But almost any one would take an interest in a girl like Corny.

The secretary was very polite to her.
Rectus now gave his throat a little clearing, and pushed off.
"Our business with you, sir, is to see about doing something for a poor queen, a very good and honest woman----" "A poor but honest queen!" interrupted the governor, with a smile.
"Oh, he don't mean a common queen," said Corny, quickly.

"He means a black queen,--an African,--born royal, but taken prisoner when young, and brought here, and she lives over there in the African settlements, and sells peppers, but is just as much a queen as ever, you know, sir, for selling things on a door-step can't take the royal blood out of a person." "Oh no, indeed!" said the governor, and he looked very much tickled.
"And this poor woman is old, now, and has no revenue, and has to get along as well as she can, which is pretty poorly, I know, and nobody ever treats her any better than if she had been born a common person, and we want to give her a chance of having as many of her rights as she can before she dies." "At any rate," said Rectus, who had been waiting for a chance to make a fresh start, "if we can't give her all her royal rights, we want to let her know how it feels to be a queen, and to give her a little show among her people." "You are talking of an old native African woman ?" said the governor, looking at Corny.

"I have heard of her.

It seems to be generally agreed that she belonged to a royal family in one of the African tribes.