Mr. Kingley decided to give a banquet to the employees of the Evergreen
in honor of their former associate, who had been made Queen of the
Sunshine Islands by Fate--and her Uncle Pete. Mrs. Kingley looked
unutterable words when she heard his plan.
"Bill can run down and ask Miss Gilfooly if it will be all right for
Thursday evening," went on Mr. Kingley, much pleased with his idea.
"Bill!" Mrs. Kingley's voice was full of disgust and indignation, about
fifty per cent, of each, perhaps. "Do you want Bill to marry Miss
Gilfooly?" she asked caustically.
"Marry!" It was Mr. Kingley's turn to stare, and he did it with bulging,
questioning eyes. "I don't know as that would be such a bad thing," he
muttered after a moment's intensive thought. "I believe it would be a
mighty good plan!" he decided emphatically, when he had given it a
second moment's thought.
"William Kingley! Your only son--our only son!" Mrs. Kingley angrily
claimed a share of Mr. Bill. "And a clerk!" It was quite clear that Mrs.
Kingley believed that her only son and the clerks dwelt on vastly
different planes, and equally clear that she did not want them on the
same plane.
"The Queen of the Sunshine Islands," corrected Mr. Kingley. "A queen is
not the same as a clerk, my dear. I believe that such a marriage would
be a good thing for the Evergreen. You have no idea," he went on
hurriedly as she gave a little snap of scorn, "how the story of Queen
Teresa has helped sales. We were feeling the pinch of the business
depression, which has been so general, when we found this little queen
in our basement. I made the most of the incident, and the papers carried
the story all over the country. We have had requests for samples from
Chicago and New York and even Denver, Colorado, already. If Bill should
marry Miss Gilfooly," he went on thoughtfully, "I actually believe we
would have to increase our mail order department. I am sure that it
would be an excellent thing for the store."
Mrs. Kingley was so angry at the thought of her only son marrying Miss
Gilfooly that she could scarcely speak. Her anger painted her face an
unbecoming scarlet, and her eyes flashed furiously. "You think of
nothing but the store!" she managed to stammer at last. The words were
not at all what she had meant to say. She had meant to wither him with
her scorn--and she could only stammer.
Mr. Kingley regarded her with surprise. Of course he thought of the
store. "It feeds, clothes and shelters you," he reminded her. "And
mighty good food, clothes and shelter," he decided as he looked around
the spacious room, so attractively furnished, and at her smart dinner
gown, and remembered the excellent dinner he had just eaten. "Mighty
good food, clothes and shelter!" he repeated firmly.
"William Kingley!" She towered above him. "You--you--" She stopped and
glared at him for a full second. "There is such a thing as a telephone,"
she finally controlled herself to say majestically. "You could talk to
your ex-clerk yourself, instead of sending your only son into danger!"
And she sailed from the room to find Ethel and ask her if she ever knew
any one as unreasonable and one-idead as her father.
"What's Dad done now?" asked Ethel, who knew of several things her
father might have done. "Oh that!" she exclaimed carelessly, when she
was told that her father thought it would be a good thing for the
Evergreen should her brother and Queen Teresa marry. "I expect he is
right. It would be a good thing for the store."
"Ethel! Ethel Kingley!" sputtered Mrs. Kingley. Her voice had
seventy-five per cent of disgust in it now. "How can you! Bill and a
clerk! an ex-clerk!"
"She seems a nice little thing," went on Ethel, as if she were looking
at Tessie and actually saw that she was a nice little thing. "I dare
say she would make Bill a good wife, and really, Mother, Bill should be
allowed to choose his own wife. I know I mean to choose my own husband!"
"Oh, you!" But Mrs. Kingley was not interested in Ethel's husband. She
was still too disturbed over Mr. Bill's wife.
"I dare say Miss Gilfooly will be quite crazy over Dad's banquet," went
on Ethel, before she returned to her book, a story of married life which
her mother declared no girl should read, but which every girl was
reading.
Miss Gilfooly was pleased when she was told of the banquet. She thought
it was quite too sweet of Mr. Kingley. She was a bit awed when she was
told also that she would have to sit at Mr. Kingley's right hand during
the banquet.
"I wish I could sit beside you," she was bold enough to say to Mr. Bill.
"I'm scared to death of your father."
"Pooh!" exclaimed Mr. Bill, who could not imagine why any one should be
scared of his father. Why, his father was just an old man chockfull of
old-fashioned ideas and prejudices. "Dad's probably scared of you. He
hasn't met many queens in the course of his straight and upright fifty
years. And even if he had, he has never met a queen like you!" he
declared with unrestrained admiration.
