Chapter IV: Part 4

"I'll bet a cent and a half that Old Noah still is on the old stamping grounds!" Penny remarked. "Sheriff Anderson probably hasn't found a way to get rid of him. Why, unless a regular deluge floods this stream, the ark never could be floated out to the main river."

"The sheriff could put Old Noah in jail."

"True, but a great many people would criticize him if he did."

A moment later the girls rounded a bend and saw the ark in its usual setting. A long clothes line had been stretched from bow to stern, and wet garments fresh from the wash tub, flapped in the breeze.

"Well, Noah is still here," chuckled Penny. "He's run up the white flag though! Or should we say the white flags!"

On the deck of the ark, Old Noah was so busy that he failed to note the approach of the two girls. He stood in the center of a ring of soiled clothes, laboring diligently over a tub of steaming suds.

As the girls reached the gangplank, a dog from inside the ark began an excited barking. Startled, Old Noah glanced up. Unnoticed by him, his long white beard slipped into the soapy water and he rubbed it vigorously on the washboard.

Scarcely able to control a giggle, Penny followed her chum aboard the ark. As Old Noah kept on scrubbing his beard she could not resist asking: "Excuse me, but aren't you washing your whiskers by mistake?"

Surprised, the old man straightened to his full height. Squeezing the dripping beard, he carefully wrung it out. Next he produced a comb from his loose fitting brown pantaloons, and painstakingly unsnarled the tangles. Then turning to the girls, he greeted them with his usual dignity.

"Good morning, my daughters. I am glad you kept your promise to visit me again."

"Good morning, Noah," responded Penny, trying not to laugh. "We thought we would drop by and see if you were still here. I remember Sheriff Anderson said he was going to call on you again."

The old man's weather beaten face crinkled into deep wrinkles. "Ho, ho! So he did, but he reckoned without the Might of the Righteous. I was watching for him when he came."

"I hope you didn't mistreat him," Penny said uneasily.

"When I observed his approach I untied my two hounds, Nip and Tuck, and hid myself in the forest. He was gone when I returned to the ark."

"Likewise, part of his anatomy, I suppose," commented Penny.

"Nip and Tuck did cause a commotion," Old Noah acknowledged, "but they did him no harm. When he went away the sheriff left a cowardly note tacked to a tree. It said he would return to dispossess me. Before that happens, I will blow this ark to Kingdom Come!"

"How will you do that?" inquired Penny, rather amused.

"With dynamite."

"Do you have any aboard the ark?"

Old Noah smiled mysteriously. "I know where I can lay my hands on all I'll need. When I was hiding in the woods yesterday, I saw where they keep it."

Penny and Louise glanced quickly at each other. While it was possible that Old Noah was talking wildly, the mention of dynamite made them uneasy. If it were true that he had come into possession of such a cache, then obviously it was their duty to report to the authorities.

"Who hid the dynamite?" Penny asked.

"I do not rightly know," replied Old Noah. "It may have been those strangers who were pestering me last night. They came to my ark and were very nosey, asking me about this and that."

"Not officers?"

"They had no connection with the Law, speaking of it with great contempt."

"How many men were there, Noah?"

"Two."

"And they came by car?"

"Bless you, no," replied Noah wearily. "They arrived in a motorboat. Of all the pop-poppin' you ever heard! It almost drove my animals crazy."

"After they talked to you, the men went away again in their boat?"

"They started off, but as soon as they had turned the bend they switched out the motor. I wondered what they were up to, so I sneaked through the bushes and watched."

"Yes, go on!" Penny urged eagerly as Old Noah interrupted the narrative to wash another shirt. "What did the men do?"

"Why, nothing," answered the old man. "They just pulled the boat up into the bushes and went off and left it."

"The boat is still there?" Penny demanded.

"So far as I know, my daughter."

"Will you show us where the boat is hidden?" pleaded Penny. "And the dynamite cache too!"

"I am very busy now," Old Noah said, shaking his flowing locks. "I have this pesky washing to do, and then, there's all the animals to feed."

"Can't we help you?" offered Louise.

"I thank you kindly, but it would not be fit work for young ladies. If you will return tomorrow, I gladly will guide you to the place."

Penny and Louise tried their powers of persuasion, but the old man was not to be moved. In the end they had to be satisfied with a description of the site where the motorboat had been hidden. Old Noah stubbornly refused to tell them more about the cache of dynamite.

Finally, the girls said goodbye to the master of the ark, and hastened toward the river to join Sara. They were greatly excited by the information they had obtained.

"Old Noah may have talked for the fun of it," Penny declared as they struggled through the underbrush. "If not, I think we've stumbled into an important clue--one which may have a bearing on the bridge dynamiting case!"

CHAPTER
18
_PENNY'S PLAN_

Sara was waiting beside her boat when Penny and Louise came running along the muddy shore. Without apologizing for being so late, they excitedly related their conversation with Old Noah.

"Say, maybe that hidden motorboat is mine!" the girl exclaimed. "What did it look like?"

"We didn't take time to search for it," Penny replied. "We knew you would be waiting so we came straight here."

"Let's see if we can find it," Sara said, starting up the engine.

"Noah's animals don't like motorboats," Louise chuckled. "I suggest we do our searching afoot."

"All right," Sara agreed readily, switching the motor off again. "Lead and I'll follow."

Penny and Louise guided their companion to the mouth of Bug Run and thence along its slippery banks to a clump of overhanging willows.

"According to Old Noah's description, this should be the place," Penny declared, looking about. "No sign of a boat though."

Sara took off shoes and stockings and waded through the shallow, muddy water. Whenever she came to a clump of bushes, she would pull the branches aside to peer behind them.

