CHAPTER 1 _AN OLD HOUSE_
At her desk in the assembly room of Riverview High School, Penny Parkersat poised for instant flight. Her books had been stacked away, and sheawaited only the closing bell to liberate her from a day of study.
"Now don't forget!" she whispered to her chum, Louise Sidell, whooccupied the desk directly behind. "We start for the old Marborough placeright away!"
The dismissal bell tapped. Penny bolted down the aisle and was one of thefirst to reach the door. However, hearing her name called, she was forcedto pause.
"Penelope, will you wait a moment please?" requested the teacher incharge of assembly.
"Yes, Miss Nelson," Penny dutifully responded, but she shot her chum aglance of black despair.
"What have you done now?" Louise demanded in an accusing whisper.
"Not a thing," muttered Penny. "About ten minutes ago I clipped FredGreen with a paper ball, but I don't think she saw me."
"Get out of it as fast as you can," Louise urged. "Unless we start forthe Marborough place within half an hour we'll have to postpone thetrip."
While the other pupils filed slowly from the room, Penny slumped backinto her seat. She was a tall, slim girl with mischievous blue eyes whichhinted of an active mind. Golden hair was accented by a brown sweatercaught at the throat with a conspicuous ornament, a weird looking animalmade of leather.
"Penelope, I don't suppose you know why I asked you to remain," observedthe teacher, slowly coming down the aisle.
"Why, no, Miss Nelson." Penny was far too wise to make damagingadmissions.
"I want to talk to you about Rhoda Wiegand."
"About Rhoda?" Penny echoed, genuinely surprised. The girl was a newstudent at Riverview, somewhat older than the members of her class, andlived in a trailer camp at the outskirts of the city.
Miss Nelson seated herself at a desk opposite Penny, thus indicating thatshe meant the talk to be friendly and informal.
"Penelope," she resumed, "you are president of the Palette Club. Why hasRhoda never been taken in as a member? She is one of our most talentedart students."
"Some of the girls don't seem to like Rhoda very well," Penny answered,squirming uncomfortably. "We did talk about taking her into the club, butnothing came of it."
"As president of the organization, couldn't you arrange it?"
"I suppose so," Penny admitted, frowning thoughtfully.
"Why do the girls dislike Rhoda?"
"There doesn't seem to be any special reason for it."
"Her poverty, perhaps?"
"I don't think it's that," Penny defended the club members. "Rhoda is soquiet that the girls have never become acquainted with her."
"Then I suggest that they make an immediate effort," Miss Nelson endedthe interview. "The Palette Club has no right to an existence unless itwelcomes members with real art talent."
A group of girls awaited Penny when she reached the locker room. Theyeagerly plied her with questions as to why she had been detained by theteacher.
"I'll tell you later," Penny promised.
At the other side of the room Rhoda Wiegand was removing a coat from herlocker. A sober-faced girl of seventeen, she wore a faded blue dresswhich seemed to draw all color from her thin face. Knowing that she wasnot well liked, she seldom spoke or forced herself upon the otherstudents.
"Rhoda," began Penny, paying no heed to the amazed glances of herfriends, "the Palette Club is having a meeting this afternoon at the oldMarborough place. Why not come with us?"
The older girl turned quickly, a smile of surprise and pleasurebrightening her face.
"Oh, I should love to go, only I don't think--" Hesitating, she gazed atthe other girls who were eyeing her in a none too friendly way.
Penny gave Louise Sidell a little pinch. Her chum, understanding what wasexpected, said with as much warmth as she could: "Yes, do come, Rhoda. Weplan to sketch the old wishing well."
"I have enough drawing material for both of us," Penny addedpersuasively.
"If you really want me, of course I'll come!" Rhoda accepted, her voicerather tremulous. "I've heard about the Marborough homestead, and alwayslonged to see it."
A group of subdued girls gathered their belongings from the lockers,preparing to leave the school grounds. No one understood why Penny hadinvited Rhoda to attend the outing, and the act had not been a popularone.
Boarding a bus, the twelve members of the Palette Club soon reached theend of the line, and from there walked a quarter of a mile into thecountry. Penny and Louise chose Rhoda as their companion, trying to makeher feel at ease. Conversation became rather difficult and they wererelieved when, at length, they approached their destination.
"There's the old house," Penny said, indicating a steep pitched roof-topwhich could be seen rising above a jungle of tall oaks. "It's beenunoccupied for at least ten years now."
