CHAPTER X AN UPSET CANOE

After a moment of silence—a tense moment—the footsteps passed on again. The two chums looked at each other.

“Who could it have been?” whispered Dorothy.

“Give it up,” replied Tavia, recklessly. “None of our friends, or they would have come in.”

Softly she opened the door and peered out.

“Whoever it was, they’re out of sight, and I don’t mean that for slang, either,” she announced. “But say, Doro, dear, I don’t see why I can’t find that picture. It’s disappeared most mysteriously. I don’t like it.”

“But you will find it. Perhaps it blew out of the window,” Dorothy suggested.

“Maybe,” Tavia replied, “but I have lost something else.”

“What?”

“A slip of paper I took out of the candy box. It had an address on it, and I wanted it.”

76 “But it was not yours, if you took it from Jean’s box.”

“That’s the very reason I wanted it. Well, never mind. Wash up and we’ll go out in the woods. Maybe we’ll dig up some more lunch carts.”

“I don’t believe I care to,” Dorothy answered. “I want to wait for the mail. Besides, my eyes would betray me,” and she glanced in the mirror to confirm her suspicion.

“All right. I’ll go out, hunt up the news, and fetch it back to you. In the meantime you might be hunting up your photo for me. I feel lonely without it,” and Tavia, without making any other preparation than picking up a parasol, was gone.

Dorothy did not sit down and cry, although she felt gloomy indeed, but, as her trunk had arrived, she buried her “blues” in the work of getting things in order.

Tavia met her “cronies” in the cedar¹ clump². They were planning for the “rumpus,” and as the two factions³ were rivals, each would, of course, try to “perpetrate” the greatest surprise.

Cologne and Ned asked about Dorothy, but Tavia managed to reply without really answering.

“The rumpus this year must be classic,” declared Molly Richards. “We are growing up, and Mrs. Pangborn won’t allow any tom-boying.”

77 “Then count me out,” announced Tavia, “for I couldn’t have a smitch of fun classicing.”

“You don’t know how much fun it is to try to look in a pool like Psyche⁴, and have a real frog jump out at you. However, if you have no suggestions to make there is no use in telling all ours,” and Molly, or Dick, as they called her, put up her note book.

“I suggest refreshments,” Tavia volunteered, “but I will have to calendar my fee. I am, as usual, penniless.”

“And we are to re-name our club,” said Edna. “What do you think of the Tarts—meaning tarters, of course.”

“I’ll just wager⁵ that’s what the ‘T’s’ stand for! Fancy us hitting the same name. Wouldn’t it be a joke,” and, in anticipation⁶, Tavia tossed a ball of grass in Nita Brant’s ear.

“I wouldn’t have that,” declared Ned. “They would call us copy cats!”

“There’s nothing better than the Glens,” Cologne proclaimed. “And, since we are the seniors, I believe we ought to keep to that.”

“Let’s vote then,” Nita suggested. “We are sure to be satisfied if we all have our say.”

“Being chairman of the executive committee,” said Cologne, “I call for a vote.”

“Make it a straw vote,” Tavia said. “I’ll get the straws. Long will be for, and short against.”

78 When the straws were counted the decision was for Glens; and so that matter was disposed of.

It took a full hour to make all the plans, and Dorothy’s ready originality⁷ was greatly missed. It was the first time in her days at Glenwood that she had not helped plan the “rumpus.”

Finally the group scattered⁸, most of the girls taking to the pretty lake for either canoeing or rowing. Ned and Tavia went in the canoe with the closed ends, or air compartments⁹, while Dick took a party of the newcomers out in the big, red rowboat, with the golden “G’s” on either side.

In the narrows, a part of the stream so called because the trees leaned over there, Tavia’s canoe passed Jean Faval’s.

“She ought to learn to paddle,” Tavia remarked. “See how she digs.”

“But she looks pretty—I guess that’s the main point—with Jean,” replied Ned.

“She’s going to turn,” Tavia said. Scarcely were the words uttered than Jean did turn—right out of her canoe into the waters of Sunshine Lake.

“Oh, it’s deep there!” called Ned. “Let’s get to her.”

Tavia paddled quickly, and soon reached the spot where Jean was holding on to the upturned canoe.

79 “Don’t be afraid,” Tavia called to the one in the water. “It can’t sink.”

“But I can,” came the frightened reply. “Oh, do help me in!”

“We couldn’t get the water out of it,” answered Tavia. “It isn’t far to shore. Can you swim any?”

“A little!” gasped¹⁰ Jean.

“Then just get a hold of our canoe and keep exactly in line with us. In that way we can tow you to shore.”

Frightened as Jean was, she was still more afraid to be trailed through the water. But when both girls assured her that there was no other way, as she could not get her canoe righted, neither could she get in with them, she finally consented to the plan.

It took some skill to guide the canoe just right, but Ned balanced the craft while Tavia paddled straight and directly for shore.

Indeed, the proud girl was a sorry sight when she was landed, and scarcely thanking the rescuers, she dashed across the fields for her room in Glenwood Hall.

1 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

2 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

3 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

4 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

5 wager   

n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌

参考例句：

• They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
• I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。

6 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

7 originality   

n.创造力，独创性；新颖

参考例句：

• The name of the game in pop music is originality.流行音乐的本质是独创性。
• He displayed an originality amounting almost to genius.他显示出近乎天才的创造性。

8 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

9 compartments   

n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层

参考例句：

• Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》