us."

"But if Sam's here with money in his pocket, how shall we stop him from
workin' up the case?" Dan asked helplessly.

"First off we must tell Jip," Seth replied promptly. "To-morrow mornin'
you an' Bill will have to see what can be done with Sam. It won't do to
let him keep on the way he was goin' before we sent him off."

"I reckon you can't stop him if he's set on doin' it, an' he likely will
be now he finds you're in the Department, 'cause he said he was goin' to
be an out-an'-out detective long before you ever dreamed of gettin' a
fireman's job."

"If he only knew how little of a fireman I am he wouldn't feel very bad
'bout it," Seth said with a sigh, and then added more cheerily, "Come
on, fellers, we must find Jip, an' not stay out too late either, else
Miss Hanson will raise a row."

The three went down the stairs softly, crept out on the sidewalk as if
their own lives might be in jeopardy if the slightest noise was made,
and there met Teddy Bowser.

"Oh yes, I saw him," Teddy said in reply to Seth's question. "He's been
swingin' himself 'round Grand Street big as life for more'n an hour;
says he had a great time in Philadelphy, an' ain't certain but he'll go
over there to live after he gets Jip in jail. Sam must have struck some
mighty soft snap, 'cause when he left this town he had only sixteen
cents to his name."

"Do you s'pose he could find any one chump enough to lend him money?"
Dan asked musingly, and Seth said almost sharply:

"It won't pay for us to stand here tryin' to figger how he's fixed
things, 'cause we must be back mighty soon, and it may take quite a
spell to find Jip."

"I reckon it will," Teddy added emphatically. "I hunted all 'round the
ferry for him."

"Why, how did you know where he was?"

"The fellers told me. I didn't think it was a secret."

"It ought to have been," and Seth looked more distressed than before.
"If all hands know, it won't take Sam Barney a great while to find out."

"He was talkin' 'bout it when I left; said there was no need of goin' to
the ferry till mornin', 'cause he could put his hands on him when he
wanted to. Some of Jip's chums must have gone back on him, an' I
wouldn't wonder if I knew who. You see, Denny Macey was tellin' 'round
that if Jip didn't ante up the dime he borrowed two weeks ago, he'd make
trouble for him."

"Don't let's stand here any longer," and Seth led the way at a rapid
pace toward the ferry.

Beyond speculating as to