But still Tessie looked dissatisfied. "In what way," she asked quickly,
"am I different from other queens?"
Mr. Bill looked at her. Didn't she know? "Glance at them!" he said
scornfully. "Just glance at the old frumps and then look in your own
mirror. You won't need any one to tell you the answer. The difference,
as you will quickly see, is entirely in your favor!"
"Oh!" murmured Tessie, all dimples and blushes, so that she looked less
than ever like Mary of England or Marie of Roumania, or even Victoria of
Spain.
In spite of Mr. Bill's declaration that old Mr. Kingley, which was the
way Tessie always spoke of her former employer, was afraid of her,
Tessie did feel a little timid, and a thrill ran down her spine when Mr.
Kingley took her hand to lead her into the big tea-room which had been
rearranged and elaborately decorated in honor of the banquet for Queen
Teresa. An army of men and women had been at work in the room ever since
the last luncheon patron had been hurriedly served.
Tessie had a new frock which she had bought at the Evergreen. It was of
cream lace and net with silvery blue ribbons and pink roses. The man who
designed it must have thought of a young queen or a young princess when
he conceived it. It really was an adorable frock, and Tessie looked
adorable in it as she smiled shyly at Mr. Kingley. Her blue eyes
sparkled, her cheeks were pink, and her red lips were parted in a
tremulous smile. But adorable as she looked, Mr. Kingley shook his head.
She did not satisfy him.
"Where's your crown?" he demanded abruptly. "I thought queens wore
crowns."
"Not until after their coronation," suggested Mr. Bill, who could find
no flaws in Tessie at all. From her head to her heels, she was perfect
to his admiring eyes. It was just as well that his mother could not see
him as he stood gazing at his father's ex-clerk. Mr. Bill looked very
handsome himself in his dinner coat. Tessie was sure he was the
handsomest man in the world.
"I don't think they wear crowns at all in the Sunshine Islands," she
ventured to say shyly. "I think they wear only this." And she touched
the jewel which hung from her neck, the royal jewel of the Sunshine
Islands.
Mr. Kingley grunted. The royal jewel was not enough, not when there were
to be reporters from all the newspapers at the banquet, and a moving
picture man as well. His queen must look like a queen. He turned to the
store superintendent.
"Julius, isn't there a crown of some kind down in the jewelry
department? I'm sure I saw one the other day. It was high in front and
dwindled down to nothing in the back." He showed them with his pudgy
hands how the crown he had seen ran from high to low.
"You mean a tiara," suggested Julius with a little superiority in his
voice, because he knew a tiara when he saw it and his employer didn't.
"Yes, Miss Luckins has a couple of tiaras in stock. They are only
imitation--paste--you know." He was apologetic because he did not have a
crown of real diamonds to offer Mr. Kingley. "We really have no sale for
real crowns in Waloo. But this tiara is a very good imitation. Not one
in twenty would know it wasn't real," he boasted.
"It will be better than nothing. Go and get it. We can't go in without a
crown." And he delayed the banquet until Mr. Julius could find Miss
Luckins, go down to the jewelry department and bring back the most
elaborate paste tiara which Miss Luckins herself fastened in Tessie's
hair.
"There!" Miss Luckins stepped back to get the effect.
"That's better! A lot better!" grunted Mr. Kingley. "Far more royal, you
know. Any one can see now that you are a queen. Tell the orchestra we're
coming. Everybody ready?" He looked back at Granny and Mr. Bill, who
were to follow him when he led the queen. "Don't let that native with
the ax stumble against me," he hissed with a shake of his head at
Ka-kee-ta, who stood behind his queen. "Allow me, Your Majesty!" And he
smiled proudly as he offered his hand to Tessie.
The doors into the banquet-room were thrown wide open, the store
orchestra began to play "Hail, the Conquering Hero Comes." Every one
jumped up to look at Queen Teresa as she walked in led by Mr. Kingley.
Hands were clapped, and there were many cheers. Several of the
department buyers called loudly "_Vive la reine!_" to show that they had
been in Paris and knew what was what. The color deepened in Tessie's
cheeks, and the tears flew to her eyes. She did hope that she wouldn't
cry, but she was woefully afraid she would. It was so sweet of every one
to be so kind to her. Never, not if she were crowned a hundred times,
would she know as proud a moment as this.
