1930s-style fanfiction novelet sequel to the original 1929-text The Mystery of Cabin Island, everybody's favorite Hardy Boys winter adventure. More ice-boating on the bay, more mysterious happenings on Cabin Island, an unexpected thrilling ride to...
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PHOTO above - the original dust jacket cover art of The Mystery of the Flying Express from 1941
Frank and Joe Hardy walked back to town in the wintry cold. Along the way, they could see across frozen Barmet Bay all the way out to the black line of demarcation where the ice met the cold waters of the Atlantic.
"Too bad we have so much sleuthing to do today." Joe gazed longingly at the smooth wind-blown ice. "It'd be fun to take a ride on the ice-boat."
"Speaking of ice-boats," Frank put in, "let's go down to the harbor. Maybe we'll find Ike Nash and Tad Carson down there. We need to talk to those fellows."
"We sure do," Joe agreed. "I'm sure they know plenty about what happened at Cabin Island yesterday!"
The boys walked down to the main street of the city and then turned east and headed toward the harbor. Usually busy with commercial and transportation activity, the big bay and harbor area were now very quiet, almost deserted. Only a few people were milling about. The big ferries that plied the East Coast waters were all frozen in at dockside. Yachts and smaller boats were pulled up out of the water in their cradles and covered for the season, and others were stored in individual boat houses that lined the shore both north and south. Frank and Joe headed north on the harbor road toward their own boat house where their own motorboat was stored.
"What say we check out the Sleuth," Frank suggested. "Just to make sure everything is okay, if you know what I mean."
Joe chuckled. "I know what you mean, all right. Ike and Tad are sure to be peeved at us because of the things that happened in the last week, but I hope they have the sense not to vandalize our property."
The boys need not have worried. The boat house was in good order, the Sleuth wenched up out of the ice as should be, and the ice-boat in the berth outside was untouched.
Frank said smugly. "I guess they know better than to wrangle with us."
Joe nodded readily. "Those two are nothing but big talkers. Let's go and see if they're down by their ice-boat."
The boys continued up the shoreline to the spot where Ike and Tad berthed their craft. The two boys in question were there, unfurling the sail of their new boat in preparation for departure onto the ice. They glowered at Frank and Joe when they saw them approaching.
"Going out on the bay, chaps?" Frank asked cordially.
"Doggone! If it ain't the Hardy boys," Ike Nash returned in mocking tones. "Are you guys out solving a mystery? Looking for clues, eh?"
Joe sent him and his chum a sardonic grin. "As a matter of fact, we are. We'd like to know what you fellows were doing at Cabin Island yesterday."
Tad Carson let the sail fall open and turned angrily to face Frank and Joe. "What makes you think we'd tell you anything? You gotta be joking!"
