CHAPTER VIII
STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS
Chet and Billie were very careful to leave neither doors nor windowsunlocked, and the rest of the week passed without further mishap.
Then one morning came a telegram from their parents saying that theywould be home the next day.
"Goodness, now I have to get busy!" cried Billie, jumping up from thetable in such a hurry that she very nearly upset Chet's coffee cup,thereby considerably surprising that boy.
"Say, do you think it's catching?" he asked, with a smile. "What's thematter with you, Billie?"
"Oh, of course you wouldn't understand--you're a boy," remarked hissister condescendingly, as she put on the becoming dust cap and pulledsome gloves on her hands.
"Don't you see," she added, as Chet continued to stare at her, "that thishouse has to be immaculate before mother gets back? I've simply got tolive up to my reputation."
"Never knew you had one," remarked Chet cruelly, as he turned back tohis bacon and eggs with a relieved sigh. "If you need any help," heoffered graciously, as Billie swept out of the room, "just call on me."
"Thank you, I don't," called back Billie, making a face at him overher shoulder.
And then followed such a whirlwind of sweeping and dusting and throwingabout of furniture that poor Chet was dismayed and was forced to takerefuge on the porch.
However, when Billie, flushed and breathless and very, very pretty, tookhim by the arm and led him about to admire her handiwork, he told herthat she was "some wonder."
"Now how about lunch?" he asked, and Billie, appetite sharpened by work,enthusiastically agreed.
It seemed an eternity to wait until the next morning, but somehow thetime came at last, finding brother and sister on tip-toe with excitement.
Long before it was time to go to meet the train, they were ready andwaiting. Billie was swinging back and forth in the porch swing, graspinga cushion in each hand to keep her from jumping out, while Chet walkedrestlessly up and down.
"If you don't sit down," said Billie so suddenly that her brother jumped,"I'll just scream."
"Well go ahead, if it will make you feel any better," invited Chetamiably. However, for the sake of peace he seated himself in one of thebroad armed chairs.
"Isn't it train time yet?" asked Billie, as she had asked many timesduring the last fifteen minutes.
"Here," said Chet, handing over his watch, "take this and keep looking atit. My voice is getting hoarse saying 'no.'"
"But I don't see why we can't go down to the station anyway,"argued Billie.
"Only that it's about a hundred times more comfortable to wait here."
"But we might miss the train," wailed Billie, and Chet jumped to his feetwith a chuckle.
"Oh, come on," he cried. "We've missed the train several times accordingto you. In a minute you will almost have me worried."
"You're a dear old bear," said Billie, snuggling her arm into his asthey set off.
"You certainly do have a way with you, Billie, that gets you what youwant," he admitted, adding meaningly: "Besides, I'm thinking I'd betterkeep on the right side of you just now."
"Why?" asked Billie, puzzled.
"In case Aunt Beatrice left you something. You were her namesake,remember."
Billie glanced up at him, an eager look in her eyes. But her glance fellagain and she shook his arm severely.
"What's the use of raising hopes?" she said dolefully, as a vision ofthe broken "Girl Reading a Book" rose reproachfully before her and shethought longingly of how happy she could be if it were only possible toreplace it.
And there was Three Towers Hall--but she shook off the thought and hadopened her mouth to speak when the sharp blast of an engine whistle madethem jump.
"Chet," she gasped, "it's the train! We mustn't miss it."
"We can make it if we run," said Chet, as he took hold of her arm. "Comeon! No, not that way--the short cut. That's the idea."
Warm and panting they came out upon the station platform just as thetrain drew in. They watched the passengers eagerly, but not at firstseeing those they sought, had almost decided that they were coming on alater train when away down at the end of the platform, Billie espied afamiliar hat.
"There they are! Mother!" she cried, as they came within hailingdistance. "We thought you weren't on the train. Oh, what a fright wehad!"
After the greetings were over Chet and Billie both noticed that theirparents seemed to be in a state of suppressed excitement, and both ofthem wondered.