The Marborough homestead, a handsome dwelling of pre-Civil war day, longhad been Riverview's most outstanding architectural curiosity. Only in avague way was Penny familiar with its history. The property had beennamed Rose Acres and its mistress, Mrs. James Marborough, had moved fromthe city many years before, allowing the house to stand unpainted anduntended. Once so beautifully kept, the grounds had become a tangle ofweeds and untrimmed bushes. Even so, the old plantation home with its sixgraceful pillars, retained dignity and beauty.
Entering the yard through a space where a gate once had stood, the girlsgazed about with interest. Framed in a clump of giant azaleas was thestatue of an Indian girl with stone feathers in her hair. Beyond, theycaught a glimpse of the river which curved around the south side of thegrounds in a wide bend.
"Where is the old wishing well?" Rhoda inquired. "I've heard so muchabout it."
"We're coming to it now," Penny replied, leading the way down an avenueof oak trees.
Not far from the house stood the old-fashioned covered well. Its base wasof cut stone and on a bronze plate had been engraved the words: "_If youdo a good deed, you can make a wish and it will come true_."
"Some people around Riverview really believe that this old well has thepower to make wishes come true," Louise Sidell remarked, peering at herreflection mirrored in the water far below. "In the past years when Mrs.Marborough lived here, it had quite a reputation."
"The water is still good if you don't mind a few germs," Penny added witha laugh. "I see that someone has replaced the bucket. There was none herethe last time I came."
By means of the long sweep, she lowered the receptacle and brought it upfilled with water.
"Make a wish, Penny," one of her friends urged. "Maybe it will cometrue."
"Everyone knows what she'll ask for!" teased Louise. "Her desires arealways the same--a bigger weekly allowance!"
Penny smiled as she drew a dipper of water from the wooden bucket.
"How about the good deed?" she inquired lightly. "I've done nothingworthy of a demand upon this old well."
"You helped your father round up a group of Night Riders," Louisereminded her. "Remember the big story you wrote for the _Riverview Star_which was titled: _The Clock Strikes Thirteen_?"
"I did prevent Clyde Blake from tricking a number of people in thiscommunity," Penny acknowledged. "Perhaps that entitles me to a wish."
Drinking deeply from the dipper, she poured the last drops into the well,watching as they made concentric circles in the still water below.
"Old well, do your stuff and grant my wish," she entreated. "Please getbusy right away."
"But what is your wish, Penny?" demanded one of the girls. "You have totell."
"All right, I wish that this old Marborough property could be restored toits former beauty."
"You believe in making hard ones," Louise laughed. "I doubt that thisplace ever will be fixed up again--at least not until after the propertychanges hands."
"It's Rhoda's turn now," Penny said, offering the dipper to he
r.
The older girl stepped to the edge of the well, her face very serious.
"Do you think wishes really do come true?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Oh, it's only for the fun of it," Louise responded. "But they do saythat in the old days, this well had remarkable powers. At least manypersons came here to make wishes which they claimed came true. I couldn'tbelieve in it myself."
Rhoda stood for a moment gazing down into the well. Drinking from thedipper, she allowed a few drops to spatter into the deep cavern below.
"I wish--" she said in a low, tense voice--"I wish that some day Pop andMrs. Breen will be repaid for looking after my brother and me. I wishthat they may have more money for food and clothes and a few really nicethings."
An awkward, embarrassing silence descended upon the group of girls.Everyone knew that Rhoda and her younger brother, Ted, lived at a trailercamp with a family unrelated to them, but not even Penny had troubled tolearn additional details. From Rhoda's wish it was apparent to all thatthe Breens were in dire poverty.
"It's your turn now, Louise," Penny said quickly.
Louise accepted the dipper. Without drinking, she tossed all the waterinto the well, saying gaily:
"I wish Penny would grow long ears and a tail! It would serve her rightfor solving so many mystery cases!"
The other girls made equally frivolous wishes. Thereafter, they abandonedfun for serious work, getting out their sketching materials. Penny andLouise began to draw the old well, but Rhoda, intrigued by the classicalbeauty of the house, decided to try to transfer it to paper.
"You do nice work," Penny praised, gazing over the older girl's shoulder."The rest of us can't begin to match it."
"You may have the sketch when I finish," Rhoda offered.
As she spoke, the girls were startled to hear a commotion in the bushesbehind the house. Chickens began to cackle, and to their ears came thesound of pounding feet.
Suddenly, from the direction of the river, a young man darted into view,pursued by an elderly man who was less agile. To the girls, it wasimmediately apparent why the youth was being chased, for he carried a fathen beneath his arm, and ran with hat pulled low over his face.
"A chicken thief!" Penny exclaimed, springing to her feet. "Come on,girls, let's head him off!"