CHAPTER 3 TRAVELING COMPANIONS
Francine Sellberg paid for her ticket and turned so that her gaze fell squarely upon Penny and Louise. Abruptly, she crossed over to where they sat.
“Hello, girls,” she greeted them breezily. “What brings you to the airport?”
As always, the young woman reporter’s manner was brusque and business-like. Without meaning to offend, she gave others an impression of regarding them with an air of condescension.
“I came to see Penny off,” answered Louise before her chum could speak.
“Oh, are you taking this plane?” inquired Francine, staring at Penny with quickening interest.
“I am if it ever gets here.”
“Traveling alone?”
“All by my lonesome,” Penny admitted cheerfully.
“You’re probably only going a short ways?”
“Oh, quite a distance,” returned Penny. She did not like the way Francine was quizzing her.
“Penny is going to Pine Top for the skiing,” declared Louise, never guessing that her chum preferred to withhold the information.
“Pine Top!” The smile left Francine’s face and her eyes roved swiftly toward the two men who sat at the opposite side of the room.
“We are to be traveling companions, I believe,” remarked Penny innocently.
Francine’s attention came back to the younger girl. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“So you’re going out to Pine Top for the skiing,” she said softly.
“And you?” countered Penny.
“Oh, certainly for the skiing,” retorted Francine, mockery in her voice.
“Nice of the Record to give you a vacation.”
By this time the silver-winged transport had wheeled into position on the apron, and passengers were beginning to leave the waiting room. The two men who had attracted Penny’s attention, arose and without appearing to notice the three girls, went outside.
“You don’t deceive me one bit, Penny Parker,” said Francine with a quick change of attitude. “I know very well why you are going to Pine Top, and it’s for the same reason I am!”
“You seem to have divined all my secrets, even when I don’t know them myself,” responded Penny. “Suppose you tell me why I am going to Pine Top mountain?”
“It’s perfectly obvious that your father sent you, But I am afraid he over-estimates your journalistic powers if he thinks you have had enough experience to handle a difficult assignment of this sort. I’ll warn you right now, Penny, don’t come to me for help. On this job we’re rivals. And I won’t tolerate any bungling or interference upon your part!”
“Nice to know just where we stand,” replied Penny evenly. “Then there will be no misunderstanding or tears later on.”
“Exactly. And mind you don’t give any tip-off as to who I am!”
“You mean you don’t care to have those two gentlemen who were here a moment ago know that you are a reporter for the Record.”
“Naturally.”
“And who are these men of mystery?”
“As if you don’t know!” Francine made an impatient gesture. “Oh, why pose, Penny? This innocent act doesn’t go over worth a cent.”
Louise broke indignantly into the conversation. “Penny isn’t posing! It’s true she is going to Pine Top for the skiing and not to get a story. Isn’t it?”
“Yes,” acknowledged Penny unwillingly. She was sorry that her chum had put an end to the little game with Francine.
The reporter stared at the two girls, scarcely knowing whether or not to believe them.
“Why not break down and tell me the identity of our two fellow passengers?” suggested Penny.
“So you really don’t know their names?” Francine flashed a triumphant smile. “Fancy that! Well, you’ve proven such a clever little reporter in the past, I’ll allow you to figure it out for yourself. See you in Pine Top.”
Turning away, the young woman went back to the desk to speak once more with the ticket man.
“Doesn’t she simply drip conceit!” Louise whispered in disgust. “Did I make a mistake in letting her know that you weren’t on an assignment?”
“It doesn’t matter, Lou. Shall we be going out to the plane before I miss it?”
The huge streamliner stood warming up on the ribbon of cement, long tongues of flame leaping from the exhausts. Nearly all of the passengers already had taken their seats in the warm, cozy cabin.
“Good-bye, Lou,” Penny said, shaking her chum’s hand.
“Good-bye. Have a nice time. And don’t let that know-it-all Francine get ahead of you!”
“Not if I can help it,” laughed Penny.
Francine had left the waiting room and was walking with a brisk step toward the plane. Not wishing to be the last person aboard, Penny stepped quickly into the cabin. All but two seats were taken. One was at the far end of the plane, the other directly behind the two strange men.
Penny slid into the latter chair just as Francine came into the cabin. As she went down the aisle to take the only remaining seat, the reporter shot the younger girl an irritated glance.
“She thinks I took this place just to spite her!” thought Penny. “How silly!”
The stewardess, trim in her blue-green uniform, had closed the heavy metal door. The plane began to move down the ramp, away from the station’s canopied entrance. Penny leaned close to the window and waved a last good-bye to Louise.
