CROSSTREES CAMP
The summer plans of the two families were decidedly changed by the
accidents to the two little girls.
It was the custom of the Fayres to spend the summer at a hotel in the
mountains or at the seashore, for Mrs. Fayre declared she needed a
yearly rest from housekeeping duties.
The Rose family, preferring a different sort of enjoyment, spent their
summers at their camp in the Adirondacks, for they loved the informal
out of door life and the freedom from all conventionalities.
The doctor had said that the two girls would be entirely restored to
health and strength and quite ready to go anywhere by the first of
August, but not much before that date. So during July the question was
discussed frequently and at length as to where Dotty and Dolly would go,
for they begged and besought their parents that they might be together.
Now Mrs. Rose was more than willing to take Dolly to camp with her
family, and Mrs. Fayre would have been very glad to have Dotty with them
at the hotel, but neither mother wanted her own little girl to go away
from her. The question seemed very difficult of decision, for the two
families could not agree upon a summer resort that would please them
both.
But after many long talks and various suggested plans it was finally
decided that Dolly Fayre should go with the Roses for the first two
weeks of August and that Dotty Rose should spend the last two weeks of
the month with the Fayre family.
"It is the best plan," said Mrs. Rose, "for a fortnight in camp will do
the girls lots of good and make them strong and rosy again. Then they
will better enjoy a fortnight at a big hotel."
The two D's were enchanted at the prospect.
"You'll just love it!" said Dotty, enthusiastically; "we'll just wear
short skirts and middy blouses, and spend all our time in the woods or
on the lake."
Dolly wanted to go to the camp, but she had never before been away from
her mother for more than a day or two at a time, and she felt some
misgivings about being homesick.
"Nonsense!" said Bert. "A great big girl like you homesick! Why,
Towhead, you're too big for such things. You'll have a gorgeous time in
the camp, there's more fun in a camp than in any other place on earth. I
wish they had asked me."
"Of course they wouldn't ask you," said Dolly, "because Bob Rose won't
be there. Not at first, anyway; he's going to visit some school friend.
He's going to the camp later. But Bob, what's a camp like? Don't you
have to sleep on old dry twigs and things? I want to be with Dotty, but
I don't believe I'll like sleeping in a tent or whatever they have."
"Ah, be a sport, Towhead. You're altogether too finicky about your
foolish comforts. Learn to rough it,--it'll be good for you. You're as
white as a sheet, and you ought to be all brown and red and freckled and
look like a real live girl instead of a wax doll. I'm going to coax Dad
to go camping next year. It's loads of fun. Maybe if Bob Rose gets up
there before you leave they'd ask me up for a couple of days."
"Or they might ask you after I've left," said Dolly; "you boys could
have a lot of fun even if we girls weren't there."
"You bet we could! Girls are not a necessity to a fellow's pleasure if
he has fishing and boating and swimming and such things to do."
"Well, I can't swim and I hate to fish,--but I do like boating. What
kind of boats will they have, Bob?"
"Oh, motor boats and canoes and rowboats and sail boats and every old
kind. Don't get drowned, Dolly, and don't break any more of your bones,
but I guess there's nothing much else that can happen to you, if you
behave yourself. But don't try to do everything Dotty suggests. She's a
hummer, that girl, and I'll bet you in camp she'll run wild. You'll have
to hold her back a little."
Dolly's parents gave her practically the same advice. But they felt
little fear of Dolly's likelihood of rushing into madcap adventures even
if Dotty urged it. For Dolly was slow of movement and slower still in
making up her mind; while Dotty was quick as a flash in thought and
action.
Mrs. Fayre sighed a little as she selected Dolly's wardrobe. She dearly
loved to array her pretty daughter in muslins and organdies with dainty
laces and ribbons; but camp life called for stout frocks of tweed or
gingham, heavy walking boots and no fripperies.
"I shall put in one or two pretty dresses," Mrs. Fayre said, "in case
you are invited to a party or any such affair. And the rest of your
summer things I will have ready for you, when you come back and join us
at the seashore."
* * * * *
And so the first of August, Mr. and Mrs. Rose and their two daughters
with Dolly as the guest started for the Crosstrees Camp.
It was a sad parting between Dolly and her mother and at the last Dolly
declared flatly she would not go, and throwing herself in her mother's
arms burst into tears.
"Rubbish!" cried Rob, who was dancing about in his efforts to get Dolly
started. "I'm ashamed of you, Towhead! Brace up now, and have a nerve.
One final wrench and off you go!"
The boy literally tore Dolly from Mrs. Fayre's arms and boosted her in
to the Roses' motor car which was waiting to take them to the station.
"All aboard! Go ahead!" Bob called out, waving his hand to the chauffeur
and the car started off at a brisk rate.
"You know you needn't go, Dolly, even yet, if you don't want to," and
Mrs. Rose smiled kindly at the little girl, as they flew down the
avenue.
"I do want to go, Mrs. Rose, and I am ashamed of myself for acting so
bad, but I will brace up now. It was just saying good-bye to Mother that
somehow sort of seemed to shake my heart."
