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Carringford appeared at church, Or in the neighborhood stores on Knight and Cassandra Streets people saw that she was a well bred woman, though plainly, even shabbily, dressed. There were several children besides Amy and the Unfortunately-named Gumswith, and they dressed poorly, too.
Then he asked: "Have you heard from this relative this John Gumswith recently?" "No, sir. Not for fifteen years," said Mrs. Carringford, her face suddenly paling. "Do you know where he is?" "I only know that he started for Australia fifteen years ago." "Sit down, Mrs. Carringford," said Mr. Day softly. "I assure you this is nothing to worry about." I should say not," agreed the lawyer.
But he had left a legacy, too, "to any son that my brother, Alexander Carringford, of Cleveland, Ohio, U. S. A., may have had who has been duly christened 'Gumswith' after me, to perpetuate my family name." "Of course," said Mr. Payne, dryly, "nobody challenged the will, and so it was probated.
"What is your name, boy?" he asked rather sternly. "Carringford, too, sir," said Gummy, politely. "The whole of it!" commanded the lawyer. "Er Gumswith Carringford," said the boy, with flashing eye but cheeks that would turn red. "Indeed?" returned the lawyer, staring oddly at Gummy. "You are something of a boy, I take it." Then he wheeled to confront Mrs. Carringford. "I am told," Mr.
He always expected to earn a lot of money by some stroke of fortune, mother says. But none of us children ever saw him. Before Gummy was born Uncle John Gumswith started off for Australia, and mother and father never heard of him, or from him after that."
And Gummy 'Gumswith' is his full name " "'Gumswith! Fancy!" ejaculated the farmers critical daughter. "Yes, isn't it awful?" returned Janice. "Anybody would be sorry for a boy with such a name. And he hasn't even a middle one they can call him by. You know it isn't his fault, Stella, that he has such a horrid name." "No, I don't suppose it is. But " "And Amy is so nice.
Amy had evidently been taught the fine points of frugal housekeeping. "So poor Gummy got his name from John Gumswith, Junior. I guess father's half-brother was a queer man. He said he'd never marry, because he was always wandering about the world." "Like a peddler?" ventured Janice. "No. But he went to foreign countries.
"Father didn't name him that just for the money's sake. Mother says a million dollars wouldn't really pay for such a name. But father thought a lot of Uncle John Gumswith. "But when Gummy grows up, he will have to go through life, so he says, signing has name 'G. Carringford," and Amy began to giggle at this thought.
A five hundred dollar loss on the Mullen Lane property did not look so big when it was understood that, through Gummy, the Carringfords were going to get almost ten thousand dollars. It seemed that more than a year before, Mr. John Gumswith, of Melbourne, Australia, had died, leaving a considerable fortune to friends he had made there and with whom he had lived for more than a dozen years.
After even his legal suspicion was satisfied as to Mrs. Carringford's identity, Mr. Payne said, again looking at Gummy: "Did you and your husband name this boy after a certain relative named John Gumswith. Mrs. Carringford?" "My husband's elder brother. Yes, sir. Gumswith is named after his Uncle John." "Humph! I should consider it something of a punishment if I were the boy," muttered the lawyer.
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