"Old Noah may have been spoofing us," Penny began, but just then Sara gave a little cry.

"Here it is! I've found it!"

Penny and Louise slid down the bank to the water's edge. Behind a dense thicket, a motorboat had been pulled out on the sand. The engine remained attached, covered by a piece of canvas.

"Is it your boat, Sara?" Penny asked eagerly.

"It certainly is!" She spoke with emphasis. "The hull has been repainted, but it takes more than that to fool me."

"Any positive way to identify it?"

"By the engine number. Ours was 985-877 unless I'm mistaken. I have it written down at home."

"What's the number of this engine?"

"The same!" Sara cried triumphantly after she had removed the canvas covering and examined it. "This is my property all right, and I shall take it back with me."

"Old Noah spoke of two strangers who came here last night by boat," Penny said thoughtfully.

"The fellow who stopped at the dock probably picked up a pal later on," Sara commented, trying to shove the boat into the water. "My, this old tub is heavy! Want to help?"

"Wait, Sara!" Penny exclaimed. "Let's leave the boat here."

"Leave it here! Now that would be an idea! This little piece of floating wood represents nine hundred and fifty dollars."

"I don't mean that you're to lose the boat," Penny hastened to explain. "But if we take it now, we never will catch the fellow who stole it."

"That's true."

"If we leave the boat here we can keep watch of the place and catch those scamps when they come back."

"They may not come back," Sara said, without warming to the plan. "Besides, I've no time to do a Sherlock Holmes in the bushes. I have my dock to look after."

"Louise and I could do most of the watching."

"Well, I don't know," Sara said dubiously. "Something might go wrong. I never would get over it if I lost the boat."

"You won't lose the boat," promised Penny. "It's really important that we catch those two men, Sara. From what Old Noah said, they may be connected with the bridge dynamiting."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because Old Noah found a cache of dynamite somewhere near here."

"He won't tell us its location," added Louise.

"If it should develop that the men are saboteurs, we might learn something which would help your brother's case," Penny said persuasively. "How about it, Sara?"

"I'd be glad to risk the boat if I thought it would help Burt."

"Then let's leave it here. We can watch the spot night and day."

"And what will your parents have to say?"

Penny's face fell. "Well, I suppose when it comes right to it, Dad will set his foot down. But at least we can watch during the day time. Then if necessary, we might report to the police."

"Let's leave them out of it," Sara said feelingly. "If you girls will remain throughout the day, I'll stand the night watch."

"Not alone!" Louise protested.

"Why not?" Sara asked, amused. "I've frequently camped out along the river at night. Once I made a canoe trip the full length of the river just for the fun of it."

"Louise and I will stay here now while you return to the dock," Penny declared. "Better call our parents when you get there and break the news as gently as possible."

"What will you do for lunch?"

"Maybe we can beg a sandwich or a fried egg from Old Noah," Penny chuckled. "We'll manage somehow."

"Well, whatever you do, don't leave the boat unguarded," Sara advised, starting away. "As soon as it gets dark I'll come back."

Left to themselves, Penny and Louise explored the locality thoroughly. Not far away they found a log which offered a comfortable seat, and they screened it with brush.

"Now we're all ready for Mr. Saboteur," Penny said. "He can't come too soon to suit me."

"And just what are we going to do when he does arrive?"

"I forgot to figure that angle," Penny confessed. "We may have to call on Old Noah for help."

"Noah will be busy doing a washing or giving the goat a beauty treatment," Louise laughed.

The sun lifted higher, and steam rising from the damp earth made the girls increasingly uncomfortable. As the hours dragged by they rapidly lost zest for their adventure. Long before noon they were assailed by the pangs of hunger.

"If I could catch a bullfrog I'd be tempted to eat him raw," Penny remarked sadly. "How about chasing up to the ark? Noah might give us a nibble of something."

"Dare we go away and leave the boat?"

"Oh, it's safe enough for a few minutes," Penny returned. "The idea of staying here wasn't such a good one anyhow. What if those men should never come back?"

"This is a fine time to be thinking of that possibility!"

Moving quietly through the woods, the girls came to the ark. They could hear the hens cackling, and as they called Old Noah's name, the parrot answered, squawking: "Polly wants a cracker."

"You've got nothing on me, Polly," said Penny. "Where's your master?"

The old ark keeper was nowhere in evidence. Nor were the girls able to board the boat, for the gangplank had been removed.

"Now if this isn't a situation!" Penny exclaimed, exasperated. "It looks as if we're going to starve to death."

After lingering about the ark for a few minutes, they returned to their former hiding place. By this time they were so sorry for themselves that they could think of nothing but their discomfort. Belatedly, they recalled that Sara had smiled as she went away.

"She knew what we were up against staying here!" Penny declared. "Figured us for a couple of softies, I bet!"

"While everyone knows we're regular Commandos," Louise retorted sarcastically. "Why, if necessary we could go an entire day without eating."

"That's exactly what we will do," announced Penny with renewed determination. "I'll stay here until Sara comes if it kills me. But I hope you slug me if ever I get another idea like this."

"Don't worry, I will," promised Louise. "In fact, I may not wait that long!"

The hours dragged slowly on. All amusements failing them, the girls took turns sleeping. Twice they went to the ark, but Old Noah had not returned.

At last, as shadows lengthened, Louise and Penny were confronted with a new worry. It occurred to them that Sara might not expect to take over her duties until long after dark. The air had grown chilly, and hungry mosquitoes were swarming from their breeding places.

"Even my Mother doesn't seem concerned about me any more," Louise moaned, slapping at a foraging insect.

