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Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

TRUE/FALSE
1. A struct variable is declared differently from a predefined type such as an int.
ANSWER: FALSE
2. Two different structure definitions may have the same member names.
ANSWER: TRUE.
3. A structure can only be passed to a function as a call-by-value parameter
ANSWER: FALSE
4. A function may return a structure.
ANSWER: TRUE
5. Different class may not have member functions with the same name.
ANSWER: FALSE
6. A class member function may be private.
ANSWER: TRUE
7. Class data members are almost always public.
ANSWER: FALSE
8. It is possible to have multiple private labels in a class definition.
ANSWER: TRUE
9. The assignment operator may not be used with objects of a class.
ANSWER: FALSE
10. All constructors for a class must be private.
ANSWER: FALSE
11. A derived class is more specific than its parent, or base class.
ANSWER: TRUE

Short Answer
1. The keyword ________ defines a structure type definition.
ANSWER: struct
2. A structure definition ends with the closing brace and a _________.
ANSWER: semicolon
3. A structure variable is a collection of smaller values called ____________ values
ANSWER: member
4. When a structure contains another structure variable as one of its members, it is
known as a ___________________.
ANSWER: hierarchical structure
5. When several items (variables or variables and functions) are grouped together
into a single package, that is known as ______________.
ANSWER: (data) encapsulation
6. The double colon (::) is known as the __________ operator.
ANSWER: scope resolution operator
7. Who can access private members in a class?
ANSWER: only other members of the class
8. A member function that allows the user of the class to find out the value of a
private data type is called a ___________________.
ANSWER: accessor function.
9. A member function that allows the user of the class to change the value of a
private data type is called a ____________________.
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

ANSWER: mutator function.

10. If you have a class with a member function called display(ostream& out), that will
send the values in the class to the parameter stream, and you need to call that
function from within another member function, how would you call it to print the
data to the screen? ___________________________
ANSWER: display(cout);
11. What can a constructor return? _______________
ANSWER: nothing
12. The name of a constructor is _____________
ANSWER: the name of the class
13. The constructor of a class that does not have any parameters is called a
__________ constructor.
ANSWER: default
14. In the following class constructor definition, the part of the header starting with a
single colon is called the ________________.

BankAccount::BankAccount(): balance(0), interest(0.0)

ANSWER: initialization section

15. A class in which modifications to the implementation appear to be invisible to the
user of the class is known as _________________.
ANSWER: an Abstract Data Type (ADT)
16. A member function that gets called automatically when an object of the class is
declared is called a _______________.
ANSWER: constructor
17. If class A is derived from class B, then B is a _______ of A.
ANSWER: parent
18. C++11 allows you to directly set the member variables to initial values in the
definition of the class. This feature is called __________________.
ANSWER: member initializers
19. C++11 allows you to have a constructor call another constructor. This feature is
called _________________________.
ANSWER: constructor delegation

Multiple Choice
1. In a structure definition, the identifiers declared in the braces are called
a. classes
b. structs
c. member names
d. variables
ANSWER: C
2. You specify an individual member of a struct by using
a. the assignment operator
b. an ampersand
c. an underscore
d. The dot operator
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

ANSWER: D
3. To assign values to a structure variable, you use the
a. equals operator
b. assignment operator
c. extraction operator
d. less than operator
ANSWER: B
4. What is wrong with the following structure definition?
struct MyStruct
{
int size;
float weight;
}
a. Nothing
b. Can not have mixed data types in a structure
c. missing semicolon
d. Braces are not needed.
ANSWER: C
5. Given the following strucure definitions, what is the correct way to print the
person's birth year?
struct DateType
{
int day;
int month;
int year;
}

struct PersonType
{
int age;
float weight;
DateType birthday;
}

PersonType person;
a. cout << person.birthday.year;
b. cout << year;
c. cout << birthday.year;
d. cout << peson.year;
ANSWER: A
6. Given the following strucure definition, what is the correct way to initialize a
variable called today?
struct DateType
{
int day;
int month;
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

int year;
}

a. DateType today(1,1,2000);
b. DateType today = (1,1,2000);
c. DateType today = {1,1,2000);
d. DateType today = {1,1,2000,0);
ANSWER: C
7. When defining a class, the class should be composed of the kind of values a
variable of the class can contain, and
a. member functions for that class
b. the keyword private
c. other class definitions
d. nothing else
ANSWER: A
8. Which of the following is the correct function definition header for the getAge
function which is a member of the Person class?
a. int getAge();
b. int getAge()
c. int Person:getAge()
d. int Person::getAge()
ANSWER: D
9. Given the following class definition and the following member function header,
which is the correct way to output the private data?
class Person
{
public:
void outputPerson(ostream& out);
private:
int age;
float weight;
int id;
};

void Person::outputPerson(ostream& out)

{
//what goes here?
}
a. out << person.age << person.weight << person.id;
b. out << person;
c. out << age << weight << id;
d. outputPerson(person);
ANSWER: C
10. Why do you want to usually make data members private in a class?
a. so that no one can use the class.
b. ensure data integrity
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

c. provide data abstraction.

d. provide information hiding.
e. B and D
f. B, C and D
ANSWER: F
11. A member function of a class should be made private
a. always
b. only if it will never be used
c. if it will only be used by other members of the class
d. never, it is illegal to make a member function private.
ANSWER: C
12. A member function that allow the user of the class to change the value in a data
member is known as
a. a mutator function
b. a mutation
c. a manipulator function
d. an accessor function
ANSWER: A
13. A Member function that allows the user of the class to see the value in a data
member is known as
a. a mutator function
b. a mutation
c. a manipulator function
d. an accessor function
ANSWER: D
14. If you design a class with private data members, and do not provide mutators and
accessors, then
a. The private data members can still be accessed from outside the class by
using the & operator
b. The data can not be changed or viewed by anyone.
c. None of the above
d. A and B
ANSWER: B
15. A class member function that automatically initializes the data members of a class
is called
a. the init function
b. an operator
c. a constructor
d. a cast
ANSWER: C
16. If you have a class named myPersonClass, which of the following correctly
declare a constructor in the class definition?
a. myPersonClass::myPersonClass();
b. myPersonClass();
c. init();
d. cast();
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

ANSWER: B
17. given the following class definition, how could you use the constructor to assign
values to an object of this class?

