GI Brides (38 page)

“Why, the
idea
! What on earth would a
servant
have to be here for?” snapped Aunt Blanche. “I insist that you don’t wait any longer. I have important business that cannot be delayed.”

“I am sorry, Mrs. Huntley,” said the lawyer, “but I would prefer that the servant be called. Dale, will you call Hattie Brown?”

Dale rose anxiously, about to explain that Hattie had been called away by her sister’s illness, but suddenly a shadow darkened the doorway.

“I’s right here, Mr. Granniss,” said Hattie as she slung off her hat and sat down in the chair by the door.

“But I don’t understand!” said Aunt Blanche indignantly. “Why should a mere servant be present?”

But Mr. Granniss’s calm voice rose above the indignant scream of the aunt. He went right on with the business in hand, ignoring the visiting aunt with a dignity that made Dale admire him even more than she had learned to admire and trust him during the years. An instant more, and the solemn phrases of the law broke upon their unaccustomed ears, until everybody, even the aunt, hushed down.

The reading of the will did not take long. The entire amount of the grandmother’s estate was only a few thousand. Of that she had left a thousand apiece to each of her three grandchildren—Corliss, Powelton, and Dale. At that the aunt looked sharply, suspiciously, at Dale, as if Dale had had something to do with this. As if she did not believe that was all Dale had received. As if she felt there was some crookedness about it somewhere and her children were being cheated out of their just rights. But she sat back with pursed lips and listened for the rest. But there wasn’t much else at all. Just a gift of five hundred dollars to the old servant Hattie and a few smaller bequests to the man who had worked in the garden and other people who had served her in various lesser capacities. Then the lawyer folded the paper and said quietly, “And that is all.” Aunt Blanche sat up with a snap. “Why!
Why!
I don’t understand. You haven’t mentioned the house.”

“The house?” said the lawyer with raised eyebrows. “What house?”

“Why,
this
house. Wasn’t that mentioned in the will?”

“Oh no,” said the lawyer. “Why should it be? Mrs. Huntley never owned this house. She was only given a life residence in it, the privilege of living here all her life.”

“But I’m sure you are mistaken!” snapped Aunt Blanche. “I am quite sure my late husband purchased this house, or at least helped
largely
to purchase it for his mother’s residence during her lifetime. I was given to understand that it would come to us as next in line. I am quite sure there must be papers somewhere to that effect. Unless—of—course—they have purposely been
destroyed.
But in that case, of course, there’ll be some way to prove that and to find out the criminal.”

“I do not understand you, madam,” said Randall Granniss with that stern, authoritative manner that had won so many cases for him before famous judges. And before that look even Aunt Blanche stopped—astonished, startled—and her belligerence oozed out of her like gas out of a balloon.

“Well, I wasn’t of course making my remarks personal. I am simply saying that if there
has
been any crooked work going on, of course
you
would be able to detect it and trace it to its source.”

Mr. Granniss’s steely glance became no less severe, and his voice lost its soft geniality as he answered her. “My dear madam,” he said, “there has been no crooked work in connection with anything about this house. It was bought the year that Dale’s mother and father were married. The down payment was made by Dale’s father, Theodore Huntley, and I myself negotiated the sale for him. His endorsed check, endorsed also by the trust company that was in charge of the house for the estate of M. J. Eaton, the former owner, is now in the bank, in the safe-deposit box belonging to Dale Huntley and can be examined by you at any time that you would care to come down to the bank with me. Your husband’s name does not appear anywhere in connection with this sale, and there were no checks from anyone else but Theodore Huntley in payment for this property. I have some of the original papers here with me, and if you or your lawyer would care to look further into the matter, I can arrange for a meeting at the bank where you can see them. I have with me, however, the bill of sale and several other documents that ought to be sufficient proof to you of the truth of what I have said. Moreover, madam, as I understand it, your marriage did not take place until after Theodore Huntley had gone abroad, for I remember he was unable to attend the ceremony because his business was very insistent, and that was two years after this property was purchased. I have here on this paper the dates relative to the matter and shall be glad to have you examine them at your leisure. You will note that the clause concerning Dale’s ownership and her grandmother’s life-occupation of the house was not added until five years later, at the time of the death of Mr. Huntley’s wife, when he returned to this country to make arrangements to leave his young daughter with his mother. Those are the facts, madam, and I shall be glad to substantiate any of them that you do not understand. Also, if you wish to go to the city hall and look into the records of property owners, you will find that the house is now listed under the ownership of Miss Dale Huntley.”

