“Friends,” he said, with an air of modesty, which, we fear, was foreign to his nature, “although I can only appear before you as a boy, my big brother has this day proved himself to be so much more than an ordinary man that I feel somehow as if I had a right to his surplus manhood, being next-of-kin, and therefore I venture to address you as a sort of man.” (Hear, hear!) “I merely wish to ask a question. May I ask to be the bearer of the news of this assembly’s determination to—the—the Queen?”
“Yes—yes—of course—av course,” were the immediate replies.
Otto waited not for more, but sped to their new hut, in which the Queen was busy preparing dinner at the time.
“Pina,” exclaimed the boy, bursting in, “will you consent to be the Queen of Big Island?”
“Come, Otto; don’t talk nonsense. I hope Dom is with you. Dinner is much overdone already.”
“No, but I’m not talking nonsense,” cried Otto. “I say, will you consent to be a queen—a real queen—Pina the First, eh?”
Hereupon he gave his wondering sister a graphic account of the recent meeting, and fight, and final decision.
“But they don’t really mean it, you know,” said Pauline, laughing.
“But they do really mean it,” returned Otto; “and, by the way, if you become a queen won’t that necessarily make me and Dom princes?”
As Dominick entered the hut at that moment he joined in the laugh which this question created, and corroborated his brother’s statement.