sarcastically. "Why, if necessary we could go an entire day without
eating."
"That's exactly what we will do," announced Penny with renewed
determination. "I'll stay here until Sara comes if it kills me. But I
hope you slug me if ever I get another idea like this."
"Don't worry, I will," promised Louise. "In fact, I may not wait that
long!"
The hours dragged slowly on. All amusements failing them, the girls took
turns sleeping. Twice they went to the ark, but Old Noah had not
returned.
At last, as shadows lengthened, Louise and Penny were confronted with a
new worry. It occurred to them that Sara might not expect to take over
her duties until long after dark. The air had grown chilly, and hungry
mosquitoes were swarming from their breeding places.
"Even my Mother doesn't seem concerned about me any more," Louise moaned,
slapping at a foraging insect.
Penny glared at the motorboat snugly hidden in the underbrush. "If that
thing weren't worth so much money, I'd certainly chuck this job. Even so,
I'm just about desperate."
Louise, huddled against a tree trunk, suddenly straightened alertly.
Placing a warning finger on her lips, she listened.
"Someone's coming, Penny!"
"Maybe it's Sara with a basket of food. I'd rather see her than a dozen
saboteurs!"
"Keep quiet, you egg," Louise warned nervously.
Crouching low behind their shelter, the girls waited. They could hear a
steady tramp, tramp of feet coming up the stream on their side of the
bank.
"That's not Sara," murmured Penny. "She doesn't walk like an elephant.
What'll we do if it should be a saboteur?"
"I'm scared," Louise chattered, hugging her chum's arm.
The footsteps came closer. Peering out through the screen of underbrush,
the girls saw a young man coming straight toward their hiding place. In
his hand he carried a safety-cap gasoline can.
"Who is he?" whispered Louise.
"Can't tell yet," Penny responded, straining her eyes to see. "He looks a
little like--oh, my aunt! That's who it is--Bill Evans! Now what's he
doing here?"
CHAPTER
19
_STANDING GUARD_
Keeping low amid the underbrush, Penny and Louise waited and watched.
Bill Evans did not see them although he approached within a few feet of
their hiding place. With no hesitation, he went to the motorboat and
began filling the tank with gasoline.
"Bill Evans, a thief and a saboteur!" Louise whispered. "I'll never get
over it!"
"Bill hasn't the pep to be a saboteur," Penny muttered. "There's
something wrong with this melodrama, and I'm going to find out about it
right now!"
Before Louise could stop her, she arose from the underbrush to confront
the dumbfounded young man.
"Bill Evans, what do you think you're doing?" she demanded sternly.
Bill nearly dropped the gasoline can. "Why, I'm filling this tank," he
replied. "Why are you girls hiding behind that log?"
"Because we've been waiting to catch a motorboat thief! And you're it!"
"Now listen here!" said Bill, setting down the gasoline can. "You can't
insult me, Miss Penny Parker! Just what do you mean by that crack?"
"This motorboat was stolen from Sara Ottman. You're filling the tank with
gasoline, so you must expect to make a get-away to parts unknown."
"This boat belongs to Sara Ottman?" Bill demanded in amazement.
"It certainly does."
"You're kidding. It belongs to a Mr. Wessler."
"Who's he?" asked Penny. "I never heard of him."
"Well, neither did I until this afternoon," Bill admitted. "He gave me a
dollar to come over here and fill the tank of this boat with gas. I'm
only carrying out orders."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Penny declared with satisfaction. "How did
you meet Mr. Wessler?"
"I was working on the dock, tinkering with my engine, when a man came up
and started talking to me. He said he was a friend of Mr. Wessler who was
planning a fishing trip. Then he told me where the boat was, and said
he'd give me a dollar if I'd run over and fill the tank with gasoline."
"Didn't you think it a rather peculiar request?"
"Not the way the fellow explained it. Mr. Wessler is a busy man and
doesn't have time to look after such details."
"Mr. Wessler is afraid this locality is being watched, and he isn't
taking any chances," Penny said soberly. "Bill, you've been assisting a
thief!"
"Gee Whiskers!" Bill exclaimed, aghast. "I never thought about him not
owning the boat. What should I do?"
"First of all, don't fill that tank with gasoline," Penny advised.
"It's about half full now."
"Can't you siphon it out?"
"Not without a tube, and I didn't bring one."
"You'll never in the world make a G-man," sighed Penny. "Well, at least
you can describe the fellow who hired you."
Bill's brow puckered. "I didn't pay much attention," he admitted. "I'd
say the fellow was about thirty-eight, with a little trick moustache."
"That can't be the man who originally rented the boat from Sara," Penny
remarked, frowning.
"Say, are you really sure this boat belongs to the Ottmans?" Bill asked.
"You know they're pretty badly tangled with the police. It said in the
papers--"
"I know," interrupted Penny wearily. "Or do I know? I'm so mixed I feel
like a perpetual motion machine running backwards."
"We've been watching here all day," Louise added, her voice quavering.
"We've had nothing to eat. No wonder our minds are failing."
"Why don't you go home?"
"And let a saboteur run off with this boat?" Penny demanded. "We promised
to stay here until Sara comes."
"Maybe she and her brother are pulling a fast one on you."
"I might think so, only this was my own idea," Penny answered. "Bill, did
that man mention when his friend Wessler intended to go fishing?"
"No, he didn't."
"He might intend to use the boat tonight, and then again, perhaps not for
several days. Say, Bill, how would you like to do your country a great
service?"
"I'm aiming to enlist when I get through High School."
"This would be immediate service. Why not stay here and watch until Sara
comes? It shouldn't be long."
"And what if those men should show up?"
"Just keep watch and see what they do. Of course, if they try to get away
in the motorboat, you'll have to capture them."
"Oh, sure," Bill said sarcastically. "With my bare hands?"
"We won't leave you here long," Penny promised. "Louise and I haven't had
a bite of food all day--"
"Okay, I'll do it," Bill gave in. "But see to it you're back here in an
hour. Better bring the police too."
Learning that the young man had crossed the river in his own motorboat,
the girls obtained permission to borrow it for the return trip. They
found the craft at the mouth of Bug Run, and made a quick trip to the
Ottman Dock.
"No one here," Penny observed as they alighted at the platform.
The boat shed was closed and locked. A small boy, loitering nearby, told
the girls that he had not seen Sara Ottman for several hours.
"Now this is a nice dish of stew!" Penny exclaimed. "Where could she have
gone? And why?"
"I know where I am going," announced Louise grimly. "Home! Be it ever so
humble, there's no place like it when you're tired and hungry."
"But what about poor Bill? We can't expect him to stay in the woods all
night."
"Well, there's a hamburger stand at the amusement park," Louise suggested
after a moment. "We could go there for a sandwich. Then we might
telephone home and request advice."
"Not a bad idea," Penny praised.
At the hamburger stand they ate three sandwiches each and topped off the
meal with ice cream and pie. Seeking a public telephone, Penny then used
a precious nickel to call her home. No one answered. Deciding that her
father might be at the _Star_ office, she phoned there. Informed that Mr.
Parker was not in the building, she asked for Mr. DeWitt.
"DeWitt left the office a half hour ago," came the discouraging response.
"I wonder where I can reach him?"
"Can't tell you," was the answer. "Burt Ottman has skipped his bail, and
DeWitt's upset about it. He may have gone to talk to his lawyer."
"What was that about Burt Ottman?" Penny asked quickly.
"He's disappeared--skipped town. Due for trial day after tomorrow, too.