Penny glared at the motorboat snugly hidden in the underbrush. "If that thing weren't worth so much money, I'd certainly chuck this job. Even so, I'm just about desperate."

Louise, huddled against a tree trunk, suddenly straightened alertly. Placing a warning finger on her lips, she listened.

"Someone's coming, Penny!"

"Maybe it's Sara with a basket of food. I'd rather see her than a dozen saboteurs!"

"Keep quiet, you egg," Louise warned nervously.

Crouching low behind their shelter, the girls waited. They could hear a steady tramp, tramp of feet coming up the stream on their side of the bank.

"That's not Sara," murmured Penny. "She doesn't walk like an elephant. What'll we do if it should be a saboteur?"

"I'm scared," Louise chattered, hugging her chum's arm.

The footsteps came closer. Peering out through the screen of underbrush, the girls saw a young man coming straight toward their hiding place. In his hand he carried a safety-cap gasoline can.

"Who is he?" whispered Louise.

"Can't tell yet," Penny responded, straining her eyes to see. "He looks a little like--oh, my aunt! That's who it is--Bill Evans! Now what's he doing here?"

CHAPTER
19
_STANDING GUARD_

Keeping low amid the underbrush, Penny and Louise waited and watched. Bill Evans did not see them although he approached within a few feet of their hiding place. With no hesitation, he went to the motorboat and began filling the tank with gasoline.

"Bill Evans, a thief and a saboteur!" Louise whispered. "I'll never get over it!"

"Bill hasn't the pep to be a saboteur," Penny muttered. "There's something wrong with this melodrama, and I'm going to find out about it right now!"

Before Louise could stop her, she arose from the underbrush to confront the dumbfounded young man.

"Bill Evans, what do you think you're doing?" she demanded sternly.

Bill nearly dropped the gasoline can. "Why, I'm filling this tank," he replied. "Why are you girls hiding behind that log?"

"Because we've been waiting to catch a motorboat thief! And you're it!"

"Now listen here!" said Bill, setting down the gasoline can. "You can't insult me, Miss Penny Parker! Just what do you mean by that crack?"

"This motorboat was stolen from Sara Ottman. You're filling the tank with gasoline, so you must expect to make a get-away to parts unknown."

"This boat belongs to Sara Ottman?" Bill demanded in amazement.

"It certainly does."

"You're kidding. It belongs to a Mr. Wessler."

"Who's he?" asked Penny. "I never heard of him."

"Well, neither did I until this afternoon," Bill admitted. "He gave me a dollar to come over here and fill the tank of this boat with gas. I'm only carrying out orders."

"Now we're getting somewhere," Penny declared with satisfaction. "How did you meet Mr. Wessler?"

"I was working on the dock, tinkering with my engine, when a man came up and started talking to me. He said he was a friend of Mr. Wessler who was planning a fishing trip. Then he told me where the boat was, and said he'd give me a dollar if I'd run over and fill the tank with gasoline."

"Didn't you think it a rather peculiar request?"

"Not the way the fellow explained it. Mr. Wessler is a busy man and doesn't have time to look after such details."

"Mr. Wessler is afraid this locality is being watched, and he isn't taking any chances," Penny said soberly. "Bill, you've been assisting a thief!"

"Gee Whiskers!" Bill exclaimed, aghast. "I never thought about him not owning the boat. What should I do?"

"First of all, don't fill that tank with gasoline," Penny advised.

"It's about half full now."

"Can't you siphon it out?"

"Not without a tube, and I didn't bring one."

"You'll never in the world make a G-man," sighed Penny. "Well, at least you can describe the fellow who hired you."

Bill's brow puckered. "I didn't pay much attention," he admitted. "I'd say the fellow was about thirty-eight, with a little trick moustache."

"That can't be the man who originally rented the boat from Sara," Penny remarked, frowning.

"Say, are you really sure this boat belongs to the Ottmans?" Bill asked. "You know they're pretty badly tangled with the police. It said in the papers--"

"I know," interrupted Penny wearily. "Or do I know? I'm so mixed I feel like a perpetual motion machine running backwards."

"We've been watching here all day," Louise added, her voice quavering. "We've had nothing to eat. No wonder our minds are failing."

"Why don't you go home?"

"And let a saboteur run off with this boat?" Penny demanded. "We promised to stay here until Sara comes."

"Maybe she and her brother are pulling a fast one on you."

"I might think so, only this was my own idea," Penny answered. "Bill, did that man mention when his friend Wessler intended to go fishing?"

"No, he didn't."

"He might intend to use the boat tonight, and then again, perhaps not for several days. Say, Bill, how would you like to do your country a great service?"

"I'm aiming to enlist when I get through High School."

"This would be immediate service. Why not stay here and watch until Sara comes? It shouldn't be long."

"And what if those men should show up?"

"Just keep watch and see what they do. Of course, if they try to get away in the motorboat, you'll have to capture them."

"Oh, sure," Bill said sarcastically. "With my bare hands?"

"We won't leave you here long," Penny promised. "Louise and I haven't had a bite of food all day--"

"Okay, I'll do it," Bill gave in. "But see to it you're back here in an hour. Better bring the police too."

Learning that the young man had crossed the river in his own motorboat, the girls obtained permission to borrow it for the return trip. They found the craft at the mouth of Bug Run, and made a quick trip to the Ottman Dock.

"No one here," Penny observed as they alighted at the platform.

The boat shed was closed and locked. A small boy, loitering nearby, told the girls that he had not seen Sara Ottman for several hours.

"Now this is a nice dish of stew!" Penny exclaimed. "Where could she have gone? And why?"

