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15 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon · Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Is in the public domain. The suspect it was late
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: before the Hardy boys got to sleep that night. The
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: events of the evening, culminating in the discovery that the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: auto thieves had been at work in Bayport while they
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: were lying in wait for them on the shore road,
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  Speaker 1: gave the lads plenty to talk about before they were
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  Speaker 1: finally claimed by slumber. In the morning. It required two
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  Speaker 1: calls to arouse them. They dressed sleepily and had to
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  Speaker 1: hurry downstairs in order to be in time for breakfast.
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  Speaker 1: This did not escape the notice of ever watchful Aunt Gertrude.
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  Speaker 1: When I was a girl, she said, pointedly, young people
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  Speaker 1: went to bed at a reasonable hour and didn't go
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  Speaker 1: gallivanting all over the country half the night. Every growing
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  Speaker 1: boy and girl needs eight or nine hours sleep. I'd
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  Speaker 1: be ashamed to come down to breakfast rubbing my eyes
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  Speaker 1: and gaping. It isn't very often they get up late,
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  Speaker 1: said missus Hardy. We can overlook it once in a while.
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  Speaker 1: I suppose overlook it, snorted Aunt Gertrude. Mark my words, Laura,
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  Speaker 1: those boys will come to no good and if you
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  Speaker 1: encourage them in coming in at all hours of the night,
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  Speaker 1: goodness knows what mischief they were up to. She glared
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  Speaker 1: severely at them. Frank and Joe realized that their aunt
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  Speaker 1: was curious as to where they had been the past
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  Speaker 1: two evenings and was using this roundabout method of tempting
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  Speaker 1: them into an explanation. However, as Joe expressed it later,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: they refused to bite. Instead, they hastily consumed their breakfast,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: drawing from the good lady a lecture on the dreadful
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: consequences of eating in a hurry, illustrated by an anecdote
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  Speaker 1: concerning a little boy named Hector, who met a lamentable
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  Speaker 1: and untimely death by choking himself on a piece of steak,
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  Speaker 1: and passed away surrounded by weeping relatives. The boys, however,
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  Speaker 1: were evidently not impressed by the fate of the unfortunate Hector,
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  Speaker 1: for they gulped down their meal, snatched up their books,
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  Speaker 1: and rushed off to school without waiting for Aunt Gertrude's
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  Speaker 1: account of the funeral. They were crossing the school yard
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  Speaker 1: when the bell rang, and they reached the classroom just
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  Speaker 1: in time. I feel like a stute owl, was Joe's comment.
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  Speaker 1: Never ate stewd Owl returned his brother promptly, how does
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  Speaker 1: it taste? I said, I felt, I didn't say I ate,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: retorted Joe. She but your eyes do look bunged up?
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  Speaker 1: What about your own? Oh? If I had had just
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  Speaker 1: one more hour's sleep, I could go two or three.
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  Speaker 1: Aunt Gertrude was on to us, Yes, but she didn't
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  Speaker 1: get anywhere with it. I hope I don't fall asleep
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: over my desk. Same here. The morning dragged. They were
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: very sleepy. Once or twice Joe yawned openly, and Miss Petty,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: who taught history, accused him of a lack of interest
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  Speaker 1: in the proceedings. You may keep yourself awake by telling
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: us what you know of the Roman system of government
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  Speaker 1: under Julius Caesar, she said. Joe got to his feet.
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  Speaker 1: He floundered through a more or less acceptable account of
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  Speaker 1: Roman government. It was dreary stuff, and Frank, listening to
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  Speaker 1: the droning voice, became drowsier and drowsier. His head nodded,
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  Speaker 1: and finally he went to sleep all together and had
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  Speaker 1: a vivid dream in which he chased Julius Caesar, attired
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  Speaker 1: in a toga and with a laurel wreath on his head,
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  Speaker 1: along the shore road in a steam roller. Miss Petty
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  Speaker 1: left the Romans and began comparing ancient and modern systems
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: of government, which led her into a discourse on the
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: life of Abraham Lincoln. She was just reaching Lincoln's death
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  Speaker 1: when there was a loud snore. Miss Petty looked up.
