"I'm off for good," Sally answered shortly. Her face was tear-stained and
she did not try to hide the fact that she had been crying.
"Fired?"
"That's right," Sally replied. "Unjustly too!"
"Shoo, you don't say!" the gateman exclaimed, sympathetically. "What did
they give you the can for?"
Sally, in no mood to provide details, went on without answering. Penny
ran to overtake her.
"I'll walk with you to the boundaries of the grounds," she said quickly.
"Tell me what happened."
"Just what you would expect," Sally shrugged. "They asked me a lot of
questions in the personnel office. I told the truth--that I knew nothing
about that putrid piece of brass that turned up in my locker! Then they
gave me a nice little lecture, and said they were sorry but my services
no longer were required. Branded as a thief!"
"Don't take it so hard, Sally," Penny said kindly. "Someone probably
planted the brass in your locker."
"Of course! But I can't prove it."
"Why not appeal to Mr. Gandiss? He likes you and--"
"No," Sally said firmly, kicking at a piece of gravel on the driveway,
"I'll ask no favors of Mr. Gandiss. He would have me reinstated, no
doubt, but it would be too humiliating."
"Do you know of anyone in the factory who dislikes you?"
Sally shook her head. "That's the funny part of it. I'm not acquainted
with anyone. I just started in."
"How about Joe the Sweeper?"
"Oh, him!" Sally was scornful. "He caught me in the hall the other day
and tried to get fresh. I slapped his face!"
"Then perhaps he was the one that got you into trouble."
"He's too stupid," Sally dismissed the subject.
"I'm not so sure of that," returned Penny thoughtfully.
The girls had reached the street and Sally's bus was in sight.
"What will you do now?" Penny asked hurriedly. "Get a job at another
factory?"
"I doubt it," Sally replied, fishing in her pocketbook for a bus token.
"I'll help Pop on the _River Queen_. If I do take another job it won't be
until after the sailboat races."
"I'd forgotten about that. When is the race?"
"The preliminary is in a few days--next Friday. The finals are a week
later."
"I hope you win," said Penny sincerely. "I'll certainly be on hand to
watch."
The bus pulled up at the curb. Swing-shift employes, arriving at the
factory for work, crowded past the two girls. Impulsively Sally turned
and squeezed Penny's hand.
"I like you," she said with deep feeling. "You've been kind. Will you
come to see me sometime while you're here?"
"Of course! I've not brought back those clothes I borrowed yet!"
"I'll look for you," Sally declared warmly. "I feel that you're a real
friend."
Squeezing Penny's hand again, she sprang aboard the bus and was lost in
the throng of passengers.
CHAPTER
9
_SALLY'S HELPER_
Several days of inactivity followed for Penny at Shadow Island. For the
most part, Jack was friendly and tried to provide entertainment. However,
he was away much of the time, supervising the work of repairing and
getting the _Spindrift_ into condition for the coming trophy race.
Sally Barker's name seldom was mentioned in the Gandiss household, though
it was known that the girl intended to enter the competition regardless
of her disgrace at the factory. Once Penny asked Jack point-blank what he
thought of the entire matter.
"Just what I always did," he answered briefly. "Sally never took anything
from the factory. It wouldn't be in keeping with her character."
"Then why isn't she cleared?"
"Father did take the matter up with the personnel department, but he
doesn't want to go over the manager's head. The brass was found in her
locker and quite a few employes learned about it."
"The brass was planted!"
"Probably," agreed Jack. "But it's none of my affair. Sally wasn't a very
good factory worker and the personnel director thought he had to make an
example of someone--"
"So Sally became the goat! I call it unfair. Did the thefts cease after
she left?"
"They're worse than ever."
"Then obviously Sally had nothing to do with it!"
"Not just one person is involved. The brass is being taken by an
organized ring of employes."
"I suppose it's none of my affair, but in justice I think Sally should be
cleared. I don't know the girl well, but I like her."
"You may as well hear the whole story," Jack said uncomfortably. "Father
wrote her a letter, inviting her to come in for an interview. She paid no
attention."
"Perhaps she didn't get the letter."
"She got it all right. I met her on the street yesterday, and when I
tried to talk to her, she threatened to heave a can of varnish in my
face! Furthermore, she gave me to understand she intends to defeat me
soundly in the race tomorrow."
"I'll be there to watch," grinned Penny. "The contest should be
interesting."
