girls arose, feeling only a little tired as the result of their night's
adventure. They had time for a quick swim in the river before breakfast
and disgraced themselves by eating six pancakes each.
"The crew will be coming aboard soon," Sally said, glancing at her watch.
"I usually sweep out the lounge and straighten up a bit before we make
our first passenger run."
Penny, who had nothing to do until Jack could come to take her back to
the island, eagerly offered to help. Armed with brooms and dust rags, the
girls went below.
In the doorway, Penny paused, staring at the overhead beam.
"Why, Sally," she commented in astonishment. "What did you do with the
lantern trophy? Take it down?"
"No, it's still there."
Alarmed by Penny's question, Sally moved past her, gazing at the beam.
Where the brass lantern had hung, there now was only a neatly severed
chain.
"Why, it's gone!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Wasn't it here last night when we went to bed?"
"Of course."
"Then it was stolen last night!"
Dropping broom and dustpan, Sally brought a chair and inspected the
chain. Obviously it had been cut by sharp metal scissors.
"That prowler who came aboard last night must have done it!" she
exclaimed angrily. "Oh, what a mean, low trick!"
As the full realization of what the loss would mean came to her, Sally
sank down on the chair, a picture of dejection.
"I'm responsible for the trophy, Penny! I'll be expected to produce it
before the final race. Oh, what can we do?"
"Why do you suppose the thief took the lantern and nothing else?"
"Someone may have done it for pure spite. But I'm more inclined to think
the person came aboard to steal our money in the office safe. The lantern
hung here in a conspicuous place and he may have taken it on impulse."
Intending to notify Captain Barker of the loss, the girls started up the
companionway. Abruptly, Penny paused, her attention drawn to an object
lying on one of the steps. It was a circular badge with a picture and a
number on it. No name. Such identifications, she knew, were used by many
industrial plants.
"Where did this come from?" she murmured, picking it up.
The face on the badge was unfamiliar to her. The man had dark, bushy
hair, sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones.
Sally turned to examine the identification pin. "Why, this badge came
from the Gandiss factory!" she exclaimed, and studied the picture
intently.
"Did you ever see the man before?"
"I can't place him, Penny. Yet I know I have seen him somewhere."
"The man should be easy to trace from this picture and number. When I
caught hold of his clothing last night, I must have pulled off the pin.
That was how my finger was pricked."
As the girls examined the pin, they heard a commotion on deck and the
sound of voices. Before they could go up the steps to investigate, Jack
Gandiss came clattering down to the lounge.
"I came to take you back to the island, Penny," he informed. "Ready?"
Then his gaze fastened upon the beam where the brass lantern had hung.
"Say, what became of the trophy?" he demanded sharply. "You decided to
take it down after all?"
"It's gone," Sally said, misery in her voice. "Stolen!"
The two girls waited for the explosion, but strangely, Jack said nothing
for a moment.
"You warned me," Sally hastened on. "Oh, it's all my fault. It was
conceited and selfish of me to display the trophy here. I deserve
everything you're going to say."
Still Jack remained mute, staring at the beam.
"Go on--tell me what you're thinking," Sally challenged miserably.
"It's a tough break," Jack said without rancor.
"This will practically ruin the race," Sally accused herself. "I can't
replace the trophy for there's no other like it. An ordinary cup never
would seem the same."
"That's so," Jack gloomily agreed. "Well, if it's gone, it's gone, and
there's nothing more to be done."
The boy's calm acceptance of the calamity he had predicted, astonished
Penny and Sally. Was this the Jack they knew? With a perfect opportunity
to say, "I told you so," he had withheld blame.
Sally sank down on the lower step. "How will I face the racing
committee?" she murmured. "What will the other contestants say? They'll
feel like running me out of town."
"Maybe it won't be necessary to tell," Jack said slowly. "One of us is
almost certain to win the race next Friday."
"Yes, that's true, but--"
"If you win, the lantern would be yours for keeps. Should I win, no one
would need to know that you hadn't turned it over to me. You could make
some excuse at the time of the presentation."
Sally gazed at Jack with a new light in her eyes. "I'm truly sorry for
all the hateful things I've said to you in the past," she declared
earnestly. "You're a true blue friend."
"Maybe I'm sorry about some of the cracks I made too," he grinned,
extending his hand. "Shake?"
Sally sprang up and grasped the hand firmly, but her eyes were misty. She
hastened to correct any wrong impression Jack might have gained.
