Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Charlie Howard, and the
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Voice
from the Cave
_By_
MILDRED A. WIRT
_Author of_
MILDRED A. WIRT MYSTERY STORIES
TRAILER STORIES FOR GIRLS
_Illustrated_
CUPPLES AND LEON COMPANY
_Publishers_
NEW YORK
_PENNY PARKER_
MYSTERY STORIES
_Large 12 mo. Cloth Illustrated_
TALE OF THE WITCH DOLL
THE VANISHING HOUSEBOAT
DANGER AT THE DRAWBRIDGE
BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR
CLUE OF THE SILKEN LADDER
THE SECRET PACT
THE CLOCK STRIKES THIRTEEN
THE WISHING WELL
SABOTEURS ON THE RIVER
GHOST BEYOND THE GATE
HOOFBEATS ON THE TURNPIKE
VOICE FROM THE CAVE
GUILT OF THE BRASS THIEVES
SIGNAL IN THE DARK
WHISPERING WALLS
SWAMP ISLAND
THE CRY AT MIDNIGHT
COPYRIGHT, 1944, BY CUPPLES AND LEON CO.
Voice from the Cave
PRINTED IN U. S. A.
_CONTENTS_
CHAPTER PAGE
1 AN UNINVITED GUEST _1_
2 STORMY WEATHER _10_
3 A JADE GREEN CHARM _19_
4 NO CAMPING ALLOWED _27_
5 OVER THE AIR _37_
6 BREAKFAST BLUES _42_
7 THE BEARDED STRANGER _49_
8 KEEPER OF THE LIGHT _57_
9 A SURPRISE FROM THE SKY _66_
10 HELP FROM MR. EMORY _74_
11 A MAN OF MYSTERY _83_
12 CAUGHT BY THE TIDE _93_
13 A HIDDEN PACKAGE _98_
14 VOICE FROM THE CAVE _106_
15 AFTERGLOW _114_
16 SUSPICION _122_
17 VISITORS NOT PERMITTED _130_
18 INSIDE THE LIGHTHOUSE _139_
19 A LOCKED DOOR _146_
20 NYMPHS OF THE SEA _154_
21 THE CARDBOARD BOX _161_
22 UNFINISHED BUSINESS _170_
23 NIGHT ADVENTURE _178_
24 OUT OF THE SEA _187_
25 A SCOOP FOR UNCLE SAM _198_
CHAPTER
1
_AN UNINVITED GUEST_
"Mrs. Weems, what can be delaying Dad? He promised faithfully to be home
by three o'clock and it's nearly five now. Unless we start soon we'll
never get to Sunset Beach tonight."
Penny Parker, in blue slacks and a slightly mussed polo shirt, gazed
disconsolately at the over-loaded automobile standing on the gravel
driveway of the Parker home. Aided by Mrs. Weems, the family housekeeper,
she had spent hours packing the sedan with luggage and camping equipment.
Though the task long had been finished, Mr. Parker failed to arrive.
"Your father is a very busy man," Mrs. Weems responded to the girl's
question. "No doubt he's been held up at the office."
"Then why doesn't he telephone? It's driving me crazy to wait and
wonder."
Penny's freckled little face twisted into a grimace of worry. For weeks
she and her father, editor-owner of the _Riverview Star_, had planned a
vacation camping trip to the nearby seashore resort, Sunset Beach. Twice
the excursion had been postponed. Penny, who knew well her father's habit
of changing his mind, was fearful that even now something would cause
another vexing delay.
"I'm going to call the _Star_ office this minute!" she declared, starting
for the house.
Mrs. Weems busied herself gathering up loose odds and ends that had blown
about the yard. She was cramming waste paper into a box when Penny banged
out the door, her eyes tragic.
"I couldn't reach Dad!" she announced. "He left the office more than an
hour ago."
"Then he should have been home before this," Mrs. Weems agreed.
"Something's happened. Maybe he's been run down by a car--"
"Now Penny, stop such wild talk," the housekeeper interrupted sternly.
"You know better."
"But Dad was struck by an automobile last winter. What else could delay
him?"
"A dozen things," Mrs. Weems replied. "Probably a business engagement."
"In that case, wouldn't he have telephoned me?"
"Perhaps not. Now do stop fretting, Penny. Your father will be here
before long."
"He'd better be," Penny said darkly.
Sitting down on the stone step by the door, she scuffed the toe of her
tennis shoe back and forth in the gravel. Mrs. Weems who had cared for
the girl ever since the death of Mrs. Parker, gazed at her sternly.
"Now do stop grieving!" she chided. "That's no way to act just because
you're impatient and disappointed."
"But I've been disappointed three times now," Penny complained. "We
planned on starting early and having a picnic lunch on the road. Dad
promised faithfully--"
A car drove up to the curb at the front of the house. Penny sprang
hopefully to her feet. However, it was not her father who had arrived.
Instead, her chum, Louise Sidell, alighted and came running across the
yard.
"Oh, I'm glad I'm not too late to say goodbye to you, Penny!" she cried.
"How soon are you starting?"
"I'd like to know the answer to that one myself. Dad hasn't put in an
appearance. He was due here at three o'clock."
"Why, I saw him about twenty minutes ago," Louise replied, turning to
inspect the over-loaded sedan. "My, how did you accumulate so much
luggage?"
Penny ignored the question to ask one of her own. "Where did you see Dad,
Lou?"
"Why, riding in a car." Louise's dark eyes sparkled mischievously as she
added: "With a beautiful brunette too."
"You're joking."
"I am not. Your father was riding with Mrs. Deline. She's a widow, you
know, and has lived in Riverview less than a month."
Mrs. Weems, who had overheard the conversation, came over to the steps.
"Mrs. Deline, did you say?" she inquired, slightly disturbed. "I've heard
of her."
