Tom shook his head gravely.
"No telling! I heard a missionary from India say once how those awful cobras in that country used to drop right down from the ceiling."
Mabel drew a long breath.
"My stars! I'd hate to wake up in the morning and find a snake near my pillow!"
"Guess we'd better keep a good lookout," was Charlie's emphatic suggestion.
One day when papa and mamma and little Hal went in the launch across the river to see the new orange grove, and the children were left alone save for old Uncle Pomp who was hoeing in the truck patch, something happened that made quite a scare. Hetty went into mamma's room for a spool of white thread, and when she came out there was a frightened look on her face.
"Oh, there's a snake on mamma's bed!" she exclaimed.
Tom and Charlie sprang up so suddenly from their game of parchesi that counters and disks fell to the floor.
Then all four children hurried to the door of mamma's room and peeped cautiously in. It was not very light in the room for the window shades had been pulled partly down to shut out the glare of the noonday sun, but sure enough, it could be seen very plainly that there was something on the bed—a half-coiled, bluish-green snake with brown stripes.
Mabel uttered a scream.