“We’ll win!” Penny cried jubilantly.
“It’s too soon to crow yet,” Sally warned. “While it looks as if this breeze will hold for the entire race, no one can tell. Anything might happen.”
Penny glanced back at Jack’s boat a good six to eight lengths behind. The boy deliberately turned his head, acting as if he did not see her.
The Cat’s Paw hugged the marker as it made the turn at Hat Island. Rounding the body of land, the girls were annoyed to see a canoe with three children paddling directly across their course.
“Now how did they get out here?” Sally murmured with a worried frown. “They should know better!”
At first the children did not seem to realize that they were directly in the path of the racing boats. But as they saw the fleet rounding Hat Island in the wake of the Cat’s Paw and the Spindrift, they suddenly became panic-stricken.
With frantic haste, they tried to get out of the way. In her confusion, one of the girls dropped a paddle, and as it floated away, she made a desperate lunge to recover it. Another of the occupants, heavy-set and awkward, leaned far over the same side in an attempt to help her.
“They’ll upset if they aren’t careful!” Penny groaned. “Yes, there they go!”
Even as she spoke, the canoe flipped over, tossing the three girls into the water. Two of them grasped the overturned craft and held on. The third, unable to swim, was too far away to reach the extended hand of her terrified companions.
Making inarticulate, strangled sounds in her throat, she frantically thrashed the water, trying desperately to save herself.
CHAPTER 11
A QUESTION OF RULES
“Quick!” Sally cried, remaining at the tiller of the Cat’s Paw. “The life preserver!”
Finding one under the seat, Penny took careful aim and hurled it in a high arc over the span of water. The throw was nearly perfect and the life preserver plopped heavily on the surface not two feet from the struggling girl. But she was too panic-stricken to reach out and grasp it.
The river current carried the preserver downstream. Sally knew then that to save the girl she must turn aside and abandon the race.
“Coming about!” she called sharply to warn Penny of the swinging boom.
Already beyond the girl, whose struggles were becoming weaker, they turned and sailed directly toward her. Penny kicked off her shoes, and before Sally could protest, dived over the gunwale.
A half dozen long strokes carried her directly behind the struggling girl. Hooking a hand beneath her chin, she pulled her into a firm, safe hold, then towed her to the Cat’s Paw where Sally helped them both aboard.
Throughout the rescue, the other two children had clung to the overturned canoe. Sally saw that they were in no danger, for a motorboat from shore was plowing swiftly to the rescue. Standing by until the two were taken safely aboard, she then glanced toward the fleet of racing boats.
Nearly all of them had passed the Cat’s Paw and were well on their way toward the second marker. The Spindrift led the field.
“We’re out of the race,” she said dismally.
“No! Don’t give up!” Penny pleaded. “You still may have a chance. This girl is all right. I’ll look after her while you sail.”
Sally remained unconvinced. “We couldn’t possibly overtake Jack now.”
“But we do have a chance to come in among the five leaders! Then you would be able to race in the finals. You wouldn’t lose the lantern trophy.”
Sparkle came into Sally’s eyes again. Her lips drew into a tight, determined line.
“All right, we’ll keep on!” she decided. “But it will be nip and tuck to win even fifth place. See what you can do for our passenger.”
The girl who had been hauled aboard was not more than thirteen years old. Although conscious, she had swallowed considerable water and was dazed from the experience. As she began to stir, Penny knelt beside her.
“Lie still,” she said soothingly. “We’ll have you at the dock soon.”
Stripping off her own jacket, Penny tucked it about the shivering child.
“We’re balanced badly,” Sally commented, her eyes on the line of boats far ahead, “and overloaded too. It’s foolish to try—”
“No, it isn’t!” Penny said firmly. “We’re sailing great guns, Sally! Look at the water boiling behind our rudder.”
Almost as if it were driven by a motor, the Cat’s Paw plowed through the waves, leaving a trail of foam and bubbles in her wake. Despite the handicap of an extra passenger, the boat was gaining on the contestants ahead.
