“We’ve got more than enough things to sell, and none of those plans are a bit of good. What we want to do is to take all that stuff up to Wampoag, in this old boat of yours, and peddle them at the big hotels.”
“I think so, too,” agreed Winona, “but the girls haven’t gotten unanimous yet. You know Nataly Lee’s going to fight to the last ditch against selling things that way. I don’t know whether she thinks it’s too hard work or too undignified, but you can see she isn’t going to stand for it one little bit.”
“Oh, that girl makes me tired!” said Louise. “I’m not going to wait for their old unanimity. I tell you, Win, I have a plan!”
“Well, go ahead!” Winona encouraged.
“To-morrow morning,” said Louise. “You and I will slide off early, like the Third Little Pig, and pack the boat with all the junk we have ready. It’s all in the boxes in the store-place. Then we’ll row to Wampoag, and just sell things all day!”
“How’ll we get them away without anybody seeing us?” objected Winona, who liked the plan very much. “It would be gorgeous if we could manage it.”
“We’ll have to go now and sneak the stuff into the boat before bedtime,” said Louise. “We can pile them on that amateur stretcher we used to carry Florence. I think nobody ever took it apart.”
“Hurrah! Come on, then!” said Winona, and the two girls slid off into the shadows.
It was not such very hard work. They filled their two suitcases, and put what wouldn’t go in the suitcases on the stretcher; and had everything in the boat and covered up with a waterproof blanket before their absence had been noticed. Then they stole back into the circle as innocently as kittens, in time to sing “Mammy Moon” at the tops of their voices with the rest.
They were both on the policing shift that week, so it was easy for them to arrange to get their share of camp-work over early. By half-past eight in the morning they were rowing gayly down the river in the direction of Wampoag. Florence wanted to come, but they had to repress her. She might have been in their way.