Saboteurs on the River Part 7

Sara smiled and nodded. Eager to make amends, she ran into the shed and returned with the desired article.

"There's still a little water in my boat," Penny explained. "Thought I'd sop it up."

"Let me do it," Sara offered. Without waiting for permission she went to the sailboat, and with a friendly nod at the astonished Louise, began to sponge out the c.o.c.kpit.

"I see you've collected one of Old Noah's souvenirs," she remarked a moment later, noticing the blue bottle which Penny had tossed into the bottom of the boat.

"We found it floating in the water," Louise volunteered. "The message was such a queer one--an invitation to take refuge in the ark during the Great Deluge. Someone's idea of a joke, I suppose."

"It's no joke," Sara corrected. "Noah is a very real person. He actually lives in an ark too--a weird looking boat he built himself."

"You mean the old fellow actually believes there's going to be another great flood?" Penny asked incredulously.

"Oh, yes! Noah is so sure of it that he's collected a regular menagerie of animals to live with him on the ark. He keeps dropping bottles into the water warning folks that the Great Deluge is coming. I fish out dozens of them here at the dock."

"Where is the ark?" Penny inquired curiously.

Sara squeezed the last drop of water from the sponge and pointed diagonally upstream toward a gap in the trees.

"That's where Bug Run empties into the river," she explained. "Noah has his ark grounded not far from its mouth. The currents are such that whenever he dumps his bottles in the water most of them come this way."

"Rather a nuisance I should think," commented Penny.

"Noah's a pest!" Sara complained, straightening from her task. "I suppose he's harmless, but those bottles of his create a hazard for our boats.

Burt has asked him several times not to throw them in the water. He just keeps right on doing it."

The sun now was directly overhead and Penny and Louise knew that they were expected at their homes for luncheon. Thanking Sara for her services, they sailed on to their own dock. As they hastened through the park to a bus line, Penny remarked that it would be fun sometime to visit Noah and his ark.

"Well, perhaps," Louise rejoined without a great deal of enthusiasm.

The buses were off schedule and for a long while the girls waited impatiently at the street corner. Penny was gazing absently toward a cafe nearby when a short, untidy man with s.h.a.ggy gray hair, came out of the building.

"Why, isn't that Mr. Oaks, the bridge watchman?" she asked her chum.

"It looks like him."

From far up the street an approaching bus could be seen, but Penny had lost all interest in boarding it.

"Louise, let's talk to Mr. Oaks," she urged, starting toward him.

"But we'll miss our bus."

"Who cares about that?" Penny took Louise firmly by an elbow, pulling her along. "We may not have another chance to see Mr. Oaks. I want to ask him why he identified the saboteur as Sara Ottman's brother."

CHAPTER 6 _OLD NOAH_

Carl Oaks saw the girls approaching, and recognized them with a curt nod of his head. He responded to their cheerful greeting, but with no warmth.

"I was hoping to see you, Mr. Oaks," Penny began the conversation. "Last night Louise and I had no opportunity to express our appreciation for the way you helped us."

"Well, I didn't help myself any," the old watchman broke in. "It was sure bad luck for me when your sailboat came floatin' down the river. Now I've lost my job."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear it."

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Mr. Oaks resumed in a whining tone.

"I've never been strong and I can't do hard work."

"Perhaps you can find another job as a watchman."

"No one will take me on after what happened last night."

"But it wasn't your fault the bridge was dynamited."

"Folks always are ready to push a man down if they get the chance," Mr.

Oaks said bitterly. "No, I'm finished in this seedy town! I'd pull out if I had the price of a ticket."

Penny was decidedly troubled. "You mustn't take that att.i.tude, Mr. Oaks,"

she replied. "Maybe I can help you."

The watchman looked interested, but amused. "How can you help me?" he demanded.

"My father owns the _Riverview Star_. Perhaps he can use an extra watchman at the newspaper building. If not, he may know someone who will employ you."

"I've always worked around the waterfront," Mr. Oaks returned, brightening a bit. "You know I ain't able to do much walkin' or any heavy lifting. Maybe your father can get me another job on a bridge."

"Well, I don't know," Penny responded. "I'll talk to him. Just give me your address so I can notify you later."

Mr. Oaks scribbled a few lines on the back of an old envelope and handed it to her. He did not express appreciation for the offer Penny had made, accepting it as his just due.

"I suppose the police questioned you about the bridge dynamiting," she remarked, pocketing the address.

"Sure, they gave me the works," he acknowledged, shrugging. "Kept me at the station half the night. Then this morning they had me identify one of the suspects."

"_Not_ Burt Ottman?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't identify him as the saboteur?" Penny inquired in dismay.

"I told the police he looked like the fellow. And he did."

"But how could you see his face?" Penny protested. "The motorboat traveled so fast! Even when the man crawled out of the water and ran, one could only tell that he was tall and thin."

"He looked like young Ottman to me," the watchman insisted stubbornly.