Apparently some such spell hung over the girl, for when he gave her his hand to help her into the boat she did not say, “No, no! We dare not.” Instead, she whispered: “We will glide along in the shadows.”
The oars made no sound. Sky and water seemed one. To the girl, as she sat in the stern, they appeared to float in air.
And then, all in a flash, this stillness was shattered. The prow of their boat struck some solid object with a dull thud. That same instant it reared high in air to pitch the dreaming girl into cold, black waters of night.
Paralyzed by the suddenness of it all, the boy, riding high in air but still clinging to his seat, saw her go.
For a space of seconds he hung there in midair. Then with a dull splash the boat fell once more to the water. At that same instant he saw that which caused him to rub his eyes and stare. At a speed quite impossible for a swimmer of the girl’s skill or strength she was streaking away across the water toward an island that loomed out of the dark.
“A trap,” he thought. “They—they got her!”
Seizing the oars, he swung the boat about and began rowing madly.
* * * * * * * *
It was during this same hour that Johnny Thompson happened upon something that mystified him more than he was willing to admit. This affair might have ended badly but for the boy’s splendid physique and careful training.
He was about to pass over the river bridge on his way home when his eye was caught by a brilliant display of flowers in Angelo Piccalo’s window. Coming to a halt, he stood there studying the flowers for some little time. “Some flowers I never saw,” he told himself. “Have to ask Angelo about them. Those red, heart-shaped ones and—”