"I know where I am going," announced Louise grimly. "Home! Be it ever so humble, there's no place like it when you're tired and hungry."

"But what about poor Bill? We can't expect him to stay in the woods all night."

"Well, there's a hamburger stand at the amusement park," Louise suggested after a moment. "We could go there for a sandwich. Then we might telephone home and request advice."

"Not a bad idea," Penny praised.

At the hamburger stand they ate three sandwiches each and topped off the meal with ice cream and pie. Seeking a public telephone, Penny then used a precious nickel to call her home. No one answered. Deciding that her father might be at the _Star_ office, she phoned there. Informed that Mr. Parker was not in the building, she asked for Mr. DeWitt.

"DeWitt left the office a half hour ago," came the discouraging response.

"I wonder where I can reach him?"

"Can't tell you," was the answer. "Burt Ottman has skipped his bail, and DeWitt's upset about it. He may have gone to talk to his lawyer."

"What was that about Burt Ottman?" Penny asked quickly.

"He's disappeared--skipped town. Due for trial day after tomorrow, too. Looks like DeWitt is holding the bag."

Penny hung up the receiver, more bewildered than ever. Without taking time to repeat the conversation to her chum, she called Sara's home.

For a long while she waited, but there was no reply. At last, hanging up, she eyed the coin box, expecting her nickel to be returned. Though she jiggled the receiver many times and dialed to attract the operator's attention, the coin was not forthcoming.

"You've had no luck," said Louise, taking Penny's place at the telephone. "Now it's my turn. I'll call home. Mother's always there."

She held out her hand, expecting a coin. Penny had nothing for her, and was forced to admit that she had used the last nickel on the preceding call.

"Then we have no bus money either!" gasped Louise.

"Stony broke--that's us."

"How can you be so cheerful about it?" Louise asked crossly. "We can't walk home--it would take us all night!"

"There's only one thing to do, Louise. We'll have to go back and talk to Bill. At least he should be able to loan us bus fare."

By this time the girls had lost all enthusiasm for saboteurs and sleuthing. As they recrossed the river in Bill's boat, they vowed that never again would they involve themselves in such a ridiculous situation.

"And just wait until I see Sara!" Penny added feelingly. "If I don't tear into her for playing a shabby trick on us!"

"She probably skipped town along with her brother," Louise replied. "I'm beginning to wonder if that motorboat we guarded so faithfully ever belonged to the Ottmans."

Landing not far from the mouth of Bug Run, the girls proceeded afoot to the site where Bill Evans last had been seen. To their relief, he had not deserted his post. Cold, his face swollen by mosquito bites, he hailed them joyously.

"Thought you were never coming back! I'm getting out of here, and how!"

"What happened while we were gone?" Penny asked sympathetically. "Didn't Sara come?"

"No one has been here."

As Bill started away, the girls tried to dissuade him.

"I wouldn't stay here another hour if you'd give me the boat!" he retorted. "I'm going home!"

Jerking free from Louise who sought to hold him by main force, he moved off.

"At least telephone our folks when you get to Riverview!" Penny shouted indignantly. "Tell our parents that if they're still interested in their daughters to come and lift us out of this sink hole!"

"Okay, I'll do that," Bill promised. "So long."

After the sound of footsteps had died away, Louise and Penny sat down on the log and took stock of the situation.

"Any way you look at it, we're just a couple of goats," Penny said dismally. "It wouldn't be so bad if Old Noah would take us into his ark with the rest of the animals, but he's not at home."

"Sara played a trick on us, our parents went off and hid, and I don't think we can trust Bill too far," Louise sighed. "Why do we stay here anyway?"

"Well, something could have happened to detain Sara."

"I wish I could think so, but I can't. It would serve her right to lose this boat--if it actually is hers."

"Sara always seemed sincere and honest to me," Penny said, slapping furiously at a buzzing mosquito. "Until we have definite proof otherwise, I want to trust her."

"Even if it means staying here all night?"

"Well, my trusting nature has a limit," Penny admitted. "But surely our parents will come to rescue us before long."

"I wouldn't count on it," Louise returned gloomily. "Bill was in a bad mood when he left here."

The girls fell into a deep silence. They huddled together to keep warm, and slapped constantly at the insects. For a time it grew steadily darker, then a few stars brightened the patches of sky which could be seen through the treetops.

"Imagine explaining all this to Mother," Louise murmured once. "Why, it doesn't even make sense to me."

The noises of the forest began to annoy the girls. Overhead an owl hooted. Crickets chirped, and at frequent intervals a frog or a small animal would plop into the water.

"Listen, Lou!" Penny presently whispered. "I hear something coming!"

"Maybe it's a bear," Louise shivered.

"Silly! There aren't any bears in this part of the country."

"How do you know what sort of animals are around here?" Louise countered. "Maybe one escaped from Old Noah's zoo."

As the sound grew louder, the girls crouched low amid the brush. Through the trees they saw the gleam of a flashlight and distinguished the figure of an approaching man.

"It's probably my father!" Louise whispered, and started forward.

Penny jerked her back. "Bill hasn't had time to get to Riverview yet! This may be the big pay off!"

"A saboteur?"

Penny nodded, her gaze on the approaching figure. The man was tall and muscular and walked with a cat-like tread. He came directly to the motorboat, muttering under his breath as he examined the half empty fuel tank.

Straightening, he turned so that he faced the girls. For a fleeting instant Penny thought that he was Burt Ottman, and then she recognized her mistake. The man was the one who had rented Sara Ottman's boat--the head waiter of The Green Parrot.

