The mysterious guest 4 page

"Did you know the man who got stabbed, Tom Wat? How is he getting along?"

"In hospital. Him get all betta soon. Too bad."

"Too bad he got hurt?"

"No. Too bad he get all betta," said Louie Fong unsympathetically. "He look fo' tlouble."

"How was he looking for trouble?"

Louie Fong's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he did not reply.

Frank, while talking to the Chinaman, had noticed that alterations had been made in the laundry since he had last entered the place. Where he remembered a window to have been in the rear wall, there was now a door. The woodwork was new, and a partition had been erected at the back. In the middle of the floor he saw freshly painted wood that seemed to indicate the presence of a trapdoor. Why all these changes, he wondered. Perhaps these alterations explained the closing of the laundry on the previous day. He was sure that there were men behind the partition. There was not the usual cheerful bustle in the laundry and he saw no sign of Sam Lee's old helper.

But from beyond the partition came the sound of whispering, of an occasional rustle. He saw that Louie Fong's eyes darted toward the partition again and again. He also saw that the Chinaman was getting impatient, evidently waiting for them to leave.

"Where's Sam Lee now?" Joe inquired. "Any chance that he'll be coming back?"

"No wantee hear about Sam Lee!" shouted Louie Fong with sudden anger. "No talkee 'bout him. Gone away. No come back."

He was in a towering rage. His lanky, skinny hand pointed toward the door.

"Go Vay!" he ordered shrilly. "Why you come here and talkee, talkee, ask question! Laundly not leddy until tomolla. Go Vay. Come back tomolla."

"Oh, well," said Joe easily, "if that's the way you feel about it, we'll be on our way."

"Sure, and we'll be back tomorrow for the laundry," promised Frank.

"Go Vay! Go Vay!" screeched Louie Fong. He waved his arms wildly.

"Nice man," murmured Frank, when they were out on the street again. "He seems to rage whenever Sam Lee is mentioned."

"I hope he doesn't treat all his customers the same way," returned Joe. "He won't stay in business very long at that rate."

Frank was thinking of the alterations he had noticed in the laundry. He said thoughtfully:

"I have a notion that Louie Fong isn't depending entirely on the laundry business for a living."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you see all the carpentry work? That new partition and the extra door and the opening in the flooring? I'll bet that's why Louie closed the place up yesterday. He wanted to get the work done without being disturbed. Why should he make all those changes in a laundry? There's something queer about it."

"And I'm sure there was somebody behind the partition."

After talking it over the boys agreed that the temperamental Louie Fong would bear watching. The mysterious departure of honest old Sam Lee and the sudden change in the whole atmosphere of the place were circumstances that hinted at something shady and illegal.

As it was nearly time for their appointment with Orrin North in Lakeside, they went back to the house and took their roadster out of the garage. It was a big car that had seen better days. They had bought it while they were investigating a mysterious series of automobile thefts, as related in "The Shore Road Mystery" of this series, and since that time they had bought new parts and had repaired the engine until they now had a really serviceable car. In a few minutes they were speeding along the road to Lakeside.

"Now," said Frank, "for Mr. Sidney Pebbles."

"Perhaps this isn't the same Sidney."

"We'll soon find out. If he is our Sidney he will have a hard time explaining the disappearance of Mr. North's papers."

CHAPTER X

"LANTERN LAND"

When the Hardy boys reached the office building of Orrin North's trading company they gave their names to a secretary.

"Mr. North is expecting you. Come this way, please."

He ushered them into a luxurious inner office where the boat owner sat writing at a mahogany desk. Orrin North looked up.

"Mornin', lads," he rumbled. "You're right on time. Well, I've fixed everything up."

"That's good, Sir," said Frank.

"You want to have a look at Sidney Pebbles. That's the first point. The second point is this: you don't want Sidney Pebbles to have a look at you."

The boys nodded in agreement. If this man was indeed the Sidney Pebbles who had been their guest they did not want to arouse his alarm until they were sure of his identity. Otherwise he might escape before they could have a chance of questioning him.

