CHAPTER XXII
OVERHEARING A PLOT
Noddy was so much engaged in making a landing at the dock that he didnot observe the three boys until he had come up alongside the stringpiece. Then, as he glanced up, he muttered an exclamation below hisbreath.
"Oh, uncle, I had a lovely ride!" exclaimed Jessica, as she got out."It was glorious! Oh, there are the boys who were almost shipwreckedthe other night," and she bowed to the motor lads.
"Well, now you must all come in and have a glass of milk and somecake," said Mr. Hardack. "Jessica bakes fine cake."
"That's the way uncle flatters me!" exclaimed the girl with a laugh."But come in, all of you; please do."
The motor boys were in a quandary. They wanted to see the workings ofthe lighthouse, which they had been told were quite novel. Ned hadto admit he wanted to see Jessica, and Jerry was anxious to get moreinformation about Bill Berry. As for Noddy, he did not seem to knowwhat to do. He was fumbling at the painter of the boat he was in.
"Aren't you coming in, Mr. Nixon?" asked Jessica.
"I forgot--I have an engagement," muttered Noddy. He bent over theengine and was cranking it up. "I'll see you again, Miss Jessica," hecalled, and with a bow, he steered his boat away from the dock.
"Well, you three boys come in," insisted the keeper. "We have verylittle company here, and we must make the most of it. See the fine bluefish they brought me, Jessica."
"They're lovely," the girl said, though she looked a little troubled.Ned wondered if she regretted Noddy's departure.
Over the simple lunch which was soon set out the boys grew betteracquainted with the keeper and his niece. She mentioned that she hadmet Noddy at a sociable where a girl companion had introduced her tohim.
"He's very nice to me," Jessica confided to Ned. "He is going to takeme for a long ride in the boat some day. It's very fast, even if youdid beat us to-day. His engine wasn't working right, or he'd have comein first."
Ned tried to turn the conversation. He did not want to talk about Noddybehind his back.
"There's my assistant," spoke Mr. Hardack, as he pointed out of thewindow. Jerry and his chums looked. Though they said nothing they hadno difficulty in recognizing Bill Berry. He was filling some lanternsat an oil box in the yard.
"I don't much fancy him," the keeper went on. "He's too silent. This isa lonesome place, and I like persons who can talk. I hope you boys willcome again."
"We'll be glad to," Jerry replied.
Mr. Hardack showed them all over the lighthouse. They inspected themachinery, which, by means of weights, revolved the frame containingthe powerful lenses.
"We flash one white light and two red lights at intervals," explainedthe keeper.
"And if anything should interfere with the proper workings of themachinery, I suppose there would be danger," said Bob.
"Well, I guess so! The sailors depend on seeing a white flash and twored ones when they get here. It means keep out. Why we even have anemergency apparatus, so that if the automatic one breaks we can turnthe lenses by hand. The government doesn't want any failure of thelight."
The boys were shown through the store room, near the kitchen, where theoil and other supplies were kept. The lighthouse was some distance fromany settlement, and in stormy weather it was hard to get food and othernecessities. So a goodly supply was kept in stock.
"I think we'd better be going," remarked Jerry, as he looked at hiswatch and noted it was four o'clock. He wanted to get off with hischums and talk over matters.
"Don't be in a hurry," spoke Mr. Hardack. "We don't get enough companyas it is, do we Jessica?"
"No, indeed, uncle."
"Did you ask if there was any mail?" asked the keeper, of his niece.
"Yes, I stopped at the post-office when I was out with Mr. Nixon, butthere were no letters."
"Strange; we ought to hear pretty soon now," and the keeper seemedworried about something.
"I'm sure we're much obliged for showing us the place," put in Ned, andthen he started out, followed by his chums. Mr. Hardack went down tothe dock with them. On the way Jerry tried to get a look at Bill Berry,who was still busy filling lamps, but the man kept his back turned.
"Now don't forget to come again," Mr. Hardack went on, as the boys gotin their boat. "You see my niece is sort of lonesome. That's the reasonI let her go off with that Nixon fellow once in a while, though I don'texactly like him. She wants cheering up."
"Is anything the matter?" inquired Ned.
"Yes, you see her father, he--"
But the rest of what Mr. Hardack would have said was lost as, justthen, Bob started the motor, and it made such a noise until Jerryslowed it down, that the keeper's words were inaudible. When the noisehad ceased the boat was some distance from the dock, and Mr. Hardackwas waving them a farewell. Ned thought he saw a handkerchief shakenfrom a window in the lighthouse, but was not sure.
"I wonder what he was going to say about her father," Jerry said, whenthey had headed the boat for home.
"He's dead, probably," Ned spoke. "She dresses in black, you notice."
"I didn't notice particularly, but it seems you did."