“If only the course were longer!” Sally murmured, straining against the pull of the main sheet.
They rounded the second marker only a few feet behind a group of bunched boats. One by one they passed them until only seven remained ahead. But with the finish line close by, they could not seem to gain another inch.
“We can’t make it,” Sally said, turning to gaze at the shore with its crowd of excited spectators. “We’re bound to finish seventh or eighth, out of the race.”
“We’re still footing faster than the other boats,”Penny observed. “Don’t give up yet.”
A moment later, the crack of a revolver sounding over the water, told the girls that the Spindrift had crossed the finish line in first place.
To add to Sally’s difficulties, the rescued girl began to stir and rock the boat. Each time she moved, the Cat’s Paw lost pace. Though they passed the next two boats, they could not gain to any extent on the one which seemed destined to finish in fifth place.
Sally had been right, Penny realized. Barring a miracle, the Cat’s Paw could not be among the winners. Although they were slowly gaining, the finish line was too close for them to overcome the lead of the remaining boats.
And then the miracle occurred. The Elf, directly ahead, seemed to falter and to turn slightly aside. TheCat’s Paw seized the chance and forged even.
“Go to it, Sally!” her skipper, Tom Evans, a freckled youth, called. “You belong in the finals!”
Then the girls understood and were grateful. Deliberately, the boy had slowed his boat so that Sally might be among the winners.
“It was a fine thing to do!” Sally whispered. “But how I hate to win in such fashion!”
“Tom Evans knew he had no chance in the finals,”Penny said. “As he said, you belong there for you are one of the best sailors in the fleet.”
Sally crossed the finish line in fifth place, then sailed on to the dock by the clubhouse. As Penny leaped out to make the boat fast, willing hands assisted with the bedraggled passenger. The child was taken to the clubhouse for a change of clothes. Officials gathered about Penny and Sally, congratulating them upon the race.
“I didn’t really win,” the latter said, paying tribute to Tom Evans. “The Elf deliberately turned aside to give me a chance to pass.”
Nearby, Jack Gandiss who had won the race, stood unnoticed. After awhile he walked over to the dock where Sally and Penny were collecting their belongings.
“That was a nice rescue,” he said diffidently. “Of course it cost you second place, which was a pity.”
Sally cocked an eyebrow. “Second place?” she repeated. “Well, I like that!”
“You never could have defeated the Spindrift.”
“No? Well, if my memory serves me right, the Cat’s Paw was leading when I had to turn aside. Not that I wasn’t glad to do it.”
“You may have been ahead, but I was coming up fast. I would have overtaken you at the second marker or sooner.”
“Children! Children!” interposed Penny as she neatly folded a sail and slipped it into a snowy white cover. “Must you always claw at each other?”
“Why, we aren’t fighting,” Sally denied with a grin.
“Heck, no!” Jack agreed. He started away, then turned and came back. “By the way, Sally. How about the trophy?”
Sally did not understand what he meant.
“I won the race, so doe
sn’t the brass lantern belong to me?” Jack pursued the subject.
“Well, it will if you win the final next week.”
“That’s in the bag.”
“Like fun it is!” Sally said indignantly. “Jack, I hate to crush those delicate feelings of yours, but you’re due for the worst defeat of your life!”
The argument might have started anew, but Jack reverted to the matter of the lantern trophy.
“I’m the winner now, and it should be turned over to me,” he insisted.
Sally became annoyed. “That’s not according to the rules of the competition,” she returned. “The regulations governing the race say that the final winner is entitled to keep the trophy. I was last year’s winner. The one this season hasn’t yet been determined.”
“It’s not safe to keep the lantern aboard the River Queen.”
“Don’t be silly! There couldn’t be a safer place! Pop and I chained the trophy to a beam. It can’t be removed without cutting the chain.”