While Jack was out on the river practicing for the approaching
competition, Penny accompanied her father to the mainland to mail letters
and make a few purchases Mrs. Gandiss had requested. In returning to the
waterfront, they wandered down a street within view of the Gandiss
factory.
Penny's attention was drawn to a man who came out of an alley at the rear
of the plant and stood staring at a tiny junk shop which was situated
directly opposite the Gandiss factory.
"There's Joe the Sweeper," she observed aloud. And then an instant later
added: "That's queer!"
"What is?" inquired her father.
"Why, that junk shop! I've been down this street several times, but I
never noticed it there before. I would have sworn that the building was
empty."
Mr. Parker gave her a quick, amused look. "It was until yesterday," he
informed.
"You seem to know all about it!" Penny suddenly became suspicious. "What
are you keeping from me?"
Mr. Parker did not reply, for he was watching the man who had emerged
from the alley. Joe seemed to debate for awhile, then crossed the street
and entered the junk shop.
"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Parker. "Our bait seems to be working."
"What are you talking about?" Penny demanded in exasperation. "Will you
kindly explain?"
"You recall Mr. Gandiss asked me to help him solve the mystery of those
brass thefts at the plant."
"Why, yes, but I didn't know you had begun to do anything about it."
"Our plan may not succeed. However, we're trying out a little idea of
mine."
"Does it have anything to do with that junk shop?"
"Yes, the place was opened yesterday by Heiney Growski."
Penny's blue eyes opened wide for she knew the man well. A prominent
detective in Riverview, he had won distinction by solving a number of
difficult cases.
"Heiney is an expert at make-up and impersonation," Mr. Parker added. "We
brought him here and installed him as the owner of the junk store across
the street. His instructions are to buy brass and copper at above the
prevailing market prices."
"You expect employes who may be pilfering metals to seek the highest
price obtainable!"
"That's our idea. It may not work."
"It should," Penny cried jubilantly. "Sweeper Joe went in there not three
minutes ago! I've suspected him from the first!"
"Aren't you jumping to pretty fast conclusions?"
"From what I heard him say to the gatekeeper Clayton, I'm sure he's mixed
up in some underhanded scheme."
"You're not certain of it, Penny. Joe has been carefully investigated. He
seems too stupid a fellow to have engineered such a clever, organized
method of pilfering."
"He never appeared stupid to me. Dad, let's drift over to the junk shop,
and learn what is happening."
"And give everything away? No, Heiney will report if anything of
consequence develops. In the meantime, we must show no interest in the
shop."
To Penny's disappointment, her father refused to remain longer in the
vicinity of the factory. Without glancing toward the junk shop, they
walked on to the riverfront. The motorboat they had expected to meet them
had not yet arrived. While Mr. Parker purchased a newspaper and sat down
on the dock to read, Penny sauntered along the shore.
A short distance away on a stretch of beach, a boat had been overturned.
Sally Barker, in blue overalls rolled to the knees, was painting it with
deft, sure strokes. Penny walked over to watch the work.
Glancing up, Sally smiled, but did not speak. A smudge of blue paint
stained her cheek. She had sanded the bottom of the _Cat's Paw_, and now
was slapping on a final coat of paint.
"Will it dry in time for the race tomorrow?" Penny inquired, making
conversation.
"The finish won't be hard, but that's the way I want it," Sally said,
dipping her brush. "It makes a faster racing bottom."
"Then you're all ready for competition?"
"The boat is ready." Sally hesitated, then added. "But I may not enter
the race after all."
"Not enter? Why?"
Having finished painting, Sally carefully cleaned her brush, and tightly
closed the paint and varnish cans. She wiped her hands on her faded
overalls.
"The boy who was racing with me served notice this morning that he had
changed his mind. I haven't asked anyone else, because I didn't want to
be turned down."
"But I should think anyone who likes to sail would be crazy for the
chance--" Penny began. Then as she met Sally's gaze, her voice trailed
off.
"You know what I mean," said Sally quietly.
"Not the factory episode?"
"Yes, word traveled around."
"Jack didn't tell?"
"I don't think so, but I don't know," Sally replied honestly. "Anyway,
everyone learned why I was discharged. Pop is furious."
"Your mother too, I suppose?"
"I have no mother. She died when I was ten. Since then, Pop and I have
lived aboard the _Queen_. Pop always taught me to speak my mind, never to
be afraid, and above all to be honest. To be accused of something one
didn't do and to be branded as a thief is the limit!"
Penny nodded sympathetically. "About the race," she said, reverting to
the previous subject, "you aren't really serious about not entering?"
