A TROPICAL PARADISE
The signing of the hotel register was not an easy task, for there were
many other guests waiting to do the same thing. Mr. Mason finally
managed it, however, and he and his rather large family were whirled up
in a roomy elevator to the fifth floor and were shown to their rooms by
a well-mannered and friendly bellboy.
Bess and Nan were to room together and Grace and Rhoda had a room right
off theirs, connected by a door, so that it was really as if the girls
were all in one room.
"Come down on the porch when you are ready, girls," said Walter, just
before he disappeared into his own room, "and we'll wander around and
see the sights."
Nan and Bess were delighted with their room, for it was large and airy
and commanded a beautiful view of Lake Worth, upon which the Royal
Poinciana Hotel is situated. Grace's and Rhoda's room also faced the
lake.
"Oh, girls, look at all the boats!" squealed Bess, dancing delightedly
up and down before one of the windows. "They are so thick you can hardly
see any water between them."
"The _Bargain Rush_ is down there somewhere," said Grace, as she and Nan
ran across the room to peek over Bess's shoulder. "Dad made an awful
fuss about having it shipped all the way, but Walter said he didn't want
to come if he couldn't have it."
"But, Grace, this is the first word you have said about the _Bargain
Rush_," said Bess reproachfully. "And you know just how unhappy we'd be
if we did not have a boat down here."
"I've heard about Lake Worth being such a beautiful harbor for the
pleasure boats of the Palm Beach tourists," said Rhoda happily, "but I
never imagined it was half so beautiful."
"But where is the ocean?" asked Bess, as they turned from the window and
began a hurried "freshening process." "I declare, I'm all mixed up."
"The ocean is in back of us, silly," Nan informed her. "Didn't you
notice the beautiful beach down there as we came along? There were
people in bathing, too. Oh, don't I wish I could go in myself this very
minute. Just think of it--surf bathing in February!"
"Br-r-r, stop it," commanded Bess with a shiver. "You make me chilly."
They were ready to see the sights in a surprisingly short time, and Bess
noticed as they stepped out into the corridor that Nan locked the door
very carefully and slipped the key into her pocket.
"You aren't worrying about those men yet, are you?" she asked.
"No-o," said Nan a little doubtfully. "But it is always just as well to
be on the safe side."
Together with other girls and boys and men and women, all, like
themselves, on pleasure bent, the girls made their way down to the lobby
of the great hotel. Seeing nothing of Walter there, they rather timidly
stepped out upon the veranda.
The size of it made them gasp, and for a moment they just stood staring
stupidly at the seemingly endless vista of chairs and tables and
people--Nan and the others were sure there were millions of people.
They might have stood there forever, had not Nan become suddenly aware
of the admiring glances of several of the crowd that thronged the
piazza. For the four modishly dressed girls formed a very pretty and
striking picture.
"Let's sit down or something--everybody is staring at us," she whispered
to Rhoda, but at that moment Rhoda caught sight of Walter and waved a
commanding hand.
"So here you are," said the boy, his face lighting up with pleasure at
the unexpected sight of the girls. "Right this way, ladies. Say," he
added, as they started down the steps together, "you're looking great,
girls. It isn't every fellow who has the chance to escort four pippins
at Palm Beach."
"Pippins!" repeated Grace emphatically, while the others giggled. "You
know that's vulgar, Walter."
"Vulgar or not, it's the truth," said Walter cheerfully. "Isn't this
some garden?" he went on.
The Royal Poinciana Hotel was set in a tropical paradise of gorgeous
flowers and shrubs and trees, the beauty of which no one who has not
seen it can imagine.
One tree in particular caught Nan's eye and she pointed it out eagerly.
"Look at that gorgeous thing," she cried. "What is it, Walter--a shrub
or a tree or a flower, or a mixture of all of them?"
"That's the Royal Poinciana tree," explained Walter. "It is a beauty,
isn't it? The hotel is named for the tree, you know."
They wandered on again, exclaiming at every step, so happy and excited
that more than one person in passing turned to look after them with an
indulgent smile.
There were the golf links between the two hotels, and men who "looked
old enough to know better," to quote Bess, were wandering over the
velvet green sward with faithful caddies trailing along in the rear.
"I don't see what possible fun they can find in just batting a foolish
little ball about," was Nan's comment, and Rhoda turned to her with a
laugh.
"About the same pleasure that you find in batting a foolish little
tennis ball about," she said, and Nan caught her up indignantly.
"But that's different!" she said, and they laughed at her.
"Look!" cried Grace, a moment later, pointing to some beautiful level
tennis courts where several animated sets of singles were in progress.
"You can't say we don't give you every kind of amusement here, Nan."
"It's wonderful," sighed Nan happily. "I'm glad now that I thought to
pack my racket before I started. My, how I would like to be out there
now." For Nan was a tennis enthusiast, and really could play the game
well.
"I'll play you a game to-morrow morning," challenged Walter, and she
took him up eagerly.
"Any time you say," she laughed. "And I'll take the court with the sun
in my eyes!"
They must have wandered on for a long time, for the sun was getting low
when they finally turned to go back. They had passed "cottages" which
must have cost their owners a small fortune to build and several small
fortunes to maintain.
Walter pointed out to them a club of millionaires whose membership was
something like two hundred, with three hundred more prospective members
on the waiting list.
"Goodness!" exclaimed Bess, "I think I shall have to break in there some
time. Think of seeing two hundred millionaires all in one place, instead
of only a dozen!"
"If you break in, Bess, you may get into trouble," said Walter, with a
twinkle in his eye. "What if several of the millionaires proposed to you
at once? You wouldn't know which one to take, you know you wouldn't."
"Then I wouldn't take any of them," announced the girl from Tillbury
promptly.
"What, throw a real millionaire overboard?" and Walter gave a pretended
gasp.
"Of course. A millionaire might be nice to look at and very hateful to
live with," and Bess flung back her head as if that settled it.
"Oh, let's give the millionaires a rest," put in Rhoda. "I know what I'd
like."
"What?" came from several of the others.
"A horseback ride down there on the beach."
"Nothing easier," said Walter. "When do you want to go, now? If you do,
I'll get you a horse--over at the stand yonder."
"Will you go?" questioned the girl from Rose Ranch, turning to her
school chums.
"Hadn't we better wait until we are a little better acquainted?"
questioned Nan.
"All right. I suppose it's a bit hot to-day anyway," said Rhoda.
"I guess you miss the riding you used to do on the ranch," said Grace.
"I certainly do. Not but what this is very nice for a change."
It was late when they reached the hotel at last, and the girls began to
realize for the first time that they were tired.
"See you to-night," whispered Walter to Nan, as Grace, Bess and Rhoda
disappeared into the lobby. "And don't forget that tennis engagement for
to-morrow. Ten o'clock sharp."