However, they had too much to talk about just then to do much wonderingabout anything, and they walked slowly toward home, asking and answeringa very flood of questions.
Mrs. Bradley wanted to know how Billie had got along without her, atwhich both Chet and Billie tried to tell the story of Nellie Bane'scollie at the same time and in the same breath.
When they had finished Mr. Bradley chuckled, but Mrs. Bradleylooked grave.
"It happened to be funny," she said. "But it might have been veryserious. I hope you were careful after that."
"Were we!" they cried, and Billie added with a laugh: "We locked anddouble locked all the windows and doors, and if it hadn't been for Chet Iwould have piled furniture against the doors. But we want to know whatyou've been doing," she cried, turning to her mother eagerly. "Tell us,please, quick. We've been waiting so long."
Again Mr. Bradley laughed and pinched his impatient youngdaughter's cheek.
"I think our news can wait till we get to the house," he said.
"But _I_ can't," protested Billie.
"Anybody would think you really expected to hear something," chuckled Mr.Bradley, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely over something.
"Oh, please," begged Billie, almost beside herself with impatience bythis time--and Chet, in his quiet way, was just as bad. There wassomething about their mother's and father's manner that told themsomething was in the wind.
"I'm just dying by inches," went on Billie.
But this time it was Mrs. Bradley who interrupted.
"Here we are at home, dear," she said. "Can't you give Dad and me achance to rest, and give us perhaps a cup of tea--"
"Oh, I'm a selfish old beast!" said Billie penitently. "I might haveknown you would be terribly tired after that long train ride!"
And still scolding herself she hurried them before her into the house andflew to find Debbie. She had not far to go, however, for Debbie was justlumbering, like a good-natured elephant, through the hall to greet hermaster and mistress. As soon as the greetings were over she lumbered backagain to make the necessary tea.
Billie and Chet controlled their impatience, answering the questionstheir mother had to ask them about all that had happened while they hadbeen away, for Mrs. Bradley had been anxious.
When they finally left the table and Mrs. Bradley led the way back intothe library, Billie uttered a long sigh of relief.
"Well," said Mrs. Bradley, and they leaned forward eagerly, "we foundthat what we always supposed about the amount of money Aunt Beatrice hadwas right. She left only a few thousand, and that--queer soul that shewas--she left to a missionary society."
"Oh!" cried Billie, and it must be admitted that she both felt andlooked horribly disappointed. She had not known just how much she hadhoped, both for herself and for Chet, until this moment. And Chet, poorfellow, felt just as bad, although he showed it less.
"Then she didn't leave anything either to you or Dad?" Chet asked.
"No. But she did leave something to you and Billie," was Mrs. Bradley'sstartling announcement.
Billie and Chet looked at one another as if to be sure that they hadheard aright.
"You say she left us something?" cried Billie breathlessly.
"Yes. But don't let your hopes run away with you," Mr. Bradley warnedthem, "for it wasn't very much."
"Oh, tell us," the two commanded eagerly and in unison.
"She left a gold watch to Chet," Mrs. Bradley told them. "It is really
avery beautiful watch, Chet, and worth a good deal of money. And toBillie--" She paused for emphasis and Billie wriggled impatiently. "Andto Billie she left her rambling old homestead at Cherry Corners."
"A homestead at Cherry Corners!" gasped Billie, unable to believe herears while Chet looked interested. "What sort of a house is it, Mother?"
"I haven't been there for a number of years," replied her mother,knitting her brows in an effort to recall the details of Billie's queerinheritance. "As I remember it, it is an old-fashioned rambling affair.It must have been considered rather handsome in its palmy years, and ithas been in the Powerson family for generations. In fact, I believe itdates back to revolutionary days. It has great large rooms, and ratherspooky, dark hallways. I'm afraid I wasn't very much impressed with itthe first time I saw it," she finished, with a smile.
"Wh-what a funny thing to leave me," said Billie, her eyes big and roundwith wonder. Then she added, without thinking--as Billie always did: "Oh,don't I wish she had left me a hundred dollars instead! It would havebeen much more useful!"