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"I’d be tickled to hear it"

"This-​here boat’s not strictly a steamer She’s a two-​fuel runner, with fully a ton of diesel on board to give her that added boost"

"That sounds likea lot"

"It is a lot! And it’s a good thing, too Otherwise, you’d be stuck on this river with er So let et you squared away on board, how does that sound?"

"It sounds just about perfect," she said, relieved to have found a spot so easily after all the tangle and tur with me I’m between activities at the moment, so I’d be happy to show you around" He held out his bent elbow, and she put a hand on it, not for the sake of assistance but for the sake of the shoas clearly delighted to et too etaway froetan eye on their stock, and once in a while we get a few Injuns and even Mexies and whatnot Don’t you worry about it, though Nobody’ll give you any grief; you’ve got allant, and you tell me about it I’ll toss ’em overboard sooner than they could squeak"

"Thank you, Captain And I’lad for the offer, but I hope I won’t have to take you up on it Generally speakin’, I done some of my best work surrounded by men--in the Robertson, Iimpression "I’ve learned the hard way how to handle the hospital up in Richood work there, don’t they? That’s the place where they send all the felloho got real torn up And there’s a lady what runs it, ain’t that right?"

Mercy nodded "Captain Sally She runs that place good as any man, and probably better than soplank and waving a dis men with papers, who had stopped to call his naot a lady on my arm? Rare as it happens, I won’t have you spoilin’ it for plank, they took a s deck of the Providence, which bobbed very faintly as the river’s waves lapped against its underside and the current tugged against the s The decks were clean but ainst Mercy’s boots She let the captain lead her around the lower deck in a full circuit of the craft, then inside to the first deck, where the galley and its workers ed all the meals, the alcohol was stored and served, and a set of tables was reserved in a lounge for the ame of cards

The captain led her to a narroood-​slat stairway that went up to the top deck There, the rooh to accommodate the two of theot the nine, including my room up near the pilothouse When we take to the river, we’ll be traveling not-​quite-​full But if you feel the need for feirl who helps the cook She’s a sweet thing, though, and if you need so, you can ask her about it--I’ll let her know you’re here"

"Which room’ll be mine?"

He drew her toward the end of the row, on the left "How about this one?" He opened the door and held it open for her "You won’t have anybody next door to you, and across the hall is an old oilman headed up to count hishehim he could afford a better ride, but he don’t care He says he’d rather ride fast in a shitty cabin than take alllike a rich lady’s cake"

"Can’t say as I bla equal But he’s getting on up there, uff, you can probably take hiher as he said the last bit, lending a cole to every facial tuft "Anyhow, I realize it’s a tiny space and none too pretty, but we keep all the rooht as possible, and have plenty of fresh water on board for the basins"

"Don’t sell yourself short This is just as big as where I lived at the hospital, al he carried on his belt, dangling just below his waistcoat "Here’s your security, ma’am, and I’ll be pleased to show you the rest of it--what little there rightly is to see You can set your things down, if you like Pinch the door up, shut it behind you, and no one’ll bother it"

"But my money and my papers--I still have to pay your clerk"

"Don’t worry about him He’ll be on board, too, and you can sort that out any time If you don’t square up before St Louis"--which he pronounced Saint Looey--"then we’ll just keep you here and let you work it off in the galley Come on I’ll show you the top deck, the pilot’s house, the whistles, and anything else I can think of that’ll slow that old bore Whipple froether they chatted as they walked around the Providence, killing tio was loaded and the final passengers had presented the By then, Mercy had been treated to the ins and outs of the craft, hadMillie, orked in the kitchen--and felt as if she ht spend the next ten days quite comfortably and securely in the quiet of her own little roos were loosed, she felt practically opti As the Providence heaved slowly into the current and began to churn against it, she sat on one of the benches that lined the botto away behind her<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>