The Amazing Inheritance Page 4

  IV

  Granny promptly fainted when she was told that her only granddaughterwas a queen. Tessie and Mr. Bill, who was still dutifully obeying hisfather and looking after Queen Teresa, were at their wits' end. It wasJohnny the Boy Scout, who sprinkled water over his grandmother's grayface.

  "I shouldn't have told you about Uncle Pete all at once," quaveredTessie, remorsefully, as Granny opened puzzled eyes. Tessie slipped anarm around her. "I should have broken the news to you gently."

  Granny smiled feebly and patted Tessie's fingers. "It wasn't your UnclePete's death that made me go off like that," she said, her voice growingstronger with every word. "It's hearing that I've been the mother of aking for twenty years without ever knowing it. That was enough to knockthe breath out of any woman. I wish your grandfather was alive to hearhow right I was when I told Pete there was a good living to be found onthe sea as well as on the land. I'd like to know any of Pete's oldfriends who stayed at home who've been kings! I'm glad Pete took myadvice, though the good Lord knows he was too headstrong and stubborn totake anybody's advice but his own. And you're a queen, Tessie!" Shesmiled proudly at the little queen. "I sure _am_ glad for you! When Itold you this morning that the good Lord would get around to theGilfoolys some day, I never thought of anything so grand as this. AndI'm glad even if it does mean I'll lose you. You'll be going over tothose islands to sit on your throne and wear your crown, and I'll bethinking about you and loving you every minute!" She sat up and gazed atTessie with a face full of affection and admiration. "I guess therewon't be any queens that'll be any prettier than you'll be, when you'redressed up like one! My soul and body! Queen Teresa!" she murmured, asif she found it absolutely impossible to credit this amazing story.

  Tessie gave a tremulous little laugh and caught Granny by the shouldersand gave her a little shake. "Can you believe it, Granny?" she cried, asif she could not believe it herself. "Can you believe it?"

  Granny shook her head. "No," she said truthfully, "I can't!"

  Tessie laughed again and kissed her with warm red lips. "Well, it'strue!" she cried triumphantly. "It's true! Isn't it?" she appealed toMr. Bill. "And I shan't stir a step without you and Johnny! Of courseyou'll go to the islands with me!"

  Granny sighed happily. "I was hoping you'd ask me!" She smoothed thegray hair which had been loosened by Johnny's first-aid treatment andhung in wisps over her face. "I may be an old woman, but I don't like tobe left out of things. I like to see new things and pretty things asmuch as anybody. I'd like to know what Mrs. Scanlon'll say now! She wasbragging just this morning when I hung out the clothes because her Lil'sa stenographer. I'd like to hear what she says when she knows you're aqueen! Queen of the Sunshine Islands!" The words were sweet to hertongue and sweet to her ears. "But there's a lot to do before you'recrowned, Tessie!" she declared suddenly.

  "I should say there was!" But even while she was agreeing with Granny,Tessie's nose was sniffing the air. "Have you anything on the stove,Granny? I'm sure I smell something burning!" She sniffed again.

  "Oh, it's my liver!" Granny flew to the kitchen to turn off the gaswhich was burning the liver. "I forgot all about dinner when I heard thenews," she apologized. "It's lucky I hadn't put in the onions. Then wewould have had a mess. Now then, Tessie, what's the first thing to do?I'll bet you have it all planned out in that clever little head ofyours." She looked triumphantly at Mr. Bill as if to ask him if he hadever seen another girl with such a clever little head as Tessie's."Say," she said suddenly, "I don't believe I got your name?" That wastrue, for Tessie had been so excited when she told Granny the amazingnews, that she had never remembered to tell Granny who Mr. Bill was.

  "He's young Mr. Kingley, Granny--Mr. Bill!" Tessie was as pink as arose, and she looked a thousand apologies as she smiled at Mr. Bill."His father owns the Evergreen," she explained.

  "My soul and body!" gasped Granny when she understood who Mr. Bill was.

  "My father told me to look after our little queen," Mr. Bill saideagerly, so that Granny might know why he was present at what somepeople might consider a family council.

