"Sure," said Honey, "it'll blow over in a few days. But now that they
can walk, let's offer to teach them how to dance and play tennis and
bocci and golf. And I'll tell you what - we'll lay out some gardens for
them - make them think they're beautifying the place. We might even
teach them how to put up shelves and a few little carpentering tricks
like that. That'll hold them for a while. Oh, you'll all come round to
my tactics sooner or later! Pay them compliments! Give them presents!
Jolly them along! And say, it will be fun to have some mixed doubles.
Gee, though, they'll be something fierce now they've learned how to
walk. They'll be here half the time. They'll have so many ideas how the
New Camp ought to be built and a woman is such an obstinate cuss. Asking
questions and arguing and interfering - they delay things so. We've got
to find out something harmless that'll keep them busy."
"Oh, we never can have them here - never in the world," Ralph agreed.
"But we'll fix them to-night. How about it, old top?" he inquired
jovially of Frank.
Frank did not answer.
In point of fact they did not "fix" the women that night, owing to the
simple reason that they found the camp deserted - not a sign of woman or
child in sight or hearing.
"Well, there's one thing about it," Ralph said on their way back to the
New Camp the next morning, "you can always beat any woman's game by just
ignoring it. They can stand anything but not being noticed. Now our play
is to do nothing and say nothing. They're on this island somewhere. They
can't walk off it, and they can't swim off it, and they can't fly off
it. They may stay away for day or more or possibly two. By the end of
week they'll certainly be starved out. And they'll be longing for our
society. We want to keep right at work as if nothing had happened. Let
them go and come as they please. But we take no notice - see! We've done
that once before and we can do it again. When they come home, they'll be
a pretty tired-out, hungry, discouraged gang of girls. I bet we never
hear another word out of them on this subject."
The men worked as usual the whole morning; but they talked less. They
were visibly preoccupied. At every pause, they glanced furtively up the
trail. When noon came, it was evident that they dropped their tools with
relief. They sat with their eyes glued to the path.