CHAPTER XXVIII. GUMMY COMES INTO HIS OWN
Janice bade her new acquaintance good-bye with some difficulty.The woman by the roadside did love to talk. But when the girlwas well rested she went on.
She remembered very clearly the way she and daddy had come to thelittle Johnson cottage in the automobile. So she knew she couldfind her way back. One thing she did not take intoconsideration, however; that was, that an automobile gets overthe ground a great deal faster than one can walk.
An hour later, past mid-afternoon, dusty and footsore, she wasstill marching towards Greensboro along a very pleasant, but avery wearisome, road. She heard the rumble of wheels behind her,but she was too tired to turn to look.
Motor car after motor car had passed her while she was trudgingalong in the dust, and not one driver stopped to offer her alift.
But a friendly voice now hailed her as a horse was drawn down toa walk. It reached Janice Day's ear like an angelic whisper:
"Don't you want to ride, Miss?"
She wheeled about with almost a scream of joy. "GummyCarringford!"
"Jicksy! Is that you, Janice?" gasped the boy. "I'd never knowit, you're so smothered in dust. What are you doing away outhere? Get in--do!"
He offered her a hand and pulled her up to the high step into thefront of the covered wagon. She almost fell to the seat.
"You are the best boy!" she gasped.
"Ain't I? They can't get along without me at my house. Whatunder the sun are you wandering around for away out here?"
She told him in broken sentences, and he sympathized with herbecause of her disappointment.
"I could have told you the Johnsons had gone, if you'd asked me.But I did not suppose you were interested in them any more," hesaid.
"And daddy, being out of the bank, did not know that Mr. Johnsonhad withdrawn his account and sailed for Europe. Oh, dear me, itis so exasperating! Everything about that Olga, and connectedwith her, is so mysterious."
"I wonder if I couldn't find out something about her inPickletown?" suggested Gummy.
"Daddy has been there often, I believe," she said doubtfully.
"But not of late."
"Why, no, I suppose not. He's been tied to the house with a'glass leg,'" cried Janice laughing a little.
"You know I deliver orders over there twice a week for Mr.Harriman. A lot of those people can't even talk English. We'vea Swede for a clerk in the store. They write down what they wantfor me, and he puts up the orders.
"But I know a lot of them to talk to--especially the boys thatwork in the pickle factories I'll begin by asking them," saidGummy, with eagerness, for he wanted to help.
"That will be nice of you, Gummy," Janice said. "You never doknow when we might come across some news of her."
"And you say you think she's married?"
"It may be so. To Willie Sangreen. At least, she was going witha man by that name when she worked for us."
"Don't know any Sangreens over at Pickletown," said Gummy,shaking his head. "And of course I haven't seen your Olga."
"That is so, Gummy. But if the girl at Johnson's that night wasreally Olga Cedarstrom, you'd know her again, wouldn't you?"
"Guess I would if I saw her," declared the boy. "No fear aboutthat. I'll keep my eyes open, Janice."
With this promise he chirruped to the horse, that jogged alongwithout paying very much attention to Gummy. He knew the roadbetter than the boy did, for he had been over it many more times.
"Do you suppose that lawyer that came to see my mother will cheatus out of our home, Janice?" asked the boy suddenly, showingwhere his thoughts were anchored.
"Not if it can be helped, Gummy," returned the girlsympathetically. "I know daddy's friend, Mr. Payne, will do allhe can for her."
"He hasn't sent any word to her, or anything," sighed Gummy. "Wejust don't know what to do."
"All you can do is to sit tight and hold on, I guess," Janicesaid. "That is what daddy says he does when things look stormyfor him."
"But, you see, it means so much to us," said the boy, shaking hishead. "Jicksy! And me with such a miserable old name!"
"Why, Gummy!"
"How'd you like to be called Zerubbabelbubble, or something likethat?" he demanded. "Nice enough for you. 'Janice'! That's afancy name. But 'Gumswith'! Jicksy!"
"Why, Gummy!" exclaimed the girl again, didn't know you hated itso."
"I do. I don't talk about it. I know Pa gave it to me becausehe thought a heap of his half brother. And Uncle John Gumswithwas a nice man, I guess. He set my father up in business in thefirst place, when he was married."
"Oh, is that so, Gummy?'
