could think of at the time, she had felt rather relieved to find that
only four responded to the initiation invitation. In doing things
according to the Handbook for Captains, she felt she would find four
girls sufficient material to practice upon for the first season.
When the luncheon was unpacked and spread out, Mrs. Vernon smiled
continuously at the happy chatter of the four girls, and the
thousand-and-one plans they made for the camp that summer. Then all sat
down to enjoy the feast, for nothing had ever tasted so good to them
before, and then--did Verny say it was time to start for home?
"Oh, no! It can't be late, Verny!" exclaimed Ruth.
"Why, we've only been here half a minute, Verny," added Joan.
The Captain glanced at her wrist watch. "We have been here more than two
hours, girls, and it is a two hour drive back, you know."
"Dear, dear! the only comfort I have in leaving now is the hope of being
here for all summer in another week!" cried Betty.
"Then you have decided to choose this site?" ventured the Captain.
"I thought you knew it! Of course this is what we want," admitted Ruth,
frankly. And Mrs. Vernon mentally gave her a credit-mark for forgetting
self enough to speak her opinion honestly.
The drive back was much longer than going, even though the girls planned
and plotted how to earn more money with which to buy everything they
craved for that camp. It was to be a wonder-camp.
"I can add a dollar and seventy-five cents to the fund now," announced
Ruth, calmly.
"A dollar and s-e-v-e-n-t-y--five cents!" gasped the girls.
"Then I'll have another dollar and a half before next Friday--if I keep
on washing those nasty dishes every night!"
"R-rruth!" squealed Betty, throwing her arms about her friend's neck.
"Ruth Bentley!" cried Joan.
"I cannot believe my ears!" added Julie, in a whisper.
Mrs. Vernon never said a word, but she did a lot of silent
praying--thanking Him for this break in the clouds of human will and
selfishness that the girl had always displayed hitherto.
Ruth felt embarrassed at so much fussing, and felt a deep gratitude to
the Captain for not adding to her self-consciousness. The moment she
could free herself from Betty's loving embrace, she said, recklessly:
"I told mother I'd rather give up camping than do those dishes any more,
but now that I've seen the place, I'll scrub the kitchen floor if she
wants me to."
A great laugh relieved every one's feelings at this statement from Ruth,
and the merry party reached the Vernon home feeling very much at peace
with the world in general.
CHAPTER FOUR
BEGINNING THEIR CAMP LIFE
The next few days were so filled with the final work to finish the
scholastic year, and closing of school, that every one of the girls was
kept busy, and had little time to think of camp.
Once Thursday came, however, the only exciting thing remained to be done
was Commencement on Friday; so the four girls met at Dandelion Tent to
plan for the camp.
"We ought to have our folks give us a great send-off, like they did with
the regiments that mustered from the town families," said Julie.
"If they'll only give us all I asked for, we will be satisfied," laughed
Joan.
"What did you do?" instantly said three voices.
"First, I told mother what we would have to have for camp, then I got
mother to visit your folks and tell them what we really ought to have to
make life comfortable in the wild woods."
"Oh, oh! That's why Eliza told us she would fix us up with some jams and
other food-stuff," laughed Julie.
"And mother asked me did we want any furniture or china?" added Ruth.
"What did you say?" asked Julie.
"I told her we'd rather she donated the price of china or furniture this
time, and let us invest it as we found need."
The girls laughed and Mrs. Vernon ran out of the side door, saying: "I'm
missing all the fun! Do tell me what it is about?"
Then Julie told her what Ruth had replied to her mother's question, and
the Captain laughed also. "I see Ruth is developing a wonderfully keen
sense of finance."
"You'll say so when you see this scrap of paper, Verny," said Ruth,
taking a crumpled oblong of tinted paper from her middy blouse and
passing it over to the Captain.
Mrs. Vernon looked at it in surprise, and gasped: "Why, of all things!"
"The price of china and furniture that mother figured we would smash or
damage," explained Ruth.
"Girls, it's a check for twenty-five dollars from Mrs. Bentley. We'll
have to vote her a letter of thanks at once."
"Hurrah! Now, all ready for three cheers for Mrs. Bentley!" shouted
Julie, jumping upon the camp-stool and waving her hat.
Instantly the girls began a loud hurrah, but the folding chair suddenly
shut up, with Julie frantically trying to balance herself. Before a
second hurrah could have been given, Julie was sprawling across the camp
table right on top of the hats, pans and what-not that had been
accumulated to take to camp. Such a clatter of tins and wild screams of
laughter that filled that tent!
