215

XXVI. NEW TROUBLES 222

XXVII. RANDY MAKES A DISCOVERY 229

XXVIII.OUT OF A TIGHT CORNER 237

XXIX. GEORGE GAFFNEY'S STATEMENT 244

XXX. A SWIM FOR LIFE 252

XXXI. NEWS OF IMPORTANCE 259

XXXII. BROUGHT TO TERMS--CONCLUSION 265

RANDY OF THE RIVER

CHAPTER I

SOMETHING ABOUT RANDY

"I am going fishing, Randy. Do you want to go along?"

"With pleasure, Jack," answered Randy Thompson, a bright, manly youth
of fourteen. "Are you going on foot or in your boat?"

"I think we might as well take the boat," returned Jack Bartlett, a boy
who was but a few months older than Randy. "Have you your lines handy?"

"No, but I can get them in less than ten minutes."

"All right. Meet me at the dock in quarter of an hour. I was thinking
of going up the river to Landy's Hole. That's a good spot, isn't it?"

"I think so. Last season I was up there and caught fourteen good-sized
fish."

"They tell me you are one of the best fishermen in Riverport, Randy,"
went on Jack Bartlett, admiringly. "What is the secret of your
success?"

"I don't know unless it is patience," answered Randy, with a broad
smile. "To catch fish you must be patient. Now when I caught my mess of
fourteen two other boys were up to the Hole. But just because the fish
did not bite right away they moved away, further up the river. But by
doing that they got only about half as many as myself."

"Well, I am willing to be patient if I know I am going to catch
something."

At this Randy laughed outright.

"You can't be sure of anything--in fishing. But I always reckon it's a
good thing to hold on and give a thing a fair trial."

"I reckon you're right, Randy, and I'll give the fishing a fair trial
to-day," answered Jack Bartlett. "Remember, the dock in quarter of an
hour," he added, as he moved away.

"I'll be on hand--unless mother wants me to do something for her before
I go away," returned Randy.

Randy, or rather Randolph, Thompson, to use his right name, was the
only son of Louis Thompson, a carpenter of Riverport, a thriving town
in one of our eastern states. Randy had no brothers or sisters, and
lived with his father and mother in a modest cottage on one of t