“Why not?”
“Because we bought our canoes for exploring purposes, and not for sailing. We received such contradictory advice from those to whom we applied for information, that it was all we could do to make up our minds what kind of canoes to get; and when it came to the sails, we thought we would let them go until we could decide upon the style of rig we needed without asking any one’s advice. We may make up our minds that we don’t want any sails at all.”
“Oh, you mustn’t do that,” exclaimed Noble, “for if you do you will lose half the sport of canoeing. By the way, the club meets Saturday evening, and if you say so, I will take in your names.”
“I am obliged to you,” replied Tom. “But we had about half agreed with Wayring and Hastings to propose us for membership.”
Ralph and Loren were greatly astonished, and Prime and his friends saw that they were.
“I am sorry you did that,” said Noble. “Every one of us here present has pledged himself not to vote for any thing brought forward by Wayring and his crowd.”
“I did it before I knew what sort of boys they were,” said Tom, apologetically, “and I don’t like to go back from my word. Are you going to black-ball us for it?”
“By no means,” exclaimed all the boys, in a breath.
“We want you to help us carry out our programme,” added George Prime.
“Well, all the help you will get from me won’t amount to much, you may be sure of that,” said Tom, to himself; and his cousins were so well acquainted with him that they could tell pretty nearly what he was thinking about.