"The fellow tried to rob me, but he didn"t succeed. I played a neat trick on him."
"What did you do?"
"I had a roll of bills and these I placed in an inside pocket. I also had an imitation bank-bill--one of these advertis.e.m.e.nts you often see.
Well, I took a small roll of paper and put the imitation bill around it, and put the roll in my vest pocket. The would-be thief got the roll and ran off with it."
"He must have been angry when he saw how he had been duped," laughed Randy.
"I didn"t see that fellow again for nearly six months. Then I met him on the steamboat where I was working. When he saw me he sneaked out of sight in a hurry, I can tell you."
"Did you follow him up?"
"I tried to, but I didn"t see him again until we were making a landing.
Then I tried to grab him, but he slipped me in a crowd and went ash.o.r.e as fast as his legs could carry him," concluded the deckhand.
CHAPTER XXVI
NEW TROUBLES
On the following day Randy noticed that Peter Polk seemed unusually sour and thoughtful.
"Something has gone wrong with him, that is certain," thought our hero.
"I wonder what it can be?"
He did his best to keep out of the way of the purser and succeeded until nightfall. But then, when he was carrying an extra heavy trunk, Peter Polk got in his way and made him stumble and drop the piece of baggage. The trunk was split open at one end and some of the contents fell on the deck. It was a lady"s trunk, filled with feminine wearing apparel, and a good many pa.s.sengers laughed.
"What do you mean by running into me, you blockhead!" cried the purser, in a loud voice. "Why don"t you look where you are going!"
"It was not my fault," answered Randy, warmly, not liking the man"s manner of address. "You made me drop that trunk."
"I did not. It was your own clumsiness."
"No, sir," said our hero, firmly; and a crowd began to collect.
"Don"t dare to contradict me!" fumed the purser. "It was your fault, and the damage shall come out of your wages."
"Mr. Polk, it was not my fault and I shall not stand for the damage done."
"Ha! you defy me, eh, you cub! Go on about your work and I"ll settle with you later."
"What is the trouble here?" asked Captain Hadley, coming up through the crowd.
"The blockhead of a boy dropped that trunk and broke it open."
"He ran into me and made me drop it," retorted our hero. He felt just reckless enough to stand up for his rights, be the consequences what they might.
"Put the trunk to one side, along with the other baggage," said the captain. "We have no time to waste on this just now. Get that other baggage ash.o.r.e."
"My trunk!" shrieked the maiden lady, rushing forward. "Oh, who broke my trunk?"
"It was an accident, madam."
"And all my dresses spilt out, too! I shall sue the steamboat company for damages."
"We will settle with you, madam. I am sorry it happened," went on the captain, soothingly.
"It was a mean thing to do," said the maiden lady and began to weep.
"Two of those dresses are brand-new."
"I guess they are not injured much."
Randy and the others had gone to work again. Our hero"s thoughts were busy.
"I believe Polk ran into me on purpose," he whispered to Jones.
"Maybe he wants to get you discharged," answered the other deckhand.
"I don"t see why."
"He"s down on you because of that Clare affair."
"Do you think so?"
"Sure. He hated it worse than poison, for the captain now knows just how meanly he acted towards the widow."
The damaged trunk was pa.s.sed over to a man on the dock and after some excited talk the maiden lady accepted ten dollars, with which to have the box repaired and her things put in proper order. It was more than was actually coming to her and she went off secretly pleased.
In the meantime one of the pa.s.sengers, an elderly man who traveled on the line a great deal, went to Captain Hadley.
"What is it, Mr. DeLong?" asked the master of the vessel, kindly.
"I wish to speak to you about that trunk that was broken open."
"What of it?"
"I saw the accident. I was standing quite near at the time."
"Well?"
"I take an interest in that young deckhand of yours--he has done me several small favors from time to time. It was not his fault that the trunk was smashed, and I wanted you to know it."
"How did it happen?"
"Your purser got in the way and made the boy stumble. To me it looked as if the purser did it on purpose."