"I've got eyes," was all Ned replied.
"Queer Noddy should be sporting around there in a motor boat," saidBob. "I wonder where he got it?"
"Bought it, same as we did," came from Jerry, "or hired it. His fatherkeeps him supplied with money, in spite of his escapades."
The boys paid several other visits to the lighthouse, and each timereceived a warm welcome. They found Jessica home only once; the otheroccasions she was out riding with Noddy Nixon, her uncle said.
"He's getting altogether too thick around here," the keeper complained."I don't want to say anything, as Jess needs cheering up, and I guesshe isn't such a bad sort. One thing I don't like though, he and thathelper of mine, seem to have some sort of a secret between them."
"How's that?" asked Jerry, trying to speak as though he did not muchcare.
"Well, I was surprised to notice that a rich young chap, such as thisNixon boy seems to be, would know a fellow like Bill Berry. Bill's agood enough worker, but he's a sort of shiftless man, and I don't knowmuch about him. He's tramped around considerable, he tells me, and Ireckon there's lots he hasn't told me. But one day I saw him and youngNixon talking as though they had known each other all their lives. Nowwouldn't that strike you as being sort of queer?"
"Oh, well, maybe it's all right," spoke Jerry, warning his chums, witha look, to say nothing.
"But that's not all. The other day I saw young Nixon pass Bill a note,and when he saw I was watching, he got red, as though it was somethingto be ashamed of. I don't like it, and I'm going to be on the watch."
On their way home that afternoon, from the lighthouse, the boys talkedover what Mr. Hardack had said.
"What do you make of it?" asked Bob.
"It's hard to say," replied Jerry. "Maybe they're up to some of theirold tricks, trying to get us into trouble."
"Yes, and maybe they're trying to get Mr. Hardack and Jessica intotrouble," put in Ned.
"Jealous, eh?" asked Jerry.
"Well I guess you don't like to see Noddy Nixon paying attention toJessica, or to any other nice girl for that matter, any more than I do.I don't know as that's jealousy."
"No, you're right," came from Jerry, who spoke in a serious tone. "Ofcourse we have nothing to go by, but I think there's something in thewind. I am almost certain Bill Berry stole that diamond ring from thebath house, and I'm going to tell Professor Snodgrass what I know aboutit. I shall also inform him where Bill is, and he can do as he pleasesabout having him arrested."
"What about Noddy?" asked Ned.
"We'll see what develops. Maybe Noddy is mixed up in it, though I don'treally believe he'd steal."
That night the boys, in their boat, went to the amusement resort, wherethey had first seen Noddy walking with Jessica. There was a minstrelperformance scheduled, for the benefit of the local hospital. As theytied
the craft to the dock, among a score of other boats, Ned remarked:
"I guess I'll stay here, fellows. I don't much feel like taking in theshow."
"Want to sit and think of Jessica," said Jerry, with a laugh. "Well youare certainly getting moony, old chap. You'd better take some livermedicine. Come on, Bob, we'll see the fun."
"Yes, and get something to eat, too. Better come, Ned."
"No thanks, I'll stay here."
It was really nothing more than a whim on his part to remain behindin the boat. Ned was really getting quite fond of the girl at thelighthouse, but he did not admit it, even to himself. He had a vaguefeeling that he would like to be alone and think.
He stretched out on some cushions in the bottom of the craft, and wasstar-gazing to his heart's content. Next to the _Dartaway_ was a largesailing sloop, which was there when the boys made fast to the dock. Thehigh sides threw a deep shadow over the motor craft. Ned was disturbedfrom his reveries by the sound of some one walking along the dock. Ithad been silent for some time, save for the distant sound of the music,and at first he believed the boys were coming back. Then he heardvoices he knew were not those of his chums.
"Is this the sloop?" asked a man.
"Yes," was the answer. "Get aboard where we can talk without beingoverheard, though I guess there's no one around."
Ned could hear the men going aboard the sailing craft. They went intothe cabin, and then some one opened a port just above the boy's head,as he was stretched out in the motor boat.
"It's beastly hot in here," some one said.
"Yes, been shut up all day. Now, how much have you got done?"
"Well, I've found the steamer's due here in a few days now, and it'sgot a valuable cargo aboard. Stuff that will float easily. We ought tobe able to pick up a lot of it."
"How about the lights?"
"That's all arranged. Bill has a job at the place and he is going to bein charge that night. It's Hardack's time off, and Bill will fix thelights so's to fool the pilot of the steamer."
"How's he going to do it?"
"Just cover the one flash, and make only two flashes just like theNorth light gives."
"Is there any one else likely to give trouble?"
"There's only the girl, and we can easily get her out of the way. Oh,it's going to be easy. We'll be there to help Bill if he needs it.Now--what's that?"
The voices suddenly ceased.