THE MYSTERY
of
SEAL ISLANDS
THE MYSTERY
of
SEAL ISLANDS
by
HARRISON BARDWELL
THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING COMPANY
CLEVELAND, O. NEW YORK, N. Y.
Made in U. S. A.
Copyright, 1931
by
THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
PRESS OF
THE COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING CO.
CLEVELAND
CHAPTER I
A BITTER BLOW
“I say, Berta, thought you were going to dosome work for that Mr. Howe of the FederalService. Did it fall through?”
“Haven’t heard much more about it,Harv,” Roberta answered her brother, as shepoured maple syrup over a serving of pipinghot pancakes. Her mother came in at thatmoment with a replenished bowl of oatmeal,and she paused with an anxious glance at heryoung daughter.
“Hope you do not hear anything more aboutit, dear. I feel that your activities in helpingclear up the mystery at Lurtiss Field placedyou in any number of very dangerous situations.Being a pilot is hazardous enough10without adding to the difficulties by runningdown air-gangsters of any kind,” she saidsoberly.
“Perhaps Mr. Howe has discovered thathe does not require your services. In work ofthat nature very often, when men on the jobthink they have struck a hard snag, somethingcomes up suddenly which clears the matter sothey do not require outside assistance,” remarkedMr. Langwell, then smiled at hiswife. “As a maker of pancakes, my dear, youdraw first prize. The only drawback to sucha breakfast is a man’s limited capacity.”
“You aren’t announcing that you have beenlimiting yourself!” Roberta laughed.
“No, that isn’t my claim, but I have to confessthat my limit is in sight,” he told her.
“Tough luck, Dad. Now, I am only gettingwell started,” Roberta said, then addedto her mother, “If you drew prizes for all thegood things you cook you would have to havea museum for them as large as Colonel Lindbergh’sin St. Louis.”
“Second the motion,” Harvey put in, thenwent on to his young sister, “Who’s the ladyyou have been piloting along the coast the11last couple of weeks? Larry Kingsley toldme she’s got loads of money and has taken totaxiing about in the air with no particular objective.”
“Oh, that is Mrs. Pollzoff. Her husbandused to be in the fur business and when hedied she sold her interest to a big syndicate,she told me, because she knew there wasn’tmuch chance of her making a success againstsuch competition. She is keen on aviation,and bought herself a plane but has never beenable to get a license. I asked Mr. Trowbridgeand he said he thought it was because sheshowed very little judgment in an emergency;she cracked-up three times, and they forbadeher to fly alone.”
“I should think they would,” Mrs. Langwellexclaimed indignantly.
“That’s all I know about her, except thatshe is madder than a dozen wet hens at