Mr. Nichols became grave. "There is nothing you can do, Penny. The last thing in the world that I could wish would be to have you involved in the case. In fact I've been worried for fear----" "For fear of what?" Penny demanded as her father checked himself. "I've been afraid that the Molberg gang might attempt to strike at me through you. Until this case is finished you must be very careful." "I'll be careful, although even for you I refuse to go around wearing a bullet proof vest," Penny grinned, paraphrasing 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 questioned.