at's my letter!" exclaimed Joe. "And he never got it! Poor Dad, he
doesn't yet know that I'm alive!" and he turned away with tears in his
eyes.

CHAPTER VIII

BLAKE LEARNS A SECRET

Blake, looking on from a little distance, saw Joe turn aside from the
aged man.

"That's rather queer," thought the lad. "If that was his father it isn't
a very cordial welcome."

As he looked, he saw Joe walking out of the garden.

"Queerer still," Blake mused. "Even if that isn't Mr. Duncan, he must be
somewhere around, for lighthouse keepers can't be very far away from
their station, as I understand it."

Joe came walking toward his chum. His face showed his disappointment so
unmistakably that Blake called out:

"What's the matter, Joe?"

"He's gone--he isn't here! He never got my letter!"

"Where has he gone?" asked Blake, always practical.

"I--I don't know. I didn't ask."

"Look here, Joe!" exclaimed his chum. "I guess you're too excited over
this. You let me make some inquiries for you. Suppose he has gone? We
may be able to trace him. Men in the lighthouse service get transferred
from one place to another just as soldiers do, I imagine. Now you sit
down here and look at the sad sea waves, as C. C. would say if he were
here, and I'll go tackle that lighthouse keeper. You were too flustered
to get any clues, I expect."

"I guess I was," admitted Joe. "When I found he wasn't there I didn't
know what to do. I didn't feel like asking any questions."

Blake placed his arm around his chum's shoulder, patted him on the back,
and started toward the aged man, who was still leaning on his hoe,
looking in mild surprise at the two lads.

"I'll find out all about it," called back Blake.

"Ha! Another boy!" exclaimed Mr. Stanton, as Blake approached. "I didn't
know this was going to be visiting day, or I might have put on my other
suit," and he laughed genially. "Are you another son of Mr. Duncan?" he
asked.

"No," replied Blake. "I'm Joe's chum. We're in the moving picture
business together. But he says his father has left, and, as he naturally
feels badly, I thought I'd make some inquiries for him, so we can
locate him. Do you know where Mr. Duncan went?"

"No--I can't say that I do," was the slow answer. "And so you are chums;
eh?"

"Yes, and we have been for some years."

"That's nice. You tell each other all your secrets, I suppose?"

"Well, most of 'em."

"Never hold anything back?"

"Why, what do you m