Page:Raymond Spears--Diamond Tolls.djvu/185

 here with that—that man Gost; I heard he had a man of the name of Urleigh with him, but I had no idea it was the Cincinnati newspaperman of whom I had heard so much—and whose perfectly ridiculous writings had so often amused me in the newspapers. Dear me—the world is small, isn't it?"

"Eh?" Urleigh choked, reaching around to stare into her countenance on the lighted side.

"Oh—and now you don't remember me?" she sighed with mock resignation.

"Who—who are you?" he demanded.

"You don't know?" she asked, banteringly and yet with an undernote of eagerness.

"When did I see you?" he parried.

"You know," she smiled, as she rose to stroll along the bank. "I wondered, at first, whether you were after me, or after the diamonds. I'm glad it's only the diamonds. Good-night!"

She shook his hand briefly, and ran down the bank and out on the Mahna boat gang-plank, and thence into her gasolene boat cabin. Urleigh stood there staring after her.

"Evidently," he considered, half aloud, "very evidently, there are news stories of which I never even dreamed—who is she that she would think I might be following her down—and where the devil did I see her?"