"I reckon you've earned it," the sheriff answered, a twinkle in his eye.
"There's one person involved in this mess who isn't really to blame. An
actress named Maxine Miller. She's only been working for the hotel a few
days, and I doubt if she knows what it's all about."
"We'll give her every benefit of the doubt," promised the sheriff. "I'll
remember the name. Miller."
In a daze of excitement Penny rushed back up the stairway to the Green
Room. Fergus and Maxwell, Henri Croix, and Maxine Miller were in custody,
all angrily protesting their innocence. The commotion had brought many
hotel guests to the scene. Questions were flying thick and fast.
Penny drew Peter Jasko aside to talk with him privately.
"I think you ought to go to Mrs. Downey's lodge as soon as you can," she
urged. "Sara is there, and she's dreadfully worried about you."
"I'll go now," the old man said, offering his gnarled hand. "Much obliged
for all you done tonight."
"That's quite all right," replied Penny. "I was lucky or I never would
have discovered where those men were keeping you."
The old man hesitated, obviously wishing to say something more, yet
unable to find the words.
"I done some thinkin' tonight," he muttered. "I reckon I been too strict
with Sara. From now on maybe I'll let her have a looser rein."
"And ski all she likes," urged Penny. "I really can't see the harm in
it."
"I been thinkin' about that lease, too," the old man added, not looking
directly at the girl. "When I see Mrs. Downey tonight I'll tell her I'm
ready to sign."
"Oh, I'm so glad!" Penny exclaimed. "With the Fergus-Maxwell hotel out of
the running, she ought to have a comfortable time of it here on Pine Top
mountain."
"Thanks to you," grinned Peter Jasko. He offered his hand again and Penny
gave it a firm pressure.
"I must hurry now," she said. "This is a tremendous story, and I want to
telegraph it to Dad before Francine Sellberg beats me to the jump."
"Sellberg?" repeated the old man. "She ain't that girl reporter that's
been stayin' here at the hotel?"
Penny nodded.
"Then you better step," he advised. "She's on her way to the village
now."
"But how could Francine have learned about it so soon?" Penny wailed in
dismay.
"I saw her talking with one of the deputies. She was writing things down
in a notebook."
"She couldn't have learned everything, but probably enough to ruin my
story. When did Francine leave, Mr. Jasko?"
"All of fifteen minutes ago."
"Then I never can overtake her," Penny murmured. "This is absolutely the
worst break yet! Francine will reach the telegraph office first and hold
the wire so I can't use it. After all my work, her paper will get the big
scoop!"
CHAPTER
25
_SCOOP!_
Penny knew that she had only one chance of getting her story through to
Riverview, and that was by means of long distance telephone. At best,
instead of achieving a scoop as she had hoped, she would have only an
even break with her rival. And if connections could not be quickly made,
she would lose out altogether.
Hastily saying goodbye to Peter Jasko, Penny raced for the stairway. She
did not have a word of her story written down. While she could give the
facts to a rewrite man it would take him some time to get the article
into shape.
"Vic Henderson writes such colorless stories, too," she moaned to
herself. "He'll be afraid some fact isn't accurate and he'll jerk it out.
This is the one yarn I want to write myself!"
Penny ran full tilt into Sheriff Clausson. She brought up shortly,
observing that he had a prisoner in custody.
"Miss Parker, we caught this fellow down in the tunnel," he said. "Can
you identify him?"
"I'm not sure of his name. He works for Fergus and Maxwell as a teletype
attendant. He may be George Jewitt."
Penny started to hasten on, and then struck by a sudden idea, paused.
Addressing the prisoner she demanded:
"Isn't it true that there is a direct wire connection between this hotel
and the one in Riverview?"
The man did not speak.
"You may as well answer up," said the sheriff. "It's something which can
be checked easily."
"Yes, there is a direct connection," answered the attendant.
"And if I know anything about leased wires," continued Penny with
mounting excitement, "it would be possible to have the telephone company
switch that wire right over to the _Riverview Star_ office. Then I'd have
a direct connection from here to the newspaper. Right?"
"Right except for one minor detail," the man retorted sarcastically. "The
telephone company won't make a switch just to oblige a little girl."
