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.