Looks like DeWitt is holding the bag."
Penny hung up the receiver, more bewildered than ever. Without taking
time to repeat the conversation to her chum, she called Sara's home.
For a long while she waited, but there was no reply. At last, hanging up,
she eyed the coin box, expecting her nickel to be returned. Though she
jiggled the receiver many times and dialed to attract the operator's
attention, the coin was not forthcoming.
"You've had no luck," said Louise, taking Penny's place at the telephone.
"Now it's my turn. I'll call home. Mother's always there."
She held out her hand, expecting a coin. Penny had nothing for her, and
was forced to admit that she had used the last nickel on the preceding
call.
"Then we have no bus money either!" gasped Louise.
"Stony broke--that's us."
"How can you be so cheerful about it?" Louise asked crossly. "We can't
walk home--it would take us all night!"
"There's only one thing to do, Louise. We'll have to go back and talk to
Bill. At least he should be able to loan us bus fare."
By this time the girls had lost all enthusiasm for saboteurs and
sleuthing. As they recrossed the river in Bill's boat, they vowed that
never again would they involve themselves in such a ridiculous situation.
"And just wait until I see Sara!" Penny added feelingly. "If I don't tear
into her for playing a shabby trick on us!"
"She probably skipped town along with her brother," Louise replied. "I'm
beginning to wonder if that motorboat we guarded so faithfully ever
belonged to the Ottmans."
Landing not far from the mouth of Bug Run, the girls proceeded afoot to
the site where Bill Evans last had been seen. To their relief, he had not
deserted his post. Cold, his face swollen by mosquito bites, he hailed
them joyously.
"Thought you were never coming back! I'm getting out of here, and how!"
"What happened while we were gone?" Penny asked sympathetically. "Didn't
Sara come?"
"No one has been here."
As Bill started away, the girls tried to dissuade him.
"I wouldn't stay here another hour if you'd give me the boat!" he
retorted. "I'm going home!"
Jerking free from Louise who sought to hold him by main force, he moved
off.
"At least telephone our folks when you get to Riverview!" Penny shouted
indignantly. "Tell our parents that if they're still interested in their
daughters to come and lift us out of this sink hole!"
"Okay, I'll do that," Bill promised. "So long."
After the sound of footsteps had died away, Louise and Penny sat down on
the log and took stock of the situation.
"Any way you look at it, we're just a couple of goats," Penny said
dismally. "It wouldn't be so bad if Old Noah would take us into his ark
with the rest of the animals, but he's not at home."
"Sara played a trick on us, our parents went off and hid, and I don't
think we can trust Bill too far," Louise sighed. "Why do we stay here
anyway?"
"Well, something could have happened to detain Sara."
"I wish I could think so, but I can't. It would serve her right to lose
this boat--if it actually is hers."
"Sara always seemed sincere and honest to me," Penny said, slapping
furiously at a buzzing mosquito. "Until we have definite proof otherwise,
I want to trust her."
"Even if it means staying here all night?"
"Well, my trusting nature has a limit," Penny admitted. "But surely our
parents will come to rescue us before long."
"I wouldn't count on it," Louise returned gloomily. "Bill was in a bad
mood when he left here."
The girls fell into a deep silence. They huddled together to keep warm,
and slapped constantly at the insects. For a time it grew steadily
darker, then a few stars brightened the patches of sky which could be
seen through the treetops.
"Imagine explaining all this to Mother," Louise murmured once. "Why, it
doesn't even make sense to me."
The noises of the forest began to annoy the girls. Overhead an owl
hooted. Crickets chirped, and at frequent intervals a frog or a small
animal would plop into the water.
"Listen, Lou!" Penny presently whispered. "I hear something coming!"
"Maybe it's a bear," Louise shivered.
"Silly! There aren't any bears in this part of the country."
"How do you know what sort of animals are around here?" Louise countered.
"Maybe one escaped from Old Noah's zoo."
As the sound grew louder, the girls crouched low amid the brush. Through
the trees they saw the gleam of a flashlight and distinguished the figure
of an approaching man.
"It's probably my father!" Louise whispered, and started forward.
Penny jerked her back. "Bill hasn't had time to get to Riverview yet!
This may be the big pay off!"
"A saboteur?"
Penny nodded, her gaze on the approaching figure. The man was tall and
muscular and walked with a cat-like tread. He came directly to the
motorboat, muttering under his breath as he examined the half empty fuel
tank.
Straightening, he turned so that he faced the girls. For a fleeting
instant Penny thought that he was Burt Ottman, and then she recognized
her mistake. The man was the one who had rented Sara Ottman's boat--the
head waiter of The Green Parrot.
CHAPTER
20
_A SHACK IN THE WOODS_
Fearing detection, Louise and Penny remained motionless as the man stared
in their direction. He did not see them, and after puttering about the
boat for a few minutes, started off through the woods.
"Now what shall we do?" Louise whispered anxiously.
"Let's follow and find out where he goes," proposed Penny, stealing from
her hiding place.
None too eager for the adventure, Louise nevertheless kept close beside
her chum as they followed the stranger. Instead of returning to the main
river, he chose a trail which led deeper into the woods. Coming soon to
the ark which loomed dark and mysterious against a background of trees,
he paused for a moment to gaze at it. Then he veered away from the
well-trampled path, keeping on through the dense thickets.
"Don't you think we should turn back?" Louise whispered anxiously.
"There's no guessing where we'll end up. We easily could get lost."
Penny was plagued by the same worry, but she bantered: "Why, Lou, your
Scout leader would blush with shame to hear you say that! The woods
stretch for only a few miles. We always can find our way out."
"What if our folks come searching for us while we're wandering around?"
"I try not to think of such unpleasant situations," Penny responded
cheerfully. "You may be sure we'll have to do some tall explaining. But
if this fellow we're tailing should prove to be a saboteur, everything
will be lovely."
"That's not the word I'd use," Louise muttered.
The girls had fallen many yards behind the head waiter. Failing to see
the flash of his light, they quickened their pace and for a minute or two
feared they had lost him. But as they paused in perplexity, they again
saw a gleam of light off to the right.
"Let's do less talking and more watching," Penny said, hastening on. "If
we're not careful we'll lose that fellow."
Taking care to make no noise in the underbrush, the girls soon approached
fairly close to the waiter. Apparently he knew his way through the woods,
for not once did he hesitate. Occasionally he glanced overhead at dark
clouds which were scudding across the sky. Reaching a small clearing, he
paused to look at a watch which he held close to his flashlight beam.
"What time do you suppose it is?" Louise whispered to her chum.
"Not very late. Probably about nine o'clock."
Because the waiter had paused, the girls remained motionless behind a
giant oak. They saw the stranger switch off his light and gaze carefully
about the clearing. In particular his attention centered upon a little
shack, though no light showed there.
"Whose cabin is it?" whispered Louise. "Do you know?"
"I'm not sure," returned Penny. "I think it was built several years ago
by an artist who lived there while he painted the ravine and river. But
he moved out last winter."
The cabin was a curious structure, picturesquely situated beneath the
low-spreading branches of an ancient tree. No windows were visible at the
front, but a raised structure on the flat roof gave evidence of a large
skylight.
After gazing at the shack for several minutes, the waiter raised fingers
to his lips and whistled twice. To the surprise of the girls, an
answering signal came from within the dark cabin.
A moment later, the front door opened, and an old man stepped outside.
"That you, Jard?" he called softly.
