Chapter III: Part 3

"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 doesn'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."

Darting to the house, she talked over the matter with her father and then with her hostess. "By all means go," the latter urged. "I imagine you will enjoy the experience. Jack can pick you up in the motorboat in the morning."

Packing her pajamas and a few toilet articles into a tight roll, Penny ran back to the dock. Jack and Sally were arguing about details of the afternoon race, but they abandoned the battle as she hurried up.

"Jack, you're to pick me up tomorrow morning," she advised him as she climbed aboard the _Cat's Paw_, "Don't forget."

The _River Queen_ already had been anchored for the night in a quiet cove half a mile down river. With darkness approaching, lights were winking all along the shore. Across the river, the Gandiss factory was a blaze of white illumination. Farther downstream, the colored lights of an amusement park with a high roller coaster, cut a bright pattern in the sky.

Sally glanced for a moment toward the factory but made no mention of her unpleasant experience there. "Pop and I stay alone at night on the _Queen_," she explained as they approached the ferry. "Our crew is made up of men who live in town, so usually they go home after the six o'clock run."

Skillfully bringing the _Cat's Paw_ alongside the anchored _Queen_, she shouted for her father to help Penny up the ladder. Making the smaller craft secure for the night, she followed her to the deck.

"What's cooking, Pop?" she asked, sniffing the air.

"Catfish," the captain answered as he went aft. "Better get to the galley and tend to it, or we may not have any supper."

The catfish, sizzling in butter, was on the verge of scorching. Sally jerked the pan from the stove, and then with Penny's help, set a little built-in table which swung down from the cabin wall, and prepared the remainder of the meal.

Supper was not elaborate but Penny thought she had never tasted better food. The catfish was crisp and brown, and there were French fried potatoes and a salad to go with it. For dessert, Captain Barker brought a huge watermelon from the refrigerator, and they split it three ways.

"It's fun living on a ferryboat!" Penny declared enthusiastically as she and Sally washed the dishes. "I can't see why you ever would want to work in a factory when you can live such a carefree life here."

The remark was carelessly made. Penny regretted it instantly for she saw the smile leave Sally's face.

"I worked at the factory because I wanted to help make airplanes, and because Pop can't afford to give me much money," she explained quietly. "It was all a mistake. I realize that now."

"I'm sorry," Penny apologized, squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to be so stupid. As far as your discharge is concerned, you'll be cleared."

"How?"

"Mr. Gandiss has detectives working on the case."

"Detectives!" Sally gave a snort of disgust. "Why, everyone in the plant knows who they are!"

After dishes were done, the girls went on deck. Protected from the night breezes by warm lap rugs, they sat listening to the lallup of the waves against the _River Queen_. Captain Barker's pipe kept the mosquitoes away and he talked reminiscently of his days as a boy on the waterfront.

Presently, the blast of a motorboat engine cut the stillness of the night. Sally, straightening in her chair, listened intently.

"There goes Jack again!" she observed, glancing at her father. "To the Harpers', no doubt."

The light of the boat became visible and Sally followed it with her eyes as it slowly chugged upstream.

"I was right!" she exclaimed a moment later.

Penny's curiosity was aroused, for she knew that Jack absented himself from home nearly every night, and that his actions were a cause of worry to his parents. "Who are the Harpers?" she inquired.

"Oh! they live across the river where you see those red and blue lights," Sally said, pointing beyond the railing. "The house stands on stilts over the water, and is a meeting place for the scum of the city!"

"Sally!" her father reproved.

"Well, it's the truth! Ma Harper and her no-account husband, Claude, run an outdoor dance pavilion, but their income is derived from other sources too. Black market sales, for instance."

"Sally, your tongue is rattling like a chain!"

"Pop, you know very well the Harpers are trash."

"Nevertheless, don't make statements you can't prove."

Sally's outspoken remarks worried Penny because of their bearing upon Mr. Gandiss' son. "You don't think Jack is mixed up with the Harpers in black market dealings?" she asked.

"Oh, no!" Sally got up from the deck chair. "He goes there to have a good time. And if you ask me, Jack ought to stop being a playboy grasshopper!"

Captain Barker knocked ashes from his pipe and put it deep in his jacket pocket. "The shoe pinches," he told Penny with a wink. "Sally never learned to dance. I hear tell there's a girl who goes to the Harper shindigs that's an expert at jitter-bugging!"

"That has nothing to do with me!" Sally said furiously. "I'm going to bed!"

Captain Barker arose heavily from his chair. "How about the day's passenger receipts?" he asked. "Locked in the cabin safe?"

