yself. You see he knew Randolph wasn't no city chap."

"That's so, and he knew he'd have the drop on him. But I don't just see,
after all, how he could get away with him."

"Well, he might have run him into some den or other."

"And drugged him?"

"Well, perhaps so. There are piles of ways them fellers have of doin'
such jobs."

"I know they're kinder slick about it sometimes. But, say, Bob,"
continued Tom, earnestly, "what do you propose to do about it? He may be
a prisoner."

"So he may, and probably is, if he is alive."

"Why, Bob, they wouldn't kill him, would they?"

"No, I don't suppose so, not if they didn't have to."

"Why would they have to do that?" asked Tom, with his eyes bulging out
with excitement.

"Well, sometimes folks has to do so--them hard tickets will do 'most
anything. You see, if they start in to make way with a feller, and they
are 'fraid he'll blow on 'em, and they can't make no other arrangement,
why then they just fix him so he won't never blow on nobody."

"Bob, it's awful, ain't it?" said Tom, with a shudder.

"Yes, it is. There are a pile of tough gangs in this city that don't
care what they do to a feller."

"What do you s'pose they've done with your chum?" asked young Flannery,
returning to the subject.

"Well, that's just what I want to know," said Bob, seriously. "I am
going to try to find out, too. There are tough dens in them cross
streets running out of the Bowery."

"They won't do worse nor keep him a prisoner, will they, Bob?"

"Probably they won't, not 'less they think he will blow on 'em. You see
they've got to look out for themselves."

"That's so, Bob, but why couldn't they send him off somewhere so he
couldn't blow on 'em?"

"They might do that, too."

"But they would get him so far away he couldn't get back to New York
never, I suppose?"

"Yes, that's the idea. They might run him off to sea, and put him on an
island, or somethin' like that. I can't say just what they might do if
they have their own way. But the idea is this, Tom Flannery, _we must
stop 'em_," said Bob, emphatically, "you and me. We've got to find out
where he is, and rescue him."

"That's the boss idea, Bob," replied Tom, with emphasis. "But I don't
see just how we're goin' to do it, do you?"

"Well, no, I can't see the whole game, not now. But we must commence,
and when we get a few points, we can slide ahead faster."

"I wouldn't know how to commence."

"Well, I do; I thought