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  Speaker 1: Who made that noise? Another snore? Joe dug his brother
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  Speaker 1: in the ribs with a ruler, and Frank looked up
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  Speaker 1: with an expression of surprise on his face. Frank, hardy
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  Speaker 1: are you Are you paying attention? Yes, ma'am, replied Frank,
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  Speaker 1: now wide awake in his dream, he imagined Julius Caesar
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  Speaker 1: had turned on him and had poked him in the
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  Speaker 1: ribs with a spear. Do you know who we were
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  Speaker 1: talking about? Oh? Yes, ma'am. Do you know anything about
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  Speaker 1: his death? Yes, ma'am, said Frank, under the impression that
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  Speaker 1: the lessons still dealt with Scissor. How did he die?
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  Speaker 1: He was stabbed? He was stabbed? Was he where in
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  Speaker 1: in the forum? He was murdered by some of the senators,
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  Speaker 1: led by Cassius and Brutus, and Mark Antony made a speech.
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  Speaker 1: The class could contain itself no longer. Snickers burst out,
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  Speaker 1: and these welt into a wave of laughter, in which
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  Speaker 1: even Miss Petty was forced to join. Frank looked around
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  Speaker 1: in vast surprise. This said the teacher is an interesting
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  Speaker 1: fact about Lincoln. I don't remember having heard of it before.
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  Speaker 1: So he was stabbed to death by the senators, and
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  Speaker 1: Mark Antony made a speech. I I was talking about Caesar,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: miss Petty, and I was talking about Abraham Lincoln. Will
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  Speaker 1: you be good enough to stay awake for the remainder
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  Speaker 1: of the lesson Hardy Frank looked sheepishly at his book,
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  Speaker 1: while Chet Morton doubled up in his seat and gave
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  Speaker 1: vent to a series of explosive chuckles that soon brought
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  Speaker 1: the teacher's attention to him, and he was required to
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  Speaker 1: recite the Gettysburg address, stalling completely before he had gone
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  Speaker 1: a dozen words. By the time the teacher had finished
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  Speaker 1: her comments on his poor memory, Chet had other things
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  Speaker 1: to occupy his mind. Frank and Joe Hardy were wide
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  Speaker 1: awake for the rest of the morning. After lunch, they
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  Speaker 1: were on their way back to school, resolving to cut
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  Speaker 1: out the late hours so as not to risk a
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  Speaker 1: repetition of the ridicule they had suffered that morning. When
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  Speaker 1: Frank suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure not far ahead.
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  Speaker 1: Why there's guss Mae Montrose again. He said, wonder what
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  Speaker 1: he's doing in town. Let's trail him. Joe suggested, good idea,
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  Speaker 1: we'll find out what he does with his time. The
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  Speaker 1: former hired man of the Dodds was shambling down the
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  Speaker 1: street at a lazy gate, apparently wrapped up in his
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  Speaker 1: own concerns. Frank and Joe followed at a respectful distance.
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  Speaker 1: When Montrose reached a busy corner, he turned down a
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  Speaker 1: side street, and here his demeanor changed. His shoulders were
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  Speaker 1: straighter and his step more purposeful. Taking the opposite side
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  Speaker 1: of the street, the boys strolled along, keeping well behind Montrose,
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  Speaker 1: but not letting him out of sight. They followed him
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  Speaker 1: for about two blocks, and then, leaning against a telegraph
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  Speaker 1: pole at the next corner, they saw Montrose's companion of
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  Speaker 1: the previous night. He looked up as Montrose approached, and
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  Speaker 1: then the pair met and joined in earnest conversation. There
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  Speaker 1: was something peculiarly furtive about the two men. Not wishing
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  Speaker 1: to be observed, the hardy boy stepped into a soft
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  Speaker 1: drink place near by and bought some ginger ale, which
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  Speaker 1: they drank in the store, keeping an eye on the
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  Speaker 1: pair across the street through the window. Finally, Montrose's companion
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  Speaker 1: moved slowly away, and Montrose himself shambled across the road.
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  Speaker 1: He was lost to sight for a moment. Will trail
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  Speaker 1: him a little while longer, said Frank. We have about
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  Speaker 1: a quarter of an hour before school opens. They paid
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  Speaker 1: for the ginger ale and stepped out of the shop.
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  Speaker 1: To their astonishment, Gus Montrose was coming directly toward them.
