“It hain’t breakfast and it hain’t lunch,” the trapper chuckled. “I eat when I’m hongry, an’ right now I feel a hankerin’ fer food. Kin I give you a nice turkey leg?”
The girls looked at the delicately browned fowl and wavered.
“I’ll fetch you’uns each a plate,” the trapper offered.
From the shack he brought two cracked ones and forks with bent tines. To each of the girls he gave a generous helping, saving for himself a large slice of breast.
“What brings ye here today?” he presently asked. “Be ye aimin’ to rent my boat again?”
“Providing your services go with it,” Penny replied. “We want to search for Louise’s dog.”
“’Tain’t likely you’ll ever see him again.”
“All the same, we’ve planned on searching the island thoroughly. Will you take us?”
Trapper Joe tossed away a turkey bone as he observed: “There’s cottonmouths on that island and all manner o’ varmints.”
“That’s why we want you to go with us,” Penny urged. “We’ll be safe with you.”