worked hard and been a great comfort to her since you left school
and now she's going to send you to your chum Ned, down in Florida
where she knows your heart is. Now--don't speak yet--mother knows
what you want to say. dear, but she can perfectly well afford to
send you and you will hurt her feelings if you don't let her."

Dick put his arms around his mothers' neck and as soon as he could
speak, half sobbed out:

"Oh, Mumsey, I can't take your money. You've got so little."

"But mother wants you to, so much."

Dick held his mother's face close to his own for a minute and then
said, very slowly:

"Mumsey, I'll go--and it's really and truly because you want me
to--but I won't take any of your money. Hush, now! Don't you say a
word, or I'll--disown you. I've got a ten-dollar bill of my own and
I'll keep that in my pocket just so you won't worry for fear I'm
hungry; and I will bet you ten dollars I'll bring that same bill
back to you and I won't go hungry one day either."

"But, Dick--"

"Not one word, Mumsey, except to say you'll take that bet. I can get
a ride to New York on a boat, any day. Then I'll go to the Mallory
Line and work my way to Key West on one of their boats; and from Key
West I can find a fishing boat that will land me on the west coast
of Florida somewhere within a hundred miles of Ned, and I'd walk
that far just for the fun of surprising him."

CHAPTER II

DICK GOES TO SEA

Three days after Dick's talk with his mother, he boarded a Key West
steamer just as it was leaving its New York pier. He sat on the deck
and watched busy ferry-boats in the river, fussy tugs and
chug-chugging launches in the harbor, and the white-winged yachts
and great ocean steamers in the lower bay. He looked back from the
Narrows upon the receding city, to the east upon Coney Island with
its pleasure palaces, and to the southwest upon the great curve of
Sandy Hook. Every step upon the deck near him brought his heart into
his mouth in dread of what he knew he had to face. When the steamer
was opposite Long Branch and there was small chance that he could be
sent back, he inquired for the captain, whom he found talking to
some young girls among the passengers. This somewhat reassured
Billy, for he felt that the captain wouldn't eat him up in the
presence of the young ladies, and he stood waiting with his cap in
his hand until the captain spoke to him.

"Do you want to see me, my boy?"

"If you are Captain