Tessie had her picture taken standing beside the table of aluminum while
customers were neglected, and Mr. Walker quite forgot to reprove the
clerks, who were attentive to but one person--Queen Teresa. He stood on
tiptoe himself to watch Tessie.
"We'll have a drawing made of you on a throne and wearing a crown. Joe
Cary can do it," promised Norah Lee, who was revelling in this
opportunity which had come to her, and which never would have been hers
if the advertising manager were not in the hospital for an appendix
operation, and if the assistant advertising manager were not serving on
a jury. It was her chance to show what she could do, and she knew it.
Her eager ears had been quick to hear the loud sharp knock which
Opportunity gave at her door. She knew also that the chance would not be
hers a minute after the jury was dismissed. "We'll run it in the upper
corner of this picture. I think it's wonderful, Miss Gilfooly!" she told
Tessie heartily. "And I'm glad the luck has come to you. It wouldn't be
half as interesting if it had come to Ethel Kingley--not half! If I can
help you in any way don't hesitate to send for me. Mr. Kingley would
want me to help you."
"Thank you," murmured Tessie gratefully, but she did not look at Norah
Lee, she looked at Mr. Bill. "Everybody's so kind," she added chokingly.
"And now I'll take you to the lawyer's!" Mr. Bill looked very handsome
and big and brave as he said what he would do. Tessie fairly shivered
with ecstasy. "Come on, Miss Gilfooly!"
Tessie glanced back to smile and wave her hand at the clerks, who were
so bewildered and amazed that they seemed to have forgotten the price of
the most ordinary tinware. Even Mr. Walker stood with his eyes and mouth
wide open. They were all deeply and darkly green. "Such luck!" they
exclaimed, and they did not see why their uncles could not have died and
made them queens of Pacific islands. Why should little Tessie Gilfooly
be the one to have all the luck?
That same question was puzzling Tessie as Mr. Bill helped her into his
car and took the place beside her.
"All set?" He smiled at her. "Let's go!"
This was almost more disturbing and amazing than to know that she was a
queen. To think that at last, after regarding Mr. Bill as the most
wonderful and unapproachable man in the world--for Tessie realized that
a great gulf yawns between salesgirls and the sons of proprietors--to
think that she should actually be riding up the avenue with him in his
own car. She could not believe it, but she could like it. She gave a
faint little murmur of content, like the purr of a happy kitten. Mr.
Bill heard her and looked down.
"Great, isn't it?" he exclaimed with hearty admiration.
It was so very great that Tessie could only nod, and the tears came to
her eyes, and the beating of her heart almost choked her. She did not
want to go to her lawyer's, she wanted to ride on forever with Mr. Bill.
She would far rather ride with Mr. Bill than hear about her kingdom.
The distance from the Evergreen to the office of Marvin, Phelps & Stokes
was not long, but Mr. Bill had to make it longer before he found a
decent parking place.
"If the cops knew who you were they'd let us stop anywhere," he grinned.
"But they don't know, and we don't want any argument."
"Oh, no!" Tessie was congenitally opposed to anything unpleasant.
"Shall I wait for you, or do you want me to come up with you?" The
question was only a form, for Mr. Bill would have been cut in
inch-pieces before he would wait in the car while Tessie was with her
lawyer, hearing about her inheritance. Mr. Bill chuckled. This was
vastly more amusing than snooping around the Evergreen basement
directing customers and finding fault with clerks.
"Please come with me," begged Tessie. "I want you. I--I feel so alone.
Do come along."
"You bet I'll come!" exclaimed Mr. Bill, and he led her into the big
office building and into the elevator, which whizzed them to a floor
which had the name Marvin, Phelps & Stokes all over it. "Lord, what
would the people in this elevator say if they knew you were a queen!" he
whispered, just before they left the cage, and Tessie laughed and
blushed and said "My goodness!" It was so wonderful to have Mr. Bill
whisper in her ear that it was not strange that she could only think in
breathless exclamations.
The young man who had brought Tessie the good news jumped up as they
came in, and he scowled at Mr. Bill before he even smiled at Tessie.
"I'll tell Mr. Marvin you are here," he said to Tessie. "What do you
want, Bill?" he demanded very ungraciously of Mr. Bill.
"Hello, Bert!" Mr. Bill was most affable. "This is great news you
brought to the Evergreen. Dad and I want to help Miss Gilfooly in every
way we can, so I came along with her."
"I guess when she has Marvin, Phelps & Stokes to help her she won't need
any Evergreens," sniffed Bert rudely. "Come right in, Miss Gilfooly!" He
pointedly refrained from offering Mr. Bill an invitation.