class CDAccount
{
public:
CDAccount();
CDAccount(float interest, float newBalance);
float getBalance();
float getRate();
void setRate(float interest);
void setBalance(float newBalance);
private:
float balance, rate;
};

and the following object declaration

CDAccount myAccount;
a. myAccount = CDAccount(float myRate, float myBalance);
b. myAccount = CDAccount {myRate, myBalance};
c. myAccount = CDAccount[myRate, myBalance];
d. myAccount = CDAccount(myRate, myBalance);
ANSWER: D
18. Given the following class definition, what is missing?
class ItemClass
{
public:
ItemClass(int newSize, float newCost);
int getSize();
float getCost();
void setSize(int newSize);
void setCost(float newCost);
private:
int size;
float cost;
};
a. nothing
b. a default constructor
c. accessor functions
d. mutator functions
ANSWER: B
19. Given the following class definition, how would you declare an object of the
class, so that the object automatically called the default constructor?
class ItemClass
{
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

public:
ItemClass();
ItemClass(int newSize, float newCost);
int getSize();
float getCost();
void setSize(int newSize);
void setCost(float newCost);
private:
int size;
float cost;
};
a. ItemClass() myItem;
b. ItemClass myItem(1, 0.0);
c. ItemClass myItem;
d. ItemClass myItem();
e. You can not do this
ANSWER: C
20. A data type consisting of data members and operations on those members which
can be used by a programmer without knowing the implementation details of the
data type is called
a. an abstract definition type
b. an available data type
c. an abstract data type
d. a primitive data type
ANSWER: C
21. Which part of the ADT tells the programmer using it how to use it?
a. the implementation
b. the interface
c. the abstractness
d. the scope resolution
ANSWER: B
22. If you are designing a class for an ADT, you can tell if the class is an ADT if
a. when you change the implementation of the class, none of the rest of the
program needs to change.
b. when you change the interface of the class, nothing else needs to change.
c. you change the privte part and the rest of the program using the ADT does
not compile.
d. everything must be changed.
ANSWER: A
23. Developing an ADT means that the user of your class does not have to know the
details about how the class is implemented. This is known as
a. interface
b. implementation
c. testing and debugging
d. information hiding
ANSWER: D
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

24. Given the following class, what would be the best declaration for a mutator
function that allows the user of the class to change the age?

class Wine
{
public:
Wine();
int getAge();
float getCost();
private:
int age;
float cost;
}
a. int getAge(int newAge);
b. Wine();
c. void setAge();
d. void setAge(int newAge);
ANSWER: D
25. Given the following class, what would be the best declaration for a constructor
that would allow the user to initialize the object with an initial age and cost?

class Wine
{
public:
Wine();
int getAge();
float getCost();
private:
int age;
float cost;
}
a. int getAge(int newAge);
b. Wine();
c. Wine(int age);
d. Wine(int newAge, float newCost);
ANSWER: D
26. Given the following class and object declaration, how would you print out the age
and cost of a bottle of wine?

class Wine
{
public:
Wine();
int getAge();
float getCost();
private:
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

int age;
float cost;
}

Wine bottle;
a. cout << bottle;
b. cout << Wine.age, Wine.cost;
c. cout << bottle.getAge() << bottle.getCost();
d. cout << bottle.getAge << bottle.getCost;
e. cout << bottle.age << bottle.cost;
ANSWER: C
27. Data members or member functions of a class that are declared to be private may
a. only be accessed by the main program
b. only be accessed by members of the class
c. not be accessed by the class
d. are considered to be global variables
ANSWER:B
28. Member functions of a class
a. may not be in the private section
b. must be in the private section
c. may be in either section
d. can not be called in the main program
ANSWER: C
29. In a struct, all members are ____________ by default
a. public
b. private
c. global
d. all of the above
ANSWER: A
30. In a class, all members are ____________ by default
a. public
b. private
c. global
d. all of the above
ANSWER: B
31. Which of the following function declarations will correctly pass an output stream
to the function?
a. void display( ofstream& out);
b. void display( ostream out);
c. void display( ostream& out);
d. void display( ofstream out);
e. A and C
f. B and D
ANSWER: E
32. A derived class has access to
a. the private functions and variables of its ancestor classes
Test Bank for Problem Solving with C++: The Object of Programming, 10/e
Chapter 10 Defining Classes

b. the public functions and variables of its ancestor classes

c. only the functions and variables defined it its class
d. none of the above
ANSWER: B
33. Which of the following function declarations will accept either cout or a file
stream object as its argument?
a. void output( fstream &outFile);
b. void output( ofstream &outFile);
c. void output( ostream &outFile);
d. void output( iostream &outFile);
ANSWER: C
Another random document with
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"Good-bye!" every one shouted. Frank and Joe cheered, the girls
clapped their hands, and the Envoy slowly moved away from the
dock, with Chet Morton and Biff Hooper waving to their chums.
Tony Prito swung his motorboat around.
"I'll go along with you to the end of the bay," he shouted.
Frank glanced at Joe.
"Why didn't we think of that?"
"It isn't too late yet. Let's get the boat."
"Would you and Iola care to come?" said Frank to Callie. "We're
going to get our boat and follow them down the bay a bit."