"Yes, we took in more than two hundred dollars today."

"That makes over five hundred in the safe," the captain said, frowning. "You'll have to take it to the bank first thing in the morning, I don't like to have so much cash aboard."

Going to the cabin they were to share, Sally and Penny undressed and tumbled into the double-deck beds. The gentle motion of the boat and the slap of waves on the _Queen's_ hull quickly lulled them to sleep.

How long Penny slumbered she did not know. But toward morning she awoke in darkness to find Sally shaking her arm.

"What is it?" Penny mumbled drowsily. "Time to get up?"

"Sh!" Sally warned. "Don't make a sound!"

Penny sat up in the bunk. Her friend, she saw, had started to dress.

"I think someone is trying to get aboard!" Sally whispered. "Listen!"

Penny could hear no unusual sound, only the wash of the waves.

"I distinctly heard a boat grate against the _Queen_ only a moment ago," Sally pulled on her slacks and thrust her feet into soft-soled slippers which would make no sound. "I'm going on deck to investigate!"

Penny was out of bed in a flash. "Wait!" she commanded. "I'm going with you!"

Dressing with nervous haste, she tiptoed to the cabin door with Sally. Stealing through the dark corridors to the companionway, they could hear no unusual sound. But midway up the steps, Sally's keen ears heard movement.

"Someone is in the lounge!" she whispered. "It may be Pop but I don't think so! Come on, and we'll see."

CHAPTER
13
_THE STOLEN TROPHY_

Hand in hand the two girls tiptoed to the entranceway of the lounge. Distinctly they could hear someone moving about in the darkness, and the sound came from the direction of a small cabin which the Barkers used as an office room.

"Pop!" Sally called sharply. "Is that you?"

She was answered only by complete silence. Then a plank creaked. The prowler was stealing stealthily toward the girls!

"Pop!" shouted Sally at the top of her lungs, groping to find a light switch.

Before she could illuminate the room, a man brushed past the two girls. Penny seized him by the coat. A sharp object pierced her finger. She was thrust back against the wall so hard that it knocked the breath from her. The man twisted, and jerking his coat free, dashed up the stairs.

"Pop!" Sally called again.

Captain Barker, armed with revolver and flashlight, came out of his cabin. By this time, Sally had found and turned on the light switch.

"A prowler!" she cried. "He ran up on deck."

"Stay below!" ordered the captain. "I'll get him!"

Penny and Sally had no intention of missing any of the excitement. Close at Captain Barker's heels, they darted up the companionway to the deck. To the starboard, the trio heard a slight splash, then the sound of steady dipping oars.

"Someone's getting away in a rowboat!" Sally cried.

Captain Barker ran to the railing. "Halt!" he shouted. "Halt or I'll fire!"

The man, a mere shadow in the mist arising from the river, rowed faster. Captain Barker fired two shots, purposely high. The man ducked down into the boat, and a moment later switched on an outboard motor, which rapidly carried him beyond view.

"Did you see who the fellow was, Sally?" the captain demanded wrathfully.

"No, it was too dark. Do you think he got away with the money in the safe?"

Fearing the worst, the trio descended to an office room adjoining the passenger lounge. A chair had been overturned there, but the door of the safe remained locked.

"You girls must have surprised him before he had time to steal the money," Captain Barker declared in relief. "No harm done, but this is the first time in six years that anyone tried to sneak aboard the _Queen_. We'll have to keep a better watch from now on."

As the girls turned to leave the cabin, Sally saw that Penny was looking at the third finger of her right hand.

"Why, you're hurt!" she cried.

Penny's hand was smeared with blood which came from a tiny pin-prick wound on the finger.

"It's nothing," she insisted.

Sally ran to a cabinet for gauze, iodine and cotton. "How did it happen?" she asked.

"I tried to stop the prowler. As I grabbed his coat, something stuck my finger. It must have been a pin."

The wound was superficial and did not pain Penny. Sally wrapped the finger for her, and then after Captain Barker had said he would remain up for awhile, they returned to bed.

Throughout the night there were no further disturbances. At dawn the girls arose, feeling only a little tired as the result of their night's adventure. They had time for a quick swim in the river before breakfast and disgraced themselves by eating six pancakes each.

"The crew will be coming aboard soon," Sally said, glancing at her watch. "I usually sweep out the lounge and straighten up a bit before we make our first passenger run."

Penny, who had nothing to do until Jack could come to take her back to the island, eagerly offered to help. Armed with brooms and dust rags, the girls went below.

