Page:Raymond Spears--Diamond Tolls.djvu/200

 Murdong found that every one of the papers featured many things, but every one agreed in featuring that diamond story. It exasperated him, that diamond mystery refrain. He threw the newspapers down impatiently. He resumed his inspection of his craft, and the more he examined it, the better he liked it.

He liked, particularly, one evidence of shantyboat efficiency. In each of the four corners of the cabin were little manholes, and in one of these stood a hand pump. If the boat should spring a leak anywhere, the hull could be pumped out from the cabin without going outside.

However, when he looked into each of these holes in the floor he saw that the bottom was perfectly dry—not a drop of water leaked in anywhere. In fact, the bottom was so dry that Delia had used the little openings as storage places. In one were several cans of corn, tomatoes, and the like—this was the port side in the galley or kitchen. On the other side she had stowed sealed gallon cans of kerosene. In the bow she had stowed other things.

In one of them Murdong discovered a leather case with the name of "Ofsten & Groner" printed on it in gold letters. He hesitated, trying to remember where he had seen that name. Then he opened the case, and found in it a large number of folded sheets