"Oh, that'll be great!" exclaimed Callie. "I'd love to go. Wouldn't you,
Iola?"
"I'll say!" Iola replied, slangily.
They hurried down from the dock and went along the roadway back
of the boathouses until they came to the boathouse where Frank
and Joe kept their craft.
In a few minutes, the Sleuth was nosing its way out into Barmet Bay,
but already Chet and Biff were a considerable distance in the lead.
"We'll have to step on it," said Joe.
"We'll catch them, all right. There isn't a boat on the bay can beat
the Sleuth."
The engine roared and the boat seemed fairly to leap out of the
water as it plunged forward. Spray dashed over the bows as the
fleet launch headed out in pursuit of the others.
Frank glanced at the sky.
Biff and Chet had certainly chosen a bad day for their departure. The
sky had been none too promising at dawn, but now it was clouding
over with every promise of a downpour, and there was a heavy cloud
on the horizon. Then, too, there was a suspicious absence of wind,
and the bay was in a flat calm.
"I wish they'd picked some other day," he remarked quietly to Joe.
"It looks like squally weather out at sea."
"I don't like the looks of the sky myself. However, they're away, so
there's no use saying anything. It might alarm Iola."
The Sleuth was rapidly overhauling the other boats, although Tony
and Biff were engaging in a spirited race down the bay. The girls
enjoyed the swift progress and were laughing with excitement as
they saw the distance narrowing between Frank and the others.
Suddenly a low rumble of thunder caused Frank to glance up at the
sky again. With remarkable rapidity, the huge cloud he had
previously noticed had spread over the entire sky, causing gloom to
spread over the bay. A few white caps were apparent on the surface
of the water and there was a splatter of rain.
"Guess we'd better turn back," he said, turning to the others.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked Callie.
"Storm coming up."
The girls had been so intent on the chase that they had not noticed
the lowering clouds, but now Callie gave a murmur of astonishment.
"Why, it's going to pour! And I haven't brought my slicker with me.
We'll be drenched."
"But what about Biff and Chet?" exclaimed Iola.
"I think they'll turn back too when they see what they're heading
into," replied Frank. "It looks like a bad storm."
As though in corroboration of his words, a sheet of lightning and a
violent clap of thunder heralded the beginning of the downpour. The
wind came in from the sea with a violence that surprised them,
came whistling down across the bay over a wide line of tossing
whitecaps, driving before it a leaden wall of rain.
The two motorboats in the lead were blotted from view, although
Frank had seen that Tony Prito was already turning back before the
gloomy wall of rain hid him from sight. Slowly, he brought the
motorboat around.
The moaning of the wind rose in volume. Waves slapped at the sides
of the boat. White spray rose above the bows. The sky was black.
The speeding craft fled before the oncoming storm.
But the wall of rain swept down upon them with a whistle and a
howl. The streaming sheets of water poured from the dark sky,
whirled onward by the raging wind. The boat rocked in the tossing
waves.
Frank crouched at the helm, his jaw set, his face stern. The girls
huddled in the stern, seeking protection from the sudden downpour.
Joe found a sheet of tarpaulin in a locker, and gave it to the two
girls, who draped it over their heads, and it afforded them some
shelter. The boat was swaying madly as it ran on through the huge
waves that surged on every side.
Frank could scarcely see Bayport ahead through the blinding rain
and gloom.
"Where is the other boat?" shouted Joe, above the clamor of the
storm.
Frank looked back.
Tony Prito's boat had disappeared. Frank wondered how the other
boys were faring. He had every confidence that Tony would make
land in safety, for the Italian lad was skilful at the helm and he had
iron nerves, but he was not so sure that Biff Hooper and Chet
Morton would weather the gale so easily. Biff had only mastered the
rudiments of motorboating and a storm such as this was enough to
test the mettle of the most skilful sailors.
He wondered if he should not turn back and go in search of Biff and
Chet. When he had last seen them they had been heading directly
into the teeth of the gale, out to the open sea. Surely they would
not be foolhardy enough to go on!
He glanced back and when he saw Iola's frightened face he knew
that it was impossible to turn back now, for he was responsible for
the safety of the girls and there was grave peril in braving the storm
just then. He opened the throttle further and felt the Sleuth respond
as it leaped ahead into the tossing whitecaps through the shifting
screen of rain.
Thunder rolled and crashed. Lightning flickered across the gray void
and rent the dark sky in livid streaks. The waves were tossing like
white-crested monsters seeking to devour them. Frank peered
through the raging gale and he could vaguely discern the city lying
ahead. A few lights were twinkling feebly, for the storm brought the
darkness of twilight with it.
The gale had sprung up so suddenly that they had been entirely
unprepared. Frank devoutly wished that he had taken heed of the
warning given by that ominous sky before he started out in the
motorboat. He was greatly alarmed for the safety of the girls,
because he knew that the storm was one of the worst that had ever
swept over Barmet Bay.
"We'll be lucky if we make it!" he muttered to himself. Then, to
reassure the others, he turned and grinned.
"We'll make it, all right!" he shouted, the wind whisking the words
away so that the others scarcely heard him.
A great wave broke over the side. The boat reeled as though it had
been struck by a giant hand.

