eet Larry saw, some distance ahead of him, the form
of the man whose actions so puzzled him, and who had led him such a
baffling chase.

"Here is where I get you," thought Larry, as he hurried on.

CHAPTER XX

LARRY GETS A SCARE

Through the crowded street the young reporter ran, bumping into
several persons, and causing them to mutter more or less impolite
exclamations about youths who trod on the toes of innocent
pedestrians.

Larry could catch occasional glimpses of his man, and he noted that
Retto looked back every now and then to see if he was being
followed.

"Oh, I'm after you, my East Indian friend," Larry remarked to
himself. "I'm going to have an accounting with you now. There's
something queer about you."

No sooner had Larry given expression to this last sentence, speaking
somewhat aloud, as was his habit when thinking intently, than he
slipped on a banana pealing and fell down with a force that jarred
him all over.

"I'll have to be more careful," thought Larry, as he got up and
found that no bones were broken. He started off again after Retto.
"I wasn't looking where I was going, thinking so much of Retto.
Where is he now? He must have got quite a way ahead."

He had; so far that Larry could no longer see him. The reporter
tried to peer through the ever-shifting crowd, for a glimpse of
Retto, but with no success.

"He's gone," he murmured. "However, I know where he lives and I'll
go there at once. No! I've got to get a story in for to-day's paper
about Mr. Potter. I haven't much time before the first edition.
Guess I'd better telephone it in, and let Mr. Emberg have one of the
men fix it up."

In his eagerness to catch Retto, Larry had rather lost sight of his
more important duties, and, as he looked at his watch, he found he
had no time to spare if the _Leader_ was to have a story that day.

He looked for the blue sign, indicating a public telephone station,
and saw one a few doors down the street. On his way there he ran
over in his mind the points of the story. It would be based on the
search and inquiry among the steamship captains.

"I've got to say it resulted in nothing," Larry remarked to himself.
"Hold on, though. Suppose Grace gets a clue from Captain Padduci?
I'll be in a pretty mess if she does, and I telephone in that we
found out nothing. Wish I hadn't chased after that East Indian. I
should have stayed with Grace until we got through.

"No help for it, though. So