GEESE 



eighths, with a pair of dull manicure scissors. 

 Breakfast found those dogs looking as if they 

 had on tights. I was haggard, but grimly 

 determined to enjoy another day in the glori- 

 ous open if only I could stay awake. 



It was no use trying to hunt here, however; 

 so I gave the word to up anchor and hie 

 away out of the cocklebur belt. 



So far as I can discover, a boat owner has 

 one privilege, expensive but gratifying; he 

 can, when the spirit moves him, say, "Let us 

 go away from here," and sometimes the boat 

 goes. I voiced that lordly order, ran Duchess 

 out of my bed, and lay down for a nap. But 

 not to sleep. Ri and Nathan began an intri- 

 cate and noisy job of steam fitting in the en- 

 gine room. Now and then the motor joined 

 them, only to miss, cough, and die in their 

 arms. By and by I heard echoes of profanity; 

 so I arose to investigate the nature of the 

 difficulty. 



Max was frowning at the engine; Ri was 

 massaging its forehead with a handful of 

 waste; Nathan was spasmodically wrenching 

 hisses out of it with the starting bar. He 

 raised a streaming face to say: 



"She never balked on us before." 

 13 