  "That's very kind of him, I'm sure." But Granny's mind was not on theEvergreen or its kind proprietor. "Tessie," she cried sharply, "that'swhy a dark-complexioned gentleman has been walking up and down in frontof the house to-day. If he went by once, he went by a hundred times. Hemade me so nervous I almost went out to ask him to exercise on the otherend of the block for awhile, and not wear out our sidewalk, but justthen a fat man with a tow-head and a big nose came up in a purpletaxicab and spoke to him, and they went away together. Thedark-complexioned gentleman had rings of some kind in his ears and ayellow sash around his waist. He looked like he was a left-over from amasquerade or something. Dear, dear! It does seem like a dream, don'tit? But what's the first thing we do?" She looked at Tessie for orders.Already she accepted Tessie's right to issue orders.

  Tessie smiled and squeezed the work-roughened hands. "The first thing isto go to Mifflin and get a copy of father's and mother's weddinglicense. And the second thing is to find a record of my birth."

  "Tessie!" Granny was all admiration. "What a business head you have!She'll make a fine queen, won't she, Mr. Bill? And how are you going toMifflin?" She looked at Mr. Bill to see if he knew how Tessie was goingto Mifflin.

  "Mr. Douglas is going to take me in an automobile. He's one of mylawyers," Tessie explained importantly. "The old lawyer, Mr. Marvin,arranged it. I don't see why you can't go with me, Granny--and Johnny,too. It would be a nice ride."

  "Sixty miles there and sixty miles back," chuckled Mr. Bill, muchpleased to hear that Tessie did not care to drive one hundred and twentymiles alone with Mr. Douglas. "And the country's pretty now."

  "That's fine," beamed Granny.

  And Johnny the Boy Scout declared it would be fine, too. Johnny wassitting beside Tessie and staring at her with big round eyes. Justimagine having a sister who was a queen! Gee! what would the fellowssay?

  "Tessie, what's that you got in your pocket?" asked Granny suddenly, forher keen eyes had seen the end of something hanging from the pocket ofTessie's black sateen frock.

  "The Sunshine native gave it to me." Tessie took the royal jewel, theTear of God, from her pocket and dangled it before Granny's astonishedeyes. "It's the sign I'm Queen of the Sunshine Islands. If I lose it, Ilose my kingdom." She laughed softly. She had no intention of losing theroyal jewel. "The people won't have a king or queen who can't show themthis--the Tear of God. That's what they call it."

  "Tessie! Ain't it pretty! And your Uncle Pete wore it?" She took it inher fingers and patted it as she would have patted Pete's fingers if hehad been present--and in a mood to be patted. "And now you'll wear it."She wiped a tear from her eyes.

  "Not until we get those records and the lawyers say it's all right. Itwouldn't be honest!" declared upright Tessie.

  "But the native gave it to you himself," objected Granny. She liked tosee the royal jewel around Tessie's white neck.

  "Oh, he thinks I'm the queen all right, or he would never have given methis, but I have to know I am before I wear it. You can keep it safe forme, Granny, until I do know."

  Granny accepted the appointment of custodian of the royal jewel withpride and pleasure. "I'll put it in the baking-powder can, wrap it up inwaxed paper," she said. "Nobody would think of looking in abaking-powder can. I often tuck away a quarter or a dime in one. My souland body!" She had forgotten that Mr. Bill was not a member of thefamily. She didn't remember it until she had disclosed her secret hidingplace, and she looked frightened. Then she glanced at him slyly andsmiled triumphantly. "Maybe I won't put it in the baking-powder canafter all. I've got a lot more hiding places."

  "I'll bet you have!" chuckled Mr. Bill. "But I wish Miss Gilfooly wouldlet father keep it in his safe, or Mr. Marvin take care of it. It isn'tsafe to have valuables in a house where there are only women."

  "There's a man in this house as well as women!" The Boy Scout bristledwith indignation at being ignored so com
pletely. "I guess I'm here."

  "And you're the biggest help!" Tessie hugged him.

  Mr. Bill remembered that she had hugged Granny; and now she had huggedthe Boy Scout. Perhaps it would be his turn next. He hoped it would.

  "Granny would never have come out of her faint if it hadn't been foryou," Tessie told Johnny proudly. "We just stood around like geese,didn't we?" she asked Mr. Bill.

  "That was one of the first things I learned," Johnny explained withhaughty scorn because they had not learned it. "Every scout has to knowhow."

  "I expect I should go home!" exclaimed Mr. Bill suddenly, although hedid not want to go home, and he said so ruefully.

