Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Secret Pact” part of the “Penny Parker” anthology written by Mildred Wirt, also known by Mildred Benson. This series of stories aren’t consecutive so don’t worry if you didn’t hear the first episode. You can pick up on this one just fine!

Penny Parker was a high school student turned sleuth who also sporadically worked as a reporter for her father's newspaper.

In this story, Penny wants to write a story about a strange tattoo she sees on a sailor, but neither her father's nor her school's newspaper agree to the idea. She decides to start a new newspaper in the abandoned Morning Press building and enlists the help of a few close friends. She soon finds herself in over her head and courting trouble.