Natalie: A Garden Scout Part 25

"What letter?" It was now Mr. Lowden's turn to be surprised.

"Oh, didn't you know Frances wanted the car to use all summer as an investment?" asked Norma innocently.

"As an investment! What do you mean?"

"Yes, and we think it will be great fun, too," returned Norma eagerly.

"You see, I am going in for flowers to sell to tired homesick financiers downtown in New York. One sniff of a sprig of heliotrope or the cheerful nod of a pink standing in a gla.s.s of water on his desk will refresh one so that he will start out like a new man!

"Nat is raising vegetables. She has all the greens up above the ground already, but those hungry chickens ate off a number of her best ones, so that makes them look a bit messy just now. However, they will soon recover and grow as good as ever. The household will buy all its vegetables from her, and Solomon's Seal Patrol expect to buy theirs from her, too.

"Janet went in for stock-farming. She only has a few pigs and the chickens as yet, but there are plenty of other things to get, as her allowance comes due. She is now planning to buy some guinea-hens, a flock of geese, some bees for honey, a few pigeons so we can have squabs, and other stock as time rolls by.

"But Frances chose to go into the service business. She is going to run an auto-bus from the station to the different destinations, and when we girls wish to take a pleasure-ride in the country, we all expect to pay a just price for the use of the car. By fall, Frans ought to have saved quite a sum of money, don't you think so?"

Norma had talked so fast that Mr. Lowden could not have said a word had he wanted to; but he listened with face growing redder and redder, and when Norma concluded her amazing explanation he burst out laughing loud and long. His wife heard the mirth as she sat in the car waiting to learn if he had found the right place. Now she jumped out of the tonneau and ran over.

Norma sat back on her feet gazing up at the breathless man, when Mrs.

Lowden joined the two. He tried to sober down enough to explain, but he spoke in gasps.

"Natalie raises vegetables for Solomon; Janet has turned stock-broker-her stock breaks down all of Natalie's greens. Norma here is the philanthropist of the crowd,-she is about to raise flowers for heart-sick financiers. But our Frances is the Shylock of the party. She is going to charge fees for the use of an automobile that costs her nothing! What do you think of your daughter, now, Mabel?" And he laughed again, so heartily that Rachel came out to see who was with Norma.

Mrs. James soon followed Rachel, and the Lowdens were welcomed by the hostess. Norma could not stop her work long enough to sit down on the piazza and visit, but she sent this advice after Mr. Lowden as he was about to mount the porch-steps:

"Janet went to the Corners for chicken-wire and you can do the girls a great favor by going for them with the car. Belle and Frances went with Jan, to take turns carrying the roll. But I guess it is going to be awfully heavy for them!"

Mr. Lowden then excused himself for a time, and left his wife with Mrs.

James. He soon had the car speeding along the road that went to the Corners, and Norma felt she had done her friends a good turn. But she never dreamed that Frances had not mentioned the automobile as a money-maker for that summer.

When the machine came back with the girls and their roll of wire-netting, Frances looked disconsolate. Norma was wondering whether her father had refused her the car for business purposes, and so she stopped planting long enough to join the party on the piazza.

"What do you think, Norma? Dad says I have to be sixteen before I can have a license to drive a jitney. If I drive without one, that old lazy Amity Parsons will arrest me. And if I use someone else's license, I can be heavily fined. That explodes all my ambition!" exclaimed Frances woefully.

But Janet came to the rescue, as usual. "Say, Mr. Lowden, Frans can drive the car without a license if she has someone in the seat beside her who _does_ have a regular license."

"Who can I have?" demanded Frances.

"Well, I don't know! I haven't thought of that, yet!" admitted Janet.

"I can drive a car, so there is no excuse why I should not be able to secure one," said Mrs. James thoughtfully.

"The main point is-we've got the car here to use for the summer, and the other points can be covered as we reach them," remarked Janet.

Mr. Lowden laughed again, for all this business ambition was highly amusing to him. But he had no objections to the automobile remaining at Green Hill Farm during his absence in the west, and the girls all breathed easier when they heard his verdict.

