Vindicated

The Hardy boys had cleared tip the great airport mystery, which had been a nine days' wonder in Bayport.

Newspapers carried many columns describing the adventures of the boys in trailing the air-mail thieves and the entire city united in praising them for their good work. But the boys felt that no praise could equal the delight they felt when they knew they had been cleared of the unjust charges that had been laid against them.

" I knew it! I knew it all along! " declared Hurd Applegate, as he sat in Fenton Hardy's study the next morning. " It was absolutely ridiculous to arrest them in the first place. Wasn't it, Elroy? "

Elroy Jefferson, who had come to the Hardy home with Mr. Applegate, nodded affirmatively.

" Quite ridiculous, " he agreed. " I am indeed glad that the whole affair has been cleared up so thoroughly. The boys have been vindicated, the air mail has been saved, and the rascals are in jail. Excellent."

" When I arrested those two confederates at the airport last night, " said Fenton Hardy, " it didn't take long to get the whole story out of them. They saw that the game was up. They told me that Ducroy had engineered the whole business. As for planting the evidence against the boys, he got Newt Pipps to steal a sweater and a knife from the garage and he left those near the scene to incriminate Frank."

" How about the footprints? " asked Joe. " How did he manage that? "

" He noticed that you were wearing the new shoes, so he got a similar pair, of the same size, in another town. After all, you can hardly blame the police, with all that evidence, particularly when you had no alibi."

" The reason we couldn't explain our alibi, " said Frank, " was because we had been out to a cabin in Beach Grove that afternoon looking for evidence against Ducroy and the others. We thought we'd keep quiet about that until we learned a little more about them."

" You took a great many chances, " said Mr. Hardy gravely. " If I had known you were flying around the country in the tail of an airplane operated by three mail robbers. I wouldn't have been very easy in my mind."

" Now, Fenton, don't start worrying about that now, " advised Elroy Jefferson. " The boys have done excellent work and they've come through it quite safe and sound, which is all that matters."

" We want to thank you and Mr. Applegate for going bail for us, " said Joe. " If you hadn't put up the money we would have had to stay in jail and the mail robbers would probably be at large yet."

" Don't thank us, " snapped Kurd Apple-gate. " We didn't risk any money. We knew you were innocent. I think I'm sufficient judge of character to know a crook when I see one."

The boys soon would need to know this to learn " What Happened at Midnight."

" The bail money was returned to us this morning, " said Elroy Jefferson. " The police were quite apologetic."

" The postal department has been apologetic too, " said Fenton Hardy. " As you remember, when the boys were arrested they relieved me of my assignment to work on the case, so that when I went out to the airport last night, following up the information the boys had sent on here by telephone while I was away, I was really exceeding my authority. However, the post office people now admit they were mistaken and have asked me to hold myself in readiness to accept other cases if they should arise."

" Excellent! Excellent! " said Hurd Applegate. " Everything has turned out wonderfully for all concerned."

" Except for Giles Ducroy and his gang, " remarked Frank.

" Too bad about them! " growled Hurd. " They're safely locked up in jail, where they belong. Serves 'em right. Don't you think so, Elroy? "

" Absolutely! " agreed Elroy Jefferson. " It is a fitting end to the great airport mystery."

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