"When is Chet going to get here?" Joe Hardy, a tall youth of about seventeen years, paced the floor. "It's six o'clock now!"

"You know him," replied Frank Hardy, Joe's older brother. "I’m sure he's just now finishing breakfast."

Joe laughed as he flopped down in one of two wing back chairs. "I guess you're right. We may as well relax. We have everything packed and ready to go anyway."

"Aren’t you glad the summer holidays are here?" Frank remarked as he sat down in the other chair. "We have perfect weather for a camping trip."

"I wonder," Joe grinned, "What kind of adventures we'll have this time?"

Frank and Joe Hardy were well acquainted with excitement and adventure. They were the sons of Fenton Hardy, the internationally famous private investigator. Fenton Hardy had once been a detective with the New York Police Department. But that was a long time ago. He’s now retired and living in Bayport.

Bayport was a small city of about fifty thousand inhabitants, situated along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Wanting to stay in the law game, Fenton took up practice as a private investigator.

As previously mentioned, Frank and Joe were used to excitement. They had often assisted their father on many of his cases - cases that involved bringing many dangerous criminals to justice. They had even solved a number of mysteries on their own, all starting with The Tower Treasure.

"Well you know," Frank replied, "We can't expect to run into a mystery every time we leave the house."

"I guess you're right," agreed Joe. "But I can still hope!" His blue eyes sparkled as he made that last remark.

Just then a loud, thunderous noise was heard approaching the Hardy home. It sounded like a Sherman tank tearing across a battlefield! Before Frank or Joe could move, a middle-aged woman suddenly emerged from the kitchen and stood in the doorway to the living room.

"It's that Morton boy, in his old jalopy!" she fumed. "How he manages to keep it running, I'll never know! You boys aren't planning to drive off in that old relic, are you? Because if you are, I just know some harm will befall you! Mark my words, you'll end up stranded in the middle of the desert without any food or water. Then you’ll wish you had listened to your poor old aunt!"

Frank and Joe exchanged knowing glances. They knew their Aunt Gertrude was an opinionated woman, and she was always determined to speak her mind. They also knew, despite how she raved, she really cared for them.

"No, Aunt Gertrude," Frank spoke up. "We're not going in Chet's car. We're all going in our convertible." He motioned towards Joe.

"And that’s suppose to be better?" their aunt snubbed. "Listen you young scoundrel, you're barely old enough to drive an automobile, let alone own one!" Then she glanced out the window. "Tell me this, just where is that Morton boy planning to store that wreck of his?"

"We told him he could leave it here," replied Frank. "He’s going to park it behind the barn."

"But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you wanted to take it for a little spin every now and again," Joe laughed.

"Perish the thought!" Aunt Gertrude raved. "I wouldn't go near that contraption! Moreover, I wish you boys wouldn't either! I just know something horrible is going to happen while you're gone on this trip. I once heard of another group of boys that got themselves lost in the wilderness. They were gone for weeks. They didn’t have any contact with the outside world. They had to eat bugs and grub worms just to survive. Now I don't want any nephews of mine having to scavenge around for food, like a couple of savages!"

Just then, a slim, attractive woman stepped into the room. She glanced at Aunt Gertrude, and then at Frank and Joe. "Boys, the others are ready. I don't think you should keep them waiting," she smiled sweetly.

Frank and Joe didn't waste any time dashing out the front door. "Thanks, Mom!" they called out in unison.

"That's right. Go ahead and go on!" Gertrude Hardy called after them. "Don't listen to me! Why should you start now?" Then she glared at the boys’ mother. "Laura, why you would let those boys go gallivanting around the world is beyond me!"

Mrs. Hardy simply smiled. She realized there was no point in arguing with Gertrude Hardy, especially after she had made her mind up about something.

After Frank and Joe had finally made it out of the house, they immediately spotted Chet Morton, their plump friend, standing in the driveway. He had just parked his own car behind the barn and was leaning against the door of the Hardys’ convertible.