As the speed of the engines was increased, the plane raced faster and faster over the smooth runway. A take-off was not especially thrilling to Penny who often had made flights with her father. She shook her head when the stewardess offered her cotton for her ears, but accepted a magazine.
Penny flipped carelessly through the pages. Finding no story worth reading, she turned her attention to her fellow passengers. Beside her, on the right, sat the over-painted woman, her hands gripping the arm rests so hard that her knuckles showed white.
“We—we’re in the air now, aren’t we?” she asked nervously, meeting Penny’s gaze. “I do hope I’m not going to be sick.”
“I am sure you won’t be,” replied Penny. “The air is very quiet today.”
“They tell me flying over the mountains in winter time is dangerous.”
“Not in good weather with a skilful pilot. I am sure we will be in no danger.”
“Just the same I never would have taken a plane if it hadn’t been the only way of reaching Pine Top.”
Penny turned to regard her companion with new interest. The woman was in her early forties, though she had attempted by the lavish use of make-up to appear younger. Her hair was a bleached yellow, dry and brittle from too frequent permanent waving. Her shoes were slightly scuffed, and a tight-fitting black crepe dress, while expensive, was shiny from long use.
“Oh, are you traveling to Pine Top, too?” inquired Penny. “Half the passengers on this plane must be heading for there.”
“Is that where you are going?”
“Yes,” nodded Penny. “I plan to visit an old friend who has an Inn on the mountain side, and try a little skiing.”
“This is strictly a business trip with me,” confided the woman. She had relaxed now that the transport was flying at an even keel. “I am going there to see Mr. Balantine—David Balantine. You’ve heard of him, of course.”
Penny shook her head.
“My dear, everyone in the East is familiar with his name. Mr. Balantine has a large chain of theatres throughout the country. He produces his own shows, too. I hope to get a leading part in a new production which will soon be cast.”
“Oh, I see,” murmured Penny. “You are an actress?”
“I’ve been on the stage since I was twelve years old,” the woman answered proudly. “You must have seen my name on the billboards. I am Miss Miller. Maxine Miller.”
“I should like to see one of your plays,” Penny responded politely.
“The truth is I’ve been ‘at liberty’ for the past year or two,” the actress admitted with an embarrassed laugh. “‘At liberty’ is a word we show people use when we’re temporarily out of work. The movies have practically ruined the stage.”
“Yes, I know.”
“For several weeks I have been trying to get an interview with Mr. Balantine. His secretaries would not make an appointment for me. Then quite by luck I learned that he planned to spend two weeks at Pine Top. I thought if I could meet him out there in his more relaxed moments, he might give me a role in the new production.”
“Isn’t it a rather long chance to take?” questioned Penny. “To go so far just in the hope of seeing this man?”
“Yes, but I like long chances. And I’ve tried every other way to meet him. If I win the part I’ll be well repaid for my time and money.”
“And if you fail?”
Maxine Miller shrugged. “The bread line, perhaps, or burlesque which would be worse. If I stay at Pine Top more than a few days I’ll never have money enough to get back here. They tell me Pine Top is high-priced.”
“I don’t know about that,” answered Penny.
As the plane winged its way in a northwesterly direction, the actress kept the conversational ball rolling at an exhausting pace. She told Penny all about herself, her trials and triumphs on the stage. As first, it was fairly interesting, but as Miss Miller repeated herself, the girl became increasingly bored. She shrewdly guessed that the actress never had been the outstanding stage success she visioned herself.
Penny paid more than ordinary attention to the two men who sat in front of her. However, Miss Miller kept her so busy answering questions that she could not have overheard their talk, even if she had made an effort to do so.
Therefore, when the plane made a brief stop, she was astonished to have Francine sidle over to her as she sat on a high stool at the lunch stand, and say in a cutting tone:
“Well, did you find out everything you wanted to know? I saw you listening hard enough.”
“Eavesdropping isn’t my method,” replied Penny indignantly. “It’s stupid and is employed only by trash fiction writers and possibly Record reporters.”
“Say, are you suggesting—?”
“Yes,” interrupted Penny wearily. “Now please go find yourself a roost!”
Francine ignored the empty stools beside Penny and went to the far side of the lunch room. A moment later the two men, who had caused the young woman reporter such concern, entered and sat down at a counter near Penny, ordering sandwiches and coffee.
Rather ironically, the girl could not avoid hearing their conversation, and almost their first words gave her an unpleasant shock.
“Don’t worry, Ralph,” said the stout one. “Nothing stands in our way now.”
“You’re not forgetting Mrs. Downey’s place?”
“We’ll soon take care of her,” the other boasted. “That’s why I’m going out to Pine Top with you, Ralph. I’ll show you how these little affairs are handled.”