In the doorway, Penny paused, staring at the overhead beam.

"Why, Sally," she commented in astonishment. "What did you do with the lantern trophy? Take it down?"

"No, it's still there."

Alarmed by Penny's question, Sally moved past her, gazing at the beam. Where the brass lantern had hung, there now was only a neatly severed chain.

"Why, it's gone!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Wasn't it here last night when we went to bed?"

"Of course."

"Then it was stolen last night!"

Dropping broom and dustpan, Sally brought a chair and inspected the chain. Obviously it had been cut by sharp metal scissors.

"That prowler who came aboard last night must have done it!" she exclaimed angrily. "Oh, what a mean, low trick!"

As the full realization of what the loss would mean came to her, Sally sank down on the chair, a picture of dejection.

"I'm responsible for the trophy, Penny! I'll be expected to produce it before the final race. Oh, what can we do?"

"Why do you suppose the thief took the lantern and nothing else?"

"Someone may have done it for pure spite. But I'm more inclined to think the person came aboard to steal our money in the office safe. The lantern hung here in a conspicuous place and he may have taken it on impulse."

Intending to notify Captain Barker of the loss, the girls started up the companionway. Abruptly, Penny paused, her attention drawn to an object lying on one of the steps. It was a circular badge with a picture and a number on it. No name. Such identifications, she knew, were used by many industrial plants.

"Where did this come from?" she murmured, picking it up.

The face on the badge was unfamiliar to her. The man had dark, bushy hair, sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones.

Sally turned to examine the identification pin. "Why, this badge came from the Gandiss factory!" she exclaimed, and studied the picture intently.

"Did you ever see the man before?"

"I can't place him, Penny. Yet I know I have seen him somewhere."

"The man should be easy to trace from this picture and number. When I caught hold of his clothing last night, I must have pulled off the pin. That was how my finger was pricked."

As the girls examined the pin, they heard a commotion on deck and the sound of voices. Before they could go up the steps to investigate, Jack Gandiss came clattering down to the lounge.

"I came to take you back to the island, Penny," he informed. "Ready?"

Then his gaze fastened upon the beam where the brass lantern had hung.

"Say, what became of the trophy?" he demanded sharply. "You decided to take it down after all?"

"It's gone," Sally said, misery in her voice. "Stolen!"

The two girls waited for the explosion, but strangely, Jack said nothing for a moment.

"You warned me," Sally hastened on. "Oh, it's all my fault. It was conceited and selfish of me to display the trophy here. I deserve everything you're going to say."

Still Jack remained mute, staring at the beam.

"Go on--tell me what you're thinking," Sally challenged miserably.

"It's a tough break," Jack said without rancor.

"This will practically ruin the race," Sally accused herself. "I can't replace the trophy for there's no other like it. An ordinary cup never would seem the same."

"That's so," Jack gloomily agreed. "Well, if it's gone, it's gone, and there's nothing more to be done."

The boy's calm acceptance of the calamity he had predicted, astonished Penny and Sally. Was this the Jack they knew? With a perfect opportunity to say, "I told you so," he had withheld blame.

Sally sank down on the lower step. "How will I face the racing committee?" she murmured. "What will the other contestants say? They'll feel like running me out of town."

"Maybe it won't be necessary to tell," Jack said slowly. "One of us is almost certain to win the race next Friday."

"Yes, that's true, but--"

"If you win, the lantern would be yours for keeps. Should I win, no one would need to know that you hadn't turned it over to me. You could make some excuse at the time of the presentation."

Sally gazed at Jack with a new light in her eyes. "I'm truly sorry for all the hateful things I've said to you in the past," she declared earnestly. "You're a true blue friend."

"Maybe I'm sorry about some of the cracks I made too," he grinned, extending his hand. "Shake?"

Sally sprang up and grasped the hand firmly, but her eyes were misty. She hastened to correct any wrong impression Jack might have gained.

"I'm glad you made the offer you did," she said, "but I never would dream of keeping the truth from the committee. I'll notify them today."

"Why be in such a hurry?" Penny asked. "The race is a week away. In that time we may be able to find the trophy. After all, we have a good clue."

"What clue?" asked Jack.

Penny showed him the pin. As he gazed at the picture on the face of the badge, a strange expression came into his eyes.

"You know the man?" Penny asked instantly.

"He works at our factory. But that's not where I've seen him."

"At the Harpers?" Sally asked.

"Yes," Jack admitted unwillingly. "I don't know his name, but he is a friend of Ma Harper and her husband."

"And of that no-account Joe, the Sweeper?"