“Someone could take the trophy by unlocking the padlock.”
“Oh, no, they couldn’t,” Sally grinned provokingly. “You see, I’ve already lost the key. The only way that lantern can be removed is by cutting the chain.”
Jack was enraged. “You’ve lost the key?” he demanded. “If that isn’t the last straw!”
Hanson Brown, chairman of the racing committee, chanced to be passing, and Jack impulsively hailed him. To the chagrin of the girls, he asked for a ruling on the matter of the trophy’s possession.
“Why, I don’t recall that such a question ever came up before,” the official replied. “My judgment is that Miss Barker has a right to retain the trophy until the final race.”
“Ha!” chuckled Sally, enjoying Jack’s discomfiture. “How do you like that?”
Jack turned to leave. But he could not refrain from one parting shot. “All right,” he said, “you get to keep the trophy, but mind—if anything should happen to it—you alone will be responsible!”
CHAPTER 12
NIGHT PROWLER
When Penny, her father, and the Gandiss family returned late that afternoon to Shadow Island, a strange motorboat was tied up at the dock. On the veranda a man sat waiting. Although his face appeared familiar, Penny did not recognize him.
Her father, however, spoke his name instantly. “Heiney Growski! Anything to report?”
Penny remembered then that he was the detective who had been placed in charge of the junk shop near the Gandiss factory.
The man arose, laying aside a newspaper he had been reading to pass the time. “I’ve learned a little,” he replied to Mr. Parker’s question. “Shall we talk here?”
“Go ahead,” encouraged Mr. Gandiss carelessly. “This is my son, Jack, and our guest, Penny Parker. They know of the situation at the factory, and can be trusted not to talk.”
Though seemingly reluctant to make a report in the presence of the two youngsters, the detective nevertheless obeyed instructions.
“Since opening up the shop, I’ve been approached twice by a man from the factory,” he began.
“That sweeper, called Joe?” interposed Mr. Parker.
“Yes, the first time he merely came into the place, looked around a bit, and finally asked me what I paid for brass.”
“You didn’t appear too interested?” Mr. Parker inquired.
“No, I gave him a price just a little above the market.”
“How did it strike him?”
“He didn’t have much to say, but I could tell he was interested.”
“Did he offer you any brass?”
“No, he hinted he might be able to get me a considerable quantity of it later on.”
“Feeling you out.”
“Yes, I figure he’ll be back. That’s why I came here for instructions. If he shows up with the brass, shall I have him arrested?”
Mr. Parker waited for the factory owner to answer the question.
“Make a record of every transaction,” Mr. Gandiss said. “Encourage the man to talk, and he may reveal the names of others mixed up in the thefts. But make no arrests until we have more information.”
“Very good, sir,” the detective returned. “Unless the man is very crafty, I believe we may be able to trap him within a few weeks.”
After Heiney had gone, Jack and Penny went down to the dock together to retie the Spindrift. The wind had shifted, and with the water level rising, the boat was bumping against its mooring post.
“By the way, Jack,” said Penny as she unfastened one of the ropes to make it shorter, “I forgot to congratulate you upon winning the race this afternoon.”
“Skip it,” he replied grimly.
Penny glanced at him, wondering if her ears had deceived her.
“Why, I thought you were crazy-wild to win,” she commented.
“Not that way.” Jack kept his face averted as he tied a neat clove hitch. “I guess I made myself look like a heel, didn’t I?”
For the first time Penny really felt sorry for the boy. Resisting a temptation to rub salt in his wounds, she said kindly:
“Well, I suppose you felt justified in asking for the trophy.”
“I wish I hadn’t done that, Penny. It’s just that Sally gets me sometimes. She’s so blamed cocky!”
“And she feels the same way about you. On the whole, though, I wonder if Sally has had a square deal?”
Jack straightened, staring at the Spindrift which tugged impatiently at her shortened ropes. Waves were beginning to lap over the dock boards.