"It has to be done on the quiet," continued North. "If he is really the same man we'll have a talk with him. If not, we'll leave him alone."

"How can we manage to see him without being seen?" asked Joe.

"I've fixed that," growled North. "Sidney Pebbles– this Sidney Pebbles–works at a place called 'Lantern Land,' just outside Lakeside. It's a roadhouse and eating place run by some Chinese people. Now, if we go out there we can hide in a little building just off the courtyard. It's used as a shelter for some of the chauffeurs on wet nights. We won't be seen and we can watch what's going on. We'll see Pebbles, because he acts as a sort of assistant manager around the place and he'll very likely be checking over the supplies that come to the restaurant in the morning."

"It seems to be a good plan," said Frank.

Orrin North sniffed.

"Sure it's a good plan. I thought it up myself," he said. "But somehow I got a feelin' you'll find that he ain't the man you want. I can't figure out why this Pebbles would want my papers. By the way, have you had any news of your pa?"

Frank shook his head.

"We tried to get in touch with him but we didn't have any luck."

North frowned.

"I wish he would come back. I don't know where I stand in this business."

He got up from his chair.

"Come along, then," he said. "You have a car here!"

"We came here in our roadster," Frank said.

"I'll lead the way in my own car. We'll park just outside the grounds."

Orrin North stepped into a sleek blue sedan at the door of the building and they started off. The boys followed him through the streets of Lakeside, out on a highway that paralleled the river. In about ten minutes they reached the grounds of the roadhouse. From the highway the building itself could not be seen for it was hidden by a grove of trees. There was a huge sign, however, at the entrance of the side road. It read: "Lantern Land–Food–Dancing."

North's car came to a stop. The boys drew the roadster up at the side of the road and stepped out.

"We'll walk up and then slip around to the back of the place through the trees," said their guide. "I fixed it up with one of the men working here. He's to leave the back door of the rest room open."

They trudged up the winding path. When they were within sight of the restaurant, a long white structure skirted by a wide veranda, they left the road and struck out beneath the trees until they circled the place and came in sight of a courtyard at the rear. There was no one in sight.

"Quickly, now!" commanded North.

He sped out from beneath the trees and strode swiftly toward a tiny white building at the side of the courtyard. The Hardy boys followed.

They reached the shelter without being observed. A large window gave them an unobstructed view of the entire courtyard. From the open windows of the roadhouse kitchen on the other side of the yard they could hear the clatter of dishes and the chatter of voices.

There was a rumble as a truck rolled into the courtyard. It came to a halt near the kitchen door and the driver stepped out of the cab. He began to unload baskets of fruit and vegetables. The kitchen door opened and a young man stepped out.

"That's him!" whispered North.

The boys watched the young man who came over to the truck. At first glance they were convinced that he was none other than the Sidney Pebbles who had stayed at their home and departed without waiting to say goodbye. He was the width of the courtyard away, however, and as he was inspecting the baskets and talking to the truck-driver the boys could not get a clear view of his face. They watched him as he signed a slip and went back into the road-house again.

"Well?" said North. "Is it the same fellow?"

''I couldn't be sure,'' admitted Frank. ''He is of the same height and build but I didn't see his face very clearly. How about you, Joe?"

"At this distance I'd say he was the same Sidney Pebbles. But, like you, I didn't get a good glimpse of his face."

"You'd better make sure," grunted Orrin North. "We'll wait a while. He'll be out again."

The truck rumbled away. A Chinaman emerged from the kitchen, crossed the yard and disappeared through a doorway on the other side. After a while Sidney Pebbles came out again with a sheaf of papers in his hand. Whistling, he made his way to the entrance of the courtyard.

He passed directly in front of the window, and as he was hatless, the boys saw his face distinctly. The resemblance was startling. But he was not the Sidney Pebbles they had known.

His hair was darker in color. His eyes were darker. His mouth had a more determined expression. In many respects he was almost the double of the young man the Hardy boys had encountered on the dock–but he was not the same one.

