“No, Missie. They done come from Miami. We am all strangahs heah.” “I see. Thank you ever so much for helping us.” With a kindly nod to the old man, Patsy turned to her chums who had stood listening in silence to the questions she had asked. “Are you ready for the great adventure?” she queried. “Come along, then. One, two, three and away we go, Indian fashion!” Bidding a smiling good-bye to Uncle Jemmy, who had now turned to go, the three girls filed into the trail behind their energetic leader. And thus the Wayfarers started off on what really was the beginning of a greater adventure than they dreamed. [72] [72] CHAPTER VII THE COTTAGE IN THE PALM GROVE THE COTTAGE IN THE PALM GROVE Greatly to their relief, the Wayfarers were not called upon to do battle with their stout snake sticks. For a quarter of a mile they followed the narrow path. It wound in and out of the tall, coarse grass and around wide-spreading trees and ragged clumps of bushes. At length they reached the point for which they had been aiming. “It’s simply splendiferous!” exclaimed Eleanor, as the quartette halted well inside the first grove to breathe in the fragrance of orange blossoms and feast their eyes on the beauty of the tropical scene spread out before them. “Why, it isn’t just an orange grove!” Beatrice cried out. “Look, girls! There are lemons on that tree over yonder!” “Yes, and see the tangerines!” Patsy pointed out. “Those stiff, funny bushes there have kumquats[73] on them. And I do believe—yes, sir—that ragged old tree there is a banana tree. This is what I call a mixed-up old grove. I supposed oranges grew in one grove and lemons in another, etc., etc.” [73] “I guess we don’t know very much about it,” laughed Eleanor. “We’ll have to get busy and learn what’s what and why. Let’s walk on through this grove and see what’s in the next
Prev.
Back
Top