Part 20 (2/2)
The orchestra played while the ballots were being cast and counted.
The chairman at length rose with the tabulated sheet in his hand and faced his audience.
”Comrades,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye, ”that old saying I'll have to repeat, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!'
Beyond the shadow of a doubt we shall have to try this election again.
If I didn't know by the serious look on your faces that you mean it I'd say off-hand that you were trying to put up a joke on me.”
He paused, and a painful silence followed.
”Give us the ballot!” growled the Bard.
Norman looked at the list he held, and in spite of himself, as he caught the gleam of mischief in Barbara's eye, burst into laughter and sat down.
Wolf ascended the platform, glanced over the list and whispered:
”It's a waste of time. Call for the election of an executive council with full powers.”
”We'll try once more,” Norman insisted, quickly rising.
”Comrades, I'm sorry to say there is no election. We must proceed to another ballot, and if the industries absolutely necessary to the existence of any society are not voted into operation, we must then choose an executive council with full power to act. I appeal to your sense of heroism and self-sacrifice----”
”Give us the ballot! Read it!” thundered the offended poet.
”Yes, read it!”
”Read it!”
The shouts came from all parts of the hall. The crowd was in dead earnest and couldn't see the joke.
Once more the young chairman raised the fateful record of human frailty before his eyes, paused, and then solemnly began:
”In the first place, comrades, more than six hundred ballots out of the two thousand cast are invalid. They have been cast for work not asked for. They must be thrown out at once.
”Three hundred and sixty five able-bodied men choose hunting as their occupation. I grant you that game is plentiful on the island, but we can't spare you, gentlemen!
”Two hundred and thirty-five men want to fis.h.!.+ The waters abound in fish, but we have a pound-net which supplies us with all we can eat.
”Thirty-two men and forty-six women wish to preach.
”We do not need at present hunters, fishermen, or preachers, and have not called for volunteers in these departments of labour.
”Three hundred and fifty-six women wish to go on the stage, and one hundred and ninety-five of them choose musical comedy and light opera. I think this includes most of our female population between the ages of fourteen and thirty-five!”
A murmur of excitement swept the feminine portion of the audience.
”Allow me to say,” he went on, ”that the most urgent need of the colony at this moment cannot be met by organizing a chorus, however beautiful and pleasing its performances would be. We need, and we must have, waitresses and milkmaids. The chorus can wait, the cows cannot.
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