CHAPTER XXI

at the mill

the two boys made good time out into thc country and when at last they reached the abandoned road that led down to Willow River it was not quite ten o'clock. As they ·rode they discussed their plan of action and it was agreed that they should leave the motor cyles beside the road at the same place they bad left them on the occasion of their previous xnsit to the mill.

"I'd like to have them closer to the river,'said Frank, "for we might have to clear out of there in a hurry. But we can't afford tc let them hear us coming."

"And it's a calm night. They could heai a motorcycle for half a mile," opined hi§ brother.

They left the machines in the shade of some forces by the roadside and went the rest of the-way on foot. They could see quite clearly, for the moon had risen higher and the grey ribbon of road extended before them.

At the MiU 1TO

"I wish it had been a bit darker," Joe said, ""We'll have to be careful when we get near the place."

"They may have some one posted on guard* Oh, well, we can look the place over when we get there."

At last they emerged on the hilltop that overlooked Willow River.

Below them lay the stream, with water shining in the moonlight. The deep banks oi willow trees along the borders cast heavy shadows, and a light mist overhung the fields and hedges in the distance.

Gloomy and mysterious, the heavy bulk of the old mill rose from beside the river, neaff the shimmering silver streak of the mill race, Not a light shone from the building and it appeared absolutely deserted.

"Perhaps they've all moved away," suggested Joe.

"I noticed that the buildings were all boarded up when we were here last time. They haven't moved away, never fear."

Cautiously, the boys went down the siope.

They left the road and kept to the shadows of the trees, skirting the open space of meadow that lay between the grove and the mill itself, They did not speak, for the night was so calm and clear that sound carried for a considerable distance. They could hear the dull roar of the

17* 'The Secret of the Old Mill

rapids and the waterfall, sounding hollow anc£ lonely in the moonlit night.

They came to the edge of the grove and moved slowly about in the deep shadows, the grass sinking beneath their feet. When ·they had reached a point about two hundred feet from the mill they paused to reconnoitre.

"We've got to cross that open space," whispered Frank.

"And what then?"

"See that willow tree beside the mill!'*

Joe nodded.

"It reaches right to the roof. It looks to be our best bet. If we can climb that tree and drop to the roof o.* get in a window we'll be all right."

"As long as we can get up the tree without being heard."

"We have to take our chances on that,'* Prank said, in a low voice. "I think it's going to be harder to cross that open space."

For two hundred feet the grassy sward was bathed in moonlight. They could not walk across it without being in full view of any one who might be watching from the mill. But it bad to be crossed as the mill itself was isolated on the bank of the river and on this side there was no protecting shade to enable them to creep ap closer.

At the Mill 178

We'll have to crawl across the grass," Prank whispered. "Ready?"

"I'm ready."

"Go easy and quiet. If you hear a sound; don't move."

They dropped to their hands and knees, then 'left the shadow of the wood. They began to crawl slowly toward the willow tree at the rear of the mill.

Inch hy inch they made their way forward.

The moon was high in the sky and seemed tike a giant searchlight. It seemed impossible that they could cross that open space with out heing discovered. Every blade of grass seemed clearly revealed by the moonlight.

When they were about half way toward the mill they heard a sound in the distance.

It was the banging of a heavy door.

There was a warning whisper from Frank They lay motionless in the thick grass.

For a moment a deep silence prevailed then, from the mill, they heard a surly voice:

"I saw some one out on the hillside."

They were startled. But still they did oa^ move. Their only hope of safety lay in silence and in remaining motionless.

"You're crazy, Markel," replied some There's no one out there.'*

176 The Secret of the Old Mill

"I tell you I saw some one crawling dowB trough the grass. I'm sure of it. I saw him from that upper window."

"Whereabouts?"

"Out there - see? Can't you see something Markup there?"

There was silence for a moment or so. Thexa the second man laughed.

"It's only a log." I tell you, it isn't a log. A log doesn't move."

"

"That isn't moving."

"It was."

"Well, if you're so sure of it, why don't you go on up and see? You're getting so nervous lately that you think people are hanging around here all the time."

"I've got a right to be nervous. We're not safe here, I tell you. We should have moved out of here a week ago."

"We'll never find a place as safe as this."

"Is that so? Ever since those two boys came snooping around here and asking Lester questions I've been suspicious. They've got their eye on this place, let me tell you. They weere down at the railway station the day I slipped the package to Burgess, and I*m mighty sure they saw me."

"Just a couple of kids, You're too

nervous."'

At the Mill 17T

"'Well, I'm going up on the Mil and take m Book at that log, as you call it."

As it happened, there was a log lying in grass close by Frank. But he realized that Markel came up to investigate he would no chance to evade discovery. They could get up and run away - at least not until cap ture seemed inevitable. Frank's heart sank They had been discovered before they had a ehance even to reach the mill

At that moment relief came from a most out expected quarter.

A dark cloud that had been creeping across the sky began to obscure the moon, and grad aally the vivid illumination that bathed the hill side gave way to gloom and darkness. Tbe cloud hid the moon completely.

"Now's our chance !" whispered Frank, to his brother. "Head toward the willow tree."

