April 17, 2025 • 9 mins
A Florida vacation becomes an adventurous journey when the Outdoor Girls explore orange groves and trek into the mysterious interior. Sun, surprise, and southern charm await!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Please visit LibriVox dot org. The Outdoor Girls in Florida
by Lawley Hope In Danger. The girls looked at one
another on hearing mister Hammond's warning. The same thought was
in the mind of each What what kind of suspicious
characters were? They asked Betty. Oh, just the usual kind,
(00:23):
replied the overseer. I don't want to alarm you, and
you need me afraid they're mostly A cowardly said that
always congregate around where a lot of work is going on,
hoping to get money without labor, either by some form
of chance gain or by deliberately taking advantage of some
of the simple minded colored hands. I ordered these two
(00:43):
away a couple of times, and I'll do more than
that the next time I see em. Did they did?
They come in a motor boat? Faltered Mollie. I didn't notice,
but they weren't the kind of fellows I want hanging
around here, especially when payday comes. But don't think any
more of what I said. I'm going to give you
a young fellow to accompany you. He knows the river
(01:06):
and the region around like a book, and anyone who
tries to bother you when you're out will make short
work of he's a sort of deputy constable. Why do
you think, I mean, in what way do you think
anyone might try to bother us? Asked Betty? Oh, various ways.
They might try to sell you a lot of useless trinkets,
(01:27):
knowing you're from the north, fancy shells, sea beans, curios
and the like of that. You see, there isn't much
ready money floating around among the poor people here. Even
some of the scattered seminoles or what were once seminole
Indians try to make a living selling trinkets they make themselves,
(01:47):
and if they thought you had money, they would become annoying.
But Tom Osborne will see to him all right. He
knows a lot of them. When are you going, Oh,
in about an hour, answered Grace. We're going to take
our lunch and stay all day. That will suit Tom fine.
He's very fond of lunch. And mister Hammond laughed. Doesn't
(02:11):
he like girls? Asked Molly, with a blush. You can
tell that better than I after you've met him. He's
one of my bookkeepers and a fine young fellow. I'll
send him along to you, But maybe we ought not
to take him from his work. Suggested Betty, feeling that
perhaps mister Stonington would not like the operation of his
(02:32):
orange business interfered with by the pleasure of herself and
her friends. Oh, I'll make it all right with uncle,
laughed Amy. We must enjoy ourselves while we're here. You
needn't worry, spoke mister Hammond with a laugh. Tom will
be glad to come, and the worst of the rush
is over. Now. Just consider him your escort and he'll
(02:54):
do anything you want, from catching an alligator to getting
your meals. He's a handy young fellow, Tom is, and
he knows all the streams about here. While the overseer
was gone to summon the young man, the girls prepared
for the little outing. They had put up a lunch,
or rather, Aunt Hannah, the genial colored Mammy, had done
(03:16):
it for them, putting in plenty of fried chicken and
corn bread. Perhaps we'd better have more, suggested Molly to
Aunt Hannah. When the fact of Tom Osborne going along.
Was mentioned. Bresh your heart, honey, exclaimed the buxom cook.
I'd done put in enough for two more gentlemen if
(03:37):
yo would like to take him along. Don't y'all worry, no,
I think one young man will be sufficient, laughed Betty.
Only I didn't want him to go hungry. And I
know the appetites of my friends. Speak for yourself, if
you please, shouted Molly, you eat as much as any
of us. I wonder if those two suspicious characters Miss
(04:00):
Hammond spoke of could be the ones who followed us
in the boat, asked Amy to change the subject. They
could have been, remarked Grace. But I wouldn't want to
think so why not, asked Molly, because it would show
that they were still following us. Perhaps it was unwise
(04:21):
that I told them where we were from, said Betty.
But I did it for the best. I didn't want
them to think that we had no friends near at hand.
Of course, rejoined Amy. You meant it all right, And
they may not have been the same ones at all.
Mister Hammond did not say they made inquiries for us
or for that poor young fellow. What was that they
(04:43):
called him the duck loon loon, corrected Betty with a laugh.
Well I knew it was some kind of a bird,
asserted Amy. I wonder why they call him that. A
loon is supposed to be a crazy sort of a
bird when on Betty, And come to think of it,
that poor chap didn't look very bright. Maybe he was
(05:06):
half witted, and that's why they called him the loon. Well,
he knew enough to shoot the manatee and get our
boat for us, defended Grace. I don't think he was
very stupid. Oh, I don't mean it that way, said
Betty quickly. I only suggested that perhaps those mean men
I'm sure they were mean, might have called him that
(05:28):
to suit their own purposes. But I think we are
well rid of them. Anyhow, Here comes mister Hammond, and
that must be Tom with him, and she indicated two
figures approaching. Oh are you going to call him Tom?
Gasped Grace. I don't see why not, was the calm answer.
He looks just like the sort of a nice young
(05:50):
chap whom one would call Tom. Betty Nelson cried Molly.