Frank and Joe glanced at each other in open disappointment. Orrin North read their expressions.

"Not the same, eh?"

"I can't understand it," said Frank. "He looks nearly the same. It's almost impossible that there should be two men of the same name and looking so nearly alike."

"Unless he dyed his hair," ventured Joe.

"His hair ain't changed color since I first knew him," insisted North.

"No, Sir, this can't be the same Sidney Pebbles."

Mr. North seemed to think the question was settled. The Hardy boys, however, were not quite satisfied. They wanted to hear the young man's voice. It seemed, as Frank had said, impossible that there should be two young men of identical names and almost identical appearance.

"I've heard of people havin' doubles," said Orrin North, "but I never yet heard of doubles havin' the same name."

"Perhaps our man was impersonating the real Sidney Pebbles," suggested Frank.

Orrin North pondered this idea for a moment.

"Might be something in it, at that."

At that moment a car rolled slowly into the courtyard. It was a taxicab, which came to a sudden stop, and the driver stepped out to open the side door. A Chinaman emerged. He clambered out of the car and took some money from his pocket and paid the taxi driver. Then he walked slowly over toward a side entrance, limping slightly, as though the effort required taxed his strength.

Through the window the boys had a glimpse of his face. Frank uttered a gasp of astonishment, for he had recognized the Chinaman.

"Why, it's Tom Wat!" he exclaimed.

"Who?" demanded North. "What's his name? Do you know him?"

''Tom Wat! The Chinaman who was stabbed in the fight on the dock the night Sidney Pebbles disappeared."

They watched. The little Chinaman opened a door and stepped inside. A moment later Sidney Pebbles came running across the courtyard, and followed the wounded man through the same doorway.

"Now why," asked Joe softly, "is Tom Wat coming from the hospital to see Sidney Pebbles?"

"I think we'll stay around here for a while and try to find out," returned his brother.

CHAPTER XI

TOM WAT'S ENEMIES

"You know this Chinaman?" asked Mr. North.

"We have seen him in Bayport," Frank told him. "There was a fight among Chinamen on the docks the night before last and he was stabbed. He was taken to the hospital in Lakeside."

"Queer business," muttered Orrin North. "What was the fight about?"

"No one knows but the Chinamen, and they won't talk about it. I'd like to speak to Tom Wat," said Frank.

"Well," said Orrin North, "I'm a busy man and I haven't time to waste. I've shown you Sidney Pebbles, so what do you want to do next?"

"I think we'd better stay and scout around a bit," decided Joe.

"Just as you like," returned the boat owner. "Your car is parked down by the road. I'm goin' back to my office."

He turned to leave.

"If you get any more news," said Mr. North gruffly, "or if you hear from your father, be sure to let me know."

"We will," they promised.

"All right, then. I'm on my way."

He left them, and a moment later they heard him striding through the undergrowth and shrubbery at the rear of the roadhouse.

"What now?" said Joe.

"What do you say to going right out and talking to this Sidney Pebbles? If some impostor is using his name he'll want to know about it."

But Joe was cautious.

"We'd better be careful," he said. "After all, we're not positive he isn't the Sidney Pebbles we know."

Just then the door of the side entrance opened, and Tom Wat, the Chinaman, hobbled out, with Sidney Pebbles holding him by the arm. The pair came down the steps and across the courtyard talking earnestly together. They went out to the yard gate, crossed the outer roadway and stood beneath a clump of trees.

"I wish we knew what they were talking about," said Joe.

"If we could get around behind those trees without being seen we might be able to listen."

The boys slipped out of the little rest room, stole around to the road, crossed it and made their way quietly through the bushes hack of the roadhouse property. After a wide detour they heard a murmur of voices.

They advanced, scarcely making a sound. Soon they saw Tom Wat and Pebbles through the screen of leaves. Then they heard a voice.

"You say you just got out of the hospital a few minutes ago. What sent you there in the first place?"

