"HELP! HELP!"
When the three girls started on their expedition the next day, they
were the center of attention at the depot. Each wore a khaki suit,
consisting of a middy blouse and bloomers, heavy leggings and soft
felt hat. Their blankets were thrown over their shoulders and strapped
at the side. Inside the rolled blanket each had a sweater, a bathing
suit and a cap. One girl carried a camera, one a box of lunch and the
other a flash light.
"Aren't we loaded though?" cried Letty as they seated themselves in
the train.
"I should say so. I feel like Tartarin when he started to climb the
Alps," said Edith.
"I never heard of Tartarin," said Mary Lee. "Who was he?"
"Didn't you ever read 'Tartarin of Tarascon,' by Alphonse Daudet?"
asked Letty.
"No, but I've heard of Daudet. He was a celebrated Frenchman, wasn't
he?"
"Yes, and Tartarin was the dearest old fellow. He started out to climb
the Alps--loaded himself with rope, woolen clothing, Alpine stick,
etc. We had to read the book last year in our French class," said
Letty.
"Wasn't it the hardest French you ever read?" asked Edith. "It seemed
to me I had to use my dictionary for every other word. But dear me,
why talk about school and studies when we're off on a 'lark'?"
"That's what I say," said Mary Lee. "Let's make up a song that we can
sing as we trudge along the road."
"How about using the tune of 'The Bear Went Over the Mountain'?" asked
Edith.
"Just the thing," cried Letty. "How's this?--
"We took our beds on our ba-acks--"
"Oh, no," said Mary Lee. "It's better to say 'we took our beds on our
shoulders.'"
The girls were so busy working on their song that they were surprised
when the conductor called "Port Washington."
How the townspeople did stare as the three girls set out down the
road! Several soldiers, standing on a corner smiled as they whistled
the song:
"Oh here she comes, there she goes
All dressed up in her Sunday clothes."
"Don't you feel like a freak?" asked Edith, rather sorry now she had
worn her bloomer suit.
"Indeed I don't," answered Letty. "These khaki bloomer suits are the
latest fad for 'hikers.' I had a letter from my aunt who is at a
fashionable summer resort in Michigan. She said that there was a party
of young people spending the week end at the same hotel and that all
the young women of the party wore bloomer suits and looked just too
cute for anything. They are university students and had walked all the
way from Chicago. They were making a study of the sand dunes, lake
currents and change of river beds. A professor was with them."
"How delightful," said Mary Lee. "I'd love to join a party like that,
only I'd rather study Botany."
By this time the road led into a deep wood where the setting sun
flashed its red light through the verdant foliage.
"Isn't this ideal?" exclaimed Edith. "Look at those noble looking
trees!"
"What kind are they?" asked Letty. "I never could tell one tree from
another."
"Those are red oak and those over there are white," explained Mary
Lee.
"They look just alike to me," said Letty. "How can you tell which is
which?"
"The red oak has pointed leaves and its acorns ripen every year. But
the white oak's leaves are rounded and it takes two years for its
acorns to ripen," explained Mary Lee.
"Oh, look here," cried Edith, bending over a bed of dry leaves.
"Here's an Indian pipe growing. I haven't seen one for years."
"Why, it's pure white," said Letty. "Not a bit of green on it. Even
the root and the stem are white. It is like a regular miniature white
clay pipe, isn't it?"
"One could almost blow soap bubbles through it," added Edith. "But
come, girls, we must hurry on. It will be dark before we know it."
"Who is afraid?" said Mary Lee, "we have a flash light."
"How would you like to have a cup of sassafras tea?" asked Edith,
examining a small shrub.
"Where would you get the sassafras?" asked Letty.
"Come over here and help me pull up this baby tree and I'll show you,"
said Edith.
All three girls pulled and up came the little tree, roots and all.
Then Edith took her jack knife which hung on a chain from her belt and
peeled off bits of the bark down around the roots, and gave each of
the girls a taste.
"It's sassafras all right," said Edith, "but it doesn't look like the
kind the women sell on the street corners in town. That's more reddish
looking. Why is that, I wonder?"
"Don't ask me," said Edith. "I think I'm smart enough in knowing it's
sassafras. Why worry over its color?"
"Oh, here's a snail in its shell," said Mary Lee, picking up a round,
brownish shell from the sandy path. "Come out here, Mr. Snail and show
yourself," she said, holding the end of a long stick at the opening of
the shell.
After a few minutes, there was a movement within, and out came a head.
"Look at its horns," said Letty. "Aren't they long?"
"Those aren't horns, those are its eyes at the very end of what appear
to be horns. Watch, it is crawling entirely out of its shell. Isn't it
funny looking, as it crawls along, carrying its shell on its back?"
said Mary Lee.
"And to think people eat the horrid little things," said Letty.
"They do?" exclaimed Mary Lee. "Whoever would eat them?"
"The French are very fond of them," explained Letty. "Haven't you ever
seen the word 'escargots' on the menu cards?"
"I have," said Edith, "but I must confess that my French is so limited
I never dreamed it meant snails, though."
By this time the road led again into the open, with woods on one side
and farm lands on the other. The sun had now disappeared and night
would soon settle down, so the girls quickened their pace.
"Do you think we can make it before it's pitch dark?" asked Edith, the
most timid of the crowd. "It seems to me we have walked about five
miles already."
"Oh, no, we haven't, but I do think we are within two miles or so of
our destination. Cousin Edna and the Camp Fire Guardian are going to
walk out and meet us. I suppose they have started by this time," said
Letty.
"I'm glad we don't have to go through any more woods. This road is
fine and hard," said Edith.
It was now quite dark, so Mary Lee walked ahead and flashed on the
light.
Suddenly they heard a strange noise.
"Oh, what is that?" cried Edith, rushing on ahead, not waiting to find
out from which direction the sound came.
Suddenly there was a dreadful scream from Edith, on ahead. "Help,
help!" she cried. "Oh, girls, where am I?"
Mary Lee and Letty rushed on ahead, flashing the light. In the middle
of the road sat Edith and near her was stretched a big cow, half
asleep.
Edith, in trying to run from the mooing cow, had run upon it instead.
It had evidently strolled away from a nearby farmhouse.
"The big boob," said Edith, "to stretch itself out in the middle of
the road. It was a dreadful sensation to fall against that big hot
animal, and not know what it was," she laughingly said, now beginning
to see the funny side of the incident.
"Listen," said Letty, "what's that whistle?"
"It's the Campfire Guardian's whistle," exclaimed Mary Lee. "They must
be near us now."
"What a relief," sighed Edith, picking herself up, and trudging on
after the others.
When Cousin Edna and the Camp Fire Guardian met the girls, there was
great rejoicing and before long all five arrived at camp.
The "hikers" were pretty tired, so they soon unstrapped their blankets
and made ready to sleep.
"I'm so glad Cousin Edna could manage to get us cots to sleep on up
here in the tents. I'm too tired to try it on the beach tonight," said
Letty.
"Me too," said Edith. "Falling over that cow in the pitch dark was
sensation enough for one night."
"Perhaps we'll feel more like it tomorrow night. I'd hate to go back
to town without sleeping down on the beach one night," said Mary Lee,
unrolling her blanket.
"Isn't this a scheme to sleep in our bathing suits, so as to be all
ready to run down and take a dip at sunrise tomorrow morning!"
exclaimed Letty.
"I should say so. I do so love to take an early morning plunge," said
Mary Lee, jumping into bed.