The Yellow Feather Mystery Read Online Free Page B

Benny shouted, clenching his fists. “Besides, if it was at night, how could you identify the car?”
    Joe pulled out the pad and compared his sketch with the imprint from the left rear tire of Benny’s automobile.
    â€œYour car has the same cut tire that the other one had!” he challenged.
    Benny was purple with rage. “I wasn’t even out last night,” he screamed.
    â€œDidn’t you ever notice that cut in your tire?” Joe pressed the attack, pointing to a deep gouge.
    â€œSure, it’s been there a couple of weeks,” Benny blustered. “Maybe somebody else has a cut tire too. You guys make me sick. I’m getting out of here.”
    â€œNot so fast,” Frank told him.
    He looked carefully at both bumpers. It must have been one of them which had crumpled the convertible’s fender. But there seemed to be no new scratches on either of them. Was Frank wrong in his assumption, or had Benny polished the chrome surface to eradicate the evidence?
    As Frank paused, Benny jumped into his car and slammed the door. The motor roared, the wheels spun on the snowy ground, and the youth veered off among the trees.
    â€œWe may as well head back ourselves,” Joe proposed.
    As the propeller sled skimmed over the snow with its four passengers, Frank said, “Even if we couldn’t prove it, I’m sure it was Benny’s car that sideswiped us last night. If Kurt was with him, and Kurt really gave Benny permission to carry a gun, I’d say the two are buddies. Funny combination.”
    â€œAnd we’d better keep an eye on them,” Joe added.
    Back at the Hoopers’ cabin, the quartet broke up. Chet and Biff headed for town. The Hardys drove toward Woodson Academy.
    â€œThere’s Skinny Mason!” Joe called out as they went up the long drive to the school. “Let’s stop and talk to him.”
    The boy, reporting that he had suffered no ill effects from his icy bath in the river, was so grateful to his rescuers that he embarrassed them with his thanks.
    â€œThat’s all right, Skinny,” Joe told him. “Maybe someday you can help us out.”
    â€œPerhaps you can give us some information right now,” Frank suggested. “Do any of the students here at the Academy have hunting privileges?”
    â€œOnly one that I know of—Benny Tass. He’s Mr. Kurt’s pet,” the boy replied matter-of-factly. “Everybody in school knows that. Mr. Kurt gave him a scholarship to come here so he could play basketball on our team.”
    â€œI thought Woodson only gave scholarships for good grades!” Frank exclaimed.
    â€œI don’t think anybody had one before Benny,” Skinny said. “And the funny thing is that he is only about the third best player on the team.”
    Frank and Joe were puzzled. Why should Kurt have made such an outright exception to regular school policy?
    It occurred to Frank that Skinny might become an ally in helping them solve the mystery of the Yellow Feather.
    â€œDid you ever hear of a guy who calls himself the Yellow Feather?” he asked.
    â€œNo,” Skinny replied. “What is he—a fighter?”
    The Hardys laughed. “We don’t know whether he is or not, but we’d like to find him. If you hear anything about him, let us know.”
    â€œI sure will,” Skinny promised. “Anything else I can do for you?”
    As Frank pondered, Joe remarked, “Skinny, ever since Greg Woodson showed up here with a strange letter from his grandfather, this mystery about the Yellow Feather has become more of a puzzle.”
    Skinny Mason’s eyes popped. “You wouldn’t be talking about a letter that old Mr. Elias Woodson wrote to young Mr. Woodson, would you?” he asked.
    â€œWhy, yes. What do you know about—?”
    Before Joe could finish, the boy broke in excitedly, “I’ve been wondering about that letter ever since I