avoiding being struck.

As they watched anxiously, the driver recovered control of the machine. He straightened out and brought the truck to a standstill farther up the road.

Penny seized her chum’s hand. “Come on, Lou! He’s going to give us a ride!”

Before they could reach the truck, the driver lowered the cab window. Thrusting his head through the opening he bellowed angrily:

“What you tryin’ to do? Wreck my truck?”

Giving the girls no opportunity to reply, he closed the cab window.

Penny saw that the man was intending to drive on. “Wait!” she called frantically. “Please give us a ride! We’re lost and half frozen!”

The man heard for he flashed an ugly smile. Shifting gears, he drove away.

“Of all the shabby tricks, that’s the worst!” Penny said furiously. “It wasn’t our fault his old truck skidded.”

“But it is our fault we’re lost on this road,” Louise added. “How are we ever to find the listening post?”

Penny leaned against the leeward side of a giant pine. Already it was so dark that she could see only a few feet down the road. There were no houses, no lights, nothing to guide her.

“Penny, are we really lost?” Louise demanded, suddenly afraid.

“We really, truly are,” her chum answered in a quavering voice. “The post must be somewhere near here, but we’ll never find it. All we can do is try to get back to the car.”

CHAPTER 2 AT THE LISTENING POST

CHAPTER

2

Penny’s courage did not long forsake her. She had suggested to Louise that they return to the stripped car, but she knew that would not solve their problem. Staring up the dark road, she remarked that they must be close to the summit of the hill.

“Then why not keep on?” urged Louise. “We set out to find the listening post, so let’s do it!”

They trudged on up the winding road. At intervals, in an attempt to restore circulation to numbed feet, they ran a few steps. Snow fell steadily, whipping and stinging their faces.

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