Laura Lee Hope

“ I made him work harder than I would my own son, in fact, for I felt that I had a duty to do by Will."
"And I guess you did it—too well," muttered Grace, with rather a vindictive look at her uncle, which look, however, he did not see.
"Well, to be frank with you, Isaac," spoke Mr. Ford, "the boy says that he did not like the life in the factory. But I did not suppose he would. I did not send him there to like it, but I thought the discipline would do him good. However, he seems to have struck out for himself."
"But, Daddy!" cried Grace, clinging to his arm. "What has happened? Where is Will? ”

“ Then there came a quiver to the stranded boat, and a shout from the colored men:
"She's movin', boss!"
"Turn on a little more gas!" cried the steersman to Betty. "I think we have her now!"
She speeded up her motor, and in another instant the Gem came free so suddenly that there was danger of a collision.
"Shut down!" called Hank Belton quickly. "You're all right now."
Betty turned off the power, and Mollie cast loose the tow rope.
"Thank you very much," she called to the man.
"I wish you would let us pay you," added Betty. ”

“ Soon they were off in the Gem again, Grace, at least, keeping a wary eye out for alligators. But they saw none of the unprepossessing creatures.
"Though perhaps we may meet with a sea-cow," suggested Betty, as she looked for a pleasant place whereon to go ashore for lunch.
"What's a sea-cow?" asked Mollie.
"One that eats sea-weed," cried Amy.
"No, I mean a manatee," went on Betty. "Don't you remember the big creatures we saw in the New York aquarium a year or so ago?"
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Amy. "Well, they're not as bad as alligators—at least they haven't such large mouths." ”

“ Betty started the engine and then, with the powerful gas headlight aglow, she turned the wheel over to The Loon.
However simple-minded the poor youth might be, however undecided and timid in the forest, he seemed to be a new person on the water. There was a self-reliance about him, a poise and a certain ability that he seemed to have acquired suddenly. Without a trace of hesitation he guided the boat through the winding course of the creek that flowed into the main stream.
Coming to the turn he took an entirely different direction from that followed by the girls. ”

“ Hammond came in sight.
"Howdy, Hammond!" greeted the labor contractor, as he came out of the best-looking house in the clearing. "Why, it's the girls I hauled off the sand bar!" he added, as he recognized Betty and her chums. "Did you get home all right?"
"Yes, and we've come to do as you said, and hire some help for Mr. Stonington," ventured Betty, blushing a bit at her boldness.
"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Belton. "I've got just the kind of pickers you want, Hammond. Quick, cheerful lot of boys, that will work from sunrise to sunset."
"That's what you always say," laughed Mr. Hammond. ”

“ He doesn't know anything about raising oranges, but there are men in charge who do. There is quite a big sort of place—a ranch I believe they call it."
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Betty. "Ranches are only in the West. They are inhabitated by—cow-punchers," and she seemed very proud of her knowledge.
"Why do they have to punch the cows?" asked Mollie. "Westerners use such funny words."
"Oh, they don't really punch them," said Grace. "I've heard Will and the boys talk about it. It's just a name. But there are no ranches in Florida."
"Well, then it's just a plain orange grove," said Amy. ”

“ Betty started toward it from the library, where she and Grace had gone when Grace let her chum in a short time before.
"Shall I answer, Grace?" inquired Betty, hesitating.
"Yes, do, please. I think Katy is with mamma. She took the news very much to heart. Let Amy and Mollie in, and then I'll tell you all about it. Oh, but I don't know what to do!"
"Now look here, Grace Ford!" exclaimed Betty briskly, pausing a moment on her way to the door. "You just stop this! If no one is dead, and no one is hurt, then it can't be so very dreadful. ”

“ The snow, the cold and biting winds had gradually been left behind, and Nature, coy and uncertain at first, had, with the advance into the South, grown bolder. They had come from the land of bleakness and barrenness—from the place of leafless trees—into the region of Summer, almost in a day and night. They had exchanged snows for flowers.
Mrs. Stonington had stood the trip well, though a trifle weary and worn as the end of the journey came in sight. But the warm and balmy air of the South seemed to revive her, and her cheeks, that had been pale, took on a tinge of color. ”

“ Betty, as well as Grace, Mollie and Amy, seemed much taken aback by the earnest words of Mrs. Belton. The wife of the labor contractor seemed under stress of some excitement, as she faced the girls after the warning.
"Don't go!" she went on. "Don't any of you think of going! I used to think my husband dealt with a rough enough class of men, but those in the interior—in the turpentine camps, and cypress swamps—oh, they are the most lawless element you can imagine. And no wonder, for no men, unless they are compelled, will work with those contractors. ”

