CHAPTER XXV
"LARGE FORTUNES"
"Billie, it's worth a small fortune!"
"I'll bet the stuff is worth several thousand dollars."
"Yes, every bit of it."
"Oh, boys, as much as that?" questioned Billie, half hysterically.
"Of course," came from Teddy. He was on his knees in front of thetreasure box. "See these coins? Gold, every one of 'em--and as big as tendollar pieces, too."
"Count 'em," cried Chet.
Then began a hasty move on the part of both girls and boys to count thegold and silver. Poor Billie's hands trembled so she could scarcely help.
"I make it the gold and silver alone are worth at least three thousanddollars," declared Teddy.
"And don't forget the copper coins," added Ferd.
"And remember too they are old coins and worth something extra from acollector's point of view," said Chet.
From the coins the young folks turned to the postage stamps. Chet andTeddy had done a little stamp collecting once and knew that some of thestamps were rare.
"I think they are worth at least fifteen hundred dollars more," saidTeddy, "and maybe they are worth twice that. Some stamps are worth ahundred dollars apiece."
It was not until they were called below by Mrs. Gilligan that they gaveup speculating about the value of the trunk. The boys went off, leavingthe girls to themselves.
"It's too good to be true," murmured Billie, over and over again.
Both of the other girls put their arms about her.
"You deserve it," said Laura.
"I'm awfully glad, Billie, really I am," beamed Violet.
"Why, I'll be able to go to Three Towers Hall!" cried Billie, a littlelater, when thinking it all over. "And I can send Chet to Boxton MilitaryAcademy. Won't that be fine?"
"And you can have enough left to pay for that old statue," added Laura,with a smile. "I knew something good would come out of this queer oldhouse at Cherry Corners."
"Well, you needn't take all the credit to yourself," said Billie, thelilt of happiness and excitement in her voice. "Just remember, younglady, that it was little Billie Bradley who discovered the trunk."
"You stuck up thing," cried Violet, putting a fond arm again about her."Billie, dear," she went on in the serious voice that was Violet's veryown, "I'm just exactly as glad for myself that you found the money as Iam for you. Because if Laura and I had had to go to Three Towers withoutyou we wouldn't have enjoyed a single thing."
"Yes, we've been worrying terribly about that," sighed Laura, andaffectionately Billie patted a hand of each.
"There never was a girl had such wonderful friends," she said, andsomething in her throat tightened a little. "And it makes the trunk threetimes as valuable," she added, in a lighter tone, "because it makes threepeople happy instead of one. Which reminds me--" she stopped short andput her hand over her mouth in consternation.
"Now what's the matter?" Violet surveyed her anxiously. "Is there a pinsticking you, or something?"
"Of course not," denied Billie absently, adding as she rose hastily toher feet: "It just struck me that I've known this wonderful thing forhours and I haven't written home about it yet."
"Well, you'd better read these first," sang out a cheery voice from thedoor, and they turned to find Teddy coming toward them with some lettersin his hand.
"Letters!" was the joyful cry. "Give them to us, Teddy, before we takethem from you."
"Oh, do you really think you could?" he asked, holding them behind hisback by way of challenge. "Just come on and try. I'll guarantee to holdoff the three of you with one hand."
But it was Billie's pleading face that made him change his mind.
"Please, Teddy," she begged, "I've just been dying for some letters fromhome. Don't keep me waiting."
"All right, your word is law," said Teddy gallantly, remembering that hehad read the phrase somewhere and it had sounded very good. "Here youare, and here's one for Vi and two for Laura."
"Goodness, what have I done to get only one?" cried Violet, feeling verymuch abused.
"Well, your one looks fat enough to make up for our two," Billie assuredher diplomatically, then settled back to enjoy her own letters, whileTeddy ran out to join the boys downstairs.
One of her letters was from her mother, and with a loving smile she laidit aside to be read last--she always saved the best till the last. Thewriting on the other envelope puzzled her.
"Now, who is writing to me from Mayport, Long Island?" she demanded, andthe girls looked up inquiringly from their letters.
"Another mystery?" asked Laura, for there were not enough mysteries inthe world to satisfy Laura.
"It doesn't look very mysterious," answered Billie, turning the envelopearound and around in her hand and finally holding it up to the light tosee if she could get any clew to its contents that way. "But I surelynever did see that handwriting before. I wonder--"
"Well, why don't you open it?" Violet inquired impatiently. "It seems tome that's the best way to find out."
"Isn't she the bright child?" sniffed Laura, as Billie tore open theenvelope and pulled out the letter inside. Hastily she looked for thesignature at the end, then gave a little excited exclamation.
