"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 037 - The Ghost At Skeleton Rock (Original)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)

kinds of interesting doodads."
The Hardys thanked him and left the store with Chet. Outside, their stout pal
asked Frank why he was so interested in finding another dealer.
"Don't tell me you're going to take up ventriloquism, too?" he teased.
"Not a chance," Frank replied, and explained about the curious difference in the
instructions. He added, "It might be a fluke, or it might mean something.
Anyhow, I'd like to check another set of instructions."
Hanade's Puppet Repair Shop did, indeed, carry "all kinds of doodads," The tiny
store was crammed with Oriental trinkets, samurai swords, brass Buddhas, dolls'
heads hanging on the wall, birds and bird cages, aquariums with darting tropical
fish, and numerous other items.
Mr. Hanade was a small, bespectacled, pleasant gentleman. "Ah, yes," he replied
to Frank's question. "I carry the Hugo puppets. Made by a very fine company.
Every puppet carefully inspected by owner before he sends it out. Which kind do
you wish to see?"
"The model with a turban, like this one my friend has," replied Joe as Chet
displayed his Hugo.
"You wait, please. I check."
Mr. Hanade returned shortly with a box containing a Hugo similar to Chet's, but
it wore a green turban. Ignoring the dummy, Frank took out the instruction sheet
and compared it with the one in Chet's box.
"You're right," Joe muttered, reading over Frank's shoulder. "The Spanish
wording is a little different!"
Frank asked if he might borrow Mr. Hanade's sheet of instructions overnight, and
offered to leave a dollar on deposit. Though puzzled, the man agreed politely.
"You take, please. No deposit necessary."
"Thank you," said Chet, and the boys left the shop.
Before dropping Chet at the farm, Joe said impulsively, "Say, fellows, do you
think Professor Fox could be mixed up in anything shady?"
Chet declared that the TV performer had a fine reputation, and he was sure that
the man was above suspicion. Frank agreed with this.
That evening after supper Frank and Joe huddled around the study lamp in their
room, with the two sets of instructions in front of them. They were identical in
every way, except for the change in the Spanish wording.
"What do you make of it?" Joe asked his brother.
Frank furrowed his brow. "Might be some kind of a code. Let's compare all the
word changes and see what we get."
They had barely started on this job when the hall telephone rang. Joe took the
call.
"This is Chief Collig," came a crisp voice. "Understand you and your brother
were at Bivven's Novelty Shop this afternoon when the owner got robbed."
"That's right. In fact, we chased the holdup men."
"Anything to do with a case your father's working on, Joe?"
"Could be, sir. We're not sure."
"Well, if you're interested, the place was robbed again tonight. Or, anyhow, it
was broken, into and ransacked."
"What! "Joe cried out.
"Happened just about twenty minutes ago," the chief went on. "A patrolman
walking past heard some noises and figured something funny was going on. When he
went to investigate, the burglars ducked out the back way."