"I don't know about that." The questioning had made Jack uncomfortable.

"The man should be arrested!"

"We have no proof, Sally," Penny pointed out. "While we're satisfied in our own minds that the man who took the lantern is the person who lost the badge, we can't be certain."

"The badge may have been dropped by a passenger yesterday," Jack added. "Let me find out this fellow's name first, and a few facts about him."

"I don't believe your friends, the Harpers, will tell you much," Sally said stiffly. "They're the scum of the waterfront. How you can go there--"

Penny, who saw that another storm was brewing, quickly intervened, saying it was time she and Jack started for the island. Sally, taking the hint, allowed the subject to drop.

But as she went on deck to see the pair off in Jack's motorboat, she whispered to Penny:

"See me this afternoon, if you can. I have an idea I don't want Jack to know about. If we work together, we may be able to trace the trophy."

CHAPTER
14
_TRAPPED_

Jack had little to say about the theft as he and Penny returned to the Gandiss home. However, after lunch he offered to go to his father's factory to learn the identity of the employee who had lost the badge aboard the _River Queen_.

"Want to come along?" he invited.

Ordinarily, Penny would have welcomed the opportunity, but remembering that Sally had wished to see her, she regretfully turned down the invitation.

"I'll ride across the river if you don't mind," she said. "I have an errand in town."

By this time Penny was familiar with the daily route of the _River Queen_ and knew where it would dock to pick up and unload passengers. Sally, she felt certain, would be aboard, expecting her.

They crossed the river in the motorboat, making an appointment to meet again at four o'clock. After Jack had gone, Penny set off for the _River Queen's_ dock where a sizable group of passengers awaited the ferry.

Soon the _Queen_ steamed in, her bell signaling a landing. Passengers crowded the railing, eager to be the first off. A crewman stood at the wheel, and Sally was nowhere to be seen.

As the boat brushed the dock, sailors leaped off to make fast to the dock posts. Captain Barker, annoyed because the passengers were pushing, bellowed impatient orders to his men: "All right, start that gangplank forward! Lively! Are you going to sleep over it all day?"

Then, seeing Penny, he raised his hand in friendly greeting.

"Is Sally aboard?" she called to him.

"No, she went up the shore a ways--didn't say where," the captain replied, waving his hand upriver. "Ought to be back here any minute."

Sally, however, did not appear, and the _Queen_ pulled away without her. Penny loitered on the dock for twenty minutes. The sun was hot and with nothing to do, time lay heavy upon her. It lacked a half hour before the _River Queen_ would return, and fully two hours before she was due to meet Jack. For lack of occupation, she walked upriver along the docks.

Buildings were few and far between. There were several fish houses, a boat rental place and the half-deserted amusement park. The beach beyond made easy walking, so Penny kept on. With quickening interest she saw that she was approaching a two-story building which appeared to stand on stilts over the water. Close by was a large, smoothly cemented area with overhead lights.

"That's the Harper place!" Penny recognized it. "With the dance area adjoining."

She moved on along the beach. Drawing closer to the building, she passed a clump of bushes fringing the sand. The leaves stirred slightly though there was no breeze. Penny failed to notice the movement.

But as she passed the bushes, a hand reached out and grasped her ankle.

Startled, Penny uttered a nervous cry.

"Be quiet, you goon!" a familiar voice bade.

It was Sally Barker crouched amid the foliage. Quickly she pulled Penny with her behind the bushes.

"Sally, what are you doing here?" Penny demanded.

"Watching that house. I saw you a long way down the beach."

"Anything doing?"

"A boat is coming in now. That's why I didn't want you to be seen."

A rowboat with an outboard, rapidly approached the Harper pier. Already it was making a wide sweep preparatory to a landing.

"Why, it's that fellow, Joe the Sweeper!" Penny exclaimed, peering out from the hiding place. "Who is steering the boat?"

"Claude Harper," Sally revealed. "Ma Harper's husband."

"Wonder what Joe would be doing here?"

"That's what I'd like to know myself," Sally returned grimly. "Joe isn't as stupid as he's given credit for being. He's crafty and mean, and being mixed up with the Harpers is no recommendation."

While the girls watched, the boat landed. The two men tied up the craft, and removing a burlap sack which apparently was filled with something heavy, carried it into the two-story house.

"I wish we knew what they brought here," Penny said. "Why not try to find out?"

"How?"

"Couldn't we sneak up to the house and peek in one of the windows?"

"We might be caught."

"True, but we'll learn nothing more here."

