“It is the power and the pleasure of this Council,” he began in a businesslike tone, “to decide all questions regarding the life here at camp. Something has come up now which will require a frank expression of opinion from each one in order to reach a decision. I have here,” indicating the sheet in his hand, “a letter from our recent acquaintance, Judge Dalrymple. The judge thanks us profusely 69 for our entertainment of him and his children, and does us the honor to say that he never saw a group of people living together in such perfect harmony, or getting so much pleasure out of life. Then he makes a proposal. He has, among his goods and chattels, a pair of twins, which, as we have reason to suspect, are rather a handful for him to manage. He finds that business calls him back to the city for the entire summer, and as his wife has gone to a sanitarium to recover from nervous prostration, he is at a loss to know what to do with the aforesaid twins. He wants to keep them outdoors all summer, because neither are as strong as they should be. He has a fancy that Ellen’s Isle is a good atmosphere in which to make spindly plants grow into hardy ones, and, in short, he asks us, nay, begs and beseeches us, if we will take the twins off his hands for the summer. What does the Council say to acquiring a good pair of twins at a reasonable price?”
From all sides there rose a storm of protest. “We wouldn’t have those twins up here for anything,” said Gladys emphatically. “We had just as much as we could stand of them in two days. Have you forgotten what a cry-baby Antha was?”
“And what a snob Anthony was?” said the Captain. “‘I guess you didn’t get much of a war canoe, did you?’ ‘I guess your papa can’t be very rich, is he?’” The Captain mimicked Anthony’s patronizing 70 tone to perfection and recalled the scene vividly to the others.
“Our whole summer up here would be ruined,” continued Gladys. “Why can’t we let well enough alone? This isn’t a reform camp for spoiled children. We came up here to rest and play; not to wear ourselves out with people of that kind.”
Everywhere her sentiments were echoed. Mr. Evans gave no sign of his secret wish that the Council would take the twins. The others did not know the details of the failure of the spring water company, nor the judge’s connection with it.
“Then the Council decides that we shall turn down the judge’s proposition?” asked Mr. Evans. “Let each one register his or her vote, for or against. If you want them to come, say yes, if not, no. Gladys.”
“No.”
“Slim.”
“No.”
“Migwan.”