"You"re blocking the whole gangway."
"Thim trunks had to be shifted, an" Thompson is shiftin" "em."
"Humph!"
"I know me juty on this boat, Mr. Polk."
"Well--er--hurry up then and clear this gangway," grumbled the purser, and walked away. Malloy closed one eye and looked at Randy suggestively with the other.
"He knew he had no right to interfere--it"s not his line o" juty," said the head deckhand.
Randy completed his work and then went to one of the upper decks, to fix some of the awnings. To his surprise he found Mrs. Clare and Rose there, in conversation with Peter Polk.
"Going to Albany?" the purser was saying. "What for?"
"I have a situation there, and Rose is going also," answered the poor woman.
"What kind of a situation?"
"I am to sew for Mrs. Hadley."
"Not the captain"s wife?"
"Yes."
At this announcement the face of the purser dropped. Evidently the news did not please him.
"You won"t find that very pleasant," he said.
"It will be better than starving in the city, Peter."
"How much is she going to pay you?"
Mrs. Clare told him.
"That is not a fortune. You ought to be able to earn more in New York."
"I couldn"t get the work."
"I might have gotten something for you, if you had let me know," went on Peter Polk.
"Thank you--I prefer to look out for myself," answered Mrs. Clare, coolly.
"This looks as if I was letting one of my relatives live on charity,"
pursued the purser.
"I do not consider it a charity."
"How did the captain"s wife hear of you?"
"Why, she--there is a boy on this boat--there he is--he spoke to the captain about it."
"You mean Randy Thompson?"
"Yes, that is his name."
"He got the place for you?"
"Yes."
"How did you happen to know him?"
"It"s a long story. He was knocked down and robbed and Rose and I went to his a.s.sistance. But we must go now. Mrs. Hadley wanted us to do some sewing for the captain while on this trip," and Mrs. Clare walked away, followed by Rose. Peter Polk gazed after them thoughtfully.
"I hope she doesn"t get the captain"s wife too much interested in her affairs," he muttered to himself. "I shouldn"t care to have the old accounts raked up in court."
CHAPTER XIX
AN UNLOOKED-FOR ENCOUNTER
It was now early in September and the travel down the river was particularly heavy, for many folks who had been away for a vacation were returning to the metropolis. Baggage kept pouring in until the lower deck was practically filled.
"This is a banner season, so Malloy tells me," said Jones to Randy.
"I know there is lots of work," answered our hero, whose arms ached not a little.
"Never mind, I"ve got good news."
"What is that?"
"Mr. Shalley is going to allow us an extra five dollars this month."
"Good enough."
Randy had received several letters from home. Matters were going smoothly and Mr. Thompson was feeling better every day. The garden was doing finely. In one letter Mrs. Thompson wrote that there had been two strikes at the iron works, each due to Mr. Bangs" overbearing manner towards his workmen.
"I thought he"d have trouble sooner or later," said Randy to himself, as he perused the communication. "What a pity that Mr. Bartlett isn"t in charge."
One fine afternoon the _Helen Shalley_ was steaming down the river as usual and Randy was near the bow, coiling up a hawser, when he noticed a sloop some distance ahead. It was tacking in an uncertain manner, as if the party on board did not know much about sailing such a craft.
The sloop was directly in the path of the big steamboat, and the latter gave a warning whistle and then turned to one side. As she did this the sloop turned in the same direction.
"Hullo! What does that fellow in the sloop mean?" cried Randy to Jones, who was near.
"What"s the matter?"