've--when
I've caught him."

Terabon was just a raw young man as regards women. He might flatter
himself that he knew her sex, and that he could maintain a pose of
writing her into his notebooks, but she knew. She had seen stunned and
helpless youth as she brought into play those subtle arts which had
wrenched from his reluctant and fearful soul the kiss which he thought
he had asked for, and the phrase of the river goddess, which he thought
he had invented. She laughed, for she had realized, as she acted, that
he would put into words the subtle name for which she had played.

It all seemed so easy now that she considered the sequence of her
inspired moves. Drifting near another shanty-boat, she passed the time
of day with a runaway couple who had come down the Ohio. They had dinner
together on their boat. A solitaire and an unscarred wedding ring
attested to the respectability of the association.

"Larry's a river drifter," the girl explained, "and Daddy's one of those
set old fellows who hate the river. But Mamma knew it was all right.
Larry's saved $7,000 in three years. He'd never tell me that till I
married him, but I knew. We're going clear down to N'Orleans. Are you?"

"Probably."

"And all alone--aren't you afraid?"

"Oh, I'll be all right, won't I?" She looked at the stern-featured
youth.

"If you can shoot and don't care," Larry replied without a smile.

"I can shoot," Nelia said, showing her pistol.

"That's river Law!" Larry cried, smiling. "That's Law. You came out the
Upper River?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then I bet----" the girl-wife started to speak, but stopped, blushing.

"Yes," Nelia smiled a hard smile. "I'm the woman who shot Prebol above
Buffalo Island--I had to."

"You did right; men always respect a lady if she don't care who she
shoots," Larry cried, enthusiastically. "Wish you'd get my wife to learn
how to shoot. She's gun shy!"

So Nelia coaxed the little wife to shoot, first the 22-calibre repeating
rifle and then the pistol. When Nelia had to go down they parted good
friends and Larry thanked her, saying that probably they would meet down
below somewhere.

"You'll make Caruthersville," Larry told her. "There's a good eddy on
the east side across from the town. There's likely some boats in there.
They'll know, perhaps, if the folks you are looking for are around.
There's an old river man there now, name of Buck. He's a gambler, but
he's all right, and he'll treat you all rig