The Tower Treasure · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon.
Chapter 1
The Speed Demon
Frank and Joe Hardy ride their motorcycles along a dangerous shore road to deliver legal papers for their father, discussing their ambition to become detectives like him. Their journey is interrupted by a reckless driver speeding toward them, forcing them to edge dangerously close to the cliff to avoid a collision.
Chapter 2
The Stolen Roadster
Frank and Joe Hardy narrowly avoid a collision with a reckless redheaded driver on Shore Road. Later, they visit their friend Chet Morton only to discover his roadster has just been stolen. Connecting the theft to the earlier near-miss and a wrecked car they found, the boys deduce the redheaded driver likely stole Chet's car after crashing his own. They set off in pursuit.
Chapter 3
III: Traces of the Thief
The Hardy boys and Chet Morton search for the stolen yellow roadster, questioning farmhands who prove unhelpful. They encounter Callie Shaw, who reveals the thief drove over her parcel of cakes and jelly. The trail leads them to Bayport, where they head to the police station to report the theft.
Chapter 4
IV: The Holdup
The Hardy boys and Chet Morton visit Chief Collig's office to report the theft of Chet's yellow roadster, only to find the chief already dealing with a steamboat office holdup attempt. Ike Harrity, the ticket seller, describes the holdup man as having short, dark hair, while a witness, Henry J. Brown, insists the man had long, red hair. Despite the conflicting descriptions, the boys suspect the car thief and the holdup man are the same person. The police investigation yields no leads by nightfall.
Chapter 5
Chet's Auto Horn
Frank and Joe Hardy discuss the theft of Chet Morton's roadster with their father, Fenton Hardy, who uses the case to teach them about observation and deduction. Later, Chet plays a prank on farmer Lem Billers using an automobile horn, leading to a comedic confrontation with a chauffeur and Constable Con Riley.
Chapter 6
VI: Tire Tracks
On Saturday, the Hardy boys and their friends enjoy a picnic at Willow Grove. While exploring, Joe discovers unusual tire tracks in an abandoned roadway, which Chet Morton identifies as matching his stolen roadster. The boys search and find the car hidden in a bypath, then return triumphantly to Bayport, where they learn from Detective Smuff that Tower Mansion has been robbed.
Chapter 7
The Mansion Robbery
The Hardy boys learn of a robbery at Tower Mansion, where Hurd Applegate's safe has been looted of $40,000 in securities and jewels. Applegate suspects the caretaker, Henry Robinson, but the boys believe he is innocent. Fenton Hardy investigates the scene, finding no fingerprints, and questions Robinson.
Chapter 8
The Arrest
Perry Robinson confides in Frank and Joe Hardy that his father, Mr. Robinson, is the prime suspect in the Tower Mansion robbery. Mr. Robinson admits to knowing the safe combination accidentally and to having received $900 from an undisclosed source. Despite his protests of innocence, Hurd Applegate calls the police to have him arrested. The Hardy boys comfort Perry and later visit the Robinson family, where Mrs. Robinson and her daughters react with shock and grief.
Chapter 9
IX: Red Hair
The Hardy boys, convinced of Henry Robinson's innocence, investigate the wrecked car of the speed fiend and discover a fragment of a red wig, linking the car thief to the steamboat office holdup. They share this clue with their father and Perry Robinson, who recalls seeing a suspicious man near Tower Mansion before the robbery. Fenton Hardy believes the evidence may help clear Henry Robinson.
Chapter 10
X: An Important Discovery
The Hardy boys learn that a $1,000 reward has been posted for information leading to the arrest of the Tower Mansion thief. Perry Robinson is relieved that his father has been cleared of charges, but Mr. Robinson has lost his job and the family faces financial hardship. Frank and Joe decide to pursue the reward and investigate further. After their father reveals he has already checked pawnshops, the boys revisit the woods where Chet's stolen roadster was found and discover a red wig, a hat, and a coat left by the thief.
Chapter 11
Mr. Hardy Investigates
The Hardy boys discover a red wig, hat, and coat hidden in the woods near where Chet Morton's roadster was found. They bring the items to their father, Fenton Hardy, who confirms the wig matches a fragment from the earlier car wreck. Mr. Hardy decides to trace the items in New York City. Meanwhile, Slim Robinson tells the boys he must leave school to work for a grocery company to support his family, dashing his college hopes. The chapter ends with the boys anxiously awaiting their father's return.
Chapter 12
Days of Waiting
Fenton Hardy pursues the red wig clue to New York, tracing it to actor Harold Morley, only to learn the wig was stolen from Morley's dressing room months earlier. Despite following leads on the hat and coat, Hardy hits dead ends until a chance police record points him toward a new suspect.
Chapter 13
XIII: In Poor Quarters
Frank and Joe Hardy grow increasingly anxious as their father, Fenton Hardy, remains in New York for over a week on the Tower Mansion robbery case. Callie Shaw notices Frank's preoccupation and learns he is worried about Slim Robinson, who had to leave school to support his family after his father was wrongly accused. Frank and Callie visit the Robinsons in their new, impoverished home, where they find the family struggling but maintaining dignity. Mrs. Robinson asks Frank to notify her when his father returns with news. Callie urges Frank and Joe to solve the mystery themselves if their father cannot.
