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THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP
[Illustration: Slipping her hand down further, she fished out a
queer-looking metal case of some sort.]
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP
by
HARRIET PYNE GROVE
Author of
“Cathalina at Greycliff,” “The Girls of Greycliff,”
“Greycliff Heroines,” “Greycliff Wings.”
A. L. Burt Company
Publishers New York
* * * * * *
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS SERIES
A Series of Stories for Girls
By HARRIET PYNE GROVE
CATHALINA AT GREYCLIFF
THE GIRLS OF GREYCLIFF
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP
GREYCLIFF HEROINES
GREYCLIFF WINGS
Copyright, 1923
By A. L. BURT COMPANY
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP
* * * * * *
Made in “U. S. A.”
TO MERRYMEETING GIRLS
With warmest gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Webster, to whom
Merrymeeting Camp owes existence, and to Miss Cotteral,
the other councillors, and the girls, for the interest
and inspiration which they supplied.
The characters are all fictitious. The setting and
activities, with some incidents, are taken from the camp
life.
To my daughter, who wrote the Squirrels’ Inn
entertainment described in chapter twenty-three, credit
is due for those verses. The words of Camping Days were
written by Marion Buerger of Cincinnati.
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP
CHAPTER I
THE TRIP TO CAMP
The Greycliff girls who had decided to go to the girls’ camp in
Maine with Patricia West, their English teacher, were busy getting
ready their camp equipment in the short time which elapsed between
the close of school and their departure for camp. School had closed
early in June and Merrymeeting Camp did not open until July 5th, but
Miss West, who had been a councillor at camp for several seasons,
was to have charge of a delightful and instructive trip that was
offered by the camp authorities to any of the older girls who wanted
to take it. This would give them the opportunity to see Niagara,
Toronto, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence and Thousand Islands,
Montreal, and the White Mountains. The trip was so planned that the
girls would see the best part of the scenery by day, and would have
rest at hotels from the necessary sleeping car and boat travel. All
reservations were made on boat and train and at hotels, and in the
case of the girls leaving with the Cincinnati parties, even baggage
was called for at the homes and the tickets purchased.
Letters went back and forth. Hilary Lancaster was now living in
Cincinnati, which was also Miss West’s home. Helen Paget and Evelyn
Calvert, two Southern girls who had been at Greycliff, were to join
Hilary, visiting her a day or two and starting with her party.
Cathalina Van Buskirk and Lilian North were to join them at Buffalo;
Betty Barnes, at Toronto, where she was visiting her aunt.
“The whole ‘quartet’ of our suite will be together on this trip,”
wrote Lilian to Hilary, “and more of our special friends at
camp,—won’t it be jolly? I’ve never seen Niagara, nor ever been out
of the United States. I wrote to Eloise and urged her to come, but
she says that she can not possibly get ready so soon and will have
to meet us at camp if she gets there at all!”
It was the last Thursday in June, and the train to Buffalo was to
leave at 6:05 P.M. Cincinnati was steaming with heat during one of
those days which the beautiful Queen City can serve to its
inhabitants in summer. Perspiration shone on faces and trickled down
backs. The Central Union Station was like an oven, but cheerful,
happy faces and lively conversation, anticipatory of interesting
experiences, brightened the farewells.
Both Dr. and Mrs. Lancaster, with Mary, Gordon and Tommy, were there
to see Hilary and June off; for June, to her great delight, was
going too. Dr. Lancaster had packed the whole family, with their
guests, Helen and Evelyn, into his car, recently presented to him by
his congregation, and brought them from the parsonage to the
station. Already Miss West was there, with three first-year
high-school girls, Jean Marshall, Marjorie White and Rhoda Jenkins,
known later at camp as “Jenkie” or “Jenks”.
“Think of the cool breezes in Maine,” said Dr. Lancaster, as he
delivered several small suit-cases to their owners and took out a
big white handkerchief, “to catch his tears”, as Tommy said.
“Tommy and I are going to our aunt’s for a visit,” said Gordon to
Miss West, for he wanted it to be known that he was not entirely
left out of good times. “And Father says that p’raps we can go to
Boothbay Camp next summer. The oldest got to go first in our
family!”
Time sped on as they chatted, till presently the iron gates opened
and with Miss West and the tickets in the lead, the girls passed
through. A few friends were permitted to accompany them and escort
them to the train.
“Don’t forget your pocket-book, Jean,” admonished one auntie,
through the open window.
“Yes, do hang on to that, or let Miss West carry your money,” added
another.
“I’ve been known to leave my pocket-book,” explained Jean aside to
Hilary. “Please take this twenty-five, Miss West.”
“Be sure to write a card in Buffalo, Hilary,” said Dr. Lancaster.
