THE ALGONQUIN EPISODE
"We were so surprised to see her aunt along with her," Julia was
recounting. "They seem awfully chummy, don't they?"
"Yes, it is plain to see they are not--just ordinary folks," added
Cleo. "But even at that I don't see why she should be so standoffish."
"I hope she likes my cake. I left it under a turned upside box, put a
couple of big stones on it and told Shag not to let anyone touch it,"
Grace explained.
"Suppose she wouldn't care to accept a cake? She said something that
night around the campfire, about not accepting things she couldn't
return." This was Cleo's contribution.
"If she doesn't like my cake she can easily return that," Grace was
very emphatic now, "and then perhaps we will desist. No use trying to
make friends with folks who insist on snubbing us."
"But she hasn't snubbed us yet," Louise reminded the first speaker.
"Oh, no, I know that. I was only saying if she _didn't_ take the
cake."
"No danger of anyone giving up that lovely mound of sweetness. I wish
you saved that, Grace, and gave away the marshmallow; I just love
tutti-frutti," declared Cleo.
"Didn't you think Peg acted rather queer when she met us?" inquired
Louise presently.
"She was surprised, that's all. We were surprised ourselves to meet
her," explained Julia. "And perhaps too, she fancied we were fixed up
and she looked sort of mussy. No one wants to feel that way, you
know."
"That may have been it," Cleo accepted, but her voice lacked
assurance. "And say, Julie, we didn't tell you we tore down the
dynamite sign."
"Not really!"
"Pos--i--tively!"
"And you didn't find the danger?"
"Only in the black letters on a piece of red tin. But those signs
don't grow there, although at first we had our suspicions," Cleo
stated facetiously.
"And we also suspect caves and bandits," Louise knew exactly the
effect this would have on Grace, the adventuress.
"Caves! Bandits! Bears and Deadeyed Dicks!" came the prompt string of
exclamations from Grace. "Oh, let's go out there to-morrow and
explore!"
"We knew it; but it is interesting, Grace, and we'll plan our hike for
Big Nose Rock if Mackey will agree," Cleo proposed. "Now we must help
Madaline and Margaret gather their souvenirs. It's too bad they have
to go, but we knew when they came it would only be a few days' visit."
"Good thing we can keep Isabel and Helen. It's such fun to have
company," Louise insisted.
"It was real fun last night," Grace reminded her companions. "I
thought we really would have to prop our beds on end and sleep
standing up. Wasn't it too funny!"
"Not for the poor Norms, although they wouldn't admit it. Bubbles and
Struggles had more kinds of fun than I have ever seen even new school
teachers fall into," said Cleo.
"Such names! Bubbles and Struggles!" repeated Julia.
"About like Fuss and Buzz," recalled Grace. "By the way, I wonder what
has 'happed' to those heavenly twins?"
"Wouldn't wonder but they are calling on other campers," suggested
Louise. "They seem so apt to call."
This provoked the inevitable mimicry, and if Fuss and Buzz hadn't
inflamed red hot ears at that moment, the old saying must indeed have
lost its potency.
The visitors who were leaving, jolly Madaline and capable Margaret,
were being helped pack their bags by Corene, who in spite of offers
from the other Bobbies still held to the responsibilities of
leadership.
It may have been that Corene was anxious to qualify, or it may have
been that she really enjoyed the satisfaction she experienced, at any
rate it was easy to guess she would be sure to receive "awards" when
the camp season would be over, for Corene was almost daily adding to
her efficiency laurels.
"If only we could have Elizabeth up here for a week, wouldn't she show
us a thing or two about housekeeping?" Julia remarked, when in spite
of protestations the cupboard was being "finished" by Julia although
Corene had "commenced" it.
"I can imagine Elizabeth's joy at baking cake in your stove oven,
Julia," returned Corene.
"She could bake good cake in a camp kettle, I do believe. You know,
Corey, Lizbeth is a wizard on bakes."
"Yes, she's headed straight for Pratt's and the youngest of our entire
class," reflected Corene, flicking a bit of paper napkin from the
clock shelf. "I do wonder what makes some girls have such a lot of
brains?"
"And some girls have a lot of hair, too," reasoned Julia. "I guess
it's just natural."
"There comes the steamer Madaline's sisters are coming on!" exclaimed
Corene, as a tooting and blowing announced the arrival of the "Black
Hawk." The captain signalled either for folks to land or for folks to
embark, and as the "Hawk" flag now flew from the dock near Camp
Comalong he would know passengers there awaited his arrival.