"Me got hurt. One-two nights ago," replied Tom Wat. "Chinaboy try killee me."

"Tried to kill you?" asked Pebbles in surprise. "Why should anyone try to kill you?"

"Big fight," returned Tom Wat.

"But what was the fight about?"

"No savvy. Fella no likee me. Come up with big knife. I get hurt."

"And you don't know why you were stabbed?" asked Pebbles incredulously.

"Me gettee square,".promised Tom Wat solemnly.

"You'll get square? With whom?"

"Louie Fong gang."

The Hardy boys started. So Louie Fong was involved in the battle on the wharf!

"What has Louie Fong been doing?" asked Pebbles. "How will you get square with him?"

"Land in jailee klick. Me tell police. Smuglee."

"You'll land him in jail for smuggling!"

There was a low whistle. "You'd better watch your step, that's all I can say. Well, let's get down to business. Why did you want to see me?" asked Pebbles.

"Why you come to dock in Bayport?"

"Why did I come to the dock in Bayport! When? What are you talking about?"

"Me see you. Night of fight. You come in on boat. You come back."

"You're crazy!" retorted Pebbles indignantly. "I haven't been in Bayport for a week. And I haven't been on a boat since last summer. Who told you all this?"

"Me, I see you!" exclaimed Tom Wat in excitement.

"You didn't see me. You couldn't have seen me. I've been working here at 'Lantern Land' every evening."

"You think mebbe me blindee in eye?" demanded Tom Wat. "Me see you on dock jus' befo' big fight start."

"You didn't see me on any dock before any fight started," declared Pebbles. "If that's why you came to see me you've picked the wrong man."

"Me see you on dock!"

"No you didn't. I'm not crazy enough to get myself mixed up in any Chinese feud. What makes you think I was there?"

"Samee fella," declared Tom Wat.

"Well, you're wrong, then. I haven't been in Bayport for a week. Ask any of the people who work here. They'll tell you the same."

Frank and Joe had crept closer. From the shelter of the trees they could plainly see Pebbles and the Chinaman. The white man seemed angry. As for Tom Wat, he was puzzled and confused, as if he did not know what to believe.

Suddenly the boys heard a blood-curdling snarl. Down the roadway streaked a gaunt, gray object. It was an enormous dog, lean and ferocious, with slavering jaws. It rushed toward the trees.

''Look out!'' yelled Pebbles. ''He's heading this way."

Tom Wat uttered a howl of terror and scrambled to one side. He grabbed a branch and tried to haul himself into the nearest tree. With a yelp and a snarl the animal left the road and leaped at Pebbles. The young man evaded the rush, however, by dodging behind a thick clump of bushes.

Frank and Joe were frozen with astonishment. At that moment the dog saw them.

The animal sprang, hurtling through the undergrowth. Frank and Joe scrambled desperately. All thought of concealment was gone. Snapping wickedly, the big brute crashed through the weeds and brush, close at their heels–

Behind them they could hear the shrill cries of the Chinaman, the shouts of Sidney Pebbles. The ferocious dog coursed madly in pursuit. Joe tripped over a branch and fell sprawling, but picked himself up in an instant and ran on.

The dog, however, had picked Frank as his prey, and was only a few feet behind.

Although Frank was a good runner he knew he could not hope to shake off the animal's pursuit. He was hampered, too, by the undergrowth in his path.

Suddenly there was a howl of triumph. The lean body of the animal launched itself through the air, crashing heavily upon Frank's back. Boy and brute hurtled to the ground. Frank twisted, trying to protect his face and throat with one arm, while he battled to fight off the mad attacker.

Borne down by the weight of the maddened animal he was at a disadvantage. The infuriated beast slashed and tore savagely at his shoulder, and its sharp fangs sought the boy's throat.

Frank had uttered a shout as he was struck down. Joe heard it and turned. When he saw his brother knocked down by the maddened animal he looked swiftly about him for a weapon, and at his feet saw a heavy, knotted stick. He snatched it up and ran through the weeds to Frank's aid.

