ty.

On their arrival they found that Mrs. Dexter's sister had
unexpectedly gone out West to visit relatives, because of the sudden
death of her husband. The Dexter family was befriended by a Mr.
Jackson and his wife, and made the best of the situation. After many
unsuccessful trials elsewhere, Larry got a position as office boy on
the New York _Leader_.

His devotion to duty had attracted the attention of Harvey Newton,
one of the "star" reporters on the sheet, and Mr. Emberg, the city
editor, took a liking to Larry. In spite of the enmity of Peter
Manton, another office boy on the same paper, Larry prospered. He
was sent with Mr. Newton to report a big flood, and were there when
a large dam broke, endangering many lives. Larry, who was sent to
the telegraph office with an account of the accident, written by Mr.
Newton on the spot, had an exciting race with Peter, who was then
working for a rival newspaper. Larry won, and for his good work was
advanced to be a regular reporter.

In the second volume of the series, entitled "Larry Dexter,
Reporter," I told of his experiences as a gatherer of news in a
great city.

In that book was related how Larry, with the aid of Mr. Newton,
waged war against a gang of swindlers who were trying to rob the
city, and, incidentally, Larry himself, for, as it developed, his
mother had a deed to certain valuable property in the Bronx Park
section of New York, and the swindlers desired to get possession of
the land. They wanted to hold it and sell it to the city at a high
price, but Larry got ahead of them.

To further their ends the bad men took away Jimmie, Larry's little
brother, but the young reporter, and his friend Mr. Newton, traced
the boy and found him. Peter Manton had a hand in the kidnapping
scheme.

By the sale of the Bronx land Mrs. Dexter became possessed of enough
money to put her beyond the fear of immediate want; Larry decided to
continue on in the newspaper field, and when this story opens he was
regarded as one of the best workers on the staff of the _Leader_.
His assignment to get the story of the wreck was his first big one
since the incidents told of in the second volume.

At Larry and the coast-guard trudged down the beach the guns from
the doomed steamer were fired more frequently, and the rockets
lighted up the darkness with a weird glare.

"Not much farther now," remarked George, as he peered ahead through
the blackness, whitened here and there with ma