THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL
"PHYLLIS! I've got a nibble, Phyllis! I believe I can land him, too. And
it will be the first I've really managed to catch!" Leslie began to play
her line, her hands fairly trembling with excitement.
The two girls and Ted stood at the ocean's edge, almost directly in front
of the bungalows, whiling away a glorious, crisp afternoon in striving to
induce the reluctant fish to bite. For some reason or other, they seemed
remarkably shy that day. Leslie's nibble had been the first suggestion of
possible luck. Just as she was cautiously beginning to reel in her line a
pair of hands was clasped over her eyes, and a gay voice laughed "Guess
who!"
"Eileen!" cried Leslie, joyfully, forgetting all about her nibble. "Oh,
but it's good to see you! We've missed you so since you left. Where _did_
you come from?"
"Grandfather and I motored down to-day," replied Eileen, as they all
crowded round her, "to stay over night at Aunt Sally's in the village.
He's going to drive out here a little later, with Geoffrey at the wheel,
because he wants to see you people. You know, we sail for England on
Saturday, and he says he doesn't intend to leave before he has a chance
to greet the friends who did so much for him! You've no idea how much
better he is! He began to pick up the moment I told him the news that
night; and in the two weeks since, he's been like another person. But he
hates it in New York and it doesn't agree with him, and he just wanted to
come down here once more before we left."
"But how did _you_ get here, if he's coming later in the car?" demanded
Phyllis.
"Oh, I _walked_, of course! It was a glorious day for it. Aunt Sally
wondered so, to see me taking the air in anything but that car! What a
dear she is! And how scandalously I had to treat her when I stayed there
before. But the dear lady never suspected that I was in an agony of worry
and suspense all the time, and didn't dare to be nice to her for fear I'd
just be tempted to give way and tell the whole secret. I used to long to
throw myself in her lap and boo-hoo on her shoulder! I've made it all up
with her since, though! There's Grandfather now! Come up to the veranda,
all of you, because he's not strong enough yet to walk on the sand."
They hurried up to the house and got there in time for Eileen to make the
introductions. They were all deeply attracted to the tall, stooping,
gray-haired, pleasant-mannered gentleman who greeted them so
cordially--as if they were old and valued friends instead of such recent
acquaintances.
"I'm going to ask you to let me sit awhile on your front veranda," he
said. "I want to get a last impression of this lovely spot to carry away
with me to England. Also, I would like to have a chat with you young
folks and tell you how much I appreciate what you all did for us."
Rather embarrassed by his suggestion that there was anything to thank
them for, Leslie led him through the house to the veranda facing the
ocean. Here Aunt Marcia sat, wrapped to the eyes, enjoying the late
October sunshine, the invigorating salt air, and the indescribable beauty
of the changeful ocean. Leslie had long since, very cautiously and
gradually, revealed to her the story of their adventure at Curlew's Nest.
So carefully had she done so that any possible alarm Miss Marcia might
have experienced was swallowed up in wonder at the marvelous way in which
it had all turned out.
Leslie now introduced Mr. Ramsay, and they all gathered around him as he
settled himself to enjoy the view. He chatted a while with Miss Marcia,
compared notes with her on the effect of the climate on her health and
his own, then turned to the young folks.
"It is quite useless for me," he began, "to try to express my
appreciation of all you people have done for Eileen and myself in the
little matter of the bronze box."
"But we must tell you," interrupted Phyllis, eagerly, "that we aren't
going to sail under any false colors! We found that little box,--or
rather, Rags here found it--and we didn't have a notion, of course, to
whom it could belong and we were just wild to get it open and see what
was in it. When we couldn't manage that, we hid it away in the safest
place we could think of, to wait for what would happen. I'm afraid we
didn't make any very desperate hunt for the owner, and when we suspected
that Eileen might have something to do with it, I'm ashamed to say that
we wouldn't give it up to her--at first--because we were annoyed at the
way she acted. We didn't understand, of course, but that doesn't excuse
it!"
