CHAPTER 6 _PENNY TRESPASSES_
"Can't you understand signs?" the old man demanded, advancing withcat-like tread from the fringe of pine trees.
"Not when I'm traveling down a mountain side at two hundred miles anhour!" Penny replied. "Please, would you mind pointing that cannon insome other direction? It might go off."
The old man lowered the shotgun, but the grim lines of his wrinkled,leathery face did not relax.
"Get up!" he commanded, prodding her with the toe of his heavy boot. "Getout of here! I won't have you or any other skier on my property."
"Then allow me to make a suggestion," remarked Penny pleasantly. "Put upanother strand of barbed wire and you'll have them all in the hospital!"
She sat up, gingerly felt of her left ankle and then began to brush snowfrom her jacket. "Did you see me make the jump?" she asked. "I took itjust like a reindeer. Or do I mean a gazelle?"
"You made a very awkward jump!" he retorted. "I could have done bettermyself."
Penny glanced up with genuine interest. "Oh, do you ski?"
By this time she no longer was afraid of the old man, if indeed she hadever been.
"No, I don't ski!" he answered impatiently. "Now hurry up! Get those skisoff and start moving! I'll not wait all day."
Penny began to unstrap the long hickory runners, but with no undue showof haste. She glanced curiously about the snowy field. An old shed stoodnot far away. Beside it towered a great stack of wood which reachednearly as high as the roof. Through the trees she caught a glimpse of aweather-stained log cabin with smoke curling lazily from the brickchimney.
As Penny was regarding it, she saw a flash of color at one of thewindows. A girl who might have been her own age had her face pressedagainst the pane. Seeing Penny's gaze upon her, she began to make motionswhich could not be understood.
The old man also turned his head to look toward the cabin. Immediately,the girl disappeared from the window.
"Is that where you live?" inquired Penny.
Instead of answering, the old man seized her by the hand and pulled herto her feet.
"Go!" he commanded. "And don't let me catch you here again!"
Penny shouldered her skis and moved toward the fence.
"So sorry to have damaged your nice snow," she apologized. "I'll try notto trespass again."
Crawling under the barbed wire fence, Penny retraced her way up the slopeto the point on the trail where she had taken the wrong turn. There shehesitated and finally decided to walk on to the Fergus hotel.
"I wonder who that girl was at the window?" Penny reflected as shetrudged along. "She looked too young to be Old Whisker's daughter. Andwhat was she trying to tell me?"
The problem was too deep for her to solve. But she made up her mind shewould ask Mrs. Downey the name of the queer old man as soon as shereturned to the lodge.
Reaching the Fergus hotel, Penny parked her skis upright in a snowbanknear the front door, and went inside. She found herself in a long lobbyat the end of which was a great stone fireplace with a half burned log onthe hearth. Bellboys in green uniforms and brass buttons darted to andfro. A general stir of activity pervaded the place.
As Penny was gazing about, she saw Maxine Miller leave an elevator andcome slowly across the lobby. The actress would not have seen her had shenot spoken.
"How do you do, Miss Miller. I didn't expect to see you here."
"Oh, Miss Parker!" The actress' face was the picture of despair. "I'vehad the most wretched misfortune!"
"Why, what has happened?" inquired Penny, although she thought she knewthe answer to her question.
"I've just seen Mr. Balantine." Miss Miller sagged into the depths of aluxuriously upholstered davenport and leaned her head back against thecushion.
"Your interview didn't turn out as you expected?"
"He wouldn't give me the part. Hateful old goat! He even refused to allowme to demonstrate how well I could read the lines! And he said some veryinsulting things to me."
"That is too bad," returned Penny sympathetically. "What will you do now?Go back home?"
"I don't know," the woman replied in despair. "I would stay if I thoughtI could change Mr. Balantine's opinion. Do you think I could?"
"I shouldn't advise it myself. Of course, I don't know anything about Mr.Balantine."
"He's very temperamental. Perhaps if I kept bothering him he wouldfinally give me a chance."
"Well, it might be worth trying," Penny said doubtfully. "But I think ifI were you I would return home."
"All of my friends will laugh at me. They thought it was foolish to comeout here as it was. I can't go back. I am inclined to move down to thishotel so I'll be able to keep in touch with Mr. Balantine with lessdifficulty."
"It's a very nice looking hotel," commented Penny. "Expensive, I've beentold."
"In the show business one must keep up appearances at all cost," repliedMiss Miller. "I believe I'll inquire about the rates."
While Penny waited, the actress crossed over to the desk and talked witha clerk. In a small office close by, Ralph Fergus and Harvey Maxwellcould be seen in consultation. They were poring over a ledger, apparentlychecking business accounts.
Miss Miller returned in a moment. "I've taken a room," she announced. "Ican't afford it, but I am doing it anyway."
"Will you be able to manage?"
"Oh, I'll run up a bill and then let them try to collect!"
Penny gazed at the actress with frank amazement.
"You surely don't mean you would deliberately defraud the hotel?"
"Not so loud or the clerk will hear you," Miss Miller warned. "And don'tuse such an ugly word. If I land the part with Mr. Balantine, of courseI'll pay. If not--the worst they can do is to throw me out."
Penny said no more but her opinion of Miss Miller had descended severalnotches.
"What are you doing here?" the actress inquired, quickly changing thesubject.
"Oh, I just came down to look over the hotel. It's very swanky, but Ilike Mrs. Downey's place better."
Miss Miller turned to leave. "I am going back there now to check out,"she declared. "Would you like to walk along?"
"No, thank you, I'll just stay here and rest for a few minutes."
Penny had no real purpose in coming to the Fergus hotel. She merely hadbeen curious to see what it was like. Even a casual inspection made itclear that Mrs. Downey's modest little lodge never could compete withsuch a luxurious establishment.
She studied the faces of the persons in the lobby. There seemed to be astrange assortment of people, including a large number of men and womenwho certainly had never been drawn to Pine Top by the skiing. Pennythought whimsically that it would be interesting to see some of the fat,pampered-looking ones take a tumble on the slippery slopes.
"But what is the attraction of this place, if not the skiing?" shepuzzled. "There is no other form of entertainment."
Presently, a well-fed lady in rustling black silk, her hand heavy withdiamond rings, paused beside Penny.
"I beg your pardon," she said, "can you tell me how to find the GreenRoom?"
"No, I can't," replied Penny. "I would need a map to get around in thishotel. You might ask at the desk."
The woman fluttered over to the clerk and asked the same question.
"You have your card, Madam?" he inquired in a low tone.
"Oh, yes, to be sure. The manager presented it to me this morning."
"Take the elevator to the second floor wing," the man instructed. "Room22. Show your card to the doorman and you will be admitted."
Penny waited until after the woman had gone away. Then she arose andsauntered across the lobby. She picked up a handful of hotel literaturebut there was no mention of any Green Room. Pausing by the elevator, shewaited until the cage was deserted of passengers before speaking to theattendant, a red headed boy of about seventeen.
"Where is the Green R
oom, please?"
"Second floor, Miss."
"And what is it? A dining room?"
The attendant shot her a peculiar glance and gave an answer which wasequally strange.
"It's not a dining room. I can't tell you what it is."
"A cocktail room perhaps?"
"Listen, I told you I don't know," the boy answered.
"You work here, don't you?"
"Sure I do," he said with emphasis. "And I aim to keep my job for awhile.If you want to know anything about the Green Room ask at the desk!"