“There, that should buy three or four chisels,” she declared. “Now let’s leave here before Truman Crocker arrives.”
Emerging from the shop, Penny and Louise were surprised to see dark storm clouds scudding overhead. The sun had been completely blotted out and occasional flashes of lightning brightened a gray sky.
“It’s going to rain before we can get to Riverview,” Louise declared uneasily. “We’ll be drenched.”
“Why not go by way of Mrs. Marborough’s place?” Penny proposed. “Then if the rain does overtake us, we can dodge into the summer house until the shower passes over.”
Hastening toward the hillside trail, the girls observed that the river level was higher than when last they had seen it. Muddy water lapped almost at the doorstep of Truman Crocker’s shack. A rowboat tied to a half submerged dock nearby swung restlessly on its long rope.
“I should be afraid to live so close to the river,” Louise remarked. “If the water comes only a few feet higher, Crocker’s place will sail South.”
“The river control system is supposed to take care of everything,” Penny answered carelessly. “Dad says he doesn’t place much faith in it himself—not if it’s ever put to a severe test.”
Before the girls had gone far, a few drops of rain splattered down. Anticipating a deluge, they ran for the dilapidated summer house which stood at the rear edge of Mrs. Marborough’s property. Completely winded, they sank down on a dusty wooden bench to recapture their breath.
“The clouds are rolling eastward,” Louise remarked, scanning the sky. “It may not rain much after all.”
“Lou!” Penny said in a startled voice.