Nan Sherwood at Palm Beach; Or, Strange Adventures Among The Orange Groves

by Annie Roe Carr

  CHAPTER XXII

  PALM BEACH AT LAST

  The tourists had a beautiful time, and everybody decided that if PalmBeach went ahead of Jacksonville it would have to be very wonderfulindeed.

  Jacksonville itself seemed to them very much like any busy, thrivingcity--except that there were more hotels. But when they came to theoutskirts of the city they were charmed and wanted to go on forever.

  Having lived all their lives in a temperate climate, the tropical beautyof the Florida country entranced them and they exclaimed again and againas beautiful new panoramas opened before them. The moss-hung live oaksespecially drew exclamations of wonder from Nan.

  "What a perfect picture they form," she said. "Oh, how I wish I couldmake sketches of them!"

  "You'll see plenty to sketch when you get to Palm Beach," said Walter.

  They visited the public parks and drove out to some of the suburbs.Everything interested the girls very much and they frankly said so.

  "Everything is just about perfect," declared Bess.

  "All but the darkeys!" sighed Rhoda. "I think it is all perfectly lovelybut the negroes. There are so many of them, and they one and all lookthoroughly shiftless."

  "Oh, no, not shiftless," put in Mr. Mason. "They are just care-free."

  "Humph! All right, then. Care-free. Just too lazy to care for anythingat all, if they can get enough to eat, and I suppose that is not harddown here."

  "They are quite all right when you get used to them," put in Mrs. Mason.

  It was nearing dusk when they at last turned back toward the city, andit was then that Walter reminded Nan of her promise to tell him allabout the mysterious men who had startled her so.

  Nan obeyed, but, strangely enough, felt none of the uneasiness that shehad felt on board the boat and in the hotel. There was something aboutthe luxurious comfort of the car and Walter's reassuring presence thatmade her feel quite safe.

  But Walter himself was anything but calm. He glowered fiercely at theroad ahead of them and his hands clenched tightly on the wheel.

  "It's a rotten shame!" he burst out, when Nan had finished her story."If I once get hold of those fellows there won't be enough left of themto identify."

  "But you will help me find Mrs. Bragley's property for her, won't you?"insisted Nan. "She said it was at a place called Sunny Slopes."

  "Sunny Slopes, Sunny Slopes," Walter repeated thoughtfully. "The namesounds rather familiar to me. I tell you what I'll do," he said, turningto Nan with sudden decision. "Dad knows the names of nearly all theplaces through here. And if this Sunny Slopes is anywhere near PalmBeach we'll drive over in the car. How does that suit you?"

  "Oh, fine," said Nan happily, adding as she gave him a demure glance:"Only we will drive over in the big car and take the girls along."

  "What's the matter with this car?" asked Walter, turning to look at her."I thought you liked it."

  "I love it!" said Nan fervently, adding with a funny little smile thatWalter did not understand: "I think on that particular trip, I wouldlike to go in the big car."

  The morning after their delightful ride about Jacksonville, they tookthe train for Palm Beach. They found to their disgust that Linda and herparty were also on board.

  "Goodness! I think Linda must be following us, too," Bess grumbled toNan, looking blackly after their schoolmate as she walked haughtily downthe car aisle. "To look at her you would think she owned the world atleast. Oh, if I could only prove that it was she who damaged the heatingplant up at school, wouldn't it be a wonderful chance to get even withher?"

  "I don't see why you should want to waste time getting even with her,"Nan remarked calmly. "We have more interesting things to occupy ourtime."

  "That's all very well for you," grumbled Bess, still feeling cross andinjured by the unexpected appearance of Linda. "But _I_ haven't anyWalter."

  Nan was just about to say something unpleasant when Walter himselfhailed them. Grace and Rhoda were with him and all wore smiles to matchthe morning.

  "Come on back," the boy invited. "Dad's got chairs for the whole crowdwhere we can get the finest view. But he said we had better grab 'emquick, because there's no knowing how long they will last in thiscrowd."

  So the girls followed him to the observation car and would very probablyhave forgotten all about Linda, had not the girl herself made thatimpossible.

