trouble."

Randy had not had many opportunities to ride on the cars and he enjoyed
the trip to Tarrytown very much. Noon found him in the city named and
he crossed the river on the ferryboat. Then he hunted up a cheap but
neat restaurant, where he got dinner.

"No use of bothering Mr. Shalley just at noon hour," he thought, and so
did not go around to the steamboat man's office until one o'clock. A
clerk was present who said his employer would come in at two o'clock,
so our hero had another hour to wait.

"Is your name Randy Thompson?" questioned the clerk. When told that it
was, he continued: "Mr. Shalley is expecting you. I believe you are to
be one of the new deckhands."

"Yes."

"I hope you find the work agreeable."

"So do I."

"The other new hand didn't last long."

"How long?"

"Just one week."

"What was the matter?"

"I believe he said he couldn't get along with Polk, the purser."

"I hope I don't have any trouble with anybody," said Randy, anxiously.
"I am willing to work hard."

"You'll find Captain Hadley a fine man to deal with. I think he is one
of the nicest captains on the river."

"What do you do here?"

"Oh, I am general office clerk. My name is Bart Sandwood."

"I am glad to know you, Mr. Sandwood," answered our hero, and smiled.
"I hope business is good with the steamer."

"Travel has been very good and we are getting our share of freight. The
other lines bother us some, but not a great deal."

"Is the _Helen Shalley_ one of the big boats of the river?"

"Not one of the largest, but she is by no means a small boat. Then you
haven't seen her?"

"Not yet, but I hope to soon."

"She will be on her way down the river this afternoon. She runs from
New York to Albany one day and back the next. She doesn't run on
Sundays."

"I am glad of that. I don't care to work on Sunday."

"Well, you'll have to do a little. When there are no passengers on
board, that is the time to put things in order."

"True enough. I am afraid I will be green."

"Were you never a deckhand before?"

"Never."

At this the clerk gave a low whistle.

"I don't know if Captain Hadley will like that or not. He is a very
strict man, even though kind."

"I shall do my best to please him."

"Early in the spring we had two green hands, but they couldn't learn at
all, and the captain said they were more bother than they were worth."

"I am sure I can learn--anyway, I mean to try."

"You certainly loo