“ I ran away, for I couldn't stand it."
"Poor fellow," murmured Amy. "Oh, to think of Tom Osborne and some other young fellow being there."
"Just like my poor brother Will," agreed Grace. "Oh, I wonder if he could be the 'other one' he refers to! Listen," she went on to the simple youth eagerly, "I am going to describe a young man to you. I want you to tell me if he is like the one you once tried to rescue—the time you saved our boat," and she gave a close description of her brother.
"Is the 'other one' like that?" she asked breathlessly.
The Loon shook his head. ”

“ They were scanning the shores ahead of them, looking for a suitable place to land and eat their lunch, when Betty, who had taken the wheel, with The Loon to stand beside and direct her steering, uttered a cry and pointed ahead.
"See!" she said. "What is that?"
The other girls looked.
"Some sort of a raft," answered Mollie.
"And someone is on it!" added Amy.
"It's a man!" cried Grace. "A young man! Oh, maybe it's the one who escaped from the Everglade swamp. Hurry to him, Betty!" ”

“ That's it, Betty. We must stone the creature and make it let go. Come on!"
Betty laughed. The others looked at Mollie curiously.
"She—she's hysterical," murmured Grace.
"I am not!" protested Mollie indignantly.
"But the idea of throwing stones at an alligator!" cried Grace. "Why, its hide will turn a bullet!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Amy blankly. "Then what can we do? We have no bullets!"
"It isn't going very fast," observed Mollie as she watched the boat moving slowly up the river. "We can run along the bank after it, and maybe the beast will let go, or run ashore with the Gem. ”

“ The girls had a glimpse of something like a seal, with a queer head, not unlike that of a small hippopotamus.
"Look!" cried Mollie. "That was no alligator! What in the world is it?"
"That's a manatee—a sea-cow, some folks call 'em!" answered the ragged youth, as he poled his boat toward them, towing the Gem. "They're harmless, but I had to shoot this one to make him let go. I didn't hurt him much. I never see one so far inland as this, though. I'll have your boat there in a minute."
"Don't hurry," said Betty kindly. "As long as she's safe we are all right. ”

“ Whether it was the fact of her chocolates being safe, or that there was no immediate danger of sinking, or that no alligators were in sight, was not made manifest, but she certainly seemed all right again.
"It's enough of a ball game to have a base, and to be obliged to hold it," said Betty with a smile, as she bent over the machinery, testing the bolts and nuts that held the motor to the bottom of the boat. ”

“ You see, there isn't much ready money floating around among the poor people here. Even some of the scattered Seminoles—or what were once Seminole Indians—try to make a living selling trinkets they make themselves, and if they thought you had money they would become annoying. But Tom Osborne will see to 'em, all right. He knows a lot of 'em. When are you going?"
"Oh, in about an hour," answered Grace. "We're going to take our lunch and stay all day."
"That will suit Tom fine. He's very fond of—lunch!" and Mr. Hammond laughed. ”

“ The girls were practically prisoners on what, with a rise of the river, would be an island.
"They don't seem to be coming after us," remarked Mollie looking about for some stones, or anything else, to use as a weapon of offense.
"No, they're just waiting their time" said Amy, who was still clinging to Grace. "When they get ready they'll crawl out here and—and—what is it alligators do to you, anyhow—charm you?"
"You're thinking of snakes," said Betty, narrowly watching the saurians. ”

“ I tell you I did see an alligator."
"It was a log—but it does look like one of the big creatures, though," said Amy. "Oh, if it should have been one!"
"Well, it couldn't eat us here—in the boat," said Mollie.
"No, but it might have capsized us, and then——" Grace paused suggestively.
"'All's well that ends well,'" quoted Betty, as she turned the boat nearer shore. "Some day we must take our lunch, and have a picnic ashore. See the lovely Spanish moss hanging down from the trees. It's like living history over again. ”

“ Ford little realized how soon the time was to come when the outdoor girls were to prove their sterling worth in a peculiar manner.
"Well, things are certainly taking a queer turn," said Grace as she looked at the scribbled letter of her brother, so strangely forwarded to them. There is no telling how long ago this was written. Poor Will is probably having a hard time this very minute."
"He probably is if he's at work in a turpentine camp," said Mr. Ford. "It is no easy work, and it is no wonder the contractors have to take criminals, and fairly kidnap their helpers. ”