"And so have I!" declared Penny with biting emphasis. "Why, that woman
would make the Merry Widow look like a dead number! She'd better not try
to sink her hooks into Dad!"
"Penelope!" the housekeeper reproved sternly.
"Well, you know what everyone says--"
"Please don't repeat idle gossip," Mrs. Weems requested. "I'm sure Mrs.
Deline is a very fine woman."
"She's the slickest serpent that ever free-wheeled into Riverview!" Penny
said heatedly. "I saw her in action last week-end at the Country Club.
Why, she simply went out of her way to cultivate any man who had an
income of more than twenty-five thousand a year."
"Penny, your father is a sensible man," the housekeeper reproved.
"Unfortunately, it's a quality I'm afraid you didn't inherit."
Louise, unhappy to have stirred up such a hornet's nest, said hastily:
"Maybe it wasn't Mrs. Deline I saw. The car went by so fast."
"Oh, I'm not worried. Dad can handle a bigger package of dynamite than
Mrs. Deline. It just makes me irritated because he doesn't get here."
Tossing her head, Penny crossed to the loaded automobile where she
switched on the radio. She tuned it carelessly. After a moment a blurred
voice blared forth:
"Attention Comrades!"
Penny turned quickly to glance at the dial, for she realized that she did
not have the local station WZAM.
"Attention Comrades!" the announcer commanded again. "This is the Voice
from the Cave."
There followed a strange jibberish of words which were in no language
that Penny ever before had heard.
"Mrs. Weems! Louise!" she called excitedly. "I think I've tuned in an
outlaw short wave station! Just listen!"
Louise and the housekeeper hastened over to the car. Penny tried
desperately to tune the station in more clearly. Instead she lost it
completely.
"Did you hear what that announcer said?" she asked eagerly. "Most of it I
couldn't understand. I'm sure it was in code!"
"Code!" Mrs. Weems exclaimed in amazement.
"I'm sure I didn't have one of the regular stations! It must have been a
short wave broadcast beamed at a particular group of persons. The
announcer began: 'Attention Comrades!'"
"Can't you tune in again?" Louise demanded.
Penny twisted the dial without success. She was still trying when a taxi
cab drew up at the front door.
"There's your father now!" Louise declared.
"And see who's with him!" Penny added, craning her neck. "It _is_ Mrs.
Deline."
Mrs. Weems, decidedly flustered, hurriedly removed her apron. In an
undertone she warned Penny to be polite to the unexpected visitor.
Mr. Parker, a tall, lean man with hair only touched by gray, stepped from
the taxi. The woman he assisted was attractively slender, and dressed in
an expensive tailored suit. Her face was cold and serene, but so striking
that it commanded instant interest. Penny's spirits sagged as she
observed that the widow came equipped with luggage.
"Now what?" she muttered.
Mr. Parker escorted Mrs. Deline across the yard, introducing her first to
Mrs. Weems and then to the girls.
"Mrs. Deline is riding with us to Sunset Beach," he explained to Penny.
"She intended to go by train but failed to get a reservation."
"Coaches are so unbearable," Mrs. Deline said in an affected drawl. "It
was so nice of Mr. Parker to invite me to share your car."
"I'm afraid it may not be so pleasant for you," Penny replied. She tried
to speak cordially but the words came in stiff little jerks. "There's not
much room."
"Nonsense!" said Mr. Parker. "Mrs. Deline will ride up front. Penny,
you'll have to battle it out with the luggage."
By the time Mrs. Deline's suitcase and hat boxes were stowed away, there
was indeed little room left in the rear seat for a passenger. Penny's
face was very long. For weeks she had planned on a vacation trip with her
father, and now all her plans had been shattered.
"Will you be staying long at Sunset Beach?" she asked the widow politely.
"Probably a week," Mrs. Deline replied. "I've engaged a suite at the
Crystal Inn. I'm sure I couldn't endure a camping trip. Mosquitoes--hard
beds--cooking over a camp fire--it all seems rather difficult to me."
"Oh, it will be fun to camp!"
"I'm not so certain of it myself." Mr. Parker assisted the widow into the
front seat. "Penny, why don't we ditch this camp stuff and try a hotel
ourselves?"
"No!" answered Penny fiercely.
"It would be a far more sensible arrangement."
"But I don't want to be sensible," Penny argued. "We've planned on this
trip for weeks, Dad."
"Oh, all right, if that's the way you feel about it," he gave in
willingly enough. "Only I never did care much for the rough and tumble
life myself. Are we ready to start?"
"Just a minute," Penny requested. "I have to get my pocketbook from the
house."
She went indoors, her face as dark as a summer rain cloud. Mrs. Weems and
Louise followed her in, corraling her in the kitchen.
"Now Penny, just a word of advice," the housekeeper cautioned. "Mrs.
Deline seems like a very nice woman. I trust that you'll be pleasant to
her."
"I don't see why Dad had to invite her! It's ruined everything!"
"Aren't you being selfish?"
"Maybe I am," said Penny. "But why should I be crammed back with the pots
and pans and luggage while she sits up front with Dad?"
"Mrs. Deline is your guest."
"She's Dad's guest," Penny corrected. "Furthermore, I suspect she invited
herself."
"Whatever you think, I hope you'll keep your thoughts to yourself," Mrs.
Weems said severely. "I'm really ashamed of you."
The deep scowl disappeared from Penny's face and she laughed. Wrapping
her arms about the housekeeper's ample waist she squeezed until it hurt.
"I know I'm a spoiled brat," she admitted. "But don't worry. I'll pretend
to like Mrs. Deline if it kills me."
"That's much better, Penny. At any rate, you'll not be troubled with her
company long. You'll reach Sunset Beach by nightfall."
Penny made no reply. She turned to say goodbye to Louise.
"Wish you were going along," she said wistfully. "A vacation won't seem
fun without you."
