Marjorie laughed good-naturedly.
“Girls, you know I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to,” she assured them. “But we must have our meeting tomorrow night—and then we’ll put everything to a vote. Be sure to come at seven-thirty sharp—right here in our cabin.”
“We’ll all be there!” said Doris.
Although the girls pretended not to be enthusiastic about their meeting, there was not one of them who did not really want it. The Girl Scout troop had grown to be a part of their lives, and they dreaded the time when they would have to give it up. So, without a single exception, they all appeared on time the following evening.
Marjorie opened the meeting with the usual formality. Alice was elected secretary, and the business was conducted in an orderly manner.
“I have a number of plans to talk over this evening,” said Marjorie, “and I want your opinions and suggestions.
“First of all, I would like our troop to do something for the ranch—something to make the people realize that the Girl Scouts are a worth-while body. I wish it could be something permanent, so that everybody who comes here every year might benefit by it!”
Most of the girls approved the idea, but Ethel shook her head discouragingly.
“I’m sorry not to fall in with your plans,” she said, “but I am afraid there isn’t much that a group of girls can do around a ranch. Mr. Hilton and the help would probably resent it—and besides, we don’t know enough about anything. I—really—I hate to say it, Marj,—but I’m afraid they would think it was presumptuous.”
Marjorie was too sensible to be hurt at Ethel’s words; instead, she made an effort to see the proposition from the other angle.