CHAPTER
20
_A SHACK IN THE WOODS_

Fearing detection, Louise and Penny remained motionless as the man stared in their direction. He did not see them, and after puttering about the boat for a few minutes, started off through the woods.

"Now what shall we do?" Louise whispered anxiously.

"Let's follow and find out where he goes," proposed Penny, stealing from her hiding place.

None too eager for the adventure, Louise nevertheless kept close beside her chum as they followed the stranger. Instead of returning to the main river, he chose a trail which led deeper into the woods. Coming soon to the ark which loomed dark and mysterious against a background of trees, he paused for a moment to gaze at it. Then he veered away from the well-trampled path, keeping on through the dense thickets.

"Don't you think we should turn back?" Louise whispered anxiously. "There's no guessing where we'll end up. We easily could get lost."

Penny was plagued by the same worry, but she bantered: "Why, Lou, your Scout leader would blush with shame to hear you say that! The woods stretch for only a few miles. We always can find our way out."

"What if our folks come searching for us while we're wandering around?"

"I try not to think of such unpleasant situations," Penny responded cheerfully. "You may be sure we'll have to do some tall explaining. But if this fellow we're tailing should prove to be a saboteur, everything will be lovely."

"That's not the word I'd use," Louise muttered.

The girls had fallen many yards behind the head waiter. Failing to see the flash of his light, they quickened their pace and for a minute or two feared they had lost him. But as they paused in perplexity, they again saw a gleam of light off to the right.

"Let's do less talking and more watching," Penny said, hastening on. "If we're not careful we'll lose that fellow."

Taking care to make no noise in the underbrush, the girls soon approached fairly close to the waiter. Apparently he knew his way through the woods, for not once did he hesitate. Occasionally he glanced overhead at dark clouds which were scudding across the sky. Reaching a small clearing, he paused to look at a watch which he held close to his flashlight beam.

"What time do you suppose it is?" Louise whispered to her chum.

"Not very late. Probably about nine o'clock."

Because the waiter had paused, the girls remained motionless behind a giant oak. They saw the stranger switch off his light and gaze carefully about the clearing. In particular his attention centered upon a little shack, though no light showed there.

"Whose cabin is it?" whispered Louise. "Do you know?"

"I'm not sure," returned Penny. "I think it was built several years ago by an artist who lived there while he painted the ravine and river. But he moved out last winter."

The cabin was a curious structure, picturesquely situated beneath the low-spreading branches of an ancient tree. No windows were visible at the front, but a raised structure on the flat roof gave evidence of a large skylight.

After gazing at the shack for several minutes, the waiter raised fingers to his lips and whistled twice. To the surprise of the girls, an answering signal came from within the dark cabin.

A moment later, the front door opened, and an old man stepped outside.

"That you, Jard?" he called softly.

Without replying, the waiter left the shelter of trees to cross the clearing.

"Had any trouble?" he asked the old man.

"Everything's been going okay. I'll be glad to pull out o' here though."

The waiter made a reply which the girls could not hear. Entering the cabin, the men closed the door behind them.

"Who was that old man the waiter met?" Louise asked curiously. "Did you know him, Penny?"

"I couldn't see his face. He stood in the shadow of the door. His voice sounded familiar though."

"I thought so, too. What do you suppose those men are up to anyway?"

"Nothing good," Penny responded grimly.

The girls huddled together at the edge of the clearing, uncertain what to do. If a light had been put on inside the shack it did not show from where they stood.

"Why not go for the police?" Louise proposed hopefully.

"I have a hunch those men may not stay here long. By the time we could bring help, the place might be deserted. Besides, we haven't a scrap of real evidence against them."

"How about the stolen motorboat?"

"We're not even sure about that, Lou. Sara and her brother both have disappeared. Accusing a man falsely is a very serious offense."

"Then what are we to do?" Louise asked despairingly. "Just stand here and wait until they come outside?"

"That's all we can do--unless--"

"Unless what?" Louise demanded uneasily as Penny interrupted herself.

"Lou, I have a corking idea! See how those tree limbs arch over the roof of the shack? Why, that old maple is built to our order!"

"I don't follow you."

"You will in a minute if you're a good climber!" chuckled Penny. "We can get up that tree and onto the roof. Even if it shouldn't have a skylight we can see through, at least we can hear what's being said."

"Let's just wait here."

"And learn nothing," Penny said impatiently. "How do you expect ever to be a G woman if you don't start practicing now?"

"I'm going to be a nurse when I grow up. Climbing trees won't help me at that."

"Then wait here until I get back," Penny said, starting across the clearing.

As she had known, her chum could not bear to be left alone in the dark woods. Louise hastened after her and together they crept to the base of the scraggly old maple.

The branches were so low that Penny pulled herself into them without difficulty. She then helped Louise scramble up beside her. They clung together a moment, listening to make certain that no sound had betrayed them.

"So far, so good," Penny whispered jubilantly. "Now to get onto the roof. And it does have a skylight!"

"We'll probably tumble through it," Louise muttered.

A dim light, which came from a candle, burned inside the shack. Nevertheless, from their perch on the overhanging limb, the girls were unable to see what was happening below. Penny decided to lower herself to the roof.

"Put on your velvet shoes," she warned as she swung lightly down from the lower branch. "The slightest noise and we're finished."

Dropping on the flat roof, she waited a moment, listening. Satisfied that the men inside the shack had not heard her, she motioned for Louise to follow. Her chum however, held back, shaking her head vigorously.

Abandoning the attempt to get Louise onto the roof, Penny crept toward the skylight. Lying full length, she pressed her face against the thick glass.

