Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History The Hunniwell boys and the platinum mysteryThe Project Gutenberg eBook of The Hunniwell boys and the platinum mystery This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Hunniwell boys and the platinum mystery Author: L. P. Wyman Illustrator: Howard L. Hastings Release date: July 17, 2025 [eBook #76521] Language: English Original publication: New York: A. L. Burt Company, 1928 Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76521 Credits: Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HUNNIWELL BOYS AND THE PLATINUM MYSTERY *** THE HUNNIWELL BOYS AND THE PLATINUM MYSTERY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE HUNNIWELL BOYS AND THE PLATINUM MYSTERY By L. P. WYMAN, Ph.D. AUTHOR OF "The Hunniwell Boys in the Air," "The Hunniwell Boys' Victory," "The Hunniwell Boys' Longest Flight," "The Hunniwell Boys in the Secret Service," "The Lakewood Boys Series," "The Golden Boys Series," etc. [A.L. Burt Company, New York logo] Printed in U. S. A. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE HUNNIWELL BOYS SERIES THRILLING AVIATION STORIES FOR BOYS 12 TO 16 YEARS By L. P. WYMAN, Ph. D. The Hunniwell Boys in the Air The Hunniwell Boys' Victory The Hunniwell Boys in the Secret Service The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery The Hunniwell Boys' Longest Flight Copyright, 1928 By A. L. BURT COMPANY THE HUNNIWELL BOYS AND THE PLATINUM MYSTERY Printed in U. S. A. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE HUNNIWELL BOYS AND THE PLATINUM MYSTERY CHAPTER I A STRANGE PROPOSAL "Horned toads and little fishes, but will you look at that baby pull!" Bill Hunniwell dropped his paddle and grabbed the landing net as he spoke. His brother, Gordon, however, was too busy handling the five ounce rod to make any reply. He had all he could do to keep a taut line on the big square tail as it broke water some sixty feet from the canoe. But he had handled big fish before and, although he fought it nearly half an hour, he finally succeeded in getting it up within netting distance and in another minute the big fellow lay on the bottom of the canoe too worn out even to flop. "I'll bet he'll go ten pounds," Bill declared as he looked down at the fish. "Guess he's the biggest that has come out of Lost Pond in our time," Gordon added as he too gazed with pride at his catch. "We'll take him home and have him mounted," Bill declared as he picked up the paddle and turned the canoe toward the cabin. "The phone's ringing," Gordon said when they were almost in. "Make it snappy or they'll ring off." A few strong strokes put the light canoe alongside the wharf and Gordon leaped out and raced for the cabin only a few feet away. Bill pulled the canoe up onto the wharf and began taking the rod and fish out. But he had not finished when Gordon returned. "It was mother calling," he announced. "She says that Mr. Rogers is at the house and wants to see us." "Rogers? You mean--?" "Sure, Rogers. R-O-G-E-R-S, our Rogers." "What's he want?" "She didn't say, just said he wanted to see us." "Of course you said we'd be right down as soon as we could shut up the cabin." "Sure I did. We were going down this afternoon anyhow and it'll save us the trouble of getting dinner. It's only a few minutes after ten and we can make it by dinner time if we hurry." But it was some task to close up the two cabins as the windows were all fitted with heavy shutters and the bedding had to be packed away on account of mice and squirrels which, in spite of all they could do, were bound to get in. So it was nearly half past eleven before they were ready to start. In a small space on the hillside just beyond the cabin rested an airplane with the name "Albatross" in large letters on both sides. One would have said that it would be impossible for a plane to take off in that small space and, for an ordinary plane it would have been correct. But this was no ordinary plane. It carried no heavy gasoline engine with its heavy load of fuel, but was driven by a light but powerful electric motor which received its power from a new type of storage battery. The latter was very small consisting only of a copper cylinder some eight inches long by an inch and a half or two inches in diameter. The cell was the invention of Bob and Jack Golden and a number of them had been loaned to the Hunniwell boys while the Goldens were abroad. The extreme lightness of the plane had suggested to them the possibility of lifting it vertically by means of a horizontal propeller driven by a second motor and the idea had proved a complete success. Consequently they were able to land and take off in a space barely large enough to hold the plane. "You got the fish?" Bill asked as he slipped a cell in place. "I put it in the box under your seat," Gordon told him. "Sure everything's all right?" "Sure. I even put out the cat." "Well, we want to leave things right because something tells me that we're going to be busy the rest of the summer and we may not get up here again till next spring." "But it's only the third week in August." "I know that, but it's only a month till college opens and Rogers is wanting to see us." "And he wouldn't be unless he had something he wants us to do." "Exactly." Steve Rogers was a member of The United States Secret Service and the boys had the previous summer been of great service to him in convicting the leader of the largest dope selling ring in the history of the service. They knew how busy he was and thus Bill had decided that something of more than passing importance had brought him to Maine. "Let's go." Bill pushed over a switch and the horizontal propeller, which they had dubbed, "the elevator," began to revolve. Faster and faster the blade whirled as Bill added notch after notch until, with a slight lurch, the plane lifted from the ground. Slowly it rose in the air and started in the direction of the pond as Bill set the forward propeller in motion. "Better make it snappy so cook'll have time to put on a couple extra plates," Gordon told him as the plane skimmed the top of the mountain on the other side of the pond. "Be there in twenty minutes," Bill promised. And he kept his word for the noon whistles were blowing just as the Albatross landed in front of the home hangar. Without waiting to push it inside the boys hurried around to the fro |