Nancy Drew #31. The Ringmaster’s Secret. Carolyn Keene

“Oh, George, you’re wonderful!” Nancy cried gleefully. “We’ll go right to the telephone, call up the local police chief, and ask him to get in touch with the New York police. They’ll be able to investigate that package and the booking agency too, and even find Mrs. Flanders!”

The excited girls raced from the tent and hurried to the telephone booth. George waited outside, while Nancy stepped in and closed the door. She picked up the receiver and put in a coin. When there was no response, Nancy realized that the telephone was out of order.

“I’ll ask George to run down to headquarters and take my message to the chief,” she decided.

Opening the door, Nancy was amazed to find that her friend was gone. As she looked around, suddenly a thick dark cloth was drawn over her head—tighter and tighter.

Nancy struggled, but it was useless. She finally blacked out!

CHAPTER XVIII

George’s Discovery

Nancy became conscious of the rumble and harsh clatter of wheels. At first it seemed far away, then grew louder and louder.

Slowly she opened her eyes but could see nothing. Her brain was foggy and she had no idea where she was. As her mind cleared, Nancy realized she was bound and gagged.

“Oh, yes,” she recalled. “When I came out of that telephone booth, someone put a cloth over my head and I blacked out.”

Nancy now realized that she was in a moving vehicle. The steady rhythm of the wheels told her that she was in a train. Was it a sleeping compartment?

“Probably not,” Nancy decided. “I’m lying on the floor. I must be in a freight car.”

As her strength returned, she tried to get out of her bonds, but her struggles were futile. Whoever had tied the knots had done a good job.

“Oh, if I could only remove this gag!” she thought.

She tried rubbing her cheek against the floor to accomplish it, but again her efforts were unsuccessful. There was not a sound within the car and Nancy decided that she was alone. As she wondered where the freight train was going and now long a trip it might be, someone not far away from her gave a great sigh. Nancy shuddered. Was this person a guard?

Once more she endeavored to loosen the ropes which bound her arms and legs. She managed to slide them an inch, but they still remained tightly around her.

As Nancy got over her fright, it occurred to her that the other person in the car might be a prisoner as well. George had disappeared rather mysteriously. Could she be the person who had sighed?

Nancy wriggled herself in the direction from which the sound had come. Finding the other person’s hand, she squirmed. It was cold and unresponsive. But upon investigation, she was convinced of one thing: it was a girl’s hand.

Inching herself upward, Nancy’s hand came to a rope. The other person was bound as well as herself!

Moving still farther along the floor, Nancy felt the girl’s face. There was a gag over it, but by twisting and turning, Nancy managed, after some difficulty, to loosen the knot and remove the gag.

Nancy ran her fingers over the girl’s features and came to the conclusion that she was indeed George Fayne. She mumbled as loudly as she could:

“George! George! Wake up!”

Presently the girl stirred and Nancy’s heart leaped in relief. After muttering some unintelligible words, George finally said:

“Where am I?”

“Oh, George, I’m so glad you’ve wakened,” Nancy mumbled.

“Nancy, where are we? What happened?”

The girl detective replied that they were in a freight car. Where the train was going, she had no idea—it might be heading for the coast.

“But we’re going to get out of here,” she said with determination. “George, can you turn on your side? I’ll try to loosen these ropes, then you can do the same for me.”

“You must have a gag over your mouth,” said George. “Your voice sounds so different.”

“I have,” said Nancy. “See if you can get it off.” She turned her head away from George, and after several futile attempts, George finally managed to loosen it.

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