Mildred A. Wirt

“ Leaping to the railing of the balcony, she poised there an instant, staring down at the rocks plainly visible in the still water.
Then, as Sweeper Joe reached out to grasp her by the shoulder, she jumped.
She struck the water head foremost in a shallow dive which wrenched her back but kept her from striking the river bottom. Brushing wet hair from her eyes, she began to stroke. Her shoes were heavy as lead and impeded her.
The force of Penny’s dive had carried her many feet from shore into deep water, and the river current swept her farther away from the docks. ”

“ At the tiller of the Icicle, Penelope Parker, in fur-lined parka, sheepskin coat and goggles, looked for all the world like a jolly Eskimo. Always delighting in a new sport, she had built the iceboat herself—spars from a wood lot, the sail from an old tent.
“Slow down, Penny!” pleaded her chum.
“Can’t,” shouted Penny cheerfully. “Oh, we’re going into a hike!”
[2]
As one runner raised off the ice, the boat tilted far over on its side. Louise shrieked with terror, and held tight to prevent being thrown out. Penny, hard pressed, sought to avert disaster by a snappy starting of the main sheet. ”

“ The next morning heavy mists shrouded Riverview’s valleys and waterfront. Undaunted by the dismal prospect, Penny proceeded in darkness to the Sidell home. There, huddling against the gate post, she whistled several times, and finally tossed a pebble against the window of Louise’s room. A moment later the sash went up.
“Oh, is it you, Penny?” her chum mumbled in a sleepy voice. “You surely don’t expect to go sailing on a morning like this!”
“The fog will clear away just as soon as the sun gets up. Hurry and climb into your clothes, lazy bones!” ”

“ SECRET OF THE LILY POOL
The moon rode high in the heavens as the cabin cruiser let go its anchor in a cove off the Kippenberg estate. Penny who had been dozing for the past hour in her self-imposed prison started up in alarm as Jerry nudged her in the ribs.
“Wake up,” he whispered. “We’re here.”
“At the estate?”
“I think so.”
On the deck above their heads they could hear the men talking together.
“You’ll come along with us, Atherwald,” Aaron Dietz said. “Flora, you stay here and guard the boat. If you see anyone watching or acting suspiciously, blow the whistle two short blasts.” ”

“ While Penny waited, she entertained herself by reading all the comic strips she could find in the out-of-town exchange papers. In the adjoining room she could hear the rhythmical thumping, clicking sound of the Star’s teletype machines. She wandered aimlessly into the room to read the copy just as the machines typed it out, a story from Washington, one from Chicago, another from Los Angeles. It was fascinating to watch the print appear like magic upon the long rolls of copy paper. ”

“ Even the thought of throwing a hand grenade terrified Penny. She knew that she could not deliberately harm Mrs. Deline or even the men who were mercilessly beating her father and Jerry. Yet she had to do something.
“Maybe I can destroy the rubber boat!” she thought. “It’s far enough away so that no one should be hurt by the explosion.”
Whirling away from Mrs. Deline, Penny faced the sea. Fixing her eyes on her target, the rubber boat at the water’s edge, she hurled the grenade.
“Idiot!” cried Mrs. Deline, flinging herself flat on the sand to protect her face from flying fragments. ”

“ The realization drove Madge to even greater exertion. The next powerful sweep of her oars carried her near the struggling girl. She thrust out an oar, but Anne either failing to see it or lacking strength to grasp it, fluttered her hands weakly and went under again.
Without an instant’s hesitation, Madge kicked off her pumps and plunged over the side of the skiff. Three long crawl strokes carried her to the place where Anne had submerged. Bending sharply at the waist she shot down in a surface dive. Groping about under water, she searched frantically for the body and could not find it. ”

“ Descending into the passageway, the girls retraced their steps to the tiny dugout midway between the thatched roof cottage and the mansion. As they entered the other tunnel, they again heard the throb of jungle drums, and the weird incantation of many guttural voices.
“A chant to the Serpent God!” whispered Lorinda. “Do you hear that high-pitched drum which sounds above the others?”
Penny nodded as she moved forward in the dark, narrow passage.
“It is the Zudi,” Lorinda added. “I would know its tone anywhere! We must recover it, but if what I think is so, it will be a dangerous task!” ”

