her joy and excitement fairly
drowned out Pee-wee who was struggling with a vehement running
narrative of the day's adventures.

"Oh, it will be simply _divine_," said Minerva. "Listen--don't
interrupt me--I'm going to have the refreshments served on this island.
I'm going to have the old painter's scaffold for a _gang-plank_ leading
to it----"

"There are refreshments then?" Townsend asked quietly.

"Refreshments? Aren't you perfectly _terrible_! Of course there
are--_oceans_ of them."

"No more oceans for me," said Townsend. "Hereafter I'm going to live
on shore. My sailing--flopping--days are over."

"You're too funny for anything," said Minerva. "Listen, do you see
that little tent? The refreshments are all in there. There's just
time before the guests all come to move everything over here. I want
you boys to help me. We're going to call it the _dessert island_
instead of the _desert island_. Isn't that adorable? Isn't it odd?
Everyone will go into raptures over it, you see if they don't. You'll
let us use your island, won't you?"

"We'll make you a present of it," said Townsend.

"My idea," said Miss Timerson, "would be to tie it to these bushes that
stick out over the water. It ought to be far enough away from the--the
mainland--to be romantic. How far away do you think it should be, Mr.
Ripley?"

"The way I feel about it I think it should be at least two thousand
miles off."

"Silly!" said Miss Daring. "Please be serious. Do you think about
three yards would be romantic?"

"I never measured romance by the yard," said Townsend, "but I should
think about three yards and a half of romance would be enough. If we
have any left over we can give it to the discoverer. He eats it alive."

"And I'll tell you what I'll do," shouted Pee-wee; "it's an
inspiration."

"Another?" Townsend asked.

"I'll--I'll--I'll stay on the island----"

"I thought so," said Townsend.

"And--and--I'll stand right here by the traffic sign and after somebody
that's eating has had enough, I'll turn the sign so it says STOP; I'll
turn it so it's facing him."

"Did you ever hear anything so absurd?" said Minerva.

"I think it would be picturesque," said Dora.

"And sensible, too," said Margaret, "because some of those scouts will
just stay here and gorge themselves and won't dance at all."

"I think it's a very good idea," said Townsend; "it will relieve
congestion here. A food traffic cop."

"I'll be