A staccato toot of the auto horn reminded Penny that her father and Mrs.
Deline were waiting. Hurriedly she gathered up her purse.
"Have a nice time," Louise said, kissing her goodbye. "And don't let Mrs.
Deline get in your hair."
Penny turned to make certain that Mrs. Weems was beyond hearing.
"Don't worry about that, Lou," she whispered. "Mrs. Deline's already in
my hair. What I'm really worried about is keeping her from building a
nest in it!"
CHAPTER
2
_STORMY WEATHER_
For an hour the Parker car had rolled smoothly along the paved road
enroute to Sunset Beach. In the back seat, firmly wedged between boxes
and suitcases, Penny squirmed and suffered.
"How much farther, Dad?" she inquired, interrupting an animated
conversation he was having with Mrs. Deline.
"Oh, about fifty miles," Mr. Parker tossed over his shoulder. "We can't
make much time at thirty-five an hour."
"How about lunch somewhere along the road?"
"Well, should we take the time?" the publisher asked. He turned toward
his companion. "What do you think, Mrs. Deline?"
"Picnics always seemed stupid to me," she replied in a bored manner.
"Perhaps we'll find a nice tea house along the way."
"But Mrs. Weems prepared such a good lunch," Penny argued. "I thought--"
"We can use the food after we make camp," Mr. Parker decided briskly. "A
warm meal will be much better."
Penny subsided into hurt silence. Since the party had left Riverview she
felt that she had been pushed far into the background. Mrs. Deline had
made no attempt to talk to her. On the other hand, the widow fairly
hypnotized Mr. Parker with her dazzling smile and conversation.
"Dad," Penny began, determined to get in a word, "just before you came
home this afternoon, something queer happened."
"That so?" he inquired carelessly.
"Yes, I turned on the radio, and a station I'd never heard before came
in. The announcer said: 'Attention Comrades, this is the Voice from the
Cave.'"
"Sounds like a juvenile radio serial."
"Oh, but it wasn't, Dad! I'm sure it was an outlaw station. Then the
announcer spoke very rapidly in a language I'd never heard before. It
really sounded like code."
"Sure you didn't imagine it? You know you do get ideas, Penny. Especially
when you're on the prowl for a mystery to solve."
"Aren't children quaint?" Mrs. Deline laughed.
Penny's lips tightened, but by great effort of will she kept silent. A
child indeed! She knew now that Mrs. Deline disliked her and that they
had launched an undeclared war.
"I heard the broadcast all right," she said. "For that matter, so did
Mrs. Weems and Louise. But probably it's of no consequence."
The subject was dropped. It was stuffy in the closed car and Penny
presently rolled down a window. Immediately Mrs. Deline protested that
the wind was blowing her hair helter-skelter. At a stern glance from her
father, Penny closed the window again, leaving only a tiny crack for air.
"All the way, please," requested Mrs. Deline.
"Penny, you're being very, very difficult," Mr. Parker added.
Penny rolled the window shut, but her blue eyes cast off little sparks of
fire. As a rule, she was a very pleasant person, not in the least
spoiled. In Riverview where she had lived for fifteen happy, eventful
years, her friends were beyond count. Penny liked people and nearly
everyone liked her. But for some reason, she and Mrs. Deline had taken an
instant dislike to each other.
"Maybe I'm jealous," Penny thought ruefully. "I shouldn't be, but Dad's
all I have."
Between Mr. Parker and his daughter there existed a deep bond of
affection. Penny's mother was dead and the noted publisher had devoted
himself to filling the great void in the girl's life. He had given her
companionship and taught her to think straight. Knowing that she was
dependable, he allowed her more freedom than most girls her age were
permitted.
Penny adored her father and seemingly had inherited his love of newspaper
work. Upon various occasions she had helped him at the _Riverview Star_,
writing and obtaining some of the paper's most spectacular front page
stories. Only the past winter, following her father's severe illness, she
had acted as editor of the _Star_, managing the paper entirely herself.
"And now Dad and Mrs. Deline treat me as if I were a child!" she
reflected resentfully.
Though very much upset, Penny kept her thoughts to herself. Curling up
with her head on a pile of blankets, she pretended to sleep.
The car went over a hard bump. Penny bounced and opened her eyes. She was
surprised to see that it had grown quite dark. The automobile was moving
in a wide curve between long rows of pine trees.
"What time is it?" she asked, pressing her face to the window.
"Not so late," replied her father. "We're running into a rain storm. Just
our luck."
Dark clouds had entirely blotted out the late afternoon sun. Even as Mr.
Parker spoke, several big raindrops splashed against the windshield.
Soon the rain came down in such a thick sheet that the road ahead was
obscured. Stopping suddenly for a crossroads traffic light, the car went
into a slight skid. Mrs. Deline screamed in terror, and clutched Mr.
Parker's arm.
"Oh, can't we stop somewhere?" she pleaded. "I'm so afraid we'll have an
accident."
"Yes, we'll stop," Mr. Parker agreed. "The storm is certainly getting
worse."
A short distance ahead the party glimpsed a group of buildings. One was a
filling station and beside it stood a small three-story hotel and tea
room.
"Doesn't look too bad," Mr. Parker commented, pulling up close to the
door. "We'll have dinner and by that time the storm may be over."
While Penny and Mrs. Deline went into the tea room, the publisher took
the car next door to the filling station to have the tank refueled. He
rejoined them soon, shaking the raindrops from his coat.
"It's coming down harder than ever," he reported. "And we still have a
long drive ahead of us."
"Do you think we'll reach our camp site tonight, Dad?" Penny inquired
anxiously.
"We'll be lucky to get to Sunset Beach. As for making camp, that's out of
the question."
"Maybe it will stop raining soon," Penny ventured hopefully.
Mr. Parker ordered dinner for the party and an hour was consumed in
dining. The rain, however, showed no signs of slackening.