I'm going to tell hush, commanded the little captain quickly.
I haven't done it yet. Mister Hammond presented the young man,
who seemed quite at his ease under the scrutiny of
four pairs of eyes. Pretty eyes all of them too.
(06:13):
You needn't worry when Tom is along, said the overseer
with a laugh as he named each of the girls
in turn. Now go off and have a good time.
I depend on you, Tom, to bring them safely back.
I will, mister Hammond, Are you ready, young ladies? And
he smiled at them. The girl started for the boat,
(06:34):
into which a colored boy had already put the baskets
of lunch. Somehow or other, Betty naturally fell into step
beside Tom. She looked up at him frankly and said,
mister Hammond told us your last name, but I have
forgotten it. I'm ashamed to say it's Osborne, but I'd
rather you'd call me Tom, if you don't mind. Every
(06:56):
one does around here. That is all my friends, of course,
he added quickly. Then we'd like to be your friends,
said Betty, with a smile and a calm look at Molly,
who was making signs behind Tom's back, obvious signs they
were too. Betty looked triumphant, as though saying, there, didn't
(07:17):
I tell you Tom. Osborne proved that he knew something
about motor boats and was also versed in the ways
of making girls comfortable. He asked if they wanted him
to steer, and as Betty had not taken a craft
down the river very often. She agreed. The girls sat
on the after deck under a widespread awning and chatted
(07:37):
of the sides they saw. They merged into Lake Chad,
skirted its shores, and swept into the river. Beyond they
passed several other power craft and one or two houseboats,
in which were gay parties. At the suggestion of Tom,
they decided to go up a little side stream to
where he said was a pleasant place to eat lunch,
(08:00):
and this they reached about noon. Now, if you girls
want to walk about and see what there is to
be seen, he told them, I'll get out the victuals
and set the table on the grass under that tree,
and he indicated it I'll call you when I'm ready.
Betty and her chums assented, and Tom proceeded to set
(08:20):
out the luncheon. The girl strolled on for some distance,
and Mollie, attracted by some flowers on the end of
a small spit of land extending for some distance into
the stream, walked toward them, the others following. They picked
many blossoms and were watching a pair of large turtles
when Amy glancing toward the mainland, which was reached by
(08:44):
crossing a narrow neck of sand, uttered a cry of alarm. Look,
she gasped, pointing to two long black objects stretched right
across the narrow place. Alligators, two big ones. It was
only too true, the girl's way back was blocked. End
of Chapter seventeen, read by Nancy Cochran Gergen Gilbert, Arizona,
(09:09):
January three, two thousand twenty two.
Please visit LibriVox dot org. The Outdoor Girls in Florida
by Lawley Hope In Danger. The girls looked at one
another on hearing mister Hammond's warning. The same thought was
in the mind of each What what kind of suspicious
characters were? They asked Betty. Oh, just the usual kind,
(00:23):
replied the overseer. I don't want to alarm you, and
you need me afraid they're mostly A cowardly said that
always congregate around where a lot of work is going on,
hoping to get money without labor, either by some form
of chance gain or by deliberately taking advantage of some
of the simple minded colored hands. I ordered these two
(00:43):
away a couple of times, and I'll do more than
that the next time I see em. Did they did?
They come in a motor boat? Faltered Mollie. I didn't notice,
but they weren't the kind of fellows I want hanging
around here, especially when payday comes. But don't think any
more of what I said. I'm going to give you
a young fellow to accompany you. He knows the river
(01:06):
and the region around like a book, and anyone who
tries to bother you when you're out will make short
work of he's a sort of deputy constable. Why do
you think, I mean, in what way do you think
anyone might try to bother us? Asked Betty? Oh, various ways.
They might try to sell you a lot of useless trinkets,
(01:27):
knowing you're from the north, fancy shells, sea beans, curios
and the like of that. You see, there isn't much
ready money floating around among the poor people here. Even
some of the scattered seminoles or what were once seminole
Indians try to make a living selling trinkets they make themselves,
(01:47):
and if they thought you had money, they would become annoying.
But Tom Osborne will see to him all right. He
knows a lot of them. When are you going, Oh,
in about an hour, answered Grace. We're going to take
our lunch and stay all day. That will suit Tom fine.
He's very fond of lunch. And mister Hammond laughed. Doesn't
(02:11):
he like girls? Asked Molly, with a blush. You can
tell that better than I after you've met him. He's
one of my bookkeepers and a fine young fellow. I'll
send him along to you, But maybe we ought not
to take him from his work. Suggested Betty, feeling that
perhaps mister Stonington would not like the operation of his
(02:32):
orange business interfered with by the pleasure of herself and
her friends. Oh, I'll make it all right with uncle,
laughed Amy. We must enjoy ourselves while we're here. You
needn't worry, spoke mister Hammond with a laugh. Tom will
be glad to come, and the worst of the rush
is over. Now. Just consider him your escort and he'll
(02:54):
do anything you want, from catching an alligator to getting
your meals. He's a handy young fellow, Tom is, and
he knows all the streams about here. While the overseer
was gone to summon the young man, the girls prepared
for the little outing. They had put up a lunch,
or rather, Aunt Hannah, the genial colored Mammy, had done
(03:16):
it for them, putting in plenty of fried chicken and
corn bread. Perhaps we'd better have more, suggested Molly to
Aunt Hannah. When the fact of Tom Osborne going along.
