CHAPTER XXV
EXIT MR. JOHN SMITH
Early in July Mr. Smith took his departure from Hillerton. He made afarewell call upon each of the Blaisdell families, and thanked themheartily for all their kindness in assisting him with his Blaisdellbook.
The Blaisdells, one and all, said they were very sorry to have him go.Miss Flora frankly wiped her eyes, and told Mr. Smith she could never,never thank him enough for what he had done for her. Mellicent, too,with shy eyes averted, told him she should never forget what he haddone for her--and for Donald.
James and Flora and Frank--and even Jane!--said that they would like tohave one of the Blaisdell books, when they were published, to hand downin the family. Flora took out her purse and said that she would pay forhers now; but Mr. Smith hastily, and with some evident embarrassment,refused the money, saying that he could not tell yet what the price ofthe book would be.
All the Blaisdells, except Frank, Fred, and Bessie, went to the stationto see Mr. Smith off. They said they wanted to. They told him he wasjust like one of the family, anyway, and they declared they hoped hewould come back soon. Frank telephoned him that he would have gone,too, if he had not had so much to do at the store.
Mr. Smith seemed pleased at all this attention--he seemed, indeed,quite touched; but he seemed also embarrassed--in fact, he seemed oftenembarrassed during those last few days at Hillerton.
Miss Maggie Duff did not go to the station to see Mr. Smith off. MissFlora, on her way home, stopped at the Duff cottage and reproached MissMaggie for the delinquency.
"Nonsense! Why should I go?" laughed Miss Maggie.
"Why SHOULDN'T you?" retorted Miss Flora. "All the rest of us did,'most."
"Well, that's all right. You're Blaisdells--but I'm not, you know."
"You're just as good as one, Maggie Duff! Besides, hasn't that manboarded here for over a year, and paid you good money, too?"
"Why, y-yes, of course."
"Well, then, I don't think it would have hurt you any to show him thislast little attention. He'll think you don't like him, or--or are madabout something, when all the rest of us went."
"Nonsense, Flora!"
"Well, then, if--Why, Maggie Duff, you're BLUSHING!" she broke off,peering into Miss Maggie's face in a way that did not tend to lessenthe unmistakable color that was creeping to her forehead. "You AREblushing! I declare, if you were twenty years younger, and I didn'tknow better, I should say that--" She stopped abruptly, then plungedon, her countenance suddenly alight with a new idea. "NOW I know whyyou didn't go to the station, Maggie Duff! That man proposed to you,and you refused him!" she triumphed.
"Flora!" gasped Miss Maggie, her face scarlet.
"He did, I know he did! Hattie always said it would be a match--fromthe very first, when he came here to your house."
"FLORA!" gasped Miss Maggie again, looking about her very much as ifshe were meditating flight.
"Well, she did--but I didn't believe it. Now I know. You refusedhim--now, didn't you?"
"Certainly not!" Miss Maggie caught her breath a little convulsively.
"Honest?"
"Flora! Stop this silly talk right now. I have answered you once. Ishan't again."
"Hm-m." Miss Flora fell back in her chair. "Well, I suppose you didn't,then, if you say so. And I don't need to ask if you accepted him. Youdidn't, of course, or you'd have been there to see him off. And hewouldn't have gone then, anyway, probably. So he didn't ask you, Isuppose. Well, I never did believe, like Hattie did, that--"
"Flora," interrupted Miss Maggie desperately, "WILL you stop talking inthat absurd way? Listen, I did not care to go to the station to-day. Iam very busy. I am going away next week. I am going--to Chicago."
"To CHICAGO--you!" Miss Flora came erect in her chair.
"Yes, for a visit. I'm going to see my old classmate, NellieMaynard--Mrs. Tyndall."
"Maggie!"
"What's the matter?"
"Why, n-nothing. It's lovely, of course, only--only I--I'm sosurprised! You never go anywhere."
