CHAPTER SEVEN
FURTHER ADVENTURES AT SPRUCE ISLAND
BEFORE Mose had quite finished washing out the muddy clothes the flower hunters returned. Elizabeth was highly elated because she had found enough new varieties to complete her list of fifty for the Wild-Flower coup, while Miriam’s and Edith’s lists had reached thirty different kinds.
As the girls ran over to the group of boys to tell them about their successful hunt, Trixie stood still and gasped. The others turned to look in the direction that she was staring and a burst of merriment sounded from them all.
“Good gracious, Paul! Where did you find the upsey-downsey suit of clothes—are you masquerading?” cried Elizabeth.
Paul mumbled but looked annoyed and uncomfortable.
“Doesn’t he look like one of those double-headed dolls? You hold them one way and they are Mammys, and you turn them up the other way and they are something else,” said Trixie.
“What ever put it into your head to dress that way, Paul?” persisted Elizabeth.
“Well, you see, he thought you girls would like clams on the half-shell so he found a spot where he tried digging. But he dug so deep while trying to catch a big fat juicy clam, that he fell into the hole and pulled the hole in after him. We had all we could do to pull him out again, but when he finally did come out, Lo! he pulled the hole out too!” explained the irrepressible Uncle Bill.
“So, that’s why Mose is giving his clothes a Turkish bath,” giggled Billy.
Mrs. Remington and Mrs. Farwell looked hard at Uncle Bill but forbore saying more at that time.