y hard, for I did not believe in what he was
doing. I want to be an honest man, and I was led into this thing almost
before I knew it," continued George Gaffney.

After that he went into a great many more details, to which Andrew
Shalley and Randy listened with interest.

"I can get the actual figures for you from our books," said the clerk.

"What does your firm say to this?" asked the steamboat owner.

"Oh, they wanted the business, so they simply shut their eyes and
didn't say anything."

"But that was dishonest."

"True--but such things are done every day," and the clerk shrugged his
shoulders.

"If Peter Polk has been getting ten to fifteen per cent. on all goods
he has been buying for me he has robbed me of thousands of dollars,"
said Andrew Shalley.

"It will be a hard matter to prove some of the transactions, Mr.
Shalley. I guess he knew how to cover up his footprints pretty well."

"Well, if I can only prove some of them it will be enough for my
purpose," answered the steamboat owner.

Before he left that night he drew up a long document containing the
main facts of the case, and had George Gaffney sign it and had Randy
put his name down as a witness.

"What do you want me to do, Mr. Shalley?" asked our hero, after they
had left the clerk's house.

"You can go back to the steamboat. I am going to hire a first-class
private detective to investigate this matter thoroughly. When I expose
Polk I want all the evidence on hand with which to convict him."

"He will want to know what I did."

"That is true." Andrew Shalley mused for a moment. "Randy, you mind
your own business," he said suddenly and sharply. Then he began to
chuckle. "Now you can go back and tell Polk that I told you to mind
your own business."

"I will, sir," and our hero grinned broadly.

"I will also give you a line to Captain Hadley," pursued the steamboat
owner. "That will help to keep you out of further trouble."

The letter was penned, and a few minutes later our hero was on his way
back to the boat. Andrew Shalley went in another direction, to hunt up
a detective to work on the case.

It must be confessed that Randy felt much lighter in heart. He now knew
exactly what kind of a rascal Peter Polk was, and felt that the purser
could no longer drag him into trouble.

"He will soon come to the end of his rope, and that will be the last of
him," said our hero to himself.

When he arrived at the boat it was very late and eve