CHAPTER V
No Word from the Chums
Frank Hardy bore down on the helm as the boat heeled over. For a
breathless second he thought the craft would be swamped. Water
poured over the gunwales. The girls screamed. Joe was thrown off
his balance and went sprawling into the stern.
But the Sleuth was staunch. In a moment it recovered, righted itself,
and surged on through the storm. Frank breathed a sigh of relief.
The engine throbbed steadily and, although the boat was rocking
and swaying in the turbulent sea, it was drawing nearer shore and
already he could distinguish the line of boathouses through the
downpour.
For all its violence, the storm was brief. The wind began to die
down, although the rain continued as though the heavens had been
opened up. In a few minutes Frank was able to pick out his own
boathouse and he headed the Sleuth directly for it. The sturdy craft
sped swiftly toward the open doorway, then Frank shut off the
engine and the boat came to rest.
"Some trip!" remarked Joe, shaking himself like a dog emerging from
the water, so that spray flew from his clothing in every direction.
"My hair is all wet, and I won't be able to do a thing with it,"
mourned Callie Shaw, with feminine concern for her appearance first
of all. In spite of the shelter afforded by the tarpaulin, both girls
were thoroughly drenched. As for the boys, their clothing clung
limply to their bodies. Frank clambered out of the boat and moored
it fast, while Joe helped the girls up onto the landing.
"We're mighty lucky to be back at all," Iola Morton said. "I was sure
the boat would be swamped."
"It takes a pretty big storm to swamp our boat," boasted Joe.
"Although, to tell the truth, I was pretty nervous for a while."
"I was so frightened I couldn't speak," confessed the girl. "I do hope
Chet and Biff turned back. They would never get through that storm
alive."
Frank went to the door.
"No sight of them yet," he reported. Then he peered through the
driving screen of rain again. "Just a minute—I hear a boat coming
this way."
"Perhaps it's Tony."
"I hope it's one or the other. I couldn't see the Napoli at all after the
rain started."
In a few minutes they discerned a motorboat heading inshore. It
was Tony Prito's craft, the Napoli.
"Good!" exclaimed Joe. "Chet and Biff should be along, too. They
won't start on that trip to-day."
"I should hope not!" exclaimed Iola.
But when Tony's boat drew near the entrance of the boathouse on
the way to its own shelter a short distance away, Tony shouted to
Frank:
"All safe?"
"Everybody O.K.! How about you?"
"We're all right. Had a tough time getting back, though."
"So did we," Frank shouted. "Did Biff turn back?"
Tony shook his head. "Not a chance. We signaled to him that he'd
better come back but he just shook his head, and Chet pointed to
the end of the bay. They kept right on going. The last we saw of
them they were heading right into the storm."
"Good night!" Frank exclaimed. "They'll be swamped."
"They're taking an awful chance. Oh, well, perhaps they gave in
after all. They may have headed in toward one of the villages along
the shore. They'll probably be back."
"Let's hope so!" exclaimed Iola. "I won't have a minute's rest until
I'm sure they're safe."
Tony went on toward his own boathouse, with Jerry Gilroy and Phil
Cohen, drenched to the skin, sitting ruefully in the stern. The Hardy
boys and the two girls left the boathouse and were fortunate enough
to meet a school chum who happened to be driving past in his car,
so they drove home in shelter from the rain. Frank and Joe got off at
their home after the chum had volunteered to drive the girls home.
"And I'll make it snappy, too," he promised. "I guess you're in a
hurry to get into dry clothes."
"I feel like a drowned rat," declared Callie. "And I suppose I look like
one too."
After the others drove away, the Hardy boys went into the house
and made a complete change of clothes so that, fifteen minutes
later, in dry garments, they were feeling at peace with the world.
When they went downstairs again to tell their parents of the
adventure they had just experienced, they found Mr. Hardy just
snapping the catch of his club-bag, while a packed suitcase stood
near by.
"Going away now?" they asked, in surprise.
"Off to Chicago. I just got a fresh clue as to Baldy's whereabouts."
"He's there all right, is he?"
The detective nodded. "I'll just have time to catch this train."
Mrs. Hardy entered the room at that moment.
"I telephoned for a taxi." Her face was troubled. "I do wish you
didn't have to make this journey, Fenton."
Mr. Hardy laughed.
"You've never worried about me so much before, Laura. I've gone
away on cases as bad as this dozens of times without causing you as
much anxiety."
"I know—but somehow I have a feeling that this case is a good deal
more dangerous than any of the others."
"I'll be back in a few days, never fear." Mr. Hardy turned to his sons.
"Look after your mother while I'm away, boys. Don't let her get
worried."
"There's nothing to be worried about, dad. You'll get your man all
right."
Mrs. Hardy shook her head. "You will be careful, won't you, Fenton?
From what you've told me of this Baldy Turk I imagine he wouldn't
stop at anything if he thought you were going to catch him."
"He's a pretty tough character, but I guess I can handle him," said
the detective lightly. "Well, here's my taxi. I'll have to be going.
Good-bye." He kissed his wife, shook hands with the boys, then
picked up his suitcase and club-bag and departed. From the front
doorway they watched him clamber into the waiting taxi. He waved
at them as the car got under way, then it went speeding out of sight
along the shimmering pavement.
Mrs. Hardy turned away. "I expect he'll think I'm foolish for worrying
so much about him this time, but I have a queer sort of feeling that
this Baldy Turk is the most dangerous criminal he has ever had to
deal with."
"He'll deal with him, mother," declared Frank, with conviction. "Trust
dad to know what he's doing. He'll clap the handcuffs on Baldy Turk
in no time. There's nothing to worry about."
"Well, I hope you're right," she replied. "Still, I can't help but be
anxious—"
With that she let the matter drop, and her fears for Fenton Hardy's
safety were not expressed again, although the boys knew that
anxiety still weighed heavily upon her mind. By evening, however,
she appeared to be in better spirits and the boys did their best to
amuse her and make her forget their father's absence and his
perilous errand.
Next day the boys went down to the boathouse where Biff Hooper
kept the Envoy, but there was no sign of the craft. The storm of the
previous day had lasted well into the afternoon and there had been
no doubt in their minds but that Chet and Biff had set back for
Bayport, but the absence of the motorboat indicated otherwise.
"Let's go up to Morton's farm and see if they did come back," Frank
suggested.
"Iola was saying that Chet promised to send a post card from the
first village they stopped at. They were to have spent the night at
Hawk Cove and he said he'd drop a line from there so that his folks
would know everything was all right."
Hawk Cove was a small fishing village on the coast and, under
normal conditions, Chet and Biff should have reached the place early
the previous evening. A postal card would have caught the morning
mail to Bayport.
"Let's go, then," Frank said. "If they went on to Hawk Cove and
wrote from there we'll know that everything is all right."
"I'm with you."
The Hardy boys brought their motorcycles out of the shed and drove
out toward the Morton farm. They made speed on the run because
both were anxious to learn if anything had been heard of their
chums. But when they reached the farmhouse and saw Iola's
worried face as she greeted them at the door they knew without
being told that no word had been received from Chet.
"They didn't turn back," said Iola, almost tearfully. "We waited all
afternoon and evening expecting Chet back, but he didn't come.
They must have gone straight ahead into the storm."
"Did the post card come?" asked Joe.
She shook her head.
"We haven't heard from him at all. And Chet promised faithfully he'd
write to us from Hawk Cove. The card should have been in the
morning mail. Chet always keeps his promises. I'm so afraid
something dreadful has happened."
"Oh, there's no need to be alarmed," consoled Frank. "Perhaps the
storm delayed them so that they didn't reach Hawk Cove until it was
too late to catch the mail. Or perhaps they stopped off at one of the
other fishing villages down at the entrance to the bay. A dozen
things might have happened. You'll probably hear from him to-
morrow—or to-night, perhaps."
"That storm was too terrible!" declared the girl. "They should never
have gone on. They should have turned back when the rest of us
did."
"I guess they didn't want to turn back once they had started,"
ventured Joe. "Biff doesn't like to admit he's licked."
"Neither does Chet," the girl replied. "They're both headstrong and I
guess they thought we'd make fun of them if they had to come back
to Bayport and start over again."
"Well, we'll be back to-morrow. I'm sure you'll hear from him by
then," said Frank reassuringly. "And if we hear anything we'll let you
know."
"Please do."
The Hardy boys walked back to their motorcycles. When they were
out of hearing Frank remarked in a low voice:
"I don't like the looks of this, at all! I'm beginning to think something
has happened."

