"Well, of all things!" she exclaimed. "It's a ladder, Lou! A ladder made of silk!"

CHAPTER 2 _A ROPE OF SILK_

Even as Penny spoke, she felt a hard, warning tug on her skirt. Quickly she turned around.

In the doorway stood the old j.a.panese. His smile was not pleasant to behold.

"We-we were just looking at this rope," Penny stammered, trying to carry off the situation with dignity. "I hope you don't mind."

The j.a.panese shopkeeper gazed steadily at the girl, his face an emotionless mask. Since he spoke no word, it became increasingly evident that he regarded her with anger and suspicion.

"May I ask what use is made of this silk rope?" Penny inquired. "Do you sell it for a special purpose?"

The j.a.panese coldly ignored the direct questions.

"So very sorry to have kept you waiting," he said softly. "Your change please."

Penny knew that she deserved the rebuke. Accepting the package and coins, she and Louise hastily left the shop. Not until they were some distance away did the latter speak.

"Penny, you would do a trick like that! One of these days your curiosity will get us into serious trouble."

"At least I learned what was hidden behind the counter," chuckled Penny.

"But that j.a.p didn't seem very eager to answer my questions."

"Can you blame him? It certainly was none of our affair what he kept inside the box."

"Perhaps not, Lou, but you must admit he acted strangely when we first entered the shop. You know--as if we had surprised him in a questionable act."

"He naturally was startled. We came in so quietly."

"All the same, I'm not one bit sorry I looked behind the counter," Penny maintained. "I like to learn about things."

"I agree with you there!"

"Lou, what purpose do you suppose silk ladders serve? Who uses them and why?"

"Now, how should I know? Penny, you ask enough questions to be master of ceremonies on a radio quiz program."

"I can't recall ever having seen a silk ladder before," Penny resumed, undisturbed by her chum's quip. "Would acrobats use them, do you think?"

"Not to my knowledge," Louise answered. "If I were in your shoes I should worry about more serious matters than those connected with a mere silk ladder."

"The world is filled with serious things," sighed Penny. "But mystery!

One doesn't run into it every day."

"You do," said Louise brutally. "If a stranger twitches his ears twice you immediately suspect him of villainy."

"Nevertheless, being of a suspicious nature won me a new car," Penny defended herself. "Don't forget Dad gave it to me for solving a mystery, for telling his newspaper readers what was going on _Behind the Green Door_."

"Oh, your curiosity has paid dividends," Louise admitted with a laugh.

"Take for instance the time you trailed the _Vanishing Houseboat_, and again when you lowered the Kippenberg drawbridge to capture a boatload of crooks! Those were the days!"

"Why dwell in the past, Lou? Now take this affair of the silk ladder--"

"I'm afraid _you'll_ have to take it," Louise interrupted. "Do you realize it's nearly four o'clock? In exactly ten minutes I am supposed to be at the auditorium for orchestra practice."

"Lou, you can't desert me now," Penny protested quickly. "How will I get Lena home? I need you to steer her."

"Thanks, but I don't trust your tow rope."

"At least go as far as the _Star_ office with me. Once there, maybe I can get one of the reporters to help me the rest of the way."

"Oh, all right," Louise consented. "But the _Star_ office is my absolute limit."

Deciding not to take time to telephone her father, Penny once more climbed into the maroon sedan, posting Louise behind the wheel of the coupe. At a cautious speed the two cars proceeded along the street, coming presently to a large corner building which housed the _Riverview Star_. No parking s.p.a.ce being available on the street, Penny pulled into the newspaper plant's loading dock.

"Say, you!" shouted a man who was tossing stacks of freshly inked papers into a truck. "You can't park that caravan in here!"

Penny's eyes danced mischievously.

"Oh, it's quite all right," she said. "I guess you don't know who I am."

"Sure, I do," the trucker grinned. "But your dad gave orders that the next time you tried to pull that daughter-of-the-publisher stuff we were to bounce you! This dock is for _Star_ trucks."

"Why, the very idea," said Penny, with pretended injury. "The night edition doesn't roll for an hour and I'll be away from here before then!

Besides, this is a great emergency! When Dad hears about all the trouble I'm in, a little matter such as this won't even ruffle him."

"Okay, chase along," the trucker returned good-naturedly. "But see to it that you're out of here within an hour."

Penny bade Louise good-bye, and with plaid skirt swinging jauntily, crossed the cement runway to the rear elevator entrance. Without waiting for the cage to descend, she took the steps two at a time, arriving at the editorial floor gasping for breath.

"What's your rush?" inquired an amused voice. "Going to a fire?"

Jerry Livingston, ace reporter for the _Star_, leaned indolently against the grillwork of the elevator shaft, his finger pressed on the signal b.u.t.ton. He and Penny were friends of long standing.

"Oh, h.e.l.lo, Jerry!" Penny greeted him breathlessly. "Guess what? I've just come from Dorr Street--Kano's Curio Shop--and I had the most amazing adventure!"

"I can imagine," grinned Jerry. "If you breezed through the place the way you do this building, you must have left it in ruins."

"Just for that, I won't tell you a thing, not a thing," retorted Penny.

"What sort of a mood is Dad in today?"

"Well, I heard him tell DeWitt that unless the news output improves on this sheet, he aims to fire half the force."

"Sounds like Dad on one of his bad days," Penny sighed. "Maybe I should skip home without seeing him."