“Yes, sir; my brother and Nellie’s brother and sister are waiting for us out there in the road.”
“I will tell you where you can find plenty of strawberries,” said Uncle Ben; and now, without a doubt, there was a smile on his wrinkled face.
“O, thank you, sir!” exclaimed Flora, with childlike pleasure.
“In my pasture, on the other side of the road, there are oceans of them.”
“But will you let us pick them, sir?”
“You may; when that Joe Birch and such boys as he come round here, I always send them off, because they steal my fruit, and break down my fences. They are very bad boys,” replied Uncle Ben, who seemed to feel the need of telling them why he was so cross.
“Uncle”—Flora was going to say “Uncle Ben;” but she did not know that it would be quite proper for her to call him by this name.
“That’s right, little lady; call me ‘Uncle Ben.’ You needn’t be at all afraid of me. That’s just what the sailors used to call me on board ship.”
“That’s just what I was going to say, Uncle Ben. People say you have been all over the world.”
“I have, almost.”