"It means everything to me," Sally admitted soberly. "But I can't race
alone. The rules call for two persons in each boat."
"You need an expert sailor?"
"Not necessarily. Of course, the person would have to know how to handle
ropes and carry out orders. Also, not lose his head in an emergency. To
balance the _Cat's Paw_ right I need someone about my own weight."
"It has to be a boy?"
"Mercy, no! I would prefer a girl if I knew whom to ask." Sally suddenly
caught the drift of Penny's conversation, and a look of amazed delight
came upon her face. "Not you!" she exclaimed. "You don't mean you would
be willing--"
"If you want or could use me. I'm a long way from an expert, but I do
know a little about sailboats. We have one in Riverview. However, I never
competed in a race."
"I'd be tickled pink to have you!"
"Then it's settled."
"But what about the Gandiss family? You are their guest."
"That part is a bit awkward," Penny admitted. "But they are all good
sports. I'm sure no one will hold it against me."
"After I was discharged from the factory?"
"That really wasn't Mr. Gandiss' doing, Sally. The plant is so large he
scarcely knows what goes on in some departments. You were discharged by
the personnel manager."
"I realize that."
"Didn't Mr. Gandiss write you a letter asking you to come in for a
personal interview?"
"Yes, he did," Sally acknowledged reluctantly. "I was angry and I tore it
up."
"Then you shouldn't blame Mr. Gandiss."
"I'm not blaming him, Penny. I like Mr. Gandiss very much. In fact, I
like him so well I never could bear to accept favors from him."
"Not even to clear your name?"
Sally washed her hands at the river's edge, and rolled down the legs of
her overalls. "The person who put that brass in my locker hasn't been
caught?" she inquired softly.
"Not to my knowledge."
"Then all Mr. Gandiss could do would be to offer me another chance,"
Sally said bitterly. "I'll never work in the factory on that basis. If I
am cleared completely, then I am willing to go back."
"Mr. Gandiss is trying to solve the mystery of those thefts," Penny
declared. "I know that to be a fact. Have you any idea who the guilty
parties might be?"
Sally straightened up, digging at paint which had lodged beneath her
fingernails. She did not answer.
"You do have a clue!" Penny cried.
"Maybe." Sally smiled mysteriously.
"Tell me what it is."
"No, I intend to work by myself until I'm sure that I'm on the right
track. I've not even told Pop."
"Does it have anything to do with Sweeper Joe?"
Sally's expression became blank. "I don't know much about him," she
dismissed the subject. "My information concerns a certain house upriver.
But don't ask me to tell you more."
Hastily she gathered up paint cans and brush, turning to leave. "Are you
really serious about racing with me tomorrow?" she demanded.
"Of course!"
"Then you're elected first mate of the _Cat's Paw_! Meet me at the yacht
club dock at six in the morning for a trial workout. The preliminary race
is at two."
"I'll be there without fail."
"And bring a little luck with you," Sally added with a grin. "We may need
it to defeat the _Spindrift_."
CHAPTER
10
_OVERTURNED_
When Penny reached the dock next morning she found that Sally had
preceded her by many hours. The varnished wood of the _Cat's Paw_ shone
in the sunlight. Below the waterline, the boat was as smooth and slippery
as glass.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Sally asked proudly, squeezing water from a sponge
she had been using. "The rigging has been overhauled, and Pop came
through at the last minute with a new jib sail. Every rope has been
changed too."
"It looks grand," Penny praised. "You must have worked like a galley
slave getting everything ready for the race."
"I have, but I want to win. This race means everything to me."
"Are you sure you want me to sail with you?" Penny asked dubiously.
"After all, I am not an expert. I might handicap you."
"Nonsense! There's no one I would rather have--that is, if you still want
to do it. Was Jack angry when you told him?"
Penny confessed that she had not spoken to any of the Gandiss family of
her intention to take part in the race. "But it will be all right," she
added. "Jack really isn't such a bad sport when you get to know him. I
only hope we win!"
"Oh, we'll come in among the leading five--that's certain," Sally said
carelessly. "This is only a preliminary race today. The five winning
boats will compete next week in the finals."
"If you lose today must you give up the trophy?"
"Not until after the final race." Sally laughed goodnaturedly. "But don't
put such ideas in my head. We can't lose! I'm grimly determined that Jack
mustn't beat me!"
"I do believe the race is a personal feud between you two! Why does it
mean so much to defeat him?"
