To the nervous girls, the boat scarcely seemed to move. Then at last it passed the bend and they were screened by willow trees and bushes.
"Now!" Sally signalled in a tense whisper.
Throwing off the sail, they seized oars and paddled with all their strength.
"Quiet!" Sally warned as Penny's oar made a splash. "Sounds carry plainly over the water."
The blast of a motorboat engine told them that Harper and his companion had started in pursuit. Only a minute or two would be required for them to round the bend.
Throwing caution to the winds, Sally and Penny dug in with their oars, shooting their craft toward shore. The boat grated softly on the sand. Instantly, the girls leaped out, splashing through ankle-deep water.
As Sally was about to start across the beach, Penny seized her hand.
"We mustn't leave a trail of footprints this time!" she warned.
Treading a log at the water's edge, Penny walked its length to firm ground which took no visible shoe print. Sally followed her to a clump of bushes where they crouched and waited.
Barely had they taken cover when the motorboat came into view, heading for the little cove. There Claude Harper recaptured the runaway rowboat, tying it to the stern of the other craft.
Suddenly Penny was dismayed as she realized that in their flight, a most important detail had been overlooked.
"The oars!" she whispered. "They're wet!"
"Maybe the men won't see," Sally said hopefully. "We left them half covered by the canvas."
Intent only upon returning to the pier, Claude Harper and his companion failed to notice anything amiss. Apparently assuming the boat had been carelessly tied and had drifted away under its own power, they were not suspicious.
"That was a narrow squeak," Penny sighed in relief as the motorboat with the other craft in tow finally disappeared around the bend. "The oars will quickly dry in the sun, so I guess we're safe."
Now that they were well out of trouble, the adventure seemed fun. Penny glanced at her wristwatch, observing that it was past four o'clock.
"Jack will be waiting for me," she said to Sally. "I'll have to hurry."
"We'll have plenty of time," Sally returned carelessly. "You usually can count on Jack being half an hour late for appointments."
Walking swiftly along the deserted shore, the girls discussed what they had overheard at the Harpers.
"We stirred up a big fuss and didn't learn too much," Penny said regretfully. "All the same, it looks as if the Harpers and Sweeper Joe are mixed up in this brass business together."
"They spoke of having something stored in the basement. That is what interests me. Oh, Penny, if only we could go back there sometime when the Harpers are gone and really investigate!"
"Maybe we can."
Sally shook her head. "Ma Harper almost never goes away from home. But sometimes she has streams of visitors from Osage--mostly women. I've often wondered why."
"Factory girls?"
"No, they're housewives and every type of person. I think Mrs. Harper must be selling something to them, but I never could figure it out."
The River Queen was at the far side of the river, so Sally, for lack of occupation, walked on with Penny to the dock where she was to meet Jack. Greatly to their surprise, he was there ahead of them, and evidently had been waiting for some length of time.
Seeing the girls, he slowly arose to his feet.
"Well, Jack, what did you learn at the factory?" Penny asked eagerly.
"Why, not much of anything."
"You mean you weren't able to find out the name of the man who dropped his badge aboard the Queen?" Penny asked incredulously.
"Of course you learned the name if you really tried," Sally added. "Every single badge used at your factory would be recorded!"
Thus trapped, Jack said lamely: "Oh, I learned his name all right. Take it easy, and I'll tell you."
