“Yes, I’ve done well,” Mr. Hooper agreed. “No complaint on that score. But if it hadn’t been for the Brownies, I’d have lost all my profit.”
The orchard owner walked with the girls and their parents to the cars.
Only a few drops of rain now fell, for the storm had passed over as quickly as it had come.
Across the roadway, the wind had severely tossed Mr. Wingate’s cherry trees. Fruit from those which had not been completely stripped lay on the ground.
“I’m sorry for Carl Wingate,” Mr. Hooper remarked. “He didn’t lose much of his harvest though. Next year he’ll treat the Mexican pickers more kindly.”
Juan and a half dozen other Mexican children ran over to the car to say good-bye to the Brownies. They had enjoyed picking cherries in the rain.
“Don’t forget the festival next week,” Veve reminded her little friend.
“Oh, no, Senorita,” Juan returned, flashing his wide smile. “We will stay in camp here until after the fiesta is over. Then we travel north to pick more cherries.”
“And next year you’ll be back again?”
“Si, Senorita. We will return.”