“I’ve already given my promise to Dad.”
“And do be careful,” the housekeeper added. “I’ll not feel easy until you’re back.”
Though neither she nor Penny knew it then, the girl’s absence from home was to be a long one, and both were to have many uncomfortable moments before her return.
Reaching the swamp sometime later, Penny parked the car and walked to Trapper Joe’s shack on the creek.
The old guide was sitting on the sagging porch, his feet propped on the railing. Catching sight of Penny he frowned slightly, but as she came up, greeted her in a friendly way.
“’Mawnin’,” he said briefly. “What’s on yer mind this time?”
“Can’t you guess?” Penny asked, sitting down on a step at his feet.
“If yer wantin’ me to take you into the swamp agin, yer only wastin’ yer words. I hain’t got the time.”
“I’ll pay you well.”
“It hain’t the money.”