[Illustration: She found Douglas sitting in a forlorn heap in
their tent.
(_Frontis_) (_The Carter Girls' Week-End Camp_)]
THE CARTER GIRLS'
WEEK-END CAMP
By NELL SPEED
AUTHOR OF
"The Molly Brown Series," "The Tucker
Twins Series," etc.
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York
Printed in U. S. A.
Copyright, 1918,
By
HURST & COMPANY
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A LETTER 5
II. THE RETURN 12
III. THE PROBLEM 30
IV. ROBERT CARTER'S ASTONISHING GIRLS 48
V. THE TUCKERS 66
VI. POST-PRANDIAL CONVERSATIONS 78
VII. THE STORM 97
VIII. THE DAMAGE DONE 115
IX. MR. MACHIAVELLI TUCKER 126
X. MR. HIRAM G. PARKER 142
XI. THE BIRD 165
XII. PLEASE REMIT 185
XIII. TEAKETTLE 194
XIV. THE FORAGERS 212
XV. BABES IN THE WOOD 232
XVI. TOM TIT 252
XVII. THE SPRING-KEEPER 269
XVIII. MORE FINDS 278
XIX. A DISCUSSION 286
XX. DR. WRIGHT TO THE RESCUE 298
XXI. LETTERS 311
The Carter Girls' Week-End Camp
CHAPTER I
A LETTER
From Douglas Carter to her mother, Mrs. Robert Carter
GREENDALE, VA., AUGUST --, 19--.
MY DARLING MOTHER:
Words cannot express the joy and gratitude all of us feel that father is
really getting well. I shall never forget the miserable time last spring
when Dr. Wright came into the library where Helen and Nan and Lucy and I
were sitting and told us of his very serious condition. I had felt he
was in a very bad way but did not realize it was quite so dreadful. I am
sure you did not, either. And when Dr. Wright said that you must take
him on a long sea voyage and we understood that we were to be left
behind, the bottom seemed to drop out of the universe.
And now, dear mother, I have a confession to make: You took for granted
we were going to the springs when we wrote we were to spend the summer
in the mountains, and we thought with all the worry you had about
father, perhaps it was best to let you go on thinking it. Of course you
did not dream of the necessity of our doing anything to make money as
father had never told you much about his finances. Well, mother dear,
there was about $80 in the bank in father's private account. Fortunately
for the business, which Mr. Lane and Dick have carried on to the best of
their ability, there was some more in another account, but we have
managed without touching that. I hope I am not going to shock you
now, but you shall have to know it--we have rented our lovely home,
furnished, for six months with privilege of a year, and we have sold the
car, dismissed the servants--all but Susan and Oscar, who are up here
at Greendale with us. This is what might shock you: We are running a
week-end boarding camp here in the mountains and the really shocking
part of it is--we are making money!
It was a scheme that popped into Helen's head and it seemed such an
excellent one that we fell to it, and with dear Cousin Lizzie Somerville
chaperoning us and Lewis Somerville protecting us, we have opened our
camp and actually would have to turn away boarders except that the boys
are always willing to sleep out-of-doors and that makes room for others
not so inclined.
We see Dr. Wright quite often. He comes up for the Sunday in his car
whenever he can spare the time. He has been kindness itself and has
helped us over many rough places. There have been times when we have
been downhearted and depressed over you and father, and then it has been
his office to step in and reassure us that father was really getting
better. He and Bobby are sworn friends and there is nothing Bobby will
not do for him--even keep himself clean.
We are well. Indeed, the mountain air has done wonders for all of us.
Helen is working harder than any of us, but is the picture of health in
spite of it. Nan is more robust than she has ever been in her life.
I think the tendency she has always had to bronchitis has entirely
disappeared. Dr. Wright says it is sleeping out-of-doors that has fixed
her. Lucy has grown two inches, I do believe. She has been very sweet
and helpful and as happy as the day is long with her chum Lil Tate here
for the whole summer. Mrs. Tate brought her up for a week-end and the
child has been with us now for over two months. We have two boys of
fifteen who are here for the summer, too, Frank Maury and Skeeter
Halsey. They are a great comfort to me as I feel sure Lucy and Lil will
be taken care of by these nice boys.
Of course, the original idea of our camp was to have only week-end
boarders, but we find it very nice to have some steadies besides as
that means a certain fixed amount of money, but I am not going to let
you worry your pretty head about money. We have a perennial guest,
also--none other than pretty, silly Tillie Wingo. She came to the
opening week-end and proved herself to be such a drawing card for the
male sex that we decided it would be good business to ask her to visit
us indefinitely. It was Nan's idea. You know Tillie well enough to
understand that she is always thoroughly good-natured and kind without
being helpful in any way. All she has to do is look pretty and chatter
and giggle. Of course she must dance, and she does that divinely. She is
a kind of social entertainer, and the number of youths who swarm to
Week-End Camp because of her would astonish you. She is certainly worth
her keep. Here I am touching on finances again when I did not mean to at
all.
We are so happy at the thought of having you and father with us for the
rest of the summer. Dr. Wright thinks the life here will be almost as
good for father as that on shipboard, provided the week-enders do not
make too much racket for him. If they do, we are to have a tent pitched
for him out of ear-shot. Poor Cousin Lizzie Somerville is very happy
over your coming because it will release her. Her duties as chaperone
have not been very strenuous, but the life up here has been so different
from anything she has ever had before that it has been hard on her, I
know, harder than she has ever divulged, I am sure. Now she can go to
her beloved springs and play as many games of cards as she chooses.
Dr. Wright says it would be better for you not to go to Richmond at all
before coming here, as father might want to go to work again, and it is
very important for him to be kept from it for many months yet. He is to
meet you in New York and bring you straight to Greendale. I can go down
to Richmond with you after we get father settled here, and we can get
what clothes you want for the mountains. We have everything in the way
of clothes stored at Cousin Lizzie Somerville's.
It is very lovely here at Greendale, and I do hope you and father will
like it as much as we have. Dr. Wright will tell you more about it when
he meets you in New York on Wednesday. I am sending this letter by him
as it seems safer than to trust to Uncle Sam.
We only hope the life up here will not be too rough for you. We will do
all we can to smooth it for you; but a camp is a camp, you know, dear
mother. Our best love to father.
Your loving daughter,
DOUGLAS.