"All the more reason why I should, then. It's time I did," smiled MissMaggie. Miss Maggie was looking more at ease now.
"When are you going?"
"Next Wednesday. I heard from Nellie last night. She is expecting methen."
"How perfectly splendid! I'm so glad! And I do hope you can DO it, andthat it won't peter out at the last minute, same's most of your goodtimes do. Poor Maggie! And you've had such a hard life--and yourboarder leaving, too! That'll make a lot of difference in yourpocketbook, won't it? But, Maggie, you'll have to have some newclothes."
"Of course. I've been shopping this afternoon. I've got to have--oh,lots of things."
"Of course you have. And, Maggie,"--Miss Flora's face greweager,--"please, PLEASE, won't you let me help you a little--aboutthose clothes? And get some nice ones--some real nice ones, for once.You KNOW how I'd love to! Please, Maggie, there's a good girl!"
"Thank you, no, dear," refused Miss Maggie, shaking her head with asmile. "But I appreciate your kindness just the same--indeed, I do!"
"If you wouldn't be so horrid proud," pouted Miss Flora.
But Miss Maggie stopped her with a gesture.
"No, no,--listen! I--I have something to tell you. I was going to tellyou soon, anyway, and I'll tell it now. I HAVE money, dear,--lots of itnow."
"You HAVE money!"
"Yes. Father's Cousin George died two months ago."
"The rich one, in Alaska?"
"Yes; and to father's daughter he left--fifty thousand dollars."
"MAG-gie!"
"And I never even SAW him! But he loved father, you know, years ago,and father loved him."
"But had you ever heard from him--late years?"
"Not much. Father was very angry because he went to Alaska in the firstplace, you know, and they haven't ever written very often."
"Fifty thousand! And you've got it now?"
"Not yet--all of it. They sent me a thousand--just for pin money, theysaid. The lawyer's written several times, and he's been here once. Ibelieve it's all to come next month."
"Oh, I'm so glad, Maggie," breathed Flora. "I'm so glad! I don't knowof anybody I'd rather see take a little comfort in life than you!"
At the door, fifteen minutes later, Miss Flora said again how glad shewas; but she added wistfully:--
"I'm sure I don't know, though, what I'm going to do all summer withoutyou. Just think how lonesome we'll be--you gone to Chicago, Hattie andJim and all their family moved to Plainville, and even Mr. Smith gone,too! And I think we're going to miss Mr. Smith a whole lot, too. He wasa real nice man. Don't you think so, Maggie?"
"Indeed, I do think he was a very nice man!" declared Miss Maggie."Now, Flora, I shall want you to go shopping with me lots. Can you?"
And Miss Flora, eagerly entering into Miss Maggie's discussion offrills and flounces, failed to notice that Miss Maggie had dropped thesubject of Mr. Smith somewhat hastily.
Hillerton had much to talk about during those summer days. Mr. Smith'sgoing had created a mild discussion--the "ancestor feller" was wellknown and well liked in the town. But even his departure did not arousethe interest that was bestowed upon the removal of the James Blaisdellsto Plainville; and this, in turn, did not cause so great an excitementas did the news that Miss Maggie Duff had inherited fifty thousanddollars and had gone to Chicago to spend it. And the fact that nearlyall who heard this promptly declared that they hoped she WOULD spend agood share of it--in Chicago, or elsewhere--on herself, showed prettywell just where Miss Maggie Duff stood in the hearts of Hillerton.
. . . . . .
It was early in September that Miss Flora had the letter from MissMaggie. Not but that she had received letters from Miss Maggie before,but that the contents of this one made it at once, to all theBlaisdells, "the letter."
Miss Flora began to read it, gave a little cry, and sprang to her feet.Standing, her breath suspended, she finished
it. Five minutes later,gloves half on and hat askew, she was hurrying across the common to herbrother Frank's home.
"Jane, Jane," she panted, as soon as she found her sister-in-law. "I'vehad a letter from Maggie. Mr. Stanley G. Fulton has come back. HE'SCOME BACK!"
