"I'd be tickled pink to have you!"
"Then it's settled."
"But what about the Gandiss family? You are their guest."
"That part is a bit awkward," Penny admitted. "But they are all good sports. I'm sure no one will hold it against me."
"After I was discharged from the factory?"
"That really wasn't Mr. Gandiss' doing, Sally. The plant is so large he scarcely knows what goes on in some departments. You were discharged by the personnel manager."
"I realize that."
"Didn't Mr. Gandiss write you a letter asking you to come in for a personal interview?"
"Yes, he did," Sally acknowledged reluctantly. "I was angry and I tore it up."
"Then you shouldn't blame Mr. Gandiss."
"I'm not blaming him, Penny. I like Mr. Gandiss very much. In fact, I like him so well I never could bear to accept favors from him."
"Not even to clear your name?"
Sally washed her hands at the river's edge, and rolled down the legs of her overalls. "The person who put that brass in my locker hasn't been caught?" she inquired softly.
"Not to my knowledge."
"Then all Mr. Gandiss could do would be to offer me another chance," Sally said bitterly. "I'll never work in the factory on that basis. If I am cleared completely, then I am willing to go back."
"Mr. Gandiss is trying to solve the mystery of those thefts," Penny declared. "I know that to be a fact. Have you any idea who the guilty parties might be?"
Sally straightened up, digging at paint which had lodged beneath her fingernails. She did not answer.
"You do have a clue!" Penny cried.
"Maybe." Sally smiled mysteriously.
"Tell me what it is."
"No, I intend to work by myself until I'm sure that I'm on the right track. I've not even told Pop."
"Does it have anything to do with Sweeper Joe?"
Sally's expression became blank. "I don't know much about him," she dismissed the subject. "My information concerns a certain house upriver. But don't ask me to tell you more."
Hastily she gathered up paint cans and brush, turning to leave. "Are you really serious about racing with me tomorrow?" she demanded.
"Of course!"
"Then you're elected first mate of the Cat's Paw! Meet me at the yacht club dock at six in the morning for a trial workout. The preliminary race is at two."
"I'll be there without fail."
"And bring a little luck with you," Sally added with a grin. "We may need it to defeat the Spindrift."
