“I think they were frightened away!”
Trixie gasped. “What makes you think so?”
“Because of what Uncle Monty told me a while ago,” Di explained. “He said that late yesterday afternoon a Mexican man he’s never seen before arrived at the Orlandos’ cabin which is not far from the side door to the pantry. Uncle Monty was in there for some reason when he heard loud voices coming from the cabin.
Señor
Orlando and the stranger were shouting at each other in Spanish, and Uncle Monty couldn’t understand much of what they said except that he gathered the stranger was threatening the
señor
.”
Trixie gasped again. “Oh, oh! Maybe the stranger will come back and threaten Maria!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Di said. “If so, she’ll depart as suddenly and as mysteriously as the others did.”
Chapter 7
Trixie Is Suspicious
A bell rang then and shortly afterward the guests began to troop into the dining-room to take their places at the various tables. Rosita signaled to the girls that they should seat themselves at a small table near the swinging door to the kitchen.
“It is not the ideal spot,” she admitted as she joined them a minute later. “But we cannot be underfoot while the boys serve the meal. I am afraid that at first they will behave like a herd of buffaloes and will not bring us a thing to eat. We shall have to be content with these rolls and the water Honey provided us with.”
Trixie snorted. “Cells—bread and water. So this is Arizona in December!”
Dimples appeared on both of Rosita’s brown cheeks. “It will not always seem like prison to you, Trixie. It is just that Maria and I felt that the boys should be left alone to make all of their mistakes this first evening. They are accustomed to serving a great many young people at camp, but it is different here. They must learn the difference the hard way. If we girls shouldoffer to help them they might turn in their uniforms and quit.”
“Uniforms—?” Trixie began, and then she saw what amounted to the answer to her question. Jim came through the swinging door expertly balancing a tray on the fingers and thumb of one hand. But this balancing feat was not what amazed Trixie. What made her blink rapidly was the fact that he was dressed in what appeared to be a bullfighter’s costume: a white silk shirt with flowing sleeves, a richly embroidered red velvet vest, and tight-fitting pants to match. He was followed closely by Brian and Mart, both of whom were wearing similar costumes and bearing aloft laden trays.
Dark-haired Brian looked very handsome and rather Spanish, but redheaded Jim, and Mart with his close-cropped sandy hair, looked so funny that Trixie burst out laughing.
“Sh-h,” Honey counseled, and Trixie quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. “Rosita’s right,” continued Honey in a whisper. “If we interfere in any way they might quit and then we’ll have to do everything.”
Trixie immediately sobered. In a minute or two she admitted in an awed tone of voice, “Why, they’re really wonderful. You can see that the guests are impressed. How did they ever learn to be such experts?”
“Maria,” Rosita replied, “has been rehearsing them. They catch on quickly, your brothers. Especially Jim and Mart. They like to act. I think they could have a career on the stage as comedians. Brian—he has natural grace and skill with his hands. He is the one who is going to become a doctor?”
“That’s right,” Trixie said. She pointed with her little finger. “Look at your father and uncle, Di. They’re even more impressed than the guests.”
Di sighed. “Dad’s so happy that the whole thing has been worked out. He’s leaving right after dinner to continue on to the Coast. In a way I wish he wouldn’t. Suppose we girls are flops? If we are, Uncle Monty will have to let us stay on anyway. It’s going to be awfully embarrassing.”
Honey giggled. “I’m the only one who should worry about
Trixie gasped. “What makes you think so?”
“Because of what Uncle Monty told me a while ago,” Di explained. “He said that late yesterday afternoon a Mexican man he’s never seen before arrived at the Orlandos’ cabin which is not far from the side door to the pantry. Uncle Monty was in there for some reason when he heard loud voices coming from the cabin.
Señor
Orlando and the stranger were shouting at each other in Spanish, and Uncle Monty couldn’t understand much of what they said except that he gathered the stranger was threatening the
señor
.”
Trixie gasped again. “Oh, oh! Maybe the stranger will come back and threaten Maria!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Di said. “If so, she’ll depart as suddenly and as mysteriously as the others did.”
Chapter 7
Trixie Is Suspicious
A bell rang then and shortly afterward the guests began to troop into the dining-room to take their places at the various tables. Rosita signaled to the girls that they should seat themselves at a small table near the swinging door to the kitchen.
“It is not the ideal spot,” she admitted as she joined them a minute later. “But we cannot be underfoot while the boys serve the meal. I am afraid that at first they will behave like a herd of buffaloes and will not bring us a thing to eat. We shall have to be content with these rolls and the water Honey provided us with.”
Trixie snorted. “Cells—bread and water. So this is Arizona in December!”
Dimples appeared on both of Rosita’s brown cheeks. “It will not always seem like prison to you, Trixie. It is just that Maria and I felt that the boys should be left alone to make all of their mistakes this first evening. They are accustomed to serving a great many young people at camp, but it is different here. They must learn the difference the hard way. If we girls shouldoffer to help them they might turn in their uniforms and quit.”
“Uniforms—?” Trixie began, and then she saw what amounted to the answer to her question. Jim came through the swinging door expertly balancing a tray on the fingers and thumb of one hand. But this balancing feat was not what amazed Trixie. What made her blink rapidly was the fact that he was dressed in what appeared to be a bullfighter’s costume: a white silk shirt with flowing sleeves, a richly embroidered red velvet vest, and tight-fitting pants to match. He was followed closely by Brian and Mart, both of whom were wearing similar costumes and bearing aloft laden trays.
Dark-haired Brian looked very handsome and rather Spanish, but redheaded Jim, and Mart with his close-cropped sandy hair, looked so funny that Trixie burst out laughing.
“Sh-h,” Honey counseled, and Trixie quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. “Rosita’s right,” continued Honey in a whisper. “If we interfere in any way they might quit and then we’ll have to do everything.”
Trixie immediately sobered. In a minute or two she admitted in an awed tone of voice, “Why, they’re really wonderful. You can see that the guests are impressed. How did they ever learn to be such experts?”
“Maria,” Rosita replied, “has been rehearsing them. They catch on quickly, your brothers. Especially Jim and Mart. They like to act. I think they could have a career on the stage as comedians. Brian—he has natural grace and skill with his hands. He is the one who is going to become a doctor?”
“That’s right,” Trixie said. She pointed with her little finger. “Look at your father and uncle, Di. They’re even more impressed than the guests.”
Di sighed. “Dad’s so happy that the whole thing has been worked out. He’s leaving right after dinner to continue on to the Coast. In a way I wish he wouldn’t. Suppose we girls are flops? If we are, Uncle Monty will have to let us stay on anyway. It’s going to be awfully embarrassing.”
Honey giggled. “I’m the only one who should worry about
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