Debating a moment, the girls emerged from their hiding place. To reach the house they were compelled to cross an open stretch of beach. However, no one was to be seen outside the dwelling and their arrival appeared to attract no notice of anyone inside.

"How about that window at the east side?" Penny suggested.

The one she pointed out was half screened by bushes and at a level which would permit them to peer inside.

"Okay," agreed Sally, "but I'd hate to be caught at this business. The Harpers hate me and they would be mighty unpleasant if they came upon us snooping."

"What a harsh word!" chuckled Penny. "All this comes under the heading of investigation! The only difference is that Mr. Gandiss' detectives are paid and we aren't."

"If I could get the brass lantern back that would be pay enough for me," Sally returned.

Creeping to the window, the girls cautiously peeped into the house. The panes were so dirty it was hard to see inside. But they were able to distinguish three persons sitting at a living room table. Papers were spread out before them, and they were adding figures. There was no sign of the sack which had been carried into the house.

"Who are they?" Penny asked her companion.

"Joe the Sweeper, Ma Harper and her husband. Another woman is coming into the room now. But she's only a stupid houseworker Ma hires by the week."

Sally moved backwards, intending to give Penny her place at the window. Inadvertently, she stepped on a stick which broke in two with a snap. Though the sound was not loud, it apparently was heard by those inside the house.

For immediately Claude Harper shoved back his chair and started toward the window.

"What was that?" the girls heard him mutter. "I thought I heard someone outside."

"Quick! Crouch down or he'll see us!" Penny warned, pulling Sally to the ground.

Claude Harper, a sallow-faced man in dirty leather jacket, appeared at the window. To the alarm of the girls, he thrust up the sash. In plain view, should he peer down over the ledge, they held their breath.

The man, however, gazed toward the boat docks. "I don't see anyone," he reported to his companions. "I was sure I heard something--" he broke off, ending sharply: "And I did too!"

"What is it, Claude?" his wife called.

"Anyone been here this afternoon?" he demanded.

"Nary a soul until you came."

"Take a look at those shoetracks in the sand!"

Hearing the words, Penny and Sally gazed behind them. From the bush on the beach to the wall where they crouched, led a telltale trail.

"I'll go outside and look around!" Harper said to his wife. He slammed down the window.

"We're sunk!" Sally moaned. "We can't run across the beach without being seen, and we're certain to be caught here."

Keeping close to the wall, treading in firm earth which left no visible shoemarks, the girls crept around the building corner. The slamming of a door warned them that Claude Harper already was on their trail.

"Someone's been here by the window!" they heard him shout.

Frantically, the girls looked about for a place to hide. There was no shrubbery nearby, only the waterfront. Penny's desperate gaze fastened upon the rowboat tied up at the pier nearby. In the bottom lay an old canvas sail.

"Quick! The boat!" she whispered to Sally.

"We'll be caught there sure!"

"It's even more certain if we stay here. Come on, it's our only chance."

Choosing the lesser of two evils, they tiptoed across the pier. Though many of the boards were rotten and loose, their shoes fortunately made no sound.

Scrambling down into the boat, the girls jerked the canvas sail over them. Barely had they hidden themselves, than their hearts sank, for they heard heavy footsteps approaching on the pier.

CHAPTER
15
_UNDER THE SAIL_

That Claude Harper was searching for them, the girls did not doubt. But though he knew someone had been peering in the window, they were hopeful he had not actually seen them. Huddling beneath the sail in the bottom of the boat, they nervously waited.

The man came farther out on the pier, the boards creaking beneath his weight. At any instant the girls expected to have the sailcloth jerked from their heads. However, Harper's attention was diverted as Sweeper Joe came out of the house.

"Find anyone?" the factory worker asked.

"No, but tracks lead to the window. Someone's been spying."

"Kids probably."

"I don't know about that," Claude Harper returned gruffly. "I'd feel a lot safer if we didn't have all that stuff in the basement. What's our chances of getting rid of it tonight?"

"We can't do it. Tomorrow or next night maybe. Arrangements have got to be made, and if we try to push things, we'll end up in a jam."

The voices faded away, though not entirely. Presently daring to peep from beneath the canvas, Penny saw that the two men had seated themselves on the rear steps of the house at the edge of the river and within plain view of the tied-up boat.

"We're in a nice position now!" she whispered to Sally. "Suppose they sit there until they decide to leave in this boat?"

"We'll be caught. We're the same as trapped now unless they go back into the house."

The two men showed no inclination to leave. They talked earnestly together, evidently making plans of some sort. Though the girls tried hard to overhear, they could catch only an occasional word. After awhile, Ma Harper, a wiry, ugly woman with stringy black hair, came outdoors to join the men on the steps.