"We could go on--" Mr. Parker said thoughtfully. "Of course, the roads
are slippery."
"Oh, please let's not venture out in this," Mrs. Deline pleaded before
Penny could speak. "I know I am being silly, but I'm so afraid of an
accident. Once I was in a car that overturned and I've never forgotten
it."
"There's no great hurry," Mr. Parker replied. "If we can't reach Sunset
Beach tonight, I suppose we could stay here."
Mrs. Deline did not comment upon the suggestion, but from the way she
smiled, Penny was sure that the idea appealed to her. Taking her father
aside, the girl urged him to try to drive on to Sunset Beach that night.
"Our vacation is so short, Dad. Even now we'll lose almost a day in
setting up camp."
"We'll certainly push on if we can," he promised. "This storm complicates
everything."
For two hours the rain fell steadily. With the prospects anything but
improved, Mr. Parker made inquiry as to lodging for the night. From the
hotel keeper he learned that rooms already were at a premium.
"We'll have to make up our minds soon," he reported to Penny and Mrs.
Deline. "If we wait much longer we'll probably find ourselves sleeping in
the lobby."
"Then let's stay," the widow urged. "Please engage a room and a bath for
me. Preferably one at the rear of the building away from the highway."
"I'm afraid you'll have no choice," Mr. Parker told her regretfully.
"We'll have to take what we can get."
The publisher consulted with the hotel clerk, and returned to report that
only two rooms remained available.
"You and Penny will have to share one together," he explained. "I hope
you won't mind."
It was evident by the expression of Mrs. Deline's face that she minded a
great deal. However, she consented to the arrangement and the luggage was
taken upstairs. The door closed behind the bellboy. For the first time
Penny and Mrs. Deline were left alone.
"Such a cheap, dirty hotel!" the widow exclaimed petulantly. "And I do
hate to share a room with anyone."
Penny busied herself unpacking her over-night bag. Crossing to the
window, she raised it half way.
"Do put that down!" Mrs. Deline ordered. "I detest air blowing directly
on me."
Penny lowered the window.
Mrs. Deline smoked a cigarette, carelessly allowing the ashes to fall on
the bed. Getting up, she moved nervously about the room.
"This place is so small it seems like a prison," she complained. "Why do
you sit there and stare at me?"
"I didn't realize I was staring," Penny apologized. "If you'll excuse me,
I'll go to bed."
Undressing quickly, she crawled beneath the covers. Mrs. Deline smoked
still another cigarette and then began to prepare for bed. As she removed
the jacket of her suit, Penny noticed that the woman wore a beautiful
jade elephant pin.
"Why, what an attractive ornament!" she exclaimed. "Is it a locket or
just a pin?"
"I bought it in China," the widow answered without replying to the
question.
"In China! Have you been there?"
"Of course!" Mrs. Deline gave Penny an amused glance. Without removing
the pin or offering to show it to the girl, she completed her
preparations for bed.
Just at that moment there came a light tap on the door.
"Oh, Penny!" Mr. Parker called.
"Yes, Dad, what is it?" Penny leaped out of bed.
"I'm worried about the car keys," he called through the transom. "You
didn't by chance see them after we left the dining room?"
"Why, yes," Penny reassured him. "You left them lying on the table. I
picked them up and forgot to tell you. They're here on the dresser. I'll
hand them out."
"No, never mind. Keep them. I was just afraid they were lost. Goodnight."
Mrs. Deline glanced curiously at the key ring on the dresser. She
remarked that she had not seen Penny pick it up.
"You were talking to Dad at the time," the girl replied.
Leaving the keys on the dresser, she leaped into bed again and settled
herself for a comfortable sleep. Mrs. Deline presently turned out the
light and took the other bed. For a time Penny was annoyed by voices from
the hallway, then all became quiet. She slept.
Much later Penny awoke. She stirred and rolled over. The rain had ceased
and moonlight was flooding into the room. A beam fell directly across
Mrs. Deline's bed, revealing a mass of crumpled sheets and covers.
Penny stared, scarcely believing her eyes. The bed was empty.
CHAPTER
3
_A JADE GREEN CHARM_
Sitting up in bed, Penny gazed about the room. Mrs. Deline was not there
and her clothes were gone from the chair where they had been placed
earlier that night.
"Queer," mused the girl.
Jumping out of bed, she darted to the door. Though it had been carefully
locked a few hours before, the latch now was off.
Thoroughly puzzled, Penny switched on a light and glanced carefully
about. Mrs. Deline's suitcase remained in the closet, but coat and hat
were missing. And then Penny made an even more disturbing discovery. The
car keys were gone from the dresser!
"Why, I know I put those keys on the bureau just before I went to bed!"
she told herself in dismay. "Now I wonder if that woman--" Ashamed of her
thoughts, she muttered: "Guess I _am_ a suspicious brat!"
Deeply mystified, she moved quickly to the window overlooking the parking
lot and filling station. It was reassuring to see the Parker automobile
standing where her father had left it earlier that night. But as she
stood staring down into the dark, deserted yard, she was startled to
observe a shadowy figure rounding a corner of the hotel.
"Mrs. Deline!" she recognized the woman.
Penny waited only long enough to see that the widow was walking straight
toward the Parker sedan.
"She intends to steal it!" thought the girl. "Why else would she take the
keys?"
Snatching dress and coat from a chair, Penny scrambled into them without
taking time to remove her pajamas. She tucked up the unsightly legs of
the garment and put on her shoes. Thus clad she ran downstairs through
the semi-dark lobby to the side exit of the hotel.
As she reached the outside door, she heard the blast of an automobile
engine.
"That's our car!" Penny thought, recognizing the sound of the running
motor. "She'll get away before I can stop her!"
The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the
parking lot. Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she
jerked open the door.
