XXVI
"Are you surprised?" Norah asked Joe as they went down in the elevator.She looked at Joe curiously, for there was a broad grin on Joe's face,and a grin was not what Norah expected him to wear under thecircumstances. She would have said that a sad and sorry countenance wasmore befitting the occasion. But Joe looked anything but sad and sorry.Indeed, he was so jubilant that Norah borrowed some of his triumphantsatisfaction and smiled, too.
He hesitated. "No," he said slowly, "I'm not surprised, although I don'tknow whether you refer to Tessie's engagement to Mr. Bill, or to Mr.Kingley's successful publicity campaign or to the loss of two of theSunshine Islands?"
"I meant Tessie's engagement!" She was surprised that he did notunderstand which was the most important of the three events hementioned. "I thought you were rather fond of our little queen,yourself," she said with the frank interest which was Norah Lee. Therewas an odd little breathlessness in her voice as she asked the question,and she watched his face with eager eyes.
Joe laughed carelessly. "Our little queen!" He ironically repeated thephrase which had been so often on the lips of Mr. Kingley. "Of courseI'm fond of her. She has been like a sister to me. And she used to makeme furious, when she was so unhappy, because she couldn't haveeverything that Ethel Kingley had, and yet she never would do anythingto boost herself. She wouldn't do anything but grumble to poor oldGranny. I used to talk to her like a Dutch uncle, and a fat lot of goodit did until this jolt came. Now she has had a chance to see that itisn't enough to be rich and powerful--to have things. Tessie knows nowthat it takes more than power and riches to make a girl happy."
"That's right," agreed Norah quickly, and now she looked as jubilant asJoe had looked. "A girl does have to have more than things. She has tohave love. I never used to believe that, but I know now it's true. Isn'tit romantic?" she hurried on, as Joe started to ask her how she knewabout love now. "Mr. Bill and the queen who was once a shopgirl! And allthe time she was a shopgirl, Mr. Bill never saw her. Not until she was aqueen!" It almost seemed as if she blamed Mr. Bill for such pooreyesight in regard to shopgirls.
"More credit to him!" declared Joe warmly. "I've always thought it wasfine in Bill that he never saw the girls who work in the store. If hehad run around after Tessie, I would have known he was a bad egg, butnow-- You see, living at her house as I did, I felt as if she were asister. I don't mind telling you that there was a time when I might havecared for her more than a fellow does care for a sister, but when thisqueen business came up I found I didn't. It showed me the girl I reallydid care for. Want to hear about her?" He asked in a most friendlyfashion, and with a pleased chuckle which made her look at him quickly.There was a flush on his face and a light in his eyes she had never seenthere before. They made her almost afraid to hear about this girl Joereally cared for, but she nodded bravely.
"Of course!" And there was just as much friendliness in her voice asthere had been in Joe's--no more and no less. But the color slipped fromher cheeks and left them rather white, and there was a puzzledexpression in her eyes. "Of course, I've discovered I'm old-fashionedenough to adore romance."
"This romance isn't finished yet," Joe told her. His voice was not asconfident as it had been. It was just a bit husky and anxious. "Theheroine worked in the Evergreen, too. She was in the advertisingdepartment, and she used to agree with old Kingley that everything waspublicity that came to the store."
"In the advertising department!" interrupted Norah, and all the prettycolor rushed back to her cheeks, and her eyes danced. "Do I know her?"she demanded. "I used to work in the advertising department of theEvergreen, too, you know."
"Sure you know her. You see her every day. I used to think my girl wasall for business and getting on, that she considered ambition andsuccess as the only things that counted. But since I've seen her tryingto help an ignorant little girl, and being kind and sympathetic to anold woman, why I know she's got a heart so big that it can hold morethan ambition and success. Oh, what's the use of beating about the bush?You know I mean you! I hope you care for me, but if you don't to-day youwill to-morrow. I'm a persevering cuss, and I usually get what I want."
"And what do you want?" asked Norah, and the corners of her mouth dancedwith her eyes. She tried hard to look only politely interested, but shejust succeeded in looking eager to have him put his want in plain words.
"You," he said bluntly, "Tessie's a kid. She'll never grow up. She'll besome one for Bill to pet and play with all of his life. But I don't wanta plaything. I want a woman for my mate, a woman who will help me do myshare of the world's work and will let me help her do her share. I wantmore than a wife. I want a comrade! How about it?" Casual as the wordswere, Joe's voice was not casual. It held a deep note which thrilledNorah through and through and made her put her hand quickly into his.
"That's what counts," she whispered. "Understanding, comradeship. Theymean as much as love, and when you have comradeship and love you arewith the stars. We'll help each other," she promised with sweetsolemnity.