Sally stepped nimbly aboard the scrubbed deck, stowing away the sponge
under one of the seats. "Jack and I always have been rivals," she
admitted. "We went to grade school together. He used to make fun of me
because I lived on a ferryboat."
"Jack was only a kid then."
"I know. But we always were in each other's hair. We competed in
everything--debates, literary competitions, sports. Jack usually defeated
me too. In sailing, due to Pop's coaching, I may have a slight edge over
him."
"Do you really dislike Jack?"
"Why, no." Sally's tone indicated she never had given the matter previous
thought. "If he weren't around to fight with, I suppose I'd miss him
terribly."
Penny sat down on the dock to lace up a pair of soft-soled tennis shoes.
By the time she had them on, Sally was ready to shove off for the trial
run.
"Suppose we take about an hour's work-out, and then rest until time for
the race," she suggested. "You'll quickly learn the tricks of this little
boat. She's a sweet sailer."
The _Cat's Paw_ had been tied to the dock with a stiff wind blowing
across it, and larger boats were berthed on either side. To get away
smoothly without endangering the other craft would be no easy task. As
the girls ran up the mainsail, a few loiterers gathered to watch the
departure.
"All set, mate?" grinned Sally. "Let's go."
With a speed that amazed Penny, she trimmed the main and jib sheets flat
amidships, placing the tiller a little to starboard.
"Haul up the centerboard!" she instructed.
Penny pulled up the board, feeling a trifle awkward and inadept.
Sally leaped out onto the dock, and casting off, held the boat's head
steady into the eye of the wind. With a tremendous shove which delighted
the spectators, she sent the _Cat's Paw_ straight aft, and made a flying
leap aboard.
With sails flat amidships, the boat shot straight backwards. As they
started to clear the stern of the boat that was to starboard, Sally let
the tiller move over to that side. The bow of the _Cat's Paw_ began to
swing to starboard.
Not until then, did Penny observe that the _Spindrift_ was tied up only a
few boat-lengths away. Jack, armed with several bottles of pop, came
hurriedly from the clubhouse. Noting Sally's spectacular departure, he
joined the throng at the railing.
"We'll give the crowd a real thrill," Sally muttered, keeping her voice
low so that it would not carry over the water. "If this trick works, it
should be good."
Even Penny was worried. The bow of the _Cat's Paw_ had swung rapidly to
starboard. But Sally, calm and cool, still hung on to the sheets.
"Put your tiller the other way!" Jack shouted from the dock. "Let your
sheet run!"
Enjoying the boy's excitement, Sally pretended to be deaf. Wind had
struck the sails, but the _Cat's Paw_ continued to sail backwards. A
crash seemed impossible to avert. Then at the last instant, the bow swung
clear of the neighboring boats.
Grinning triumphantly, Sally put the tiller to port and started the
sheets. They sailed briskly away.
"Beautifully done!" praised Penny. "Not one sailor in a hundred could
pull that off. It took nerve!"
"Pop taught me that trick. It's risky, of course. If the sails should
decide to take charge, or the tiller should fail to go to starboard, one
probably would collide with the other boats."
"You surprised Jack. He expected you to crash."
"We'll surprise him this afternoon too," Sally declared confidently,
steering out into mid-stream. "If this breeze holds, it's just what the
doctor ordered!"
For an hour the girls practiced maneuvers until Penny was thoroughly
adept at handling the ropes and carrying out orders. Although the rules
of the race did not allow them to sail the actual course, Sally pointed
it out.
"We start near the clubhouse," she explained. "Then, taking a triangular
route we sail past Hat Island to the first marker. After rounding it, we
keep on to the marker near the eastern river shore, and sail back to our
starting point."
Sally was in high spirits, for she declared that if the breeze held,
_Cat's Paw_ would perform at her best. Though no one knew exactly what
Jack's new boat, _Spindrift_ could do, observation had convinced most
sailing enthusiasts that it would be favored in a light breeze.
"I hope it blows a gale this afternoon!" Sally chuckled as they moored at
the dock. "Get some rest now, Penny, and meet me at the clubhouse about
one o'clock. The race starts sharp at two."
Penny did not see Jack when she returned to Shadow Island, so had no
chance to tell him of her plan to sail with Sally in the competition. Her
father, whom she took into her confidence, was not entirely in favor of
the decision.
"We are guests of Mr. and Mrs. Gandiss," he reproved mildly. "To sail
against Jack is a tactless thing to do. Though actually you may do him a
favor, for you'll likely be more of a handicap than a help in the race."
"That's what I figured," laughed Penny.
