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's excited cries, they had moved into position to completely block her path.
"Stop that girl!" shouted Ma Harper, bearing down, upon her from the direction of the river balcony. "She's from the police and sent here to get evidence!"
Whirling around, Penny ran back toward the kitchen, with the woman in pursuit. She did not waste time testing the rear door, for she already knew it to be locked.
However, opening from the kitchen was another closed door which appeared to give exit. With no time to debate, Penny jerked it open and darted inside.
Instantly, she saw that she had made a serious mistake. She had entered a small washroom and had trapped herself. And Ma Harper was practically upon her.
Penny did the only possible thing. She slammed the door and turned the key 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 was pounding and thumping on the flimsy wooden door panel. The door rattled on 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 no window. The tub upon which she sat was ringed with dirt, evidently having seen no use in many weeks. Above her head stretched a short clothesline upon 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 opening the door, no matter what the woman might say or do.
Realizing that her tactics were gaining nothing, Ma tried another approach.
"Please let me in," she coaxed in a falsely sweet voice. "We won't hurt you. 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 and shouted 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 two men approach. A heavy body heaved itself against the door, but still the lock held.
"I don't want my door smashed," she heard Ma Harper whine. "Can't you get a screwdriver and take off the hinges? There ain't no other key in the house."
The reply of the men was inaudible, but Penny heard their retreating footsteps. The door knob kept rattling, so she decided Ma Harper had been left there to keep watch.
"This probably is my only chance to escape!" Penny reasoned. "I might unlock the door and take a chance on overpowering Ma Harper. But she's a strong woman!"
Her roving gaze fastened upon the line of drying stockings, and suddenly she had an idea! Jerking one of the stockings down, she seized a thick bar of soap from the dish above the bathtub, and crammed it deep into the toe of the stocking.
"This will make a superb weapon!" she thought gleefully. "Almost as good as a blackjack!"
Taking a firm grip on the stocking, Penny swung it several times to be certain 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 she had expected.
"Now I'll get you!" she screamed, springing at Penny.
Penny kept the stocking behind her back. "I hate to do this," she thought, "but she's asking for it!"
As Ma reached out to seize her, she swung the stocking. The encased cake of soap cut a neat arc through the air and clipped the woman sharply on the head.
More startled than hurt, she stumbled backwards and collapsed into the bathtub.
Pausing only long enough to see that Ma was not really injured, Penny made a dash for safety. But her escape was cut off.