Finally Julie emerged from the wreckage and stood up, tentatively
feeling of her bones and head and body. "Am I all in one piece, girls?"
she asked, trying to appear anxious.
"You are, but my hat isn't!" retorted Joan, holding up a crushed straw
sailor with the brim severed from the crown.
"I'll have to work and buy you another," said Julie.
"Please don't! I despise sailors and had to wear this one because mother
said I would need no new summer hat if I was in camp," hastily explained
Joan.
"Come, girls, we must indite that letter to Ruth's mother now. Sit down
quietly and suggest something fine," interpolated Mrs. Vernon.
So the letter was composed and given to Ruth to deliver, then the last
plans for leaving home were perfected, and the Patrol separated for the
day.
Saturday found the girls again at Vernon's place, eager to hear what day
they were to start for camp. Everything that they had on their lists had
been provided, and now the only thing to do was to say good-by and
leave. This the girls felt could not be accomplished any too soon for
their peace and comfort.
"Why, Verny, if we don't get away in a day or so, those seven girls who
are possessed to join us will steal us and hold us as hostages until you
agree to take them in our Troop," said Julie.
"Patience! They'll have to wait now, and learn the lesson you girls have
finished before they can join this Patrol. Why, I wonder if you realize
how high you have climbed on the rungs of the ladder of Scout Ideals
during these past few weeks?" said Mrs. Vernon.
"I can't see any change," said Joan.
"What! don't you think your friends here have improved any whatsoever
since we decided to begin a Troop?"
"Oh--the girls have--a little, but I haven't!"
"You have, too, but you don't see it yet. Wait."
"All the same, Verny, tell us when we _can_ start?" begged Julie.
"Well, Mr. Vernon sails for his European trip on Monday, so I see
nothing to keep us home after that. Can you all be ready to go on
Tuesday morning?"
"You know we can--why ask?" laughed Julie.
"Maybe you'd prefer us to start Monday afternoon after you come home
from the steamer," suggested Ruth.
Mrs. Vernon laughed. "Hardly as soon as that."
When Tuesday arrived, however, the girls found many little things to
delay them, so it was past nine o'clock before they met at the old
headquarters, but the tent had disappeared.
"Here we are, Verny, bag and baggage!" shouted Julie, as they tramped up
the side-steps of the porch.
"And some of our folks are coming over in a few minutes to see us off. I
suspect they have various advices to whisper to you, as well as leave
with us some forgotten parting words," said Joan.
"Eliza's going to give us a parting pie," added Betty, so innocently
that every one laughed.
"Well, the visitor that we invited to camp with us for the summer is
hitched up and waiting to start," Mrs. Vernon informed the girls, as she
pointed towards the barns, where a horse was seen going down the back
road.
"Why, Hepsy's hooked up to a buckboard? What for?" asked Ruth.
"We won't need it this summer, so Uncle Verny suggested that Hepsy take
it along for us to use if we had to go to the stores at Freedom, or
should we want to go away on a picnic."
"Say--that's a great idea! I never thought of it," said Julie.
"Which proves that you have no monopoly on great ideas," retorted Joan.
Then the automobile drove up to the steps and was soon followed by a
heavy rumbling auto-truck that was used for heavy cartage at Mr.
Vernon's factory. He had sent it down for the newly-fledged Scout Troop
to make use of to carry tents, boxes and what not to Verny's Mountain.
The advance line of family members now came straggling up the road to
watch their girls depart. Before the truck started, the other friends
arrived, so there was quite a crowd to wish them good-by and good-luck
as they climbed into the car and wildly waved hats and hands.
The ride seemed very short that morning, for so much had to be talked
over, and the village of Freedom was reached before they could realize
it. Then began the ascent up the woodroad to the plateau. Here the car
halted, and the chauffeur assisted the driver of the truck in
transferring the boxes and baggage to the buckboard Hepsy had brought
thus far.
"We'll have to stable Hepsy somewhere, girls," suggested Julie, as she
stood and watched the men work.
"Yes, we ought to make that our first concern, for Hepsy may not
appreciate outdoor life as we do--especially if it rains."
"We'll build her a hut," promised Ruth, eagerly.
"And let her sit out under a tree for the four weeks it will take us to
erect it?" laughed Joan.