"I'm glad you made the offer you did," she said, "but I never would dream
of keeping the truth from the committee. I'll notify them today."
"Why be in such a hurry?" Penny asked. "The race is a week away. In that
time we may be able to find the trophy. After all, we have a good clue."
"What clue?" asked Jack.
Penny showed him the pin. As he gazed at the picture on the face of the
badge, a strange expression came into his eyes.
"You know the man?" Penny asked instantly.
"He works at our factory. But that's not where I've seen him."
"At the Harpers?" Sally asked.
"Yes," Jack admitted unwillingly. "I don't know his name, but he is a
friend of Ma Harper and her husband."
"And of that no-account Joe, the Sweeper?"
"I don't know about that." The questioning had made Jack uncomfortable.
"The man should be arrested!"
"We have no proof, Sally," Penny pointed out. "While we're satisfied in
our own minds that the man who took the lantern is the person who lost
the badge, we can't be certain."
"The badge may have been dropped by a passenger yesterday," Jack added.
"Let me find out this fellow's name first, and a few facts about him."
"I don't believe your friends, the Harpers, will tell you much," Sally
said stiffly. "They're the scum of the waterfront. How you can go
there--"
Penny, who saw that another storm was brewing, quickly intervened, saying
it was time she and Jack started for the island. Sally, taking the hint,
allowed the subject to drop.
But as she went on deck to see the pair off in Jack's motorboat, she
whispered to Penny:
"See me this afternoon, if you can. I have an idea I don't want Jack to
know about. If we work together, we may be able to trace the trophy."
CHAPTER
14
_TRAPPED_
Jack had little to say about the theft as he and Penny returned to the
Gandiss home. However, after lunch he offered to go to his father's
factory to learn the identity of the employee who had lost the badge
aboard the _River Queen_.
"Want to come along?" he invited.
Ordinarily, Penny would have welcomed the opportunity, but remembering
that Sally had wished to see her, she regretfully turned down the
invitation.
"I'll ride across the river if you don't mind," she said. "I have an
errand in town."
By this time Penny was familiar with the daily route of the _River Queen_
and knew where it would dock to pick up and unload passengers. Sally, she
felt certain, would be aboard, expecting her.
They crossed the river in the motorboat, making an appointment to meet
again at four o'clock. After Jack had gone, Penny set off for the _River
Queen's_ dock where a sizable group of passengers awaited the ferry.
Soon the _Queen_ steamed in, her bell signaling a landing. Passengers
crowded the railing, eager to be the first off. A crewman stood at the
wheel, and Sally was nowhere to be seen.
As the boat brushed the dock, sailors leaped off to make fast to the dock
posts. Captain Barker, annoyed because the passengers were pushing,
bellowed impatient orders to his men: "All right, start that gangplank
forward! Lively! Are you going to sleep over it all day?"
Then, seeing Penny, he raised his hand in friendly greeting.
"Is Sally aboard?" she called to him.
"No, she went up the shore a ways--didn't say where," the captain
replied, waving his hand upriver. "Ought to be back here any minute."
Sally, however, did not appear, and the _Queen_ pulled away without her.
Penny loitered on the dock for twenty minutes. The sun was hot and with
nothing to do, time lay heavy upon her. It lacked a half hour before the
_River Queen_ would return, and fully two hours before she was due to
meet Jack. For lack of occupation, she walked upriver along the docks.
Buildings were few and far between. There were several fish houses, a
boat rental place and the half-deserted amusement park. The beach beyond
made easy walking, so Penny kept on. With quickening interest she saw
that she was approaching a two-story building which appeared to stand on
stilts over the water. Close by was a large, smoothly cemented area with
overhead lights.
"That's the Harper place!" Penny recognized it. "With the dance area
adjoining."
She moved on along the beach. Drawing closer to the building, she passed
a clump of bushes fringing the sand. The leaves stirred slightly though
there was no breeze. Penny failed to notice the movement.
But as she passed the bushes, a hand reached out and grasped her ankle.
Startled, Penny uttered a nervous cry.
"Be quiet, you goon!" a familiar voice bade.
It was Sally Barker crouched amid the foliage. Quickly she pulled Penny
with her behind the bushes.
"Sally, what are you doing here?" Penny demanded.
"Watching that house. I saw you a long way down the beach."
"Anything doing?"
"A boat is coming in now. That's why I didn't want you to be seen."