“ The man is dying—dead. Oh, evil, evil! I can read no more in the glass today!”
Arising quickly, and brushing a hand over his glazed eyes, Father Benedict leaned for a moment against the damp plaster wall.
“Excuse me, please,” he apologized. “What I saw was most unnerving.”
The monk poured himself a drink of water and lighted a lamp on the center table.
“Now I can see again,” he said in a more natural tone. “A reading always is an exhausting experience.”
“Your demonstration was most impressive,” said Mr. Ayling. “How would you interpret your vision of Mrs. Hawthorne?” ”

“ As the black limousine rolled up to the drawbridge Penny turned her face away so that Mrs. Kippenberg would not recognize her. She need have had no uneasiness, for the lady gazed neither to the right nor the left. The car crept forward at a snail’s pace causing the steel structure to shiver and shake as if from an attack of ague. ”

“ As it grew dusk, Madge prepared supper. Enid tried to help but could not keep her mind on what she was doing. After wiping the dishes, they wrapped themselves in steamer rugs and sat out on deck. For a long time they watched the twinkling shore lights. Once they heard the drone of an airplane overhead and imagined that it might be Rex.
In spite of their declaration to the contrary, the girls were not entirely easy in their minds. The very quiet of the yacht was disturbing. The night had closed in dark and threatening; black shadows lurked everywhere. ”

“ The widow sighed and pulled aside a kitchen curtain to gaze thoughtfully toward the swamp. “Well, I reckon the last bit o’ evil’s been driv’ away from Black Island. From now on, the land’ll jest lie there and belong to the wind and the rain.”
“And to us,” Penny added softly.
The widow nodded as her gaze lingered long on the fringe of towering pines. “One o’ these days, when the spirit moves us, we’ll go back there,” she promised. “The swamp always belongs to them that loves it!” ”

“ Penny glanced toward the big house, dark and majestic in its setting of evergreens. Obviously the place had been closed for the winter. Walks were not shoveled, blinds had been drawn, and no tire tracks led to and from the three-car garage.
“Wonder who or what could have made that path?” she mused. “Certainly not an animal.”
Unable to solve the mystery, Penny turned to re-enter the parked coupe. Before she could cross the road, a light went on in a third floor room of the estate house. Startled, she stared at it. As she watched, it was extinguished.
“Someone must live here!” thought Penny. ”

“ When it was not opened immediately, she thrust her head inside and called the housekeeper’s name.
“Here I am,” answered Mrs. Weems, hurrying from the dining room. “I hope you’ve come to take me home, Penny Parker!”
“No, only to receive your report.” Penny sank into a chair beside the stove. “You don’t act very pleased with your new job.”
“It’s a dreadful place. I was crazy to say I would stay here.”
“Haven’t you learned anything?”
“I’ve learned that Peter Fenestra is one of the most disagreeable men I ever met in my life! There’s no satisfying him. He requires a slave, not a housekeeper!” ”

“ Dan, who lounged on the sand beside Brad, had listened with keen interest. But now his attention wandered.
Beyond the rim of flickering light, he thought he saw movement. Was that shadowy form a trick of wind and tree boughs? Or might someone be spying upon the camp?
“Wake up, Dan!” Brad nudged him hard in the ribs. “Mr. Hatfield just asked you to lead in the singing of ‘Cheer, Cheer, the Den’s All Here.’ Are you asleep?”
Dan tore his eyes from the area of darkness. After all, he told himself, he probably had fancied the shadow. Imagination played strange tricks upon a fellow. ”

“ Madge was not to be so easily discouraged.
“We can climb over easy as scat!” she declared.
“But if someone should see us?”
“Let them. At the worst, we can only be run out. Come on.”
She swung over the fence with an ease which her friend could not hope to duplicate. Still protesting, Cara permitted herself to be helped over.
Madge looked about the grounds with keen interest. A winding walk led to a tangled, overgrown rose garden. She saw a tiny cement pool, clogged with old dead leaves and sticks. Beyond, a sundial of peculiar design and construction, attracted her attention. ”

“ The Brownies walked as fast as they could, but the trail was muddy. Often they had to make little detours to avoid deep patches of surface water. Mud caked on their galoshes and had to be dug off with sticks. Drippy bushes splattered droplets, dampening their uniforms.
“I feel like an elephant walking!” laughed Veve, lifting up an overshoe encased foot which was heavy with muck. “Here I go! Plop! Plop! Plop!”
“Never mind the comedy,” called Miss Gordon from the head of the line. “If we don’t move faster, the storm will catch us again.” ”