CHAPTEE XII

THE CHINESE NOTE

In spite of his struggles Frank might have been badly injured by the ferocious dog had it not been for Joe's timely arrival with the club.

Crash! The weapon came down upon the dog's head with all the force at Joe's command. The animal uttered a howl of rage and leaped back. It faced Joe, its bloodshot eyes glaring with hatred.

Joe sprang in again, swinging the club high. It struck the animal across the nose and drove the ugly dog back on its haunches. That was enough. The brute yelped in agony, wheeled, and scuttled off.

"Are you hurt?" asked Joe anxiously as his brother struggled to his feet.

Frank ruefully contemplated his torn and rumpled clothing.

"Not hurt at all,'' he said breathlessly. "But that doesn't mean you didn't do me a mighty good turn. I couldn't have fought that ugly brute off much longer. I wonder who owns the animal!"

Toward them ran Sidney Pebbles closely followed by the Chinaman. The latter was gabbling with excitement but Pebbles was quite calm. When he came up to the boys he said to Frank:

"You're lucky that brute didn't tear you to pieces, young fellow."

"I'd have been badly mauled if it hadn't been for my brother," admitted Frank.

"Just the same," continued Sidney Pebbles, "I can't say I'm sorry you got a lesson. Perhaps it will teach you not to go around spying on people."

At that moment Tom Wat came running up. When he saw the Hardy boys he recognised them at once.

"Ho!" he squealed. "Detective fella! Hide behin' tlees."

Pebbles swung around and faced the Chinaman squarely.

"What's that?" he demanded. "Detectives!"

"Sure!" exclaimed Tom Wat. "See um often in Bayport."

Sidney Pebbles thrust his hands into his pockets and faced the boys sternly.

"Look here," he said. "What's the idea! Who are you, anyway? You were hiding here in the bushes listening. What's it all about?"

"Me fixum!" declared Tom Wat shrilly. "No likee spy. Mebbe Louie Fong sendum."

For the Hardy boys it was an awkward moment. They realized that Sidney Pebbles was quite justified in demanding an explanation. One thing was certain. This man was not the Sidney Pebbles they had met in Bayport. It was evident that he did not recognize them. There was only one thing to do, Frank decided, and that was to take the pair into their confidence.

"You don't know us, Mr. Pebbles?" he said.

"Know you? Of course I don't. I've never seen either of you before. And how do you know my name?"

"Didn't you meet us on the dock at Bayport two nights ago?" said Frank.

Pebbles was astonished. He looked first at Tom Wat, then at the boys.

"Say," he muttered, "I can't understand this. First of all the Chinaman says I was on the Bayport wharf the other night and now you two come along and say the same thing. What's behind it? Is this a joke? Why were you spying on me?"

"We were shadowing you for the same reason Tom Wat came here to see you," said Frank. "He thought you were the Sidney Pebbles who was on the dock at Bayport. So did we."

"Do you mean," demanded Pebbles angrily, "that some fellow is going around using my name?"

"Not only your name but your face," grinned Joe. "He's your double. Your living image. Even yet I'm not sure you aren't the man."

Pebbles looked bewildered.

"I can't understand this at all," he said.

Frank turned to Tom Wat. The Chinaman, slender and slight of build, with a sallow, effeminate face, was staring intently at Pebbles.

"Is this the man you saw on the dock, Tom?"

Tom Wat shook his head slowly.

"One time me thinkee yes," he said. "Now me thinkee no. Hun difflent."

"Why did you come here to see Mr. Pebbles?"

"Me meetum fella on dockee at Baypo't," explained Tom Wat. "He tellee me he savvy all 'bout Louie Fong gang'. 'What your name?' I askee him. ' Pebbles,' him say. 'Sidney Pebbles.' Big fightee start. Me gettum hurt. Docto' man tellum Sidney Pebbles wo'ks at Lanteln Land."