Dolly smiled through her tears and determinedly began to chatter gaily.
"That's the ticket!" said Mr. Rose, smiling approval at her. "That's
the brave little girl. Now when you get to Crosstrees you'll be so
delighted and interested, that you won't think of home and Mother for
two weeks, except to write a postcard now and then."
"You won't hardly have time for that!" cried Dotty, "there's so much to
do from morning till night, and that makes you so tired that you sleep
from night till morning. Oh, Dollyrinda, we will have the most
gorgeousest times ever!"
"It's beautiful to have Dolly with us," said Genie, her big black eyes
dancing with anticipation; "we can show her all our fav'rite places, and
all the islands and woodses and everything! But two weeks is an awful
short time."
"We'll make it longer next year," said Mr. Rose. "If our two wounded
soldiers hadn't been wounded, we would have started a month ago."
"Why do you call it Crosstrees camp?" asked Dolly.
"You'll see when you get there," and Mr. Rose smiled at his little
visitor.
* * * * *
Sure enough when they arrived, Dolly discovered the meaning of the
strange name. The gateway was formed by two trees which had started to
grow parallel, but in some way had been bent toward one another until
their trunks crossed about ten feet above ground. The trees had gone on
growing this way, and formed an "N," covered with branches and foliage.
The party had landed from their train at a small station near one end of
a long lake. They had traversed this lake in a swift motor boat, for
their camp was at the other end. It was nearly dark when they reached
their own pier and all clambered out and climbed a flight of narrow wet
steps.
"Hang on to the railing, Doll," said Dotty; "the steps are slippery, a
little."
Passing under the crosstrees, to which Mr. Rose drew Dolly's attention
as the name of the camp, they came to a sort of bungalow or long, low
house.
"Is this the camp?" said Dolly, in surprise. "I thought it was tents.
You said so, Dot."
"There are tents, too. Only on stormy nights we sleep inside. Come on
in, Doll. Isn't it fine?"
Dolly Fayre looked around at the bare boarded rooms, the scant furniture
and rough walls of the cabin, for it was little more than that.
She was cold and rather hungry, but underneath these discomforts was a
far more troublesome one which she tried not to think about, but which
she felt sure was going to develop into an acute case of homesickness.
"Run up to your rooms, girlies, and take off your things," said Mrs.
Rose, cheerily. "We'll eat inside to-night, and Maria will make us some
of her good flap-jacks for supper."
Maria was an old coloured servant and the only one who accompanied the
Rose family to camp. Other help that might be needed they procured from
some of the natives who were glad to do odd jobs for the summer people.
Dolly followed Dotty and Genie upstairs where there was a long row of
tiny bedrooms opening onto a narrow hall. These bedrooms had ceilings
which slanted right down to the floor, so one could not stand upright
after advancing a few feet into the room.
"Aren't they funny rooms?" said Dotty, laughing with glee at Dolly's
blank-looking countenance. "But you'll get used to them soon. Of course
you have to bend double, except just here by the door, but that's
nothing. This one is yours, Dolly, and mine is right next and then
Genie's. Mother and Father have a room downstairs. But we won't sleep
here, we'll sleep in the open tent to-night, it's plenty warm enough.
Oh, it's _such_ fun!"
Dolly didn't know what sleeping in an open tent meant, but she smiled in
response and soon the three girls went downstairs together.
Mr. and Mrs. Rose were bustling around, happily engaged in unpacking and
arranging books and pictures and various trifles to make the big
living-room more homelike.
"Looks a little bare now," said Mr. Rose, as he placed his smoking set
in position near his own particular easy chair, "but in a day or two
we'll have it looking like a little Paradise on earth. Just you wait,
Miss Dolly, till you see this desert blossom like a rose,--like a whole
Rose family, in fact!"
"These things help a lot," and Mrs. Rose deftly arranged half a dozen
sofa pillows on a big inviting-looking couch.
"And to-morrow we'll put up a swing, and the hammocks, won't you,
Daddy?" said Genie.
"Course I will, chickabiddy," and Mr. Rose whistled in gay contentment
as he took books from their boxes and arranged them on the table.
When supper was announced, Maria informed the family that she hadn't
been able to manage the flap-jacks that night.
"But you-all sho'ly will hab 'em for breakfast, dat you will,--you
suttinly will. But you see huccum I jes' didn't hab de proper
contraptions unpacked for 'em to-night."
"That's all right, Maria," said Mr. Rose, good-naturedly; "we don't mind
what we have to-night. To-morrow we'll get a good fair start. Sit down,
children, we'll manage to make out a supper."
The supper was sort of a makeshift of sardines and herring and crackers,
with coffee for the older people.
Dolly had no wish to be critical, but the viands were not tempting and
she ate very little, being conscious all the time of an ever-growing
lump in her throat. She tried hard to be merry and gay, but she couldn't
feel the enthusiasm with which the others overflowed.
"Shall we have a fire to-night, Daddy?" asked Dotty as they left the
table.
"Oh, not to-night. It's pretty late, and we're all tired out. We'll
leave that for to-morrow night. You see, Dolly Fayre, the curtain
doesn't really rise on the glories of Camp Crosstrees until to-morrow.