Without replying, the waiter left the shelter of trees to cross the
clearing.
"Had any trouble?" he asked the old man.
"Everything's been going okay. I'll be glad to pull out o' here though."
The waiter made a reply which the girls could not hear. Entering the
cabin, the men closed the door behind them.
"Who was that old man the waiter met?" Louise asked curiously. "Did you
know him, Penny?"
"I couldn't see his face. He stood in the shadow of the door. His voice
sounded familiar though."
"I thought so, too. What do you suppose those men are up to anyway?"
"Nothing good," Penny responded grimly.
The girls huddled together at the edge of the clearing, uncertain what to
do. If a light had been put on inside the shack it did not show from
where they stood.
"Why not go for the police?" Louise proposed hopefully.
"I have a hunch those men may not stay here long. By the time we could
bring help, the place might be deserted. Besides, we haven't a scrap of
real evidence against them."
"How about the stolen motorboat?"
"We're not even sure about that, Lou. Sara and her brother both have
disappeared. Accusing a man falsely is a very serious offense."
"Then what are we to do?" Louise asked despairingly. "Just stand here and
wait until they come outside?"
"That's all we can do--unless--"
"Unless what?" Louise demanded uneasily as Penny interrupted herself.
"Lou, I have a corking idea! See how those tree limbs arch over the roof
of the shack? Why, that old maple is built to our order!"
"I don't follow you."
"You will in a minute if you're a good climber!" chuckled Penny. "We can
get up that tree and onto the roof. Even if it shouldn't have a skylight
we can see through, at least we can hear what's being said."
"Let's just wait here."
"And learn nothing," Penny said impatiently. "How do you expect ever to
be a G woman if you don't start practicing now?"
"I'm going to be a nurse when I grow up. Climbing trees won't help me at
that."
"Then wait here until I get back," Penny said, starting across the
clearing.
As she had known, her chum could not bear to be left alone in the dark
woods. Louise hastened after her and together they crept to the base of
the scraggly old maple.
The branches were so low that Penny pulled herself into them without
difficulty. She then helped Louise scramble up beside her. They clung
together a moment, listening to make certain that no sound had betrayed
them.
"So far, so good," Penny whispered jubilantly. "Now to get onto the roof.
And it does have a skylight!"
"We'll probably tumble through it," Louise muttered.
A dim light, which came from a candle, burned inside the shack.
Nevertheless, from their perch on the overhanging limb, the girls were
unable to see what was happening below. Penny decided to lower herself to
the roof.
"Put on your velvet shoes," she warned as she swung lightly down from the
lower branch. "The slightest noise and we're finished."
Dropping on the flat roof, she waited a moment, listening. Satisfied that
the men inside the shack had not heard her, she motioned for Louise to
follow. Her chum however, held back, shaking her head vigorously.
Abandoning the attempt to get Louise onto the roof, Penny crept toward
the skylight. Lying full length, she pressed her face against the thick
glass.
In the barren room below a candle burned on a table. The head waiter whom
Penny first had seen at The Green Parrot sat with his legs resting on the
fender of a pot-bellied stove. Opposite him was the older man whose face
she could not immediately see.
"I tell you, I'm getting worried," she heard the old fellow say. "When
the Coast Guards took me off that coal barge they gave me the third
degree. I can't risk having anything hung on me."
Penny pressed her face closer to the glass. Her pulse pounded. She was
certain she knew the identity of the old man.
"I wish he'd turn his head," she thought. "Then I'd be sure."
As if in response to the unspoken desire, the old man shifted in his
chair. The light of the candle flickered on his face, and Penny saw it
clearly for the first time.
"Carl Oaks!" she whispered. "And to think that I ever helped him!"
CHAPTER
21
_THROUGH THE SKYLIGHT_
Greatly excited to learn that the old watchman and the waiter of The
Green Parrot were fellow conspirators, Penny strained to catch their
words. She heard the waiter reply:
"You've done good work, Oaks. All you have to do now is sit tight for a
few more hours. We'll give you a five hundred dollar bonus if the job
comes off right."
"That won't do me any good if I end up in jail."
"Nothing will go wrong. Everything has been planned to the last detail."
"I'm already in bad with the police," the old watchman whined. "I
wouldn't have gone in with you if I'd known just what I was doing."
"You got your money for the Thompson bridge job, didn't you?"
"A hundred dollars."
"It was more than you earned," the other replied irritably. "All you had
to do was let me get away after I dynamited the bridge. You blamed near
shot off my head!"
"I had to make it look as if I was doin' my duty. Those girls were
watching me."
"That Parker pest came snooping around at The Parrot," the waiter said,
letting the tilted chair legs thud on the floor. "Brought a reporter with
her too. I got rid of 'em in short order."
"She didn't act very friendly when she found me bound and gagged aboard
the coal barge," Carl Oaks resumed. "I think she may have suspected that
it was a put up job. That's why I want to get out o' town while the
getting is good."
"You can leave after tonight. We blast the Seventh Street bridge at one
o'clock."
"And what about this prisoner I've been nursemaiding?"
"We'll plant enough evidence around the bridge to cinch his guilt with
the police. Then we'll dump him in Chicago where he'll be picked up."
"He's apt to remember what happened and spill the whole story."
"Even if he does, the police won't believe him," the waiter said.
"They'll figure he's only trying to get out from under. Anyway, we'll be
in another part of the country by then."
"What time will you pick me up here?" the watchman asked.
"Ten minutes till one. The automobile will arrive right on the tick, so
synchronize your watch."
The two men compared timepieces, and then the waiter arose.
"Let's look at the prisoner," he said. "Is he still out cold?"
"He was the last time I looked at him. Hasn't moved since he was brought
here, except once to ask for water."
The watchman went across the room to a closet and opened the door. A man
lay on the floor, his hands and feet loosely bound. No cloth covered his
face. Peering down from above, Penny was able to discern his features,
and it gave her a distinct shock as she recognized him.
The waiter prodded the prisoner with his foot. The man who was bound,
groaned and muttered, but made no other sign of consciousness.
"He'll not bother you tonight, Oaks," he said. "One of the boys can help
you lift him into the car."
"I don't like this business," the watchman complained again. "What if his
skull should be fractured?"
"He'll be okay by tomorrow," the waiter answered indifferently. "Heflanz
gave him a little too much with the blackjack."
Penny waited to hear no more. Creeping cautiously away from the skylight,
she returned to her chum who remained perched precariously on the
overhanging tree branch.
"Learn anything?" Louise demanded in a whisper.
"Did I? Lou, that old man is Carl Oaks! He and our waiter friend have a
prisoner inside the cabin."
"A prisoner! My gracious! Then they must be saboteurs!"
"They're planning to blow up the Seventh Street Bridge at one o'clock,"
Penny went on tersely. "And they aim to blame it all on Burt Ottman!"
"He's not one of the outfit then?"
"Seemingly not. They have him trussed up inside a closet. Lou, you've got
to hot-foot it to town and bring the police!"
"Come with me," Louise pleaded, frightened at the mere thought of going
through the dark woods alone.
"One of us ought to stay and keep watch. I'll go if you're willing to
remain."
"No, I'll go," Louise decided.
With nervous haste she started to descend the tree. Midway down, her hand
loosened its hold, and she slipped several feet. Although she uttered no
cry, she did make considerable noise. Penny, still on the roof of the
shack, heard Carl Oaks exclaim:
"What was that? I hear someone outside!"
