I don’t know what powers of persuasion Bunch brought to bear on Alice and Uncle William, but I do know that there was a hurried wedding ceremony, and that a certain blushing bride and bashful groom and a delighted old Uncle who answered roll call when you yelled Bill Grey took passage that next Wednesday with us on the Oceanic.

I was promenading the deck with Peaches and Uncle Peter after we had been out two days when the old gentleman said, “John, aren’t you curious to know how I invested your money?”

“Not particularly,” I answered with a laugh,

“John knows it is perfectly safe in your hands,” Peaches beamed.

“Well, I’ll tell you,” said Uncle Peter.  “Bill Grey and myself celebrated the finish of our long quarrel by going into a little business deal together.”

“Fine!” I said approvingly.

“We buried the hatchet,” Uncle Peter went on, “by investing together in a gold mine.”

“Where?” I asked nervously.

“We formed a little syndicate and bought a half-interest in a mine owned by Bunch’s Uncle McGowan, out in the Blue Hills!”

“And is that where you invested my few plunks?” I asked, forcing myself to be calm.

“That’s it,” chuckled Uncle Peter, “and that’s where Bill Grey has invested $5,000 for Bunch.”

I excused myself and said I didn’t feel like promenading—­the undertow made me dizzy.

I went off by my lonesome and looked across the troubled sea.

It seemed to me that I could hear a voice coming from far away behind that biggest wave, and the voice said, “You betcher sweet!”