HARDY BOYS: 17. THE SECRET WARNING

CHAPTER 16. THE FOOLHARDY CAMERAMAN

Chet stood in the hotel lobby, whistling softly. His chums had gone to their room following his excuse that he wanted to read the newspaper before turning in. However, the stout lad
had another intention. He realized that the Hardys thought that he lacked courage; that hewas afraid of Kuntz and the latter 'a confederates, Bock and Simon.

"I guess Frank and Joe can't help but feel that way about me after all I've said
concerning going home," he admitted to himself. "But I'll show them! I'll show them that I'm just as brave as they are!"

He sat down and watched the great clock over the hotel desk tick away the minutes. At length he arose. "They ought to be asleep by now," he decided, "and probably have forgotten all about that prowler who came in last night.

Well, I haven't forgotten. He'll probably
come back tonight, and I'll catch him!"
It was nearly eleven o'clock when he tiptoed up the stairway. He paused to catch his breath on the third floor, then quietly crept along the dimly-lighted corridor to their room 1.34.

He stopped at the door and listened, but could hear nothing save the faint sounds of breathing. Then he heard a floor-board creak inside the room!
There followed a moment of silence, after which came a loud clash and a dull thud on the other side of the door. A second later a shrouded figure burst from the room.

For an instant the form was only a few inches from Chet, then it was gone. With a scream of anger and disappointment the stout boy realized that he was too late. He had lost his courage, and with it his chance to reach out and grab the fugitive. At that moment another figure burst from the room and crashed into him. "Chet!"
shouted Frank, back on his feet in a twinkling. "Did you see-which way did he go?"

Without waiting for an answer, the older Hardy lad dashed toward an open window at the end of the corridor. Joe ran behind him.

"Gone again!" muttered the latter.

"These fire-escapes are certainly convenient for him, whoever he is."
Frank turned disappointedly from the window. '' No use trying to catch him now. Chet!

What on earth------"
The fat boy was picking himself up from the floor. "I'm-I'm sorry," he moaned. "I was standing guard out here and-well, I guess I must have been too scared to catch the fellow.''

"Never mind, Chet, don't worry about it,'Frank soothed his chum, who was on the verge of tears over his failure. "We'll find out who he is before long."

''Yes, and we'll catch him next time," Joe eaid tersely. "This has gone far enough."
His brother, who had entered their room ahead of the others, suddenly uttered an exclamation.

"Look, here's a note!" He held out a torn scrap of cheap tablet paper. On it, in an almost illegible scrawl, were the words,

"FRANK HARDY'S DOOM IS NEAR." There was no signature attached.

For a moment the boys were silent. Then Joe spoke. "Frank," he said grimly. "Whatever else we do, you're not going diving I"

"Why not?" queried his brother.

"Because-you're not. It isn't worth the risk. Kuntz and his gang will go to any length to make sure you never come up again. I know it!"

The older Hardy boy laughed. "Shucka, Joe, how can they do anything like that? Why, Perry's men are guarding the diving apparatus day and night. Nobody who isn't known to them can get within a mile of it. How could Kuntz or any of his gang damage anything now?"

The lad refused to take his brother's well-meant warning seriously, so Joe finally gave in.

The following morning the chums returned to the dock, Frank assuring the others that everything would be perfectly all right if he should go ahead with his prospective dive.