Realizing that her chum was certain to be seen, Penny called to her:
"Run, Lou! As fast as you can!"
Her own position now had become untenable. It was too late to regain the
tree branch. Darting to the roof edge, she swung herself down with her
hands and dropped six feet to the ground.
The door of the cabin swung open. Penny had leaped from the rear side of
the building, and so was not immediately seen. The two men started after
Louise who in panic had run toward the woods.
To divert attention from her hard pressed chum, Penny gave a wild Indian
whoop. Startled, the men stopped, and turned around. Carl Oaks at once
took after her, while the waiter resumed pursuit of Louise.
Penny did not find it hard to keep well ahead of the watchman. Darting
into the woods, she circled, hoping to rejoin her chum. She knew that
Louise was not very fleet of foot, and once confused, might never find
her way out of the forest.
By frequently pausing to listen to the crackle of underbrush, Penny was
able to follow the flight of her chum. Instead of running toward the
river, Louise seemed to be circling back in the direction of the shack.
"She'll get us both into trouble now," thought Penny anxiously.
A moment later, Louise, puffing and gasping, came running past. Penny
joined her, grasping her hand to help her over the rough places.
"That man's right behind!" Louise panted. "Are we almost to the river?"
Penny did not discourage her by revealing that she had been running in
the wrong direction. The chance of escape now was a slim one. Louise was
nearly out of breath, while the man who pursued them, steadily gained.
"The ark!" Penny cried, guiding her chum. "We'll be safe there!"
Unmindful of thorns which tore at their clothing, the girls raced on.
Although Carl Oaks had been left far behind, the other man was not to be
outdistanced. He kept so close that Louise and Penny had no opportunity
to hide or attempt to throw him off the trail.
"Go on, Penny," Louise gasped, slackening speed. "I can't make it."
"Yes, you can!" Penny fairly pulled her along. "We're almost there. See!"
The ark loomed up ahead. Encouraged by the sight, Louise gathered her
strength and kept doggedly on. They reached the bank of the stream and
gave way to despair. The ark was dark and the gangplank which usually
connected it with shore, was nowhere in evidence.
"Noah! Noah!" called Louise wildly.
Only the parrot answered, crackling saucily from a porthole: "Hello,
Noah, you old soak! Where are you, Noah?"
Breathless and bewildered, the girls did not know what to do. Before they
could turn and run on, the man who so ruthlessly pursued them, dashed out
from among the trees.
"Oh, here you are," he said, and moonlight gleamed on the revolver he
held in his hand. "A very pretty race, my dears, but shall we call this
the finish line?"
CHAPTER
22
_A SEARCHING PARTY_
"Now we'll have no more nonsense," said the man who held the revolver.
"Stand over there against the tree."
Penny and Louise were so frightened that they trembled violently.
"You'll not be harmed if you do exactly as you're told," the waiter
assured them.
"Why not let us go home?" Penny ventured, recovering her courage.
"Not tonight, my dear." The man smiled grimly. "Unfortunately, you have
learned too much regarding my affairs."
"Then what are you going to do with us?" Penny demanded.
Apparently, the waiter did not himself know. While he guarded the girls,
he cast a quick glance toward the ark. Just then running footsteps were
heard in the woods, and someone whistled twice. The waiter answered the
signal. A moment later, Carl Oaks, quite winded, came into view.
"So you got 'em, eh?" he demanded with pleasure.
"The question is what to do with them."
"I don't want 'em at the shack," the old watchman complained. "When young
Ottman comes around I may have my hands full with him."
"This ark should serve my purpose," the waiter muttered. "The old coot
that lives here has gone off somewhere. Oaks, get aboard and look
around."
"There's no way to cross to it," the watchman said helplessly.
"Find the gangplank!" his companion ordered irritably. "It must be hidden
somewhere in the bushes."
Thus urged, Oaks searched along the river bank and soon came upon the
missing plank. Fitting it into place, he quickly crossed to the ark. A
dog started to bark, but the sound was choked off.
"Well?" called the waiter impatiently.
"No one here except the animals," Oaks reported, reappearing on deck.
"The only room that can be locked off is the cabin where the dope keeps
his birds."
"That ought to do," decided the waiter. "We won't have to keep 'em here
long."
Penny and Louise were compelled to march across the gangplank, up the
steps to the bird room of the ark. The parrot, arousing from a doze,
squawked a raucous welcome.
"Get in there and don't make any noise!" the waiter ordered. "If you
shout for help or make any disturbance, you'll be bound and gagged. And
that's not pleasant. Get me?"
"You seem to have got us," Penny retorted.
The door slammed and a bolt slid into place. Penny tiptoed at once to the
porthole. It was much too small to permit an escape, but at least it
provided fresh air and a view of the shore.
"Well, well, well," cackled the parrot, tramping up and down on his wide
perch. "Polly wants a slug o' rum."
"You'll get a slug, period, if you don't keep quiet," Penny said crossly.
"Give me a chance to think, will you?"
"Thinking won't get us out of this mess," murmured Louise, sitting down
with her back to a wall. "It must be after nine o'clock now. If Bill had
notified our folks, they would be looking for us long before this."
In whispers the girls discussed their unfortunate situation. They were
hopeful that eventually they would be released, but they could not expect
freedom until long after midnight.
"The Seventh Street Bridge will be blasted at one o'clock," Penny said
anxiously. "If it goes up, Riverview traffic will be paralyzed. Work at
the munition plant will stop cold."
"The saboteurs intend to blame Burt Ottman for the job too! Well, at
least we can tell police who the real plotters are."
"We can if we ever get out of here," Penny said, pacing the floor. "Oh,
I'm as mad as a hornet!"
"Quiet down, and maybe we can hear something," Louise suggested calmly.
"I think those men are talking."
A murmur of voices could be heard from the third floor of the ark. The
partitions were thin. By standing on one of the pigeon boxes, the girls
discovered they could understand nearly everything that was being said.
"Carl, you go back to the shack and keep an eye on Ottman," the waiter
ordered the watchman. "As soon as Breneham comes, send him here. We'll
pull the job at one o'clock just as we planned."
"Okay, Jard," the other answered.
Getting down from the pigeon box, Penny watched Carl Oaks leave the ark.
"How about taking a chance and shouting for help?" Louise suggested in a
whisper.
Penny shook her head. "Not now at least. I doubt anyone is within a mile
of this place--that is, anyone friendly to us."
The girls were not to enjoy their porthole for long. Within a few minutes
the waiter tacked a strip of canvas over the opening. He then sat down on
deck directly beneath it, and the odor of his cigar drifted into the
room.
"That man must be Jard Wessler," Penny whispered to her chum. "You
remember Bill said he was hired to work for a fellow by the name of
Wessler."
"I don't care who he is," muttered Louise. "All _I_ think about is
getting out of here."
The girls sat side by side, their backs to the wall. About them in boxes
and cages, Noah's birds stirred restlessly. Polly, the parrot, kept up
such a chatter that at length Penny covered the cage with a sack.
Time passed slowly. It seemed hours later that Penny and Louise heard the
sound of a man's voice. The cry, though low, came from shore.
"Ark ahoy! Are you there, Wessler?"
"Come aboard," invited the one in command of the boat. "Oaks told you
what happened?"
"Yeah, and I have more bad news." The newcomer had reached the ark and
his voice could be heard plainly by Louise and Penny. "A searching party
is out looking for those two girls. Heading this way too."
