“Nobody but Roger!” she said, firmly. “He has to come or Doris would pass away.”
“That’s just what Jack and John denounced as unfair,” continued Alice. “They said if Roger could come, they could!”
“But Roger’s married. And besides, even he isn’t expected for supper.”
“I’m putting in a little extra,” observed Mrs. Munsen, “in case he should turn up unexpectedly. You don’t want the poor boy to go hungry!”
“Oh, Mrs. Munsen, you’re entirely too kind-hearted!” said Marjorie. “Let the man go to a restaurant for once; it wouldn’t hurt him!”
“What’s all this I hear about my husband?” inquired Doris, from the kitchen. “Don’t you dare abuse him!”
“Nobody’s abusing him,” laughed Ethel. “Come on, girls, hurry! It’s after two, and if we don’t get to the park early, we won’t have time to try all the amusements before supper.”
“And if we don’t try them before we eat, I’m sure we won’t want to afterwards,” remarked Alice.
“And no matter which way we do it, we’ll all probably see Marj’s ghost tonight,” added Florence. “At least if we succeed in making away with all this food Mrs. Munsen is providing.”
The preparations were finished at last, and the girls, each laden with a basket or a box of some sort, walked to the trolley-car which was to take them on their excursion. In vain John had offered his car, suggesting that they also make use of Lily’s, which was at their disposal during the latter’s absence; but all the scouts announced their preference for the more plebian mode of travel. They felt as if they would enjoy the park better if they adopted the usual method in reaching it.