"Here, what do you mean by holding up the traffic?" exclaimed Mr. Bill,who had remained behind with Tessie for a short consultation with Mr.Marvin, and who found them lingering flushed and important in thecorridor. "Come on and help us tell Granny that her queen hasabdicated."
"And Johnny, the Boy Scout," added Joe. "Johnny will take the news hard.He had great ideas about changing the cannibals into Scouts. He confidedto me that just because there never had been a Scoutmaster as young ashe is was no reason why there never would be one. It will take some tactto break the news to Johnny."
It took no tact at all to break it to Granny. She took off her glassesand looked at Tessie.
"My soul and body!" she murmured. "And you had to marry a man likeKa-kee-ta? I'm glad you said you wouldn't! And just imagine living whereyou could be drowned any minute! You did exactly right, Tessie! You'llbe much safer and happier right here in Waloo, where we know what toexpect." She was silent for a moment and then she added slowly, "thegood Lord never forgets the Gilfoolys!"
"Oh come, Granny," objected Joe. "Don't tell me you think the Lorddestroyed two perfectly good islands, and nobody knows how many people,to keep Tessie Gilfooly from making a fool of herself!"
"They were savages, Joe," corrected Granny. "Poor, ignorant savages, notmuch more than animals, to look at Ka-kee-ta and hear him talk. I'msorry for him, but I can't help feeling more comfortable about Tessie.And, when you think of all the troubles those poor natives might havehad--famine and smallpox and revolution--I guess a tidal wave was easyfor them. I haven't liked much I heard about that kingdom of yours afterI got over being proud to think you were a queen, Tessie, and if you hadto marry a tattooed black man to keep it, I think you did exactly rightto give it back. I expect we'll be a lot happier without any thrones inthe family. There won't be any more kidnaping, and I shan't have to staydressed up all the time. We can take it easy again, thank the good Lord!And you're going to marry Mr. Bill, Tessie? Can you believe it? You're agood lad, aren't you, Mr. Bill?" She looked questioningly into Mr.Bill's radiant face.
He stammered something, and Granny nodded her head.
"Well, well," she said. "To think of little Tessie Gilfooly marrying thebig Evergreen! That means more to me than to hear you were queen of alot of cannibals, away off in the Pacific Ocean. We've seen theEvergreen and know what it is! But Ka-kee-ta and his ax weren't a goodadvertisement for the islands. Well, well, I wonder what Mrs. Scanlon'llsay now! She's been snooping around all morning, wanting to know if wewere back for good and saying she was glad her Lil was satisfied to be agood stenographer and didn't aim to be what she couldn't be. I wonderwhat she'll say when she hears you're going to marry the Evergreen!Well, well! I guess we'd all better have a cup of coffee and steady ournerves after what we been through. And, Tessie, you'd better change yourdress. I like you to look like a queen so long's you got the clothes.This has been good for Tessie," she confided to the others as Tessietore her hand from Mr. Bill, and obediently ran up
the narrow stairs.
"It's good for any girl to think she is a queen for a while. And shedon't have to be told she's queen of any cannibal islands, either. It'senough for a girl to know she's queen of a good man's heart."
"You are!" Granny caught Norah in a warm embrace. Granny did not seem atall surprised to hear what Norah was, but she did seem pleased.
"You see, the Lord has been good to the Carys as well as to theGilfoolys," grinned Joe, and he put his arm around the two women.
"Well, well!" Granny put Norah away so that she could look into hershining face. "All I can say is you're a lucky girl. Joe Cary's been agood friend, and he'll make a good husband. I know!" And she looked atNorah and then at Joe, as if indeed she did know.
"Not as good as Mr. Bill!" declared Tessie from the doorway. She wasbreathless with the haste she had made, but she looked more familiar tothem now in her crepe frock than she had in the shabby black sateen."Mr. Bill is going to make the best husband in the world!" she toldGranny confidently, as she slipped her fingers into Mr. Bill's waitinghand.
"You darling!" exclaimed Mr. Bill chokingly, and he put out his arm anddrew her closer. "You darling Tessie Gilfooly!" And he kissed her warmred lips.
Granny smiled at them and at Joe and Norah. "What a grand thing thatwould be," she said slowly, "if all the men would try to be the besthusbands in the world, and all the girls would try to be the best wivesin the world. I guess then we wouldn't have no divorces. H--sh! Is thatJohnny in the pantry?" Her keen ears had caught the rattle of crockery."Who's going to tell him that some of the Sunshine Islands have beenwashed away by a tidal wave? Who's going to tell him that Tessie's givenback her kingdom and now the islands'll never have Boy Scouts?"