"Mrs. Deline!" she cried.
Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died
again.
"Where are you taking our car?" Penny demanded, sliding into the seat
beside the widow.
The girl's unexpected arrival seemed to completely unnerve Mrs. Deline.
She lost composure, but only for an instant. Lighting a cigarette, she
gazed at Penny with cold disdain.
"I had intended to go for a little ride," she replied. "Any objections?"
The question placed Penny on the defensive. "You shouldn't have taken the
car without asking Dad," she said stiffly. "We barely have enough
gasoline to reach Sunset Beach."
"Oh, I had no thought of going far. I'll just drive a few miles and come
back."
"At this time of night? It must be nearly two o'clock."
"I always enjoy night driving. Particularly if I am nervous and unable to
sleep. Now run back to bed like a good child."
Penny did not like the widow's tone of voice. She liked it less that Mrs.
Deline ignored her hint that the car was not to be used. More than ever
she was convinced that the woman had intended to steal the automobile.
"I'm sorry," she said firmly. "I must ask you not to take the car without
Dad's permission."
"Well!" Mrs. Deline exclaimed indignantly. "You expect me to rap on your
father's door at this time of night to ask if I may use the car!"
"I don't see why you need to use the car at all."
"Oh, you don't?" Mrs. Deline's tone was scornful. "Well, let me tell you
this! I've already given you as much of an explanation as I intend to! I
need the car."
"I thought you said you only intended to go for a little drive--to quiet
your nerves," Penny reminded her.
"That's what I meant." Mrs. Deline tossed her cigarette through the open
window and stepped on the car starter. "I intend to go too."
Penny, equally determined, switched off the ignition.
"Why, how dare you!" Mrs. Deline turned furiously upon the girl. "In all
my life I never met such a spoiled child."
"I don't mean to be rude, but I can't allow you to take the car."
Mrs. Deline swung open the door on Penny's side of the seat. She reached
as if to push the girl out of the car.
Just then a man stepped from one of the hotel garages. Obviously he had
been listening to the conversation, for he deliberately approached the
car.
"Anything wrong here?" he inquired.
Penny recognized one of the night hotel clerks. She began to tell him of
the disagreement between herself and Mrs. Deline.
"This child doesn't know what she's talking about!" the widow declared
irritably. "Mr. Parker doesn't mind if I use the car."
"Then please ask him!" Penny challenged.
"Why not allow me to do it for you," the hotel clerk offered. "Wait here
and I'll call Mr. Parker. He can settle the entire matter."
"No, don't bother him," Mrs. Deline decided suddenly. "I've changed my
mind anyhow. After such a commotion I wouldn't enjoy a ride."
"In any case, I'd prefer to call Mr. Parker," said the hotel man.
"Do," urged Penny in deep satisfaction. "We'll wait here."
"I'm going back to bed," Mrs. Deline announced, getting out of the car.
She followed the hotel clerk into the building. Left in possession of the
car, Penny reparked it and locked the doors. Then, feeling a trifle
uneasy, she sauntered into the hotel.
The lobby was deserted. Penny climbed the stairs, and in the hallway
leading to her room, met her father and the hotel clerk. Summoned from
bed, Mr. Parker garbed in dressing gown and slippers, looked more annoyed
than alarmed.
"Penny, what is this I hear?" he inquired. "I can't get the straight of
the story."
Penny drew a deep breath. "Well, it was this way, Dad. I awakened and
discovered that Mrs. Deline had disappeared with the car keys."
"Mrs. Deline!"
"Yes, I think she meant to steal the car. But she explained that she only
intended to borrow it for a night ride."
"Anything wrong about that?"
Penny regarded her father in blank amazement.
"Why, Dad, would you borrow another person's car without asking?"
"No, but Mrs. Deline probably didn't stop to consider the matter. No
doubt she was too thoughtful to awaken you."
"Thoughtful, my left eye! Dad, I'm sure Mrs. Deline meant to steal the
car. Either that or she had a very important appointment--a meeting with
someone she wasn't willing to tell us about."
"Nonsense!" Mr. Parker exclaimed impatiently. "Penny, you made a serious
mistake in refusing to allow Mrs. Deline to use the car. She is our guest
and I'm afraid you were rude."
"But Dad--"
"You must apologize to her at once."
Penny did not answer for a moment. She bent to tie her flapping shoe
strings and took her time at the task. When she straightened, she said
quietly:
"All right, Dad. If you say so, I'll apologize. But I don't think I was
wrong."
"We'll not discuss it now, Penny. Suppose you turn the car keys over to
me and go to your room."
Penny gave up the keys and without another word went down the hall. Tears
stung her eyes, but she brushed them away. She knew she had been
unpleasant to Mrs. Deline. Nevertheless, she felt that her father had not
been entirely just in his attitude.
Entering the bedroom, she hesitated before turning on the light. Mrs.
Deline had undressed and was in bed. She ignored the girl.
"I--I guess I made a bad mistake," Penny began awkwardly. "I shouldn't
have been so rude."
Mrs. Deline rolled over in bed. Her dark eyes flashed and she made no
effort to hide her dislike.
"So you admit it?" she asked. "Well, we will forget the matter. Do not
speak of it to me again."
In silence Penny undressed and hung up her coat and dress. As she
prepared to snap out the light, she noticed that Mrs. Deline still wore
the jade elephant charm about her neck.
"Aren't you afraid you'll break the chain?" she asked before she thought.
"You forgot to take it off."
Mrs. Deline raised herself on an elbow, fairly glaring at Penny.
"Will you kindly worry about your own affairs?" she asked insolently.
"I've had about all I can take from you in one night."
"But I didn't mean anything personal."
"Good night!" said Mrs. Deline with emphasis.
Penny turned out the light and crept into her own bed. She felt beaten
and hurt. It was easy to understand why Mrs. Deline disliked her, but her
own attitude was bewildering.
