Boxcar Children 64 - Black Pearl Mystery Read Free

sunburned faces.”
    Not me,” Henry said. “I’m going to wear my baseball hat, only I left it in Joseph’s van. Be right back.”
    Would you bring back the travel books and brochures we picked up at the airport?” Jessie asked Henry. “I left them in the van.”
    Joseph Kahuna’s van was still parked in front of the plantation house. Henry found his baseball hat on the floor. He quickly gathered up Jessie’s travel books, papers, and brochures from under the front seat.
    By this time, the other children were all set for pineapple picking. They came looking for Henry.
    I’ll stick these papers and books in our cottage,” Jessie said to Henry. “Cousin Mary said to meet Joseph out in the fields as soon as we were ready.”
    Sure enough, Joseph Kahuna waved the Aldens over the minute they appeared. Rows of pineapple plants stretched in every direction. The ground was muddy, with puddles everywhere.
    Over here, Aldens,” Joseph said. “Since we can’t send our machines into these muddy fields, we’re picking pineapples the old Hawaiian way, with our hands. Then a runner carries them to these carts. Are there any good runners here?”
    Benny’s, Violet’s, and Soo Lee’s hands shot up. “We are! We are!” they cried.
    The Aldens were glad to see Joseph smile again. “Very good. You three children will be my runners.”
    The children followed Joseph. He stopped in front of a plant that was about the same height as Soo Lee. He took hold of the top of a pineapple. “These leaves on top are called the crown. You take hold of the crown and give it a twist.” In a flash, Joseph was holding a large pineapple. “Now you try, Jessie.”
    Jessie reached down, grabbed the pineapple crown, and tugged several times. “Ta-da!” she cried when she finally pulled a pineapple free.
    In no time, Jessie and Henry had picked several pineapples apiece. The younger children took turns carrying them down to the cart one by one.
    By late afternoon, the carts were half full of ripe, juicy-looking pineapples. The Aldens were tired, but they kept right on picking along with the other workers and volunteers. Several people sang Hawaiian songs as they went along — sad songs and happy songs.
    Singing makes the work go faster, doesn’t it, Jessie?” Violet said. “I wish I knew what those words were. Maybe Joseph can tell us when we see him at dinner.”

    At five o’clock, the Aldens heard a loud bell ring.
    Day is done,” a man named Luke from the next row over told the Aldens. “At six o’clock there will be a luau. ”
    I hope that means food,” Benny said.
    A luau’s a Hawaiian feast, Benny — roast pork, sweet potatoes, all kinds of Hawaiian fruits and vegetables,” Luke said. “Some of the food is served on big banana leaves instead of plates. Mrs. Cook said she’d have a luau at the end of the day for the volunteers and workers.”
    Benny giggled.
    What’s so funny, Benny?” Violet asked.
    Benny couldn’t stop giggling. When he finally did, he shared his joke. “I hope Cousin Mary Cook is a good cook!”
    Everyone laughed. They hoped so, too.
    At six o’clock, the Aldens joined the other pickers on the porch. After a hard day, everyone had showered and changed. Most of the men and boys wore colorful flowered shirts. The women and girls wore flowered dresses called muumuus.
    A long table stretched along one side of the porch. The middle of the table was decorated with orchids and glass bowls of colorful, delicious-looking dishes the Aldens had never seen before. At the end of the table was a large square cake with coconut frosting.
    Don’t be shy,” Cousin Mary said, waving the Aldens in along with the other pineapple pickers. “A luau needs lots of hungry people. Now, please take a big banana leaf to use as a plate and help yourselves to the feast.”
    So the Aldens helped themselves. Spotting Luke and his five-year-old daughter, Hani, at a nearby table, the children came over with their food and sat