Ann Crosses a Secret Trail Page 15

  CHAPTER XV

  ANN VISITS A NEW CLIME

  It was a lesson to Ann with how little confusion the exodus wasaccomplished. It came partly, she decided, from the excellentself-control which Grandmother, her mother and her aunt always exerted,with good plans and management. On the other hand, it was partly dueto the fact that there was plenty of help in every line, each servantknowing the particular line of service he was expected to give. ButAunt Sue made a good general, Ann admitted.

  Part of the family were going straight through, to Palm Beach, whereMrs. Tyson had finally persuaded her mother to engage suites at afashionable hotel. But Mr. Sterling wanted to see something of thestate in general. Accordingly, he and Mrs. Sterling, with Ann, Suzanneand Maurice, were stopping at Jacksonville for a few days. From thatcenter they would visit the interior towns and the West Coast on amotor trip that Ann anticipated with great delight, and would alsomake a short stay at St. Augustine. Weather and whatever seemed thebest order of things would be determined after their arrival atJacksonville.

  It was interesting to travel, Ann thought, with every comfort thatmoney could procure for them. Ann was sure that her father would bebankrupt, keeping up with the Tyson and the LeRoy style of doingthings. But when she said as much to her father, he only laughed andsaid that he had been getting ready for some years to be extravagantwhen Ann should go to school, and that he had lately “struck oil” inmore ways than one.

  Just what her father meant by that Ann did not know, except that hermother had mentioned an oil investment as having turned out well,a result which is quite likely not to occur. At any rate, Ann, whoremembered their more careful days and the simple way of living, feltassured that financial matters were secure. The three young peoplewere in the highest spirits to start and Ann thought that Maurice musthave laid aside his worry. And if the truth were told, Maurice hadlittle trouble in doing it. With the sweetest girl in the world, on aninteresting trip,--surely anything else could wait. But purposes wereforming in Maurice which would make him a far stronger man than ifhe had remained the careless boy which Ann first met. He had alreadyspoken to his father about a “job” in the mills, as soon as he shouldreceive his diploma, to Mr. Tyson’s surprise and pleasure. Plans for asummer out West with Ann had gone glimmering.

  Suzanne was more interested in a good story or two and the chocolateswith which Maurice had furnished the girls. But Ann, always alert fornew things along the way, listened to Maurice and looked with both hereager eyes when the scenery began to grow a little tropical. “Those aremostly palmettos,” Maurice told her, when she began to exclaim over“palms”. “Wait till we get further south for the beautiful palms,” hesaid.

  “Just look at all the buzzards!” exclaimed Ann, as they passed a woodwhere many turkey vultures were circling.

  “You’ll see a lot of them in Florida,” said Maurice. “Watch for theblack vultures. They are different and show some white on their wings.”

  “I thought that you said you knew nothing about birds!”

  “I know a few,” said Maurice, “but last summer what did I know aboutyour Montana birds?”

  “You are too modest.”

  “That is the first time I ever was accused of that,” sighed Maurice.“Tell me some more nice things.”

  Ann, leaning back in the seat beside him and next to the window, lookedat Maurice keenly. “I’ve discovered that your gay ways cover a lot ofthings, Maury. I imagine, for all you say, that your record at college,for instance, is not so bad.”

  “It might be worse,” laughed Maurice, “but all the same, Ann, I havenot covered the family with glory, or worked hard, as I should. I havetried to redeem the record a little this year, that’s all. But schoolwas something that had to be put through; that was all it meant to me.And it means about the same now, Ann, though I appreciate the cultureof the old profs, and I see that I have absorbed _something_ from them.”

  “I am too much the other way, Maurice. I’m inclined to think thatschool is everything; and when girls do not work at their lessons I puttoo low an estimate on them. I did with Eleanor, for one.”

  “You are more nearly right, Ann. I’ll admit it; because if you do notdo your best at whatever you work at, you lose out in habits of--whatshall I call it?”

  “Industry,” suggested Ann.

  “Right. Look, Ann. We’re passing these southern pines, you see, wherethey are getting the turpentine. See the little receptacles fastenedon?”

  “Yes. How curious. They look like little flower pots at this distance.”

  “They have different sorts in different places. See them, Madge?”

  Madge had edged on the arm of the seat and was looking curiously at thepines, which appeared to fly past. Maurice made room for the slim childbetween him and Ann, and talked to her about the changing scenes. “Iwish that I was going along with Aunt Elizabeth and Ann on your motortrip,” regretfully said Madge.

  “You will do it some day, Madge,” her brother assured her. “We’ll takeyou around some when we get back. Your Uncle Sterling is going to buy acar.”

  “Honestly, Maurice?” inquired Ann. “I did not know that.”

  “He is going to get one for this trip. I heard him tell Father that hesold his car that he had last summer and would buy a new one here.”

  “Of all things! Dear me,--that was such a good car!”

  “But not a particle of use for it until next summer, Ann.”

  “True enough. It is sensible, I will admit. He will enjoy gettinganother. Men like such things.”

  “How about women?”

