Book 1 Slideshow

It has been a lot of fun putting together these pictures of the first Hardy Boys adventure. For the grand finale, enjoy all the pictures in order for The Tower Treasure!

Book 1, Ch. 20

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 20: The Escape

Worried, Frank and Joe wait until Hobo Johnny has climbed down off the tower. They pick up a crowbar, split open a crack in the top of the water tower, and Joe reaches through to release the trap door. Heaving a sigh of relief, the boys climb out with the treasure and are soon on their way back to town on their motorcycles. Mr. Hardy is elated when the boys arrive home with the treasure. With Mr. Applegate’s help, they arrange a meeting that evening with everyone involved. Of course, the Robinsons are overjoyed at the news of the discovery! To further clear up the mystery, Miss Applegate announces that she had lent the $900 to Mr. Robinson but made him promise to keep it a secret. Mr. Applegate immediately offers Mr. Applegate his old job and even a pay raise! Only Mr. Smuff does not seem happy watching Frank and Joe collect the reward. However, his groans are muffled by Chet’s joyful cry when they sit down for cake. The Hardy Boys have solved their first case!

Book 1, Ch. 19

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 19: Loot!

Even as Frank and Joe hurry toward the old water tower, who should drive up to meet them but Oscar Smuff! The pseudo detective pleads with the Hardy boys to help him solve the case and get the $1000 reward. Just to get rid of Smuff, the boys agree to meet with him as soon as they get back to Bayport. As Smuff disappears down the road, Frank and Joe climb up the rickety ladder to the top of the water tower and descend into it from a trap door on top. Among the rubbish piled in the old tower is a neat stack of boards. There under the boards is a gunny sack – filled with jewels and bonds! The treasure has been found! Gleefully the Hardys turn to climb out of the tower, only to find themselves suddenly facing Hobo Johnny, who has just returned to his home in the tower. Johnny wants the treasure! He slams the trapdoor shut and locks the boys in, claiming the treasure is his. Trapped! How will they escape with the treasure?

Book 1, Ch. 18

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 18: An Unexpected Surprise

Instantly, the boys throw themselves to the ground until the spotlight moves away. What should they do now? At that moment, Herd Applegate and his new guard dog show up. Applegate informs them it was his sister shining the flashlight around, looking for prowlers, and he curtly asks the boys to phone if they come over again. Disappointed, Frank and Joe head for home. The boys are up again early the next morning, determined not to quit. This time they head out to the Bayport railroad. They question the flagmen in hopes that one of them will remember Red Jackley and provide a new clue. Sure enough, Jake the stationmaster directs them to the crossing at Cherryville, where Jackley worked. Frank and Joe settle down to eat their lunch at the tracks, in view of an old, weather-beaten water tower. Beside it stands a brand-new red metal tower. Tower? The boys look at each other. Could it be that this is the tower Jackley meant? They must find out!

Book 1, Ch. 17

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 17: An Unexpected Find

Eager to uncover the treasure, the Hardys hold their breaths as the box is opened. But it is nothing but a box of --- flower bulbs! What? Hurd Applegate suddenly appears and grumpily informs them that Mr. Robinson had a habit of burying bulbs and seeds around the place. Sure enough, when the boys discover a second buried chest, it is a box of flower seeds! Meanwhile, Chief Collig has arrested Mr. Robinson again, accusing him of being an accomplice of Red Jackley! Alarmed, Frank and Joe head once more to the Tower Mansion after school. Creeping around after night as fallen, they hear footsteps, then suddenly a spotlight shines from the tower window—directly on them!

Book 1, Ch. 16

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 16: A Surprise

Frank and Joe look carefully through every inch of the new tower but do not find a trace of the jewels. Not only Hurd Applegate and his sister Adelia, but also the “detective” Smuff express their disappointment and even glee at the Hardys’ failure! However, Mr. Hardy is determined to search again. He and the boys tap every floor and wall of both towers –- nothing! Will Mr. Robinson be implicated after all? Mr. Hardy insists that they search the grounds the next morning. As Frank pushes his spade into a freshly planted bed, he cries with delight as he unearths a buried chest!

