prisoner. Frank and Andy
thought it even more to the point than learning how their father had
come to their rescue. While, as for Mr. Racer, as long as his boys
were safe he could forgive them the anxiety they had caused him. "Who
are you, Paul?" demanded the silk merchant.

"I am--I am--" the lad hesitated. He denied to be undergoing a severe
mental struggle. "I am Paul--Bartlett!" he cried. "That's it! I
remember it all now! And this man, who tried to swindle my sick father
and myself, ought to be in jail!"

"That's where he'll be, soon," declared Frank.

"Tell us about it," urged Andy.

"How did you happen to come for us, dad?" asked Frank.

"We came here as a last hope, after we ran down your rowboat at sea,
and found the _Gull_ adrift."

"The _Gull_ adrift!" exclaimed Frank. "That explains it then. Our
rowboat was washed away by the tide. The _Gull_ pulled her anchor in
the storm."

"And we thought you were drowned or had fallen overboard," said the
father. "Thank the Lord you are safe! It will be good news to your
mother. But let us hear Paul's story."

"This man is a scoundrel," began the lad who had so suddenly recovered
his memory. "For a number of years he was my father's confidential
secretary. My father, who had large business interests fell ill, and
this man took advantage of him to secure important papers. He sought
to ruin my father, and enrich himself.

"There came a time when my father could no longer attend to business,
and he went to a sanitarium to be cured. I was an only son, and as
there were no other near relatives I stopped at a seaside hotel not far
from here. I had only just arrived when I found that this man, James
Shallock, was following me. I had certain important papers of my
father's and I knew he was trying to get them away from me as they were
very valuable.

"I made up my mind to escape. Perhaps I acted foolishly, but I was
very much afraid of this man. I decided to go away in my motor boat,
which my father had given me just before I went to the seaside hotel.
One night I started out, taking the papers with me. I was all alone,
and I decided to go to some quiet place in my boat, and there stay
until I could communicate with my father. I hoped to throw this man
off my track.

"I left one evening, and soon found myself in this bay. I did not know
much about navigation, and I soon got off my course in the darkness.
Then in the morning the storm came