Angel Island

Holding the tired-out little junior in her lap, Chiquita rocked and

fanned herself and napped - and woke - and rocked and fanned herself and

napped again.

"Oh, don't bore me with any talk about the New Camp," Clara was saying

to Pete. "I'm not an atom interested in it."

"But you're going to live there sometime," Pete remonstrated, wrinkling

in perplexity his fiery, freckled face.

"Yes, but I don't feel as if I were. It's all so far away. And I never

see it. If I had anything to say about it, I might feel differently. But

I haven't. So please don't inflict it on me."

"But it's the inspiration of building it for you women," Pete said

gravely, "that makes us men work like slaves. We're only doing it for

your sake. It is the expression of our love and admiration for you."

"Oh, slush!" exclaimed Clara flippantly, borrowing from Honey's

vocabulary. "You're building it to please yourself. Besides, I don't

want to be an inspiration for anything."

"All right, then," Pete said in an aggrieved tone. "But you are an

inspiration, just the same. It is the chief vocation of women." He moved

over to the desk and took up a bunch of papers there.

"Oh, are you going to write again this evening?" Clara asked in a burst

of despair.

"Yes." Pete hesitated. "I thought I'd work for an hour or two and then

I'd go out."

Clara groaned. "If you leave me another minute of this day, I shall go

mad. I've had nothing but housework all the morning and then a little

talk with the girls, late this afternoon. I want something different

now."

"Well, let me read the third act to you," Pete offered.

"No, I don't feel like being read to. I want some excitement."

Pete sighed, and put his manuscript down.

"All right. Let's go in swimming. But I'll have to leave you after an

hour."

"Are you going to see Peachy?" Clara demanded shrilly.

"No." Pete's tone was stern. "I'm going to the Clubhouse."

"How has everything gone to-day, Billy?" Julia asked, as they sat

looking out to sea.

"Rather well," Billy answered. "We were all in a working mood and all in

good spirits. We've done more to-day than we've done in any three days

before. At noon, while we were eating our lunch, I showed them your

plans."