Book 1, Ch. 15

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 15: The Tower Search

When the Hardy brothers arrive at the Tower Mansion, Hurd Applegate is not happy about allowing them to search the old tower. His sister Adelia is even more reluctant, but with a little persuasion, they agree to let the boys in. Frank and Joe carefully climb story after story up the old spiral staircase. Each floor has only a small bare room. The final floor has a trapdoor in the roof, which they pry off with great effort. In fact so much effort that Frank tumbles backward down the stairs and Joe flips over the stair railing! In the first of what will be many hairbreadth escapes, he catches hold of the spindles on the stairs as he falls. With a sigh of relief, the brothers return to the main floor, but with no jewels. Now they must convince the Applegates to let them search the new tower on the other side. The Applegates do not agree until they have heard the whole story of Jackley’s confession. They are impressed and give permission for the Hardys to continue the search!

Book 1, Ch. 14

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 14: The Confession

When Frank and Joe come home from school the next day, they find Mr. Hardy has returned from Albany. He tells them that the mystery is almost solved! He was successful in visiting Jackley in the hospital. Jackley confessed to stealing Chet’s car and holding up the ticket office. He also admitted to taking the jewels from the Tower Mansion safe—and hiding them in the old tower! At that moment Jackley lost consciousness, and sadly enough passed away before revealing the location of the jewels. Frank and Joe are ecstatic about the prospect of finding the jewels and clearing Mr. Robinson. They set out immediately for the Tower Mansion to begin their search!

Book 1, Ch. 13

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 13: Teamwork

Mr. Hardy does not want Smuff to get to Jackley. Jackley might clam up and all hope of confession would be gone! Frank and Joe resolve to make sure Smuff does not make the six o’clock flight to Albany. But how? Gathering Chet, Tony, Biff, Phil and Jerry, the boys determine to stall Smuff. They take over their friend Rocco’s fruit market a block from Smuff’s house. As Smuff pulls out of his driveway, one by one the boys try to stop him to talk, but he brushes them off. Suddenly Frank thinks of lighting the trash incinerator behind the market. “Fire!” yells Joe. Smuff dashes to the rescue, eager to be a hero. A hero he is – but a hero who has missed his plane!

Book 1, Ch. 12

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 12: A Disturbing Absence

Another day of waiting, and at last Mr. Hardy arrives home. He tells the boys he found Red Jackley, just in time to see Jackley get involved in a jewel robbery and skip town. Mr. Hardy then joined the police in pursuit of Jackley, but Jackley evaded capture. At the last minute, Jackley escaped on a railroad handcar, but the car jumped the tracks, smashing Jackley up and landing him in the hospital! The Hardys are interrupted by a visit from Oscar Smuff. He announces that he would like to work with the Hardys on the case and asks for any clues. When Mr. Hardy declines, Smuff declares that he will go visit Jackley in the hospital and get a confession himself!

Book 1, Ch. 11

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 11: Anxious Waiting

 

Red Jackley – that’s the name of the suspect uncovered in the NYPD police files – “red” because he’s been seen wearing a red wig! Mr. Hardy becomes concerned that the case is becoming dangerous and sends the boys back to Bayport. Once there, Frank goes on a friendly visit to the Robinsons’ new home, in the poorest part of town. Mrs. Hardy sends along a cake and a ham, and Callie Shaw insists on bringing a bag of fruit. Practically impoverished, Mrs. Robinson and the twins greet their visitors with delight and gratitude. Frank reassures them the Hardys will clear Mr. Robinson! Frank is alarmed to discover, on returning home, that Mrs. Hardy is overcome with worry that something has happened to Mr. Hardy!

Book 1, Ch. 10

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 10: A Sleuthing Trip

Frank and Joe are thrilled to find out the surprise – a flight to NYC to help Dad on the case! Once in the Big Apple, the three detectives visit Harold Morley, the original purchaser of the red wig. Morley is an actor and immediately relates how his dressing room was robbed one night! His watch and diamond ring were taken, along with the red wig. Baffled as to what to do next, the Hardys decide to look for the store where the old hat and coat were purchased, but once there, the owner can give them no leads. Mr. Hardy then takes the boys to the New York City Police Department, where they look through the files for thieves who are known to use disguises. And there, finally -- they find a possible suspect!

Book 1, Ch. 9

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 9: Rival Detectives

The teen detectives are thrilled to find a man’s hat and coat in the woods. Inside the hat are two red hairs, identical to the red wig! When they return home and show their father, Fenton Hardy decides to fly to New York City to visit the store where the wig was made. To the boys’ delight, he invites them to work together with him on the case. After Mr. Hardy leaves the next morning, Frank and Joe hear from Slim Robinson that he must drop out of school to work at the supermarket! With renewed determination, the boys wait to hear the results of their father’s trip. And Mrs. Hardy has promised them a surprise when they get home from school!

