Randy was silent. He had stepped close to the door. On the
instant Peter Polk did the same.

"You are not going just yet," cried the purser, meaningly.

Randy looked through the little window of the office. He heard
footsteps approaching.

"Hullo there, Jones!" he called out.

"What's wanted?" came from the other deckhand.

"Come to the office, please."

In a moment Jones appeared. He was carrying a bucket of water and a
deck swab.

"Now open that door," said Randy to Peter Polk. "No more nonsense,
please."

"You are not wanted here, Jones!" cried the purser, angrily.

"You are wanted," said Randy. "Open the door. I want to get out."

Jones set down his pail and pulled on the door. Seeing resistance would
be useless, Peter Polk allowed the door to come open. At once Randy
stepped out into the gangway.

"I'll explain this to you some other time!" he called to the other
deckhand, and then ran off before Peter Polk could stop him.

"Where are ye goin'?" called out Malloy, as he crossed the gang-plank.

"I'm off on business," answered our hero, and then paused for a moment.
"Tell Jones to keep an eye on Mr. Polk, will you, please? It is very
important."

"I will," was the reply.

In a minute more Randy was hurrying up the street. He knew where Andrew
Shalley was stopping and took a car to the location.

The place was a well-known hotel and in the corridor he met the
steamboat owner, just ready to go out.

"Oh, Mr. Shalley, I want to see you!" he cried.

"What is it, Randy?"

"It's quite a story and very important."

"Then come to my room," and the steamboat owner led the way to the
elevator.

As soon as they were in the room our hero told his story in all of its
details and then produced the letter he had found. Andrew Shalley
listened closely to the story and pondered over the letter for some
time.

"Randy, have you any idea who this person who signs himself G. A. G.
can be?"

"I've been thinking that over, Mr. Shalley, and I have found out that
there is a head clerk who works for Bann & Shadow, the wholesale
grocers, whose name is George A. Gaffney. Gaffney used to come and see
Polk once in a while."

"And we buy a great many things from Bann & Shadow," put in the
steamboat owner.

"So we do."

"I will look this man Gaffney up at once."

With the steamboat owner to think was to act, and going below with our
hero he consulted a directory and found that George A. Gaffney lived on
West