“You mean about the factory?” he asked in a subdued voice.
Penny nodded.
“I never did think Sally was a thief,” Jack said slowly. “Judging from Heiney Growski’s report, someone may have planted the brass in her locker. Probably that fellow Joe, the Sweeper.”
“Don’t you feel she should be cleared?”
“How can we do anything without proof? This fellow Joe isn’t convicted yet. Besides, he’s only one of a gang. Sally could be involved, though I doubt it.”
“You’re not really convinced then?” Penny gazed at him curiously.
“Yes, I am,” Jack answered after a slight hesitation. “Sally’s innocent. I know that.”
“Then why don’t we do something about it?”
“What? My father has employed the best detectives already.”
“At least you could tell Sally how you feel about it.”
Jack kicked at the dock post with the toe of his tennis shoe. “And have her tear into me like a wild cat?” he countered. “You don’t know Sally.”
“Are you so sure that you do?” Penny asked. Turning she walked swiftly away.
Jack came padding up the gravel path after her.
“Wait!” he commanded, grasping her by the arm. “So you think I’ve given Sally a raw deal?”
“I have no opinion in the matter,” Penny returned, deliberately aloof.
“If I could do anything to prove Sally innocent you know I’d jump at the chance,” Jack argued, trying to regain Penny’s good graces.
“You really mean that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why don’t you try to get a little evidence against this man Joe, the Sweeper?” Penny proposed eagerly. “You visit the factory nearly every day. Keep your eyes and ears open and see what you can learn.”
“Everyone knows who I am,” Jack argued. “There wouldn’t be a chance—” Meeting Penny’s steady, appraising gaze, he broke off and finished: “Oh, okay, I’ll do what I can, but it’s useless.”
“Not if you have a plan.”
Jack stared at Penny with sudden suspicion. “Say, what are you leading up to anyhow?” he demanded. “Do you have one?”
“Not exactly. It just occurred to me that by watching at the gate of the factory when the employes leave, one might spot some of the men who are carrying off brass in their clothing.”
Jack gave an amused snort. “Oh, that’s been done. Company
detectives made any number of checks.”
“That’s just the point,” Penny argued. “They were factory employes, probably known to some of the workers.”
“I’m even more widely recognized,” Jack said. “Besides, Clayton, our gateman, has instructions to be on the watch for anyone who might try to carry anything away. He’s reported several persons. When they were searched, nothing was found.”
“Your gateman is entirely trustworthy?”
“Why not? He’s an old employee.”
Penny said no more, though she was thinking of the conversation overheard while at the factory gatehouse. Even if Jack took no interest, she decided she would try to do what she could herself. But there really seemed no place to begin.
“If you get any good ideas, I’ll be glad to help,”Jack said as if reading her thoughts. “Just to barge ahead without any plan, doesn’t make sense to me.”
Penny knew that he was right. Much as she desired to help clear Sally, she had no definite scheme in mind.
As the pair turned to leave the docks, they heard a shout from across the water. The Cat’s Paw, with canvas spread wide, was sailing before the wind, directly toward the island. Sally, at the tiller, signaled that she wanted to talk to them.
The boat came in like a house afire, but though the landing was fast, it was skillful. Sally looped a rope around the dock post, but did not bother to tie up.
“Penny,” she said breathlessly. “I didn’t get half a chance to thank you this afternoon for helping me in the race.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Penny laughed. “I merely went along for the ride.”
“That may be your story, but everyone who saw the race knows better. What I really came here for is to ask you to spend the night with me aboard the River Queen. We’ll have a chance to get better acquainted.”
The invitation caught Penny by surprise. Sally mistook her hesitation for reluctance.
“Probably you don’t feel you want to leave here,” she said quickly. “It was just one of those sudden ideas of mine.”
“I want to come,” Penny answered eagerly. “If Mr. and Mrs. Gandiss wouldn’t mind. Wait and I’ll ask.”
The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels Page 140