He scrambled to his feet and together tic* boys raced down the slope toward the willow tree back of the mill. Their feet made no sound in the deep grass. Th y were taking a, desperate chance, they knew, for, in spite of the cloud that had fallen across the moon Markel might be able to see them.

But Markel had just emerged from the mill and his eyes were not yet accustomed to the gloom. As the boys reached the shelter of the willow tree the moon emerged from behind the

178 The Secret of the Old Mill

cloud and slowly the hillside was again bathed in radiance.

Panting, the boys halted beneath the tree and looked back.

They could see the dark figure of Markel as he cut across the slope in a diagonal direction and they watched as he drew near the place where they had been lying.

They saw him stop, kick at something in the grass, then they heard him mutter as he turned away.

"Well, what was it?" called the other man from the doorway of the mill.

"It was a log all right," admitted Markel in a disgruntled tone. "But I could have sworn I saw it move a while ago.''

"Better get your eyes tested."

To this pleasantry Markel made no reply, but trudged on down the slope until he again reached the mill. The boys pressed close to the willow tree.

'' You may think I 'm being too careful,'' they heard Markel saying. "But we've got good reason to be careful. You know what'11 happen to the whole crowd of us if we're caught."

'' Sure. About twenty years in the pen. But we're not going to be caught I tell you."

"Don't be too sure. We can't afford to take chances, anyway. I'd rather keep my eyes open and get fooled by a few logs on the hill-

At the Mill 175

side than feel too safe and spend the rest of my life behind the bars."

"I guess you're right. Anyway, everything is all right to-night.''

"I'm going to take a trip around the mill, anyhow.''

"Your nerves must be jumpy."

"They are," snapped Markel. "My nerves are always jumpy when I think I see something moving down toward here from the woods- and I don't care whether that was a log or not, I saw something move.''

'' Oh, probably a sheep or a cow that strayed from one of the farms. Or even a dog.''

"Yes, it might have been a dog," Markel admitted.

"We'd better get to work. Dock is waiting for us."

"I'm going to walk around the mill once anyway.''

'' Go ahead. Go ahead, then,'' said the other man. "I'll be inside with Dock."

The boys heard heavy footsteps as Markel left the doorway, and then they saw his dark figure in the moonlight as he came around the side of the mill.

They pressed close against the willow tree and lowered their heads so that their faces would not be seen. Both were wearing dark clothes and dark caps. They did not look up,

380 The Secret of the Old Mill

for they knew that their faces would he grey against the surrounding darkness and that Markel might see them.

In an agony of suspense they heard the foot steps come closer.

Markel poked around among the rubhish at the side of the mill. It was plain that he was not.ot yet convinced that he had been suffering from a delusion when he saw the moving forms on the hillside and he meant to satisfy himself beyond any shadow of doubt that there was no one lurking in the vicinity of the milL

Nearer and nearer he came.

His body brushed against the overhanging tranches of the willow. He was now only t. ?sw yards away from the Hardy boys.

Breathlessly, they waited. They stood, rigid and motionless, not daring to look up.

Market's footsteps came to a stop He was standing but a short distance away listening intently.

Had he seen them?

CHAPTER XXIT through the roof

the Hardy boys always said that the few seconds in which they stood in the shadow of the willow tree with the suspicious Markel almost within arm's length of them, not knowing whether they had been discovered or not, were the longest seconds they had ever known.

It seemed hours before they finally heard Markel give a grunt of satisfaction and trudge away in the opposite direction.

Even then it was minutes before they darec move, before they ventured to raise their head; and look about them. When at last they did so, Markel was no longer in sight.

They heard him go around the other side of the mill and finally they heard his footsteps as he trudged up into the doorway.

The door banged at last.

Markel was back in the mill. They breathed freely.

"That was a close call,'* whispered Joe, in relief.

182 The Secret of the Old Mill

"Not a sound," cautioned Frank. "They may be listening.''

They waited in the shadows for a long time. But evidently Markel had given up the search, his suspicions allayed. Finally a strange sound came from the interior of the mill, a strange whirring sound, followed by the muffled rumble of machinery.

"What's that?" whispered Joe.

They listened. The rumbling sound rose and fell with monotonous regularity. Finally Frank nudged his brother and pointed to one of the boarded windows half way up the side of the mill.

A faint streak of light was apparent through a crack in the boards.

"That must be where their workroom is," Frank whispered.

The sound of machinery in motion continued.

"We've struck them at the right time," said Joe, in a low voice. '' They must do their work at night.''

"We've got to make sure."

'' How can we get inside the mill ?''

"The willow tree. We'll have to climb it and drop down on the roof.''

"What if they hear us? We won't have a chance to get away.''

"They won't hear us," said Frank confidently. "The walls are of stone. Anyway,

Through the Roof 183

the sound of machinery will drown out any noises from outside. It's our only chance to get into the mill.''

"Lead the way, then."

Frank began to ascend the willow tree.

It was difficult work, for although the tree was large, it bent and swayed under his weight. It was impossible for both of them to attempt to climb at the same time, and Joe was forced to wait on guard at the bottom, listening as his brother made his way higher and higher among the springy branches.

