He went into the room where his wife and Uncle Tad were keeping watch over Mr. Pott, and from Mrs. Brown soon learned all there was to know about the matter.
“Too bad,” said Mr. Brown. “Well, perhaps things may turn out all right after all, but it’s pretty hard for the old man to lose his son and a treasure at the same time.”
Making the sailor as comfortable as possible, and leaving Uncle Tad to watch over him, Mr. and Mrs. Brown and the children went to another room where they could talk together.
“What’s this about some news the children say you have?” asked Mrs. Brown.
“It is news, yes, in a way,” answered her husband. “How would you like to take a trip?”
“It depends on where the trip is,” his wife said, with a smile. “If I had my choice I would like to go down south where it is lovely and warm and where there are so many flowers and birds.”
“You must have guessed what I was going to say,” laughed Mr. Brown, “for down south is where I was thinking of going.”
“Is it down to the sunny south where we were once before?” asked Bunny. The Brown children had once taken a trip to the southland.
“Not exactly the same place,” Mr. Brown replied. “Of course, the south is always sunny, but this time I have in mind an ocean voyage. I have to go to the West Indies on business, and I have a chance to go on a steamer which one of the big fish companies is sending. They have given me the use of two staterooms, so there will be room for all of us. If you want to go and take the children, my dear,” he said to his wife, “I think it would be a pleasant trip for us all.”
“I don’t see how we could very well leave them at home,” remarked Mrs. Brown, looking at Bunny and Sue.