“O, yes, Father, we’ll write a post-card from every single place,”
replied June, happily excited over the trip, “alone, with only
Hilary!”
It was some time before the train started, and how they longed to
get away from the hot station! The electric fans started and gave
some relief. Bags or suit-cases were arranged, hats and umbrellas
disposed of, while Miss West counted noses and saw that each girl
was in her own section or knew where it was.
“Let me see. Hilary, you and June are in number nine, right over
Helen and Evelyn. Too bad you have to double in an upper. Won’t you
take my berth?”
“No, indeed; thank you, Miss West. It was our fault that we did not
decide about June’s going till the last minute. I’m thankful that we
could get the other reservations.”
“We are nicely fixed, close together and in the center of the car.
Don’t forget your numbers.”
One of the girls had never slept in a Pullman before and longed to
ask many questions; but ashamed to appear ignorant before the
others, she foolishly would have waited to find out herself as best
she could, had not June, who was not in the least ashamed of not
having traveled at night, asked Hilary the very questions which gave
the necessary information.
At last the train started. The electric lights, which had added so
much to the heat, were turned off. “O, goody, we’re moving!”
exclaimed June, settling comfortably back by Hilary, who had put
June next to the window and was fanning them both. “Goodbye, dear
old Cincy, we’re going to see lots of rivers and lakes and boats and
things before we get back to the Ohio and the Island Queen or the
Morning Star.”
Candy boxes came out immediately and were passed around, but to Miss
West’s surprise and relief, the girls tasted sparingly.
“No, thanks,” said Marjorie, as Jean offered her a box of
chocolates, “I promised Mother not to touch candy till the trip was
at least almost over. She wanted me to get there all right. And any
way this is my summer to reduce. I have to take a dip every morning,
get to breakfast on time, go on the hikes and everything. And here
old Jean eats twice as much as I do, and see how nice and slim she
is.”
“It’s in our family to be skinny,” remarked Jean. “I like what you
say about my eating twice as much as you do,” she continued,
grinning at Marjorie. “No, thank you; I had two caramels and a
bonbon. See? I brought along an _Atlantic Monthly_ to show how
high-brow I am. Auntie bought it for me, though.”
Different magazines were produced and the girls settled down quietly
to read, chat, or watch the passing scenery. As night drew on,
cooler air came in the screened windows. The girls, tired with the
heat and the activities incident to their departure, were glad to
get to their berths as soon as the porter made them up.
“How do we ever get up there, Hilary?” asked June.
“O, the porter will bring a little ladder and will help us up; and
in the morning we’ll press a little button to ring for him and he’ll
help us down again.”
The tips of brown or black oxfords peeped from beneath the green
curtains behind which quiet, well-behaved girls were quickly
preparing for the night. “Here’s the hanger for our coats, Helen,”
whispered Evelyn. “Maybe we can get our dresses on it too.”
“Let’s use that for our dresses, they’re longer. I’ll get a hanger
out of my suit-case for the coats, or we can fold them and put them
on the shelf. See these hooks? You just pull them out straight. We
certainly shall never need that blanket!”
“No telling, when we get up near the lake. Why do they always have
the pillow on the end toward the engine?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to double mine up so I won’t break my neck
if the train bumps when it starts or stops.”
“Mother said if we wanted to sleep on our valuables not to tuck them
under our pillows where any thief could get them by slipping in a
hand, but to put them inside a pillow case and turn the open end of
that toward the inside.”
“I’d go off and leave them in the morning! The only safety for me is
to have them pinned to me, I guess.”
“All right, girls?”—in Miss West’s quiet voice, as she paused by the
various curtains. Soft replies assured her that everybody was
comfortable and soon quiet reigned in the car, except when the
porter passed through with some late arrival from one of the towns
at which the train stopped.
“I can’t go to sleep, Hilary,” whispered June about midnight.
“Are you comfy?”
“O, yes!”
“Well, don’t worry; nobody will sleep much, I suspect, this first
night. We’ll be at a hotel tomorrow night. Maybe we can rest and
doze a little. It’s getting cooler, isn’t it? Let’s draw up the
blanket.”
Assured that it could not hurt anybody if she did not sleep, June
promptly dozed off. Such is the power of suggestion.
Breakfast over at Buffalo, the girls were writing cards home while
waiting for the train to Niagara. While they were thus engaged in a
corner of the waiting room where they had deposited their baggage
and one or two parcels which had already been added to the
impedimenta, a bright face peeped around the corner. “O, here they
are, Cathalina!” and with this Lilian North, smiling and happy, made
her appearance.
Everybody jumped up. “Where _were_ you children?” inquired Hilary
from Lilian’s embrace. “We thought you had missed a train or
something.”
“No, Phil brought us in the auto, rather the chauffeur did, but
Philip was the official care-taker. Here he is, with Cathalina.”
