# Tony Prito — The Secret of the Old Mill character guide

> Tony Prito in The Secret of the Old Mill by Franklin W. Dixon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tony

**First appearance:** 0009-x-the-new-boat

## Snapshot

Bayport's confident motorboat ace, whose rakish black craft and easy bravado make him the natural rival — and teacher — when the Hardys test their new Sleuth.

## Who they are

Tony knows the bay and his father's fast boat better than anyone, and he taught Frank and Joe to handle a motor before they ever owned one. When the Sleuth challenges him to a race, his cocky certainty that he'll 'show them up' collides with the boys' quiet confidence in their new craft. That friendly defeat matters: it establishes the Sleuth as something special and Tony as a good sport whose boating world will keep pulling the Hardys onto the water.

## Relationships

### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy)

_friendship_

Close friend and frequent ally in investigations, often providing local knowledge.

### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy)

_friendship_

Close friend and frequent ally in investigations, often providing local knowledge.

### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy)

_friendship_

Close friend and frequent ally in investigations, often providing local knowledge.

## In the story

### [The Hardy Boys at School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/iii-the-hardy-boys-at-school)

Mentions his father's motorboat as a model for the Hardy boys; helps Chet with the prank on Jerry.

### [In the Mill Race](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/vii-in-the-mill-race)

Observes the boy's disconsolate demeanor.

### [The New Boat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/x-the-new-boat)

Tony encounters the boys on the bay, races them, and is astonished when the Sleuth beats his fast boat.

### [The Chase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xv-the-chase)

Tony provides his motorboat for the chase and supplies spare gas to restart the Sleuth.

### [A Plan of Action](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xvi-a-plan-of-action)

Tony Prito helped capture Paul Blum and is mentioned as part of the successful capture.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/tony_prito
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters