Louise muttered that they were more likely to break their necks. However, she cautiously followed Penny down the rock-hewn steps. Half way down, they both paused. From below came a weird sound.
“What was that?” Louise whispered.
“It sounded for all the world like the note of a pipe organ!” Penny observed. “There it is again—a different tone this time.”
Noiselessly the girls moved on down the steps. Ahead of them they now could see a moving light which undoubtedly was a flash lantern carried by the beachcomber. Drawing closer, they saw the man himself. In the great cavern his shadow appeared grotesque and huge.
“What is he doing?” Louise whispered in awe.
The man was unaware that he had been followed. He stood in the center of the great chamber, gazing with wrapt expression at the stalagmites which rose in strange formations from the cave floor. The girls could hear him muttering to himself. At the risk of being seen they moved closer.
“Music! Music!” the old man mumbled. “Talk about your pipe organs! They ain’t in it withthis!”
He held a long stick in his hand and with it began to explore the row of stalagmites, striking them one by one, at first with a slow tempo and then faster and faster. The weird sounds echoed and reached through the galleries of the cavern.
“Pretty!” the old man prattled. “It’s the music o’ Heaven. There ain’t no music to equal it.”
Again the beachcomber struck the stalagmites, listening raptly while the sounds died slowly away.
“Come on, Penny,” Louise urged, tugging at her hand. “Let’s get out of here. That old goof has lost his buttons.”
Decidedly crestfallen, Penny permitted herself to be pulled along the passage and up the steps. As the girls groped their way to the cave’s mouth, they still could hear the weird echoing tones.
“That was a good joke on you!” Louise teased. “You thought you were going to find a hidden radio station!”
“Well, we did find a cave,” Penny said defensively.
“We didn’t exactly discover it,” Louise amended. “This must be Crystal Cave. Seemingly that old beachcomber regards it as his own personal property.”
“Mr. Emory certainly gave us a wrong steer. A mysterious character, my eye!”
“You’ll admit that the old fellow is interesting,” Louise laughed. “However, I doubt he’ll warrant much attention from the FBI.”
“All right, laugh,” Penny retorted grimly. “You think my detective efforts are a joke anyway.”
“No, I don’t, Penny. But I will say I doubt you’ll have success tracing a hidden radio station. After all, it’s a problem that has the State authorities baffled. Not to mention Uncle Sam’s Army.”
The girls stepped from the cave out into the brilliant sunshine. Gazing toward the sea, they were amazed to see how high the tide had risen. Giant waves were washing very close to the Parker automobile left on the beach.
“Ye fishes!” Penny exclaimed in horror. “I forgot all about the car!”
“And the tide’s coming in fast!”
“The Point will be cut off in a few more minutes!” Penny added, recalling Mr. Emory’s warning. “We’ll have to travel, and travel fast!”
Scrambling down from the rocks, the girls plunged through the dunes to the beach. A wind was blowing and the sea had an angry look.
“If just one wave strikes the car, the wheels will sink in the sand, and then we’ll be in it!” Penny cried.
With increasing alarm she noted that sand was damp within a foot of the rear wheels. And as she jerked open the car door, a greedy wave nipped again at the rubber.
“We’ll soon be out of here,” Louise said encouragingly.
Penny stepped on the starter and to her relief the motor caught instantly. In great haste she turned the car around, circling away from the inrushing sea.
“Careful!” Louise warned. “The sand is dreadfully soft this far up shore.”
Too late Penny realized the same thing. She could feel the car starting to bog down. The motor began to labor. Then the car stalled completely.
“We’re stuck!” she gasped.
Both girls sprang out to look at the wheels. Their spirits sank. On one side, front and rear tires were bogged deep in sand.
“Start the engine again!” Louise urged desperately. “I’ll try to push.”
Penny obeyed, but her chum’s puny strength made not the slightest impression upon the car. It could not be moved a foot. The spinning wheels only drove deeper and deeper into the sand.
“What shall we do?” Louise asked helplessly. She turned to stare at the incoming sea. Each wave was breaking a little closer to the car.
“This place will be under in another twenty minutes,” Penny calculated. “Even if the car isn’t washed away, the salt water will ruin it. How did we ever get into such a mess?”
“Just by being careless. If only we weren’t so far from the hotel!”
“I’ll run to the lighthouse,” Penny decided desperately. “Maybe the keeper will help us.”
Both girls were badly frightened, not for their own safety, but because they feared that the car would be damaged beyond repair. Once the waves began to strike it, it would sink deeper and deeper into the sand. Salt water would corrode all of the bright chromium.
“We’ve no time to waste!” Penny cried, darting away.
The girls plunged through the sand drifts to the lighthouse. Evidently the keeper already had observed their plight, for he was standing on the upper platform peering down into the courtyard.
“Our car is stuck in the sand!” Penny shouted. “Can you help us get it out?”
“No, I can’t,” the keeper answered gruffly. “You should have watched the tide.”
“There’s no one else to help us,” Penny pleaded. “Just a little push—”
“I’m forbidden to leave my post.”
“Then will you telephone to the Inn? Or to a garage?”
“I could ’phone but it wouldn’t do any good,” the keeper said reluctantly. “Your car will be under water before a tow-car could get here.”
Exasperated by the man’s unwillingness to help, Louise and Penny ran back to the car. Already waves were lapping against the rear wheels. The situation seemed hopeless.
“Shall I try to push again?” Louise asked.
“It wouldn’t do any good. We’re not strong enough.” In desperation, Penny’s gaze wandered down the deserted shore. Suddenly she saw a lone fisherman who was wading through the surf. She recognized him as George Emory.
“He’ll help us!” she cried confidently.
The girls shouted Mr. Emory’s name. Apparently he heard, for he turned his head quickly. Their plight, they thought, must be instantly evident, but Mr. Emory did not seem to comprehend. He waved his hand as if in friendly greeting, and then, reeling in his fish line, turned and walked away from them.
“Why, Mr. Emory doesn’t understand!” Penny cried, aghast. “Can’t he see that we’re stuck here with the tide rolling in?”
The girls shouted again and again. If the man heard, he gave no sign.
“I don’t believe he wanted to help us!” Penny declared furiously. “Probably he’s afraid he’ll over-strain himself pushing!”
Unwilling to give up without a last try, she sprang into the car and once more started the engine. It roared and labored but could not pull the vehicle. Sick with despair, Penny allowed the motor to idle. She slumped behind the steering wheel, only to straighten suddenly as she thought she heard her name called.
Louise too heard the cry for she turned quickly toward the main road some yards back from the beach. A young man in uniform was running across the dunes toward the girls.
“It’s Jerry!” Penny cried jubilantly. “He’ll help us!”
“He will if he can,” Louise corrected. “The tide’s coming in so fast now. I doubt anyone can get us out of here now.”
Jerry did not waste time asking questions. Taking in the situation at a glance, he instructed Penny to remain at the wheel. With the motor racing, he and Louise pushed with all their strength. At first the rear wheels kept spinning in the sand. A great wave slapped the rear end of the car, spraying Louise from head to foot.
“It’s no use!” she gasped. “We can’t do it.”
“Yes, we can!” Jerry insisted. “Try once more, Louise.”
Again they pushed and this time the car actually moved a few feet before it bogged down. Encouraged, Jerry and Louise tried harder than before. The wheels suddenly struck firm sand, dug in, and the car began to creep forward. Penny kept it moving until she was sure the footing beneath the tires was solid. Then she pulled up so that Jerry and Louise might leap aboard.
“Drive as fast as you can for the hotel!” Jerry instructed crisply. “We’ll be lucky to make it.”
Where an hour before the roadway along the beach had been wide and ample, there now was only a fringe of white sand. To avoid the incoming waves, Penny had to drive dangerously close to the dunes. And midway to the hotel, they came to a flooded stretch of beach.
“We’ll have to risk it,” Jerry advised as Penny hesitated to drive on.
The water was not deep but the sand was wet and treacherous. Choosing a moment between breakers, Penny braved it, and to her intense relief the car rolled through without sinking down.
“It’s clear sailing now,” Jerry said as a wider strip of beach opened before them. “We’re well beyond the Point.”
Mr. Emory was walking along the shore and as the car went past, he waved his hand in a friendly way. Penny did not bother to return the salute, pretending she did not see him.
“I’m sure he knew we were in trouble and didn’t want to help,” she told Jerry. “The more I see of that man the less I like him.”
“Who is he anyhow?”
“Just a vacationer. He got Lou and me all excited yesterday with his talk about that hidden radio station.”
“How do you mean?” Jerry asked with interest.
Penny repeated the conversation, and mentioned how Mr. Emory had suggested that the old beachcomber was a mysterious character that would bear watching.
“Not old Jake Skagway?” Jerry asked, amused.
“I believe that was his name.”
“Jake’s the only beachcomber I know hereabouts. He makes his living picking up things on the beach and selling them. Folks say he buries some of his loot in the caves.”
“How do you know so much about him, Jerry?”
“Oh, I used to run down to Sunset Beach real often years ago. I know this locality like a book. Guess that’s why the Army sent me here to do a little scouting around.”
Penny waited expectantly, but Jerry offered no more information as to the reason for his visit to Sunset Beach.
“Probably Lou and I were taken in by Jake Skagway,” she admitted after a moment. “If we hadn’t followed him into the cave, we certainly wouldn’t have involved ourselves in such difficulties.”
Upon reaching the Crystal Inn a few minutes later, the girls searched for Mr. Parker. He was nowhere to be found. After waiting for a time, they left the car with Jerry and hiked to the forest camp. There the early afternoon was devoted to camp tasks. When Mr. Parker still did not come, Penny proposed that they return to Sunset Beach for a plunge in the surf.
“Too cold,” Louise shivered.
“Well, let’s go down to Sunset Beach anyhow,” Penny urged. “I get restless just sitting here in camp.”
“You know you want to see Jerry again,” Louise teased. “’Fess up.”
“All right, I do want to see him,” Penny admitted unabashed. “Jerry’s my very best friend. I’ve not been with him in months and I suppose in a few days he’ll be shot off to goodness-knows-where.”
“He’s not told you very much about why he came here.”
“No,” Penny said briefly. The subject was a sore one with her. She felt that both her father and Jerry were keeping secrets.
The tide was still high when the girls reached the beach, but the flow was outward. Sprawling in the warm sand, they watched the gulls.
“Wonder what became of Jerry and Dad?” Penny speculated. “They’re probably together somewhere.”
“Or with Mrs. Deline,” Louise suggested wickedly.
She was sorry that she had spoken for Penny’s face immediately became as black as a thundercloud.
“Sorry,” Louise apologized. “I was only joking.”
Penny continued to scowl for at that moment she glimpsed Mrs. Deline walking rapidly down the beach. The widow came from the direction of the lighthouse and was alone. To avoid the incoming waves she waded ankle deep through the great sand ridges along the drift fence.
“That’s queer,” Penny muttered, sitting up.
“What is?”
“Why, Mrs. Deline apparently has been at the lighthouse again. What’s she doing now?”
The widow had paused. Carefully she gazed up and down the deserted shore, but she did not see Penny and Louise who were hidden from view by a sand dune. However, by raising up slightly, they could see her plainly.
Mrs. Deline carried a package of considerable size under her arm. Seemingly satisfied that no one was at hand to observe her actions, she moved swiftly to one of the sand dunes near the drift fence. As the girls watched in amazement, she dug a deep hole and buried the package. Her work completed, she carefully brushed sand over the spot and obliterated her own footprints one by one.
“What was the idea of that?” Louise asked in bewilderment.
“That’s what I want to know!” Penny muttered. “We’ll wait until she leaves and then find out the contents of that package!”
But Mrs. Deline did not immediately go away. Instead she sat down in the sand close by. The girls could not see very well but they thought she was writing something on the skirt of her white suit.
“Why is she doing that?” Louise asked in bewilderment.
“I’ll bet a cookie she’s writing down the location of what she hid in the sand dune!” Penny speculated. “That’s so she can find it again!”
“But why write it on her skirt? And why should she hide anything here on the beach?”
“Because she’s a spy!” Penny declared triumphantly. “I’ve been suspicious of her from the first!”
“Yes, you have, darling,” agreed Louise. “But would a spy necessarily hide a package? If Mrs. Deline had information to communicate wouldn’t she send it to her superiors? Besides, Sunset Beach isn’t even an important manufacturing town.”
“That’s true. But I’ve heard Dad say that the Coast Guards watch this place closely. Because of its isolation and jagged coastline it’s considered a likely spot for surprise night landings by the Enemy.”
“Only this morning you thought old Jake Skagway was a rascal,” Louise chuckled. “You don’t catch me falling for your theories this time.”
“Then you have no interest in that hidden package?”
“Of course I have! I merely don’t agree that Mrs. Deline is a spy.”
“Quiet!” Penny warned. “Here she comes!”
Mrs. Deline had arisen from the sand and came rapidly down the beach. She did not see the girls until she was very close to them. Involuntarily, she paused, and looked somewhat disconcerted. Recovering, she spoke coldly.
“Hello,” Penny responded, her gaze on the woman’s white flannel skirt. It bore not a single tell-tale mark.
Mrs. Deline went on down the beach.
“You see,” Louise whispered when the woman was beyond hearing, “she didn’t write anything on her dress.”
“But we saw her do it!”
“We only thought we did.”
“Maybe she wrote it in invisible ink.”
“Oh, Penny, you certainly have an imagination,” Louise sighed.
“I suppose I imagined about the package too?”
“No, she really did bury something in the sand.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Penny demanded, leaping to her feet. “Let’s dig it up, and then maybe we’ll have the answer to a few of our questions.”
From a distance Penny and Louise had marked well the spot where Mrs. Deline had buried the package. But as they approached the drift fence all of the dunes seemed strikingly similar in appearance. They could not agree as to the exact mound which contained the hidden package.
“It was buried in this one, I think,” Penny said, starting to dig. “Mrs. Deline certainly did a good job of covering her tracks.”
“You’re wasting time working on that dune,” Louise insisted. “I’ll get busy over here and turn up the package in nothing flat.”
Selecting a mound of sand several feet from Penny, she began to dig with a will. The mysterious package proved elusive. Scarcely had the girls started work than a few raindrops splattered down.
“Oh, it’s going to storm!” Louise exclaimed, turning startled eyes toward the dark sea.
The rain came down faster and faster. Faced with a choice of abandoning the search or being drenched, the girls decided to make a dash for the hotel.
As they darted up the steps at the Crystal Inn, they were surprised to see Mrs. Deline sitting on the veranda. A spyglass lay in her lap. Whether she had been watching the sea or their own antics they had no way of knowing.
“Have you seen my father, Mrs. Deline?” Penny asked, shaking the raindrops from her flying hair.
“Indeed, I don’t keep track of his whereabouts,” Mrs. Deline replied coldly. “By the way, did you find what you were searching for in the sand?”
The question caught Penny off guard. She stammered a few words which only caused the widow to smile in a knowing, amused way.
“I don’t mind telling you what I buried in the sand,” she resumed. “It may save you a little trouble. The package contained nothing but fish bones.”
“Fish bones!”
“Yes, I had just visited my friend, Jim McCoy, at the lighthouse. It’s most difficult to bury anything there because of so many rocks. He asked me to dispose of the scraps for him.”
“Oh,” Penny murmured, completely deflated.
“I’ve been watching you girls through the spyglass,” Mrs. Deline went on. “It really was amusing.”
“I can imagine,” Penny agreed grimly. “Oh, well, I’m glad to provide a little amusement for this dead place.”
She and Louise retreated until they were screened from the widow by a potted palm.
“I guess she scored on you that time, Penny,” Louise commented. “So we wasted our strength digging for garbage!”
“You needn’t rub it in.”
“But it’s all so silly. Why don’t we try to like Mrs. Deline, Penny?”
“I’ll leave that job up to you. Furthermore, how do I know she was telling the truth? Maybe she just handed us that story so we wouldn’t go on digging in the dunes!”
“That’s so!” Louise acknowledged. “Mrs. Deline isn’t the type to be doing gracious little jobs for anyone.”
“If Jim McCoy asked her to bury a package of garbage, she would have disposed of it long before she did,” Penny reasoned. “Instead, she walked quite a distance down shore. Then she seemed to select a particular dune, as if by pre-arrangement.”
“You think she may have hidden something there expecting another person to pick it up?”
“That’s my theory, Lou. Oh, I wish this rain would let up.”
Restlessly Penny walked to a window. The rain showed signs of slackening. And as she watched, a taxi drew up in front of the hotel. Jerry Livingston leaped out.
“Wait for me!” he instructed the driver. “I’ll be right back.”
Penny and Louise managed to block Jerry’s path as he came hurrying into the hotel.
“Hello, girls,” he greeted them offhanded. “Want to go for a drive into the country?”
“We certainly do,” Penny accepted for both. “What’s our destination?”
“Tell you on the way,” Jerry answered.
He disappeared into an elevator, but was back in the lobby within a few minutes. Taking Penny and Louise each by an elbow, he escorted them to the waiting cab.
“In a way, this is a secret trip,” he said after he had given directions to the driver. “Ever see a radio monitoring truck?”
“Never even heard of one,” Penny replied. “What is it?”
“Well, we have a truck equipped so that our instruments pick up the direction from which any short wave broadcast is sent. It’s not generally known that the Army’s at work here, so whatever you girls see you must keep under your sunbonnets.”
The taxi sped along the country road, following a route that was unfamiliar to the girls. By the time it drew up several miles from Sunset Beach the rain had ceased.
“Tumble out,” Jerry said, opening the cab door. “This is the end of the line.”
He went ahead, breaking a hole in the tall hedge at one side of the road. Eagerly the girls followed him through the gap. In a clearing just beyond a clump of saplings stood what appeared to be an ordinary covered Army truck.
An enlisted man came toward Jerry and the girls, saluting smartly.
“Are you picking up any signals?” Jerry asked him.
“Nothing yet, sir. The weather hasn’t been very favorable.”
“You’ve had your equipment set up here two days now?”
“Right, sir.”
“It’s not likely we’ll get anything today or tonight,” Jerry replied. “Oh, well, we’ll have to have patience. Sooner or later the station will go on the air again, and then we’ll learn its location.”
Louise and Penny were curious to learn more about the monitoring truck. Jerry took them inside, introduced them to the officers, and showed them the radio apparatus.
“Our truck is equipped with rotating antennae,” he explained. “Whenever the unknown station starts to broadcast we’ll be able to swing our loops toward the signals. Then we chart the signals and where the lines intercept, the station is located.”
“As you explain it, Jerry, finding any radio station is a simple matter.”
“It is, providing the station doesn’t move in the meantime. Unfortunately, Mr. Voice from the Cave is an elusive fellow.”
“You have no idea who the man may be?”
“No, he’s known to FBI agents only as B4 which is a code number.”
“What is the purpose behind the broadcasts?” Louise inquired. “Enemy propaganda?”
“We know that the station is enemy owned and operated,” Jerry replied. “So far that’s about all we do know, for we’ve been unable to break the code. We suspect that persons connected with the station may be aiding German prisoners to escape from the country.”
“Prisoners originally held in Canada?” Penny inquired.
“Yes, they’ve been aided by a ring of very clever spies.”
Penny was silent as she thought over the information. There were many questions she longed to ask.
“Jerry—” she began, but just then there came an interruption.
In the Army truck an officer had adjusted his earphones. His attitude as he listened was one of tense expectancy.
“Picking up any signals?” Jerry demanded.
The other man nodded. “Something’s coming in! Yes, it’s our friend, the Voice. In just a minute we should know exactly where the station is located.”
Jerry and the girls remained in the truck, eagerly awaiting a report from the efficient men who manned the radio direction finders.
“Okay, we’ve got it charted!” came the terse announcement a moment later.
“Where’s the station located?” Jerry demanded eagerly. “Let’s see the chart.”
It was thrust into his hand. Jerry stared at the intercepting lines and then at a map of the district.
“Why, the station seems to be located along the shore!” he exclaimed. “Apparently in one of the caves—Crystal Cave I’d judge.”
“That’s the cave where Louise and I were!” Penny exclaimed. “But we saw no shortwave radio apparatus. Only crazy old Skagway who was playing a tune on the stalagmites.”
“All the same, direction finders don’t lie. The broadcast came from Crystal Cave! But that doesn’t mean the station will be there fifteen minutes from now.”
“What’s to be done?” Penny asked. “Can’t the Voice be caught before he has a chance to move his portable outfit?”
“A message already has been sent to Headquarters. Army men should be on their way to the cave now.”
“Jerry, we’re not far from Crystal Cave ourselves!” Penny exclaimed, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Can’t we go there too?”
“We can and will!” Jerry laughed. “But if we expect to catch our friend, the Voice, there’s no time to lose. Come along, girls, if you’re traveling with me.”
Penny sprawled on the grass beside the dying embers of the camp fire. Listlessly, and with very bad aim, she hurled acorns at a brown squirrel chattering overhead.
“You’ve been in a bad mood ever since we got back from Crystal Cave,” Louise observed, coming out of the tent. “But why take it out on that poor creature?”
Penny raised herself on an elbow. She scowled and did not reply.
Louise moved over to the fire, seating herself on a log beside her chum.
“Oh, brace up,” she said, slipping an arm about Penny’s shoulders. “In all my life I’ve never seen you act so discouraged.”
“I feel lower than the worms. Nothing’s gone right since we came to Sunset Beach.”
“On the contrary, I can’t see that anything has gone so very wrong.”
“Wasn’t our trip to the Crystal Cave a bust?” Penny demanded.
“Well, it wasn’t a success.”
Louise smiled wryly at the recollection. With Jerry and the Army men, she and Penny had spent the afternoon searching various caves along the water front. Not a trace had been found of the mysterious radio station which so plagued local authorities. The search had been a long and exhausting one. In the end, though the others kept on, she and Penny had been compelled to give up.
“My feet hurt yet from scrambling over the rocks,” Penny declared. “I suppose Jerry and those Army officers will keep searching half the night.”
“And I’ll warrant they never do find the station,” Louise contributed. “This is one mystery I wish you had never stumbled into, Penny.”
“I’m beginning to feel the same way, Lou. This is supposed to be a vacation. I’d like to see Dad and Jerry once in awhile.”
“So that’s what’s bothering you!”
“Well, you know Jerry will be here only a few days at most,” Penny said defensively. “I’ve barely had a chance to say ‘hello’ to him. Dad’s always down at the hotel too.”
“What you crave seems to be male companionship.”
Penny tossed a stick of wood on the fire, making the sparks fly. “I could do with a little,” she admitted. “Life is too dull here.”
“Dull?” Louise gazed at her chum suspiciously.
“It’s no use being surrounded by mystery if one can’t get into the thick of it. So far all the adventure has by-passed us.”
“We might stir up a little excitement by looking for that package Mrs. Deline buried in the sand.”
“Not today,” Penny said with a sigh. “Too tired. Besides, I told Jerry about it and he wasn’t much impressed.”
“So that’s the reason for your gloom,” Louise remarked wisely. “As a detective you don’t rate.”
“Something like that. Jerry met Mrs. Deline at the hotel today and he thought her a very charming lady.”
“Oh!” Louise laughed. “No wonder you’re all smashed to bits!”
