CHAPTER 18 _OVER THE BALCONY_
Panic-stricken, Penny's first thought was to try to dart past the men.But she realized that to do so would be impossible. Warned by Ma Harper'sexcited cries, they had moved into position to completely block her path.
"Stop that girl!" shouted Ma Harper, bearing down, upon her from thedirection of the river balcony. "She's from the police and sent here toget evidence!"
Whirling around, Penny ran back toward the kitchen, with the woman inpursuit. She did not waste time testing the rear door, for she alreadyknew it to be locked.
However, opening from the kitchen was another closed door which appearedto give exit. With no time to debate, Penny jerked it open and dartedinside.
Instantly, she saw that she had made a serious mistake. She had entered asmall washroom and had trapped herself. And Ma Harper was practicallyupon her.
Penny did the only possible thing. She slammed the door and turned thekey in the lock. For a moment at least, she was beyond reach.
"I've really trapped myself now!" she thought, recapturing her breath."What a mess! If I had used my head this wouldn't have happened."
Penny sat down on the edge of the bathtub to think. Already Ma Harper waspounding and thumping on the flimsy wooden door panel. The door rattledon its hinges.
"You open up or I'll break down the door!" the woman shouted furiously."You hear me?"
Penny did not answer. There was no escape from the washroom for it had nowindow. The tub upon which she sat was ringed with dirt, evidently havingseen no use in many weeks. Above her head stretched a short clotheslineupon which hung a row of Ma Harper's stockings.
"You let me in!" Ma Harper shouted again. "If I ever lay hands on you,you'll pay for this!"
The threat left Penny entirely unmoved. She had no intention of openingthe door, no matter what the woman might say or do.
Realizing that her tactics were gaining nothing, Ma tried anotherapproach.
"Please let me in," she coaxed in a falsely sweet voice. "We won't hurtyou. If you come out now, we'll let you go home just as you want to do."
Penny was not to be so easily taken in. She remained silent.
Ma Harper lost her temper completely then. She kicked at the door andshouted for the two men.
"Joe! Clark! Come and help me get this brat out of here!"
Penny, certain that her moments of freedom were limited, heard the twomen approach. A heavy body heaved itself against the door, but still thelock held.
"I don't want my door smashed," she heard Ma Harper whine. "Can't you geta screwdriver and take off the hinges? There ain't no other key in thehouse."
The reply of the men was inaudible, but Penny heard their retreatingfootsteps. The door knob kept rattling, so she decided Ma Harper had beenleft there to keep watch.
"This probably is my only chance to escape!" Penny reasoned. "I mightunlock the door and take a chance on overpowering Ma Harper. But she's astrong woman!"
Her roving gaze fastened upon the line of drying stockings, and suddenlyshe had an idea! Jerking one of the stockings down, she seized a thickbar of soap from the dish above the bathtub, and crammed it deep into thetoe of the stocking.
"This will make a superb weapon!" she thought gleefully. "Almost as goodas a blackjack!"
Taking a firm grip on the stocking, Penny swung it several times to becertain of its possibilities. Then she was ready.
Quickly she unlocked the door and stepped back.
For a moment nothing happened. Then Ma Harper pushed it open, just as shehad expected.
"Now I'll get you!" she screamed, springing at Penny.
Penny kept the stocking behind her back. "I hate to do this," shethought, "but she's asking for it!"
As Ma reached out to seize her, she swung the stocking. The encased cakeof soap cut a neat arc through the air and clipped the woman sharply onthe head.
More startled than hurt, she stumbled backwards and collapsed into thebathtub.
Pausing only long enough to see that Ma was not really injured, Pennymade a dash for safety. But her escape was cut off.
Sweeper Joe and Clayton the gateman were just entering the front door ofthe living room, armed with tools to use in taking down the washroomdoor.
Seeing Penny, they again blocked the exit. Desperate, she ran in the onlypossible direction--to the balcony overlooking the river.
The docks were directly beneath the house, and waves lapped the posts ofthe two-story porch. It was at least a fifteen-foot drop and the waterwas shallow. But Penny had no time to calculate the risk.
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, shejumped.
She struck the water head foremost in a shallow dive which wrenched herback but kept her from striking the river bottom. Brushing wet hair fromher eyes, she began to stroke. Her shoes were heavy as lead and impededher.
The force of Penny's dive had carried her many feet from shore into deepwater, and the river current swept her farther away from the docks.Weighted down by the shoes, she knew she did not have sufficient strengthto swim to shore with them on.
Burying her face in the water, she doubled up, and groping down, untiedthem, one at a time.
"Those were good shoes," she thought with regret as she kicked them offand saw them settle into the river.
Penny struck out with smooth crawl strokes for the nearby pier. Her skirtkept wrapping itself about her legs. Unwilling to discard it, she tuckedit high about her waist which made swimming much easier.
Reaching the pier, she was pulling herself out onto it, when Ma Harperand the two men came running out of the house to intercept her.
"Oh! Oh!" thought Penny. "It's not going to be as easy as I assumed."
Joe ran out on the pier, while Ma and the other man separated, onestarting upstream and the other down. No matter which way she turned,Penny saw that her escape would be cut off.
The river was wide, the current swift. Although an excellent swimmer, shehad no desire to attempt such a contest of endurance. But there seemed noother way.
Deliberately pushing off from the pier, she swam directly away fromshore, After a dozen strokes she rolled over on her back for a moment tosee what was happening. Ma Harper had shouted to Joe, and the wordscarried plainly over the water.
"Take after her in the boat! We don't dare let her get away now! Sheknows too much!"
Penny had forgotten the motorboat tied up at the pier. Now as she saw Joeand Clark Clayton run toward it, her heart sank.
Though the race seemed hopeless, she flopped over onto her face again,and swam with all her strength. Going with the current, her feet churnedthe water behind her.
Several times, the men tried without success to start the motorboatengine. Penny grew hopeful. Then she heard the blast as the motor caught,and knew that in just a minute the men would overtake her.
Frantically, she glanced about for help. Already late afternoon, therewere no fishing boats on the river. Save for Ma Harper, who stood readyto seize her should she try to swim in to the beach, no other personswere visible on either shore. The _River Queen_ apparently was at the farend of her run, hidden beyond the bend.
A hundred yards away, in shallow water, lay a large patch of tall rivergrass and cat-tails. Seeing it, Penny took new hope. The area was largeenough to offer a temporary refuge if she could reach it! Not only wouldthe dense mat of high grass protect her from view, but a boat would notbe able to follow.
Starting to swim again, she put everything she had into each stroke. Itwould be pinch and go to reach the grass patch! Aware of her intention,Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton had changed course, hoping to intercepther.