"All that you say may be true," smiled Mr. Ramsay, "but that does not
alter the fact that you delivered it up the moment you discovered the
rightful owner. And Miss Phyllis's clever little ruse of burying the
false box probably saved Geoffrey a bad time. For if those fellows hadn't
found _something_ there that night, they would certainly have made it hot
for him. As it was, it gained us so much time that Detective Barnes had a
chance to get my man out of their clutches before they had done him any
damage, though they were furious at being duped. They're all safely in
jail now, and there is nothing more to fear from them. Of course, the
principal who hired them is safe, over in China, but he didn't gain _his_
point,--and that's the main thing! As for the letters, I concluded that,
after all, my ideas as to how to keep them safely were out of date, and
they have long since been forwarded to Washington, in care of Barnes, and
are now in the hands of my country's representative there. I shall not
concern myself any further about their security."
He put his hands in his pocket and drew out the little bronze casket.
Then he went on,--
"This little box has had some strange adventures in its day, but nothing
stranger than the one it has just passed through. It has, however,
something else in it, that I thought might be of interest to you, and so
I have brought it along and will explain about it." He opened the box in
the same way as Eileen had done and revealed to their curious gaze the
fragile old bits of paper they had seen on that eventful night. He took
them out, fingered them thoughtfully, and handed one to each of the four
young folks.
"There is a strange little adventure connected with these that perhaps
you may be interested to hear," he continued. "It happened when I was
passing through the city of Peking, some years ago, during their
revolution. There was a good deal of lawlessness rife at the time, and
bands of natives were running about, pillaging and looting anything they
thought it safe to tamper with. One day, in one of the open places of the
city, I happened along just in time to see ten or a dozen lawless natives
pulling from its pedestal a great bronze idol, hideous as they make 'em,
that had stood there probably for uncounted centuries. When they got it
to the ground, they found it to be hollow inside, as most of the really
ancient ones are, and filled with all manner of articles representing the
sacrifices that had been made to it, through the ages, and placed inside
it by their priests. These articles included everything from real jewels
of undoubted value to papier-mache imitations of food--a device the
Chinese often use in sacrificing to the idols.
"Of course, the mob made an immediate grab for the jewels, but it had
begun to make my blood boil to see them making off with so much unlawful
booty. So, almost without thinking, I snatched out my revolver, placed
myself in front of the pile, and shouted to them that I would shoot the
first one who laid a finger on the stuff. And in the same breath I sent
Geoffrey hurrying to find some of the city authorities to come and rescue
what would probably be some thousands of dollars' worth of gems.
"Fortunately, I was armed with an effective weapon and they were not. So
I managed to hold the fort till Geoffrey returned with the authorities,
and on seeing them, the mob promptly melted away. The mandarin wanted to
present me with some of the jewels, in gratitude for my services, but I
had no wish for them and only asked permission to take with me a few of
these little scraps of paper, which had been among the medley of articles
in the idol's interior. Of course they assented, deeming me, no doubt, a
very stupid 'foreign devil' to be so easily satisfied! I have carried
them about with me for several years, and now I am going to give them to
you young folks--one to each of you, as a little token of my gratitude
for your invaluable help!"
He sat back in his chair, smiling benignly, while he watched the
bewilderment on all their faces. Ted, Phyllis, and Leslie were striving
to hide this, under a polite assumption of intense gratitude, though they
were a bit puzzled as to why he should choose _them_, of all people, who
had no very great interest in such things, as recipients of this special
gift. But his own granddaughter was under less compulsion to assume what
she did not feel.
"This is awfully good of you, Granddaddy!" she cried, "but I don't
honestly see what the big idea is! I think that story of yours was
ripping, but I don't exactly know what to do with this little bit of
paper. It seems so old and frail, too, that I'm almost afraid a breath
will blow it to pieces. I really think it will be safer in your care."