The girls were too eager to reach their campsite to wait any longer for
the men to complete the baggage transfer, so they informed the Captain:
"We'll take our suitcases and start up, Verny!"
Mrs. Vernon readily agreed to this, so they started off and were soon
out of sight. Once they had reached the old cabin, Julie said:
"Let's get out of these city clothes and get into our scout
camp-uniforms."
This met with general approval, and soon the girls were gleefully
comparing notes about each other's appearance. But this was interrupted
when shouts and crackling of brush was heard. Then poor Hepsy was seen
snorting and pulling to bring the loaded buckboard up to the plateau.
"Gee! That's some haul--that grade!" complained Jim, as he mopped his hot
brow and stood looking back at the steep road.
"And Hepsy's so soft from no recent work!" added Mrs. Vernon, as she
reached his side. Jim was too easy with the horses for their own good,
so she said what she did to let him know his sympathy was misplaced.
Hepsy began nibbling at the luscious grass that grew near her feet, and
Mrs. Vernon laughingly added: "Poor thing! She must be almost dead to be
able to start right in and eat like that."
The luggage was taken to the hut and then Jim went back for a second
load. The back seat of the buckboard had been removed so the camp outfit
could be easily piled upon the floor of the vehicle. But it did not hold
very much, hence it was necessary to make several trips.
When all was carted up to the campsite, Mrs. Vernon said: "Now, Jim,
remember to bring the oats once a week for Hepsy, and any other things I
write for. See that all mail is forwarded to Freedom, where we can get
it."
Jim promised to see that everything was done as requested, then he, too,
left. When the last chugs from the automobile truck and the car died
away, Mrs. Vernon turned to the girls.
"Well, scouts, here we are for a whole summer of delights!"
"Hip, hip----" began Julie, and the others joined in.
"Don't you think the hut has grown smaller since we were here last?"
asked Betty, wonderingly.
"That is because you were picturing the place on a much grander scale
after you got home than it actually is. It is your thought that has to
dwindle again to take in the proportion of the hut as it is," replied
the Captain, amused at Betty's experience.
"I thought the very same thing, but I hated to say anything that sounded
like criticism," admitted Joan.
"Tell the truth, girls, I think that hut is tiny, but it looked big
enough the other day," laughed Julie.
"Then we must build ours larger than this," said Mrs. Vernon, turning to
look over the stock of things needing shelter.
"It looks like an awful heap of stuff, doesn't it?" asked Ruth.
"Yes, but we needed everything, so we had to bring them."
"What shall we do first, Verny?" asked Betty.
"Better pitch the tent first of all, and arrange the cots, then we can
work as long as we like, without worrying about having to make our
beds."
The girls quickly unrolled the large canvas tent they had purchased, but
when it came to erecting it, they found it a much more difficult task
than they had anticipated. Jim and the gardener had helped pitch it the
first time, but now they were absent.
However, after many failures, the tent was up, albeit it looked wobbly
and one-sided. The cots were next opened and placed under the canvas,
and the lockers were dragged to their right places.
"Where's the crex rug Verny said we could bring for the ground inside
the tent?" called Julie, thrusting her head from the opening of the
canvas. But she forgot Ruth had placed a pole directly in front of the
entrance to hold up the flap temporarily.
"Ouch! Who left that tree-trunk right in the way?" cried Julie, as she
bumped her head smartly.
"That's the porter standing at the door of our hotel!" retorted Joan,
laughing as she saw Julie scowling.
"Well, where's the crex rug, anyway?" demanded Julie.
"Come to think of it--Jim threw it out when he unloaded the truck, and
then he must have forgotten to pick it up again," said Mrs. Vernon.
"We'll have to use grass for carpet to-night, then," said Julie.
"Unless you run down and drag it up," ventured Ruth.
"That's what we brought Hepsy for, girls. Who'll drive her down and
bring back the rug?" called Mrs. Vernon from the hut.
All four were anxious to drive and enjoy the fun, so Julie jumped on the
front seat and the others sat dangling their feet from the back of the
buckboard. The Captain stood smiling and watching as they went, thinking
to herself, "What a good time they will have in camp!"
When the amateur truckman returned, Ruth called out: "Guess what, Verny?
We found the seat of the buckboard in the bushes, too. Wasn't it
fortunate we went for the rug?"
"We might have hunted all over the camp for that seat when we want to go
for a drive, and never have thought of it being left down there," added
Julie.