"Yes! Don't kick about the old name before Momsy. You see, Iguess Uncle John wanted them to name a boy after him; and maybethey thought if they did so it might do me some good sometime."
"Oh, Gummy! That your uncle would give you money because youwere named after him?"
"Yes," said Gummy, nodding. "I don't know. But--"
"And your uncle's never been heard from? You never saw him,even?"
"Nor he me," grinned Gummy. "He went off to Australia and neverwrote. He was always traveling around the world, Pa said; and henever did write. Just walked in on his folks without announcinghe was coming." "A regular wanderer," said Janice.
"And now, jicksy!" exclaimed Gummy, vigorously, "how I'd like tohave him walk in on us now."
"Oh, Gummy" she said eagerly, catching the drift of his desire."With his pockets full of money!"
The boy nodded vigorously. "You see, Janice, it would be worthwhile being called 'Gumswith' then, sure enough."
Janice could not blame Gummy Carringford feeling as he did. Hereally should have something to pay him for being called by suchan atrocious name! And Janice herself would be glad to have richrelative walk into the Day house and present daddy--with anautomobile, for instance.
They came in sight of the house at Eight Hundred and Forty-fiveKnight Street just as the very kind of automobile Janice wouldhave loved to own was drawing up before the front door--ahandsome, great, big touring car, big enough for her to havetaken most of her friends out riding in at once.
"Oh, who is that?" she cried.
"Man. Don't know him," said Gummy, cheerfully, as the singleoccupant of the tonneau stepped out of the car and entered thegate.
He was a well-dressed man, of more than middle age, and Janice'sheart began to beat faster. It did seem as though something mustbe about to happen.
Daddy was on the porch and she could see him greet the gentlemanwithout rising. The stranger took a seat at Mr. Day's request.And if Janice had been near enough to have heard the first wordsthat passed between them, she would have suffered a great drop inthe temperature of her excitement.
"How's the leg, Broxton?" asked the visitor.
"Coming on, Randolph. What's the news?"
"Well, yes, I have news," said the lawyer, nodding.
"I know it. Or you would not have found time to get up into thispart of the town. Well, what can you tell Mrs. Carringford?"
"Nothing much about that Mullen Lane property, I fear, that shewill want to hear."
"Too bad, too bad," said Broxton Day. "I am sorry for her. Sheis a hard working woman--and proud. No chance of helping her?"
"I can settle the case for five hundred dollars. I cannotconnect Abel Strout with this shake-down--for that is what it is.The woman up in Michigan never heard of her great-uncle'sproperty down here till this little Schrimpe told her. But wecan't connect him with Strout. Strout's skirts are clear. Andthis Schrimpe had a perfect legal right to drum up trade. He'sthat kind of lawyer," said Mr. Payne, with disgust.
"Five hundred dollars--and she will still owe Abel Strout athousand on the mortgage," sighed Mr. Day.
"Yes. But I suppose, in time, the property will be worth it."
"It's worth it now," said Mr. Day. "That is what is the matterwith Strout. But Mrs. Carringford hasn't the money to spa
re.And at the present time nobody would put a second mortgage on theproperty."
"I suppose the woman up in Michigan gets about twenty-five--maybefifty--dollars out of it. That would settle any quitclaim ofthis character. Half a dozen other heirs were bought off at thetime; but she was overlooked. The rest of the five hundred Mrs.Carringford can raise it--will be split between Schrimpe and hisprincipal."
"There are some mighty mean people in this world," said BroxtonDay, grimly.
"You've said it," agreed the lawyer. "Now, maybe I'd better seeMrs. Carringford. I understand she is here?"
"Yes."
"Do you know much about her?"
"I know she is a fine woman. They came here from Napsburg afterthe husband died--"
"Alexander Carringford, wasn't he?" asked Mr. Payne, taking somepapers from his pocket.
"I believe so."
"They came originally from Cleveland?"
"Maybe."
"A correspondent of mine in Cleveland has written me about afamily of Carringfords, and I shouldn't be surprised if thesewere the same people. If they are--"
"What's all the mystery, Payne?" asked Broxton Day, with suddeninterest, for he saw that the lawyer meant more than he had said.
"If this is Alexander Carringford's widow, I don't know but mynews is in two pieces."
"Meaning?"
"Bad news, and good news. Let's call the woman."