“ Ford referred to the home-coming of her son Amy changed the subject as soon as she could.
Then, fortunately, Mrs. Ford went upstairs to lie down until dinner was ready, and Grace, with a sigh of relief, threw herself on a couch.
"There!" she sighed. "We can act naturally now. Poor little mother—I wonder how she will take it?"
"Oh, she is brave," said Amy. "Besides, nothing very dreadful can have happened. Will may be all right. Even if he has gone off with a labor contractor, who has a bad reputation, your brother is able to look after himself. He can appeal to the police, if necessary." ”

“ And I think he will be very glad to see Deepdale again, in spite of the fact that he wanted to start out for himself to 'make good.' I hope the lesson will not be too hard for him."
"If we could only do something!" exclaimed Betty.
"Yes, girls always seem so—so helplessly at a time like this," murmured Mollie. "Oh, I wish I were a—man!"
"Tut—tut!" exclaimed Mr. Ford, with a laugh, something he had seldom indulged in of late. "We couldn't get along without our girls. You can offer sympathy, if nothing else, and often that is something as real as actual service. ”

“ A turn of the road brought them in full view of the orange grove in which Mr. Stonington was interested, and at the sight a murmur of pleased surprise broke from the girls.
"And to think of going out there and picking oranges as one would apples!" exclaimed Amy. "Doesn't it seem odd to see oranges that aren't in a crate, or a fruit store?"
"Some of those will be in crates 'fore night," said the driver. "We're picking every day now. It's a good season, and we're making the most of it," he added to Mr. Stonington. ”

“ You just stop now, and when we all get together we'll help you in whatever trouble you have. You know that; don't you?"
"Oh, yes, Betty, I do. You aren't the 'Little Captain' to all of us for nothing. I'll try and not cry any more."
"Do. It—it isn't at all becoming. Your nose is positively like a—lobster!"
"It is not, Betty Nelson!" Grace flared.
"It certainly is. Look in the glass if you don't believe me. There—take my chamois and give it a little rub before I let in Amy and Mollie. It's only nice, clean talcum—you needn't think it's powder." ”

“ Look in every shack, men!"
In turn every cabin was inspected. Many wretched young men, and some old ones, too, were routed out, but the proprietors of the camp seemed to have a right to their services, either by contract, or through the action of the criminal laws. Sad indeed was their plight, but the rescuers had no legal right to take them away.
"Though I can, and will, proceed against you for taking Tom Osborne," declared Mr. Hammond. "And I'll see to it that you get the punishment you deserve." ”

“ Sound carries very distinctly over water, you know."
"They are coming toward us," added Amy, shrinking closer to Betty. There was no doubt of that. The eyes of all in the approaching motor boat, which was a powerful craft, were fixed on the girls in the Gem, and it was a strange sight to see the eyes of the colored men, with so much of the white showing in contrast to their dark faces, staring fixedly at our friends. ”

“ The girls packed up with a little sense of disappointment. They felt that their outing had been rather spoiled. They saved enough for Tom in case he should come back hungry, which would very likely be the case.
"Well, we may as well put things on board," said Betty, at length. "We can't stay here much longer. It's getting late."
"But can we—ought we—go back without Tom?" asked Mollie.
"I don't see what else we can do—if he doesn't come," said Betty. "We can't stay here all night." ”

“ But boys are so foolish."
"And I presume you and I were—at Will's age," said the father. "Well, I'll go see your mother, Grace, and then I'll be down again. Is some one here?" and he looked at the rubbers in the hall.
"Yes, Betty, Mollie and Amy."
"Oh, that's all right. You can stay with them until I come down. Isaac, if you are hungry I'll have some lunch sent up."
"Not for me. I never eat between meals," and Uncle Isaac spoke with firmness.
As Betty looked out of a crack in the library door she made up her mind that Mr. Ford's brother seldom did anything "between meals." ”

“ Ford, who had told his wife something of the truth, but not enough to cause her to worry. He said they had word from Will, and hoped soon to have him home. And Mrs. Ford, who leaned much on her husband and daughter, was more content than she had been. "Get ready, Grace," said her father, "and enjoy your winter in the South."
"I certainly don't enjoy a winter in the North," she replied. "Girls, did you see my chocolates?"
"Hopeless! Hopeless!" murmured Mollie, with a smile, as she found the confections on the mantel.
Preparations for the Florida trip went on apace. ”