Part 18 (2/2)
”Special representative!” he repeated, and there was a vague uncertainty in his voice which told Tessie at once that he knew even less of the special representative than she did.
Granny was still considering the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
She sniffed at them.
”I never trust a man who pays more than a thing is worth,” she contemptuously told Mr. Pracht. ”There's always a n.i.g.g.e.r in the woodpile. Are you buying these islands for yourself?” she asked pleasantly, ”or for the twenty-three children? Tessie would want to know who would look after the people if she should sell the islands.”
”I sure would!” Tessie looked gratefully at Granny. Trust Granny to ask leading questions.
Mr. Pracht hesitated before he spoke in a most confidential manner, as if only to Granny and Tessie would he admit the truth. ”I represent a syndicate which plans to develop the natural resources of the islands.
The syndicate has no use for the t.i.tle, so that Miss Gilfooly can remain a queen in name. And I can a.s.sure her that the people will be well looked after. I might possibly,” he frowned and spoke more slowly, ”be able to offer two hundred and seventy-five thousand!” He looked at Tessie as if he had made a wonderful offer, one that she could not afford to refuse. Surely when she heard that sum she would jump up and exclaim: ”Yes, thank you. You may have my kingdom for two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars!”
”Couldn't you make it three hundred thousand?” asked Granny, quite as if she were selling rags to the junk man and not bargaining with a syndicate for a kingdom.
He looked at her. ”I should hate to say positively, but if that is the price Miss Gilfooly will accept, I might--yes!” He took a sudden determination. ”I will a.s.sume the responsibility and offer you three hundred thousand dollars. It's a big price! The syndicate will lose money, but----”
”Bos.h.!.+” exclaimed Granny, and she rose to her feet and stood beside Tessie. ”Bos.h.!.+ Syndicates don't lose money! I don't know how Queen Teresa feels, but if I were in her shoes, I'd tell your syndicate to go to Jericho before I would sell an inch of my islands. That's what I'd do!” And she snapped her fingers in his face.
”Madam!” He jumped back indignantly. He turned to Tessie. After all the Suns.h.i.+ne Islands belonged to Tessie, not to her belligerent grandmother.
”Of course I shan't sell my islands!” declared Tessie, flushed and indignant, that he should really think she would. ”I wouldn't sell them for a million! I have a duty to the people! It wouldn't be right to sell them!”
An ugly look crept into Mr. Pracht's blue eyes. ”You can refuse if you wish,” he said, and there was an ugly note in his voice, far different from his former suave, smooth manner. ”I can only remind you again that the natives have sworn that they will never have another white ruler.
And you will find that they will stop at nothing. They have several disagreeable customs in regard to those they consider usurpers. Boiling them in shark oil is perhaps the simplest!” He bowed triumphantly and walked toward the door.
”Is that so,” remarked Granny coldly. ”And may I ask you if you were at the Evergreen banquet for the queen the other evening?”
”Banquet?” he swung around and looked at her. There was an odd expression in his eyes.
”Yes, there was an unexpected guest who made things very disagreeable for a minute. You sound as if you might have been him.”
He shook his head. ”I have no time for social gatherings,” he said coldly. ”But Miss Gilfooly had better consider my offer. As I said, the natives will stop at nothing.”
If he expected Tessie to call him back and whimper that she was afraid of the natives, and couldn't he do something to protect her he was sadly disappointed. He found himself on the other side of the door without a word being spoken. As the door closed behind him Tessie turned to her grandmother.
”Granny,” she wailed, ”did you hear what he said?” She caught Granny's hand and held it tight.
”Sure, I heard what he said!” Granny put a protecting arm around her.
”But I doubt if there is enough shark oil in the United States to boil anybody, my lamb. Don't you fret. Your Granny will take care of you!”
”I'm not fretting!” But she clung to Granny's hand. ”And I'm glad he isn't one of my people! I wouldn't trust him! I don't like him!”
”I don't trust him, either. I bet he knows more about what happened at the Evergreen banquet than we do. You'll see. We'll know all about it some day. Did you take a good look at him, Tessie?”
Tessie nodded tearfully. ”Fat and white, like a nasty worm,” she gulped.
Granny added a feature to Tessie's sketch. ”And a big nose! You remember it was a man with white hair and a big nose that stole the record of your ma's and pa's wedding. Don't you forget that, Tessie Gilfooly! That man tried to make us think he was honest, coming here and offering to buy your islands. But he ain't honest. You can tell that as soon as you look at him. There's something queer in this business, Tessie! I don't understand it, but you look out for that man. He's got a bad eye. Dear, dear, I wish Joe Cary was still boarding with us! I trusted Joe Cary!”
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