"It's getting late," she warned. "If you're goin' to tend to that job today, you'll have to be gettin' across the river. Ain't you due to show up for work at four o'clock, Joe?"

"That's right," the man yawned, getting up. "I'll be glad when I can chuck the whole business and live without workin'."

Though Penny and Sally did not hear much of the conversation, it was evident to them that the men were about ready to make use of the boat.

"We're sunk," Sally whispered fearfully. "Maybe we ought to climb out of here and make a dash for it."

Penny offered a better idea. "Why not untie the rope, and let the boat drift off?" she proposed. "The current is swift and should carry us downstream fairly fast."

"Any other boat around that they can use to follow us in?"

"I don't see any." Penny raised the sail a little higher as she gazed along the pier and nearby beach.

"All right, then do your stuff," Sally urged.

While she held the sail slightly above Penny's head so that no movement would be discernible to those on the house steps, the latter reached her hands from beneath the cloth and swiftly untied the rope. The boat began to drift away. Covered by the sail, the girls lay motionless and flat on the craft's bottom.

At first nothing happened. But as they began to hope that the men would not notice the drifting boat, they heard an explosive shout.

"Look!" Claude Harper exclaimed. "Our boat!"

"Jumpin' fish hooks!" Sweeper Joe muttered. "How did that happen? I tied 'er secure."

"It looks like it," the other retorted sarcastically. "I can't afford to lose that boat."

The girls could hear running footsteps on the pier and boardwalk near the dance pavilion. Sally dared to peep from beneath the canvas again.

"They're after a motorboat!" she reported tensely. "Harper has one he keeps locked in a boathouse."

"How close are we to the bend in the river?"

"About twenty yards."

The swift current was doing its best for the girls, swinging their boat toward the bend. Once beyond it, they would be temporarily hidden from the pier. But the current also was tending to carry them farther and farther from shore.

"Do we dare row?" Penny asked nervously.

"Not yet. Harper is having trouble getting the engine of his boat started," Sally reported. "We'll be safe for a minute or two. We're getting closer to the bend."

To the nervous girls, the boat scarcely seemed to move. Then at last it passed the bend and they were screened by willow trees and bushes.

"Now!" Sally signalled in a tense whisper.

Throwing off the sail, they seized oars and paddled with all their strength.

"Quiet!" Sally warned as Penny's oar made a splash. "Sounds carry plainly over the water."

The blast of a motorboat engine told them that Harper and his companion had started in pursuit. Only a minute or two would be required for them to round the bend.

Throwing caution to the winds, Sally and Penny dug in with their oars, shooting their craft toward shore. The boat grated softly on the sand. Instantly, the girls leaped out, splashing through ankle-deep water.

As Sally was about to start across the beach, Penny seized her hand.

"We mustn't leave a trail of footprints this time!" she warned.

Treading a log at the water's edge, Penny walked its length to firm ground which took no visible shoe print. Sally followed her to a clump of bushes where they crouched and waited.

Barely had they taken cover when the motorboat came into view, heading for the little cove. There Claude Harper recaptured the runaway rowboat, tying it to the stern of the other craft.

Suddenly Penny was dismayed as she realized that in their flight, a most important detail had been overlooked.

"The oars!" she whispered. "They're wet!"

"Maybe the men won't see," Sally said hopefully. "We left them half covered by the canvas."

Intent only upon returning to the pier, Claude Harper and his companion failed to notice anything amiss. Apparently assuming the boat had been carelessly tied and had drifted away under its own power, they were not suspicious.

"That was a narrow squeak," Penny sighed in relief as the motorboat with the other craft in tow finally disappeared around the bend. "The oars will quickly dry in the sun, so I guess we're safe."

Now that they were well out of trouble, the adventure seemed fun. Penny glanced at her wristwatch, observing that it was past four o'clock.

"Jack will be waiting for me," she said to Sally. "I'll have to hurry."

"We'll have plenty of time," Sally returned carelessly. "You usually can count on Jack being half an hour late for appointments."

Walking swiftly along the deserted shore, the girls discussed what they had overheard at the Harpers.

"We stirred up a big fuss and didn't learn too much," Penny said regretfully. "All the same, it looks as if the Harpers and Sweeper Joe are mixed up in this brass business together."

"They spoke of having something stored in the basement. That is what interests me. Oh, Penny, if only we could go back there sometime when the Harpers are gone and really investigate!"

"Maybe we can."

