Then the city visitors said good-by. As Mr. Marvin started the engine, he called back over his shoulder: “A month from to-day I am coming out with a truck for deliveries.”
The girls laughed and waved their hands at him, and soon the car was out of sight. Then they sat down to discuss the marvellous opportunity given them by Mr. Marvin.
After a time, Sam sauntered up to the side piazza and waited for an opportunity to speak to Mrs. James. Seeing him anxiously awaiting his chance, she smiled.
“What rests so heavily on your conscience, Sam?”
“I jus’ walked down Miss Natalie’s garden path to have a look at her wegetables, an’ I see dem brush peas is ’way up. She oughta get her brush to-morrer, sure, er she’ll have trouble makin’ t’ vines cling. Ef she says t’ word, I’ll go an’ cut down some good brush in t’ woodland afore she gets up in t’ mornin’ an’ have it ready to use when she comes out.”
“Oh, Sam! Will you, please? I didn’t know those peas needed anything to hold to. I wasn’t sure whether I planted the dwarf peas first, or the climbing variety,” exclaimed Natalie.
“That ain’t all, either, Miss Nat,” added Sam seriously. “I saw you got lima beans planted in one bed, an’ no poles on hand fer ’em. Did you order any bean poles f’om Ames?”
“Bean poles! Why, no!” returned Natalie.
The girls laughed at her surprise, but Sam continued:
“How did you ’speckt the vines to clim’?”