Read Online Mystery of the Glowing Eye by Carolyn G. Keene - Free Book Online Page A

return.” Nancy was inclined to agree with him.
    Despite her concern, Nancy slept soundly that night. Early the next morning she telephoned Glenn and arranged to take a trip with him the following morning at ten o’clock.
    “Sorry I couldn’t make it today,” he said. “By the way I have some information for you. Evidently the mysterious copter had a phony registration number on it. The authorities haven’t been able to identify the owner of the craft. Wish I could have had better news for you. See you tomorrow.”
    “I’ll be there promptly,” Nancy promised. “Thanks a lot.”
    After breakfast the girls said good-by to Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson. There were a few seconds when each thought the others were going to cry, but they all braced themselves and wished the rest good luck in finding Ned.
    “You’re doing very well, Nancy,” said Mr. Nickerson, “and I wish I could have picked up as many clues as you have.”
    The young detective said she hoped they would lead somewhere. She and the other girls climbed into her car and took the same route as they had the day before.
    Upon reaching Emerson College, Nancy left the cousins at the fraternity house and went on to the campus library alone. She had met the reference librarian several times, so she was admitted on her own identification.
    When Nancy told her what book she wanted to consult, Miss Greenleaf directed her to the proper section. For an hour Nancy buried herself in the fascinating subject of geological findings of Emerson and the surrounding area.
    Her search for swampy districts was finally rewarded. There were three in different locations outside Emerson.
    “Here’s one that’s in a straight line from my home in River Heights,” she decided and read more about it.
    Apparently the swamp was an unusual place. There was a hilltop in the center of a large circular area, which was wooded but mucky. The text said that it was impossible to drive through the swamp. The only way to explore it was either on horseback or on foot in high boots.
    “But one must watch carefully for dangerous spots that seem to have no bottom,” she read. “There are many rotted logs, some of them under the slimy water.”
    Nancy reread the paragraph. “It sounds like a good place to avoid,” she thought, but immediately decided nothing would keep her away if there was any chance of going in and rescuing Ned.
    She returned to the fraternity house just as students were coming in for the lunch hour. Bess, George, Burt, and Dave met her.
    “A letter for Burt Eddleton,” one of the students sang out.
    Burt went to get it from the pile of recently delivered mail on the hall table. He looked at the envelope, then excitedly brought it to show to his friends.
    “This is from Ned!” he whispered. “And here on the outside in another handwriting someone has written ‘Found on road near Arbutus.’ ”
    “Where is Arbutus?” Bess asked.
    No one could answer her question.
    Dave said, “Open it.”
    Quickly Burt slit the envelope and took out the enclosed note. In a hastily scrawled handwriting Ned had written, “Don’t know where I am. Prisoner of red-haired nut .”
    At once there were conjectures about who the red-haired nut was. Could he be Crosson or perhaps someone else connected with a Cyclops gang?
    Bess spoke up. “I still want to know where Arbutus is.”
    Nancy’s trip to the college library suddenly paid off. “I remember now. It’s a small town fairly close to the swamp that I’ve decided to investigate.”
    Dave asked how far it was from Emerson.
    Nancy replied, “Not far. Let’s go to Arbutus in my car right after lunch. We can take it as close as possible to the swamp and then walk the rest of the way.”
    “The rest of the way to where?” Bess asked.
    George spoke up. “The place where Ned may be a prisoner, silly!” she chided her cousin.
    Burt stared at the girls’ feet. “I hope you brought hiking boots. You’ll need them to slosh through a