By chance, Mr. Gandiss overheard the conversation. Entering the living
room, he declared that Penny must not hesitate to enter the competition.
"After all, the race is supposed to be for fun," he said emphatically.
"Lately Jack and Sally have made it into a feud. I really think it would
do the boy good to be defeated soundly."
Long before the hour of the race, Penny was at the yacht club docks,
dressed in blue slacks, white polo shirt, and an added jacket for
protection from wind and blistering sun rays.
Rowboats, canoes and small sailing craft plied lazily up and down the
river, while motor yachts with flags flying, cruised past the clubhouse.
Out in the main channel where the race was to be held, the judges' boat
had been anchored. The shores were thronged with spectators, many of whom
had enjoyed picnic lunches on the grassy banks.
Penny walked along the dock searching for the _Cat's Paw_. She came first
to the _Spindrift_ which was just preparing to get underway. Jack and a
youth Penny did not know, were busy coiling ropes.
"Hi, Penny!" Jack greeted her, glancing up from his work. "You're going
to see a real race today! Will I take Sally Barker for a breeze!"
Just at that moment, Sally herself appeared from inside the clubhouse.
Seeing Penny, she waved and called: "Come on, mate, it's time we shove
off!"
Jack's jaw dropped and he gazed at the two girls accusingly.
"What is this?" he demanded. "Penny, you're not racing in Sally's boat?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, if that isn't something!" Jack said no more, but his tone had made
it clear he considered Penny nothing short of a traitor.
The two boats presently sailed out from the protecting shores to join the
other fifteen-footers which had entered the race. With the breeze blowing
strong, the contestants tacked rapidly back and forth, jockeying for the
best positions at the start of the contest.
Tensely Sally glanced at her wristwatch. "Five minutes until two," she
observed. "The gun will go off any minute now."
Nineteen boats comprised the racing fleet, but in comparison to Jack and
Sally, many of the youthful captains were mere novices. Experts were
divided in opinion as to the winner, but nearly everyone agreed it would
be either Jack or Sally, with the odds slightly in favor of the latter.
"There goes the signal!" cried Sally.
The boats made a bunched start with _Cat's Paw_ and _Spindrift_ in the
best positions. In the sharp breeze, one of the craft carried away a
stay, and with a broken mast, dropped out of the race. The others headed
for the first marker.
At first Sally and Jack raced almost bow to bow, then gradually the
_Cat's Paw_ forged steadily ahead. Except for three or four boats, the
others began to fall farther and farther behind.
"We'll win!" Penny cried jubilantly.
"It's too soon to crow yet," Sally warned. "While it looks as if this
breeze will hold for the entire race, no one can tell. Anything might
happen."
Penny glanced back at Jack's boat a good six to eight lengths behind. The
boy deliberately turned his head, acting as if he did not see her.
The _Cat's Paw_ hugged the marker as it made the turn at Hat Island.
Rounding the body of land, the girls were annoyed to see a canoe with
three children paddling directly across their course.
"Now how did they get out here?" Sally murmured with a worried frown.
"They should know better!"
At first the children did not seem to realize that they were directly in
the path of the racing boats. But as they saw the fleet rounding Hat
Island in the wake of the _Cat's Paw_ and the _Spindrift_, they suddenly
became panic-stricken.
With frantic haste, they tried to get out of the way. In her confusion,
one of the girls dropped a paddle, and as it floated away, she made a
desperate lunge to recover it. Another of the occupants, heavy-set and
awkward, leaned far over the same side in an attempt to help her.
"They'll upset if they aren't careful!" Penny groaned. "Yes, there they
go!"
Even as she spoke, the canoe flipped over, tossing the three girls into
the water. Two of them grasped the overturned craft and held on. The
third, unable to swim, was too far away to reach the extended hand of her
terrified companions.
Making inarticulate, strangled sounds in her throat, she frantically
thrashed the water, trying desperately to save herself.
CHAPTER
11
_A QUESTION OF RULES_
"Quick!" Sally cried, remaining at the tiller of the _Cat's Paw_. "The
life preserver!"
Finding one under the seat, Penny took careful aim and hurled it in a
high arc over the span of water. The throw was nearly perfect and the
life preserver plopped heavily on the surface not two feet from the
struggling girl. But she was too panic-stricken to reach out and grasp
it.
The river current carried the preserver downstream. Sally knew then that
to save the girl she must turn aside and abandon the race.
"Coming about!" she called sharply to warn Penny of the swinging boom.