And the Winnebagos, remembering Hinpoha’s sad experience the year before, decided that it was perhaps better after all to keep out of the affair altogether.
“I thought you’d see it my way after you’d considered all sides,” said Katherine, reaching out her long fingers and taking three pieces of fudge off the plate where it was cooling, “but that isn’t what I wanted to talk about tonight. It’s Cora Burton that bothers me. She isn’t a bad sort of girl, and I can’t see why she should want to get mixed up in that sort of thing, especially when there’s bound to be trouble later. If she were to be seen with those boys Friday night it would go hard with her. I suppose she thinks she’s right in the swim being connected with a prank, because she isn’t very popular otherwise. The other girls that are in it aren’t ladylike and it’s not much use getting after them, but Cora’s different, somehow. I wish something could be done about it.” And she crunched a piece of fudge between her teeth with violence.
“We might get up a show that night and each one bring a friend, and you could invite Cora,” suggested Sahwah. “Counter attraction, you know.”
The suggestion was voted a good one and promptly acted upon. But Cora declined Katherine’s cordial invitation. “What’s to be done now?” asked Katherine of the hastily called meeting of the Winnebagos. “Our counter attraction didn’t work.”
“Girls,” said Gladys solemnly, “I believe it’s our duty to keep Cora away from that business somehow. If we were smart enough we’d find a way. I don’t believe we ought to let the matter drop and say if she wants to get into trouble let her do it, it’s none of our affair. It is our affair, because we’re pledged to Give Service, and it would be doing Cora a great service to keep her out of this. If she’s weak and we’re strong we must hold her out of water. You remember what Dr. Harper said at the lecture about saving people from themselves. Well, I think we ought to save Cora from herself.”
The phrase, “Save Cora from herself,” sounded very fine to the ears of the Winnebagos, and they decided that Cora must be saved from herself at all costs. But how?
“I think I can manage it,” said Katherine, who had been buried deep in thought all the while the last discussion was going on. “It’ll be quite an undertaking, but the end justifies the means.”
“Tell us,” begged the girls.
“Why, it’s this,” said Katherine. “I shall tell Cora that I’ve changed my mind and want to go with her Friday night and will meet her on the corner of her street at eight o’clock. When I’ve met her I’ll tell her that I left my purse up here and ask her to come along till I get it. You know she doesn’t live very far from here. Once up here we’ll keep her safely all evening. Oh, I know that holding people against their will isn’t one of the rules of polite society, but in her case I think we’re justified. She’ll thank us for it before very long. And we’ll try to make it pleasant for her. We’ll give the show just as we intended and have a spread and her captivity won’t seem long.”
As there seemed no other way out of the difficulty, Katherine’s plan was accepted.