“Yes. He says he thinks it is a good idea, and that he has been wanting a place where he could do his own developing if he wanted to.”
“Mr. Thornton boards at Mrs. Peckpole’s,” said Owen, “and you know what a crank she is. Nobody could ever do any developing in her house.”
“I never thought of men and women joining the club,” said Allan, a little perplexed.
McConnell was decidedly amused. “What will they think of us kids for officers?”
“We shall have to have a regular constitution with by-laws,” said Allan, “and then they can elect new officers.”
What actually happened was this: Within two weeks there were twenty applications for membership in the club. The applicants included Miss Manston, the Mayor’s daughter, Mrs. Creigh, the librarian, Mr. Austin, the Congregational clergyman, Mr. Goodstone of the bank, and Major Mines from the Ardmore Farm,—an aggregation that filled Allan with no little trepidation. When a constitution and by-laws had been drawn up, a thing happened that very much surprised Allan and his first associates; for on motion of Mr. Thornton all of the original officers were reëlected for a year. Allan could scarcely believe the vote, and Owen grew very red with embarrassment. As for McConnell, he seemed perfectly at home, and only chuckled with pleasure as he recorded the vote in his note-book.
“The first meet took place on the following Saturday.”
The first formal meeting had been held in the larger of the two front rooms in the coach-house, and the fifteen members who attended did not find themselves greatly crowded. Under the new constitution two officers were added—a Vice-President and a Curator. Mrs. Creigh was elected Vice-President, and the office of Curator was bestowed upon Mr. Goodstone, who, it appeared after a while (the boys could not fancy, at first, what a curator was for), would supervise the buying of supplies for the club, and have authority over the club rooms. The funds from the increased membership enabled the club to complete in a satisfactory way the arrangement of the dark room and other quarters. One feature of the small room created by the dark-room partition was a series of lockers, each member thus being provided with a place in which to keep his personal implements and supplies.
Dr. Hartel refused to accept any rental for the rooms, but did not refuse an election as honorary member, and watched the progress of the club with great pride. When Edith read in the Hazenfield Herald about the Camera Club election of officers, and saw Allan’s name at the head of the list, she laughed with pleasure.