o," replied the captain, as Worth sat down.

Captain Johnson was the captain and part owner of a large merchant ship,
and had arrived the day before from New Orleans.

"How does it happen, Captain," asked Job, as he lighted his cigar, "that
you come from New Orleans? Your trip used to be New York and London."

"Yes," replied the captain, "that was my trip up to about three years
ago. I now make alternate trips to New York and New Orleans. There is
more money in it for the company."

"I think you still carry a few passengers?"

"Yes; a little more than a year ago three young fellows prevailed upon
me to carry them across. About that time I enlarged my cabin, and since
then I have been carrying from four to twenty passengers each trip."

When the captain spoke of carrying to New York three passengers a year
before Worth became quietly interested. Accordingly, he inquired who the
three young fellows were that were his first passengers.

"O, they were three young chaps going to America to seek their fortunes.
Their names I've forgotten. The most I remember of that trip is that it
was the stormiest passage I've ever made. It was a six weeks' voyage, and
the worst of it was we could not have a fire, and, consequently, could
not cook anything, and had to live on hard tack and raw pork, or beef. I
tell you, those young fellows were unanimous in declaring that they had
their fill of the seafaring life."

"Have you ever met them since?"

"No." was the reply. "We parted at the dock. I have sometimes wondered
what success they had. They were quite young."

About three weeks later Job Worth landed in New York City, and, guided by
an advertisement in the newspaper, he found a select boarding house on
Clinton Place and engaged a convenient room with board for an indefinite
term. Job represented himself as a gentleman traveling for pleasure--and
information, he might have added, for his quest for the latter certainly
took him nearly everywhere. Thus he visited the theatres, concert halls,
casinos, and other places of amusement. He called at the private office
of the Pinkerton Detective Agency several times, but nothing was
accomplished. He mingled with the congregations of the more popular
churches, with his mind and eyes upon the people more than upon the
preacher, but without results.

One morning he sat in the reception room of his boarding place feeling
somewhat discouraged. He was reading a morning paper, when a young g