Penny got up from the grass and began preparations for supper. She peeled a pan of potatoes and opened a can of corn.
“We need a bucket of water from the spring,” she said suggestively. “Want to help me carry it?”
“I will,” Louise agreed without enthusiasm.
The trail led up a steep path to a rocky ledge from which cool spring water gushed out of a steel pipe. Penny drank deeply and then hung her tin bucket over the outlet to fill.
“It’s starting to get dark,” she observed, noticing how shadowy the woods had grown. “I hope Dad returns to camp soon.”
“Someone’s coming now,” Louise remarked as her keen ears detected the sound of footsteps on the trail below.
“Probably one of the rangers.”
Penny unhooked the water bucket from the pipe, and the girls started down the trail, carrying it between them. Emerging from among the trees, they glimpsed a figure below them. A woman in a dark cloak who carried a picnic hamper, was walking rapidly up the winding trail.
Penny stopped so suddenly that she spilled water on her sandals.
“Lou, that’s Mrs. Deline!” she whispered.
“What of it, pet? She’s evidently going on a picnic.”
“At this time of day? And alone?”
“Well, that part of it does seem a bit odd.”
Penny pulled her chum into the bushes beside the path. Crouching low beside their water bucket, they allowed the woman to pass. Looking neither to the right nor left, she hastened on up the trail.
“She seems to be in a big hurry,” Penny commented, coming out of hiding. “Now where do you suppose she’s going?”
“Probably to the cabin. One of your ranger friends told me about a rustic place farther up the trail. It was built especially for the enjoyment of the public.”
“But why would Mrs. Deline go there alone?”
“Maybe she intends to meet someone.”
“Lou, that’s probably what she is going to do!” Penny exclaimed. “Let’s follow her and find out.”
“What about supper?”
“Who cares for food?” Penny demanded. “If Dad comes home he can rustle a little for himself. It’s more important that we follow Mrs. Deline.”
“Okay,” Louise agreed, “only I’m in no mood to walk very far. Remember, we’ve had one wild chase today.”
Leaving the water bucket behind the bushes, the girls set out in pursuit of Mrs. Deline. Not without admiration they acknowledged that the widow was a better trail climber than they. Though the hamper she carried evidently was heavy, she fairly skimmed up the rough trail. Penny and Louise fell farther and farther behind.
“She’s heading for the cabin all right,” Penny puffed. “Of course she intends to meet someone. Otherwise, she’d have had her picnic on the beach or some place closer to the hotel.”
A clearing opened up through a gap in the trees. Mrs. Deline paused as she came within view of the rustic log cabin and gazed carefully about. The girls saw her look at her wrist watch.
“She has an appointment with someone,” Penny declared.
Mrs. Deline walked to the door of the cabin and tested it to make certain that it was unlocked. She did not go inside. Instead, she set down the hamper and gazed slowly about the clearing. Louise and Penny, at the fringe of woods, saw her start as she looked directly toward them.
“She’s seen us!” Louise gasped.
“We’ll have to go out and meet her,” Penny decided instantly. “Let’s pretend we just happened to be coming this way. But we’ll stick around and see who she’s meeting.”
Mrs. Deline stiffened visibly as the girls sauntered out of the woods toward her.
“Well, this is a surprise meeting you,” she said in a tone none too friendly. “Is your camp located near here?”
“Down the trail a short distance,” Penny replied, thoroughly enjoying the widow’s discomfiture. “Having a picnic?”
“Why, yes. I love the outdoors and thought I’d take a hike this afternoon.”
“It’s rather late for a picnic,” Penny said pointedly.
“It took me longer to get here than I expected.”
In an effort to discourage her young annoyers, Mrs. Deline pushed open the door of the cabin. Before she could pick up the hamper, Penny seized it.
“Let me,” she said quickly. “My how heavy! All this food for one person?”
“Certainly,” Mrs. Deline answered. “Who else?”
Penny set the hamper on the table. Deliberately she raised the lid. The basket was filled with food, enough for a dozen persons, and in the bottom she saw a folded wool blanket. Beneath the blanket were several bulky garments which she took to be men’s clothing. Before she could see plainly, Mrs. Deline jerked the lid of the hamper into place.