"Well, you can argue out the question about a jitney license, but I must go back to my flowers," said Norma, getting up from the steps and starting for the roundel.

"And I must start work on that chicken-fencing. If it is to be done before nightfall, I must ask help, too," said Janet, beckoning Belle to help her carry the roll of wire.

Mr. and Mrs. Lowden were invited to stay to dinner but they declined with regrets, as they were to be back in New York soon after noon. Then Frances said: "I'll have to drive you to the station to catch the only train that stops at Greenville this afternoon, and how will I get back if I haven't a license?"

"I'll accompany you, Frances, and later we will have to plan a way out of the difficulty," said Mrs. James.

Good-bys were said, and the girls stood on the piazza waiting to see the car start off, when Rachel came out. "Hey, Mis' James! I got it! Jes'

hol' up a minit, will yuh?"

She hurried down the walk and ran out of the gate to lay her plan before the owners of the automobile.

"Yuh all knows my nephew Sam in Noo York? Well, he got a shover's license las' spring cuz he figgered on drivin' somebody's car this summer in the country. But we all know what a easy-goin' darky he is, too!

"He diden have amb.i.+.c.hun enough to hunt out a place, so he jes' waited fer a plum to drap in his mout'. Ef he is in Noo York, he'll be at dis address, sure! Ef I tells him to come out heah, widdout fail, to run dat car, he'll come quick as lightnin'. Ef us gives him room an' board, he oughter be glad fer the chants. Den no one kin pester Mis' Francie 'bout license, er nuttin. An' Sam kin make hisself useful to me by bringin' in coal an' wood fer t' kitchen fire, an' doin' odd jobs about t' place."

This information seemed to suit Mr. Lowden exactly, and he turned to Rachel to say: "I'll find him, Rachel, never fear-if he is to be found in the city. Look for him in the next day or two."

Then saying good-by again, they drove away.

CHAPTER XII-GRIT INVITES HIMSELF TO GREEN HILL

The vegetables, animals, and flowers might have experienced gross neglect during the next few days, after the automobile arrived, had it not been for Mrs. James' insistence that "duty came before pleasure."

Even so, Natalie spent no time weeding the beds but gave the "farmer's curse" ample opportunity to thrive luxuriantly.

The third day after the Lowdens had promised to hunt up Sam and send him to Green Hill Farm, a most unique post-card came for Rachel. It had the picture of the Woolworth Building on one side, and the information that this was a "gift card" given to those who visited the tower. On the side with the address, Sam printed with lead-pencil, "Deer ant: wurd cam fer me to be shoffer at yur place. Money O. K. comin rite away. sam."

This elaborate epistle was displayed by Rachel with so much family pride that the girls had hard work to keep straight faces. But they knew how hurt Rachel would be if she thought the writing was illiterate, so they said nothing.

"If that card was mailed yesterday, as the postmark shows it was, Sam ought to be here to-day," said Mrs. James.

"Yes, but he won't get here in time to drive us to Ames's farm for the guinea-hens," said Natalie.

"As that will be my last act of law-breaking, I'll drive," announced Frances.

Therefore, the girls hurried away in the car. They had not gone more than half the distance to Dorothy Ames's home, when Natalie saw a dog following the machine.

"Go home, old fellow!" called she, waving her hat to drive him back.

But the dog stood momentarily still and wagged his stumpy tail, then galloped after the car again, to make up for lost time.

"Girls, what shall we do with that dog?" cried Natalie in distress. "If he follows us much further he may get lost."

Frances stopped the car and called the dog to her. He stood with front paws on the running-board and looked up at her with happy eyes.

"He's a fine Collie, girls. Look at his head and the lines of his body.

Someone get out and look at the collar for the owner's name," said Frances, leaning over to study the dog.

Belle got out and having examined the collar, remarked: "No name on it.

It's just a plain leather affair with a frayed rope-end still attached to the ring."