THE SCOUT’S SURPRISE.
As soon as Marjorie had sent her telegram, and had stopped in the
kitchen to tell Mrs. Hadley the good news, she ran upstairs again to
Olive. She knew that the other girl would be even more eager than she
was to talk things over, and to learn of everything that had happened.
“I’m really not a bit sick,” said Olive. “I don’t see why I should stay
in bed.”
“Well, you might as well rest until supper and then get up. Because
tomorrow will be a strenuous day, with all the scouts and your own
family here.”
“And how about Tommy?” asked Olive. “Does he have to come from Ohio?”
“Worse than that!” replied Marjorie. “Wyoming! And the funny part of it
was that he was on the ranch with us all summer.”
“Oh, tell me all about him--everything!” cried the girl, and Marjorie
spent most of the morning relating even the minutest details about Kirk
Smith.
Daisy, with her mother and father, arrived that night, almost wild in
their joy, after those dreadful months of uncertainty and fear. Their
happiness in the reunion was wonderful to see; Marjorie and Mrs. Hadley
both wiped tears from their eyes as they beheld it.
“And so you will be here for our house party after all!” said Marjorie,
squeezing Daisy’s hand.
“Yes,” replied the girl, smiling. “And it is going to be the very
nicest one I ever attended.”
“What I am waiting for, is to see the other girls’ surprise,” continued
Marjorie. “Shall we ask your mother and father to withdraw and have
some fun teasing them?”
“I’d love it!” agreed Daisy, who was in for anything now.
The other six scouts, accompanied by John Hadley, arrived about noon on
Saturday. Marjorie and Daisy met them at the train.
“Daisy!” they all exclaimed at once. “You here!”
“Yes,” replied the girl, making a vain effort to disguise her happiness.
“You certainly look happy!” remarked Alice. “What has happened?”
“I’m going back to Miss Allen’s in the Fall,” she answered.
“Girls,” said Marjorie, interrupting the conversation, “we have a guest
with us. Somebody you’ll no doubt be delighted to meet: Kirk Smith’s
wife!”
“Kirk Smith’s wife!” repeated Alice. “When did he get married?”
“Last April,” said Marjorie.
“And is he separated from her?” asked Ethel, breathlessly.
“Naturally! He wasn’t with her this summer, was he?”
“I thought there was something queer about him,” observed Alice. “Is
she nice?”
“Charming.”
“And does she love him?”
“She seems to.”
“Well, where did you ever find her?” asked Florence.
“She is a friend of Mrs. Hadley’s,” answered Marjorie.
It was John’s first knowledge of the fact that the mysterious girl
whom his mother had been sheltering was really Daisy’s sister, and he
uttered a cry of joy. The girls all looked at him suspiciously.
“You’re fooling us, like you and Lily did about the lieutenant!” was
Alice’s conclusion.
“I’m not--am I, John?”
“No, on my word of honor!”
Very shortly after, Marjorie proved to them that she had been telling
the truth. She introduced them all to Mrs. Kirk Smith, a charming young
woman of about twenty-two.
It was Ethel Todd’s clever mind which put two and two together, and
first made the discovery. This girl was a Mrs. Smith; she answered to
Olive’s description; moreover, Daisy’s presence, her joy, her statement
that she would return to Miss Allen’s all led to the solution.
“Aren’t you Daisy’s sister?” she asked suddenly.
Marjorie and Daisy burst into laughter, as the realization dawned
upon the other girls. Explanations followed, and Mr. and Mrs. Gravers
appeared on the scene, to join in the merry-making.
The celebration that night was the happiest that Marjorie had ever
attended. And, at the back of her mind, was always the thought of the
reunion of husband and wife, which would take place the following week,
and which would be the crowning event of all.
But when Daisy’s family tried to put all the credit upon Marjorie, she
modestly disclaimed it.
“It was really Mrs. Hadley’s good-turn,” she said.
“And I couldn’t have done it without John,” replied the older woman.
“But I couldn’t have done anything without Marjorie,” he said.
“Let’s call it ‘_The Good-turn of the Senior Patrol_,’” suggested
Marjorie. “The senior patrol, and their loyal friends.”
THE END
_SAVE THE WRAPPER!_
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THE GIRL SCOUTS AT MISS ALLEN’S SCHOOL
THE GIRL SCOUTS AT CAMP
THE GIRL SCOUTS’ GOOD TURN
THE GIRL SCOUTS’ CANOE TRIP
THE GIRL SCOUTS’ RIVALS
THE GIRL SCOUTS ON THE RANCH
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The strange gift of Old Never-Run, an Indian whom she
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Ann makes many new, worthwhile friends during her first
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ANN AND THE JOLLY SIX
At the close of their Freshman year Ann and the Jolly
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ANN CROSSES A SECRET TRAIL
The Sterling family, with a group of friends, spend a
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ANN’S SEARCH REWARDED
In solving the disappearance of her father, Ann finds
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ANN’S AMBITIONS
The end of her Senior year at Forest Hill brings a
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Ann returns home, after completing a busy year of
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Transcriber’s Note:
The Contents has been added by the transcriber.
Punctuation has been standardised. Spelling and hyphenation have been
retained as in the original publication except as follows:
Page 3
party dresses or kimonas _changed to_
party dresses or kimonos
Page 8
about her in ecstacy _changed to_
about her in ecstasy
Page 13
have your vacation together _changed to_
have our vacation together
often meet later as almunae _changed to_
often meet later as alumnae
Page 14
listening with wrapt _changed to_
listening with rapt
Page 20
girls were in their kimonas _changed to_
girls were in their kimonos
Page 25
girls acquiesed, and gave their _changed to_
girls acquiesced, and gave their
Page 30
and her monogramed ivory set _changed to_
and her monogrammed ivory set
Page 39
I like horseback-ridding and hiking _changed to_
I like horseback-riding and hiking
Page 52
You coudn’t miss her _changed to_
You couldn’t miss her
Page 77
loyality to another member _changed to_
loyalty to another member
don’t seem impessed by his looks _changed to_
don’t seem impressed by his looks
Page 80
and some were just chating and joking _changed to_
and some were just chatting and joking
Page 119
she would be absolutely non-commital _changed to_
she would be absolutely non-committal
Page 125
pretended not to be enthuiastic _changed to_
pretended not to be enthusiastic
Page 126
think it was presumptious _changed to_
think it was presumptuous
Page 135
so unobstrusive in her quiet way _changed to_
so unobtrusive in her quiet way
Page 152
wrapt was she in the subject _changed to_
rapt was she in the subject
Page 157
while her knees ached so dreadfuly _changed to_
while her knees ached so dreadfully
Page 158
waving his head about widly _changed to_
waving his head about wildly
“He only smells a bear!” be explained _changed to_
“He only smells a bear!” he explained
Page 169
they would not a chance in the world _changed to_
they stood not a chance in the world
Page 178
and to wave boodbye to their messenger _changed to_
and to wave goodbye to their messenger
Page 230
With you mother? _changed to_
With your mother?
Page 244
seized Marjorie’s hand in her ecstacy _changed to_
seized Marjorie’s hand in her ecstasy
End of Project Gutenberg's The Girl Scouts on the Ranch, by Edith Lavell