"In that case--"
The door of the bird room suddenly was thrust open and a flashbeam
focused upon the girls. They found themselves confronted by Jard Wessler
and a stranger. At least Penny's first thought was that she had never
seen him before. Then it came to her that he closely resembled the man
with whom Burt Ottman had dined at The Green Parrot.
Before either of the girls realized what was in store, they were seized
by the arms. Tape was plastered over their lips, and their limbs were
bound.
"A precautionary measure," Wessler assured them. "You'll be released
soon."
Penny and Louise understood perfectly why they had been bound and gagged.
Scarcely fifteen minutes elapsed before they heard the sound of men's
voices along shore. Soon thereafter someone hailed the ark. Penny's heart
leaped for she recognized her father's voice.
"Hello, the ark!" he shouted.
Wessler responded, his voice casual and friendly.
"We're looking for two girls lost in the woods. Have you seen them?"
"Why, yes," Wessler answered. "A couple of girls went past here about an
hour ago. They were on their way to the river."
"Then they must have started home," Mr. Parker replied, greatly relieved.
"By the way, you're not the one they call Noah, are you?"
"Just a friend of his."
"I see," responded Mr. Parker, apparently satisfied with the answer.
"Well, thanks. We've been worried about my daughter and her friend. It's
a relief to know they're on their way home."
In the dark bird room of the ark, Penny and Louise squirmed and twisted.
Though they thumped their feet on the floor, the sound conveyed no hint
of their plight to those on shore.
Mr. Parker called a cheery good night to Wessler. For a few minutes the
girls heard the sound of retreating footsteps in the underbrush. Then all
was still save for the restless stirring of the birds.
CHAPTER
23
_HELP FROM NOAH_
A long while later, Jard Wessler and his companion reentered the cabin
where Penny and Louise were imprisoned. After removing the tape from the
girls' lips, and freeing them of their uncomfortable bonds, they went
outside again.
"At least they're not trying to torture us," Louise said, close to tears.
"Oh, Penny, your father believes we've gone home! Now we'll never be
found."
"Not in time to save the bridge, that's certain," her chum agreed
gloomily.
Getting up from the floor, Penny groped her way to the covered porthole.
She stumbled against a box and there was a loud tinkle of glass.
"Noah's bottles!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Where do you suppose the
old fellow has taken himself?"
"Maybe the sheriff got him."
"I doubt it," returned Penny. "He probably just went off somewhere."
After testing the cabin door, she sat down again beside Louise. The girls
did not sleep but they fell into a drowsy, half-stupefied state. Then
suddenly they were aroused by the sound of low voices just outside the
porthole.
"It's an old man coming," they heard Wessler mutter. "Must be Noah."
"What'll we do with him?" the other demanded.
"Wait and see how he acts," Wessler advised. "He's such a simple old coot
he may not suspect anything. If he makes trouble we'll have to lock him
up."
A silence ensued and then the girls heard heavy footsteps on the
gangplank.
"Ho, and who has visited my ark while I've been away?" muttered Old Noah.
Wessler and his companion, Breneham, stepped from the shadows.
"Good evening, Noah," the waiter greeted him politely. "Looks like rain,
doesn't it?"
The remark concerning the weather was all that was needed to dull the old
man's perceptions. Forgetting that the ark had been invaded by strangers
during his absence, he lowered an armload of groceries to the railing,
and peered intently up at the sky.
"No man knoweth the hour, but when the thunder of the Lord strikes, the
rain will descend. All creatures of the earth shall perish--yes, all
except those who seek refuge here. Therefore, my sons, you do well to
seek the shelter of my ark."
"The old fellow's sure raving," Wessler remarked to his companion.
"A raven?" inquired Noah, misunderstanding. "Ah, yes! For one hundred and
fifty days the waters will prevail upon the earth. Then will I send forth
a raven or a dove to search for a sprig of green. And if the bird returns
with such a token, then shall I know that the waters are receding, no
more to destroy all flesh."
"Toddle on, old man," Wessler said, growing irritated. "Where've you been
anyway?"
"My burdens are heavy," Noah replied with a deep sigh. "All day I have
labored, seeking food for my animals. Greens I cut for Bessie, my cow,
and at the grocery store I bought seed for the birds, crackers--"
"Never mind," Wessler interrupted. "Go into your quarters and stay
there."
"Bessie, the cow, must be fed."
"Then go feed her," Wessler snapped. "Just get out of my sight."
The girls could not hear what Old Noah said in reply. However, a medley
of animal sounds beneath the deck, led them to believe that the master of
the ark had gone into the lower part of the ship to care for his animals.
"I wish he'd come here," said Penny. "Maybe we could get the idea over to
him that we're being held prisoners."
"Not a chance of it."
"Those men evidently intend to allow him the run of the ark so long as he
suspects nothing," Penny mused. "Say, I know how we might bring him
here!"
"How?"
"By stirring up the birds. Then Old Noah would get excited and try to
break in."
"And what would that accomplish?"
"Probably nothing," Penny admitted, sighing. "Wessler is armed. Noah
couldn't overpower two men, even if he were inclined to do it."
"All Noah thinks about is the coming flood. With another rain in the
offing, he'll confine his worries to how he can attract more people to
his ark."
"Lou! Maybe that's an idea!"
"What is?" Louise inquired blankly.
"Why, perhaps we can bring help by means of Old Noah and his message
bottles!"
"Perhaps you know what you mean, but I am sure I don't!"
"Do you have a pen or a pencil with you, Lou?"
"I might have a pencil." Louise searched in the pockets of her jacket,
and finally brought forth a stub with a broken lead.
"We can fix that so it will write," Penny declared, chewing away the
wood.
"I still don't understand what you have in mind."
"This is my idea," Penny explained. "You know that whenever it rains Old
Noah starts tossing message bottles into the river."
"True."
Penny groped her way across the room to the box which stood by the
porthole. "Well, here are the bottles," she said triumphantly. "What's to
prevent us from writing our own messages? We'll explain that we are held
prisoners here and appeal for help."
"How do you propose to get the bottles overboard?"
"I'll think of a scheme."
"Even if the bottles did reach the water, one never would be picked up in
time to do any good," Louise argued. "It's a bum idea, Penny."
"I guess it isn't so hot," Penny acknowledged ruefully. "Anyway, why not
try it just to keep occupied? It's deadly sitting here and brooding."
"All right," Louise agreed.
The girls removed corks from several bottles and by means of a bent
hairpin, removed the papers already inside them. Although they had no
light, Penny and Louise scribbled at least a dozen messages. Carefully
they recorked every bottle, replacing it in the box.
"I'm going to put my cameo pin inside this one," Penny said, unfastening
a cherished ornament from her dress. "Someone might see it and open the
bottle."
"We'll likely hear from it about next Christmas," her chum responded.
Becoming weary of writing messages, Penny decided to stir up a bit of
action. Moving from box to box, she aroused the sleeping birds. Her final
act was to jerk the covering from Polly's cage and playfully pluck the
tail feathers of the startled creature.
"Noah! Noah!" the parrot croaked. "Heave out the anchor! Help! Help!"
"Keep it up, Polly," Penny encouraged, rocking the cage.
The parrot squawked in righteous rage and the other birds chirped
excitedly. In the midst of the commotion, a heavy step was heard on deck.
Noah, finding the door to the bird room locked, shook it violently.
"Unbolt this door!" he shouted. "Unlock it, I say, or I will break it
down!" And he banged with his fists against the flimsy panel.
"What's coming off here?" demanded another voice, that of Wessler. "Have
you gone completely crazy?"
