t to the real estate dealer had set him to thinking deeply.
The man's anxiety concerning the papers made the boy feel sure there was
more at the bottom of the land speculation than either his parents or he
had suspected.

Perhaps the land was still held by this man and was of great value. If
this was so how was he to go to work to establish his father's claim?

Pondering over the affair, the young oarsman thought of Mr. Randolph Islen
and of his kindness. He resolved to tell that gentleman his story and see
what he would have to say.

This conclusion reached, Jerry felt in his inner pocket to see if the
precious papers were still safe. To his horror they were gone.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

SOMETHING ABOUT A TRAMP.

"Gone!"

The cry burst involuntarily from Jerry's lips, and for the moment his
heart seemed to stop beating. The precious papers were missing.

What had become of them? With great haste he hunted all of his pockets,
not once but a dozen times. Then he felt in the linings, and in fact in
all places where the packet might have become concealed.

It was useless; they were gone; that was all there was to it.

Had he dropped them in Slocum's office, or during his hasty flight to the
alleyway?

Our hero retraced his steps, with eyes bent to the ground, in hopes that
they would be found lying on the walk. In doing this he ran into half a
dozen folks, many of whom did not take kindly to the collision.

"Look where you are going, boy."

"Hunting for a pin or gold dollars?"

Jerry paid no attention to the remarks. Reaching the alleyway, he turned
into it and continued the search, but without success.

"Say, wot yer doin' in here?"

The question was asked by a youth in the tin-shop. He was red-headed and
had a freckled face, but not an unpleasant one.

"I was looking for something I lost," said the young oarsman. "Have you
seen anything in here of a flat, white package with a black shoestring
tied around it?"

"Why, yes, I did," he answered.

"And where is it?"

"A tramp had it. I saw him walk out of der alley wid it not five minutes
ago."

"A tramp? What kind of a looking man?"

"Tall and thin, with a grizzly beard. Oh, he was a regular bum."

"Where did he go?"

"Up the street, I think. Was the bundle valuable?"

"Indeed it was, to me," replied Jerry, and hurried off.

He could see nothing of any tramp, and, after dodging around among the
trucks for several minutes, returned to the y