“You’ve found Danny Deevers!” the widow guessed, preparing to cast off.
“Yes, and maybe the stolen money! But there’s not a second to lose! Let me have your knife, and go as fast as you can!”
Without questioning the odd request, Mrs. Jones gave her the knife and seized a paddle. Penny shoved the skiff far out into the stream.
Then she turned and with a quick glance toward the woodshed, darted to the nearby fence. Rapidly she examined the wooden posts, searching for a V-shaped mark. She could find no slashes of any kind. At any moment she knew the men might emerge from the woodshed and see her.
“Somehow I’ve got to keep them here until Mrs. Jones brings the police!” she thought. “But how?”
Suddenly an idea came to her. It might not work, but there was an outside chance it would. With desperate haste, she slashed several posts with V-shaped marks.
“That may confuse them for a few minutes,” she reasoned. “But not for long.”
The door of the woodshed now had opened. Penny dropped flat in the tall weeds near the fence.
Without seeing her, the four men came with a spade and began to inspect posts scarcely a dozen yards from where the girl lay.
“Here’s a marked one!” called Hod as he found one of the posts Penny had slashed.