of the Academy and knew your grandfather well. I'm sure Dad would want us to help you." "Thanks," Woodson responded. "I'm glad you'll take the case-you might call it the mystery of the Yellow Feather." "Yellow Feather?" Joe repeated. "I'll explain in a moment," Woodson replied. "I have a key to the boathouse. Let's go inside out of the wind and I'll show you a clue I brought along." Frank followed him. As Joe was about to enter the building, a wild scream out on the river arrested their attention. "Look there!" he cried. A short distance down the shore several students were skating near a large bonfire. Close by a large black hole yawned in the ice. Joe caught sight of a young boy trying to crawl back from the thin-surfaced area at the edge of it. Joe did not wait. Like a flash he was off across the ice, with Frank and Greg trailing him. As Joe approached, the youngster shrieked in terror, crashed through the ice, and disappeared. There were cries of horror from his companions. Quickly Joe unlaced his shoes, kicked them off, and without hesitation slid into the dark water. As Greg Woodson and Frank looked on, ready to help, he rose to the surface with the struggling boy. "Hold on!" Frank cried. He had spotted a long heavy log in a woodpile near the bonfire. Grabbing one end of it, he asked 4 The Yellow Feather Mystery Greg to help him and together they laid the log across the thin ice and the hole. While they held the log, Joe pulled himself and the young skater up on it and slowly they made their way to a safe spot on firm ice. Immediately the rescued twelve-year-old began to shake from the shock of the icy water. His young friends crowded around in awe and fright, explaining to the Hardys that they had been playing snap-the-whip when their end player, Skinny Mason, had been flung off over the ice. "You okay, Skinny?" one of the players asked. "I-I g-guess so." Frank whipped off his heavy leather jacket and wrapped it around the shivering lad. "Th-thanks," Skinny quavered. "I'll b-be all r-r-right now." He looked gratefully at Joe and added, "I-I'll never forget you s-saved my 1-life!" In reply, Joe gave the boy a friendly pat on the shoulder as Greg put his skating jacket on the dripping rescuer. "Come on. We'd better get you both to the school," he said. An older boy skated up, saying that he would take charge of Skinny. As he moved off with the youngster, Joe turned to Greg Woodson. "Is there any place we can go except the main school building where I can dry my clothes? I want to hear the rest of your story." Greg thought a moment. "I know just the place-• A Strange Request 5 the caretaker's cottage. It's not far. Nobody will be there at this hour. The door's always open and I know the Teevans well. They've been here a long . »» time. Reaching the snow-covered riverbank, the boys removed their skates and hurried through a patch of woods to the Teevan cottage. A low light shone inside. As Greg had predicted, the couple were not at home. As he opened the door and invited them to enter, Greg remarked that the Teevans held open house for anyone who wanted to stop in. "Students do it often," he explained. "They like to raid Mrs. Teevan's refrigerator. She's the cook at school and brings leftovers down here." A few minutes later the three were seated in comfortable chairs before an open fire.