CHAPTER VI
Missing

No word came from Chet Morton or Biff Hooper the following day.
Although the parents of the chums tried to allay their fears by
assuming that the lads had not stopped off at Hawk Cove after all or
had neglected to write, as is the way of boys the world over, when
three days passed without further news, the situation became
serious.
"They were wrecked in that storm, I know it!" declared Iola Morton,
with conviction, when the Hardy boys called at the farmhouse on the
third day. "Mother is almost frantic and daddy doesn't know what to
do. It isn't like Chet to make us wait this long for some word of
where he is, particularly when he knew we'd be anxious."
"The Hoopers are terribly worried about Biff," Joe put in. "We went
over there last night to see if they had heard anything. Mr. Hooper
had telephoned to nearly all the fishing villages up the coast, but
none of them had seen anything of the boat."
Iola turned pale.
"They hadn't seen the boat at all?"
Frank shook his head.
"Either the boys were wrecked or they were swept out to sea," said
the girl. She turned away and dabbed at her eyes with a
handkerchief. She was on the verge of breaking down. "Oh, can't
something be done to find trace of them?"
"It's time we were getting busy," Frank agreed. "I think we'd better
organize a searching party."
"With the motorboats?" asked Joe.
"Yes. We can take our boat. Perhaps Tony Prito will be able to come
along with the Napoli and we'll get the rest of the fellows. We can
cruise along the bay and up the coast and perhaps we'll find some
trace."
"Will you do that?" asked Iola, brightening up. "Oh, if you only will!
At least we'll know that some one is searching for them."
"I've been thinking that possibly their boat got wrecked and they
were washed up on an island or on some part of the coast a long
way from any village," Frank observed. "I don't think they've been
drowned. They are both good swimmers and it would take a lot to
kill either of them."
"Well, if we're going to go we may as well get started."
"All right, Joe. We'll take some grub with us and count on staying
until we find some trace of them. Perhaps two or three days."
A sudden thought struck Joe.
"How about mother?"
Frank whistled.
"Gosh—I'd forgotten! But perhaps she can get some one to stay with
her. Seeing it isn't a pleasure trip we're going on, she might let us
go."
"Oh, I hope she does!" exclaimed Iola. "As long as we know you
boys are out searching for Chet and Biff we'll be a lot easier in our
minds."
"Well, let's go back home and see what arrangements we can
make," Frank said briskly. "The sooner we get away, the better."
The lads mounted their motorcycles and turned toward the city. The
idea of organizing a searching party for the missing chums had
occurred to Frank previously, but he had been waiting, hoping
against hope that some word might be received regarding the two
boys. The fact that Mrs. Hardy would be left alone at home had
been the one circumstance that had prevented him from starting out
in search of the chums before this, but now the situation seemed to
warrant action at all costs.
"If mother is afraid to stay at home alone, I guess the trip is off," he
said to Joe. "But when she knows how serious it is, I don't think
she'll mind."
"I don't like to leave her alone, myself," replied Joe. "But some one
has to organize a searching party. I've been more worried about
Chet and Biff than I'd like to admit."
"Me too."
When the lads returned to the house they found Mrs. Hardy opening
the morning mail. She had a letter in her hand as they entered the
living room and she glanced up with a smile of pleasure.
"We're going to have a visitor."
"Who?"
"Your Aunt Gertrude!"
Frank glanced at his brother.
Well did they know their Aunt Gertrude. She was a maiden lady of
middle-age who spent the greater part of her life in a sort of grand
circuit series of visits to all her relatives, far and near. Aunt Gertrude
had no fixed place of abode. Accompanied by numerous trunks,
satchels and a lazy yellow cat by the name of Lavinia, she was apt to
drop in at any time in the course of a year, brusquely announcing
her intention of remaining for an indefinite stay. Then she would
install herself in the guest room and proceed to manage the
household until the hour of her departure.
Aunt Gertrude was formidable. Her word was law. And, because she
was possessed of a small fortune and a sharp tongue, none dared
offend her. Relatives had discovered that the best plan was to suffer
her visits in silence and pray for her speedy departure.
Now she was coming to visit the Hardys.
"Aunt Gertrude is coming? Isn't that great?" exclaimed Joe.
Mrs. Hardy looked at her son suspiciously. The Hardy boys had never
been known to evince much enthusiasm over Aunt Gertrude's visits
before. The worthy lady had a habit of regarding them as though
they were still in swaddling clothes and she invariably showed a
tendency to dictate as to their food, their hours of rising and going
to bed, their companions, and their choice of literature. Many a
Sunday afternoon she had thrust on them a weighty volume of
Pilgrim's Progress and sat guard over them as they miserably strove
to pretend an interest in the allegorical adventures of Bunyan's hero.
"I didn't think you cared for Aunt Gertrude," ventured Mrs. Hardy
when she saw that both Frank and Joe were beaming with
satisfaction.
"When will she be here?"
"This afternoon, according to her letter. She never gives one a great
deal of notice."
"She couldn't have come at a better time. For once in her life, Aunt
Gertrude will be useful," Frank declared, and with that, he told his
mother of their desire to organize a searching party for the missing
chums.
Mrs. Hardy had been deeply concerned over Chet and Biff since their
departure from Bayport and now she agreed that a search should
indeed be conducted.
"And now that Aunt Gertrude is coming, you won't be afraid to stay
here alone," Joe pointed out.
Mrs. Hardy smiled. "And you'll leave me here all alone to the mercies
of that managing woman?"
"There's not much use having us all here. Aunt Gertrude will run
things anyway, whether there's three of us or a hundred."
"Yes, I suppose so. Well, I shan't be afraid to stay here as long as
Aunt Gertrude is in the house. I imagine any burglar would rather
deal with a vicious bulldog. Go ahead on your trip. When do you
intend to start?"
"As soon as we can see Tony Prito and the rest of the boys. We want
to make a real searching party of it. By the way, when will Aunt
Gertrude arrive?"
"On the four o'clock train, I expect."
"Then we'll leave at about three o'clock," declared Frank, with a grin,
for the boys' dislike of their tyrannical aunt was no secret in the
Hardy household.
Mrs. Hardy smiled reprovingly, and the lads hustled away in search
of Tony and the other boys.
Tony Prito was afire with enthusiasm when they broached the
subject to him. A few words with Mr. Prito, and he obtained
permission to have the use of the Napoli for as long as would be
necessary.
"We'll start out as soon as we can get ready," Frank told him. "See if
you can get Jerry and Phil to go with you, and we'll go and look up
Perry Robinson. Perhaps he'll come along with us. We don't want to
lose any time."
Perry Robinson, more familiarly known as "Slim," readily agreed to
accompany the boys on the search.
"You bet I'll go," he declared. "When do we start?"
"Three o'clock, if we can be ready by then. Meet us at the boathouse
and bring along some grub."
"I'll be there," promised Slim.
The Hardy boys carried blankets and a small tent down to the boat
and stowed them away. Then came cooking utensils and a supply of
food sufficient to last them for several days. They would, of course,
be able to get supplies at the fishing villages along the coast, but as
they had no idea where their search would lead them they were
determined to take no chances.
"Thank goodness we'll be away from here before Aunt Gertrude
arrives," chuckled Frank, as the boys were putting on their outing
clothes at two o'clock that afternoon.
"She'll be madder than a wet hen when she finds we've escaped her.
If there's anything she likes better than bossing us around and
showing us our faults, I don't know what it is."
Alas for the best laid plans! Aunt Gertrude must have had some
premonition of the truth. She advanced the time of her arrival by a
good two hours. The two o'clock train brought her to Bayport, bags,
baggage, and Lavinia, the cat. The boys were first apprised of her
advent when they heard a taxicab pull up in front of the house. Joe
peeped out the window of their room.
"Sweet spirits of nitre! Aunt Gertrude herself!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Let me see!"
Frank rushed to the window in time to see Aunt Gertrude, attired in
voluminous garments of a fashion dating back at least a decade,
laboriously emerging from the taxicab. She was a large woman with
a strident voice, and the Hardy boys could hear her vigorously
disputing the amount of the fare. This was a matter of principle with
Aunt Gertrude, who always argued with taxi drivers as a matter of
course, it being her firm conviction that they were unanimously in a
conspiracy to overcharge her and defraud her at all times.
With Lavinia under one arm and a huge umbrella under the other,
Aunt Gertrude withered the taxicab driver with a fiery denunciation
and, when he helplessly pointed to the meter and declared that
figures did not lie, she dropped both cat and umbrella, rummaged
about in the manifold recesses of her clothing for a very small purse,
produced the exact amount of the fare in silver, counted it out and
handed it to the man with the air of one giving alms.
"And, just for your impudence, you shan't have a tip!" she
announced. "Carry my bags up to the house."
The driver gazed sadly at the silver in his hand, pocketed it and
clambered back into the car.
"Carry 'em up yourself!" he advised, slamming the door. The taxi
roared away down the street.
Frank chuckled.
"That's one on Aunt Gertrude!"
But Aunt Gertrude had no intention of carrying the bags up to the
house. Suddenly she glared up at the window from which the two
boys had been watching the scene.
"You two boys up there!" she shouted. "I see you. Don't think I can't
see you! Come down here and carry up my bags. Hustle now!"
They hustled.