When the girls ran over to see what next to do, they found the Captain
eyeing a board about sixteen inches in length. She was calculating aloud
and wondering if it would fit.
"Fit where? What is it for?" asked Joan.
"You'll soon find out. Now you girls can unpack the hamper and get
luncheon ready--I'm hungry," replied Mrs. Vernon.
She knew this would meet with great approval, and soon they were busy
unpacking the ready-made lunch, and placing it on a large flat rock.
"Ruth! quick--brush that awful bug from the butter!" shrieked Julie, as
she stood with both her hands filled with dishes.
"Oh--oh! I can't! It's an awful looking creature!" cried Ruth, running
away from the rock where the luncheon was spread.
"Joan--come here! What's that beast on the butter--see?" called Julie,
trying to set the tier of dishes down on the grass.
"It's only a young dragon-fly--don't you know one when you see it?"
laughed Joan, shooing the insect away.
"I've seen them flying in the sunshine, but never on the butter-dish,"
said Julie, picking up the dishes again and placing them on the cloth.
Mrs. Vernon had started for the rock-table when she heard the shouting,
but now she laughed heartily. "Joan, where did you study insect-life
that you know so much about one of the common members?"
"Wasn't it a dragon-fly, Verny?"
"Not at all. I should think every one of you girls could tell a
dragon-fly, because we have them about our gardens at home."
"What was it, then?" asked Joan.
"I'm going to send to Scout Headquarters for a book on Insect Life, and
have you study the different ones you find while in camp. Then you'll
become acquainted with them and never forget again. The same with
flowers and trees--I must send for books that you can refer to and teach
yourselves all you need to know about these things that every good scout
knows."
"Oh, come on and let's eat. Every ant and bug in the land will get there
before us, and we'll have to eat leavings," said Julie, whipping a
hornet from the jelly dish.
So with all kinds of insects for guests, the girls ate their first lunch
at camp. They were so hungry that stale bread would have tasted good,
but given the delicious things prepared by the Vernons' cook, it was
small wonder they all felt uncomfortably full when they left the
rock-table.
CHAPTER FIVE
RUTH MEETS WITH DIFFICULTIES
Immediately after luncheon, the girls left the flat table-rock and ran
off in quest of fun. They had ignored the remains of the meal, and the
dishes were left to attract all the ants and flies within a radius of
the odor of the food.
Mrs. Vernon had gone to the buckboard to unpack the chest that held the
tools, and was engaged in sorting the nails she thought would be needed
to repair the old hut. When she turned to see if the girls were almost
through with the task of clearing away the dishes, she found them
eagerly investigating the camp grounds.
"How I'd like to have a swim in this pool," called Joan, standing beside
the mirror-like water.
"Oh, no; we can take a dip any time. Let's go for a hike up the
mountainside. I want to explore," cried Ruth.
"Why not wait until to-morrow morning for adventuring--I want to see if
there are any fish in this trout brook," said Betty.
Julie was out of hearing, but she was busy over some quest of her own,
and she had shirked work as well as the others.
"Girls, is it possible that you are seeking for a kind fairy who might
live in the woods, or are you just waiting for some one to happen along
and offer services to you?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
"What do you mean?" inquired Joan, puzzled at the words.
"And what are _you_ looking for, Verny?" asked Betty, seeing the Captain
going about examining various spots, then glance up at the trees
overhead, or shade her eyes to gaze at the sky.
"Finding a suitable place for the cook-stove," said she.
"Cook-stove! Why, we didn't bring any!" replied four girls.
"Oh, yes we did--I'll show you a fine one to-morrow."
"Are we to have running water in our bedrooms, too?" laughed Joan.
"You can, if you are willing to do the plumbing," retorted Mrs. Vernon.
But evidently she found just the place she sought for; and now the girls
were deeply interested in watching her build a camp-stove. "You see, I
need a place where the smoke will not be driven into our tents, and also
where the wind will act as a blower up the chimney and not a quencher of
the fire.
"Julie, you can bring me some smooth flat stones for an oven, and Joan
can find me a peck of small stones for a lining. Then Betty can cut a
good strong young sapling about an inch through, cut off the twigs and
leave a clean pole about five feet long; and Ruth can cut two shorter
ones with crotches made by two limbs. The crotched limbs can be about
three inches long and the poles cut to four feet high. Sharpen the ends
to a point so we can drive them into the ground."
