Connie and Rosemary sat with the Brownie leader. The other girls climbed into the rear of the truck, finding a tiny space which was not loaded with boxes.
“Whoever saw so many cherries!” Veve marveled. “And just think! We picked most of ’em!”
Bill Flint started the big truck engine. It made such a roar that, for a minute, the girls could not hear their own voices.
The truck rattled off down the road, past the Wingate orchard. At the first corner it turned right, onto a wide paved road.
Before the truck had gone very far, the Brownies caught sight of another cherry hauler, directly ahead. And as they neared the factory, they saw more and more trucks, all laden with fruit.
“Everyone must be going to the cannery!” Veve laughed. Her words came out in jerks, for the truck at that moment was passing over a broken patch of pavement.
A moment later, the vehicle came to a complete standstill.
“What’s wrong?” called Eileen in alarm. “Do we have a flat tire?”
Bill Flint did not need to answer the questions. By looking ahead down the road, the Brownies could see an almost endless line of trucks. Bumper to bumper, they stood, waiting their turn to move up to the factory loading and unloading dock.
“Afraid we’re stuck here for awhile,” the truck driver said, switching off the motor.