"Come back! Alive, you mean? Oh, my goodness gracious! What'll Hattiedo? She's just been living on having that money. And us, with all we'velost, too! But, then, maybe we wouldn't have got it, anyway. My stars!And Maggie wrote you? Where's the letter?"
"There! And I never thought to bring it," ejaculated Miss Floravexedly. "But, never mind! I can tell you all she said. She didn'twrite much. She said it would be in all the Eastern papers right away,of course, but she wanted to tell us first, so we wouldn't be sosurprised. He's just come. Walked into his lawyer's office without atelegram, or anything. Said he didn't want any fuss made. Mr. Tyndallbrought home the news that night in an 'Extra'; but that's all ittold--just that Mr. Stanley G. Fulton, the multi-millionaire whodisappeared nearly two years ago on an exploring trip to South America,had come back alive and well. Then it told all about the two letters heleft, and the money he left to us, and all that, Maggie said; and ittalked a lot about how lucky it was that he got back just in timebefore the other letter had to be opened next November. But it didn'tsay any more about his trip, or anything. The morning papers will havemore, Maggie said, probably."
"Yes, of course, of course," nodded Jane, rolling the corner of herupper apron nervously. (Since the forty-thousand-dollar loss Jane hadgone back to her old habit of wearing two aprons.) "Where DO yousuppose he's been all this time? Was he lost or just exploring?"
"Maggie said it wasn't known--that the paper didn't say. It was an'Extra' anyway, and it just got in the bare news of his return. Butwe'll know, of course. The papers here will tell us. Besides, Maggie'llwrite again about it, I'm sure. Poor Maggie! I'm so glad she's havingsuch a good time!"
"Yes, of course, of course," nodded Jane again nervously. "Say, Flora,I wonder--do you suppose WE'LL ever hear from him? He left us all thatmoney--he knows that, of course. He can't ask for it back--the lawyersaid he couldn't do that! Don't you remember? But, I wonder--do yousuppose we ought to write him and--and thank him?"
"Oh, mercy!" exclaimed Miss Flora, aghast. "Mercy me, Jane! I'd bescared to death to do such a thing as that. Oh, you don't think we'vegot to do THAT?" Miss Flora had grown actually pale.
Jane frowned.
"I don't know. We'd want to do what was right and proper, of course.But I don't see--" She paused helplessly.
Miss Flora gave a sudden hysterical little laugh.
"Well, I don't see how we're going to find out what's proper, in thiscase," she giggled. "We can't write to a magazine, same as I did when Iwanted to know how to answer invitations and fix my knives and forks onthe table. We CAN'T write to them, 'cause nothing like this everhappened before, and they wouldn't know what to say. How'd we lookwriting, 'Please, dear Editor, when a man wills you a hundred thousanddollars and then comes to life again, is it proper or not proper towrite and thank him?' They'd think we was crazy, and they'd have reasonto! For my part, I--"
The telephone bell rang sharply, and Jane rose to answer it. She wasgone some time. When she came back she was even more excited.
"It was Frank. He's heard it. It was in the papers to-night."
"Did it tell anything more?"
"Not much, I guess. Still, there was some. He's going to bring it home.It's 'most supper-time. Why don't you wait?" she questioned, as MissFlora got hastily to her feet.
Miss Flora shook her head.
"I can't. I left everything just as it was and ran, when I got theletter. I'll get a paper myself on the way home. I'm going to call upHattie, too, on the long distance. My, it's 'most as exciting as it waswhen it first came,--the money, I mean,--isn't it?" panted Miss Floraas she hurried away.
