by Van Powell
CHAPTER IX
ONE MYSTERY--OR TWO?
Slowly the table grated back across the floor of the hut.
Then, to Chick's intense relief, a cheerful voice hailed him.
"Ahoy, the boathouse! Who's in there?"
"It's--Chick--Chickering----"
"Gosh-a-mighty!" Chick sensed a familiar ring in the exclamation. "Inthe name of all-possessed! What are you doing in my boathouse?"
The door thrust the table back, a dark form showed in the rays of themoon that peered from the edge of scattering clouds, and Chick, with agreat sense of relief, recognized that his newest companion was TobyTew, who operated a small motion picture "palace" in Winter and ekedout a meager living by renting dories to crabbing parties in the Summer.
"Show a light!" he ordered Chick. "What made you blow out the lantern?"
"I didn't. It went out." Chick clutched the arm of the big man in hisheavy oilskins as he thrilled to the touch of human contact. "Mr. Tew,did you see anything--hear anything?"
The other laughed.
"Sort of spooky, hey? No. I guess I was part of the ghost, and yourexcitement furnished the balance. I saw a light when I started downchannel to see to my dories after the blow. 'A light!' thinks I,'that's a how-dy-do!' So I pushed the door open, and got out of range,case it was some bootlegger run in out o' the blow. I heard you comingout so I dodged across and got behind a spile. Thinks I, 'I don't wantany bootlegger to bore me. If he wants to shelter in my boathouse, lethim,' thinks I, 'but I won't try collecting rent--not in the kind oflead the bootleggers uses to pay their taxes!'"
"I'm glad it was you," Chick said, and on Toby's earnest question as tohis reason for being there, Chick spoke in fullest confidence.
He knew Toby Tew, as did all the youths of Port Washington and itsvicinity, knew him for a kindly, good-humored, open-handed man. Noparent was ever visited because prankish youths "borrowed" dories andreturned them with am oar missing. No party of boys lacking funds hadto forego crabbing expeditions as long as Toby had spare dories not indemand for pay. Any Winter evening there were plenty of spare seats atthe picture theatre for young men who wanted amusement but were out ofpocket money--and they always paid when they could!
"Um! Gosh-a-mighty!" exclaimed the boatman-picture exhibitor, whenChick had related the suggestions of Scott, the ensuing flight, thecoming of the mail 'plane, the spectre visitation and its vanishment,and the events that had followed, "in the name of all--possessed! Youdon't say! Doc!--why, Doc never stole in his life!"
"Somebody had to bring those designs here," Chick maintained. "Doc washere when I came," he gestured toward the bottle and the upsetcondition of the hut, revealed by the refilled lantern; Toby, who hadmade a foray on his reserve can of kerosine for the lantern, set theutensil in its place.
"Doc never done that! Gosh-a-mighty! I've known that fellow for alifetime, almost! In the name of all-possessed, though, who would ofcome up through my trap door with oilskins and green rubber gloves anda bathing cap on? And what for? And Doc did say he saw the same----"
"It's easy to say you 'saw' something if you mean to 'be it,'" Chickexplained. But Toby shook his head.
"He wouldn't go that far to try to throw a scare into you," heremonstrated. "And Doe seldom uses alcohol. More'n that, there's somemighty funny goings-on around this marsh, of late--mighty funny."
"I know it!" Chick agreed. "That spooky airplane and then the twoghosts crashing together--Scott said some old-timer around the marshhad seen it and remembered about a crack-up years ago and thinks it'sthe ghost of the pilot who caused the smash, unable to rest, hauntingthe place; and--from what we saw--I begin to wonder."
"Not me. Gosh-a-mighty, son, there's a whole heap of easier ways toaccount for it than that. Supposing the airport beacon was lit,say--flashing around. Supposing your airplane was to fly across thatray just when it came onto a cloud. How about the shadow?"
"Don showed how that could be, when he came in," Chick agreed, "butthat won't account for the crash of two airplanes."
"But if Scott had took up the Dart--in the name of all-possessed!"Sitting in the chair the boatman slapped his knee. "That's what it was.The Dart flew one way. You was going another."
He paused to emphasize his next words.
"The two shadows showed, coming together!----"
"That won't explain it," Chick interrupted. "The airplanes were of theold style--like the war Jennies, or old-style biplanes."
"In that queer light, and with your minds keyed up to expectsomething----"
"But how would it help if that did explain the spook tonight? Weweren't flying around the other times!" Chick was unconvinced.
"That's so!" Toby rubbed his chin. "Besides, how does that work in withthis about the mysterious airplane design being found here. Let's havea look, what do you say?"
Chick uncurled the soggy paper, carefully, on the table.
"In the name of all-possessed! Nobody'd steal that! It don't mean athing, does it?"
"Well--only the general body design and strut placement. And I don'tsee why they sketched in wings and control surfaces, on a structuralskeleton." Chick was puzzled.
"Hum! You know more about that than I would. Son, it's a mystery!"
"Is it one mystery--or two?" Very soberly Chick looked up. "Do you seehow taking this tracing fits in with the spectre in the sky?"
As Toby shook his head and bent again over the tracery, Chick went on,in the yellow lantern light.
"We thought the haunting might be by some enemy of Don's uncle, to ruinthe airport business," he argued. "If that is so, then this about thetracing is a different mystery."
"Gosh-a-mighty! You're smart for your age!"
Toby looked up admiringly. "Now, then, what reason would you say madeanybody want to take this--" He put a stubby finger on the tracing,looking up with a curious intensity in his gaze that surprised andstartled Chick a little.
"I--I guess I give that up."
"I guess you'll have to! Son--look at this thing. Hold it up to thelight!"
Astonished, Chick did so.
"Notice anything odd about it?"
"Some of the ink has run----"
"That's part of it, son. The part that has run is----"
"Wait!" cried Chick, thrilling with a discovery. "The wings and thestruts, and some of the 'empennage'--the tail assembly--is done inIndia waterproof ink!----"
"Not alone that." Toby became very serious. "That's no design of anairplane, my lad. That's--but, here! Gosh-a-mighty! I'm forgetting thatyou're sopping wet and cold, and the folks at home will be having asearch party out after you. Let's get my dory and I'll row you down tothe 'base.'" He caught up the lantern as Chick picked up the tracing.
"Wait!" begged Chick. "If it isn't an airplane--what is it?"
Lantern in hand, Toby turned to him.
"It's the hull of an old-time sailing brig!" he declared.
And with that he added a third mystery--or didn't he?