"So you came out here to see him and ask Tn'mwhat he knew about Louie Fong's gang?" said Frank.

Sidney Pebbles shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"It's too deep for me," he said. "I don't know this Louie Fong. Never heard of him. I wasn't on the dock at Bayport. I don't know anything about it."

"It's simply a case of mistaken identity," said Joe. "We have been trying to find this other Sidney Pebbles and we heard that a man by that name worked here. We made the same mistake Tom Wat did."

"I hope he doesn't go around robbing any banks," said Pebbles. "If this fellow looks like me and uses my name I may find myself booked for a penitentiary term. Why are you fellows so eager to lay your hands on him? Tom Wat says you are detectives."

Frank explained that they were the sons of Fenton Hardy. He told how they had encountered the other Sidney Pebbles on the dock, how they had taken him to their home and how he had disappeared.

"And at the same time," he concluded, "some of my father's valuable papers disappeared, too."

Sidney Pebbles groaned.

"This namesake is going to get me into trouble," he said seriously.

"What's all this trouble about the Louie Fong gang?" asked Joe, turning to the Chinaman.

Tom Wat's face suddenly became expressionless.

"No savvy!"

"Sure, you understand. Are you a friend of Louie Fong?"

An expression of hatred flickered across the man's smooth face.

"Me hatee Louie Fong!"

"You hate him. Why?"

The Chinaman shrugged. He was not disposed to tell too much.

"Is there a feud between Louie Fong's gang and your crowd?"

"Mebbe," returned the Chinaman noncommittally.

"What started the fight on the dock?"

"No savvy."

The boys saw that they were not going to get much information from Tom Wat.

"What I'd like to know," grumbled Sidney Pebbles, "is where that dog came from?"

"Doesn't he belong to you?" asked Frank.

"Never saw him before. Looked like a Russian wolfhound to me. It's the first time I've ever seen the brute around Lantern Land."

"That's another queer angle," remarked Joe. "The dog came as if somebody had set him on us."

"Dog come afte' me," said Tom Wat suddenly.

"He came after you? Why?"

"No savvy," returned the Chinaman promptly.

"I wish you'd tell us more about this whole affair, Tom," said Frank. "We're trying to help you. We don't like Louie Fong any more than you do. What brings him to Bayport anyway? Where is Sam Lee?"

Tom Wat shrugged again.

"He's going to tell us he doesn't savvy," grunted Joe in disgust.

"No savvy," said Tom Wat, running true to form.

"Might as well talk to a stone wall," observed Pebbles. "You won't get anything out of him, that's certain."

"This other Pebbles told you he knew something about Louie Fong's gang," persisted Frank. "Did he tell you anything else?"

Tom Wat shook his head.

Suddenly Joe had an inspiration.

"I suppose you can read Chinese writing," he said.

Tom Wat blinked.

"Sometime," he replied cautiously.

Joe rummaged in his pockets for the note he had found beneath the bushes near the window of the Hardy home. He found it, unfolded it and handed it to the Chinaman.

"Can you read that?"

Tom Wat took the note, and studied it carefully. Then his expression changed, as he muttered a few excited words in Chinese.

"Where you getee this?" he demanded quickly.

"We found it after Sidney Pebbles had cleared out of our house. It was under the bushes, near some footprints."

The Chinaman muttered to himself, studying the note again.

"You watchee you' step!" he exclaimed. "Bad fella at you' house. Dlop this note."

"A bad fellow dropped that note. Who was he? What does it say?"

"Plenty tlouble," grunted Tom Wat.

Sidney Pebbles became exasperated.

"Well!" he exclaimed. "Tell us what the note says."

CHAPTER XIII

THE KNIFE

At first Tom Wat was not inclined to translate the note. With loyalty to his race he did not want to explain anything to the white boys.

But Frank and Joe insisted. Sidney Pebbles bullied him a little.

"Bead it," the latter snapped. "It isn't your note."

Tom Wat sighed.

"Note say Misteh Ha'dy make no plogless on Nolth case."