He was still smiling indulgently. "I suspected that the outspoken Eileen
would voice the general opinion of this gift! I don't mind it in the
least, and I don't blame you a bit for feeling a trifle bewildered about
the matter. But I haven't told you the whole story yet. To continue! As I
said before, I carried these bits of paper around with me for a number of
years, simply because they reminded me of my little adventure. Then, one
day early this past summer, on the steamer coming across the Pacific, I
chanced to meet a man connected with the British Museum whom I soon
discovered to be one of the principal experts on Chinese antiquities. And
it occurred to me to show him these bits of paper and ask if he could
imagine what they were. He examined them carefully and then came to me in
great delight, declaring that they certainly were, beyond a shadow of
doubt, the oldest existing specimens of Chinese _paper money!_
"And he added, moreover, that the British Museum had no specimens in its
possession as old as these, and declared that he believed the Museum
would be delighted to buy them, probably for three or four hundred pounds
apiece!"
The listening four gasped and stared at him incredulously, but he went on
undisturbed. "I said I would think the matter over and decide when I
reached England. But meantime, for reasons which I have already enlarged
upon, I have decided instead to give them to you, as a little testimonial
of my deep gratitude. If, by any chance, _you_ should decide that you
would prefer to have the money, I will attempt to negotiate the sale for
you when I reach London and--"
He got no further for, with a whoop of joy, Ted sprang forward and laid
his bit in Mr. Ramsay's lap and the others followed his example, striving
very inadequately to express their wonder and delight.
But he interrupted them, smilingly. "I should like to inquire, just as a
matter of curiosity, what form of investment each one of you expects to
make with the sum you receive? Don't think me too inquisitive please.
It's just an old man's curiosity!"
"I've decided already!" cried Eileen. "I'm going to spend mine on another
trip over here in the spring to visit you girls, and I'm going to bring
mother with me. I wouldn't have got here this time if it hadn't been for
Grandfather, for Daddy simply put his foot down and said he couldn't
afford it. And next year Grandfather may be in Timbuctoo or somewhere
like it, and I wouldn't have a chance. But I've just _got_ to see you all
again soon, for you're the best friends I ever made."
"And I'm going to save mine for some extra expensive courses in chemical
engineering in college that I never supposed I could afford to take,"
declared Ted. "I expected I'd have to go into business after I graduated,
for a year or two, till I scraped up enough, but now I can go right on."
"Of course, I'll get my music now," cried Phyllis, "and I'm the happiest
girl alive!"
"Well, it's hardly necessary for me to say that now little Ralph will
have his chance to be strong and well, like other boys," murmured Leslie,
tears of joy standing in her eyes.
Then, to ease the tension of the almost too happy strain, Mr. Ramsay
continued:
"But there is another member of this party that it would not do to
forget!" He drew from his pocket a handsome leather and silver
dog-collar, called Rags over to him, and, as the dog ambled up, gravely
addressed him:
"Kindly accept this token of my immense gratitude and allow me to clasp
it about your neck!" Rags submitted gravely while his old collar was
removed and the new one put in place, and immediately after began to make
frantic efforts to get it off over his head! But Mr. Ramsay only laughed
and held up a five dollar bill, adding:
"I realize that you do not entirely appreciate this gift at present. In
fact, I sympathize with you in thinking it a decided nuisance! But here
is something else that may soothe your sorrow--a five-dollar bill, to be
devoted exclusively to the purchase of luscious steaks, tender chops, and
juicy bones--for your solitary delectation!"
Amid the general laughter that followed, he added: "And now, may I ask
that you escort me over to the veranda of Curlew's Nest? I have a great
desire to walk up and down on that porch for a few moments and think of
all the strange adventures of which that delightful little bungalow has
been the scene!"
And accompanied by Rags, still striving madly to scrape off his new
collar by rubbing it in the sand, they escorted their guest to Curlew's
Nest!
End of Project Gutenberg's The Dragon's Secret, by Augusta Huiell Seaman