She stood blushing beside Mr. Kingley at the big table on the dais,
which ran across the end of the room, and faced them all, trembling with
excitement. There they were, her former associates of the Evergreen. The
employment manager, who had hired her; Miss Murphy, who had snapped at
her when she asked for help in making out a sales-slip; Mr. Walker, who
was always nagging at her for something. And there was Joe Cary beside
Norah Lee at the table with the advertising staff and--How funny!--He
was frowning at her. Every one else was smiling and Joe's frown stood
out like a black thundercloud in a clear blue sky. She smiled and waved
her hand to him, and he nodded coldly, but he did not wave back. She
shrugged her shoulders impatiently. Why did Joe have to have a grouch
to-night of all nights? She wouldn't look at him again. He could frown
as much as he pleased, but she would only look at the smiling faces.
There were plenty of them.
"Well?" She became conscious that Mr. Bill was murmuring in her left
ear, and she turned to him. Mr. Bill was not frowning. His face wore a
radiant smile. "Well," he repeated, as Ka-kee-ta took his place behind
his queen much to the annoyance of the waitresses. "We're all set."
"Oh!" Tessie's heart was thumping so fast it was difficult for her to
speak. "How grand to have you beside me!"
If Tessie looked down on her former associates with frank delight, they
looked up at her with open or secret envy. Miss Allen of the gowns told
her neighbors in a whisper how much the cream lace frock had cost, and
Mr. Swenson of the boots and shoes murmured the price of the silver
slippers, and Miss Bartle of the hosiery laughed indulgently when she
said that the silk stockings the queen wore had cost not less than nine
dollars a pair.
"Not a cent less, and cheap at that. Every thread silk!"
No wonder they were pleased with Tessie. She was their queen. They had
clothed her. And if there was more envy in their hearts than there was
admiration in their eyes, it was not strange. It was only natural for
them to wish to be in Tessie's silver slippers with a frizzle-headed
native in blue denim to hold a shining ax behind them. It was romance,
their share--not Tessie's--that they wanted, and every one has a right
to a full portion of romance. A birthright into this big world includes
a full portion of romance.
The chef had spent a sleepless night preparing a royal menu. He had
ransacked the store encyclopedia for names which would honor Tessie's
kingdom, and then had to fall back on the good old French menu. There
was _potage a la Sunshine_, there was _poisson a la Pacific_, there was
_poulet a la reine_, and goodness knows what else. It was all very
delicious, although Tessie was so excited to find herself between old
Mr. Kingley and young Mr. Kingley, and facing all the Evergreen
employees and a moving picture machine, that she could scarcely eat a
mouthful. Granny peered at her around Mr. Bill and told her she must eat
something, that it would be a shame to waste good food.
"And this is good!" she said, pleased that Mr. Kingley had not skimped
the menu for the banquet in honor of her granddaughter.
At last the ice cream and cake had been eaten, the tables cleared, and
every glass filled with sparkling ginger ale. The waitresses and the
cooks gathered in a corner with glasses of ginger ale in their hands.
Mr. Kingley rose to his feet and made a speech, in which he extolled
Tessie and the Evergreen and the Sunshine Islands, and the Evergreen--;
and when he was all tangled up in the Evergreen, and Mr. Bill reached
behind Tessie and pulled his dinner coat, he asked every one to drink
the toast to their former associate: "Our little queen, Her Majesty of
the Sunshine Islands!"
The band broke into the stirring strains of "For He's a Jolly Good
Fellow." There were cheers and much hand-clapping as the toast was drunk
with hearty good will.
"You'll have to respond," Mr. Kingley, flushed and important, told
Tessie. "You'll have to say something!"
"A speech! I couldn't!" Tessie shrank back appalled at the mere thought
of making a speech before Mr. Kingley and the department managers. She
could not do it.
But the clamor on the floor would not subside, and at last she rose up
and stood looking at them. How kind they were! How dear! Involuntarily
she stretched out her arms as if she would embrace them all.
"You dear, dear folks!" she cried, and her voice quivered with emotion.
"I love you every one!"
There was more applause, a perfect fury, and then suddenly the lights
went out, and the room was plunged in darkness.
"What--what the devil's this?" spluttered Mr. Kingley. "Where's the
electrician? I wouldn't have had this happen for a million dollars!
