note I will pay it."

The broker looked at the boy steadily for a moment.

"Clyde, something is up," he said. "What is it?"

"It all comes out of that 'pointer' you gave me this afternoon. I am
going to leave home to escape being driven away."

"Phew!" whistled the broker. "Tell me about it."

And Clyde went over the whole story from beginning to end, and gave a
graphic description of the plot to send him to Australia.

"Well, this is about the worst I ever heard," was Mr. Leeds' comment,
when the recital was finished. "I couldn't have believed your uncle
would have gone to such extremities. Well, we must block that game. We
can haul him into court and prove a conspiracy."

"No," objected Clyde, "that wouldn't do at all. Of course, my uncle
would deny the whole thing, and then, when it had all blown over, off I
would go."

"But what do you intend to do?"

"I believe that my father is still alive. One of the men who was with
him thinks it is possible. I shall never be satisfied until I have made
an investigation, and I want to take him and go to the Caribbean Sea. I
thought if you would sell me the yacht on credit I would go."

"Well, I won't sell the Orion," declared the broker.

Clyde's hopeful countenance fell.

"I said I wouldn't, and I won't. But you can have her, and everything
aboard of her--that is, if she is fit to go on such a cruise."

Clyde's eyes filled with tears.

"You are too good. I can't take it unless you will let me pay for it
when I can."

"Nonsense! Don't talk that way. I never was good in my life, and I think
it won't hurt me any to do a little thing like that. The Orion is of no
use to me, and, unless you do take her, I shall run her on the rocks and
set her on fire, as sure as I am alive. But what are you going to do for
money? You can't go anywhere without money?"

"Ray and I have got thirty dollars between us."

"Thirty fiddlesticks! Here," and the broker pulled out a well-filled
pocket-book and counted out some bills--"here are three hundred dollars.
You will have to fit the yacht up for a long cruise. There! don't make
any objections. I owe you something for helping me out of a bad scrape
to-day. You can promise to pay me if you like, and, when you come into
possession of your property, you can do so. But never mind the note. It
isn't worth anything, anyway, and I can trust you, I'm sure. Now, who is
this man that you say will go with you?"

"I don't know his name. Tom,