The Blaisdells bought many papers during the next few days. But even bythe time that the Stanley G. Fulton sensation had dwindled to a shortparagraph in an obscure corner of a middle page, they (and the publicin general) were really little the wiser, except for these bare facts:--
Stanley G. Fulton had arrived at a South American hotel, from theinterior, had registered as S. Fulton, frankly to avoid publicity, andhad taken immediate passage to New York. Arriving at New York, still toavoid publicity, he had not telegraphed his attorneys, but had takenthe sleeper for Chicago, and had fortunately not met any one whorecognized him until his arrival in that city. He had brought homeseveral fine specimens of Incan textiles and potteries: and he declaredthat he had had a very enjoyable and profitable trip. Beyond that hewould say nothing. He did not care to talk of his experiences, he said.
For a time, of course, his return was made much of. Fake interviews andrumors of threatened death and disaster in impenetrable jungles madefrequent appearance; but in an incredibly short time the flame ofinterest died from want of fuel to feed upon; and, as Mr. Stanley G.Fulton himself had once predicted, the matter was soon dismissed asmerely another of the multi-millionaire's well-known eccentricities.
All of this the Blaisdells heard from Miss Maggie in addition to seeingit in the newspapers. But very soon, from Miss Maggie, they began tolearn more. Before a fortnight had passed, Miss Flora received anotherletter from Chicago that sent her flying as before to her sister-in-law.
"Jane, Jane, Maggie's MET HIM!" she cried, breathlessly bursting intothe kitchen where Jane was paring the apples that she would not trustto the maid's more wasteful knife.
"Met him! Met who?"
"Mr. Fulton. She's TALKED with him! She wrote me all about it."
"OUR Mr. Fulton?"
"Yes."
"FLORA!" With a hasty twirl of a now reckless knife, Jane finished thelast apple, set the pan on the table before the maid, and hurried hervisitor into the living-room. "Now, tell me quick--what did she say? Ishe nice? Did she like him? Did he know she belonged to us?"
"Yes--yes--everything," nodded Miss Flora, sinking into a chair. "Sheliked him real well, she said and he knows all about that she belongsto us. She said he was real interested in us. Oh, I hope she didn'ttell him about--Fred!"
"And that awful gold-mine stock," moaned Jane. "But she wouldn't--Iknow she wouldn't!"
"Of course she wouldn't," cried Miss Flora. "'Tisn't like Maggie onebit! She'd only tell the nice things, I'm sure. And, of course, she'dtell him how pleased we were with the money!"
"Yes, of course, of course. And to think she's met him--really methim!" breathed Jane. "Mellicent!" She turned an excited face to herdaughter, who had just entered the room. "What do you think? AuntFlora's just had a letter from Aunt Maggie, and she's met Mr.Fulton--actually TALKED with him!"
"Really? Oh, how perfectly splendid! Is he nice? Did she like him?"
Miss Flora laughed.
"That's just what your mother asked. Yes, he's real nice, your AuntMaggie says, and she likes him very much."
"But how'd she do it? How'd she happen to meet him?" demanded Jane.
"Well, it seems he knew Mr. Tyndall, and Mr. Tyndall brought him homeone night and introduced him to his wife and Maggie; and since thenhe's been very nice to them. He's taken them out in his automobile, andtaken them to the theater twice."
"That's because she belongs to us, of course," nodded Jane wisely.
"Yes, I suppose so," agreed Flora. "And I think it's very kind of him."
"Pooh!" sniffed Mellicent airily. "_I_ think he does it because heWANTS to. You never did appreciate Aunt Maggie. I'll warrant she'snicer and sweeter and--and, yes, PRETTIER than lots of those oldChicago women. Aunt Maggie looked positively HANDSOME that day she lefthere last July. She looked so--so absolutely happy! Probably he LIKESto take her to places. Anyhow, I'm glad she's having one good timebefore she dies."
"Yes, so am I, my dear. We all are," sighed Miss Flora. "Poor Maggie!"
"I only wish he'd marry her and--and give her a good time all herlife," avowed Mellicent, lifting her chin.
"Ma
rry her!" exclaimed two scornful voices.
"Well, why not? She's good enough for him," bridled Mellicent. "AuntMaggie's good enough for anybody!"
