re of
what I said. I'm going to give you a young fellow to accompany you. He
knows the river and the region around like a book, and anyone who tries
to bother you when you're out he'll make short work of. He's a sort of
deputy constable."

"Why do you think--I mean, in what way do you think anyone might try to
bother us?" asked Betty.

"Oh, various ways. They might try to sell you a lot of useless trinkets,
knowing you're from the North. Fancy shells, sea beans, curios and the
like of that. 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.

"Doesn't he like--girls?" asked Mollie, with a blush.

"You can tell that better than I after you've met him. He's one of my
bookkeepers, and a fine young fellow. I'll send him along to you."

"But maybe we ought not to take him from his work," suggested Betty,
feeling that perhaps Mr. Stonington would not like the operation of his
orange business interfered with by the pleasure of herself and her
friends.

"Oh, I'll make it all right with uncle," laughed Amy. "We must enjoy
ourselves while we're here."

"You needn't worry," spoke Mr. Hammond with a laugh. "Tom will be glad
to come, and the worst of the rush is over now. Just consider him your
escort, and he'll do anything you want, from catching an alligator to
getting your meals. He's a handy young fellow, Tom is, and he knows all
the streams about here."

While the overseer was gone to summon the young man, the girls prepared
for the little outing. They had put up a lunch, or, rather, Aunt Hannah,
the genial colored "mammy" had done it for them, putting in plenty of
fried chicken and corn bread.

"Perhaps we'd better have more," suggested Mollie, to Aunt Hannah, when
the fact of Tom Osborne going along was mentioned.

"Bress yo' he'at, honey!" exclaimed the buxom cook, "I done put in
enough fo' two mo' gen'men if yo'all would laik t' take 'em along.
Don't yo'all worry!"

"No, I think one young man will be sufficient," laughed Betty. "On