Hilary was wondering how Lilian happened to come in the Van Buskirk
car, but there was no time to ask at this juncture.
Meanwhile Philip was saying to Cathalina, as they approached, “My,
Kitten, must I be introduced to all that bunch?”
“O, yes, and remember ’em, Phil, if you can. You know Hilary, of
course, and that is June, her little sister, and Evelyn is that
graceful little thing farthest away. You’ll know her by her Southern
speech, and Helen, too,—with her rather especial drawl. I don’t know
the rest myself. There’s Patty, too, just joining them.”
Evelyn’s eyes and lashes, drooping or raised, went into effect
immediately upon introduction, and Philip’s courtesy responded to
her grown-up ways; but as there were too many girls for one young
gentleman to entertain, he remained by Lilian most of the time,
holding her extra coat and hand-bag with entire content. At train
time, however, Philip helped as many of the girls as possible,
settled them in the train, shook hands all around, kissed Cathalina
and swung himself off in good time. Many girlish eyes followed him,
and their last view was of a tall, good-looking, dark-eyed boy,
touching his hat and looking chiefly at—Lilian.
“I never saw Phil so taken with a girl,” whispered Cathalina to
Hilary at the first chance. “We were motoring through and stopped
all night at Rochester, when whom should we meet at the hotel but
Lilian and Judge North. The Judge had business at Rochester and was
going to put Lilian on the train for Buffalo. We could have gone to
Charlotte, of course, to wait for the boat from Toronto, but both
Lilian and I wanted the whole trip with you girls. We had a fine
visit yesterday as we drove,—I was so glad for Mother to know our
Lilian better, and Lilian was at her brightest and sweetest and
prettiest.”
“And that is rather attractive,” inserted Hilary.
“You can see that the Judge just loves her to pieces.”
No sooner was the party off the train at Niagara than a capable
official appeared. Arrangements were at once made with him to
transport the party by auto to the station from which they would
next depart and to take them upon the sight-seeing tour as soon as
their baggage was safely checked.
Through the park, to different points where the American or Canadian
Falls could best be seen, the girls rode or walked with little
conversation. They stood silently before the majesty of the waters,
watching the feathery flow over the American Falls, or a glittering
green cascade on the Canadian side. On little bridges which led to
rocky islands, they watched the whirling rapids above the falls.
Sometimes the mist blew into their faces.
“May we go under the falls, Miss West?”
“No, Marjorie; we’ll just do the safer, ordinary things.”
“That suits me,” said Hilary. “I want to look at the things the
Creator made. Everything else seems like a blot on the landscape,
cheap, someway.”
“Well, perhaps,” answer Helen. “Still, we could not see the Falls as
well if they did not have the bridges, you know. Wouldn’t you’ve
liked to be the first person that ever saw Niagara Falls?”
“Prob’ly some Indian.”
“Yes, June, that didn’t know what he was coming to and went over in
his little canoe!”
“Now, Marjorie!” reproved Helen. “You can hear the thunder of it a
long way off, and I’m sure that any sensible Indian would have
landed his canoe long before he came to the big rapids.”
The falls of Niagara never cease to arouse wonder and admiration no
matter how many times the tourist may have visited them, and these
girls were no exception to the rule. The amazing whirlpool rapids,
where, tossing and tumbling, the foaming waters of Niagara river
swept through the great gorge, impressed them almost as much as the
falls themselves. The day itself, with its fresh breeze and sun upon
the dancing waters, more than compensated for the tiresome trip of
the night before.
Lewiston and a customs officer came next. At first the girls
wondered why the herding of the crowd through the little gate to the
dock, but the questions asked about their luggage made them realize
that they were temporarily leaving their native land. So
unmistakable a group of school-girls and teacher, however, with the
camp tags on suit-cases and bags, was passed on everywhere without
any trouble. They were soon on board the boat for Toronto.
Out of the Niagara River into Lake Ontario the steamer moved, and it
was not long before the water front of Toronto appeared through
gathering fog and evening shadows.
“Does Betty know that we’re coming tonight?”
“I think not, unless she looks up the time-tables. She knows that
she is to leave tomorrow afternoon, and that we are to be at the
Queen’s Hotel. You will have plenty of time to visit with Betty on
the boat tomorrow and the rest of the way,—let us have a good
night’s rest, enjoy seeing Toronto tomorrow morning,—”
“O, _please_, Miss West,” begged Cathalina. “Just let us call her
up!”
“We shall see,” returned Miss West, weakening a little.
But by the time they had reached the Queen’s Hotel, nice
conservative old place with an English atmosphere and a “royal
suite,” the girls only wanted to get to bed as soon as possible.
“I’m on foreign soil,” sleepily murmured June as Hilary tucked her
in, and Hilary herself was too sleepy to laugh.