Two Boys and a Fortune | Page 8

asked Jessie,
turning to Roy. "You were so sleepy when you came home last night
that you didn't half satisfy our curiosity."
"He wanted him to make his will," answered Roy.
"And did he?" went on Jess.
"Yes. I say, mother, hadn't I better go and stir up Rex? I'm afraid he's
gone off to sleep again."
"There, he's coming now. I hear his step on the stairs, so you just sit
still and answer my questions. I'm not half through yet," and Jess
checked off on her fingers the two queries to which she had already had
responses. "Now then, is he as rich as we all thought him?"
"Richer. Good afternoon to you, Rex. Better late than never. I'm going
to keep you company, by taking a second cup of coffee. Mother, may I,
please?"
"Royal Pell, what is the matter with you?" exclaimed Jess. "You
haven't been like the same fellow since you climbed up to that trestle
yesterday afternoon. You seem to be trying to keep something back.
Don't you notice it, mother?"
"I have," put in Rex, before Mrs. Pell could speak. "I couldn't get a
word out of him before he went to sleep last night. One would think
he'd had a trouble like mine to bear," and Rex sighed with the air of a
martyr.
Roy glanced over at him quickly. What would this luxury loving
brother of his say if he only knew! But Roy did not dare tell yet. Mr.

Tyler might live for years, and have ample opportunity to change his
mind about his will. Yes, it was better to keep the matter to himself as
long as he could.
"What's queer about me?" he said now.
"Why, you're giving such short answers to our questions about the old
miser," returned Jess promptly. "As a rule you'd tell us all we wanted to
know without our having to draw it out as if we were pulling teeth."
"Well, what is it you want to know?"
"Oh, all about your experience over at Mr. Tyler's. The people up in the
town will hear about your being there and will expect us to know all the
details. It is quite an event for a queer old character like the Burdock
miser to make a will."
"But people when they make their wills don't usually tell everybody in
the house what they put into them. It's a sort of confidential matter,
don't you understand?"
"I'll wager you know all about it, Roy," broke in Rex suddenly,
dropping the biscuit he was buttering and staring at his brother fixedly
for a moment "I shouldn't be surprised if the old fellow had made you
his heir for what you did for him."
"Well, if he did, "answered Roy with a smile, "it wouldn't enable you to
take that trip to Canada, as he isn't dead yet and may live to be ninety."
"He's just the kind that do hang on," remarked Jess. "People that
nobody seems to care about generally do."
"That reminds me, mother," added Rex, "if I don't go on this trip
there'll be a lot of money saved. Can't I have some of it spent for a new
tennis suit? I need one badly."
Mrs. Pell smiled, a little sadly though.
"My dear boy," she rejoined, "there is your patent method of

manufacturing money again. You conceive a desire for something very
expensive, then when you give that up and select something much
cheaper, you imagine that you have saved more than enough to pay for
it."
"It's a thundering grind to be decently poor any way." Rex pushed back
his chair suddenly, his brow clouded with a frown as it had been the
afternoon before down on the log.
"'Decently poor!' What do you mean by that, Rex?" asked Eva.
"Oh, to have the taste and wish for nice things and the privilege of
going with nice people who own them, and yet not be able to have
them yourself. I sometimes wish I was like black Pete. He doesn't know
any better than to be contented if he makes a dollar or two a week."
"Oh, Reggie, Reggie!" murmured Mrs. Pell sadly.
This one of her boys caused her more anxiety than all the other children
combined. He was so proud, so aspiring, and yet he had not half the
ability of Roy, who was rather overshadowed by the other's dashing,
winning manner. For Rex could be charming when he so minded.
He went out on the side piazza now and began to shy strawberries at
two of the puppies. The berries had just been picked and left by the
cook on the window sill for the girls to hull.
"Rex," exclaimed Roy severely, coming out upon him suddenly.
"Aren't you ashamed