Each girl went to do the bidding of their Captain, and when they
returned they found a pit had been scooped out of the sheltered nook at
the base of a huge rock. This pit was lined with smooth small stones,
and the flat oven-stones firmly fixed at the back. Then the two notched
poles were planted one on each side of the fireplace, and the long pole
placed across the top, the ends fitting securely into the notches.
"To-night we shall have hot soup for supper, girls, and there will be
plenty of hot water to wash dishes in."
"Hadn't we better heat some water now for the dishes?" asked Julie.
"Oh--haven't you cleared away the lunch table and washed the dishes?"
asked Mrs. Vernon, seemingly surprised.
"Not yet--there wasn't any hot water," said Ruth.
"Then we must heat some at once, for no good scout will postpone
clearing away food and dishes after he has had a bountiful meal. It
shows a lack of appreciation and gratitude to the Provider when one is
slack about cheerfully doing his part," said the Captain.
So Joan was sent for a pail of water, and the other girls were told to
remove all signs of food from the rock and bring the dishes to the
kitchen.
"Where is the kitchen?" giggled Ruth.
"For to-day, we will have it _below_ the pool in which we wish to bathe.
Then the brook can carry away the dish-water without having it seep into
the ground and find its way to mingle with the pool."
The pail of water was hung upon the cross-pole, and fire was laid and
lit in the fire-pit. The girls watched very closely as the Captain
slowly placed the dry leaves, then the dried twigs, and lastly the dry
wood that would burn quickly and start other wood burning in the stove.
While the water was heating, Mrs. Vernon showed the girls how to hitch
and unhitch Hepsy. If either one needed to do it, she would understand
just where all the pieces of harness fitted in. Hepsy was now given a
drink and some oats, and turned out to graze about the plateau.
With five pairs of hands, the clearing away of the dishes did not take
long. As they worked, the Captain planned the carpentry work.
"Don't you think we ought to repair the old hut first?" asked she. "You
see, we need some sort of protection for our dry groceries and other
things."
"Well, we can do that to-day, and begin on Hepsy's shed in the morning,"
suggested Julie.
"I doubt if we can complete all the work to be done on the old place in
this afternoon's few hours," returned Mrs. Vernon.
"It doesn't look as if it would take more than two hours at most,"
argued Joan.
"We'll begin now and then you can find out for yourselves," the Captain
said in reply.
All the tools they had brought were now unpacked and placed ready for
use. Mrs. Vernon then said: "Now we must weed up all the stubble and
wild-growth that has filled the interior of the hut. We may find the
floor beams good enough to use again when the undergrowth is cleared
away."
"Why not let's build the roof first?" asked Ruth.
"Because you have no flooring down, and every nail or tool you drop
while working on the roof will have to be sought for in the rank
growth."
The girls saw the logic of that, so they began pulling and working on
the material that had to be eliminated before further work could be
attended to.
"Why, this is as bad as weeding dandelions," grumbled Ruth.
"Say, Ruth, dandelions were easy in comparison," laughed Joan, standing
up to wipe the perspiration from her face.
"Well, all I can say is, if this is the sort of fun the Girl Scouts rave
about, I don't want any more of it!" declared Ruth, throwing down her
weeding fork and stepping over the beam to get out of the hut.
The other girls stopped work and looked impatiently at her, but Mrs.
Vernon said: "Perhaps you'd like to work at some other task. There are
many things to be done before we can settle down in camp and enjoy our
leisure."
"All right! Give me any old thing but that weeding!"
"Here's the ax--see those trees growing so closely together over there?"
Ruth took the ax and signified by a nod that she saw the clump referred
to.
"Start to cut down several of them, but do not chop too low or too high
from the base. I mean, you ought to cut about eighteen inches above
ground. When you have chopped through nearly half of the trunk, call me
and I will show you what next to do."
"Hurrah! Now I'm going to do something different! I'm sorry for you poor
girls with nothing but weeds to work on," called Ruth gaily, swinging
the ax as she moved away.
The three girls watched for a few moments, but she had not yet reached
the clump of trees before they were again working hard. The Captain was
occupied in removing some boards from the packing cases already emptied
of bedding and other things, so no one noticed Ruth.
She held the ax up over her head as she had seen others do, and brought
it down with a swing. But it caught in the high bushes beside her and
was yanked from her hands.
"Well! to think a little thing like that birch bush could do that!"
exclaimed Ruth to herself.