Standing next to him were two other boys. Allan "Biff" Hooper and Jerry Gilroy. Allan was a tall muscular lad. He had acquired the nickname "Biff" from one of his relatives who just happened to be a famous boxer. Young Biff often dreamed of becoming a professional boxer himself, someday. Jerry Gilroy, on the other hand, slept, ate and dreamed baseball. His dream was to become a professional pitcher with a major league team.

Both of these boys had ridden over with Chet Morton, in his yellow jalopy. When Frank and Joe arrived, Biff and Jerry had already been busy piling their luggage into the trunk of the convertible.

"Hi Gang!" Frank called out. "Is everybody ready to go?"

"You bet!" Chet replied, as he swallowed the last bite of his candy bar. "And boy do we need a vacation!" He then took out his handkerchief and whipped his forehead. "Loading all of our junk is hard work!"

Joe smiled and replied, "I can see you've really worked up a sweat standing so close to actual labor."

Chet laughed as he pointed out that: "Somebody has got to supervise!"

"I guess you've got a point!" Joe laughed, as he climbed into the convertible.

"Well, next time," Biff spoke up, "Jerry and I can do the supervising, while you perform the grunt work."

"I don't know, Biff," Chet grinned. "It's a very important job. It takes a lot of experience to be a supervisor."

"And, you've had years of it!" Jerry quickly added and they all howled with laughter.

Minutes later, the boys found themselves traveling down the streets of downtown Bayport. It was a warm day, but they had the top down, which made the drive pleasant. Everyone noticed that they were headed in the direction of Shore Road, which was in the opposite direction of their ultimate destination.

"We've got one stop to make," Frank informed the others. "We've got to call on Perry Robinson at Tower Mansion."

"What for?" asked Biff, as he leaned over the front seat. He was enjoying the wind as it blew through his hair.

"Frank and I let Perry borrow our tent," Joe explained. "We've been meaning to pick it up for a about a month now, but we keep forgetting."

Perry "Slim" Robinson was another friend of the Hardy Boys. Like the others, he attended Bayport High. Perry's Dad is the caretaker at Tower Mansion, which is also where his family lives. When the Applegate treasure was discovered missing, suspicion immediately fell on the Robinsons.

Frank and Joe refused to believe the rumors. They knew the Robinsons were innocent! By using their detective skills, they soon discovered who the real thief was.

The real culprit was an unscrupulous man by the name of Red Jackley. He had stolen the Applegate treasure and hidden it where it was later discovered, in an old railroad water tower. It was very easy for him, because he used to work at Tower Mansion, so he was well acquainted with the layout of their property.

As soon as this was discovered, Perry's father was cleared of all charges.

As the boys arrived at the Tower Mansion, they immediately spotted Perry standing by the gate. He was obviously waiting for them.

"Hi, chums!" he called out. "I can see you're all ready to go."

"Barely," Joe giggled. "For a minute there, I didn't know if Aunt Gertrude was going to let us out of the house!"

"Well, here's your tent." Perry stated, as he picked up a large duffel bag that was leaning against a fence post. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. It was very useful. I only wish I could go with you on this trip. It sounds like you'll have a great time, but I can't get away right now. Mr. Applegate wants Dad to landscape the entire grounds surrounding Tower Mansion. With a job that big, he really needs my help."

"That's too bad," Frank replied. "Maybe you can go next time."

Perry grinned and said, "Well, if you feel really bad, you can always take my place and let me go in your stead!"

"Maybe next time!" Frank laughed.

"Suit yourself," Perry chuckled. "You don’t know what you’re missing."

"I do!" Chet spoke up. "It’s like working on the farm. You’re constantly in the dirt digging holes and what not. And you have to work with a lot of fertilizer."

"That does sound tempting," Frank grinned. "But I still believe I’ll turn it down this time. So long, Perry!"

"Bye fellows!"