A rowboat with an outboard, rapidly approached the Harper pier. Already
it was making a wide sweep preparatory to a landing.
"Why, it's that fellow, Joe the Sweeper!" Penny exclaimed, peering out
from the hiding place. "Who is steering the boat?"
"Claude Harper," Sally revealed. "Ma Harper's husband."
"Wonder what Joe would be doing here?"
"That's what I'd like to know myself," Sally returned grimly. "Joe isn't
as stupid as he's given credit for being. He's crafty and mean, and being
mixed up with the Harpers is no recommendation."
While the girls watched, the boat landed. The two men tied up the craft,
and removing a burlap sack which apparently was filled with something
heavy, carried it into the two-story house.
"I wish we knew what they brought here," Penny said. "Why not try to find
out?"
"How?"
"Couldn't we sneak up to the house and peek in one of the windows?"
"We might be caught."
"True, but we'll learn nothing more here."
Debating a moment, the girls emerged from their hiding place. To reach
the house they were compelled to cross an open stretch of beach. However,
no one was to be seen outside the dwelling and their arrival appeared to
attract no notice of anyone inside.
"How about that window at the east side?" Penny suggested.
The one she pointed out was half screened by bushes and at a level which
would permit them to peer inside.
"Okay," agreed Sally, "but I'd hate to be caught at this business. The
Harpers hate me and they would be mighty unpleasant if they came upon us
snooping."
"What a harsh word!" chuckled Penny. "All this comes under the heading of
investigation! The only difference is that Mr. Gandiss' detectives are
paid and we aren't."
"If I could get the brass lantern back that would be pay enough for me,"
Sally returned.
Creeping to the window, the girls cautiously peeped into the house. The
panes were so dirty it was hard to see inside. But they were able to
distinguish three persons sitting at a living room table. Papers were
spread out before them, and they were adding figures. There was no sign
of the sack which had been carried into the house.
"Who are they?" Penny asked her companion.
"Joe the Sweeper, Ma Harper and her husband. Another woman is coming into
the room now. But she's only a stupid houseworker Ma hires by the week."
Sally moved backwards, intending to give Penny her place at the window.
Inadvertently, she stepped on a stick which broke in two with a snap.
Though the sound was not loud, it apparently was heard by those inside
the house.
For immediately Claude Harper shoved back his chair and started toward
the window.
"What was that?" the girls heard him mutter. "I thought I heard someone
outside."
"Quick! Crouch down or he'll see us!" Penny warned, pulling Sally to the
ground.
Claude Harper, a sallow-faced man in dirty leather jacket, appeared at
the window. To the alarm of the girls, he thrust up the sash. In plain
view, should he peer down over the ledge, they held their breath.
The man, however, gazed toward the boat docks. "I don't see anyone," he
reported to his companions. "I was sure I heard something--" he broke
off, ending sharply: "And I did too!"
"What is it, Claude?" his wife called.
"Anyone been here this afternoon?" he demanded.
"Nary a soul until you came."
"Take a look at those shoetracks in the sand!"
Hearing the words, Penny and Sally gazed behind them. From the bush on
the beach to the wall where they crouched, led a telltale trail.
"I'll go outside and look around!" Harper said to his wife. He slammed
down the window.
"We're sunk!" Sally moaned. "We can't run across the beach without being
seen, and we're certain to be caught here."
Keeping close to the wall, treading in firm earth which left no visible
shoemarks, the girls crept around the building corner. The slamming of a
door warned them that Claude Harper already was on their trail.
"Someone's been here by the window!" they heard him shout.
Frantically, the girls looked about for a place to hide. There was no
shrubbery nearby, only the waterfront. Penny's desperate gaze fastened
upon the rowboat tied up at the pier nearby. In the bottom lay an old
canvas sail.
"Quick! The boat!" she whispered to Sally.
"We'll be caught there sure!"
"It's even more certain if we stay here. Come on, it's our only chance."
Choosing the lesser of two evils, they tiptoed across the pier. Though
many of the boards were rotten and loose, their shoes fortunately made no
sound.
Scrambling down into the boat, the girls jerked the canvas sail over
them. Barely had they hidden themselves, than their hearts sank, for they
heard heavy footsteps approaching on the pier.
CHAPTER
15
_UNDER THE SAIL_
That Claude Harper was searching for them, the girls did not doubt. But
though he knew someone had been peering in the window, they were hopeful
he had not actually seen them. Huddling beneath the sail in the bottom of
the boat, they nervously waited.