CHAPTER VII
Wreckage

"Good night! We'll be lucky if we get away on the trip at all!"

exclaimed Frank, as he and Joe hastened down the stairs.
Mrs. Hardy was already at the front door welcoming Aunt Gertrude,
who was expatiating on the wickedness of taxi drivers in general.
"So!" she ejaculated, as the boys appeared. "Standing up at a front
window laughing at your great-aunt instead of coming down and
helping carry up her bags like little gentlemen! I'm surprised at you!"
"We were just getting dressed, Aunt Gertrude," explained Frank
meekly.
"Getting dressed, eh!" snorted Aunt Gertrude, taking in their attire.
"Getting dressed! What kind of an outfit do you call that?" She
poked Joe in the ribs with her umbrella, indicating the faded khaki
shirt he was wearing. "Speak up, boy! What kind of an outfit is that?
No necktie. Holes in your trousers. Shoes not shined."
"We were just getting ready to go on a boat trip, Aunt Gertrude,"
Joe explained.
"Boat trip! Boat trip! No! That settles it!" declared Aunt Gertrude,
coming into the house and banging the umbrella decisively on the
floor by way of emphasis. "I shan't allow it. The very idea! Laura,"
she said, turning to Mrs. Hardy, "I'm surprised at you. Ab-so-lute-ly
astonished! The very idea of letting these children go out in a boat!
Don't you remember what happened to my Cousin Peter? He went
out in a boat, didn't he? And what happened? The boat upset. He
might have been drowned if the water had been deep enough.
Thank goodness he was only a few feet from shore. But it only goes
to show what can happen. If these boys go out in a boat they'll be
drowned. I can't permit them to be drowned. They shan't go on any
boat trip. That settles it!" She strode into the living room. "Boys—
bring in my bags!" she commanded.
Mrs. Hardy smiled, for she was quite accustomed to the
eccentricities of Aunt Gertrude, and the Hardy boys scuttled down
the front steps for the baggage.
"Do you think she means it?" whispered Joe.
"Sure, she means it. But we'll get out somehow. She'll rave for a
while, but she'll forget all about it when she starts to show mother
how to run the house."
The boys deposited Aunt Gertrude's luggage in the guest room, then
went downstairs for inspection. By this time the old lady had taken
off her coat and hat and was seated in the most comfortable chair,
fanning herself with a newspaper.
"Boat trip!" she was snorting, as they entered the room. "Never
heard of such a thing. Letting little boys like that go out in a boat
alone. If they were my boys I wouldn't let them out of my sight. Up
to some mischief, I'll be bound."
"They are going out to look for two chums of theirs who have been
lost for three days," Mrs. Hardy explained.
"And serve them right! I suppose they were out on a boat trip, too. I
knew it! And now they're lost. That's what happens when you let
children go out in boats. They get lost. Or drowned. And now you
would let these two youngsters go out in a boat, too. And I suppose
in a few days some of their chums would have to go out in a boat to
look for them. They'd get lost, too. And then some more little boys
would go out to look for them. And they'd get lost. By the end of the
summer there wouldn't be a boy left in Bayport. Not that it would be
much of a loss," sniffed Aunt Gertrude; "but I hate to see people
making fools of themselves."
"Did you have a pleasant journey?" asked Mrs. Hardy, anxious to
change the subject.
"Did I ever have a pleasant journey?" countered Aunt Gertrude.
"What with the rudeness of conductors and ticket-sellers and
baggage-men and taxi drivers there's no enjoyment in traveling
nowadays. But I put 'em in their place. I know my rights and I insist
on them!"
She glared ferociously about the room as though confronting a
multitude of conductors, baggage-men and taxi drivers awaiting
judgment.
"Now, boys! what are you staring at? Don't you know it's rude to be
staring at people? Run away and play. I want to talk to your mother.
Run away and play! Shoo!" She brandished the umbrella at them
and the Hardy boys left the room precipitately. Their mother excused
herself for a moment and followed them into the hall.
"Run!" she said, smiling. "I'll take care of Aunt Gertrude. Run along
while you have the chance."
They kissed their mother good-bye and hastily departed, wondering
how she was to explain their flight to the terrible Aunt Gertrude, in
view of that lady's melancholy predictions concerning their fate
should they venture out in the boat.
They found Slim Robinson waiting for them at the boathouse, and
with many chuckles the boys told him of their escape from the tyrant
who would have prevented their departure.
"We'd better hurry or she'll be down here after us if she finds we've
got away from her," declared Joe.
"Tony and the other fellows are over in the other boathouse," Slim
told them. "I think they're ready now."
"All right. Let's be going."
Frank started the engine of the Sleuth and the motorboat moved
slowly out into the open bay. He steered a course for the entrance to
Prito's boathouse, where Tony and the others were waiting. As soon
as Tony saw him he started his own craft, and the Napoli nosed its
way out abreast of them.
"All set?" shouted Frank.
"All set."
"Away we go."
The two boats drummed their way out into Barmet Bay and headed
out toward the sea, side by side, picking up speed when they had
threaded their way through the shipping near the docks.
It was evening before they reached the first village on the coast,
after leaving the bay, and although they made numerous inquiries
they failed to find any trace of their chums. No one in the village had
seen or heard a motorboat during the storm, although they readily
admitted that the craft might have passed without being noticed,
owing to the gloom and the violence of the gale. The chums spent
the night at this village and resumed their journey the next morning,
going farther up the coast.
Their progress was necessarily slow because there were numerous
small villages and they stopped at them all to make inquiries.
But in every case the answer was the same.
No motorboat answering to the description of the Envoy had been
seen. None of the fishermen had heard of the craft.
"It's ten chances to one that they was wrecked in that storm," an old
fisherman at one of the villages declared when they told him their
story. "Unless they were mighty lucky they wouldn't get past Ragged
Reef. They might get this far up the coast, but they'd never get past
the Reef."
"Where is that?"
"Not far from here. Up past the next point. Seems to me I heard one
of the boys sayin' this mornin' that there was some wreckage on the
reef yesterday. There's none of our boats missin' from hereabouts,
so mebby it's them young fellers."
The two motorboats thereupon started for Ragged Reef. The lads
were downhearted. They had little hope that they would ever find
their two companions alive. The words of the old fisherman struck
terror into their hearts.
When they rounded the point they saw the black and ominous line
of Ragged Reef before them. A jagged and irregular series of rocks
jutting above the surface of the water in the form of a huge
semicircle—this was the reef on which the Envoy might have come
to grief.
Fortunately, the day was calm so that the searchers were able to
venture more closely to the reef than they might have otherwise
dared. Frank edged the Sleuth in toward the rocks as closely as
possible. Suddenly he gave an exclamation:
"The fisherman was right! There is wreckage there!"
He pointed to a few broken fragments of wood that could be
discerned against the rocks. Joe picked up the marine glasses and
peered at the fragments for some time.
"It's wreckage of a boat of some kind," he declared gravely, lowering
the glasses at last. "But whether it's from the Envoy or not, I
couldn't say."
Slim also looked through the glasses. He was able to see more
fragments of wreckage farther along the reef.
"Some boat has been battered to pieces along here. There isn't
enough wreckage left to tell whether it was a motorboat or a sailing
vessel." He scrutinized the mainland. "Nothing there," he announced
finally. "Not a sign of life—nor wreckage either. It's all on the reef."
So interested had the boys been in the fragments of broken wood on
the jagged rocks that they had not noticed that the motorboat was
edging in closer to the reef. There was a strong current at this point
and, unnoticed by the boys, the boat was being carried irresistibly
forward.
A warning shout from the lads in the Napoli told them of their
danger.
Frank had throttled down the engine so that the Sleuth had been
almost drifting. Now he sprang for the helm, conscious of the peril
that had crept so insidiously upon them.
The great black rocks of the reef loomed closer. The motorboat
seemed to be dragged mercilessly toward its doom. The powerful
current had the craft firmly in its grasp!