But Tessie would not have him left out. "Will you come with me?" she
begged prettily. "Of course I know there isn't a thing to be afraid of,
but I do feel funny." Her voice quivered.
It brought Mr. Bill to her side at once. He looked triumphantly at Bert,
who sniffed again as he led them to the room of the senior partner of
the most important law firm in Waloo--in the Northwest.
"Miss Gilfooly!" Mr. Marvin rose to his feet and took her hand. "It was
very pleasant for us to send such good news to you," he smiled. "There
isn't the shadow of a doubt that you inherit your uncle's property. He
left it to the eldest child of his brother John, and we know that you
are John Gilfooly's eldest child. But we must comply with the
formalities and make everything legal. Undoubtedly you can let us have
the record of your birth, and the record of the marriage of your father
and mother?"
"Why!--why!--" faltered Tessie, who had no idea where she would find
such records. And without them she might only be Tessie Gilfooly of the
aluminum again. And Mr. Bill! Oh, it was cruel!
"If you haven't them you can easily get them," went on Mr. Marvin. He
did not seem at all worried because Tessie did not have the necessary
records in her pocket. "One of our men--Mr. Douglas, perhaps--can take
you to the court house."
"I'll take her!" Mr. Bill offered eagerly.
"Where such records are kept," finished Mr. Marvin as if Mr. Bill had
never said a word. It was outrageous the way he ignored Mr. Bill. Tessie
looked at him indignantly. Didn't he know who Mr. Bill was? "I
understand there is a little opposition to your uncle's will. A group of
natives, Sons of Sunshine I believe they call themselves, want a native
ruler, but you need not worry about them. The Honolulu lawyer, who
brought us your uncle's will, tells me that a good majority of the
people have declared that they will carry out King Peter's wishes. They
are sending a special representative to escort you to the islands. Of
course you shouldn't go alone."
"I wouldn't!" declared Tessie hastily. "I'd take my brother--he's a Boy
Scout--and Granny. The warm climate will be good for Granny's
rheumatism," she added thoughtfully.
"The natives have a curious tradition according to this Honolulu
lawyer," Mr. Marvin said, ignoring the Boy Scouts and Granny's
rheumatism as he had ignored Mr. Bill. "It is connected with a jewel--a
big pearl. They believe that it fell from Heaven, from the Eye of God,
and they will never accept a ruler who cannot show them that he or
she--" he smiled at Tessie--"has it. The Tear of God, they call it.
Unfortunately it has disappeared, and until you have it in your
possession it would not be wise----"
"Is this it?" interrupted Tessie, and she opened her hand and showed
him the huge pearl caught in the lacelike fibers.
Mr. Marvin put on his glasses and looked at it. "My dear child!" he
exclaimed. "Where did you get this?" He was amazed to see that the Tear
of God was on Tessie's pink palm. And he listened eagerly to Tessie's
story of the native who was neither black nor brown nor yellow, but an
attractive mingling of all three, who had followed Mr. Douglas to the
Evergreen basement and prostrated himself at her feet before he gave her
the pearl--the royal jewel of the Sunshine Islands.
"That must have been Ka-kee-ta. He came with the Honolulu lawyer,"
explained Mr. Marvin. "He insisted on following Bert so that he could
see you at once. He was King Peter's special man, I believe. And he was
evidently satisfied that you were the heiress. I suppose there must be a
strong family resemblance. It is quite a romance, isn't it, Miss
Gilfooly? Take good care of your jewel, for the natives would never
accept you as their queen if you should lose it. Perhaps you had better
leave it with me? I'll put it in our vault!"
"No." Tessie spoke firmly, although it startled her to know that she had
a jewel of such importance. "I must show it to Granny, and to Johnny.
Johnny will guard it for me. He's a Boy Scout."
"Just as you say." But it was plain that Mr. Marvin did not share
Tessie's confidence in a Boy Scout as a custodian of a royal jewel. "And
the sooner we get those records the better. Bert will take you to
Mifflin to-morrow. I understand your father and mother were married in
Mifflin."
Mr. Bill cast an appealing glance at Tessie. He wanted her to refuse to
go to Mifflin with Bert Douglas and to insist on going with him, but
Tessie only smiled tremulously and murmured that her father and mother
had been married in Mifflin, and she would be ready to go with Mr.
Douglas any time.
"I've resigned my position at the Evergreen," she added and in her proud
young voice there was a little touch of regret. The Evergreen had meant
the world to Tessie, and without it she felt a bit forlorn.