how the would-be detective had been enabled to
return from Philadelphia, those who were seeking to do Jip Collins an
additional favor indulged in little conversation during the hurried
journey across the city.

As they neared the ferry each kept a sharp watch in the hope of meeting
the boy whom he sought, but when they stood at the very entrance of the
slip no sign of Jip had been seen, and then the difficulty of the search
began to be apparent.

Master Collins was a stranger in this section of the city, and they
might question a dozen boys without finding one who had so much as heard
of him, therefore the quest was likely to be a long if not a vain one.

"It'll soon be too late to do anything if we don't hustle," Seth said
when he realized all the possibilities against success. "Let each feller
start out alone, and there'll be jest so many more chances of runnin'
across him. We'll meet here by the ferry slip in half an hour."

This plan was acted upon without delay, and each member of the searching
party did his best to bring the labor to a speedy and final conclusion;
but when at the expiration of the time set the four met once more,
nothing had been discovered.

"He's turned in," Bill Dean said in a tone of conviction.

"If it's with that chum of yourn it ought'er be easy to find him."

"He wasn't a chum of mine, an' I don't so much as know his name. It's a
feller I've run across two or three times down-town, that's all."

"Then I can't see but what we must call it a bad job, for there's no
kind of use in foolin' 'round here any longer."

"But if we don't find him now all Sam Barney's got to do is to walk over
here in the mornin'," Dan said mournfully, and Bill Dean cried
emphatically:

"I'll get ahead of that bloomin' detective if I have to set up all
night! You can count on my bein' right here at daylight, an' that's the
best anybody can do. You ought to get to bed, Seth, 'cause you've got
to turn out pretty early in the mornin'."

That it was useless to remain in that vicinity any longer with the hope
of meeting Jip by chance, all understood, and mournfully they turned
their faces homeward, Teddy Bowser suggesting that he might be able to
do the repentant firebug a friendly turn by delaying Sam a certain
length of time next morning.

"I'll ask him to tell me about his detective work, an' you can bet he
won't lose such a chance, 'cause there's nothin' in this world he likes
to talk about as well as hi