there, to make inquiries, but changed my mind. Then we must turn back,
and go there?"

The postmaster shook his head.

"Wouldn't do any good, young man. Mr. Spence no longer lives there,"
he said.

"Do you happen to know where he could be found, sir? I have a very
important message to deliver to him, which I promised to hand over
while we were passing along this section of the coast."

To the surprise of Jack the official looked grave.

"The rules of the department are very strict, sir, and prevent me from
telling you where Mr. Spence gets his mail now." Then seeing Jack's
look of bitter disappointment, and partly relenting, he continued: "But
there's a party over yonder who knows just as well as I do, and is
under no restrictions either. A drink, or a quarter, would do the
business with Pete Smalling."

"Thank you; I'll make the try anyway," and Jack hurried across to where
he saw a rather disreputable citizen standing leaning against a fence,
chewing a straw.

"Excuse me, are you Pete Smalling?" he asked, as he came up.

The cracker looked him over, and then grinned. Evidently he recognized
that the other was a stranger in the community. Perhaps, too, he
scented two bits, and later on a happy time in his favorite tavern
taproom.

"Them's my name, Mistah; what kin I do foh yuh?" he remarked, with the
true Southern accent.

"I want to see a certain party named Van Arsdale Spence, and the
postmaster told me you would know and could direct me."

Jack managed in some way to slip a piece of silver into the hand of the
other. It had the result of making him talkative.

"He was right, stranger, I does happen tuh know thet same, an' kin take
yuh tuh whah Mistah Spence is aholin' out right now. Yuh see, it's tuh
the south o' hyah, quite a peart ways, p'raps half hour er more."

"Could you tell us exactly where?" demanded the boy.

"Wall, now, I reckon I knows, but she's thet hard tuh tell. Gut a
boat, Mistah, aint yuh?" Pete went on.

"Yes, we've got three power boats with us. Could you pilot us to where
Mr. Spence is to be found?" Jack went on, beginning to understand how
profitable it was to know a thing, and yet be quite unable to describe
its location.

"Cud I? Wall, nothin' is surer than thet same, suh; allers pervided
yuh made it wuth my time. I'm ginerally a busy man, yuh see, suh."

Jack thought he must be, as long as he had a dime in his pocket with
which to pay for the stuff he guzz