Chapter 14
XIV: Red Jackley
Fenton Hardy returns home after a week-long investigation, having tracked the criminal Red Jackley. He reveals that Jackley is the likely thief of Chet's roadster and the man behind the red wig, but has not yet connected him to the Tower Mansion robbery. Jackley is hospitalized after a crash and may not survive. Chief Collig and Detective Smuff visit, demanding cooperation and threatening to interrogate Jackley themselves, but Mr. Hardy advises against it.
Chapter 15
The Chief Gets a Bomb
Frank and Joe Hardy learn that Chief Collig and Detective Smuff plan to catch the seven o'clock train to interview Red Jackley, which could ruin their father's case. They rally their friends—Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, Jerry Gilroy, Phil Cohen, and Tony Prito—to devise a plan to delay the officers. Chet suggests using a fake bomb (an old alarm clock in a box) to create a diversion. The boys plant the package under Rocco's fruit stand, and Phil 'discovers' it, causing Rocco to panic and summon the police. Collig and Smuff waste time debating how to handle the 'bomb,' and by the time they find Constable Riley, the train has already left.
Chapter 16
A Confession
Fenton Hardy returns home and reveals that Red Jackley confessed to the Tower Mansion robbery on his deathbed, claiming he hid the stolen jewels and bonds in the old tower. The Hardy boys eagerly plan to search the old tower to recover the loot and clear Mr. Robinson. Meanwhile, a comedic subplot unfolds as Chief Collig and Detective Smuff are duped into pouring water over an old alarm clock mistaken for a bomb.
Chapter 17
The Search of the Tower
Frank and Joe Hardy visit Tower Mansion to search the old tower for stolen jewels and bonds, based on a clue from the dying thief Red Jackley. They face skepticism from Hurd Applegate and his sister Adelia, who reluctantly allow the search. After thoroughly examining the dusty, abandoned tower and finding no footprints or hiding places, the boys conclude the loot is not there. They consider searching the new tower instead, but the Applegates are dismissive and mock their failure.
Chapter 18
XVIII: The New Tower
Frank and Joe Hardy convince Hurd Applegate to search the new tower for the stolen jewels and bonds, based on Red Jackley's deathbed confession that he hid the loot in the old tower. Despite a thorough search of the new tower, nothing is found. Hurd Applegate grows frustrated and suspects Mr. Robinson of having found and kept the treasure. Adelia Applegate taunts the boys as they leave empty-handed.
Chapter 19
XIX: The Mystery Deepens
Fenton Hardy is stunned when Frank and Joe report that the stolen loot was not found in either the old or new tower of Tower Mansion. Despite his firm belief in Red Jackley's dying confession, the search proves fruitless. The failure deepens suspicion against caretaker Henry Robinson, and public ridicule spreads after Con Riley spreads the story. A second, more thorough search of both towers, authorized by Hurd Applegate over Adelia Applegate's objections, also yields nothing, leaving the mystery unresolved.
Chapter 20
XX: The Flash in the Tower
Despite Fenton Hardy's efforts, Mr. Robinson is arrested again for the Tower Mansion robbery. The Hardy boys, feeling responsible, resolve to find the hidden loot to clear his name. While scouting Tower Mansion, they spot Adelia Applegate searching the old tower with a flashlight, confirming their suspicion that the treasure is still hidden somewhere.
Chapter 21
A New Idea
A week after the robbery, Mr. Robinson remains in custody and public opinion leans toward his guilt. Fenton Hardy is discouraged by the unsolved case, while Chief Collig and Detective Smuff gloat over his apparent failure. Seeking a break, Frank and Joe take a motorcycle outing into the countryside. They stop near a railway line where Red Jackley once worked, and while eating lunch they spot two water towers—one old and disused, one new. The sight sparks a shared realization: Jackley's dying words about hiding the loot in 'the old tower' might refer to this old railway water tower, not the tower at Tower Mansion.
Chapter 22
The Search
The Hardy boys, convinced that Red Jackley's clue referred to the old water tower, race to the structure and climb its precarious ladder. Inside, they discover a hidden gunny sack containing jewelry and bonds, confirming they have found the Tower treasure. Their discovery clears Mr. Robinson and sets the stage for returning the loot to the Applegates.
Chapter 23
XXIII: Adelia Applegate’s Compliment
The mystery of the Tower treasure is resolved in the Applegate library. Fenton Hardy and Hurd Applegate reveal that the stolen loot was found in the old water tower by Frank and Joe Hardy, clearing Henry Robinson of all suspicion. Chief Collig and Detective Smuff are humiliated, and Mr. Robinson is reinstated as caretaker with a raise and back pay. The Hardy boys each receive a $500 reward, and Adelia Applegate praises them as 'real detectives.'
Chapter 24
The Last of the Tower Case
The discovery of the Tower Mansion treasure becomes a week-long sensation in Bayport, and public opinion swings to praise the Hardy boys and support Mr. Robinson. Frank and Joe remain level-headed, recognizing the fickleness of public acclaim. A week later, they and their friends are invited to a celebratory supper at Tower Mansion by Adelia Applegate. During the feast, Slim Robinson clears up the mystery of the nine hundred dollars his father had received, explaining it was an honest payment made in confidence. The chapter ends with Hurd Applegate welcoming the boys to return anytime, and a teaser for the next adventure, 'The House on the Cliff.'