  “We like them, too, don’t we, Ann?” Madge queried.

  “I guess we do, Madge.”

  * * * * *

  At Jacksonville the separation of the parties occurred. The Sterlingparty made headquarters at one of the hotels, while Mr. Sterlingenjoyed the thrills, or anxieties of selecting a new car. In thisMaurice, too, took an interest and accompanied him to give him thebenefit of his young judgment. Yet Maurice could not waste all thetime in even this interesting employment, but took the girls and Mrs.Sterling to see the sights in taxis. “It would not do for you to missthe alligator farm, Ann,” said he, “such a romantic spot!”

  Ann found it far from romantic, but very interesting, with itsalligators of all sizes and ages. “Funny place to call a ‘farm’,” saidshe.

  “It is a place where they raise stock, Ann,” said Suzanne.

  “If you call alligators stock,” Ann replied, looking at the big penwhere the larger ones were kept together. “Imagine any one’s wanting togo in there! Look at that sign, Maurice!”

  “What sign?” inquired Suzanne.

  “There,” pointed her brother, “telling you that you enter at your ownrisk.”

  “Do you suppose that we shall really see any alligators in the wild?”

  “We shall, indeed, though we may have to go to special places, Ann.”

  * * * * *

  From Jacksonville they went on down the coast, staying several days atSt Augustine, where the girls were especially interested in the oldfort, Fort Marion. They began to feel that their vacation was flyingand hoped that they would get to Palm Beach early enough to giveMaurice some time with them, and Ronald’s fascinating yacht. But it wasnot possible to hurry Mr. Sterling, nor would they let him know thatthey were anxious to speed on their way. However, after they left StAugustine, Mr. Sterling himself came to the conclusion that he hadplanned too much to be accomplished in the limited time. He decidedto take them on down the East Coast to Palm Beach with no delay. Fromthat point he could make short excursions, with the girls and Maurice,for their entertainment. The general trips over the state could waituntil the young folks had gone back to school. It was his judgment thatthis should happen, so far as Ann was concerned. Ann, too, felt bettercontent, to know that her work would not have to be made up to so greatan extent. What Suzanne did was not for them to decide.

  The re
st of the family were much surprised to see the travelers sosoon, but approved the move. Ann was delighted with the beautifulsurroundings. “This is well named ‘Palm’ Beach,” she said. “I did notknow that we could have such wonderful palm trees in the United States!Daddy, buy me one of these houses with a crimson bougainvillea vine!”

  “Certainly, my daughter,” responded Mr. Sterling, who was driving Annand Maurice toward the causeway and down one of the palm lined avenues.“Just pick out the one you want. I’ve no doubt that I shall be able toinduce the owner to part with it!”

  “For a nice fat price,” murmured Maurice.

  “Don’t think of such an unimportant detail as money, Maurice. Why,Daddy, I want that one we passed, the one with just the right shade ofcream stucco, on the tan order, not yellow, smooth stucco, with nohorrible splotches of color. The crimson vine over the door just suitedit. I don’t know what I’m going to do about having a scarlet hibiscus.I want one, but it will not harmonize with the crimson bougainvillea!”

  “Put it in the rear of your villa, Ann,” suggested Maurice. “Have theback a different color scheme.”

  “Good idea. But I have discovered so many things that it will really bequite a problem to work out!”

  “I’ll take up landscape gardening and architecture, Ann, if you wouldlike to have me do it. No; for one villa and its grounds, it would becheaper to hire it done.”

  “I have to decide where I want it. Oh, the beautiful ocean, Maury! Nowonder that Suzanne loves it! I thought that I should never get throughlooking, this morning from the beach. I loved the bathing, too; butisn’t it funny how the sand runs away from under your feet? It almostmade me dizzy at first.”

  “Was that it?” asked Maurice. “I noticed that you hesitated a little.But when you began to swim you were all right.”

  “I loved the Indian River drive,” said Ann, “but the real ocean!”

  Maurice “loved” Ann’s enthusiasm, never noisily expressed; but incomparison with some of the girls he knew, Ann, with her honestinterest in life, was refreshing. Madeline would pretend a knowledgethat she did not possess. Suzanne was often bored, except about certainthings. Ann was glad of what she knew, but eager to learn more aboutthe world and everything in it that contained a bit of inspiration.

  “What did I do with that list Suzanne gave me?” asked Maurice,searching his pockets. “I honestly believe that she is going to startsome sort of embroidery or tatting!”

  “Somebody at the hotel showed her a new pattern of crochet, that’sall,” said Ann, laughing at the disgust in Maurice’s tone. “She wantsto take it off. Suzanne will not miss any of the outdoors, Maury.”

  “I should hope not. But I’m afraid she will.”

  They were bound for West Palm Beach, just over the causeway, where theyaccomplished their shopping, took lunch at a good cafeteria, where itwas great fun to select guava jelly, avocado pear salad, grape fruitin the land where it was grown, and such other Florida products asoffered. Then they drove back, to find that Ronald and Jade had arrivedfrom Daytona with the yacht.