"I distrusted the woman the instant I met her," she reflected. "Perhaps I
had no reason for it at first. Now I'm not so sure."
Penny rolled over to face the window. Moonlight was flooding into the
room. In the diffused light the girl could see Mrs. Deline plainly. The
woman had propped herself up in bed and was fingering the jade green
elephant charm which hung on its slender chain. Though Penny could not be
certain, she thought the lid of the figure lay open and that Mrs. Deline
quickly snapped it shut.
"Good night, Mrs. Deline," she ventured, still trying to make amends.
The widow did not answer. Instead she turned her back and pretended to
sleep.
CHAPTER
4
_NO CAMPING ALLOWED_
Breakfast the next morning was a trying ordeal for Penny. Over the coffee
cups Mr. Parker apologized to Mrs. Deline for what he termed his
daughter's "inexcusable behavior."
The widow responded graciously, quite in contrast to her attitude of the
previous night. Without saying much, she conveyed the impression that
Penny had been completely in the wrong, and was in fact, a spoiled child
who must be humored.
The journey on to Sunset Beach was equally unpleasant. Mr. Parker and
Mrs. Deline seemed so absorbed in animated conversation, that they
scarcely spoke or noticed Penny. Wedged between the luggage and the
camping equipment, she indulged in self pity.
"At least we'll get rid of Mrs. Deline when we reach Sunset Beach," she
cheered herself.
Presently the car rounded a wide curve in the road, and Penny caught her
first glimpse of the seashore. Big waves were rolling in, washing an
endless stretch of white sand.
"Oh, isn't it beautiful!" she exclaimed, brightening. "I wish we were
camping right on the beach instead of in the State Forest."
"I fear the authorities wouldn't permit that," Mr. Parker laughed. "By
the way, Penny, is your heart really set on this camping trip?"
Penny gave him a quick look. "Yes, it is, Dad," she said briefly. "Why do
you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking that we'd be a lot more comfortable at one of the
big hotels. We'd be right on the beach and--"
"Oh, I was just talking when I said I'd like to camp on the beach," Penny
cut in. "I'd like the State Forest much better."
"Then we'll go there just as we planned," Mr. Parker said, sighing. "But
you know I never was cut out for a rough and tumble life, Penny. I'm far
from sure I'll make a good camper."
The car rolled on along the ocean road, presently entering the little
village of Sunset Beach. Normally a tourist center, the town now was
practically deserted, and the Parkers had chosen it because it was within
easy driving distance of Riverview. Nearly all of the fine hotels along
the water front were closed. However, the Crystal Inn remained in
operation, and it was there that Mrs. Deline had engaged a suite.
The car swung into the driveway and halted in front of the hotel. An
attendant did not come immediately so Mr. Parker himself unloaded the
widow's luggage. Mrs. Deline gave him a dazzling smile as she bade him
goodbye.
"Oh, we'll not say goodbye just yet," Mr. Parker corrected. "Penny and I
will camp only a short distance away. We'll run down to the beach often."
"Do," urged Mrs. Deline. "I have no friends here and I'll be happy to see
you."
Mr. Parker carried the widow's luggage into the hotel. While he was
absent, Penny moved up to the front seat. She tuned in a radio program,
listening to it with growing impatience. Finally her father sauntered out
of the hotel.
"I nearly gave you up," Penny remarked pointedly.
Mr. Parker slid behind the steering wheel and started the car. When they
were driving along the ocean front road he said quietly:
"Penny, I can't imagine what has come over you lately. You're not in the
least like the little girl who was my pal and companion. Why have you
been so unkind to Mrs. Deline?"
"I just don't like her," Penny said flatly. "Furthermore, I distrust
her."
"You've acted very stupid and silly."
"I'm sorry if you're ashamed of me," Penny replied glaring at her own
reflection in the car mirror. "At any rate, I saved the car for you."
"That accusation was ridiculous, Penny. Mrs. Deline is a wealthy woman
who could buy herself a dozen cars in ordinary times. She merely gave in
to a sudden whim."
"Just what do you know about Mrs. Deline, Dad?"
"Not a great deal," Mr. Parker admitted. "I met her at the club. She
served as a special War correspondent in China, I believe. She has
traveled all over the world and speaks a half dozen languages."
"I never heard of her until she came to Riverview," Penny said with a
sniff. "Nor did I ever see any of her writing in print. If you ask me,
she's a phony."
"Let's not discuss the subject further," Mr. Parker replied, losing
patience. "When you're older, I hope you'll learn to be more gracious and
charitable."
Penny subsided into hurt silence. In all her life she could recall only a
few occasions when her father had spoken so sternly to her. Close to
tears, she studied the tumbling surface of the ocean with concentrated
interest.
In silence the Parkers drove through the village, stopping at a filling
station to inquire the way to Rhett State Forest. Supplies were purchased
at one of the stores, and by that time it was noon. At Mr. Parker's
suggestion they stopped at a roadside inn for lunch. After that they
drove on a half mile beyond the outskirts of Sunset Beach, past a tall
lighthouse to the end of the pavement.
"We follow a dirt road for a quarter of a mile to Bradley Knoll," Mr.
Parker said, consulting directions he had jotted down on an envelope.
"A mud road, you mean," Penny corrected, peering ahead at the narrow,
twisting highway. "It really rained here last night."
The car had no chains. Not without misgiving, Mr. Parker drove off the
pavement onto the slippery road. The car wallowed about and at times
skidded dangerously.
"Once we reach the State park we'll have gravel roads," Penny said,
studying a map.
"_If_ we get there," Mr. Parker corrected.
Barely had he spoken than the car went out of control. It took a long
skid, turned crosswise in the road, and then the rear wheels slipped into
a deep ditch. Opening the car door, Penny saw that the car was bogged
down to the hub caps.