"I want to know why this door is locked!" Noah said wrathfully. "Unlock
it or I will break it down!"
Completely aroused, the old man backed away as if to make a running
attack. Wessler drew his revolver, but Noah paid not the slightest heed.
"Let me get at my birds!" he cried. "Stand back!"
"Better humor him," Breneham said uneasily. "Unless you do, he'll arouse
the countryside."
Wessler returned the revolver to its holster beneath his coat. "Calm
down, Grandpa, calm down," he tried to soothe the old man. "No one is
going to hurt your precious birds."
"Then open that door!"
"Go ahead," Wessler directed his companion. "If he makes any more trouble
we'll lock him in with the girls."
"There are no doors on this ark strong enough to hold me," said Noah.
"Open it I say!"
The command was obeyed. The old man stumbled across the threshold and
began to murmur soothing words to the birds. At first he did not see
Penny and Louise. Finally observing them, he spoke rather absently:
"Good evening, my daughters. I am happy that you have come again to my
ark, but I am afraid you have disturbed my birds."
Penny chose her words carefully for Wessler and his pal stood in the
cabin doorway.
"The birds do seem excited for some reason. No doubt they're alarmed by
the approaching storm."
"Yes, yes, that may be it," Old Noah murmured. "And the porthole is
covered. That should not be. I will fix it."
Pushing past the two men, Old Noah went outside the cabin to jerk away
the canvas covering. He came back in a moment, bearing a sack of bird
seed.
"Upstairs!" Wessler tersely ordered the girls.
In crossing the room, Penny deliberately stumbled against the box of blue
corked bottles.
"With another storm coming up, I suppose you'll be throwing out more of
your messages," she said jokingly to Noah.
Penny had hoped that the suggestion might presently cause the old man to
dump the contents of the box into the water. She neither expected nor
desired that he would attempt the task in the presence of the two
saboteurs. However, Old Noah immediately dropped the sack of bird seed
and strode over to the box of bottles.
"Yes, yes, I have been neglectful of my duty," he murmured. "With the
Great Flood coming, I must warn the good people of Riverview. I shall bid
them seek refuge here before their doom is sealed."
Old Noah selected a half dozen bottles and started to heave them through
the porthole. Before he could do so, Wessler blocked the opening.
"Just a minute, Grandpa," he said. "What's in those bottles?"
"Messages which I wrote with my own hand," Old Noah replied earnestly.
"Would you like to read them, my son?"
"That's exactly what I intend to do," said Wessler.
With a suspicious glance directed at Penny and Louise, he reached into
the box and selected one of the corked bottles.
CHAPTER
24
_A MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE_
Failing easily to retrieve the message in the bottle, Jard Wessler
smashed it against a wall of the ark. Picking up the folded paper, he
flashed his light across the writing.
"'The hour of the Great Deluge approaches,'" he read aloud. "'Come to my
ark and I will provide shelter and comfort.'"
Penny and Louise relaxed. The message was one that Old Noah had written.
Unless Wessler opened another bottle he would not suspect that they were
the authors of other messages pleading for help.
"Stand back and allow me to throw my bottles into the stream!" Old Noah
cried angrily. "Even though you are a guest aboard my ark, your actions
are not pleasing."
"Go ahead, Grandpa," Wessler said with a shrug. "Heave out your bottles
if it will keep you happy."
As Old Noah began to toss the bottles out of the porthole, Wessler again
ordered Penny and Louise from the cabin.
"Upstairs!" he said, giving them a shove toward the stairway.
Penny glanced quickly toward shore. The gangplank had been raised, but
the distance was not great.
As if reading her mind, Wessler said: "I wouldn't try to make a leap for
it if I were you, little lady. Behave yourself, and you'll be set free
before morning."
Penny and Louise were forced to go upstairs to the third floor of the
ark. Although Old Noah's living quarters were more comfortable than the
bird room, they provided less privacy. Wessler and his companion remained
on the floor, and not a word could the girls speak without being
overheard.
Old Noah soon appeared. In a much better mood, he chatted with the two
men. Finding them uncommunicative, he picked up his banjo and began to
sing spirituals to its accompaniment. His voice, as cracked as the
fingers which strummed the strings, drove Breneham into a near frenzy.
"There's a limit to what a guy can stand," he said meaningly to Wessler.
"It won't be much longer now," the other encouraged, glancing at his
watch.
"Why can't we pull the job now and get out?"
"Because the car won't be waiting for us. Everything's got to move on
schedule."
As the night wore on, a light rain began to fall. Wessler and his
companion went frequently to the windows, seemingly well pleased by the
change of weather.
The ordeal of waiting was a cruel one for Louise and Penny. Although they
knew that Old Noah had tossed their messages into the water, they held
scant hope that any of the bottles would be found that night. While
searching parties might continue to seek them, it was unlikely that they
would be released in time to prevent the destruction of the Seventh
Street Bridge.
Another hour elapsed. Wessler looked at his watch and spoke to his
companion.
"Well, I'm shoving off! When you hear the explosion, lock 'em up in the
bird room, and make for the shack. The car will pick you up."
"Good luck, Jard," Breneham responded.
Wessler went out the door, closing it behind him. The girls heard him
lower the gangplank into place, and then his footsteps died away.
Penny gazed at Louise in despair. They both knew that Jard Wessler had
gone to dynamite the Seventh Street Bridge. Although they were not
certain of the plan, they believed that he intended to use Sara Ottman's
boat which doubtlessly would be loaded with explosives.
Breneham began to pace the floor nervously. Suddenly he halted by a
porthole, listening. The girls too strained to hear.
"Someone's out there in the trees!" Breneham muttered. "This ark is being
watched! Noah, stick your head out the window and ask who it is! And no
tricks!"
Old Noah did as ordered.
"Hello, the ark!" shouted a voice which Penny thought belonged to Jerry
Livingston. "Are you alone there, Noah?"
"Tell him yes," prodded the saboteur. "Say that you are just going to
bed."
"But my son, that would be a base falsehood," Noah argued. "I have no
intention of retiring--"
Penny, quick to divine that Breneham's attention was diverted, rushed to
another window. In a shrill voice she screamed for help.
Breneham sprang toward Penny, intending to fell her with a blow. Louise
began to shout. Realizing that he had been betrayed, Breneham jerked open
the door and leaped from the high deck into the stream.
"Get him! Get him!" shouted Penny to the group of men on shore.
Breneham swam a few feet and then waded toward the far side of the
stream.
"Oh, he's going to get away!" Louise murmured, watching anxiously from a
porthole.
As the saboteur scrambled up the bank, two men rose from their hiding
places in the tall bushes and grasped him by the arms.
"It's Dad!" cried Penny gleefully. "And your father too, Louise!"
Thrilled by the manner in which their release had been accomplished, the
girls ran out of the cabin. Crossing the gangplank, they saw that the
rescue party was comprised of Mr. Parker, Mr. Sidell, Jerry Livingston,
several men who were strangers, and Sara Ottman.
"I found your message in the bottle!" she greeted the girls excitedly.
"Not really?" demanded Penny.
"I was in the little cove just below here, guarding my boat," explained
Sara. "I intended to get back earlier to relieve you girls, but I was
detained at the police station. Anyway, while I waited at the bend,
wondering what to do, a swarm of corked bottles came floating
downstream."
"Old Noah threw out a box full of them," chuckled Louise. "So you read
our message, asking for help, Sara?"
