Penny, Ann Mary and Kitty decided it would be wise to make out menus for a week in advance. “That means,” Penny said, “that right after breakfast tomorrow morning we had better plan the first week’s menu. An awful lot of guests are arriving the first weekend in July.”
She sighed wearily. “I guess everything has been taken care of except the laundry. We’ll all have our hands full after this week, so I don’t see what we can possibly do about that.”
“Got any ideas, Ann Mary?” Philip asked.
Ann Mary thought for a minute. “There’s a new laundry-mat in the village—just opened the other day. If we could find someone who would come out twice a week, bring in the soiled linen, wash it in one of the automatic machines, and bring it back damp dry, Kitty, Theresa and I could handle the ironing.”
“A swell idea,” Pat said. “I’ll ask around in the village when I go in tomorrow. Anyone, even a mere man,” he added with a chuckle, “can run one of those spin-dry slot machines. All we need to do is find someone with a car who’ll tote the stuff back and forth for a fair price.”
“I guess that takes care of everything,” Penny said. “Has anybody thought of anything else?”
Jimmy thought it would be a good idea to buy a sailboat, but that suggestion was promptly vetoed. “We are going to try and make money before we spend it, young man,” said Philip. “But if you and Alf and Brook Sanders want to fix up one out of what we have, that’s all right with me.”
“Watch us!” retorted Jimmy and immediately suggested that a few canoes wouldn’t cost much. But once again Phil put a damper on his ideas.
At this point Jimmy wanted to know what kind of a suggestion he could make that would not be vetoed, and Penny and Phil both chimed in at once with, “Let’s call it a day.”
“But, before the meeting breaks up,” Philip said soberly, “I want to make an announcement. I don’t think it’s really important, but I think you should all hear it.”