Sally shook her head. "Ma Harper almost never goes away from home. But sometimes she has streams of visitors from Osage--mostly women. I've often wondered why."

"Factory girls?"

"No, they're housewives and every type of person. I think Mrs. Harper must be selling something to them, but I never could figure it out."

The _River Queen_ was at the far side of the river, so Sally, for lack of occupation, walked on with Penny to the dock where she was to meet Jack. Greatly to their surprise, he was there ahead of them, and evidently had been waiting for some length of time.

Seeing the girls, he slowly arose to his feet.

"Well, Jack, what did you learn at the factory?" Penny asked eagerly.

"Why, not much of anything."

"You mean you weren't able to find out the name of the man who dropped his badge aboard the _Queen_?" Penny asked incredulously.

"Of course you learned the name if you really tried," Sally added. "Every single badge used at your factory would be recorded!"

Thus trapped, Jack said lamely: "Oh, I learned his name all right. Take it easy, and I'll tell you."

CHAPTER
16
_SILK STOCKINGS_

Puzzled by Jack's behavior and his evident reluctance to reveal what he had learned, Penny and Sally sat down beside him on the dock. At their urging he said:

"Well, I traced the number through our employment office. The badge was issued to a worker named Adam Glowershick."

Neither of the girls ever had heard of the name, but Sally, upon studying the picture again, was sure she recalled having seen him as a passenger aboard the _River Queen_.

"He's a punch press operator," Jack added.

"And he's the man you thought you knew?" Penny asked curiously.

"Yes. As I told you, I've seen him at the Harpers." Jack acted ill at ease.

The girls exchanged a quick glance. But they did not tell Jack of their recent adventure.

"Well, why don't we have the fellow arrested?" Sally demanded after a moment of silence. "I'm satisfied he stole the brass lantern. He probably came aboard for money, and unable to get into the safe, took the trophy for meanness."

"Or he may be mixed up with the gang of factory brass thieves," Penny supplied.

"You can't prove a case against a man, because he might have dropped the badge anytime he happened to be a passenger aboard the ferry," Jack said. "It would do no good to have him booked on suspicion."

"Is he a friend of yours?" Sally asked significantly.

"Of course not!"

"Jack is right about it," Penny interposed hastily. "We need more information before we ask police to make an arrest. Any other news, Jack?"

"Nothing startling. But you know that detective your father brought here from Riverview?"

"Heiney?"

"Yes, he reported today that Sweeper Joe contacted him again, offering to sell a large quantity of brass. An appointment has been made for the delivery Friday night. If it proves to be stolen brass, then he's trapped himself."

"Can they prove it's the same brass?"

"Heiney numbers and records every piece he buys. He should be able to establish a case."

Knowing that her father had intended to keep the junkman's activities a secret, Penny was disturbed by Jack's talking in public. Evidently he had gleaned this latest information from his father. She was even more troubled by his attitude toward Adam Glowershick.

Presently saying goodbye to Sally, she and Jack returned to Shadow Island. A strange boat was tied up in the berth usually occupied by the _Spindrift_. Since the sailboat was nowhere along the dock, it was evident that Mr. Gandiss, his wife, and Mr. Parker had gone for an outing on the river.

"We seem to have a visitor," Penny remarked.

Jack said nothing, but intently studied the man who slouched near the boathouse, hat pulled low to shade his eyes from the sun glare.

"Why, isn't that the same fellow whose picture was on the factory badge!" Penny exclaimed. "Adam Glowershick!"

"Careful or he'll hear you," Jack warned, scowling. "I know this man. He's here to see me."

Penny gazed again at the stranger who had dark bushy hair and prominent cheekbones. "If that isn't Glowershick, it's his twin!" she thought, and asked Jack if he had the factory badge with him.

"No, I haven't," he answered irritably. "Furthermore, I wish you would cut out such wild speculation. He'll hear you."

Jack brought the boat in. Leaping ashore, he asked Penny to fasten the ropes. "I'll be back in a minute," he flung at her as he strode off.

It took time to make the craft secure. When Penny glanced up from her work, Jack and the stranger had disappeared behind the boathouse.

"Queer how fast Jack ducked out of here," she thought.

More than a little annoyed by the boy's behavior, Penny started up the gravel path to the house. Midway there she heard footsteps, and turning, saw Jack hastening after her.

"Penny--" he began diffidently.

She waited for him to go on.

"I hate to ask this," he said uncomfortably, "but how are you fixed for money?"

"I have a little. Dad gave me a fairly large sum to spend when we came here."