The older girl nodded. "Yes, one of the bottles drifted ashore. Usually I
don't bother to read the message, but this time I did."
"How were you able to bring help here so quickly?" asked Penny.
"Actually I didn't. Although I didn't realize it until a few minutes ago,
your parents have been dreadfully worried about you girls. When Bill
Evans telephoned them, they came here to search."
"I know," nodded Penny. "Dad was here earlier in the evening. The
saboteurs tricked him into leaving."
"I didn't see him at the time," Sara resumed her explanation. "Penny,
your father returned home, but when he learned you were not there, he
organized a searching party. Just as the men reached Bug Run once more, I
found your message. I gave it to Mr. Parker and--well, you know the
rest."
"Did you capture Jard Wessler?" Penny demanded tensely. "That's the
important thing!"
"Wessler? You mean the man who stole my motorboat?"
"Yes, he went away from the ark about five minutes ago. I'm sure he
intended to use the hidden boat, Sara! You left it well guarded, I hope."
"There's no one watching it now."
"Then we've got to move fast!" Penny cried, looking anxiously about for
her father. "Jard Wessler plans to destroy the Seventh Street Bridge!
He's probably close by now, waiting for a chance to make his get-away!"
The three girls ran to meet Mr. Parker who at that moment had crossed the
stream with the prisoner. Just then the engine of a motorboat was heard
to sputter. Sara stopped short, listening. Unmistakably, the sound came
from around the bend.
"That's my boat!" Sara cried.
"Jard Wessler is getting away!" Penny added. "We must stop him!"
Leaving others to guard the prisoner, Mr. Parker and Jerry ran toward the
mouth of Bug Run. Not to be left behind, Penny, Sara, and Louise,
followed as fast as they could. By the time they reached the river,
Wessler's boat had disappeared. However, the popping of its engine could
be heard far out on the water.
"We'll never overtake him now," Sara said despairingly. "That boat is a
fast one."
A slower craft, one the girl had used earlier in the evening to cross the
river, was beached nearby. Even though pursuit seemed useless, the men
launched it. Overloaded with five passengers, the boat made slow progress
against the current.
"We haven't a chance to overtake that fellow," Sara repeated again.
"If only we could notify Coast Guards!" Penny murmured hopelessly. "Their
station is up river. They still might be able to intercept Wessler before
he reaches the bridge."
"No way to contact them," Mr. Parker responded, his voice grim. "If there
were any houses along shore, we could telephone. As it is, the situation
is pretty hopeless."
"Shall we give up the chase?" asked Sara who handled the tiller.
As Mr. Parker hesitated, Penny suddenly grasped his arm. To the starboard
she had glimpsed an approaching yacht. Its contour was so well known
along the waterfront that she had no doubt as to its identity--the
_Eloise III_.
"Dad, we still have a chance!" she cried. "By radio telephone!"
"How d'you mean?" he demanded.
"The _Eloise_ has a radio telephone!" Penny explained. Excitedly, she
began to signal with Sara's flashlight. "Dad, if only they see us in
time, we still may save the bridge!"
CHAPTER
25
_A BOW IN THE CLOUD_
In the radio room of the _Eloise III_, Mr. Parker, Jerry, and the three
girls hovered at the elbow of Commodore Phillips who sat at the
radio-telephone.
"I've done all I can," the Commodore said, putting aside the instrument.
"The Coast Guard station has acknowledged our message. Now we must wait."
The _Eloise_ which had picked up Mr. Parker's party, was heading at full
steam toward the Seventh Street Bridge. Unmindful of the rain, the young
people went out on deck. Huddling in the lee of the cabin, they anxiously
watched and listened.
"It's one fifteen," said Mr. Parker, glancing at his watch. "Any minute
now--"
A loud report sounded over the water.
"The bridge!" gasped Louise. "It's been dynamited!"
"No, no!" exclaimed the Commodore impatiently. "That was gunfire! The
Coast Guard boat has gone into action!"
A moment later those aboard the _Eloise_ saw a flash of fire and heard
another loud report.
"You may rest easy now," said the Commodore, relaxing. "With the Coast
Guard on the job, that saboteur hasn't a chance. If he escapes with his
life he'll be lucky."
Penny sagged weakly against the railing of the _Eloise_. Now that she
knew the bridge would be saved, she felt completely exhausted from the
long period of suspense.
"Wessler can't be the only one involved in this plot," she heard her
father say. "There must be others."
"Oh, there are!" Penny cried, recovering her strength. "Carl Oaks is a
member of the outfit! He's waiting at a shack not far from the ark. And
Burt Ottman is held a prisoner there!"
"Burt!" Sara exclaimed in horror. "Oh, why didn't you tell me!"
"In the excitement it just passed out of my mind," Penny confessed. "I
forgot about everything except saving the bridge!"
Once more Commodore Phillips busied himself on the radio telephone, this
time contacting Riverview police. Before he left his desk he learned that
a squad had been dispatched to the shack in the woods. Likewise, a
message soon came from the Coast Guard station, informing him that Jard
Wessler had been captured.
"Oh, I can't wait to see Burt," Sara declared, anxiously pacing the deck.
"He may be seriously hurt."
To ease the girl's mind, Commodore Phillips put the entire party ashore
not far from the entrance to Bug Run. Hastening through the woods, Mr.
Parker and the young people reached the shack only a few minutes after
the arrival of police.
"What became of Carl Oaks?" the newspaper owner asked a sergeant. "Did
you get him?"
The policeman indicated a downcast figure who sat handcuffed inside the
patrol car. Oaks, he explained, had been captured without a struggle.
"And Burt Ottman?" Mr. Parker inquired.
"They're taking him to the ambulance now."
Four men came out of the shack bearing the injured young man on a
stretcher. Pale but conscious, he grinned as Sara tearfully bent over
him.
"I'm okay, Sis," he mumbled. "Feelin' swell."
Sara was allowed to ride with her brother to the hospital. Remaining
behind, Mr. Parker, Jerry and the girls, tried to learn from police
officers if Burt had made any statement.
"Sure, he was able to spill the whole story," one of the men told them.
"Seems he set out to prove that he was innocent of any association with
the saboteurs. Instead of cooperating with police, he went to work on his
own. He investigated an organization known as the American Protective
Society. That put him on the trail of a head waiter at The Green Parrot,
a foreigner by the name of Jard Wessler."
"I understand now why Burt acted so queer about that billfold he lost
along the river," Penny commented. "He didn't want me to know that he was
meeting one of the saboteurs at the Parrot."
"How many were involved in the dynamiting plot?" Mr. Parker asked.
"Twelve or thirteen. According to Ottman, Jard Wessler is the brains of
the group. By pretending to go along with them, the kid gathered a lot of
evidence."
"But at first the saboteurs tried to throw the guilt on Burt," Penny
protested.
"True," nodded the policeman. "They used a boat stolen from the Ottman
dock, and they planted evidence to make it appear that Burt was the
guilty one."
"Then why would they take up with him later?" Penny asked in perplexity.
"They never did. One of the saboteurs met him at The Green Parrot to try
to learn how much the kid knew. Young Ottman was slugged over the head
when he tried to get into a basement room where the gang held their
meetings."
"I guess that explains why we found Burt lying outside in the alley," Mr.
Parker remarked. "It's a pity he couldn't have told us what he was
attempting to do."
"The kid did get a lot of evidence," resumed the officer. "With the
information he's given us, we expect to mop up the entire gang."