Mr. Parker tried without success to pull out of the ditch. Alighting, he
inspected the rear wheels which had spun deeper and deeper into the mud.
"Not a chance to get out of here without help," he said crossly. "I'll
have to find someone to give us a hand."
Farther down the road stood a weatherbeaten farmhouse. Penny offered to
go there to summon help, but her father insisted upon doing it himself.
He presently returned with a farmer and a small tractor. After
considerable difficulty the car was pulled out of the ditch.
"How much do I owe you?" Mr. Parker asked the man.
"Ten dollars."
The amount seemed far too high for the service rendered, but Mr. Parker
paid it without comment. His shoes were caked with mud, and so were the
trouser legs of his suit. Only by an effort of will did he keep his
temper under control.
"Figurin' on camping in the Rhett Forest?" the farmer asked Mr. Parker.
"That's right. Is it much farther?"
"Only a little piece down the road. You'll strike gravel at the next
corner. You can make it if you're careful. I don't calculate you'll have
much fun camping in the Park though."
"Why not?" asked Penny.
"We've had a lot o' rain lately. The mosquitoes are bitin' something
fierce. And the ground's mighty damp."
"We have a floor to our tent," Penny said optimistically. "I think
camping will be fun. I've always wanted to try it."
The farmer started the tractor. "Then don't let me discourage you," he
shrugged. "So long."
Mr. Parker rejoined Penny in the car. "Why not call this whole thing
off?" he suggested. "We could go to the hotel and--"
"No, Dad! You promised me!"
"All right, Penny, if that's the way you feel, but I know we're asking
for punishment."
By careful driving the Parkers reached the gravel road without mishap. At
the entrance to the Rhett Park area they were stopped by a pleasant,
middle-aged forest ranger who took down the license number of the car.
"Be careful about your camp fire," he instructed. "Only last week several
acres of timber were destroyed at Alton. We're not certain whether it was
started by a camper or was a case of sabotage. In any case, one can't be
too careful."
"We will be," promised Mr. Parker.
"Camp only in the designated sites," the ranger added. "I'll be around
later on to see how you're getting along."
Once beyond the gateway arch, Penny's sagging spirits began to revive.
The road curled lazily between dense masses of timber fringed by artistic
old-fashioned rail fences. Numerous signs pointed to trails that invited
exploration.
"Oh, Dad, it's really nice here!" she cried. "We'll have a wonderful
time!"
Presently the car came to an open space with picnic tables. There was a
picturesque spot beside a rocky brook which looked just right for a camp
site.
"Let's pitch our tent here!" pleaded Penny. "You set it up while I cook
supper."
Mr. Parker unloaded the car and went to work with a will hammering the
metal stakes of the umbrella tent. Penny busied herself sorting pots and
pans and trying to get the gasoline stove started. Despite her best
efforts she could not induce it to burn.
In the meantime, Mr. Parker was having his own set of troubles. Three of
the tent stakes were missing. Twice he put up the umbrella framework,
only to have the entire structure collapse upon his head.
"Penny, come here and help me!" he called. "I've had about enough of
this!"
Penny ran to her father's rescue, pulling the canvas from his head and
shoulders. By working together they finally got the tent set up. Another
half hour was required to put up the cots and make them.
"Well, that job is done," Mr. Parker sighed, collapsing on one of the
beds. "Such a life!"
"Dad, I hate to bother you," Penny apologized, "but I can't start the
stove. Do you mind looking at it?"
Grumbling a bit, Mr. Parker went to tinker with the stove. Three-quarters
of an hour slipped away before he succeeded in coaxing a bright flame.
"All this work has given me a big appetite for supper," he announced.
"What are we having, Penny?"
"Steaks."
"Sounds fine."
"I forgot the salt though," Penny confessed, slapping the meat into a
frying pan.
The burner was too hot. While Penny had her back turned and was opening a
can of beans, the steaks began to scorch. Mr. Parker tried to rescue
them. In his haste he seized the hot skillet handle and burned his hands.
"Oh, Dad, I'm so sorry!" Penny sympathized. "I guess the steaks are
practically ruined too."
"Anything else to eat?" the publisher asked, nursing his blistered hand.
"Beans."
"Beans!" Mr. Parker repeated with bitter emphasis. "Oh, well--dish them
up."
Penny was serving the food on tin plates when a car drove up and stopped.
A ranger climbed out and walked over to the tent.
"What's the idea, camping here?" he demanded. "Can't you read signs?"
"We didn't see any sign," said Penny.
The ranger pointed to one in plain sight tacked on the trunk of a tree.
It read:
"Restricted Area. No Camping Permitted."
"You can't stay here," the ranger added. "You'll have to move on."
Penny and her father gazed at each other in despair. After all the work
they had done, it didn't seem as though they could break camp.
"Any objections if we stay here until morning?" Mr. Parker requested.
"We've had a pretty hard time of it getting established."
The ranger looked sympathetic but unmoved.
"Sorry," he said curtly. "Regulations are regulations. You may finish
your supper if you like, then you must move on. The regular camp site is
a quarter of a mile farther up the road."
CHAPTER
5
_OVER THE AIR_
The ranger's order so discouraged Penny and her father that they lost all
zest for supper. Too weary for conversation, they tore up the beds,
repacked the dishes, and pulled the tent stakes.
"I've not worked so hard in years," Mr. Parker sighed. "What a mistake to
call this a vacation!"
"Perhaps it won't be so hard once we get settled," Penny said hopefully.
"After all, we've had more than our share of bad luck."
Bad luck, however, continued to follow the campers. In the gathering
darkness, Penny and her father had trouble finding the specified camp
ground. It was impossible to drive a car into the cleared space, so they
were forced to carry all of the heavy luggage and equipment from the
automobile to the camp site.