Book 1, Ch. 8

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 8: An Important Discovery

To Slim Robinson’s great relief, the charges are dropped against his father, thanks to Mr. Hardy’s quick intervention. However, Mr. Robinson has been fired from his job as caretaker at the Tower Mansion, meaning Slim may have to leave school to help support the family. Frank and Joe vow to clear Slim’s father. Meanwhile Mr. Hardy informs them he has already checked all the pawn shops in the area – no stolen jewels have turned up. The boys head a different direction, hoping to solve the case ahead of their dad. They return to the woods where Chet’s jalopy was hidden. All they find are some strange, circular marks on the ground, leading out of the thicket. And then . . . . an important clue!

Book 1, Ch. 7

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 7: The Arrest

The Hardy boys hear their father talking with Henry Robinson and Hurd Applegate in the library of the Tower Mansion. Frank and Joe reassure their friend Slim Robinson that his father will be cleared of all wrong-doing in the Tower Mansion robbery. But old Mr. Applegate is convinced that Mr. Robinson is the thief – after all, he suddenly got $900 the day of the robbery, and he admits he knows the safe combination! Mr. Applegate insists that the police bring charges against Mr. Robinson. Meanwhile, the teen detectives wonder if the car thief might be involved in the robbery. They search Chet’s jalopy and discover – a red wig! This ties the car thief into the ferry ticket office hold-up and possibly the Tower robbery as well. Will Henry Robinson be exonerated? Time will tell.

Book 1, Ch. 6

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 6: The Robbery

 

Frank, Joe, Chet, Biff, Tony, Jerry and Phil set out at once to search the woods thoroughly for the car. To Chet’s delight, the Queen is found sitting in a large clearing. Parading home with jalopy, truck and motorcycles, they hear the shocking news that the Tower Mansion has been robbed! Mr. Hardy is already on the case. He reports that the safe was opened and $40,000 in jewels and notes is gone. Mr. Hurd Applegate, the surly owner of the mansion, takes the Hardys to the Tower to investigate, all the while complaining that he is certain his caretaker, Henry Robinson, is the thief. Frank and Joe are appalled. Henry is the father of their good friend, Slim Robinson!

Book 1, Ch. 5

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 5: The Hunt Is Intensified

Frank carefully scrapes paint from the jalopy in question, only to find it was previously blue, not yellow like the Queen. Disappointed, the boys return home and resolve to launch a massive search for the jalopy. They scour the entire area around Bayport with their friends Biff, Tony, Phil, Jerry and, of course, Chet. Still no Queen! But there is time for a picnic lunch in the park at Willow Grove. The other guys nap but Joe won’t give up. Sure enough, in the woods nearby, he finds a tire . . . with a familiar tread!

Book 1, Ch. 4

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 4: Red vs. Yellow

Failing to catch the prowler, the three young detectives search the barn. They are surprised to find a gray wig left behind on the barn floor! And Chet’s spare tire is missing! To their surprise, Oscar Smuff, a self-described investigator, calls and offers Chet information on where the stolen car is—for a price! The boys decide to go along with Smuff. He takes them to a used car lot, where he proudly points to a jalopy, but it’s the wrong color. “The thieves painted it,” he proclaims.

Book 1, Ch. 3

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 3: The Threat

As soon as the teen detectives arrive home, they fill their father in on the ferry-boat hold-up and Chet’s stolen car. Fenton Hardy, a world-class detective himself, suggests that the boys inquire at wig shops around town to find out where the thief got his red wig. At Schwartz’s costume shop, Frank models a skeleton but finds no clues about the wig. The next day, as Chet entertains Frank and Joe for lunch, he receives a threatening telephone call telling him to give up the hunt for his car. At that moment, the boys see a furtive figure sneaking away from Chet’s barn!

Book 1, Ch. 2

The Tower Treasure

Chapter 2: The Holdup

Frank, Joe, and Chet set out to look for Chet’s jalopy, the Queen. Neither the farmers in the cabbage field nor Callie Shaw can tell them where the car went. At the police station, the ferryboat ticket-man is reporting a robbery, by someone driving a jalopy! But was the thief’s hair red or brown? Stay tuned!