“Ten minutes older. Call that older? I don’t. And don’t tell me you never listen in. How ’bout yesterday? When I was talking to Peteso? I suppose you didn’t try to listen in then.” “That’s different. You’re only a kid.” “A kid!” This was too much. “And what about you? You think you’re so grown up.” The twins glared at one another. Then, without any reason, glares suddenly turned to smiles, followed by unexplained, uncontrolled laughter. Neither one of the twins could stay angry very long. When their giggles died away, they strained their ears toward the study door. “Sure is a long call,” Ted said. “Hope nothing’s gone wrong.” “Gone wrong? What could go wrong, Ted?” Monica’s voice showed her concern. “I don’t know. But I sure hope that call doesn’t mean we’re not going to Hawaii.” Now Monica was really worried. “Golly, I just couldn’t bear it. Not to go!” “Me, too. Biff gets to go everywhere. When do I get to go anywhere?” “Or me?” The two sat in silence, thinking how cruel the world was to eleven-year-olds. The Brewsters’ summer cottage on Vineyard Lake—that was nothing. Their speed boat and water skis, they seemed like nothing, too. And their Christmas trip to Florida, visiting their grandparents—what were all those things compared to going to Hawaii? They had been to many places in continental United States, but neither of the twins had ever been out of the country. Well, even if Hawaii was now part of the U.S., they preferred to think they were going to an exotic new land. That was why, when their father had told them just a week before he was going to take the whole family with him to Hawaii, the twins’ joy knew no limits. They had known their father was going to Hawaii for a three weeks’ stay. He was to attend an international conference of mining engineers. He was even going to deliver one of the most important speeches at the meeting. Biff Brewster was the oldest of the three Brewster children. He had gone with his father on several of his explorations. But Biff was sixteen, an age Ted
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