"Of course she is, child!" laughed Miss Flora. "Maggie's a saint--ifever there was one."
"Yes, but I shouldn't call her a MARRYING saint," smiled Jane.
"Well, I don't know about that," frowned Miss Flora thoughtfully."Hattie always declared there'd be a match between her and Mr. Smith,you know."
"Yes. But there wasn't one, was there?" twitted Jane. "Well, then, Ishall stick to my original statement that Maggie Duff is a saint, allright, but not a marrying one--unless some one marries her now for hermoney, of course."
"As if Aunt Maggie'd stand for that!" scoffed Mellicent. "Besides, shewouldn't have to! Aunt Maggie's good enough to be married for herself."
"There, there, child, just because you are a love-sick little piece ofromance just now, you needn't think everybody else is," her motherreproved her a little sharply.
But Mellicent only laughed merrily as she disappeared into her own room.
"Speaking of Mr. Smith, I wonder where he is, and if he'll ever comeback here," mused Miss Flora, aloud. "I wish he would. He was a verynice man, and I liked him."
"Goodness, Flora, YOU aren't, getting romantic, too, are you?" teasedher sister-in-law.
"Nonsense, Jane!" ejaculated Miss Flora sharply, buttoning up her coat."I'm no more romantic than--than poor Maggie herself is!"
Two weeks later, to a day, came Miss Maggie's letter announcing herengagement to Mr. Stanley G. Fulton, and saying that she was to bemarried in Chicago before Christmas.
CHAPTER XXVI
REENTER MR. STANLEY G. FULTON
In the library of Mrs. Thomas Tyndall's Chicago home Mr. Stanley G.Fulton was impatiently awaiting the appearance of Miss Maggie Duff. Ina minute she came in, looking charmingly youthful in her new,well-fitting frock.
The man, quickly on his feet at her entrance, gave her a lover's ardentkiss; but almost instantly he held her off at arms' length.
"Why, dearest, what's the matter?" he demanded.
"W-what do you mean?"
"You look as if--if something had happened--not exactly a badsomething, but--What is it?"
Miss Maggie laughed softly.
"That's one of the very nicest things about you, Mr.Stanley-G.-Fulton-John-Smith," she sighed, nestling comfortably intothe curve of his arm, as they sat down on the divan;--"that you NOTICEthings so. And it seems so good to me to have somebody--NOTICE."
"Poor lonely little woman! And to think of all these years I've wasted!"
"Oh, but I shan't be lonely any more now. And, listen--I'll tell youwhat made me look so funny. I've had a letter from Flora. You know Iwrote them--about my coming marriage."
"Yes, yes," eagerly. "Well, what did they say?"
Miss Maggie laughed again.
"I believe--I'll let you read the letter for yourself, Stanley. Ittells some things, toward the end that I think you'll like to know,"she said, a little hesitatingly, as she held out the letter she hadbrought into the room with her.
"Good! I'd like to read it," cried Fulton, whisking the closely writtensheets from the envelope.
MY DEAR MAGGIE (Flora had written): Well, mercy me, you have given us asurprise this time, and no mistake! Yet we're all real glad, Maggie,and we hope you'll be awfully happy. You deserve it, all right. PoorMaggie! You've had such an awfully hard time all your life!
Well, when your letter came, we were just going out to Jim's for anold-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner, so I took it along with me and readit to them all. I kept it till we were all together, too, though I mostbursted with the news all the way out.
Well, you ought to have heard their tongues wag! They were all struckdumb first, for a minute, all except Mellicent. She spoke up the veryfirst thing, and clapped her hands.
"There." she cried. "What did I tell you? I knew Aunt Maggie was goodenough for anybody!"
To explain that I'll have to go back a little. We were talking one dayabout you--Jane and Mellicent and me--and we said you were a saint,only not a marrying saint. But Mellicent thought you were, and it seemsshe was right. Oh, of course, we'd all thought once Mr. Smith mighttake a fancy to you, but we never dreamed of such a thing as this--Mr.Stanley G. Fulton! Sakes alive--I can hardly sense it yet!
