"You're a wonder, Vee," says I. "Here you stand to have a bundle of easy money wished on you, and all you can think of is winnin' a fancy belt."
Vee giggles good-natured.
"Well, Mister Solomon, what would you do with yours?"
"Swap it for as many blocks of Corrugated preferred as my broker could collect," says I. "Then when we declared an extra dividend—"
"Pooh!" says Vee. "You and Auntie are just alike."
"Wouldn't it cheer Auntie up a lot to hear that?" says I. "I expect she's busy spendin' her share, too."
"I should say," announces Vee, "that we had all better be planning how to get that treasure on board the yacht. Captain Killam says we mustn't go there by day, you know, because someone might follow us. Then there's the crew. I wonder if they suspect anything?"
Come to find out, that was what we was all wonderin'. Course, Rupert would be the first to develop a case of nerves. He reports that he's come across groups of 'em whisperin' mysterious. Which reminds Auntie that she'd noticed something of the kind, too. Even Mr. Ellins admits that some of the men had acted sort of queer. And right while we're holdin' our confab someone looks around and discovers that a sailor has drifted up sleuthy almost within earshot.
"Hey, you!" calls out Old Hickory. "What are you doing there?"
"Just touching up the brasswork, sir," says he.