Dorothy on a House Boat Part 29

It was an eager company gathered in the big saloon of the Water Lily.

No time had been lost by all these seekers after the "buried treasure"

in obeying Farmer Corny's summons to follow him; and having arrived at the boat, found the Colonel, his daughter, and grandchild already there.

The Colonel's proud introduction of his newly restored family found a warm welcome at Aunt Betty's hands, and she and the younger matron, members both of "first families," were friends at once. As for little Eunice, who had always shrunk from the presence of strangers, there was no shrinking now. Her grandfather had set her down upon the floor, while he presented Mrs. Jabb--even deigning to call her by that name--and the little one had looked about her in great curiosity.

Then she perceived Elsa, holding out entreating hands, and promptly ran to throw herself into the welcoming arms. Instantly there was sympathy between these two afflicted young things and, as a new sound fell upon the little one's ear, the elder girl explained:

"The monkeys! Would you like to see the monkeys? Or would you be afraid?"

"Eunice never saw monkeys. What are monkeys? Are they people or just dear, dear animals?"

"They're not people, darling, though oddly like them. Come and see."

Elsa was herself so shy in the presence of strangers, especially so majestic a person as the mistress of Lady Cecilia's Manor, that she was glad to escape to the tender where her charges were in their cage; and for once the little animals were docile while on exhibition, so that Eunice's delight was perfect. Indeed, she was so fascinated by them that she could scarcely be induced to leave them, and when she was compelled to do so by her mother's voice, she walked backward, keeping her eyes fixed upon those delectable creatures till the last instant.

Meanwhile those in the cabin of the Lily were merrily disputing over who should open the "find," and finally drew lots upon it. Careful Mrs. Bruce had brought a tray to put under the muddy box and brushed the dirt from it, till she was prevented by the hubbub of voices, in which that of the newcomer, Mrs. Jabb, was uppermost. She was exclaiming:

"The lot is Corny's! Oh! I'm glad of that, and I say right here and now that if I have any share in the 'treasure' I pa.s.s it onto him 'unsight, unseen,' as we used to say when, boy and girl together, we exchanged our small belongings."

"Pooh! Joe, I don't half like it! But--shall I, folks? Looks as if the box would come to pieces at a breath."

"Yes, yes, you--you do it! And we ratify what Mrs. Jabb has said.

Anyone of us who has a right to any of the contents of the 'treasure'

he has found will pa.s.s it on to Mr. Cornwallis Stillwell," said Aunt Betty. "Dolly, hand him this little silver ice-hammer, to strike the chest with."

Laughingly, he received it and struck:

"The fatal blow! Be kind, oh! fate! to a frightened meddler in this mystery!"

The wooden box did fall apart, almost at that first stroke of the tiny hammer. It was extremely old and much decayed by its long burial in the ground, and had been held together only by the metallic bands which Dorothy's paperknife struck when she was digging among the ferns.

But there was a box within a box! The second one of bra.s.s and fastened by a hasp. A feeling of intense awe fell on all the company. This did look as if there had certainly been buried something of great value, and the impression was deepened when Corny lifted the inner receptacle with reverence, remarking:

"It's very light--not very large--it might contain precious stones--diamonds, do you think? I declare, I'd rather somebody else would do it. You, Colonel, please."

"No, no. Ah! hum. I've something far more precious 'an any diamond in my arms this minute. I don't give that up for any old box!" and so declining he rubbed his face against Eunice's soft cheek and laughed when she protested against its roughness.

Every head was bent to see and all were urging haste, so that no further time was wasted. Undoing the fastening and lifting the lid of this inner "shrine" there lay revealed--What?

n.o.body comprehended just what until the man held up the half-bright, half-tarnished metal image of a "Fool's Head," as pictured in old prints.

Then the laughter burst forth at this ancient jest coming home so aptly to the modern jester who had unearthed it.

"Maybe there's something inside! Maybe that's only an odd-shaped box to deceive folks. Maybe--do, do, look inside!"

"Do that yourself, Miss Dolly. Remember it was you who first found the 'treasure!'" returned Mr. Stillwell and merrily pa.s.sed it on to her.

She didn't hesitate. In a twinkling her fingers had discovered where a lid was fitted on and had lifted it. There was something in the box after all! A closely folded bit of paper--No, parchment--on which was writing. This wasn't in French as the map had been inscribed, but in quaintly formed, old-fas.h.i.+oned characters, and the legend was this:

"Who hides his money in the earth Is but a fool, whate'er his birth; And he who tries to dig it thence Expecting pounds, should find but pence.