Can you wait?"
"Yes, indeed, Mr. Rose," and Dolly smiled bravely. "Where is it that
we're going to sleep?"
"I'll show you," said Mrs. Rose, and amid shouts of glee and peals of
laughter, Dotty and Genie ran upstairs, and returned with their arms
full of blankets and other things.
"Grab a pillow and come on," shouted Dotty as she herself picked up a
pillow from the couch. Genie took one, too, and Dolly did also and then
the whole tribe left the house.
They walked across some very uneven ground and Dolly would have stumbled
in the darkness had not Mrs. Rose clasped her arm firmly.
"Here we are!" she said, and Dolly saw a large tent, but it wasn't
exactly a tent. It was a platform of boards raised not more than a foot
above the ground. It had a roof and three sides of canvas, but the front
was entirely open. On the floor were piles of balsam boughs and on these
the Roses arranged the blankets they had brought.
"I envy you girls," said Mrs. Rose, as she tucked up the impromptu beds.
"It is Heavenly to sleep out here, but we older people dare not risk
rheumatism. You'll love it, Dolly. Perhaps you'll hear an owl or two
hooting you a lullaby."
In less than half an hour the three girls were put to bed and Mrs. Rose
had said good-night and left them.
Dotty and Genie had murmured sleepy good-nights and had snuggled down
into their spicy-smelling nests of branches.
Dolly lay with wide open eyes staring out at the stars. She had never
experienced this sort of thing before, and she was frightened and
uncomfortable. Although mid-summer, the air was chilly, and she did not
like the feeling of the rather coarse blankets. Moreover she was wearing
a thick, clumsy, flannel nightgown, and the bed of branches seemed to be
full of knots and lumps. She longed for her own pretty room with its
dainty appointments and soft bed clothing.
She looked across at Dotty and Genie. She could see them but dimly, but
she knew they were sound asleep. She felt alone, utterly alone in that
dreadful place, with the forest trees making a sad murmur and the silent
stars winking solemnly at her. She thought of her mother and father and
Trudy and Bert and she had the most dreadful wave of homesickness roll
over her. Then the tears came, hot, scalding tears that rolled down her
cheeks in ever increasing number. She made no noise, lest she waken the
other girls but the effort to stifle her sobs made her cry harder, and
she buried her face in the rough worsted of the sofa pillow and wiped
her eyes with the harsh blanket.
"Oh, Mother," she said, to herself, "I _can't_ stay here. This is a
dreadful place. Why did you let me come? I knew I would hate a camp. How
can anybody like these awful beds? And I'm cold,--and I'm not cold
either, but I'm all shivery and I feel horrid! I'm--I'm--oh, I'm just
lonesome and homesick and I want Mother!"
After a time Dolly stopped crying from sheer exhaustion and spent with
her sobs, she lay there gazing at the stars. She felt sure there were
bears and wolves among the trees, and soon they would come out and
attack the camp.
Moreover, she was dreadfully hungry. She had a box of candy in her
suitcase, but that was upstairs in the bungalow. She could not get it
without disturbing Mr. and Mrs. Rose and that was not to be thought of.
The poor child lay for a time in her misery, every moment getting more
and more homesick and with a deeper longing to get back to her mother
and never leave home again.
At last a spirit of desperation took hold upon her. It was
characteristic of Dolly Fayre to endure patiently and bravely the
greatest trials that might come to her, but when the strain became too
great it was in her nature to rebel, suddenly and decidedly.
And now, when it seemed that she simply could not stand the dreadfulness
another moment, she sat straight up in bed, and said clearly, "I'm going
home."
The sound of her own voice startled her and she looked round quickly to
see if the other girls had heard her. She fully expected to see one or
both heads pop up in amazement at her speech. But neither dark head
moved, and listening to their regular breathing, she knew the two Rose
girls were still sound asleep.
With her white face set and a desperate look in her wide open blue eyes,
she put one foot out of bed and then the other. She had on her
stockings, as Mrs. Rose had advised her to wear them all night. Silently
and swiftly she discarded the flannel nightgown, which was one of
Dotty's, and with flying fingers, which trembled with a nervous chill,
she rapidly dressed herself in the garments she had worn when she
arrived.
Her hat and coat were at the bungalow, but she did not stop for them.
She was determined to go home that very minute, and she would let
nothing interfere.
Fully dressed she went over and looked down at the sleeping Dotty. It
seemed awful to go away and leave her like that, but Dolly knew if she
waited till morning the Roses would not let her go. And yet she must
leave word of some sort or they would think her very rude and
ungrateful.
She had with her a little shopping bag, which, as it contained some
money, she had put under her pillow. Luckily there was paper and pencil
in this on which she had planned to write a letter to her mother.
So with an uncertain hand, in the dim light, she traced the words: "Dear
Dotty, I can't stay here, I've got to go back to Mother. Good-bye.
Dolly."
This she slipped gently beneath Dotty's pillow, and then stepping softly
to the open edge of the tent she stepped down to the ground and walked
swiftly toward the lake.