Jane, for a minute, forgot how rich he was, and spoke right up realquick--"It's for her money, of course. I KNEW some one would marry herfor that fifty thousand dollars!" But she laughed then, right off, withthe rest of us, at the idea of a man worth twenty millions marryingANYBODY for fifty thousand dollars.
Benny says there ain't any man alive good enough for his Aunt Maggie,so if Mr. Fulton gets to being too highheaded sometimes, you can tellhim what Benny says.
But we're all real pleased, honestly, Maggie, and of course we'reterribly excited. We're so sorry you're going to be married out therein Chicago. Why can't you make him come to Hillerton? Jane says she'dbe glad to make a real nice wedding for you--and when Jane says a thinglike that, you can know how much she's really saying, for Jane'sfeeling awfully poor these days, since they lost all that money, youknow.
And we'd all like to see Mr. Fulton, too--"Cousin Stanley," as Hattiealways calls him. Please give him our congratulations--but there, thatsounds funny, doesn't it? (But the etiquette editors in the magazinessay we must always give best wishes to the bride and congratulations tothe groom.) Only it seems funny here, to congratulate that rich Mr.Fulton on marrying you. Oh, dear! I didn't mean it that way, Maggie. Ideclare, if that sentence wasn't 'way in the middle of this third page,and so awfully hard for me to write, anyway, I'd tear up this sheet andbegin another. But, after all, you'll understand, I'm sure. You KNOW weall think the world of you, Maggie, and that I didn't mean anythingagainst YOU. It's just that--that Mr. Fulton is--is such a big man, andall--But you know what I meant.
Well, anyway, if you can't come here to be married, we hope you'llbring him here soon so we can see him, and see you, too. We miss youawfully, Maggie,--truly we do, especially since Jim's folks went, andwith Mr. Smith gone, too, Jane and I are real lonesome.
Jim and Hattie like real well where they are. They've got a real prettyhome, and they're the biggest folks in town, so Hattie doesn't have toworry for fear she won't live quite so fine as her neighbors--thoughreally I think Hattie's got over that now a good deal. That awful thingof Fred's sobered her a lot, and taught her who her real friends were,and that money ain't everything.
Fred is doing splendidly now, just as steady as a clock. It does mysoul good to see him and his father together. They are just like chums.And Bessie--she isn't near so disagreeable and airy as she was. Hattietook her out of that school and put her into another where she'sgetting some real learning and less society and frills and dancing. Jimis doing well, and I think Hattie's real happy. Oh, of course, when wefirst heard that Mr. Fulton had got back, I think she was kind ofdisappointed. You know she always did insist we were going to have therest of that money if he didn't show up. But she told me justThanksgiving Day that she didn't know but 't was just as well, afterall, that they didn't have the money, for maybe Fred'd go wrong again,or it would strike Benny this time. Anyhow, however much money she had,she said, she'd never let her children spend so much again, and she'dfound out money didn't bring happiness, always, anyway.
Mellicent and Donald are going to be married next summer. Donald don'tget a very big salary yet, but Mellicent says she won't mind a bitgoing back to economizing again, now that for once she's had all thechocolates and pink dresses she wanted. What a funny girl she is--butshe's a dear girl, just the same, and she's settled down real sensiblenow. She and Donald are as happy as can be, and even Jane likes Donaldreal well now.
Jane's gone back to her tidies and aprons and skimping on everything.She says she's got to, to make up that forty thousand dollars. But sheenjoys it, I believe. Honestly, she acts 'most as happy trying to savefive cents as Frank does earning it in his old p
lace behind thecounter. And that's saying a whole lot, as you know. Jane knows verywell she doesn't have to pinch that way. They've got lots of the moneyleft, and Frank's business is better than ever. But she just likes to.
