Ralph kissed her tenderly, and together the next day they told Mr. and Mrs. Craig of their plans.
Jean’s mother and father were very pleased at the news, but were rather relieved to know that the two did not plan to be married until Jean was older.
“It will take me quite a long time to get used to the idea of being parted from my oldest daughter,” remarked Mrs. Craig. “I’m glad you’re being sensible about it and are going to wait. You’re not completely grown up yet, Jeannie.”
17. Frank to the Rescue
The first week in August, Jean, who had acted as treasurer of the cabin fund, announced that it had proved a solid financial success. Every cabin was full and booked up to the middle of September. The girls from the Art School had persuaded two more batches to come, and Billie’s boy friends had turned their cabins into headquarters for the club they belonged to at school.
Jeff Saunders had used his car back and forth until Kit declared she was dizzy. “Jeff tears down to Richmond and takes back a couple of boys, lays off himself for a couple of weeks, and then the car comes back with three new ones, but I must say that they’re the best behaved lot of boys I ever saw. You’d hardly know they were around at all, except for the portable radios going at night. And they certainly have kept us supplied with fish ever since they came. I think it’s done Dad a world of good going away with them and kind of turning into a boy again. Frank said the other day they were going out fishing all night just as soon as the bass were running.”
Mrs. Gorham was setting the table for lunch and stopped at the last words, one hand on her hip, and a look of anxiety in her eyes.
“They ain’t calculatin’ to fish over there beyond the dam, are they? That’s where the Gaskell boy come near drowning a year ago, when his boat upset. It’s just full of sunken snags for half a mile up the river above the island.”
“I guess that’s where they’re going just the same. Billie Ellis thinks that he knows every foot of space on that upper lake and river just because he’s poled around on it for years with that old leaky, flat-bottomed boat of his.”