e mentally scolded himself. "Just because she's
pretty, you forget every blame thing! There's a whole lot of funny
business about her that needs explaining. But you swallow it whole.
What business have you got fooling with any girl, anyhow? You've got
other problems to solve. For God's sake, take a brace!"

As he was communing with himself in this fashion, the graceful prow of
a dugout poked itself around a bend of the little grass-fringed canal
below. Presently followed, kneeling in the stern, Bela with her quiet
face and glowing eyes, wielding a paddle with inimitable grace.

She floated toward him noiselessly, bringing the boat's nose this way
and that with deft turns of the wrist. She was as harmonious against
the background of brown water and green grass as a wild duck.

It was such an intimate, cosy little stream; the grassy banks seemed
to embrace the canoe as they let it pass. So charming was the sight
that Sam forgot his prudence and broke into a beaming smile.

She brought her little craft to a stop before him.

"Get in," she said, pointing to the bow. "Tak' care!"

It was Sam's first experience with a native craft. It looked cranky.
He let himself carefully over the bank on his stomach. Finding the
floor of the dugout with his feet, he gingerly stood up. It staggered
alarmingly under him, and he hastily embraced the bank again,
unhappily conscious of a lack of dignity.

A great piece of the sod came away in his hands. He lost his balance
and was catapulted overboard. He landed in the water in a sitting
position, wearing an absurd expression of surprise. Bela, seeing what
was coming, saved herself from a like fate by throwing herself forward
in the canoe.

Sam's streaming head emerged from the creek with the same look of
surprise on his face. The water reached to his waist. Bela looked at
him, and went off into a rippling peal of laughter.

Sam blinked and scowled and dashed the water out of his eyes. His face
offered a study in varying expressions. At first he tried to laugh
with her, but her laughter was intolerable. Suddenly he exploded:

"Ah, cut it out! Sounds like a chicken!"

The angrier he got the harder Bela was obliged to laugh. It had an
apologetic ring, but the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Sam began to think she had done it on purpose, and said so.

"No! No!" gasped Bela. She pointed across the creek. "Shallow there.
You can step in easy."

Sam, full of dignity, waded out and star