Clue of the Silken Ladder Part 5

For the next half hour Penny had no time to think of the Celestial Temple. However, at twenty minutes before six, when her father came into the office, she was well ahead of her work.

"h.e.l.lo, Penny," he greeted her. "How do you like your new job?"

"Fine and dandy. Only routine items rather cramp one's style. Now if I were a regular reporter instead of a society editor, I know several stories which would be my dish!"

"For instance?" inquired Mr. Parker, smiling.

"First, there's an Oriental Shop on Dorr Street that I should investigate. The j.a.panese owner acted very mysteriously today when I went there. Louise and I saw him making a silk ladder, and he refused to reveal its purpose."

"A silk ladder?" repeated Mr. Parker. "Odd perhaps, but hardly worthy of a news story."

"Dad, I only wish you had _seen_ that old j.a.panese--the sinister way he looked at me. Oh, he's guilty of some crime. I feel it."

"The _Star_ requires facts, not fancy or emotion," Mr. Parker rejoined.

"Better devote your talents to routine society items if you expect to remain on my payroll."

Penny took the announcement of the Celestial Thought meeting from her pocket and offered it to the publisher.

"Here's one which might be interesting," she said. "How about a.s.signing me to it after I get this society job in hand?"

Mr. Parker read the item and his eyes blazed with anger.

"Do you know what this means, Penny?"

"Mr. DeWitt told me a little about the Celestial Temple society. He said the paper never ran such items."

"Certainly not! Why, I should like nothing better than to see the entire outfit driven out of town! Riverview is honeycombed with mediums, fortune tellers and faith healers!"

"Perhaps they mean no harm, Dad."

"I'll grant there may be a small number of persons who honestly try to communicate with the spirit world," Mr. Parker replied. "My concern is not with them, but with a group of professional mediums who lately have invaded the city. Charlatans, crooks--the entire lot!"

"Why don't you write an editorial about it?" Penny suggested.

"An editorial! I am seriously tempted to start a vigorous campaign, but the trouble is, the police cannot be depended upon to cooperate actively."

"Why, Dad?"

"Because experience has proven that such campaigns are not often successful. Evidence is hard to gain. If one place is closed up, others open in different sections of the city. The mediums and seers operate from dozens of private homes. When the police stage raids they acquire no evidence, and only succeed in making the department look ridiculous."

"Yet the mediums continue to fleece the public?"

"The more gullible strata of it. Until recent months the situation here has been no worse than in other cities of comparable size. Lately an increasing number of charlatans has moved in on us."

"Why don't you start a campaign, Dad?" Penny urged. "You would be doing the public a worthwhile service."

"Well, I hesitate to start something which I may be unable to finish."

"At least the public deserves to be warned."

"Unfortunately, Penny, many persons would take the att.i.tude that the _Star_ was persecuting sincere spiritualists. A campaign must be based on absolute evidence."

"Can't it be obtained?"

"Not without great difficulty. These mediums are a clever lot, Penny.

They prey upon the superst.i.tions of their intended victims."

"I wish you would let me work on the story, Dad."

"No, Penny," responded her father. "You attend to your society and allow DeWitt to worry about the Celestial Temple crowd. Even if I should launch a campaign, I couldn't allow you to become mixed up in the affair."

The telephone bell jingled. With a tired sigh, Penny reached for the receiver.

"Society desk," she said mechanically.

"I am trying to trace Mr. Parker," informed the office exchange operator.

"Is he with you, Miss Parker?"

"Telephone, Dad," said Penny, offering him the receiver.

Mr. Parker waited a moment for another connection to be made. Then Penny heard him say:

"Oh, it's you, Mrs. Weems? What's that? Repeat it, please."

From her father's tone, Penny felt certain that something had gone wrong at home. She arose, waiting anxiously.

Mr. Parker clicked the receiver several times. "Apparently, Mrs. Weems hung up," he commented.

"Is anything the matter, Dad?"

"I don't know," Mr. Parker admitted, his face troubled. "Mrs. Weems seemed very excited. She requested me to come home as soon as possible.

Then the connection was broken."

"Why don't you try to reach her again?"

Mr. Parker placed an out-going call, but after ten minutes the operator reported that she was unable to contact the housekeeper.

"Mrs. Weems never would have telephoned if something unusual hadn't happened," Penny declared uneasily. "Perhaps, she's injured herself."

"You think of such unpleasant things."

"Something dreadful must have happened," Penny insisted. "Otherwise, why doesn't she answer?"

"We're only wasting time in idle speculation," Mr. Parker said crisply.

"Get your things, Penny. We'll start home at once!"