CHAPTER VIII
The Strange Letter
The engine roared as Frank Hardy opened the throttle and bore
down on the helm of the Sleuth.
The grip of the current about the reef was so strong that, for a
moment, it seemed that the motorboat could not fight against it.
Then, slowly, the craft swung about, seemed to remain motionless
for a moment, and then began to forge ahead, away from the reef.
Fighting against the force of the current, the motorboat made slow
progress. Still, it was gaining ground. The boys waited tensely, as
the craft struggled out of danger. Gradually, the Sleuth drew away
from the reef, gradually the grip of the current relaxed. Frank
cautiously nosed the boat over to the left and managed to get out of
the current altogether.
The whole affair had occurred in a few seconds, but it had seemed
an eternity to the boys in the boat and their chums in the other
craft. It would only have been a matter of moments before they
might have been swept swiftly down onto the treacherous reef.
"That'll teach me to watch where I'm going," said Frank, as he sat
back and mopped his brow.
"There was mighty near a lot more wreckage on that reef," remarked
Slim soberly. "The boat wouldn't have lasted long if we'd piled up on
those rocks."
"I'll say it wouldn't! I think we'd better get away from here. We'll
never be able to get close enough to identify that wreckage. Might
as well go on up the coast."
They drew up alongside the Napoli and, after discussing the narrow
escape they had just had from being cast up on the reef, acquainted
the other boys with their decision to continue the search.
"There's no use trying to get closer to that wreckage," declared
Frank. "It's all in small pieces and we probably wouldn't be able to
say whether it was from the Envoy or not, if we did reach it. We may
as well go on up the coast and keep making inquiries at the other
villages."
This plan they followed, but to no avail.
Their inquiries were fruitless. The Envoy, with Chet and Biff, seemed
to have vanished into thin air. At none of the fishing villages were
they able to find any one who had seen or heard of the missing
motorboat. As for the wreckage on the reef, no one was found who
could enlighten them. Two or three fishing boats had been wrecked
during the storm, but they had met their fate farther up the coast
and in each case the scene of the wreck was known to the
fishermen.
"It might have been your friend's boat, and it might have been only
some old wreckage washed down the coast by the storm," said one
keen-eyed salt. "You'd best give up the search. If they're drowned,
they're drowned, and that's all there is to it. If they were wrecked
and managed to save themselves they'll make their way to the
nearest village and they'll get home from there without any trouble.
If you haven't found any trace of them by now there isn't much use
going any further, for they would never have got this far up the
coast having been seen by some of the fishermen."
The boys reluctantly agreed that his advice was sound. They turned
back for Bayport.
When they returned to the city and reported that their quest had
been unsuccessful they were scarcely prepared for the sensation
that the news aroused. The Hoopers were frantic with anxiety, as
their last hopes were dashed. The Mortons were almost stunned.
They had hoped against hope that the search would bring them at
least some news of the missing boys.
The local papers featured the story and the city was aroused. In
every village and town along the coast, to north and south, people
were discussing the mysterious disappearance of the motorboat and
its human freight. Fishermen were on the lookout for any trace of
the craft. The coast guards promised to do all in their power to clear
up the mystery.
But, when three days more went by and there was still not the
slightest solution in sight, the opinion became general that the boat
had been wrecked in the storm and had gone to the bottom. The
two boys were given up for lost. The Hardy boys and their chums
were gradually forced to the belief that Chet and Biff had perished.
Then came an incident that temporarily drove the tragic affair from
the minds of Frank and Joe, because it concerned their own home
more intimately.
Aunt Gertrude had greeted them on their return with a barrage of
scathing comment on their disobedience in leaving on the trip in
spite of her avowed disapproval, and she expressed the greatest
amazement because they had returned alive after all.
"You may thank Providence that you got back," she declared in her
characteristically brusque fashion. "It was through no skill of your
own, I'll be bound. Your poor mother and me were worried to death
all the time you were away—gallivanting over the ocean."
Aunt Gertrude did not add that Mrs. Hardy's worries had been chiefly
occasioned by her aunt's dire predictions of the certain death that
awaited the boys on the search. However, her tone was modified
somewhat when she realized that they had indeed been hunting for
the missing chums and she made it her business to call on the
Hoopers and the Mortons to condole with them, for she was a good-
hearted soul in her own way—although it is to be feared that her
condolences did more to add to the certainty that the boys were
drowned than they served to cheer up the sorrowing parents.
The third day after the Hardy boys returned she was sorting over the
morning mail, having duly taken charge of every department of the
household.
"Ha!" she exclaimed, holding a letter up to the light. "Here's a letter
addressed to Fenton Hardy. Bad news in it, I'll be bound."
Aunt Gertrude could smell bad news a mile away, Frank often said.
"Bad news in it. I can tell. I dreamed about haystacks last night.
Haystacks! Whenever I dream about haystacks it means bad news. I
never knew it to fail. Open the letter, Laura."
"But it isn't addressed to me," objected Mrs. Hardy.
"Fiddlesticks! It's addressed to your husband, isn't it? You have as
much right to open it as he has. More. It's a wife's duty to help her
husband as much as she can and look after his affairs for him. Man
and wife are one, aren't they? Open the letter."
Mrs. Hardy, with some misgivings, slit open the envelope and Aunt
Gertrude, who was possessed of an insatiable curiosity, immediately
seized the letter.
"I'll read it for you!" she offered.
"'Fenton Hardy—Bayport,'" she began. "'Dear Sir: We wish to inform
you that we have—' My goodness! What's this? What's this? Gracious
me!" She lapsed into unintelligible mutterings as she read the rest of
the letter to herself, frequently giving vent to exclamations of
surprise while her eyes widened with astonishment.
Mrs. Hardy and the boys could hardly contain their impatience until
at last Aunt Gertrude laid down the letter and peered triumphantly at
them over her spectacles.
"Didn't I say so?" she demanded stridently. "Didn't I say there was
bad news in this letter? Didn't I tell you I dreamed of haystacks last
night? Haystacks always mean bad news." She looked at the letter
again. "Although for the life of me I can't imagine what the man
means. Hum! Kidnapped!" She looked up suddenly at the Hardy
boys and glared at them.
"You boys haven't been kidnapped lately? No. Of course not. What
nonsense! Has any one tried to kidnap you?"
"No, Aunt Gertrude," said Frank, utterly mystified.
"Then," demanded Aunt Gertrude, pushing the letter across to Mrs.
Hardy and folding her arms as though prepared to wait until
doomsday for a satisfactory answer, "what does this letter mean?"
Mrs. Hardy picked up the letter and read it aloud, while an
expression of amazement crossed her face.
"Fenton Hardy—Bayport," ran the letter. "Dear Sir: We
wish to inform you that we are holding your two sons
in a safe place and that we will not return them to you
unless you agree to the following conditions: You must
pay us the sum of $5000 as ransom, you must agree
to refuse to give evidence in the Asbury Park bank
 robbery case, and you must further agree to give up
your pursuit of our leader, Baldy Turk. These are our
conditions. It will do you no good to attempt to find
your sons, for we will not hesitate to put them out of
the way if you attempt to discover our hiding place.
Furthermore, unless you agree to what we ask, it will
go hard with them. You may signify your agreement to
the terms of this letter by dropping a package
containing the money and a signed statement to the
effect that you will drop your pursuit of Baldy Turk and
that you will not give evidence against our associates
in the robbery case from the 5:15 express from
Bayport next Thursday afternoon as it passes the
grade crossing at the North Road."
The letter was unsigned.
"What on earth does it mean?" asked Mrs. Hardy.
Frank and Joe looked at one another in astonishment. Frank reached
over for the letter and examined it. The strange document was
typewritten on an ordinary quality of white paper. The envelope bore
the Bayport post-mark, indicating that it had been mailed from the
city post-office early that morning.
"It must be a practical joke of some kind," said Mrs. Hardy, in
perplexity.
"Practical joke, nothing!" scoffed Aunt Gertrude shrewdly. "Did
Fenton Hardy go to Chicago after some criminal?"
"He went to arrest Baldy Turk," replied Frank.
"There!" Aunt Gertrude pounded the table. "That explains the whole
thing. The companions of this Baldy person sent that letter in the
hope that it would bring Fenton Hardy back from Chicago by the
next train."
"But the letter is addressed to Bayport."
"Certainly! Why not? They wouldn't know where to reach him in
Chicago, so they sent the letter here and trusted that it would be
forwarded to him. And if I hadn't been here," said Aunt Gertrude, "it
very probably would have been forwarded to him. Am I right?"
"I usually forward his personal mail," admitted Mrs. Hardy.
"There! Didn't I know it? And look what would have happened.
Fenton Hardy would have fallen right into the trap. He would have
come back home, thinking his precious sons were kidnapped, and
that would have given this Turk person time to get away. It's a
blessing I was here, I tell you. I hope this will be a lesson to you,
Laura Hardy. Always open your husband's mail! Always!"