You complain because I don't tell you anything about myself in myletters, but there isn't anything to tell. I am well and happy, andI've just thought up the nicest thing to do. Mary Hicks came home fromBoston sick last September, and she's been here at my house ever since.Her own home ain't no place for a sick person, you know, with all thosechildren, and they're awfully poor, too. So I took her here with me.She's a real nice girl. She works in a department store and was allplayed out, but she's picked up wonderfully here and is going back nextweek.
Well, she was telling me about a girl that works with her at the samecounter, and saying how she wished she had a place like this to go tofor a rest and change, so I'm going to do it--give them one, I mean,she and the other girls. Mary says there are a dozen girls that sheknows right there that are half-sick, but would get well in a minute ifthey only had a few weeks of rest and quiet and good food. So I'm goingto take them, two at a time, so they'll be company for each other. Maryis going to fix it up for me down there, and pick out the girls, andshe says she knows the man who owns the store will be glad to let themoff, for they are all good help, and he's been afraid he'd lose them.He'd offered them a month off, besides their vacation, but theycouldn't take it, because they didn't have any place to go or money topay. Of course, that part will be all right now. And I'm so glad andexcited I don't know what to do. Oh, I do hope you'll tell Mr. Fultonsome time how happy he's made me, and how perfectly splendid thatmoney's been for me.
Well, Maggie, this is a long letter, and I must close. Tell me allabout the new clothes you are getting, and I hope you will get a lot.Lovingly yours,
FLORA.
P.S. Does Mr. Fulton look like his pictures? You know I've got one. F.
P.S. again. Maggie Duff, for pity's sake, never, never tell that manthat I ever went into mourning for him and put flowers before hispicture. I'd be mortified to death!
"Bless her heart!" With a smile Mr. Fulton folded the letter and handedit back to Miss Maggie.
"I didn't feel that I was betraying confidences--under thecircumstances," murmured Miss Maggie.
"Hardly!"
"And there was a good deal in the letter that I DID want you to see,"added Miss Maggie.
"Hm-m; the congratulations, for one thing, of course," twinkled theman. "Poor Maggie!"
"I wanted you to see how really, in the end, that money was not doingso much harm, after all," asserted Miss Maggie, with some dignity,shaking her head at him reprovingly. "I thought you'd be GLAD, sir!"
"I am glad. I'm so glad that, when I come to make my will now, Ishouldn't wonder if I remembered them all again--a little--that is, ifI have anything left to will," he teased shamelessly. "Oh, by the way,that makes me think. I've just been putting up a monument to JohnSmith."
"Stanley!" Miss Maggie's voice carried genuine shocked distress.
"But, my dear Maggie, something was due the man," maintained Fulton,reaching for a small flat parcel near him and placing it in MissMaggie's hands.
"But--oh, Stanley, how could you?" she shivered, her eyes on the wordsthe millionaire had penciled on the brown paper covering of the parcel.
Sacred to the memory of John Smith.
"Open it," directed the man.
With obvious reluctance Miss Maggie loosened the paper covers andpeered within. The next moment she gave a glad cry.
In her hands lay a handsome brown leather volume with gold letters,reading:--
The Blaisdell Family By John Smith
"And you--did that?" she asked, her eyes luminous.
"Yes. I shall send a copy each to Frank and Jim and Miss Flora, ofcourse. That's the monument. I thought it due--Mr. John Smith. Poorman, it's the least I can do for him--and the most--unless--" Hehesitated with an unmistakable look of embarrassment.
"Yes," prompted Miss Maggie eagerly. "Yes!"
"Well, unless--I let you take me to Hillerton one of these days and seeif--if Stanley G. Fulton, with your gracious help, can make peace forJohn Smith with those--er--cousins of mine. You see, I still feelconfoundedly like that small boy at the keyhole, and I'd like--to openthat door! Could we do it, do you think?"
"Do it? Of course we could! And, oh, Stanley, it's the one thing neededto make me perfectly happy," she sighed blissfully.
THE END
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