"Could you let me have twenty dollars? It would only be a loan for a few days. I--I wouldn't ask it, only I need it badly."

"Dad only gave me twenty-five, Jack."

"I'll pay you back in just a few days, Penny. Honest I will."

"I'll help you out of your jam," Penny agreed unwillingly, "but something tells me I shouldn't do it. Your parents--"

"Don't say anything to them about it," Jack pleaded. "My father gives me a good allowance, and if he knew I had spent all of it ahead, he'd have a fit."

Penny went to her room for the money, returning with four crisp five dollar bills. She had planned to buy a new dress but now it must wait.

"Thanks," Jack said gratefully, fairly snatching the money from her hand. "Oh, yes, another favor--please don't mention to my folks that anyone was here today."

"Who is the man, Jack?"

"Oh, just a fellow I met." The boy started moving away. Penny, however, pursued him down the path.

"Not so fast, Jack. Since I have a financial interest in your affairs now, it's only fair that I ask a few questions. Did you meet this man at the Harpers?"

"What if I did?"

"Now you're in debt to him and he's pressing you for money. You don't want your parents to know."

"Something like that," Jack muttered, avoiding her steady gaze.

"I don't like being a party to anything I fail to understand. Jack, if you expect me to keep quiet about this, you'll have to make a promise."

"What is it?"

"That you'll not go to the Harpers' again."

"Okay, I'll promise," Jack agreed promptly. "The truth is, I've had enough of the place. Now, is the lecture concluded?"

"Quite finished," Penny replied.

With troubled eyes she watched Jack return to the boathouse and hand her money to the bushy-haired stranger.

"Maybe that fellow isn't Glowershick," she thought, "but he certainly looks like the picture. If Jack should be mixed up with those brass thieves--"

Penny deliberately dismissed the idea from her mind. A guest of the Gandiss' family, she could not permit herself to distrust Jack. He was inclined to be wild, irresponsible and at times arrogant, yet she had never questioned his basic character. Even though it disturbed her to know that he had given money to the stranger, she refused to believe that he was dishonest or that he would betray his father's trust.

If Penny hoped that Jack would offer a complete explanation for his actions, she was disappointed. After the stranger had gone, he deliberately avoided her. And that night at dinner, he had very little to say.

When the meal was finished, Jack roved restlessly about the house, not knowing what to do with himself. "I hope you're planning on staying home tonight," his mother commented. "Lately, you've scarcely spent an evening here."

"There's nothing to do on an island," Jack complained. "I thought I might run in to town for an hour or so."

He met Penny's gaze and amended hastily: "On second thought, I guess I won't. How about an exciting game of chess?"

The evening was dull, heightened only by Mr. Gandiss' discussion of the latest difficulties at the factory. Another large quantity of brass had disappeared, he revealed to Mr. Parker.

"Perhaps our detectives will solve the mystery eventually," he declared, "but I'm beginning to lose heart. The firm has lost $60,000 already, and the thieves become bolder each day. At the start, only a small ring operated. Now I am convinced at least ten or fifteen employes may be in on the scheme to defraud me."

"The brass must be smuggled past the gateman," Mr. Parker commented thoughtfully.

"We have three of them," Mr. Gandiss replied. "Several persons have been turned in, but nothing ever could be proved against any individual who was searched."

Deeply interested in her father's remark, Penny kept thinking about Clark Clayton, the night-shift gateman, and his apparent friendship with Sweeper Joe. Late the next afternoon when she knew he would be on duty, she purposely arrived at the factory just as a large group of employes was leaving.

Though at his usual post, Clark Clayton did not appear especially alert. As employes filed past him, he paid them no special heed. Several persons who carried bulky packages were not even stopped for inspection.

"Why, a person could carry a ton of brass through that gate and he wouldn't know the difference!" she thought.

Making no attempt to enter the grounds, Penny watched for a while. Then she hailed a taxi cab, and told the driver to take her to the river.

They were nearing the docks when the man, glancing back over his shoulder, said carelessly: "How would you like to buy some genuine silk stockings?"

"How would I like to stake out a claim to part of the moon!" Penny countered, scarcely knowing how to take the question.

"No, I'm serious," the cab driver went on, slowing the taxi to idling pace. "I know a woman along the river who has a pretty fair stock of genuine silk stockings. Beauties."

"Black market?" Penny asked with disapproval.

"Well, no, I wouldn't call it that," the man argued. "She had a supply of these stockings and wants to get rid of them. Nothing wrong in that. Five dollars a pair."

"Five dollars a pair!" Penny echoed, barely keeping her temper.