By that time it was quite dark. Mr. Parker misplaced one of the tent
stakes and could not find it without a lengthy search. As he finally
drove it in, he hammered his thumb instead of the metal pin.
"Drat it all! I've had enough of this!" he muttered irritably. "Penny,
why not give it up--"
"Oh, no, Dad!" Penny cut in quickly. "Once we get the tent up again,
we'll be all right. Here, I'll hold the flashlight so you can see
better."
Finally the tent was successfully staked down, though Mr. Parker
temporarily abandoned the idea of putting up the front porch. Penny set
up the cots again and made the beds.
"Hope you packed plenty of woolen blankets," Mr. Parker commented,
shivering. "It will be cold tonight."
Penny admitted that she had brought only two thin ones for each bed. "I
didn't suppose it could get so cold on a summer night," she confessed
ruefully.
Worn by his strenuous labors, Mr. Parker climbed into the closed car to
smoke a cigar. Penny, finding the dark tent lonesome, soon joined him
there. She switched on the car radio, tuning in an orchestra. Presently
it went off the air so she dialed another station. A strange jargon of
words which could not be understood, accosted her ears.
"Hold that, Penny!" exclaimed Mr. Parker.
"What station can it be?" Penny speculated, peering at the luminous dial.
"It sounds like a short wave broadcast. Must be a station off its wave
band."
She and her father listened intently to the speaker who had a resonant,
baritone voice. Not a word of the broadcast could they understand.
Obviously a message was being sent in code.
"Dad, that sounds like the same station I heard yesterday!" Penny broke
in. "Where can it be located?"
"I'd like to know myself."
Penny glanced quickly at her father. His remark, she thought, had
definite significance. Before she could question him, the strange jargon
ceased. The deep baritone voice concluded in plain, slightly accented
English: "This is the Voice from the Cave, signing off until tomorrow
night. Stand by, Comrades!"
"That was no regular station," Penny declared, puzzled. "But what was
it?"
Mr. Parker reached over to turn off the panel switch. "It was an outlaw
station," he said quietly. "The authorities have been after it for
weeks."
"How did you learn about it?"
"Through various channels. Most outlaw radio stations can be traced quite
easily by the use of modern radio-detecting devices. The enemy agent who
operates this station is a particularly elusive fellow. Just when the
police are sure they have him, he moves to another locality."
Penny was silent a moment and then she said:
"You seem to know quite a bit about this mysterious Voice, Dad."
"Naturally I've been interested in the case. If the police catch the
fellow it will make a good story for the _Star_."
"Where is the station thought to be located, Dad?"
"Oh, it moves nightly. The fellow obviously has a portable broadcasting
outfit."
"But isn't the general locality known?"
Mr. Parker smiled as he knocked ashes from his cigar.
"Authorities seem to think that it may be somewhere near here. Sunset
Beach has countless caves, you know."
"Really?" The information excited Penny. "You never told me that before,
Dad. And I suspect that you're keeping a lot of other secrets from me
too!"
"Sunset Beach's caves are no secret. They're part of the tourist
attraction."
"All the same you never mentioned them, Dad. I thought it was odd that
you chose this place for a vacation. Now I'm beginning to catch on."
Mr. Parker pretended not to understand.
"Isn't it true that you came here to do a bit of investigation work?"
Penny pursued the subject relentlessly.
"Now don't try to pin me down," Mr. Parker laughed. "Suppose we just say
we came here for a vacation."
Penny eyed her father quizzically. From the way he sidestepped her
questions she was certain that he had more than a casual interest in the
outlaw radio station.
"Dad, will you let me help you?" she pleaded eagerly.
"Help me?" Mr. Parker joked. "Why, you seem to think that I'm a
Government investigator in disguise!"
"You don't deny that you came here largely because of your interest in
that station?"
"Well, I may be a tiny bit interested. But don't jump to conclusions,
young lady! It doesn't necessarily follow that I have set out to track
down any enemy agent single handed." Mr. Parker brought the discussion to
an end by opening the car door. "I'm dead tired, Penny. If you'll excuse
me, I'll turn in."
After her father had gone to the tent, Penny remained for a while in the
car. Soberly she stared at the stars and thought over what she had
learned.
"I don't care what Dad says," she reflected, "he came here to find that
radio station! But maybe, just maybe, I'll beat him to it!"
CHAPTER
6
_BREAKFAST BLUES_
Penny awoke next morning to find the tent cold and damp. She rolled over
on the hard cot and moaned with pain. Every muscle in her battered body
felt as if it had been twisted into a knot.
Swinging her feet to the canvas floor, she pulled away the curtain to
peer at her father's cot. It was empty.
"Guess I've overslept," she thought. "Hope Dad's started breakfast."
Penny dressed quickly, cringing as she pulled on damp shirt and shorts.
Dew lay heavy upon the tent and the grass outside was saturated. She
walked gingerly as she picked her way toward the parked car.
Mr. Parker had set up a portable table nearby and was tinkering with the
gasoline stove. He was unshaven and looked very much out of sorts.
"Hi, Dad!" Penny greeted him with as much cheer as she could muster.
"What are we having for breakfast?"
"Nothing, so far as I can see! This stove is on strike again. I've tried
for half an hour to get it started."
Penny climbed into the car to use the mirror. The sight of her face
horrified her. One cheek was blotched with ugly red mosquito bites, there
were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair hung in strings.
"If anyone ever gets me on another camping trip I'll be surprised!" Mr.
Parker exclaimed. He slammed the stove down on the table. "I'm through
monkeying with this contrary beast!"
"Oh, Dad, such a temper," Penny chided, giggling despite her own
discouragement.
"Suppose you suggest how we're to eat."
"Well, there's cold breakfast food with canned milk." Penny burrowed deep
in a box of supplies stored in the car. "Two soft bananas. No coffee, I'm
afraid."