Penny's face fell. "I suppose they wouldn't do it," she admitted. "But
what a whale of an idea! I could send my story directly to the newspaper,
and get my scoop after all. As it is, the _Record_ is almost certain to
beat me."
"Listen!" said the sheriff. "Maybe the telephone company couldn't make
the switch on your say-so, but they'll pay attention to an order from me.
You get busy writing that story, young lady, and we'll see what can be
done."
Sheriff Clausson turned his prisoner over to a deputy, and returned to
find Penny busily scribbling on the back of an envelope, the only writing
paper available. Together they went to the long distance telephone, and
in a quicker time than the girl had dared hope, arrangements were made
for the wire shift to be made.
"Now get up to Room 27 and start your story going out," the sheriff
urged. "Will you need the attendant to turn on the current for you?"
"No, I know how it's done!" Penny declared. "You're sure the connection
has been made?"
"The telephone company reports everything is set. So go to it!"
Penny hobbled as fast as her injured ankle would permit to Room 27. She
switched on the light, and turned on the current which controlled the
teletype machines. Sitting down at a chair in front of the direct
keyboard, she found herself trembling from excitement. She had practiced
only a few times and was afraid she might make mistakes. Every word she
wrote would be transmitted in exactly that form to a similar machine
stationed in the _Star_ office.
She could picture her father standing there, waiting, wondering what she
would send. He had been warned that a big story was coming.
Penny consulted her envelope notes and began to tap the keys. Now and
then she had moments of misgiving, wondering if her work was accurate,
and if it were going through. She finished at last, and sat back with a
weary sigh of relief. Her story was a good one. She knew that. But had it
ever reached the _Star_ office?
A machine to her right began its rhythmical thumping. Startled, Penny
sprang to her feet and rushed over to see the message which was slowly
printing itself across the copy paper.
"STORY RECEIVED OK. WONDERFUL STUFF. CAN YOU GET AN INTERVIEW WITH
SHERIFF CLAUSSON?"
Penny laughed aloud, and went back to her own machine to tap out an
answer. Her line had a flippant note:
"I'LL HAUL HIM UP HERE AS SOON AS THE 11:30 TRAIN COMES IN. LET ME TALK
TO DAD."
There was a little wait and then the return message came in over the
other teletype.
"YOU'VE BEEN TALKING WITH HIM. AM SENDING SALT SOMMERS BY PLANE TO GET
PICTURES. SORRY I DIDN'T TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY WHEN YOU WROTE MAXWELL WAS
INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL BUSINESS AT PINE TOP. THIS OUGHT TO MOP UP HIS SUIT
AGAINST THE PAPER. GREAT STUFF, PENNY! WHO UNCOVERED THE STORY?"
Chuckling to herself, Penny went back to her keyboard and tapped:
"DON'T ASK ME. I'M TRYING TO BE MODEST."
She waited eagerly for the response and it came in a moment.
"I WAS AFRAID OF IT. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"
Thoroughly enjoying the little game of questions and answers, Penny once
more tapped her message.
"FINE AS SILK. WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO PINE TOP? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO
GIVE ME FOR XMAS? IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING GOOD AFTER THIS."
Soon Mr. Parker's reply appeared on the moving sheet of paper.
"SOON. PERHAPS SOMETHING WITH FOUR WHEELS AND A HORN."
Penny scarcely could control herself long enough to send back:
"OH, YOU WONDERFUL DAD! I COULD HUG YOU! PLEASE MAKE IT MAROON WITH
MOHAIR UPHOLSTERY. AND HANG A WREATH ON LEAPING LENA."
Sinking back in her chair, Penny gazed dreamily at the ceiling. A new
car! It was almost too good to believe. She knew that her father must
have been swayed by excitement or else very grateful to offer such a
magnificent Christmas present as that. What a night of thrills it had
been! Within a few hours Pine Top would be crowded with reporters and
photographers, but she had uncovered the story, and had saved her father
from a disastrous lawsuit.
As Penny waited, her thoughts far away, one more message came through on
the teletype. She tore it from the roller of the machine, and smiled as
she read her father's final words:
"PRESSES ROLLING. FIRST EDITION ON THE STREET AHEAD OF THE RECORD. THE
STAR SCORES AGAIN. THIS IS ANTHONY PARKER SIGNING OFF FOR A CUP OF
COFFEE."