The man came farther out on the pier, the boards creaking beneath his
weight. At any instant the girls expected to have the sailcloth jerked
from their heads. However, Harper's attention was diverted as Sweeper Joe
came out of the house.
"Find anyone?" the factory worker asked.
"No, but tracks lead to the window. Someone's been spying."
"Kids probably."
"I don't know about that," Claude Harper returned gruffly. "I'd feel a
lot safer if we didn't have all that stuff in the basement. What's our
chances of getting rid of it tonight?"
"We can't do it. Tomorrow or next night maybe. Arrangements have got to
be made, and if we try to push things, we'll end up in a jam."
The voices faded away, though not entirely. Presently daring to peep from
beneath the canvas, Penny saw that the two men had seated themselves on
the rear steps of the house at the edge of the river and within plain
view of the tied-up boat.
"We're in a nice position now!" she whispered to Sally. "Suppose they sit
there until they decide to leave in this boat?"
"We'll be caught. We're the same as trapped now unless they go back into
the house."
The two men showed no inclination to leave. They talked earnestly
together, evidently making plans of some sort. Though the girls tried
hard to overhear, they could catch only an occasional word. After awhile,
Ma Harper, a wiry, ugly woman with stringy black hair, came outdoors to
join the men on the steps.
"It's getting late," she warned. "If you're goin' to tend to that job
today, you'll have to be gettin' across the river. Ain't you due to show
up for work at four o'clock, Joe?"
"That's right," the man yawned, getting up. "I'll be glad when I can
chuck the whole business and live without workin'."
Though Penny and Sally did not hear much of the conversation, it was
evident to them that the men were about ready to make use of the boat.
"We're sunk," Sally whispered fearfully. "Maybe we ought to climb out of
here and make a dash for it."
Penny offered a better idea. "Why not untie the rope, and let the boat
drift off?" she proposed. "The current is swift and should carry us
downstream fairly fast."
"Any other boat around that they can use to follow us in?"
"I don't see any." Penny raised the sail a little higher as she gazed
along the pier and nearby beach.
"All right, then do your stuff," Sally urged.
While she held the sail slightly above Penny's head so that no movement
would be discernible to those on the house steps, the latter reached her
hands from beneath the cloth and swiftly untied the rope. The boat began
to drift away. Covered by the sail, the girls lay motionless and flat on
the craft's bottom.
At first nothing happened. But as they began to hope that the men would
not notice the drifting boat, they heard an explosive shout.
"Look!" Claude Harper exclaimed. "Our boat!"
"Jumpin' fish hooks!" Sweeper Joe muttered. "How did that happen? I tied
'er secure."
"It looks like it," the other retorted sarcastically. "I can't afford to
lose that boat."
The girls could hear running footsteps on the pier and boardwalk near the
dance pavilion. Sally dared to peep from beneath the canvas again.
"They're after a motorboat!" she reported tensely. "Harper has one he
keeps locked in a boathouse."
"How close are we to the bend in the river?"
"About twenty yards."
The swift current was doing its best for the girls, swinging their boat
toward the bend. Once beyond it, they would be temporarily hidden from
the pier. But the current also was tending to carry them farther and
farther from shore.
"Do we dare row?" Penny asked nervously.
"Not yet. Harper is having trouble getting the engine of his boat
started," Sally reported. "We'll be safe for a minute or two. We're
getting closer to the bend."
To the nervous girls, the boat scarcely seemed to move. Then at last it
passed the bend and they were screened by willow trees and bushes.
"Now!" Sally signalled in a tense whisper.
Throwing off the sail, they seized oars and paddled with all their
strength.
"Quiet!" Sally warned as Penny's oar made a splash. "Sounds carry plainly
over the water."
The blast of a motorboat engine told them that Harper and his companion
had started in pursuit. Only a minute or two would be required for them
to round the bend.
Throwing caution to the winds, Sally and Penny dug in with their oars,
shooting their craft toward shore. The boat grated softly on the sand.
Instantly, the girls leaped out, splashing through ankle-deep water.
As Sally was about to start across the beach, Penny seized her hand.
"We mustn't leave a trail of footprints this time!" she warned.
Treading a log at the water's edge, Penny walked its length to firm
ground which took no visible shoe print. Sally followed her to a clump of
bushes where they crouched and waited.
