“Why not?” inquired Hartley. “Here’s the lake handy to remove the burnt cork.”
“Well, we’ll see. Put it down, Ash. Now, let’s see, I suppose we ought to begin with a feed. What shall it be, Jean? You’re the authority on wittles.”
“If we had ice we could have ice-cream, for the cream is easy to get from the farmhouse,” replied Jean.
“So’s the ice easy to get; we’ll look into that. Well, suppose we say ice-cream and cake, though it seems to me something warmer would be more comforting; the nights are chilly,” Ran remarked.
“Jean could eat ice-cream sitting on an iceberg with her feet in a snow-drift,” remarked Jo. “Let’s have something warm if we can, Jean.”
“Suppose we have an old time country feast,” Daniella proposed, “nuts and cider, apples and gingerbread.”
“Something typical of the region? It wouldn’t be bad. Cider and apples are plentiful enough, and we can bribe Hetty to make the gingerbread, while as for nuts, if we can do no better we’ll have peanuts. We might toast marshmallows, too, if any one cares for them after having so many this season.” Jo was the speaker.
“What’s wrong with a corn-roast?” inquired Ashby.
“All right. The best yet. Good boy!” cried Hartley. “Put her down. Now read.”
“Early evening, minstrel show, followed by corn-roast and fireworks; that simplifies matters. Speeches and stunts included in show; fireworks as finale,” Ashby read from his note-book.