Behind the Green Door Part 22

"If you're the smart little girl I think you are, a hint will be sufficient," he said. "I don't want any member of the Parker family on my premises. So stay away. Get me?"

"Yes, sir," responded Penny meekly.

Inwardly, she was raging. Someone deliberately had betrayed her to Harvey Maxwell and she had a very good idea who that person might be. From now on employes of the hotel would be told to keep watch for her. Never again would she be allowed in the lobby, much less in the vicinity of the Green Room.

Harvey Maxwell walked with Penny to the front door of the hotel and closed it behind her.

"Remember," he warned, "stay away."

As Penny started down the walk she heard a silvery laugh, and glancing sideways, saw Francine leaning against the building.

"You didn't spend much time in the Green Room, did you?" she inquired.

"That was a dirty trick to play!" retorted Penny. "I wouldn't have done it to you."

"You couldn't have thought that fast, my dear Penny."

"I might tell Mr. Maxwell you're a reporter for the _Riverview Record_.

How would you like that?"

Francine shrugged. "In that case we both lose the story. All I want is an exclusive. After the yarn breaks in the _Record_, your father will be welcome to make use of any information published. So if you really want him to win his libel suit, you'll gain by not interfering with me."

"You reason in a very strange way," replied Penny coldly.

Picking up her skis she shouldered them and marched stiffly away. She was angry at Francine and angry at herself for having given the rival reporter an opportunity to score against her. Probably she would never tell Harvey Maxwell or Ralph Fergus who the girl actually was, sorely as she might be tempted. As Francine had pointed out, her own chance of gleaning any worth while information had been lost.

"It's a bitter pill to choke down," thought Penny, "but I would rather have the _Record_ get the story than to lose it altogether."

Sunk deep in depression, she tramped back to the Downey lodge. The mail had arrived during her absence but there was no letter from home.

"Dad might at least send me a postcard," she grumbled. "For two cents I would take the next plane back to Riverview."

However, Penny could not remain downhearted for any great length of time.

Why worry about Francine and the silly old Green Room? She would forget all about it and try to have fun for a change.

It was not difficult to dismiss the matter from her mind, for the following morning Sara Jasko came to give her a lesson in bob-sled driving. With a crowd of interested guests watching from the sidelines, they made their first exciting ride over the track. Sara steered, Jake operated the brake, and Penny rode as sole pa.s.senger.

Horseshoe Curve was the most thrilling point on the course. As the sled tore around it at a tremendous rate of speed, Jake dug in the iron claw of the brake, sending up a plume of snow. They slackened speed perceptibly, but even so the sled climbed high on the sloping wall, and Penny thought for an anxious moment that they were going over the top.

The remainder of the run was mild by comparison.

Upon later trips Penny was allowed to manage the brake, and soon became dexterous in applying it as Sara shouted the command.

Skiers abandoned the slopes to watch the new sport. Two at a time, Penny and Sara gave them rides and all of their pa.s.sengers were enthusiastic.

By the following day the word had spread down the mountain that Mrs.

Downey's bob-sled run was operating. Guests from the Fergus hotel joined the throng but they were given rides only when there were no pa.s.sengers waiting.

"It's going over like a house afire!" Penny declared gaily to Mrs.

Downey. "I shouldn't be surprised if you take some of the Fergus hotel's customers away from them if this enthusiasm lasts."

"You and Sara are showing folks a wonderful time."

"And we're having one ourselves. It's even more fun than skiing."

"But more dangerous," declared Mrs. Downey. "I hope we have no accidents."

"Sara is a skillful driver."

"Yes, she is," agreed Mrs. Downey. "There's no cause for worry so long as the track isn't icy."

Two days pa.s.sed during which Penny did not even go near the Fergus hotel or to the village. As she remarked to Mrs. Downey, all of Pine Top came to the lodge. During the morning hours when the bob-sled run was in operation, a long line of pa.s.sengers stood waiting. Guests from the Fergus hotel had few chances for rides. Several of them, wis.h.i.+ng to be on the favored list, checked out and came to take lodging at Mrs. Downey's place.

"I can't understand it," the woman declared to Penny. "Last year the run wasn't very popular. I think it may have been because we had a little accident at the beginning of the season. Nothing serious but it served to frighten folks."

"I wonder how the Fergus-Maxwell interests are enjoying it?" chuckled Penny.

"Not very well, you may be sure. This flurry in our business will rather worry them. They may not put me out of business as quickly as they expected."

"At least you'll end your season in a blaze of glory," laughed Penny.

The weather had turned warmer. Late Thursday afternoon the snow melted a bit and the lowering night temperatures caused a film of ice to form over the entire length of the bob-sled run. Jake shook his head as he talked over the situation with Penny the next morning.

"The track will be fast and slippery this morning."

"A lot of folks will be disappointed if we don't make any trips,"

declared Penny. "Here comes Sara. Let's see what she has to say."

Sara studied the run, and walked down as far as Horseshoe Curve.

"It's fast all right," she conceded. "But that will only make it the more exciting. Brakes in good order, Jake?"

"I tested every sled last night after they were brought to the shop."

"Then we'll have no trouble," said Sara confidently. "Round up the pa.s.sengers, Jake, and we'll start at once."

The sled was hauled to the starting line. Sara took her place behind the wheel, with Penny riding the end position to handle the brake. Their first pa.s.sengers were to be a middle aged married couple. Sara gave them padded helmets to wear.

"What are these for?" the woman asked nervously. "The toboggan slide isn't dangerous, is it?"

"No, certainly not," answered Sara. "We haven't had a spill this year.

Hang tight on the curves. Give me plenty of brake when I call for it, Penny."

She signaled for the push off. They started fast and gathered speed on the straightaway. Penny wondered how Sara could steer for her own eyes blurred as they shot down the icy trough. They never had traveled at such high speed before.

"Brakes!" shouted Sara.

Penny obeyed the order, and felt the sled slow down as the brake claw dug into the snow and ice. They raced on toward the first wide curve, and swung around it, high on the banked wall, too close to the outside edge for comfort.