“ Penny stepped outside the shack. A chill wind blew from the direction of the river, but with its freshness was blended the disagreeable odor of factory smoke, fish houses and dumpings of refuse.
“Poor Ben!” she thought. “He never should be living in such a place as this! No matter what he’s done, he deserves another chance.”
Exactly what she believed about the reporter, Penny could not have said. His courageous act had aroused her deep admiration. On the other hand, she was aware that his story regarding Jason Cordell might have been highly colored to cover his own shortcomings. ”

“ Directly ahead loomed a barbed wire fence. There was no opportunity to turn aside. Penny knew that she must jump or take a disastrous fall.
Swinging her poles forward, she let them drop in the snow close to her ski tips. Crouching low she sprang upward with all her strength. The sticks gave her leverage so that she could lift her skis clear of the snow. Momentum carried her forward over the fence.
Penny felt the jar of the runners as they slapped on the snow. Then she lost her balance and tumbled head over heels. ”

“ Although it was still daylight, the musty church interior already was shrouded in shadow. Every cracked marble pillar stood out in the dim light as a fearful sentinel.
Dan nervously tested the door through which they had entered to make certain that it had not locked behind them.
Satisfied that the exit remained free, he then followed Brad deeper into the church.
A-tiptoe, the pair moved toward the iron stairway leading up to the belfry. The treads, they noted, were remarkably free of dust, though it lay heavy elsewhere. Cobwebs festooned other ironwork in the corridor. ”

“ Never did a fire seem to spread so rapidly. In less than three minutes, as those aboard the River Queen watched in helpless horror, the Florence became a mass of flames from stem to stern. Terrified passengers jammed the gangplank as they tried to crowd ashore. Some of them leaped from the excursion boat’s high railings to the dock below. ”

“ Fearful of hitting his own man, George Emory dared not fire again. Instead, he and the crewmen of the submarine fell upon Jerry and Mr. Parker. In the melee, one person could not be distinguished from another.
“Fools! Fools!” cried Mrs. Deline as she watched the fierce, uneven struggle. “There is no time to be lost!”
Jerry and Mr. Parker were putting up the fight of their lives, but they were no match for four able bodied, trained men. Penny, desperate with anxiety, saw that the struggle could end only in one way—disaster for Jerry and her father. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Rhett’s face showed no trace of the affection he had felt for his servant. “Celeste,” he said, “you’ve been dabbling in magic again! What’s this nonsense about my wife being ill and going to die?”
“The truth, Master. Antón and I try hard to save her, but no use. She die next month. Maybe sooner.”
“Get this through your head, Celeste. My wife will not die. She will be as well as you are within two days. All your incantations over the doll were wasted. You plotted to no avail. I am home now, and if you persist in your wickedness, I will meet your so-called magic with stronger magic of my own!” ”

“ Penny and Louise likewise twisted sideways to stare at the dark, deserted building. Windows were plastered with disfiguring posters and the white stone blocks, once so beautiful, were streaked with city grime.
“When the Press closed, machinery, furniture and everything else was left exactly as it stood,” remarked Jerry. “Too bad an enterprising newspaper man doesn’t take over the place before it’s a complete loss. The present owner doesn’t even employ a watchman to protect the property.” ”

“ Madge’s face disclosed her disappointment. She could not imagine the old mansion in the hands of a ruthless, modern owner who might tear down the shutters, do away with the old-fashioned garden and relandscape the grounds. It was definitely a house of the past, and Miss Swenster fitted perfectly into the picture. ”

“ THE MARBOROUGH PEARLS
In frightened voices Penny and Louise acknowledged their presence in the dark room. Greatly relieved that the intruders were girls, Mrs. Marborough struck a match and lighted three half-burned candles which were set in a huge glass candelabra.
“Oh, so it’s you!” she exclaimed as the flickering light fell upon their faces. “May I ask why you have broken into my house?”
“We’re thoroughly ashamed of ourselves, Mrs. Marborough,” Penny said apologetically.
“Indeed we are,” added Louise. “When we started to investigate the wishing well we didn’t intend to enter the house.” ”