In the barren room below a candle burned on a table. The head waiter whom Penny first had seen at The Green Parrot sat with his legs resting on the fender of a pot-bellied stove. Opposite him was the older man whose face she could not immediately see.

"I tell you, I'm getting worried," she heard the old fellow say. "When the Coast Guards took me off that coal barge they gave me the third degree. I can't risk having anything hung on me."

Penny pressed her face closer to the glass. Her pulse pounded. She was certain she knew the identity of the old man.

"I wish he'd turn his head," she thought. "Then I'd be sure."

As if in response to the unspoken desire, the old man shifted in his chair. The light of the candle flickered on his face, and Penny saw it clearly for the first time.

"Carl Oaks!" she whispered. "And to think that I ever helped him!"

CHAPTER
21
_THROUGH THE SKYLIGHT_

Greatly excited to learn that the old watchman and the waiter of The Green Parrot were fellow conspirators, Penny strained to catch their words. She heard the waiter reply:

"You've done good work, Oaks. All you have to do now is sit tight for a few more hours. We'll give you a five hundred dollar bonus if the job comes off right."

"That won't do me any good if I end up in jail."

"Nothing will go wrong. Everything has been planned to the last detail."

"I'm already in bad with the police," the old watchman whined. "I wouldn't have gone in with you if I'd known just what I was doing."

"You got your money for the Thompson bridge job, didn't you?"

"A hundred dollars."

"It was more than you earned," the other replied irritably. "All you had to do was let me get away after I dynamited the bridge. You blamed near shot off my head!"

"I had to make it look as if I was doin' my duty. Those girls were watching me."

"That Parker pest came snooping around at The Parrot," the waiter said, letting the tilted chair legs thud on the floor. "Brought a reporter with her too. I got rid of 'em in short order."

"She didn't act very friendly when she found me bound and gagged aboard the coal barge," Carl Oaks resumed. "I think she may have suspected that it was a put up job. That's why I want to get out o' town while the getting is good."

"You can leave after tonight. We blast the Seventh Street bridge at one o'clock."

"And what about this prisoner I've been nursemaiding?"

"We'll plant enough evidence around the bridge to cinch his guilt with the police. Then we'll dump him in Chicago where he'll be picked up."

"He's apt to remember what happened and spill the whole story."

"Even if he does, the police won't believe him," the waiter said. "They'll figure he's only trying to get out from under. Anyway, we'll be in another part of the country by then."

"What time will you pick me up here?" the watchman asked.

"Ten minutes till one. The automobile will arrive right on the tick, so synchronize your watch."

The two men compared timepieces, and then the waiter arose.

"Let's look at the prisoner," he said. "Is he still out cold?"

"He was the last time I looked at him. Hasn't moved since he was brought here, except once to ask for water."

The watchman went across the room to a closet and opened the door. A man lay on the floor, his hands and feet loosely bound. No cloth covered his face. Peering down from above, Penny was able to discern his features, and it gave her a distinct shock as she recognized him.

The waiter prodded the prisoner with his foot. The man who was bound, groaned and muttered, but made no other sign of consciousness.

"He'll not bother you tonight, Oaks," he said. "One of the boys can help you lift him into the car."

"I don't like this business," the watchman complained again. "What if his skull should be fractured?"

"He'll be okay by tomorrow," the waiter answered indifferently. "Heflanz gave him a little too much with the blackjack."

Penny waited to hear no more. Creeping cautiously away from the skylight, she returned to her chum who remained perched precariously on the overhanging tree branch.

"Learn anything?" Louise demanded in a whisper.

"Did I? Lou, that old man is Carl Oaks! He and our waiter friend have a prisoner inside the cabin."

"A prisoner! My gracious! Then they must be saboteurs!"

"They're planning to blow up the Seventh Street Bridge at one o'clock," Penny went on tersely. "And they aim to blame it all on Burt Ottman!"

"He's not one of the outfit then?"

"Seemingly not. They have him trussed up inside a closet. Lou, you've got to hot-foot it to town and bring the police!"

"Come with me," Louise pleaded, frightened at the mere thought of going through the dark woods alone.

"One of us ought to stay and keep watch. I'll go if you're willing to remain."

"No, I'll go," Louise decided.

With nervous haste she started to descend the tree. Midway down, her hand loosened its hold, and she slipped several feet. Although she uttered no cry, she did make considerable noise. Penny, still on the roof of the shack, heard Carl Oaks exclaim:

"What was that? I hear someone outside!"

Realizing that her chum was certain to be seen, Penny called to her: "Run, Lou! As fast as you can!"

Her own position now had become untenable. It was too late to regain the tree branch. Darting to the roof edge, she swung herself down with her hands and dropped six feet to the ground.

The door of the cabin swung open. Penny had leaped from the rear side of the building, and so was not immediately seen. The two men started after Louise who in panic had run toward the woods.

To divert attention from her hard pressed chum, Penny gave a wild Indian whoop. Startled, the men stopped, and turned around. Carl Oaks at once took after her, while the waiter resumed pursuit of Louise.

Penny did not find it hard to keep well ahead of the watchman. Darting into the woods, she circled, hoping to rejoin her chum. She knew that Louise was not very fleet of foot, and once confused, might never find her way out of the forest.

By frequently pausing to listen to the crackle of underbrush, Penny was able to follow the flight of her chum. Instead of running toward the river, Louise seemed to be circling back in the direction of the shack.

"She'll get us both into trouble now," thought Penny anxiously.

A moment later, Louise, puffing and gasping, came running past. Penny joined her, grasping her hand to help her over the rough places.

"That man's right behind!" Louise panted. "Are we almost to the river?"

