“Well, I’ll tell you! I’ve got to be about these diggings for another ten days or two weeks at least, and if the scouts want to take a little canoe trip during that time, I think it will be fine! What do you say, Captain?” and Mr. Gilroy turned to Mrs. Vernon.
“You seem to have settled everything before you asked my opinion. Yet there would be no scouts in the Rockies if I were not responsible for each one of them on this trip!”
“Why, Captain! I imagined you were as eager for this trip as the girls seem to be!” exclaimed Mr. Gilroy, aghast.
“Eager—what for? Losing half the scouts in a whirlpool because of a silly notion of Juliet’s?” The very mention of Julie’s full name sobered every one considerably, for they realized that the Captain was very serious in her objecting to this new risk.
Mr. Gilroy suggested, “Can you two men spend the day with Mrs. Vernon and the scouts? I’ve simply got to rush away and meet Mr. Vernon. Then we will plan to-night after dinner, and see what we can do. I do know that there’s no use your trailing back unless you go all the way to Loveland or Boulder for your mounts—and you won’t want to lose all that time, I’m sure.”
So Mr. Kenmore and his friend, Mr. Neil, spent a pleasant day with the scouts, and at night the subject of canoeing was again debated.
Finally, Joan said, “It’s foolish of Verny to say we will drown, when we won badges for our canoeing last year, and carried off the prizes for our county this spring.”
“These girls are better swimmers and more expert canoeists than most,” added Mr. Gilroy.
“Besides, my dear,” said Mr. Vernon to his wife, “it is not as if they had to paddle. With expert Indians to guide the crafts, why do you feel so timid about the trip?”
“We only have Tally, and he can paddle but one canoe at a time. If only Omney were here, he could take charge of one, and I could manage the other one,” sighed Mrs. Vernon, feeling overcome by the combined arguments of the others.