CHAPTER XXVII RANDY MAKES A DISCOVERY

 The next day Randy wanted to change some of his underwear and went into his locker¹ for his things. To his surprise he found in the locker a lot of wearing apparel that did not belong to him.

 

"Hullo, what does this mean?" he asked himself but could not answer the question.

 

He looked the articles over and made sure they did not belong to any of the other deckhands. Then as he was folding up an extra-fine outing shirt, he saw a letter drop to the floor. He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to Peter Polk.

 

"Can these things belong to Polk?" he asked himself. "If so, how did they get here?"

 

Curiosity prompted him to look into the envelope in his hand. Inside was a single sheet of paper on which was scrawled² in a bold, heavy hand this brief communication:

 

"Peter Polk: If you don't pay me that commission of twenty dollars at once, I will go to old man Shalley and let him know how you are boosting up the expense account.

 

G. A. G."

 

Randy read the letter with great interest. It was postmarked New York and the date was four days back.

 

"There is some mystery here," he reasoned. "What can it mean? Can Mr. Polk be cheating Mr. Shalley in some way?"

 

Then he remembered how the purser purchased all the supplies for the steamboat and paid the bills, and gave a low whistle.

 

"I must see Captain Hadley about this, and at once," he thought. "But no, maybe it would be better to go and see Mr. Shalley direct."

 

He placed the letter in a safe place and then went out on deck. He had just started to look for Captain Hadley,—to tell him about the strange wearing apparel—when Peter Polk rushed up to him.

 

"Look here, Thompson, I want you!" shouted the purser, wrathfully.

 

"What is it, Mr. Polk?"

 

"I've got you, you young thief!"

 

"I am no thief," answered our hero, warmly.

 

"You are!"

 

"Who says Randy is a thafe?" demanded Pat Malloy.

 

"I do."

 

"And I say it is false."

 

"He has stolen some of my underwear," went on the purser. "Tell me what you have done with the stuff at once!"

 

"Your stuff is in my locker, Mr. Polk, but I did not take it."

 

"Ha! what a yarn³ to tell. Hand the stuff over at once!"

 

"You can get it if you wish," answered Randy, with a shrug⁴ of his shoulders.

 

"I will. Malloy, come along as a witness," answered the purser.

 

He walked to the compartment⁵ where the deckhands slept and from our hero's locker hauled the articles that belonged to him.

 

"What do you say to that?" he cried, turning to our hero.

 

"I did not put the things there, Mr. Polk."

 

"If you didn't, who did?" sneered⁶ the purser.

 

"Perhaps you did yourself."

 

"Me!"

 

"Yes."

 

"You are crazy, boy! Why should I do such a thing?"

 

"To get me into trouble. You hate me and want to injure me, that's why."

 

"Nonsense. You stole these things, it is useless for you to deny it."

 

"But I do deny it. I am no more a thief than you are—maybe not as much of a one," added Randy, significantly.

 

At these words the purser turned pale for a moment. But he quickly recovered.

 

"I shall report this to the captain."

 

"I'll report too."

 

"I'll have you discharged."

 

"We'll see about that."

 

Taking his things, Peter Polk went to the captain's office and told his story. Captain Hadley at once sent for Randy.

 

"This is a queer happening, Thompson," he said.

 

"Captain Hadley, I am not guilty," answered Randy. "It is only another plot of Mr. Polk to get me into trouble."

 

"And you think he put the things there himself?"

 

"I certainly do. I wish you would give me a day off," went on our hero, after an awkward pause.

 

"What for?"

 

"I wish to see Mr. Shalley."

 

"He is in New York, on business."

 

"So much the better. I can call on him there, after we tie up."

 

"Do you want to take this matter to him?"

 

"Not this alone. I have something else of importance. I know he will want to see me."

 

"Well, you can go. I hope you are not going to run away," and the captain smiled faintly.

 

"I have nothing to run away for, sir. Mr. Polk is down on me and I am going to do what I can to show him up, that is all. But please don't let him know that I am going to see Mr. Shalley."

 

"You have learned something important?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"About the purser?"

 

"Yes, sir. But I can't speak of it just yet to you."

 

"Well, what about this clothing affair?"

 

"Won't you let it rest for a few days?"

 

"If you wish," answered Captain Hadley, and then he was called away to attend to some important duties.

 

Although Randy did not know it, Peter Polk was nearby and caught a good bit of the talk between our hero and the captain. His face grew deathly pale when he learned that Randy was going to see Mr. Shalley and about his own personal doings.

 

"What has that cub⁷ discovered now?" he asked himself. "What can he tell about my doings?"

 

He was so worried he could not attend to his work. He turned the matter over in his mind and suddenly remembered the threatening letter he had received. He had paid the claim, but what had he done with the communication? He searched everywhere for it, but without avail.

 

"Fool that I was, that I did not tear it up and throw it overboard," he muttered to himself. "If that boy has the letter it may lead to an investigation⁸, and then——" He did not finish but clenched⁹ his hands in rage and fear.

 

He watched Randy narrowly, and after New York was reached saw our hero make preparations to go ashore¹⁰. He did not know that Mr. Shalley was in the metropolis¹¹ and could not comprehend Randy's move.

 

"Are you going ashore?" he asked of our hero, when he got the chance.

 

"I am."

 

"Where are you going?"

 

"Excuse me, Mr. Polk, but that is my private business."

 

"Did Captain Hadley say you could go?"

 

"He did."

 

"Well, come to my office a minute, I want to talk to you," went on the purser, in a lower tone.

 

"Very well," answered Randy, and followed the man to the office, which at this time was deserted¹².

 

"Thompson, I want to know what you found in your locker besides my clothing," said the purser, after he had made certain that no outsiders were around.

 

"I found a cigar holder¹³ and a match safe."

 

"And what else?"

 

"I must decline to answer that question."

 

At this blunt refusal the brow of the purser darkened.

 

"You won't tell me?"

 

"No."

 

"Did you find a—er—a letter?"

 

"Perhaps I did."

 

"I want you to give it up."

 

"I didn't say I found it."

 

"But you did find it. It is my property and you must give it to me."

 

To this Randy was silent.

 

"Do you hear me?"

 

"I am not deaf, Mr. Polk."

 

"I know what you want to do!" hissed¹⁴ the purser. "You want to get me into trouble. But I'll not let you do it."

 

"Maybe you'll get yourself into trouble."

 

"Bah! I am not afraid of a boy, but——" He paused and his manner changed. "See here, Thompson, you are a poor boy, aren't you?"

 

"I admit it."

 

"Well, some extra money will come in handy, won't it?"

 

"What do you mean, Mr. Polk?"

 

"I'll give you—er—five dollars for that letter."

 

"I haven't said that I had it yet."

 

"But I know you have it. Come, what do you say?"

 

"I say, I am going about my business," answered Randy, and started for the doorway¹⁵.

 

"Not yet!" cried the purser, wrathfully, and flung him back into a corner. "You'll settle with me first, even if I have to call a police officer!"

 

 

1 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

2 scrawled   

乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
• Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”

3 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

4 shrug   

v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)

参考例句：

• With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
• I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

5 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。

6 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

7 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

11 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

12 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

13 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

14 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

15 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。