“Please!” she said with emphasis.
“I was only trying to be helpful,” Penny said, pretending to look injured. “Don’t you want Lou and me to dust off the table and spread out the picnic things?”
“I do not. If you’ll excuse me for saying so, I came on this picnic to be alone. I enjoy solitude.”
“But it’s getting dark,” Penny argued. “We wouldn’t think of deserting you. The cabin has no light.”
“I don’t mind the dark. Anyway, I brought candles. I really prefer to be alone.”
Thus dismissed, Louise started to leave. Penny lingered, trying to think of some excuse. Just then, from somewhere in the woods, she heard a shrill whistle unlike any bird call.
“What was that?” she asked alertly.
“I heard nothing,” said Mrs. Deline.
Nevertheless, a moment later the woman sauntered to an open cabin window. Deliberately she turned her back to the girls, trying to block their view. Quickly she raised and lowered her handkerchief.
The movement was deftly executed, but swift though it was, Penny saw and understood. Mrs. Deline had signaled to an unseen person beyond the fringe of trees!
Penny moved swiftly to the open cabin door, gazing toward the darkening woods. No one was visible amid the shadows. Yet she was certain that Mrs. Deline had signaled to someone lurking among the trees.
The widow had turned from the window to unfasten the lid of the picnic hamper.
“Since you girls are here you may as well stay and share my supper,” she said without warmth. “There’s enough food for all.”
Louise’s chin tilted proudly. The invitation was grudgingly given, and she meant to decline. Penny forestalled her by saying:
“How nice of you, Mrs. Deline! Of course we’ll be delighted to remain.”
Mrs. Deline made no reply, though obviously she had not expected an acceptance. Irritably she laid out the picnic dishes—sandwiches, a salad, cake, cookies, and fruit—all carefully prepared and cooked at the hotel kitchen.
“You certainly did bring plenty of food for one person,” Penny commented, helping herself to a chicken sandwich. “Isn’t that clothing in the bottom of the basket?”
“Only a blanket.” Mrs. Deline closed the lid firmly. “I thought I might need it if I should sit on the damp ground.”
Hungry as bears, Penny and Louise did not try to curb their healthy, young appetites. Mrs. Deline, on the other hand, scarcely nibbled at the food. Several times she arose and paced nervously to the window.
“It’s growing dark and I should return to the hotel,” she said the instant the girls had finished eating. “I’ll not bother to repack the lunch basket.”
“Oh, we’ll help you pick up everything,” Penny offered.
“Please don’t bother. I’ll merely pay the hotel for the basket.”
Penny was convinced that Mrs. Deline deliberately intended to leave the hamper behind. Despite the deep inroads she and Louise had made, considerable food remained. It occurred to her that the widow hoped to leave what remained so that the person hiding in the woods might come to the cabin for it after the party had gone.
“I can’t be bothered with a heavy basket,” Mrs. Deline said impatiently. “We’ll just leave it on the table.”
“Oh, the rangers wouldn’t like to have us leave food here,” Penny protested. “It will only take a minute to clean up everything.”
Disregarding Mrs. Deline’s order, she began to repack the remains of the lunch.
“But I don’t wish to carry the basket all the way to the hotel!”
“Louise and I will help you.”
Tossing her head, Mrs. Deline walked out of the cabin, allowing the door to slam behind her. Louise and Penny finished packing the lunch and hastened down the trail in pursuit.
“Maybe we shouldn’t cross her so,” Louise whispered uneasily. “I think she intended to meet someone here!”
“I’m sure of it,” agreed Penny. “We spiked her little plan. I have an idea who she intended to meet too!”
“Who?”
Penny could not answer, for by this time she and Louise were practically at Mrs. Deline’s heels. The widow was walking as fast as she could.
“You’ll have to keep the basket,” she told the girls irritably. “I’m sure I’ll never carry it back to the hotel.”