Mrs. Huntley gave a startled, almost frightened look that merged quickly into a firm, determined one as she heard footsteps on the porch and realized that it must be her own lawyer.

Then the doorbell pealed through the house, and they could hear Hattie going to answer it. Dale sat quite still and quietly watched each person in the room as the other lawyer entered. The tense, strained expression on her aunt’s face; the amused grin on Powelton’s disagreeable mug; the bored contempt of Corliss; and the quiet assurance of Mr. Granniss. He was not worrying about what was going to happen, because he had the facts and proofs against all the trifling claims of the pretenders.

In fact, it seemed utterly absurd to Mr. Granniss that any sane woman would try to put over such an unfounded claim. He had told Dale that she need not worry.

And as for the lawyer Aunt Blanche had secured, Mr. Granniss had said that he was so notorious that he was not to be taken seriously. He was a big bluff who had a way of deceiving gullible women and outtalking any serious questioners. Dale knew Mr. Granniss felt it would be a bore, but for Dale’s sake he must listen to it and then, when it was over, bring forward some convincing proof that he had with him, which would upset all the other man was planning to do. Mr. Granniss was a conscientious lawyer who went clearly to the bottom of things and left no room for clever roundabout ways.

It was at this stage of affairs that Powelton decided to speak up. “Oh heck!” he said, yawning audibly. “I can’t be bothered with all this bologna! I’m gonna beat it! See you later, Mom!” And Powelton vanished with a slammed door behind him.

And next, Corliss began to wriggle and writhe and sigh audibly and finally changed her seat until she was close to the french window that opened on the porch. It wasn’t long before Corliss, too, was absent from the family group, though nobody but Dale actually saw her edge behind the curtain and depart.

There followed a tiresome rehash of what had gone before, listening to pompous questions asked by the newly arrived lawyer, and Mr. Granniss’s quiet, brief answers. Finally Greenway Buffington rose and, clearing his throat, ominously said, “Mrs. Huntley, it will be impossible for me to give you an adequate idea of what can be done in this matter until I have opportunity to go down to the city hall and verify some of these statements that have been made. Would you like to come with me now? I think we would have time to look into this before the lunch hour.”

“Certainly,” said Aunt Blanche, rising triumphantly and looking around at her two adversaries, as if she was already assured of the rights she had been claiming.

Aunt Blanche was not long in getting ready, and meantime her lawyer sat in imposing silence while Dale and Mr. Granniss talked in low tones about the service of the day before and who were the singer and speakers. Nothing whatever that could possibly be connected with the matter of the property.

After they were gone, Dale drew a long breath. “I’m glad that session is over. Do you think that lawyer can do anything?” she asked with a troubled look.

Mr. Granniss looked at her and smiled. “Not possibly,” he assured her pleasantly, “except to charge her a big fee, perhaps. He will probably string the matter out as long as he dares before giving her the final word that he can do nothing. Of course the property is yours entirely, and her husband never had anything to do with it. You need not worry. Your property is as safe as property could ever be, and in the end your aunt will find that out to her sorrow, I’m afraid, for Buffington has the name of never doing anything for nothing. Is your aunt intending to leave soon?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Dale with a weary smile. “She hasn’t said anything about it yet. If her lawyer leaves her with any hope, she will probably stay indefinitely, and it just seems as if I could not stand that.”

“Of course not, child,” said the lawyer comfortingly. “We’ll try to contrive some way to get her interested in going home. Don’t worry. We’ll find a way. And now, what are you planning to do, little girl? I suppose you talked that over with your grandmother?”