CHAPTER IX
Blacksnake Island

In spite of Aunt Gertrude's ingenious explanation of the letter, the

Hardy boys were not quite satisfied. When they left the house they
walked downtown, discussing the matter.
"Aunt Gertrude may be right, but somehow I think those fellows sent
the letter to the house, believing dad was still there," declared Joe.
"But if they knew he was at the house, or thought he was at the
house, he would know we weren't kidnapped."
"Yes, that's right," Joe admitted, puzzled. "I'm hanged if I can figure
it out, but I still think there is more to that letter than Aunt Gertrude
imagines."
"I have that idea myself. You noticed that they were very particular
to tell how the ransom money was to be delivered. That was quite
an elaborate stunt, to have the money thrown off the train at a
grade crossing. That would mean that the crooks could come along
in a car, snatch up the package and be away without much risk of
capture. They'd hardly go to the trouble of outlining all that if they
didn't mean something by it."
"Yes, if the letter was only sent as a blind to bring dad back to
Bayport you'd hardly think they'd go into all that detail."
"Still," Frank pointed out, "here we are, safe and sound. Haven't
been kidnapped yet, and nobody has tried to kidnap us. If that letter
had been sent to Chet's people, for instance, or to the Hoopers, they
would have something to worry about." Suddenly he stopped and
looked at Joe. "Say!" he exclaimed. "There's an idea!"
"What?"
"Chet and Biff!" declared Frank excitedly. "Don't you see? This may
have something to do with them. Chet and Biff are missing. Perhaps
they have been kidnapped."
"But why should any one kidnap them?" Joe looked wonderingly at
his brother.
"In mistake for us. Don't you see it? Perhaps this gang mistook Chet
and Biff for you and me and kidnapped them! Then they wrote the
letter to dad."
"Gee, I never thought of that!" Joe exclaimed. "I'll bet dollars to
doughnuts that you're right."
"Don't you remember the day we were all out in the boat and the
three men came so close to us? Remember how closely they looked
at Chet and Biff? Perhaps those fellows had been tipped off that you
and I were in the boat and wanted to get a look at us so they could
identify us when they got a chance to kidnap us. And instead of
looking at us, they picked on Chet and Biff. They knew we owned a
boat, but they wouldn't know that Biff had one. Therefore they'd
think that the chap at the wheel would be either you or me."
"It hangs together, all right. And then, remember when we saw
those same three men hanging around the Morton farm? They must
have trailed Chet home to see where he lived. And all the time they
thought he was either you or me!"
"I think we're getting at the truth of it, Joe. When Chet and Biff
started on their trip, those fellows followed them or lay in wait for
them some place and captured them."
Just then the Hardy boys met Phil Cohen and Tony Prito in front of
the fruit stand of their friend, Nick the Greek, each with a bottle of
pop.
"Hello," was Tony's greeting. "Have one?" he invited, indicating the
pop.
"Don't mind if we do, even if it is just after breakfast."
Nick the Greek dexterously opened two bottles of pop and slapped
them down on the counter. "Hot day, eh?" he said, as the boys
reached for straws.
"You bet it's hot." After a satisfying gurgle of the ice-cold pop, the
Hardy boys turned to their chums. "We have a clue," declared Frank.
"About what?"
"About Chet and Biff."
"Yes?" Tony and Phil were immediately interested. "What's up?"
Frank then told them of the incident of the letter and, often
prompted by his brother, explained how they had connected it with
the disappearance of their chums.
"And so," he concluded, "we've figured that Chet and Biff may have
been kidnapped in mistake for us."
"There's something in that, too," agreed Phil. "And here's something
else that may help. I forgot about it when we were searching for the
fellows the other day. Just a little while before they went on their trip
I was talking to Chet and Biff and I remember that Biff said he had
always wanted to visit Blacksnake Island."