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  Speaker 1: They had lost sight of him in the window and
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  Speaker 1: had assumed that he had gone on down the street. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: he had turned back. They affected not to notice him
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  Speaker 1: and were starting back up the street when Montrose overtook
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  Speaker 1: them and brushed against Frank rudely. Look here, he said,
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  Speaker 1: in a gruff voice. What's the idea of following me? Eh?
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  Speaker 1: Following you, said Frank, in tones of simulated surprise. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: following me? I saw you. What do you mean by it?
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  Speaker 1: Can't we walk down the same street, inquired Joe. He
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  Speaker 1: didn't walk down here by accident. You followed me here.
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  Speaker 1: You must have something on your conscience if you think that.
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  Speaker 1: Frank told him, this is a free country. We can
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  Speaker 1: walk where we like. Is that so well? I'm not
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  Speaker 1: going to put up with havin a pair of young
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  Speaker 1: whipper snappers trailin me round town, snarled Gus muc Rose.
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  Speaker 1: Hear that, we hear you, well remember it? Then you
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  Speaker 1: just mind your own business after this. Sea. If you
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  Speaker 1: think we were following you, that's your own affair, returned Frank,
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  Speaker 1: we're on our way to school. If you'd like to know,
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  Speaker 1: we'll see that you go there. You're better off in
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  Speaker 1: schooling monkey and my affairs, let me tell you, and
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  Speaker 1: a sight safer too. The man's tone was truculent. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I think you're pretty harmless, laughed Joe. You'll find out
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  Speaker 1: how harm nice I am. If I can't you follow
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  Speaker 1: me around again, Just mind your own business after this,
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  Speaker 1: and keep one in the opposite direction when you see
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  Speaker 1: me coming. The man's insulting tone annoyed Frank. Look here,
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  Speaker 1: he said, sharply, facing Montrose. If you don't start off
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  Speaker 1: in the opposite direction right now, I'll call a policeman.
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  Speaker 1: Now get out o here. Somewhat taken aback, Gus Montrose halted,
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  Speaker 1: you were following me, he growled, You heard what I said,
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  Speaker 1: clear out of here and stop annoying us. If Montrose
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  Speaker 1: had hoped to frighten the lads, he was disappointed. Like
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  Speaker 1: most cowardly men, he backed down readily when confronted with opposition.
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  Speaker 1: Grumbling to himself, he turned away and crossed the street.
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  Speaker 1: The hardy boys went on towards school. That'll give him
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  Speaker 1: something to think about, remarked Frank, you hit the right
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  Speaker 1: note when you said he must have something on his conscience,
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  Speaker 1: or he wouldn't have thought we were following him. I'm
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  Speaker 1: sure he has. A man with a clear conscience would
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  Speaker 1: never suspect he was being trailed. There's something mighty fishy
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  Speaker 1: about Gus Montrose and his queer looking friend. Too bad
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  Speaker 1: he saw us, he'll be on his guard against us. Now,
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  Speaker 1: that doesn't matter. We can keep an eye on him
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  Speaker 1: just the same. I'd give a farm to know what
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  Speaker 1: the pair of them were talking about. And I'd give
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  Speaker 1: a five dollar bill just to know. If he put
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  Speaker 1: that fishing pole in the car up of the dogs
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  Speaker 1: and got Jack into trouble, so would I. The boys
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  Speaker 1: were greatly puzzled. They were convinced that Gus Montrose was
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  Speaker 1: up to no good, and this conviction had only been
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  Speaker 1: strengthened by their encounter. They reasoned that a law abiding
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  Speaker 1: man would scarcely have shown such resentment as Montrose had evidenced. Well,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: whether he's one of the thieving party or not, we'll
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: take another whirl at the shore road tonight, said Frank.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: As the two brothers entered the schoolyard. Joe glanced at
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  Speaker 1: the sky. Masked clouds were gathering and the air was close.
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  Speaker 1: Looks as if we'll have to call it off. There's
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: going to be a storm, storm or no storm. I
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: have a hunch that will get some action before the
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  Speaker 1: day is out. Both Frank and Joe were right. There
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: was a storm, and before midnight they had more action
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  Speaker 1: than they had ever bargained for. End of Chapter fifteen.