At that moment Janice, who had gone into the house through theback way, appeared at the open door.
"This is my little housekeeper, Randolph," said Broxton Day,smiling proudly upon his daughter. "Janice, this is Mr. Payne."
The girl came forward without timidity, but without boldness, andaccepted the visitor's hand.
"Is Mrs. Carringford out there?" asked Janice's father.
"Yes, Daddy. And Gummy."
"'Gummy'!" ejaculated the lawyer. "What's that? A game, orsomething to eat?"
Janice's dear laughter rang out with daddy's bass tones. "Oh,no, sir," she said. "Gummy is 'Gumswith Carringford.'"
"My soul!" ejaculated the lawyer, getting up quickly from hischair, "it is the right family. Come inside. Let's see Mrs.Carringford somewhere where we can talk without the neighborsseeing and hearing everything."
For he had noticed the bowed blinds of Miss Peckham's cottageonly a few yards from the end of the porch.
"Tell her to come into the living room, Janice," said Mr. Day,rising slowly and reaching for his crutches. But it was evidentthat he understood the lawyer's excitement no more than Janicedid.
The girl ran back to the kitchen and urged Mrs. Carringford tocome in. "And Gummy, too," she said. "Maybe he wants you. It isMr. Payne, and he is daddy's lawyer."
"It's about the home, Gummy!" ejaculated Mrs. Carringford.
"Oh, I hope he'll tell us how to beat out that Abel Strout!"
"Maybe it's to say that Mr. Strout can take our home," falteredMrs. Carringford.
"Come on, Momsy!" said her big boy. "I'm not afraid. If worsecomes to worst, it won't be so long before I can support you andthe kids, anyway."
Now Janice thought that was a very nice speech and she rememberedto tell daddy about it afterward.
They went into the living room and Mr. Day introduced Mrs.Carringford to his companion. The latter looked hard at Gummy.
"What is your name, boy?" he asked rather sternly.
"Carringford, too, sir," said Gummy, politely.
"The whole of it!" commanded the lawyer.
"Er--Gumswith Carringford," said the boy, with flashing eye butcheeks that would turn red.
"Indeed?" returned the lawyer, staring oddly at Gummy. "You aresomething of a boy, I take it." Then he wheeled to confront Mrs.Carringford.
"I am told," Mr. Payne said, "that your husband was AlexanderCarringford, of Cleveland?"
The woman was somewhat surprised, but said that that statementwas correct. She could not see, during the next few minutes'cross-examination, what these questions had to do with thatlittle cottage in Mullen Lane, and whether her family was to beturned out of it or not.
After even his legal suspicion was satisfied as to Mrs.Carringford's identity, Mr. Payne said, again looking at Gummy:
"Did you and your husband name this boy after a certain relativenamed John Gumswith. Mrs. Carringford?"
"My husband's elder brother. Yes, sir. Gumswith is named afterhis Uncle John."
"Humph! I should consider it something of a punishment if I werethe boy," muttered the lawyer. Then he asked:
"Have you heard from this relative--this JohnGumswith--recently?"
"No, sir. Not for fifteen years," said Mrs. Carringford, herface suddenly paling.
"Do you know where he is?"
"I only know that he started for Australia fifteen years ago."
"Sit down, Mrs. Carringford," said Mr. Day softly. "I assure youthis is nothing to worry about."
I--should--say--not," agreed the lawyer. "Quite the opposite.And the boy need not look so scared, either. If he can standthat name he carries around with him--"
"Boy!" exclaimed Mr. Payne, "what would you say if somebody gaveyou two thousand pounds?"
"Er--what, sir?" gasped Gummy. "Two thousand pounds of what?Must be an elephant! That's a ton."
How Mr. Payne did laugh at that! But neither Gummy nor Janicesaw anything funny in his speech. Mrs. Carringford was watchingthe lawyer's face, and she said nothing.
"I mean two thousand pounds in money. That is something like tenthousand dollars. How about it?" asked Mr. Payne again.
"Me?" exploded Gummy.
"Yes. Because your name is 'Gumswith Carringford.' Isn't itworth it?" chuckled the lawyer.
Gummy looked all around, paling and flushing by turn. Then hegrinned widely and looked at Janice.
"Jicksy!" he murmured, "the old name is worth something, afterall, isn't it?"