Was mentioned. Bresh your heart, honey, exclaimed the buxom cook.
I'd done put in enough for two more gentlemen if
(03:37):
yo would like to take him along. Don't y'all worry, no,
I think one young man will be sufficient, laughed Betty.
Only I didn't want him to go hungry. And I
know the appetites of my friends. Speak for yourself, if
you please, shouted Molly, you eat as much as any
of us. I wonder if those two suspicious characters Miss
(04:00):
Hammond spoke of could be the ones who followed us
in the boat, asked Amy to change the subject. They
could have been, remarked Grace. But I wouldn't want to
think so why not, asked Molly, because it would show
that they were still following us. Perhaps it was unwise
(04:21):
that I told them where we were from, said Betty.
But I did it for the best. I didn't want
them to think that we had no friends near at hand.
Of course, rejoined Amy. You meant it all right, And
they may not have been the same ones at all.
Mister Hammond did not say they made inquiries for us
or for that poor young fellow. What was that they
(04:43):
called him the duck loon loon, corrected Betty with a laugh.
Well I knew it was some kind of a bird,
asserted Amy. I wonder why they call him that. A
loon is supposed to be a crazy sort of a
bird when on Betty, And come to think of it,
that poor chap didn't look very bright. Maybe he was
(05:06):
half witted, and that's why they called him the loon. Well,
he knew enough to shoot the manatee and get our
boat for us, defended Grace. I don't think he was
very stupid. Oh, I don't mean it that way, said
Betty quickly. I only suggested that perhaps those mean men
I'm sure they were mean, might have called him that
(05:28):
to suit their own purposes. But I think we are
well rid of them. Anyhow, Here comes mister Hammond, and
that must be Tom with him, and she indicated two
figures approaching. Oh are you going to call him Tom?
Gasped Grace. I don't see why not, was the calm answer.
He looks just like the sort of a nice young
(05:50):
chap whom one would call Tom. Betty Nelson cried Molly.
I'm going to tell hush, commanded the little captain quickly.
I haven't done it yet. Mister Hammond presented the young man,
who seemed quite at his ease under the scrutiny of
four pairs of eyes. Pretty eyes all of them too.
(06:13):
You needn't worry when Tom is along, said the overseer
with a laugh as he named each of the girls
in turn. Now go off and have a good time.
I depend on you, Tom, to bring them safely back.
I will, mister Hammond, Are you ready, young ladies? And
he smiled at them. The girl started for the boat,
(06:34):
into which a colored boy had already put the baskets
of lunch. Somehow or other, Betty naturally fell into step
beside Tom. She looked up at him frankly and said,
mister Hammond told us your last name, but I have
forgotten it. I'm ashamed to say it's Osborne, but I'd
rather you'd call me Tom, if you don't mind. Every
(06:56):
one does around here. That is all my friends, of course,
he added quickly. Then we'd like to be your friends,
said Betty, with a smile and a calm look at Molly,
who was making signs behind Tom's back, obvious signs they
were too. Betty looked triumphant, as though saying, there, didn't
(07:17):
I tell you Tom. Osborne proved that he knew something
about motor boats and was also versed in the ways
of making girls comfortable. He asked if they wanted him
to steer, and as Betty had not taken a craft
down the river very often. She agreed. The girls sat
on the after deck under a widespread awning and chatted
(07:37):
of the sides they saw. They merged into Lake Chad,
skirted its shores, and swept into the river. Beyond they
passed several other power craft and one or two houseboats,
in which were gay parties. At the suggestion of Tom,
they decided to go up a little side stream to
where he said was a pleasant place to eat lunch,
(08:00):
and this they reached about noon. Now, if you girls
want to walk about and see what there is to
be seen, he told them, I'll get out the victuals
and set the table on the grass under that tree,
and he indicated it I'll call you when I'm ready.
Betty and her chums assented, and Tom proceeded to set
(08:20):
out the luncheon. The girl strolled on for some distance,
and Mollie, attracted by some flowers on the end of
a small spit of land extending for some distance into
the stream, walked toward them, the others following. They picked
many blossoms and were watching a pair of large turtles
when Amy glancing toward the mainland, which was reached by
(08:44):
crossing a narrow neck of sand, uttered a cry of alarm. Look,
she gasped, pointing to two long black objects stretched right
across the narrow place. Alligators, two big ones. It was
only too true, the girl's way back was blocked. End
of Chapter seventeen, read by Nancy Cochran Gergen Gilbert, Arizona,
(09:09):
January three, two thousand twenty two.
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