“It will be awfully cold,” she complained. “There isn’t any heater. How’ll we keep from freezing?”
“Oh, we’ll run all day and take a hot brick to bed at night,” said the practical Jess.
“I think it will be great! Is that your secret, Fred?” asked Polly.
“Yes,” admitted Fred.
“You see,” he went on, “I was back of the sofa, hunting for my cap, when Mother and Dad came into the parlor and began talking about it. I heard some before I could wriggle out, and then they told me the rest and I promised not to tell. They wanted to get all the plans fixed before they let us know.”
“And we’re all going? What a lark!” cried Jess. “We never did that before.”
“Well, you’re all going,” said Fred. “But Mr. and Mrs. Larue and Mr. and Mrs. Marley are going to Rye to have dinner with Mr. Field and his sister and his two cousins—you know, Mr. Kirby and Mr. Adams. Mr. Kirby planned it. He wrote and asked us all to come, every single one of us.”
“My goodness, that would have been—two—six—ten of us; no, twelve,” said Margy, calculating swiftly.
“That’s what Mother said—that twelve was too many,” Fred replied. “So she talked it over with the other mothers, and at first, Mother told me, they thought they’d all go and leave us at home. Then they decided that was kind of mean on Thanksgiving, so Mother and Dad offered to take us all to the island. You know Dad likes to be outdoors. Mr. Kirby wrote and said that plan was all right, but Dad and Mother must come to dinner New Year’s. He asked them for Christmas, but of course they couldn’t go away from home on Christmas.”
“Of course not,” echoed Polly. “So we’re going with your father and mother in the car. I’m so excited, I can hardly wait!”