A SPECIAL MEETING CALLED.
Fern hollow—begging the indulgence of those who have read the earlier
volume of this series—is a deep, richly vegetated ravine or gully
forming one of a series of scenic convolutions of the surface of the
earth which gave the neighboring town of Fairberry a wide reputation as
a place of beauty.
The thirteen Camp Fire Girls, who had pitched their tents on the lower
hillside, a few hundred feet from a boisterous, gravel-and-boulder
bedded stream known as Butter creek, were students at Hiawatha
Institute, a girls’ school in a neighboring state. The students of that
school were all Camp Fire Girls, and it was not an uncommon thing for
individual Fires to spend parts of their vacations together at favorite
camping places. On the present occasion the members of Flamingo Fire
were guests of one of their own number, Hazel Edwards, on the farm of
the latter’s aunt, Mrs. Hannah Hutchins, which included a considerable
section of the scenic Ravine known as Fern hollow.
They had had some startling adventures in the last few weeks, and
although several days had elapsed since the windup in these events and
it seemed that a season of quiet, peaceful camp life was in store for
them, still they were sufficiently keyed up to the unusual in life to
accept surprises and astonishing climaxes as almost matters of course.
But all of these experiences had not rendered them restless and
discontented when events slowed down to the ordinary course of every-day
life, including three meals a day, eight hours’ sleep, and a program of
tramps, exercises and honor endeavors. The girls were really glad to
return to their schedule and their handbook for instructions as to how
they should occupy their time. After all, adventures make entertaining
reading, but very few, if any, persons normally constituted would choose
a melodramatic career if offered as an alternative along with an
even-tenor existence.
All within one week, these girls had witnessed the execution of an
astonishing plot by a band of skilled lawbreakers and subsequently had
followed Mrs. Hutchins through a series of experiences relative to the
loss of a large amount of property, which she held in trust for a
relative of her late husband, and its recovery through the brilliant and
energetic endeavors of some of the members of the Camp Fire,
particularly Hazel Edwards and Harriet Newcomb. The chief culprit, Percy
Teich, a nephew of Mrs. Hutchins’ late husband, had been captured, had
escaped, had been captured again and lodged in jail, and clews as to the
identity of a number of the rest had been worked out by the police, so
that the hope was expressed confidently that eventually they, too, would
be caught.
“Mrs. Hutchins is very grateful for the part this Camp Fire took in the
recovery of the lost securities of which she was trustee,” Katherine
announced by way of introducing her “great news” to the members of the
Fire who assembled in response to her call. “Of course Hazel did the
really big things, assisted and encouraged by the companionship of
Harriet and Violet, but Mrs. Hutchins feels like thanking us all for
being here and looking pleasant.”
Hazel Edwards, niece of Mrs. Hutchins, was not present during this
conversation. By prearranged purpose, she was absent from the camp when
Katherine put to the other girls the proposition made by the wealthy
aunt of their girl hostess. The reason it was decided best for her to
remain away while the other girls were considering the plan was that it
was feared that her presence might tend to suppress arguments against
its acceptance, and that was a possibility which Hazel and her aunt
wished to avoid. So Katherine was selected to lay the matter before the
Camp Fire because she was no more chummy with Hazel than any of the
other girls.
“Let’s make this a special business meeting,” suggested Miss Ladd, who
had already discussed the proposition with Katherine and Mrs. Hutchins.
“What Katherine has to say interests you as an organization. You’d have
to bring the matter up at a business meeting anyway to take action on it
and our regular one is two weeks ahead. We can’t wait that long if we
are going to do anything on the subject.”
It was a little after 10 o’clock and the girls had been working for the
last hour at various occupations which appeared on their several routine
schedules for this part of the day. In fact, all of their regular
academic and hand-work study hours were in the morning. Just before
Katherine called the girls together, they were seated here and there in
shaded spots on camp chairs or on the grass in the vicinity of the camp,
occupied thus:
Violet Munday and Marie Crismore were studying the lives of well-known
Indians. Julietta Hyde and Estelle Adler were reading a book of Indian
legends and making a study of Indian symbols. Harriet Newcomb and Azalia
Atwood were studying the Camp Fire hand-sign language. Ernestine
Johanson and Ethel Zimmerman were crocheting some luncheon sets. Ruth
Hazelton and Helen Nash were mending their ceremonial gowns. Marion
Stanlock was making a beaded head band and Katherine Crane, secretary of
the Fire, was looking over the minutes of the last meeting and preparing
a new book in which to enter the records of the next meeting.
Everybody signifying assent to the Guardian’s suggestion, a meeting was
declared and called to order, the Wohelo Song was sung, the roll was
called, the minutes of the last meeting were read, the reports of the
treasurer and committees were deferred, as were also the recording of
honors in the Record Book and the decorating of the count, and then the
Guardian called for new business. This was the occasion for Katherine to
address the meeting formally on the matter she had in mind.
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