g myself soon. I never did chew gum! But I've been terribly bored
lately by some rather flip young creatures I've had to see more or less,
and I decided to cut it out and talk plain English. What are you smiling
at?"

Then, as her own earnest sentences came back to her, she reddened a
little, and joined Catherine in smiling. "Isn't that a fright? I mean,
isn't that startling? I didn't know I used it so much. Do you suppose I
can cure myself and still have time and attention to give to starting
the library? It's time we were down there now."

"All right. I'm ready, as soon as I get my hat. Do you ever wear them at
college?"

"Never. Now while we go along, tell me just what your idea is. What did
the Hampton ladies say?"

Catherine thrust her hatpins in, as she hurried down the steps.

"They advised having some club take it up, for a time at least, and they
thought it would be nice to have it be the Boat Club instead of a
literary one, because the literary ones often have a spirit of
competition, and if one of them started the library the others might not
feel inclined to use it."

"I see, and the Boat Club, besides being unsectarian and
interdenominational and non-partisan, has a lot of waste enthusiasm and
energy that might just as well be put to work. Father says he is sure
that when the thing is really running, the council will vote a tax and
take it off our hands. You are sure Algernon can run it? I thought it
took years of special training."

"It does," Catherine answered gravely, "but we could not afford a
trained librarian, and Algernon is intelligent and will study. Miss
Adams gave him hints as to books to get, and she will help him. He can
go over there when he gets into difficulties. She seemed to like him.
They talked about all sorts of technical things,--Algernon had a lot of
information stowed away in his head, of course,--and she didn't seem
bored at all."

"I've often thought I shouldn't be, if I knew anything about the
subjects he talks about," confessed Polly. "There are Bertha and Agnes."
She trilled to the two girls ahead, who turned and waited.

On the flat roof of the boat house half a dozen members of the club were
assembled. Polly hastened to take her seat and call the meeting to
order.

"Max Penfield will act as secretary, and we shall expect the minutes
done in the most approved University style. Archie Bradly, will you
please state the object of the meeting?"

"Fo' de lan's sake,