"Girls," she said, "it's from Miss Beggs!" And she looked at them withwide eyes, forgetting for the moment that she had no more reason to feara letter from the teacher. Then she remembered, and a joyful smile dawnedon her face.
"Girls, I've been sort of dreading this letter all summer," she said,her eyes sparkling, "and now when it's come I don't mind a bit. Isn't itjust wonderful? I have money enough of my own to replace that horrid'Girl Reading a Book' and two or three more like it. Now," she said,settling down with a satisfied little sigh, "if you'll allow me, I'llread my letter."
The girls watched her as she read and were amazed to see her expressionchange from satisfaction to surprise and from surprise to somethinglike chagrin.
"Well, if that isn't the limit!" she cried, laying down the letter andregarding the girls disgustedly. "Here I've been worrying myself--andChet--sick all summer about that horrid old statue and now when I've gotthe money to pay for it, I find out that I probably wouldn't have had toreplace the old thing anyway."
"What do you mean?" the others asked, more puzzled than ever by thisflow of words.
"Why," Billie went on to explain, glancing at the letter again, "MissBeggs says that the statue had been broken before and she had attemptedto mend it. She says that I'm not to worry over it, for it would havebeen only a matter of time before it had fallen to pieces itself anyway.Now what do you think of that?"
"I think," said Violet, with a sigh, "that we have wasted a good deal oftime and worry over nothing at all."
"Well, I don't see any use of looking doleful about it," said Laurabriskly. "I should think you'd be glad, Billie, that you won't have tobuy a statue. It will give you that much more money to have foryourself."
"Oh, but I'll buy a little statue, anyway," said Billie decidedly. "It'sawfully nice of Miss Beggs to tell me not to bother about it, but thefact is that I _re_broke the statue, whether it was broken before ornot. And, anyway, I'll be glad to do it now," she added, with a littlegleam in her eye, "just to show Amanda Peabody that I can!"
"I say, up there, aren't you ever coming down?" called Chet's voice fromthe bottom of the stairs, and Laura went out into the hall to see whathe wanted.
"We're making plans for the fall," Chet added, and in his voice was alittle joyous thrill that made Billie's heart sing. Dear old Chet--ifever a boy deserved to get what he wanted, he did. "And if you don't comedown and help us, we're going to leave you out," he added challengingly.
"Better come up here," suggested Laura, adding decidedly. "We can't comedown, you know."
"I'd like to know why not!"
"We can't leave the trunk," Laura explained patiently, as if she wereaddressing a particularly stupid child. "It's too precious."
So in the end the girls had their
way, and the boys joined them in theupstairs room which came the nearest to being cheerful of any room in thehouse, except the kitchen.
At first the boys talked and the girls listened. But gradually the bitsof fancy work were laid aside, the girls joined in the conversation,while eyes shone bright and faces glowed with anticipation of what theautumn held in store for them.
And while Laura and Violet and the two boys were talking happily and allat once, Teddy took the opportunity to whisper in Billie's ear:
"I suppose, being a young lady with a large fortune," he said teasingly,delighting in the color that rose to her face, "you won't find time torecognize your old friends any more."
And with a dimpling smile and mischief in her eyes Billie answered him.
"Of course not," she said, adding a trifle more seriously: "Except onlythe friends who stood by me so loyally and offered to help when I had no'large fortune,'"
"And are you going to tell me," asked Teddy eagerly, "the names ofthose favored friends? I know I didn't do anything, Billie, but am Ione of them?"
"Your name," said Billie, half laughing and half serious, "is at the veryhead of the list."
"Do you really mean--" Teddy was beginning eagerly, when Laura called tothem laughingly.
"Whispering in corners not allowed," she cried. "Come over here and helpus decide what we'll eat for our first midnight feast at Three TowersHall. We must have midnight feasts, you know."
"Of course we must," cried Billie joyfully. "Doesn't it sound delicious?Oh, we're going to have a wonderful time!"
And just how wonderful a time they had and just how merry and fun-lovingthey found the girls at the boarding school will be told in the nextvolume of the series entitled, "Billie Bradley at Three Towers Hall; or,Leading a Needed Rebellion." In that volume may be met the girls and theboys again in adventures as queer and exciting as those alreadyexperienced.
"Well, Billie, you can't complain of your inheritance after all," saidChet some time later.
"Indeed not!" she answered. "Wasn't it the best ever?"
THE END
Billie Bradley and Her Inheritance; Or, The Queer Homestead at Cherry Corners Page 25