"Louise and I found him a prisoner here at the shack," Penny remarked
slowly. "I suppose in seeking evidence, he tangled with the saboteurs
again."
"Yes, young Ottman was foolhardy. He was caught spying a second time and
they slugged him. Lucky for him his injuries aren't likely to prove
serious."
Mr. Parker and Jerry asked many more questions, knowing the story would
rate important play in the _Riverview Star_. Turning Penny and Louise
over to Mr. Sidell who belatedly joined the party, the two newspaper men
rushed off to scoop rival papers.
"Dad didn't even take time to say he was glad we escaped from those
saboteurs!" Penny complained to Louise. "Isn't that a newspaper man for
you!"
Before another hour had elapsed, reporters and photographers from other
papers swarmed the woods. Louise and Penny were quizzed regarding the
capture of the three saboteurs. Determined that the _Star_ should print
an exclusive story, they had very little to say.
Hours later, at home, Penny learned that police had lost no time in
acting upon information provided by Burt Ottman. The entire group of men
known to be associated with Jard Wessler had been arrested at a
Fourteenth Street club. A complete confession had been signed by Carl
Oaks who claimed that he was not a member of the gang, but had been hired
to do as instructed.
"Well, the _Star_ scooped every paper in town," Mr. Parker remarked, as
he put aside the front page. "That's not important, however, compared to
saving the Seventh Street Bridge."
"How about your daughter?" Penny asked, rumpling his hair. "Aren't you
one speck glad about saving me?"
"I've been reserving a special lecture for you," he said, pretending to
be stern. "Young ladies who go running about at night--"
"Never mind," laughed Penny, "If Lou and I hadn't done our prowling, I
guess you wouldn't have any old Seventh Street Bridge!"
Actually Mr. Parker was very proud of his daughter and showed it in many
ways. He would not allow Mrs. Weems to scold her for the night's
escapade. Learning that she was worried about Old Noah, he promised to
talk to Sheriff Anderson and do what he could for the old fellow. The
next morning, he and Penny started off to see Noah, stopping enroute at
the hospital.
"Oh, I'm so glad you came!" Sara Ottman greeted them at her brother's
bedside. "Burt and I owe you so much. I've been very unpleasant--"
"Not at all," corrected Penny. "Anyway, I like folks who aren't afraid to
speak their minds."
From Burt Ottman, Mr. Parker and his daughter heard a story much like the
one previously told them by the police. The young man rapidly had gained
in strength and was much cheered because he had been cleared in
connection with the bridge dynamitings.
"How did you learn that Jard Wessler was a saboteur?" Mr. Parker asked
him.
"Accident," admitted Burt. "Even before the bridge was blasted, I had
seen the fellow around the docks. One day I overheard him talking to
Breneham, and what they said made me suspicious. After getting involved
in the mess myself, I made it my business to investigate. I managed to
meet one of the saboteurs at the Parrot, but he proved too shrewd for
me."
"You woke up in the alley," Penny recalled.
"Yes, after that I watched a place I'd learned about on Fourteenth
Street. Figured I had all the dope. But as I started for the police,
someone hit me with a blackjack. That's the last I remember until I came
to at the woods shack."
Penny and her father were pleased to know that the young man was
recovering from his injuries.
After chatting with him for a time, they left the hospital and proceeded
toward the ark in the mud flats.
"I confess I don't know what to say to Noah," Mr. Parker declared as they
approached the gangplank. "Sheriff Anderson insists the ark is a nuisance
and must go."
Penny paused at the edge of the stream. It had started to rain once more,
and drops splattered down through the trees, rippling the quiet water.
"Poor Noah!" she sighed. "He'll be unwilling to leave his home or his
animals. This ark never can be floated either."
"I'll be glad to pay for his lodging elsewhere," Mr. Parker offered.
"Naturally, he'll have to forsake his pets."
Crossing the gangplank, Penny called Old Noah's name. There was no
answer. Not until she had shouted many times did the old fellow come up
from the ark's hold. His arms were grimy, his clothing wet from the waist
down.
"Why, Noah!" Penny exclaimed, astonished by his appearance.
"All morning I have labored," the old fellow said wearily. "The commotion
last night excited Bess, my cow. The critter kicked a hole in the ark.
Water has poured in faster than I can pump it out."
"Well, why not abandon this old boat?" Mr. Parker proposed, quick to
seize an opportunity. "Wouldn't you like to live in a steam-heated
apartment?"
"With my animals?"
"No, you would have to leave them behind."
Old Noah shook his head. "I could not desert my animals. At least not my
dogs and cats, or my birds or fowls. As for cows and goats, they are a
burden almost beyond my strength."
"A little place in the country might suit you," suggested Penny brightly.
As Noah showed no interest, she added: "Or how would you like a big bus?
You could take your smaller pets and tour the United States!"
Old Noah's dull blue eyes began to gleam. "I had a truck once," he said.
"They took it away from me after I had made a payment. I've always
hankered to see the country. But it's not to be."
"Oh, a truck might be arranged," declared Penny, grinning at her father.
"It's not that." Old Noah leaned heavily on the railing of the ark. "You
might say I made a covenant to keep this place of refuge. The Great Flood
soon will be upon us--"
"There will be no flood," interrupted Mr. Parker impatiently.
"I'd be happy to leave this ark if only I could believe that," sighed
Noah. "I'm getting older, and it's a great burden to care for so many
animals. But I must not shirk my duty because I am tired."
Penny knew that the old man could not be influenced by mere words.
Glancing at the sky, she saw that although rain still fell, the sun had
straggled through the clouds. Above the trees arched a beautiful rainbow.
"Noah!" she cried, directing his attention to it. "Don't you remember the
Bible quotation: 'And I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a
token of a covenant between me and the earth.'"
"'And the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh,'"
Noah whispered, his fascinated gaze upon the rainbow.
"There, you have your sign, your token," Mr. Parker said briskly.
"Yes, yes," whispered the old man. "This is the hour for which I long
have waited! Behold the rainbow which rolleth back the scroll of destiny!
Never again will the flood come. Never again will destruction envelop the
earth and all its creatures."
"How about it Noah?" Mr. Parker asked impatiently. "If I make all
arrangements will you leave the ark?"
The old man did not hesitate. "Yes, I will go," he said. "My mission here
is finished. I am content."
Penny and her father did not annoy the old man with material details, but
slipped quietly away from the ark. Glancing back, they saw that Noah
still stood at the railing, his face turned raptly toward the fading
rainbow. As the last trace of color disappeared from the sky, he bowed
his head in worshipful reverence. A moment he stood thus, and then,
turning, walked with dignity into the ark.
"Poor old fellow," said Penny.
"I suppose you mean Noah," chuckled Mr. Parker. "But I deserve sympathy
too. Haven't I just been knicked to the tune of an expensive truck?"
"You don't really mind, do you, Dad?"
"No, it's worth it to have the old fellow satisfied," Mr. Parker
responded. "And then, the ark brought me a big story for the _Star_."
Penny walked silently beside her father. With the saboteurs in jail, Burt
Ottman free, and Old Noah's future settled, she had not a worry in the
world. Rounding a bend of the stream, she glimpsed a shining blue bottle
caught in the backwash of a fallen log. Eagerly she started to rescue it.
"Don't tell me you expect to collect every one of those messages!"
protested Mr. Parker.
"Every single one," laughed Penny, raking in the bottle. "You see, last
night I lost a very pretty cameo pin. Until I find it, I'll never admit
that the case of the saboteurs is closed!"