Penny did not discourage her by revealing that she had been running in the wrong direction. The chance of escape now was a slim one. Louise was nearly out of breath, while the man who pursued them, steadily gained.

"The ark!" Penny cried, guiding her chum. "We'll be safe there!"

Unmindful of thorns which tore at their clothing, the girls raced on. Although Carl Oaks had been left far behind, the other man was not to be outdistanced. He kept so close that Louise and Penny had no opportunity to hide or attempt to throw him off the trail.

"Go on, Penny," Louise gasped, slackening speed. "I can't make it."

"Yes, you can!" Penny fairly pulled her along. "We're almost there. See!"

The ark loomed up ahead. Encouraged by the sight, Louise gathered her strength and kept doggedly on. They reached the bank of the stream and gave way to despair. The ark was dark and the gangplank which usually connected it with shore, was nowhere in evidence.

"Noah! Noah!" called Louise wildly.

Only the parrot answered, crackling saucily from a porthole: "Hello, Noah, you old soak! Where are you, Noah?"

Breathless and bewildered, the girls did not know what to do. Before they could turn and run on, the man who so ruthlessly pursued them, dashed out from among the trees.

"Oh, here you are," he said, and moonlight gleamed on the revolver he held in his hand. "A very pretty race, my dears, but shall we call this the finish line?"

CHAPTER
22
_A SEARCHING PARTY_

"Now we'll have no more nonsense," said the man who held the revolver. "Stand over there against the tree."

Penny and Louise were so frightened that they trembled violently.

"You'll not be harmed if you do exactly as you're told," the waiter assured them.

"Why not let us go home?" Penny ventured, recovering her courage.

"Not tonight, my dear." The man smiled grimly. "Unfortunately, you have learned too much regarding my affairs."

"Then what are you going to do with us?" Penny demanded.

Apparently, the waiter did not himself know. While he guarded the girls, he cast a quick glance toward the ark. Just then running footsteps were heard in the woods, and someone whistled twice. The waiter answered the signal. A moment later, Carl Oaks, quite winded, came into view.

"So you got 'em, eh?" he demanded with pleasure.

"The question is what to do with them."

"I don't want 'em at the shack," the old watchman complained. "When young Ottman comes around I may have my hands full with him."

"This ark should serve my purpose," the waiter muttered. "The old coot that lives here has gone off somewhere. Oaks, get aboard and look around."

"There's no way to cross to it," the watchman said helplessly.

"Find the gangplank!" his companion ordered irritably. "It must be hidden somewhere in the bushes."

Thus urged, Oaks searched along the river bank and soon came upon the missing plank. Fitting it into place, he quickly crossed to the ark. A dog started to bark, but the sound was choked off.

"Well?" called the waiter impatiently.

"No one here except the animals," Oaks reported, reappearing on deck. "The only room that can be locked off is the cabin where the dope keeps his birds."

"That ought to do," decided the waiter. "We won't have to keep 'em here long."

Penny and Louise were compelled to march across the gangplank, up the steps to the bird room of the ark. The parrot, arousing from a doze, squawked a raucous welcome.

"Get in there and don't make any noise!" the waiter ordered. "If you shout for help or make any disturbance, you'll be bound and gagged. And that's not pleasant. Get me?"

"You seem to have got us," Penny retorted.

The door slammed and a bolt slid into place. Penny tiptoed at once to the porthole. It was much too small to permit an escape, but at least it provided fresh air and a view of the shore.

"Well, well, well," cackled the parrot, tramping up and down on his wide perch. "Polly wants a slug o' rum."

"You'll get a slug, period, if you don't keep quiet," Penny said crossly. "Give me a chance to think, will you?"

"Thinking won't get us out of this mess," murmured Louise, sitting down with her back to a wall. "It must be after nine o'clock now. If Bill had notified our folks, they would be looking for us long before this."

In whispers the girls discussed their unfortunate situation. They were hopeful that eventually they would be released, but they could not expect freedom until long after midnight.

"The Seventh Street Bridge will be blasted at one o'clock," Penny said anxiously. "If it goes up, Riverview traffic will be paralyzed. Work at the munition plant will stop cold."

"The saboteurs intend to blame Burt Ottman for the job too! Well, at least we can tell police who the real plotters are."

"We can if we ever get out of here," Penny said, pacing the floor. "Oh, I'm as mad as a hornet!"

"Quiet down, and maybe we can hear something," Louise suggested calmly. "I think those men are talking."

A murmur of voices could be heard from the third floor of the ark. The partitions were thin. By standing on one of the pigeon boxes, the girls discovered they could understand nearly everything that was being said.

"Carl, you go back to the shack and keep an eye on Ottman," the waiter ordered the watchman. "As soon as Breneham comes, send him here. We'll pull the job at one o'clock just as we planned."

"Okay, Jard," the other answered.

Getting down from the pigeon box, Penny watched Carl Oaks leave the ark.

"How about taking a chance and shouting for help?" Louise suggested in a whisper.

Penny shook her head. "Not now at least. I doubt anyone is within a mile of this place--that is, anyone friendly to us."

The girls were not to enjoy their porthole for long. Within a few minutes the waiter tacked a strip of canvas over the opening. He then sat down on deck directly beneath it, and the odor of his cigar drifted into the room.

"That man must be Jard Wessler," Penny whispered to her chum. "You remember Bill said he was hired to work for a fellow by the name of Wessler."

"I don't care who he is," muttered Louise. "All _I_ think about is getting out of here."

The girls sat side by side, their backs to the wall. About them in boxes and cages, Noah's birds stirred restlessly. Polly, the parrot, kept up such a chatter that at length Penny covered the cage with a sack.

