|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 55
"We may not find many captains," Grace said, "unless their ships are
about to sail. Still it is worth trying. Shall we start?"
"I'm ready any time you are," Larry answered. "What did your mother
say?"
"She objected a bit at first, but I soon convinced her it was for
the best."
Larry thought it would not have been hard for Grace to have
convinced him that almost anything was for the best. She looked
quite trim in her dark dress, with her glossy hair held snugly in
place by her veil.
As they went down the steps of the mansion Larry saw a man, who was
standing on the other side of the street, move rapidly away, as if
he had been watching the house. The young reporter uttered an
exclamation before he was aware of it, and Grace quickly asked:
"What's the matter?"
"I--I saw some one," Larry replied.
"Any one would think it was a ghost from the way you act," the girl
went on, with a little laugh. She was in much better spirits than
any time since her father had disappeared, for the chance of helping
to search for him, and the change, from sitting idly in the house
waiting for news, was a welcome relief.
"No, it wasn't a ghost. It was a man I'd like to have a chance to
talk to," Larry went on.
"Would he give you--er--a 'story'? Is that what you call it?"
"That's right. Yes, I believe he could give me a story," and Larry
looked in the direction the man had gone. He was no longer to be
seen. "A very good story," he added, for the man was the same one he
had surprised in the tenement the night before--the man of the
life-raft.
However, he could not leave Grace to go in search of the strange
individual, and it was more important, as Mr. Emberg had said, to
stick to the Potter case. The other could wait.
"All the same I'd like to know what he was doing in this
neighborhood," thought Larry. He puzzled over the matter for several
seconds as he and Grace went along.
On the way downtown the two discussed their plans. There were not
many Italian steamship lines to visit, but it might take some time
to see the captains of all the boats at present in port. Some of
the commanders would be at their hotels pending the loading of their
vessels.
"Have you made up your mind what you want to ask them?" inquired
Larry, as they were nearing the station where they intended to get
off.
"What I want principally to know is if a person answering my
father's description came over with them lately. I want to find out,
in case he did, how he acted, and if he gave any hint of being in
trouble."
"That may be a good clue to follow," Larry sad. "Now we'll make our
first attempt."
It ended in failure, for though they found the captain of the
Italian steamer they boarded in the cabin of his vessel, he could
not aid them. He was very polite about it, and seemed quite sorry
that he could be of no service.
It was the same in a number of other cases. Some of the captains
remembered Grace, for she had crossed with them once or twice, but
none of them recalled a man answering Mr. Potter's description
making the voyage with them recently.
The last place they visited was the dock of the line to which the
wrecked _Olivia_ belonged. This line Grace had never traveled on,
but she had a letter of introduction to the manager from the captain
of the _Messina_, on which she had made her last trip. The
commanders of two steamers of this company were in port. One of them
was at the dock, for his vessel was about to sail.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|