The topmost branches drooped over the roof of the mill, and when at length Frank had reached them he swung himself over until his feet touched the top of the building. For a second or so he was uncertain of his footing but at length he was able to stand steadily on the sloping surface. He released his grasp and the branches swished back. So far he had been able to move with a minimum of noise and he was confident that his ascent to the roof had been unheard.

He called softly to Joe, and in a few minutes a rustling among the branches indicated that his brother was also climbing the tree.

Frank waited and directed his brother so that Joe was soon swinging out from the branches. He dropped lightly to the roof of the old mill.

THe Secret of the Old Mffl

" There should be some sort of trapdoor Stare," said Frank quietly, "If there isnt we'll have to lower ourselves over the edge to one of the upper windows. I noticed a small open window around at the front. But there is probably a trapdoor."

The mill roof was not on an abrupt slant, sc that the boys were able to make their way along among the shingles without a great deal of difficulty. The roof was in a bad state cf repair, and once Frank came upon a wide hole, where the shingles had fallen off and where the wood beneath had rotted away.

But there was no trapdoor.

"We'll tackle that hole in the roof," he dfr aided.

The gap was only about a foot square, but when Frank turned his flashlight on it he saw that immediately beneath them was a sort of attic, the topmost room in the mill.

Quietly, they began enlarging the hole in the roof. Fortunately, the effect of rain andl wind and weather had been such as to render the roof extremely weak. The singles broke off easily, and bit by bit they made the hole widder until at last it was a large, black gap.

They did not throw the debris to the ground, but piled it carefully up on the roof near by. The work of enlarging the hole in the roof had taken them some time, as they worked cau-

Through the Eoof 18SF

tiously and deliberately with a view to a min-

imum of noise. Finally they agreed that there was sufficient space to admit the passage of a human body, and Frank began to lower himself through the opening.

The attic was very low, only about five feet from floor to roof, and when Frank's feet touched the boards beneath he tested their strength. Having satisfied himself that the floor was strong enough to support his weight,, he crouched down, flashing the light about him in search of some mode of egress to the lower part of the building.

He cautioned Joe to wait on the roof. The condition of the building was such that the floor might not be strong enough to hold them bothp in which event disaster would overtake them.

At first he thought the attic was entirely separated from the rest of the mill. The floor seemed to be solid. There was not the sign of a stairway or opening of any kind.

Frank was bitterly disappointed. To have been successful so far and then find themselves in a narrow little room under the eaves of the mill!

Suddenly he caught sight of a crack betweeE the boards, and he held the flashlight closer to investigate. He found a space about two feet square, evidently a trapdoor cut in tl:c floor, and he tugged at the edges of this until as

T86 The Secret of the Old MflT

length he managed to raise one side of ii Then, quietly, he worked at the trapdoor until he was able to lift it out of place. He raised it and put it quietly to one side.

It was very dark beneath the opening and he flashed the light down once for a brief second. It was long enough to show him that a ladder led from the opening to the floor pf the musty, unoccupied room below.

So far, so good!

He whispered to Joe.

"All right. Come ahead."

In the aperture in the roof he could see Joe's form silhouetted, and then his brother scrambled down beside him in the attic.

"I've found a trapdoor," Frank whispered.

"Where does it bad to?"

"There's another room directly below us, it's empty. The workroom must be just below that. But there's a door at the far side of the room, and I think it leads to the stairs that mn to the bottom of the mill."

"Shall we go ahead?"

"May as well. "We haven't been seen yet Nor heard."

Frank handed the flashlight to his brother, then groped his way to the trapdoor. He managed to place one foot on the top rung of the ladder beneath the opening.

Through the Koof 187

It held beneath his weight, although the ladder creaked warningly.

Cautiously, step by step, he descended.

There was the utmost need for silence. From the position of the flash of light that he had seen through the crack in the boarded window, he judged that the workroom of the counterfeiters was about midway in the mill, immediately below the deserted room into which he was now descending. The mill widened out toward the bottom, and Frank judged that the locked stone room on the ground floor and the room above were those used by the men.

He reached the bottom of the ladder at last, touching the floor without a sound. He whispered back to Joe, and in a few seconds a faint noise from above told him that his brother was also descending into the dark room.

The rumble of machinery was louder and came from directly beneath his feet. Also he could hear a muffled murmur of voices. He had not been mistaken. The workroom was immediately beneath.

Joe reached the bottom of the ladder in silence. Frank groped for the flashlight. He switched it on.

The room in which they were standing was a low-ceilinged, bare chamber, on the far side of which was a doorway that led to a flight of

188 TEe Secret of the Old Mill

stairs. Frank stepped cautiously over to the door and peered down the stairs. They led to a landing a short distance below, and continued from there to the bottom of the mill. The room beneath the one in which they were standing evidently opened onto the landing.

Frank made a mental note of all these features so that he would have a good idea of the layout of the building in case it became necessary for them to make a hurried retreat.

He heard a whisper from behind him.

He turned quickly.

Joe was crouching on the floor, peering through a crack in the boards. He motioned to Frank to come over.