Time passed slowly. It seemed hours later that Penny and Louise heard the sound of a man's voice. The cry, though low, came from shore.

"Ark ahoy! Are you there, Wessler?"

"Come aboard," invited the one in command of the boat. "Oaks told you what happened?"

"Yeah, and I have more bad news." The newcomer had reached the ark and his voice could be heard plainly by Louise and Penny. "A searching party is out looking for those two girls. Heading this way too."

"In that case--"

The door of the bird room suddenly was thrust open and a flashbeam focused upon the girls. They found themselves confronted by Jard Wessler and a stranger. At least Penny's first thought was that she had never seen him before. Then it came to her that he closely resembled the man with whom Burt Ottman had dined at The Green Parrot.

Before either of the girls realized what was in store, they were seized by the arms. Tape was plastered over their lips, and their limbs were bound.

"A precautionary measure," Wessler assured them. "You'll be released soon."

Penny and Louise understood perfectly why they had been bound and gagged. Scarcely fifteen minutes elapsed before they heard the sound of men's voices along shore. Soon thereafter someone hailed the ark. Penny's heart leaped for she recognized her father's voice.

"Hello, the ark!" he shouted.

Wessler responded, his voice casual and friendly.

"We're looking for two girls lost in the woods. Have you seen them?"

"Why, yes," Wessler answered. "A couple of girls went past here about an hour ago. They were on their way to the river."

"Then they must have started home," Mr. Parker replied, greatly relieved. "By the way, you're not the one they call Noah, are you?"

"Just a friend of his."

"I see," responded Mr. Parker, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Well, thanks. We've been worried about my daughter and her friend. It's a relief to know they're on their way home."

In the dark bird room of the ark, Penny and Louise squirmed and twisted. Though they thumped their feet on the floor, the sound conveyed no hint of their plight to those on shore.

Mr. Parker called a cheery good night to Wessler. For a few minutes the girls heard the sound of retreating footsteps in the underbrush. Then all was still save for the restless stirring of the birds.

CHAPTER
23
_HELP FROM NOAH_

A long while later, Jard Wessler and his companion reentered the cabin where Penny and Louise were imprisoned. After removing the tape from the girls' lips, and freeing them of their uncomfortable bonds, they went outside again.

"At least they're not trying to torture us," Louise said, close to tears. "Oh, Penny, your father believes we've gone home! Now we'll never be found."

"Not in time to save the bridge, that's certain," her chum agreed gloomily.

Getting up from the floor, Penny groped her way to the covered porthole. She stumbled against a box and there was a loud tinkle of glass.

"Noah's bottles!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Where do you suppose the old fellow has taken himself?"

"Maybe the sheriff got him."

"I doubt it," returned Penny. "He probably just went off somewhere."

After testing the cabin door, she sat down again beside Louise. The girls did not sleep but they fell into a drowsy, half-stupefied state. Then suddenly they were aroused by the sound of low voices just outside the porthole.

"It's an old man coming," they heard Wessler mutter. "Must be Noah."

"What'll we do with him?" the other demanded.

"Wait and see how he acts," Wessler advised. "He's such a simple old coot he may not suspect anything. If he makes trouble we'll have to lock him up."

A silence ensued and then the girls heard heavy footsteps on the gangplank.

"Ho, and who has visited my ark while I've been away?" muttered Old Noah.

Wessler and his companion, Breneham, stepped from the shadows.

"Good evening, Noah," the waiter greeted him politely. "Looks like rain, doesn't it?"

The remark concerning the weather was all that was needed to dull the old man's perceptions. Forgetting that the ark had been invaded by strangers during his absence, he lowered an armload of groceries to the railing, and peered intently up at the sky.

"No man knoweth the hour, but when the thunder of the Lord strikes, the rain will descend. All creatures of the earth shall perish--yes, all except those who seek refuge here. Therefore, my sons, you do well to seek the shelter of my ark."

"The old fellow's sure raving," Wessler remarked to his companion.

"A raven?" inquired Noah, misunderstanding. "Ah, yes! For one hundred and fifty days the waters will prevail upon the earth. Then will I send forth a raven or a dove to search for a sprig of green. And if the bird returns with such a token, then shall I know that the waters are receding, no more to destroy all flesh."

"Toddle on, old man," Wessler said, growing irritated. "Where've you been anyway?"

"My burdens are heavy," Noah replied with a deep sigh. "All day I have labored, seeking food for my animals. Greens I cut for Bessie, my cow, and at the grocery store I bought seed for the birds, crackers--"

"Never mind," Wessler interrupted. "Go into your quarters and stay there."

"Bessie, the cow, must be fed."

"Then go feed her," Wessler snapped. "Just get out of my sight."

The girls could not hear what Old Noah said in reply. However, a medley of animal sounds beneath the deck, led them to believe that the master of the ark had gone into the lower part of the ship to care for his animals.

"I wish he'd come here," said Penny. "Maybe we could get the idea over to him that we're being held prisoners."

"Not a chance of it."

"Those men evidently intend to allow him the run of the ark so long as he suspects nothing," Penny mused. "Say, I know how we might bring him here!"

"How?"

"By stirring up the birds. Then Old Noah would get excited and try to break in."

"And what would that accomplish?"

"Probably nothing," Penny admitted, sighing. "Wessler is armed. Noah couldn't overpower two men, even if he were inclined to do it."

"All Noah thinks about is the coming flood. With another rain in the offing, he'll confine his worries to how he can attract more people to his ark."

"Lou! Maybe that's an idea!"