can's card. Would he?"

"I reckon not."

"It's likely your father is over at Catalina now. If we go to the
island and hunt up Lopez, there's a chance of our locating Upton
Hill--or the man you think is Upton Hill."

"Maybe you're right," said Hill.

"I don't think advertising would do any good. Your supposed father
didn't seem very enthusiastic about meeting you, the time you landed on
him in the automobile."

Hill's cross eyes blinked.

"It was the way I come at him," said he. "I been thinkin' since. There
was a hull lot of excitement, and I'll gamble dad didn't have time to
get the run o' what was happenin'. He didn't have no good chance to be
affectionate."

"I suppose not," returned Clancy, trying hard to keep a straight face.
"The trail seems to be a pretty warm one, all right, and--- Where are
you going?"

Clancy broke off his remarks to grab hold of Hiram and restrain him. The
tow-headed chap had suddenly leaped out of his chair like a restive wild
cat.

"Ain't that dad over yonder?" he asked. "I see a feller that seems to be
built on the same lines of the photograft, but--n-n-no," he finished
musingly, "that feller's a Mexican."

"Letter for you, Mr. Hill," said a bell boy, coming across the lobby
from the clerk's desk.

Hill took the letter wonderingly, stared at it, tore it open, and then
sank into a chair while he read the communication. Presently he began to
breathe hard, and to gurgle in his throat.

"I knew the old man didn't have a marble heart," he muttered joyfully.
"I reckoned he'd come around, if I'd only give him time enough. The
trail's a short one, Clancy, and it leads to San Diego instead of to
Catalina. There," and he thrust the letter into the motor wizard's hand,
"read that."

CHAPTER V.

THE MOTOR WIZARD'S JUDGMENT.

"This has a fishy look to me, Hiram," said Clancy, after reading the
letter. "Upton Hill, who claims to have written it, says he got your
address from the policeman who pulled you out of the melee and helped
you to the drug store. Mighty queer he couldn't spend time to call on
you, after getting your address, instead of putting you to all the
expense of going to San Diego to find him."

"Don't be a wet blanket, blame it!" begged Hill. "Only dad I got in the
world, and here you go to throwin' cold water on his motives."

"Did you give your address to the policeman?"

"Give it up. I was plump batty, just after I got away from that mob, and
I don't know wh