I'll see. Was it a telegraph order?"

"I suppose so."

The clerk disappeared into an inner apartment, to be gone several
minutes. When he came out he was accompanied by a tall, sharp-eyed man
in rusty black.

"These are not the young men who called for the money," said the man in
rusty black. "There must be some mistake here."

"Were the other men identified, Mr. Stone?" questioned the clerk, while
both Randy and Earl pricked up their ears.

"Oh, yes; a clerk from Johnston's restaurant identified them as Earl and
Randolph Portney. Besides, they held the original letter which had been
sent by their uncle, Foster Portney, from San Francisco."

CHAPTER IV.

A SERIOUS SET-BACK.

Earl and Randy could scarcely believe their ears. What was this
gentleman in rusty black saying, that two men had been identified as
themselves and had called for the money sent on by their Uncle Foster?

"There is a mistake somewhere," said the clerk, turning to the brothers.
"You say you are Earl and Randolph Portney?"

"We are," both replied, in a breath.

"Two men were here not two hours ago and were identified as the ones to
receive the money. They had a letter from their uncle, in which he
wanted them to come to San Francisco and join him in a trip to Alaska."

"That letter was ours!" burst out Earl. "I lost it a couple of days
ago."

The clerk turned to the elderly gentleman, who looked more serious than
ever.

"Have you any idea who those men were?" asked the gentleman.

"They were a couple of thieves, that's certain," said Randy, bluntly.
"The money was to come to us and nobody else."

"Where did you lose that letter?"

"I lost it on the road between Naddy Brook and Spruceville," replied
Earl, and gave some of the particulars. The full story of his uncle's
offer to Randy and himself followed, to which Mr. Stone listened
closely. He was a fair judge of human nature, and saw at once that the
two boys were no sharpers and that their story was most likely true.

"Well, if you are the real Portney brothers, we are out exactly three
hundred dollars," he said, after considerable talking. "I paid over that
money in good faith, too, on the strength of the letter and the
identification."

"We had nothing to do with that," answered Earl, stoutly, feeling he
must stand up for his rights.

"Of course not, but--Just wait here a few minutes, and I'll try to find
that clerk from the restaurant who identified the rascals."