Page:Raymond Spears--Diamond Tolls.djvu/215

 later she pulled over the reverse, and they backed into the eddy, following which, she steered around, and then headed down the river.

"Good-bye, goosie," she called across to Gost. "Mind your eyes, now!"

"What! What!" Cost shrieked. "You two pals! You—you"

She laughed merrily, and with a nod she said to Urleigh:

"Throw your suitcase into the cabin, and make yourself to home."

A little dazed, Urleigh did as bid. It was a fine, large cabin and it was prettily decorated, bright and cheerful. Books were in racks on both the stateroom ends, and a desk had been fitted up under one of the stacks of shelves.

He returned to the open and sat down opposite the young woman, who was steering into the main channel. The engine purred at full speed, and the boat swayed and rocked to the low river swells. She did not once speak to him during the eight or nine miles down the bend and around out of sight of Mendova on the bluffs.

At last she looked back and saw that they were clear of the town and were swinging between a sandbar and a caving bend. She looked then at Urleigh, and laughed at the expression on his face.