“Oh yes. We planned it all out together. I’m going to stay right here in the house, and Hattie is going to stay with me. I’m thinking of looking after some little children while their mothers are working in war plants. Grandmother suggested that, and I know there are several mothers around here who are greatly troubled because they cannot find the right place for their children while they are away. In fact, one mother has already asked me to take her twins, and I’m sure I’ll love the work. It will be sort of a school, you know.”

“Splendid!” said the lawyer. “And you should be able to get a good price for such work. You know, the mothers have good wages where they are working.”

“Yes, so I have heard. I’m glad you approve. Grandmother heard of this through a friend of hers who came to see her, and she thought it would be a lovely way to use my home. At least for a time.”

“Fine!” said the lawyer. “Are you planning to start right away?”

“I’d like to,” said Dale with a troubled look, “but I can’t really do anything about it while my relatives are here. In fact, I wouldn’t want them to know about it. They would try to talk me out of it. My aunt would like me to go home with her and do housework for my living.”

“Housework!
You?
Absurd. They’d better go home and do their own work. Better hurry them off.”

“I don’t know how I can hurry them. I can’t just
ask
them to go, can I? I don’t want to be rude. Grandmother wouldn’t want me to do that.”

“No,” said the lawyer thoughtfully, “but there might be other ways. I’ll think about that. I might be able to find a way to get them started sooner. We’ll see. Perhaps the result of today’s investigation may be sufficient to make them see that they have got all the financial assistance they can get out of this episode. Suppose you let me know if there is any change in the status of things when your aunt returns. Better phone me from the drugstore, then there’ll be no danger of your being overheard.”

“Yes, of course,” said Dale. “Thank you so much for your advice. It makes me feel so much safer.”

“Has this aunt always been so unpleasant in her ways of talking?” asked Mr. Granniss.

“I’ve never had much to do with her. She came to visit when Corliss was about five, and we had a terrible two weeks while she stayed. Then she and Grandmother had a talk and she went away in a huff, and it’s been a long time since we heard from her until about three months ago when she wrote a very sweet letter and wanted to come for a visit. Said she heard that Grandmother wasn’t so well and she got to worrying that her children didn’t know her better. Grandmother didn’t answer that for a long time, but finally she wrote a nice little note and said she wasn’t in any shape at that time to have company, but she would send word later. That was when she told me to write the letter about her death and have it ready to send as soon as it happened, putting in the date and time of the funeral. That was why she insisted that they should be notified. For Grandmother was always courteous, although you know she had an odd sense of humor at times. She felt that she must make up for not having them visit her at the time they had asked by inviting them to her funeral. She knew they would be interested in the will, and she had that quaint little grin when she said it. But you don’t know how I have dreaded this visit. In fact, Grandmother gave me reason to dread it in little bits of warnings. That is why I am so glad to have you here now, and why I am depending so much upon your advice.”

“Poor child!” said the lawyer. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you through this. We’ll wait till your aunt gets back from her investigations. Then we’ll devise a pleasant way to get her out of the picture so you can go on with your plans. Now, I’ll run down to my office for a little while, and I’ll be there when you get ready to phone me.”

“But won’t you stay for lunch? I’m sure Hattie will be glad to hurry it up so you won’t lose any time.”

“No, child, no. I’ll get right down to the office and have a tray sent in. I often do that, you know. It saves a lot of time, and while I do always appreciate Hattie’s cooking, I think this way is better for today. Tell Hattie I said so. Remember you may have your guests all here to feed in a little while, and they may even bring the other lawyer along with them again, too. But if they do, you send Hattie to the store to phone me, and I’ll come up at once.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Granniss,” said Dale, her eyes full of grateful tears. “I shall never forget all that you have done for me all the years, and especially today, for I have been so tried and so disheartened.”

The old friend looked at the pretty girl tenderly and patted her shoulder. “There, there, Dale! Don’t get that way. Don’t you know your grandmother’s Lord always provides someone to look after His dear children when they are tried and in need? And this time He just chose me to look after you. Now, get upstairs to your room and lie down for at least a few minutes. You certainly look all in, and you need to relax a little before the next stage will begin. So go rest, and don’t worry. Trust me, and the Lord!” he ended reverently, as he took his leave.