o romance," Dad cried, gallantly raising her fingers to his lips.

There was no use being a wet blanket, so with a laugh I said:

"To adventure and romance!--Mater, if they're still on earth I'll bring
them home to you!"

I knew it was a very silly toast, but let it go to please them--for why
disillusion those who believe in the actuality of nonexistence?

CHAPTER II

THE MYSTERIOUS MONSIEUR

Ten days later Tommy and I--and Bilkins, whom I had begged of my father
at the eleventh hour--stepped off the train at Miami, stretched our arms
and breathed deep breaths of balmy air. Gates, his ruddy face an augury
of good cheer, was there to meet us, and as he started off well laden
with a portion of our bags, Tommy whispered:

"Reminds me of the old chap in that picture 'The Fisherman's Daughter'!"

The description did fit Gates like an old glove, yet his most dominant
characteristic was an unfailing loyalty to our family and an honest
bluntness, both of which had become as generally recognized as his skill
in handling the _Whim_--"the smartest schooner yacht," he would have
told you on a two-minute acquaintanceship, "that ever tasted salt."

"We might open the cottage for a few days, Gates," I said, as we were
getting into the motor.

"Bless you, sir," he replied, caressing a weather-beaten chin with thumb
and finger, "the _Whim_'s been tugging at her cable mighty fretful this
parst fortnight! The crew hoped you'd be coming aboard at once, sir.
Fact is, we're wanting to be told how you and Mr. Thomas, here, licked
those Germans."

"Angels of the Marne protect me," Tommy groaned. "Gates, I wouldn't
resurrect those scraps for the Kaiser's scalp!"

"Yes, he will," I promised, smiling at the old fellow's look of
disappointment. "He'll probably talk you to death, though; that's the
only trouble."

"I'll tell you what," Tommy said, "we'll chuck the cottage idea and go
aboard; then tonight, Gates, you pipe the crew--if that's the nautical
term--whereupon I'll hold a two-hour inquest over our deceased war, on
condition that we bury the subject forever more. We came down here to
lose the last eighteen months of our lives, Gates, not keep 'em green.
Maybe you don't know it, but we're after the big adventure!"

His eyes twinkled as he said this, and his face was lighted by a rare
smile that no one possessed more engagingly than Tommy. While he treated
the probability of an adventure with tolerant amusement, such w