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23 - Hardy Boys The Mystery of Cabin Island by Franklin W Dixon · Hardy Boys: The Mystery of Cabin Island

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty three, The chimney collapses. Frank Hardy ran over
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: to the bed where Hanley was sleeping. The uproar on
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the roof had already aroused the man somewhat, and he
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: was stirring restlessly. Frank shook him. Get up, he shouted,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: the chimney is caving in. Hanley sat up quickly what
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: he demanded, rubbing his eyes. Get up, it's dangerous here.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: The storm blew down one of the trees and it
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: struck the chimney. There was another crash. Stones and rocks
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: went bumping and rolling down the roof, and more debris
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: came tumbling into the fireplace. Hanley needed no second urging.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: He sprang out of bed, then halted with a groan
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: of pain my ankle. He said, Ah'll help you. Frank
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: seized him by the arm, and Hanley hobbled out into
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: the kitchen where the others were gathered. The cabin was
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: creaking and swaying in the violent wind. Every little while
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: they could hear an additional fragment of the chimney come
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: crashing down onto the roof. Is the chimney coming down,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: demanded Hanley eagerly. They looked at him in surprise. Instead
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: of being frightened, the man actually appeared glad of the mishap.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: If that other tree blows over and hits it, the
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  Speaker 1: chimney will be wrecked, said Frank, sharply. I can't see
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: anything to look forward to in that. Hanley was silent,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: but there was a look of undisguised elation in his
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: swarthy face. The wind was a hurricane by now wilder
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: and wilder it blew. The snow was so heavy that
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: the boys could not see more than a few feet
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: beyond the window. The chimney was no longer breaking up,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: and the steady thump and clatter of rocks on the
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: roof had ceased. The fireplace was half full of mortar
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: and bits of stone. We'd better stay where we are,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: said Frank. We're safe enough in the kitchen. If that
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: chimney collapses, it will mean trouble for anyone in the
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: outer room. Hanley limped over to a chair and sat down.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Might as well be comfortable, he muttered. Certainly, agreed Frank.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: He swung around to face the man. Then, quite calmly,
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: he said, when did John Sparewell die? Hanley was taken
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: completely off his guard by the sudden question about eighteen
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: months ago, he began. Then he halted, What do you
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: know about John Sparewell, he demanded. We know he was
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: your uncle, and we know he disappeared from Elroy Jefferson's
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: home with the Rosewood box fifteen years ago. We know
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: a lot more than you think. Hanley, you found that notebook,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: shouted the man. Of course you had no right to
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  Speaker 1: read it. The notebook was mine. I'll have the law
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: on you for reading it. The law will be interested
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: in that notebook, Hanley. You're none too anxious to let
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: the police see it or mister Jefferson either, not told
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Hanley's lips curved in a snarl. What if Jefferson does
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: see the notebook? What do I care if you turn
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  Speaker 1: it over to him or to the police. It won't
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: do any of you any good. The only important thing
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: in the whole book is written in cipher, and I
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: defy you to solve it. He sat back, triumphantly. We
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: have solved it, Joe told him what. Hanley started forward,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: his eyes staring. We solved the cipher. Consternation was written
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: on Hanley's face. He groaned, You didn't You haven't found it?
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: He gasped, found what. The man's eyes became cunning, don't
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: you know? Frank shook his head. We have found nothing
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: so far. I think you'd better tell us what you
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: were looking for. What should we have found? Hanley sat back,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: sighing with relief. There's nothing, he said, not now. Why
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: have you found already? He nodded, yes, I found it
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: several days ago. There is nothing for you boys to
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: gain by looking further. Then, why, asked Joe, did you
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: come back here today? Hanley licked his lips and was silent.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: You're bluffing again, Hanley said, Frank. If you had found
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: what you were looking for, you wouldn't have kept coming
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: back to the cabin. You found yourself up against the
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: same problem that we did. We searched that chimney high
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  Speaker 1: and low and found nothing. Neither did you. Hanley shrugged.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: I've talked too much. You won't get any more out
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  Speaker 1: of me. I wish i'd kept my mouth shut, just
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: as you wish. Hanley remarked Frank casually. I think we're
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: all in the same fix. You don't know any more
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  Speaker 1: than we do, but I warn you that we will
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  Speaker 1: keep an eye on you if you do learn the
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: secret of the chimney. You won't keep it, Hanley laughed, sneeringly.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Then you'll wait a long time. He was interrupted by
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: a startling sound. The shrieking wind had proved too much
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  Speaker 1: for the second of the tall trees that towered above
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  Speaker 1: the cabin. It gave way before the gale with an
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  Speaker 1: ominous crackling, With branches snapping like pistol shots, it began
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  Speaker 1: to fall. The boys could hear the gathering roar as
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  Speaker 1: the great tree plunged down toward the roof of the cabin.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Hanley leaped to his feet in fright, then sagged helplessly
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  Speaker 1: against the wall as his injured ankle refused to support
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  Speaker 1: his weight. We're done for, he shouted in terror. The
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: cabin is falling in crash. The tree had struck the chimney.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: There was a deluge of stones on the roof. The
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: boys cowered in the kitchen. If the roof gave, they
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: might be seriously injured. Hanley, a picture of abject fright,
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: crouched in the corner with a hideous roar, the chimney
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: collapsed at the same time the great tree went sweeping
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: down past the side of the cabin. When it struck
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: the chimney, its downward course had been diverted. The falling
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: stones broke great holes in the roof of the cabin
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  Speaker 1: and came crashing down into the living room. A cloud
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: of dust rose from the fireplace. A stone crashed to
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  Speaker 1: the floor, rebounded and smashed a pane of glass. It
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  Speaker 1: seemed as though the din would never end. Let's get
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  Speaker 1: out of here, Hanley was babbling, white with fear. Let's
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  Speaker 1: get out. We'll be killed. The whole place is coming
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: down about our ears. We're all right, snapped Frank. Be quiet.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Had any of them been in the living room, they
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: would probably have been seriously injured. The weight of the
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: fallen chimney had broken in the roof, and stones were
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: still crashing through to the floor below. The fireplace was wrecked.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: At last, the uproar died away. Snow was sifting through
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  Speaker 1: the hole in the roof, and when Frank peeped through
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: the doorway he could see the jagged fragments of the
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: chimney rising above the gap. I guess it's all over now,
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: he said, calmly. Chet restrained him. You're not going in there,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: he said, Frank, don't be foolish. You'll be killed. There
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: won't be any more falling stones. The rest of the
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: chimney is pretty firm. I'm anxious to investigate. Where's that flashlight?
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: I'm coming too, declared Joe, realizing Frank's motive. This may
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: be a lucky thing for all of us. Lucky, groaned Biff.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: Do you call it lucky to have the chimney fall
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: in and wreck the place? We'll see? Frank picked up
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: the flashlight. He looked out into the living room again.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: It was a scene of desolation. Great stones and quantities
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: of debris, dust and mortar lay all about. Then, followed
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: by Joe, he left the kitchen and picked his way
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  Speaker 1: among the rubbish over to the fireplace. End of Chapter
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: twenty three.