"I expect there will," was Tess' calm response.
"They'd get me for kidnapping, like enough," said the girl, as though talking to herself. "Wish I hadn't taken you out of that boat. But you and the dog were raising an awful noise."
"I'm sorry," said Tess, politely, "if we have been a nuisance. But of course we've got to get back to the tent before dark."
"It's funny Ruth hasn't been up here before now looking for us," Tess observed.
The big girl turned her head so Tess should not see her face. "Suppose she did not know you went sailing in the boat?" she said.
"Why! perhaps that is the reason," Tess agreed. "They couldn't have seen us; for if they had, Ruth would have been after the boat in a hurry."
"Well," said the strange girl, "I'll have to get you across to the river bank. I wasn't going till night. But----"
"We are very much obliged to you," Tess hastened to say. "But we _couldn't_ stay that long."
"Oh, well! I'll leave you children at a farmer's over there. They'll have a telephone and they'll get word to your sisters. You'll get back by suppertime."
But she was more than a little disturbed in her mind. A raft of logs did not encourage her to look forward to the trip to the mainland with much pleasure.
Besides, the mystery regarding this pretty girl made Tess feel _un_comfortable. Tess Kenway was quite old enough to know the difference between right and wrong; and there was something about the strange girl that was decidedly wrong!
Why had she come out here to Wild Goose Island in the early morning--before anybody in the neighborhood was up? Was she a runaway? Had she done something really _naughty_? and was she afraid to have her folks find her?
It was all a great puzzle and Tess sighed and shook her head. Finally she asked: "If you please, where _is_ the raft of logs?"
"Right down there," said the girl, pointing to the southern side of the island. "You can't see it. I dragged it into shallow water and covered it up with branches and brush."
"Well, it didn't drown me coming over," said the girl, with a short, hard laugh. "But the logs came near parting."
"I'll fix 'em before we start back. That painter off your boat will help. We will be all right," said the big girl, carelessly.