"There is some mystery here," he reasoned. "What can it mean? Can Mr. Polk be cheating Mr. Shalley in some way?"
Then he remembered how the purser purchased all the supplies for the steamboat and paid the bills, and gave a low whistle.
"I must see Captain Hadley about this, and at once," he thought. "But no, maybe it would be better to go and see Mr. Shalley direct."
He placed the letter in a safe place and then went out on deck. He had just started to look for Captain Hadley,—to tell him about the strange wearing apparel—when Peter Polk rushed up to him.
"Look here, Thompson, I want you!" shouted the purser, wrathfully.
"What is it, Mr. Polk?"
"I've got you, you young thief!"
"I am no thief," answered our hero, warmly.
"You are!"
"Who says Randy is a thafe?" demanded Pat Malloy.