th the sex. He took a long breath and turned the canoe over.

Bela was lying beneath it.

"Sam!" she said softly.

The keyed-up Sam grunted at the suddenness of the shock and ran back
for ten paces, gasping. Then he got command of himself, and came back
ashamed and raging.

Bela stood up. "What you want?" she asked mildly.

"I want to get away from here!" cried Sam, "and, by George, I'm going
to! If you try to stop me your petticoats won't protect you. Get
back!"

Rather to his surprise she fell back without a word. He glanced at her
uncertainly. Putting his hands on the canoe he started to shove it
toward the water.

"How you goin' mak' it go?" asked Bela softly.

Sam came to a stop, swearing savagely. In his excitement he had
neglected to think of paddles. They were not lying anywhere about.

"Where are the paddles?" he demanded.

"I hide 'em," she answered coolly.

"Where are they?" he cried.

She was silent.

"Tell me where they are or take the consequences!" he cried,
approaching her threateningly.

"I not tell you if you kill me," she replied, standing fast.

This was an out and out challenge to him to strike her. When it came
to the point he could not do it, of course. He turned away, wild with
impotent rage. Must she always get the best of him? If there had only
been a man of her people there that he could take it out on! He broke
into passionate denunciations of her. It was a weird enough scene,
there on the shore in the dim dusk.

"What are you keeping me here for, anyway?" was the burden of his cry.
"What do you expect to gain by it?"

"You safe here," Bela muttered. "If we go to the shore those men kill
you, I think."

This did not help soothe him.

"I'll take my chance of that!" he cried. "I know how to deal with men.
I don't need a woman to look after me! Do you think you're going to
keep me here all summer?"

"No," she returned. "The bishop and the police comin' pretty soon.
Then you safe."

"It's all your fault anyhow!" cried Sam. "Why couldn't you let me
alone in the first place? What's your game anyhow?"

Bela was silent.

"Give me a plain answer!" he cried. "What was your idea in carrying me
off?" He blushed as he said it. "O Lord!" he added helplessly.

"I hear those men talk," Bela said sullenly. "Say they goin' kill you
in the morning. I think if I tell you, you jus' laugh. So I tak' you
away quiet."

It had not the ring of truth. "Rot!" exclaimed Sam. "Why should