  It was hot, and there were few people in the car, but Linda and one ofthe ladies in her party walked up and down, looking occasionally out ofthe windows, as if their energy was inexhaustible.

  That would not have been so bad, had not Linda chosen to ignore thegirls so pointedly, brushing past with her head held in the air and amanner which said very plainly, "Who are those little specks of dustover there? Know them? Why, of course not!" Finally Bess felt as thoughshe could not stand it a moment longer.

  "She's doing it on purpose, the horrid thing," Bess fumed to Nan. "Ifshe doesn't stop pretty soon, I'll give her a push and topple her over.She'll not look so haughty then, I fancy."

  Perhaps it was just as well for all concerned that Linda stopped herbad-mannered performance shortly after that, for Bess could not havebeen restrained much longer. With this annoyance removed, they hadopportunity to enjoy the ride to the full.

  Mr. Mason proved a very interesting companion, for he knew the names ofthe places they passed and told the girls funny stories about thingsthat had happened in each one of them until they were tired out from thelaughter.

  "I never knew there were so many resorts in the world," sighed Nan,leaning back lazily in her chair. "The only place I really everconnected with Florida was Palm Beach. But it seems that is only one ofabout a million."

  "Hardly that," laughed Mr. Mason. "It is true there are a great manyresorts in Florida, but the most beautiful and famous of them is PalmBeach."

  "Mr. Mason," spoke up Bess, with a wicked little look at Nan, "is ittrue that most of the people who go to Palm Beach are either bald-headedmillionaires or fussy women who just go there to show off theirclothes?"

  Mr. Mason laughed heartily at this, and the rest of his family joinedin, while Nan shot a reproachful glance at her chum.

  "No, my dear," said the gentleman finally, a humorous twist in thecorners of his mouth. "I can't say that all the guests at Palm Beach areof the particular varieties you have mentioned. There are bald-headedmillionaires, of course, and plenty of fussy, over-dressed women, butthe people that I have mostly met in the hotels have struck me as beingnice folks, very much like ourselves----"

  "Stop handing yourself bouquets, Dad," Walter broke in, with a chuckle.

  "I included the whole family," said Mr. Mason gravely. "Themillionaires," he went on, "don't come to the hotels as a rule. Theybuild themselves beautiful bungalows along the shore and take theirrecreation mostly in private clubs."

  "Oh, dear! I think that's horrid," pouted Bess. "That's one of thethings I came for especially. I wanted to see a dozen real livemillionaires all in one spot."

  "You shall see plenty of millionaires," promised Mr. Mason. "Although wewon't guarantee to have them all in one spot."

  A few hours later the tide of passengers flowed from the train at PalmBeach and the girls, borne along with the crowd, looked about themeagerly.

  They had heard a great deal about the beauty of this famous winterresort, but they realized in that one swift glance that nothing they hadever heard had half done it justice.

  "Is that a hotel over there?" asked Nan of Grace, as they allowedthemselves to be swept on by the merry crowd. Bess and Rhoda were comingslowly along behind them. "That immense yellow building with the greenblinds?"

  "Yes, that's the Royal Poinciana," answered Grace. "Where we are goingto stay, you know."

  "Oh, are we?" asked Nan faintly, as she gazed up at the Royal PoincianaHotel, which was six stories in height and seemed to cover several acresof ground. "Goodness, it seems as if the whole world ought to be able toget in there. And what's that?" she went on, pointing to ano
ther yellowbuilding with green blinds. "Its twin?"

  "Yes. They call it The Breakers," returned Grace, rather enjoying hernew role of guide. "It isn't quite as large as the Royal Poinciana, butdad says it is just as good."

  Before long they reached the hotel and they waited while Walter, Bess,Rhoda and Mr. and Mrs. Mason came puffing up to them, warm from the heatof the afternoon sun.

  "Come ahead, folks," said Mr. Mason, engineering his flock up the stepsof the hotel to the porch. "Let's get cooled and brushed up a bit, andthen we can come out and see the sights. This is the biggest crowd Ihave ever found here," he added, as they entered the darkened, coollobby of the hotel with a conscious sigh of relief, "and that is sayinga good deal."