Barely had they taken cover when the motorboat came into view, heading
for the little cove. There Claude Harper recaptured the runaway rowboat,
tying it to the stern of the other craft.
Suddenly Penny was dismayed as she realized that in their flight, a most
important detail had been overlooked.
"The oars!" she whispered. "They're wet!"
"Maybe the men won't see," Sally said hopefully. "We left them half
covered by the canvas."
Intent only upon returning to the pier, Claude Harper and his companion
failed to notice anything amiss. Apparently assuming the boat had been
carelessly tied and had drifted away under its own power, they were not
suspicious.
"That was a narrow squeak," Penny sighed in relief as the motorboat with
the other craft in tow finally disappeared around the bend. "The oars
will quickly dry in the sun, so I guess we're safe."
Now that they were well out of trouble, the adventure seemed fun. Penny
glanced at her wristwatch, observing that it was past four o'clock.
"Jack will be waiting for me," she said to Sally. "I'll have to hurry."
"We'll have plenty of time," Sally returned carelessly. "You usually can
count on Jack being half an hour late for appointments."
Walking swiftly along the deserted shore, the girls discussed what they
had overheard at the Harpers.
"We stirred up a big fuss and didn't learn too much," Penny said
regretfully. "All the same, it looks as if the Harpers and Sweeper Joe
are mixed up in this brass business together."
"They spoke of having something stored in the basement. That is what
interests me. Oh, Penny, if only we could go back there sometime when the
Harpers are gone and really investigate!"
"Maybe we can."
Sally shook her head. "Ma Harper almost never goes away from home. But
sometimes she has streams of visitors from Osage--mostly women. I've
often wondered why."
"Factory girls?"
"No, they're housewives and every type of person. I think Mrs. Harper
must be selling something to them, but I never could figure it out."
The _River Queen_ was at the far side of the river, so Sally, for lack of
occupation, walked on with Penny to the dock where she was to meet Jack.
Greatly to their surprise, he was there ahead of them, and evidently had
been waiting for some length of time.
Seeing the girls, he slowly arose to his feet.
"Well, Jack, what did you learn at the factory?" Penny asked eagerly.
"Why, not much of anything."
"You mean you weren't able to find out the name of the man who dropped
his badge aboard the _Queen_?" Penny asked incredulously.
"Of course you learned the name if you really tried," Sally added. "Every
single badge used at your factory would be recorded!"
Thus trapped, Jack said lamely: "Oh, I learned his name all right. Take
it easy, and I'll tell you."
CHAPTER
16
_SILK STOCKINGS_
Puzzled by Jack's behavior and his evident reluctance to reveal what he
had learned, Penny and Sally sat down beside him on the dock. At their
urging he said:
"Well, I traced the number through our employment office. The badge was
issued to a worker named Adam Glowershick."
Neither of the girls ever had heard of the name, but Sally, upon studying
the picture again, was sure she recalled having seen him as a passenger
aboard the _River Queen_.
"He's a punch press operator," Jack added.
"And he's the man you thought you knew?" Penny asked curiously.
"Yes. As I told you, I've seen him at the Harpers." Jack acted ill at
ease.
The girls exchanged a quick glance. But they did not tell Jack of their
recent adventure.
"Well, why don't we have the fellow arrested?" Sally demanded after a
moment of silence. "I'm satisfied he stole the brass lantern. He probably
came aboard for money, and unable to get into the safe, took the trophy
for meanness."
"Or he may be mixed up with the gang of factory brass thieves," Penny
supplied.
"You can't prove a case against a man, because he might have dropped the
badge anytime he happened to be a passenger aboard the ferry," Jack said.
"It would do no good to have him booked on suspicion."
"Is he a friend of yours?" Sally asked significantly.
"Of course not!"
"Jack is right about it," Penny interposed hastily. "We need more
information before we ask police to make an arrest. Any other news,
Jack?"
"Nothing startling. But you know that detective your father brought here
from Riverview?"
"Heiney?"
"Yes, he reported today that Sweeper Joe contacted him again, offering to
sell a large quantity of brass. An appointment has been made for the
delivery Friday night. If it proves to be stolen brass, then he's trapped
himself."
"Can they prove it's the same brass?"
"Heiney numbers and records every piece he buys. He should be able to
establish a case."
Knowing that her father had intended to keep the junkman's activities a
secret, Penny was disturbed by Jack's talking in public. Evidently he had
gleaned this latest information from his father. She was even more
troubled by his attitude toward Adam Glowershick.