  "You can stay and take pot-luck with us if you want to. It's liver andonions." Granny extended the invitation with royal hospitality. "AndI'll open a can of my preserved strawberries. I've been saving them fora big occasion, but I guess there won't ever be a bigger occasion thanthis. Even your wedding, Tessie, won't mean so much to me as your beinga queen. Any girl can have a wedding, even Lil Scanlon next door, but Inever knew a girl who was a queen before. You can thank your Uncle Petefor your luck. Poor Pete!" she sighed. "He never liked liver andonions," she remembered sadly. "Maybe we shouldn't have them to-night,just when we hear he's been dead six months and left Tessie a throne!Maybe we shouldn't ever eat liver and onions again now we're queens!"And she startled them all by bursting into tears.

  Tessie ran to her, and tried to soothe her with loving pats and words."She's all upset," she told Mr. Bill apologetically.

  "And no wonder!" Mr. Bill was a bit upset himself at the amazing andinteresting situation in which he found himself. "I tell you," hesuggested, as inspiration gave him an idea, "suppose you all come downtown and have dinner with me? You don't want to bother getting a dinnerto-night; and Dad said I was to take care of you." He grinned at Tessie."I can run you down in the car. Come on to the Waloo with me?"

  "I ain't got a thing to wear!" But Granny stopped crying and wiped thetears from her eyes as she reviewed the contents of her closet. "Iripped the sleeves out of my best dress this very afternoon to cut 'emover more stylish."

  "You're all right just as you are," Mr. Bill told her. "You lookfine--neat as a pin. Just put on your hat and come along."

  Granny looked at her black alpaca, which was, as Mr. Bill said, as neatas a pin, and then she turned questioning eyes to Tessie. "I could takeoff my apron," she said slowly, and when Tessie nodded, she caughtJohnny by the shoulder. "But this young man has to wash his hands! Suchfists!" She was shocked at the sight of Johnny's hands. "And your ownsister a queen on a throne! It's a disgrace!" She bustled Johnny to thekitchen, although he loudly protested that he was going to wash hishands, a Scout knew enough to wash his hands when they were dirty.

  "Well!" Mr. Bill drew a long breath when he was alone with Tessie."This is a corker! An out-and-out corker!"

  "It's awfully kind of you to take us to the Waloo," Tessie said softly."Granny is too excited, and I'm too excited, to get dinner, and we don'tlike the cafeteria at the corner. And on our way home we could stop atthe public library, couldn't we?"

  "The public library!" Mr. Bill stared. Why on earth would she want tostop at the public library?

  "I'd like to get some books on the Sunshine Islands," explained Tessie."I don't know a thing about them, and I think a queen should know abouther kingdom, don't you?"

  "I don't think it will make the slightest difference what you know!" Mr.Bill rather lost his head as he looked into her pink face and her bigblue eyes, which had such dark purple lights in them. "You'd be allright if you didn't know anything!" he stammered thickly.

  "Oh, Mr. Kingley!" Tessie's pink rose of a face turned like magic into ared rose.

  "Call me Bill!" he begged, and his face was red too.

  Tessie almost swooned. Call her hero--her wonder man--Bill! Shecouldn't!

  "As Dad said, we belong to the same family--the Evergreen," Mr. Billreminded her ardently.

  Put that way, Tessie managed to falter "Bill," and she glanced at himfrom under her long lashes. Mr. Bill gasped, and if Granny had not comein with the washed Boy Scout he would probably have been guilty of the"lesest" kind of _lese majeste_.

  As they went out to Mr. Bill's car, a shadow by the lilac bushes turnedinto a man and slunk away, but not before Granny's sharp eyes had seenhim slip down the street.

  "I'd like to know what that man was doing there," she grumbled. "Tessie,you got the Tear of God in your pocket?" she asked in a hoarse whisper,and when Tessie said she had, that her fingers were holding it tight,Granny's frown changed to a self-satisfied smile. "Then I guess he'swelcome to what he finds. There isn't anything worth stealing in thehouse now, I guess!"

  "I'm glad I put on my medal!" exclaimed Johnny. "I put on all myinsignia for you, Tessie." He thrust his small chest forward so thatTessie could see for herself that he had done honor to her.

  "Bless the boy!" Tessie bent her head and kissed him.

  Mr. Bill all but died of envy. He wished that he was a Boy Scout, andthen he was glad that he wasn't. A Boy Scout might have privileges, buta man could have hopes. He was not sure what he hoped, but he knew thathe admired Tessie tremendously, and that it was amazingly exciting tobe on such friendly terms with a queen. It seemed impossible that only afew hours ago he had never known that there was a Tessie Gilfooly in theworld. And now--why now she seemed the only girl in the world!