Part 10 (1/2)
”It's there!” chuckled Jane. ”They'll be cutting it out in sections when they take ice from the pond next winter, I reckon. Where can I send a letter? I must have another car, and that quickly! It's something like hard labor to get in and out of this place! But let's be introduced to these nice girls that I see in camp here.”
”You are the same old Jane, aren't you?” answered the Chief Guardian, with an indulgent smile. ”I trust your father is well?”
”He is, thank you, but he'll be wanting to have nervous prostration when he hears about my driving into an old pond. h.e.l.lo, little girl!
Have I seen you before!” questioned Crazy Jane, catching a little golden-haired girl by the arm and gazing down into the latter's blue eyes.
”This is Miss Skinner, from Concord, young ladies,” introduced Mrs.
Livingston.
”How do you do, Mith Thkinner,” greeted Tommy. ”Like mythelf, you aren't fat, are you?”
”I am not,” replied Miss Skinner.
”Where do we stow our belongings?” asked Miss Elting.
Mrs. Livingston looked puzzled.
”Every tent in the camp is full,” she replied. ”Really, I do not know what I am going to do with you, girls.”
”That is easily answered. We will sleep out-of-doors,” proposed Jane.
”We were out all last night, and in our wet clothing at that.”
”How soon will you have vacancies?” asked Miss Elting.
”Four girls will be leaving the last of next week, Miss Elting.
Others, I don't recall how many, are to go about the middle of the week following. Until then I fear you will have to s.h.i.+ft for yourselves.”
”We can have something to eat, can't we?” interjected Margery, in a hopeful tone.
”Yeth, Buthter mutht have thomething to eat all the time,” averred Tommy.
”There is plenty for all. Now, come and meet our girls. We have a very fine lot of young women at Camp Wau-Wau this summer, and we think we have an ideal camp, too. I am so sorry that I did not know you were coming. I might make room for two of you on the floor in my tent.
There isn't a bit of floor s.p.a.ce left in any of the other tents.”
”I think we all should prefer sleeping out-of-doors, so long as the weather remains fine,” answered Miss Elting.
”That is just the point. What will you do when it rains?” smiled Mrs.
Livingston.
”I know,” spoke up Tommy. ”I'll jutht run and jump into the othean and get wet all over, all at onthe; then I won't mind it at all. Do you thee?”
”I do,” replied the Chief Guardian gravely.
Mrs. Livingston already had begun introducing the Meadow-Brook Girls to the Camp Girls, most of whom had not been in Camp Wau-Wau when the Meadow-Brook Girls had visited it in the Pocono Woods two seasons before. By the time the introductions had been finished and the camp inspected, supper time had arrived. The girls sat down at long tables in brightly lighted tents and enjoyed a delicious supper. It was the first real meal the newcomers had enjoyed in more than a day, and they did full justice to this one, especially did Margery, though openly teased by Tommy because of her appet.i.te.
Mrs. Livingston had been kept thoroughly informed of the progress of the Meadow-Brook Girls through her correspondence with Miss Elting, so that she was fully prepared to bestow the rewards that the girls had earned. A council fire was called for that evening, at which the achievements of Harriet Burrell and her companions were related to the camp, and the beads that each, of the five girls had earned were bestowed. Harriet now had quite a string of colored beads, the envy of every Camp Girl. Each of the other girls of the Meadow-Brook party had performed either heroic or meritorious acts, for which they were rewarded by the gift of beads according to the regulations of the order. Unfortunately, the now badly damaged trunk that had been carried at the rear of Jane McCarthy's car contained their ceremonial dresses, so that the Meadow-Brook Girls were unable to appear in the regulation costume; and they also lacked other important equipment, namely, blankets in which to wrap themselves for outdoor sleeping.