What's the matter?" For there was the sound of a scuffle, a muttered
curse behind him. He could not see a thing, but he could feel something
brush by him. "Bring a light!" he shouted, pale with fright as he
thought of what might happen if Ka-kee-ta should use his ax in the
darkness. "Can't some one bring a light?"
It was really only a couple of moments, although it seemed hours, before
some one found the buttons and turned on the light. When every one
blinked and turned to smile reassuringly at Tessie to let her know that
it was all right--just a little vagary of the electricity--there were
startled shrieks from several hundred throats, for Tessie had
disappeared. The place between old Mr. Kingley and young Mr. Kingley was
vacant.
"Why--why--" stammered old Mr. Kingley, who had arranged many banquets,
but had never lost his guest of honor before.
"Where's Tessie?" shouted Granny. "Where's my granddaughter, the Queen?"
"Where's Tessie?" demanded Joe Cary, who found himself at the royal
table, staring into the purple face of old Mr. Kingley.
"I'm here, Granny!" And there she was, behind her big bodyguard
clutching the Tear of God which hung about her neck. "Ka-kee-ta snatched
me and made me stand behind him. What was the matter, Mr. Kingley? Did
some one really try to choke me?" She rubbed her neck with her fingers
as if to feel if some one had tried to choke her.
"Matter!" exclaimed Mr. Bill. He caught her hand and held it tight to
assure himself that she was there beside him again. "Look at that!" He
pointed to Ka-kee-ta's left hand, from which hung a black string tie. It
dangled limply from the yellow-brown fingers. Mr. Bill looked
suspiciously around the room. "Has any man lost a tie?" he asked
sharply.
There was an uncomfortable pause in which every man raised a hand to
make sure that his tie at least was around his neck. One of the maids by
the door stepped forward.
"I think the man who lost his tie has gone," she said in much confusion.
"At least some one pushed by me and ran out of the door."
"Why didn't you hold him?" demanded Mr. Bill.
"I thought he was the electrician," stammered the maid. "I thought he
was going to see about the lights, and anyway I couldn't have held him.
It isn't fair to blame me!" She burst into tears.
"Dear, dear!" fussed Mr. Kingley, too confused by the unexpected number
on the banquet program to be considerate of weeping maids. "I hope the
watchman holds him. I'm sorry," he turned to Tessie. "I wouldn't have
had this happen for a million dollars! I should have said you would be
perfectly safe here among so many friends, but a man can learn that he
doesn't know everything about his own store. I suppose it was that
crown--tiara, I mean. Some one thought it was real, and tried to steal
it. It looks real!"
"It wasn't the tiara that they tried to steal," guessed Mr. Bill grimly.
"It was the Queen!"
"It was the Tear of God!" contradicted Joe Cary, who had moved up until
he stood beside Tessie. "Those Sunshine Island rebels don't want Tessie.
They want the royal jewel!"
"Bless me!" murmured Mr. Kingley, turning the back of his dinner coat to
Joe; for what could Joe Cary, an artist in the advertising department,
know? "I'm glad you weren't stolen!" he told Tessie fervently.
"I'm glad, too," ventured Tessie, tearfully tremulous, and she clung
tight to Joe's hand. "It might have spoiled the party," she added
politely.
"But if the watchman gets the thief what publicity it will make!"
gloated Mr. Kingley, true to form. The Evergreen was getting wonderful
publicity every day, thanks to Tessie, and the store was thronged as it
never had been before a queen was found in its basement. "So long as
you are safe, we have nothing to regret. We can leave the rest to the
watchman and the store detectives. They will find the thief. I am sure
he was not one of our own men. He must have been some miscreant who
forced himself in. We will not think of him again. Have you finished
your speech?" he asked courteously.
"Long ago!" exclaimed Tessie, taking her fingers from Joe and giving
them to Granny to hold.
"Well!" Granny drew a long, long breath. "I'm glad now we have Ka-kee-ta
and his ax, even if they do make me nervous. If you had been kidnaped,
Tessie Gilfooly, I should never have forgiven myself!"
"I'd have found her!" declared Joe. "No matter where she was hidden, I'd
have found her for you, Granny Gilfooly!"
Tessie, listening eagerly to Mr. Bill's plans for catching the miscreant
who had dared to interrupt the banquet, never heard him. But Granny
heard him, and she smiled at him kindly.
"I believe you would, Joe, I believe you would. You're a good friend to
little Tessie."
"You bet I am!" Joe cried eagerly. "And I'm going to look after her! I'm
not going to have her fooled by any one!" And he looked indignantly at
Mr. Kingley.