The hider is but half a wit, The seeker's brains are smaller yet, For who to chance his labor sells Is only fit for cap and bells."

"Take my share of this wonderful 'treasure'," cried Mrs. Jabb, when the momentary silence following the reading of this rhyme had been broken by Corny's laughter.

"And mine!" "And mine!" "And mine, for my great-great-grandfather's sister was--How was that, dear Colonel? About our great-great- grandmother's--father's--relations.h.i.+p? Well, I know one thing, I'll never believe in any such foolishness again! _I_ never did really, you know, I only--"

"Oh! nonsense, Dolly! A girl who is so interested she catches up a paperknife--" reproved Aurora, who had herself ruined a table knife.

"Aunt Betty, that's true! I did break it--I mean--"

"I did that, Madam, and I fear I can never travel to Damascus to fetch you another; but what I can do I will do. Vote of the company!

Attention, please! Does not this quaint old 'cap and bells' belong of right to Mrs. Calvert?" demanded and explained Cornwallis Stillwell, holding the little metal head in the air.

"No, no, to you! to you!"

To Dorothy, the most amusing feature of the whole affair was the earnestness with which each and every one of them denied that they had ever had any faith in the old tradition.

"_I_ only went along to--for fun!" stoutly declared Gerald; and so calmly stated all the rest. Even the old Captain rubbed his bald spot till it shone, while tears of laughter sparkled behind his "specs;"

and some were there, looking upon this "nigh useless old hull," as he called himself, who felt that the expedition had not failed since he could find so much enjoyment from it.

As for Mrs. Josephine, her face was transformed with the happiness of that morning's reunion with her father and it needed but one thing to make her joy perfect.

"Oh! Daddy, if only the Doctor were here! But it's only a little delay, for of course, you're going home with me to the Manor House now, to stay forever and a day. Say, Daddy dear? How's farming? And oh! where, how is Billy?"

The Colonel was actually smiling. Nay, more, was laughing! for as if he had heard himself inquired for, old Billy answered in his loudest bray--"Ah! umph! A-a-a-ao-o-m-p-h!"

Then into that merry company came running again little Eunice, who had for a moment slipped away with Elsa. In her little hand she held Joan's chain, while with a saucy glance around Jocko sat grinning upon Elsa's shoulder.

"I beg pardon, but she will not leave them, lady. I never saw anybody so pleased with monkeys as she is, and not one mite afraid. That's more than some of us can say:" sweetly apologized Elsa, with a mischievous glance toward Aurora who had gathered up her skirts and mounted a chair.

"Mamma! I want the monkeys! The lovely monkeys! I do, I do! Don't you know? Don't you 'member? Always you told me I should have anything I wanted that day when Grandpa comes, anything--any single thing. You wouldn't like to tell a wrong story, would you, Mamma dear? Because he's comed--this is the day--and what Eunice wants is the lovely, lovely monkeys! Buy 'em for me, Mamma darling! Grandpa, make her!"

pleaded the child, for once wholly forgetful that she was displaying her deformity to all these people, and running from her mother back to the Colonel.

With a return of his usual sadness, he lifted her and kissed her, then set her gently down, saying:

"Honey, I cayn't. I never could. Ah! hum, she was a deal younger 'n you when she took the reins into her hands an' begun drivin' for herself. I cayn't help ye, sweetheart, but I'd give--give--even Billy if she'd do what you want."

"Oh! Colonel, you can't give again what you've already given! Billy--"

"No, Miss Dorothy, there you're mistook! Billy wouldn't be give, he wasn't accepted, he--Honey sweetness, Grandpa cayn't!"

"Are those monkeys for sale?" asked Mrs. Jabb.

Aurora looked at Gerald and Gerald nudged Melvin. Here was a solution to their own dilemma--"what shall we do with the monks?" So being thus urged, as he supposed, by his partner in trade, Melvin promptly answered:

"No, Mrs. Jabb, they aren't for sale. But if this little girl would like to have them we are delighted to make her a present of them, don't you know? Just--_delighted_."

The lady was going to say she couldn't accept so valuable a gift and would prefer to buy them, but just then a groan he couldn't subdue escaped the disappointed Gerald and she felt that he was selfish and should be punished. Of course, anybody rich enough to idle away a whole autumn, house-boating, could afford to give a half-share in a pair of monkeys to a crippled child. But in her judgment she did poor Gerry an injustice. His groan would have been a cry of rejoicing that his deal in monkeys was to be taken off his hands had not Jim, at that instant, given him a kick under the table with a too forcible sympathy.