ng his previous words.
"Anyway, it might be exciting to be kidnapped."

"If you talk like that I see I must assign someone to keep watch over
you."

"It won't be necessary," Penny assured him hastily. "I promise to
stop, look and listen before I make any rash moves."

As if to demonstrate, she tiptoed to the door, opened it cautiously,
peered forth at Miss Arrow who was busy at her typewriter, and then
with a casual "goodbye" flung over her shoulder, was gone.

The following week was an uneventful one in the Nichols household. As
was usually the way when Mr. Nichols became involved in an important
case, meals were served at odd hours and often the detective did not
come home at all for lunch or dinner. Penny complained that she never
saw her father. Certainly she heard very little concerning the work he
was doing for the insurance company.

On a Wednesday afternoon she was in the back yard washing her roadster
with the garden hose when Susan Altman came running up to relate a bit
of news.

"Penny, the most wonderful thing has happened!"

"What?"

"I'm to have a car for my birthday present!"

"Not really!"

"Yes, I am. I've been saving money for two years, but I never made
much headway. Father always thought I was too young to have a car too
until this summer."

"What made him change his mind?"

"Mother, I guess. You see she has to have the family car a great deal,
but nothing would induce her to drive it herself. I'm to have the new
automobile as my very own providing I take Mother wherever she wishes
to go."

"That should be an easy condition to meet," Penny smiled. "What kind
of car are you going to get?"

"I don't know yet. I thought perhaps you'd help me select it."

"I'd love to. After running this old bus for nearly three years I
consider myself quite an authority on cars."

"I can buy any low priced model I wish," Susan went on
enthusiastically. "What color shall I get?"

"One that doesn't show the dirt," Penny advised promptly as she coiled
up the hose and put it away. "It seems to me that I spend half my time
trying to keep this animal of mine presentable."

"I thought I might like blue," Susan ventured. "I don't suppose you'd
have time to go with me now and look at a few models, would you?"

"Of course I'll go! Wait until I change into more presentable clothes."

Penny darted into the house, returning in a few minutes.

"Where are you going to buy your car?" she quest