Dropping their work Julia and Corene hurried to join those already
waiting to see the visitors off, for the coming and going, the landing
and embarking, was ever a source of excitement at the lake. Not that
company could be definitely expected always, but just as a letter
carrier _may_ have good news, so anyone of those many steamers coming
up from the depot eight miles away _might_ have company for any of the
many campers.
Madaline and Margaret were steamed away, amid a wild flutter of waving
and good-byes, and back to camp again the Bobbies hurried to prepare
for the evening meal.
"We are going to have all the Norms down," announced Miss Mackey, who
had been up in the devastated region all the afternoon. "They simply
couldn't get things dried out, and I insisted they eat with us
to-night."
"Goody!" chirped Grace. "I think company is the best fun of all.
Especially Bubbles and Giggles."
"Giggles?" queried the director.
"Oh, I mean Struggles. She seems to be always struggling to keep from
giggling, so I got her name mixed," admitted Grace.
"Perhaps we should ask them to stay to-night," ventured Corene.
"Where would we put them?" demanded Louise, impulsively.
"All bunk on the floor. It's nice and clean. Lots better than we get
on a hike when we sleep like ground hogs in holes," said Corene.
"We could house them and I proposed it," said Miss Mackey, "but they
wouldn't hear of it and they are going to sleep in the hotel to-night.
They want you all to come over and spend the evening there."
"Joy!" shouted Isabel. "I just want to see what they do at a mountain
hotel in the evenings."
"Same as they do at the seashore, Izzy, and you know that isn't
particularly exciting," Cleo reminded her visitor.
"It was last year when the baby choked on the button. Don't you
remember?"
This recalled an incident told of in the "Girl Scouts at Sea Crest,"
and its mention was enough to send the girls off into their easily
acquired kinks. But even fun has its limitations, and the time was
racing toward supper with the Norms, and then to the evening to be
spent at Hocomo's biggest hotel, the Algonquin.
"Glad I fetched a clean white frock this very day," remarked Louise,
and her companions seemed none the less glad that they too had
"fatigue uniforms," a simple white dress used by these Scouts on just
such occasions as that they were now dressing for.
The storm had driven more than one camp to seek refuge in the hotel
that evening, and arriving there the Bobbies were overjoyed to meet a
number of their acquaintances from among the summer colonists.
Dancing was of the desultory order, but what was lacking in vigor was
made up in continuity, for it seemed there was never rest, stop, nor
intermission to the programme. It was just one long, languid,
continuous dance.
Around the edge of the "ball room" the Bobbies danced and capered, not
venturing out to take the place possibly claimed by the grown-ups. The
so-called ball room was merely the largest room the hotel boasted of,
and evidently its festive claims were based upon the faded crepe paper
that still clung reluctantly to chandeliers and other conveniently set
out points.
But the music was "pretty fair," as more than one guest agreed, and it
was pleasant to be indoors on this cool summer's evening.
Just after Miss Mackin sent around the whisper that there remained
only "a few minutes more," the Bobolinks were attracted by a rather
familiar drawl stealing in from a window opened on the porch.
"Sounds like----"
"It is," interrupted Cleo. "Here they come!"
"Our dear friends, Buzz and Fuss," finished Julia. "And please
observe!"
This was whispered and actually reached only those ears very close to
her, but it seemed as if some magic announcement had been made, for
the entrance of those two young women immediately brought a charge of
eyes focussed directly at them.
"It may be a masquerade," hinted Louise in an undertone. "Perhaps we
have only seen the first act."
Their costumes might indeed have answered for a mask, they were so
ridiculously extreme. The most brilliant striped satins that suggested
clown effects, flowing sashes of colors by no means contrasting, then
the hair dressing: such ear puffs, terracing up to a tower on top,
"like the jumps to the Essveay fire-escape," whispered Cleo. Really it
was no wonder Buzz and Fuss were late if they had to build that effect
all at one sitting.
The young men with them matched up fairly well, considering the
handicap young men must dress under; but their flannels and their
patent leather shoes, topped off with purple socks and vivid neckties,
did all that reasonably could be done to liven up the male attire.
Not a detail was lost on a Bobbie. They sat there fascinated, saving
up their laughs for the wild time they would have going back to camp.
The dancers drifted around and the conspicuous ones came close to the
row of Girl Scouts. As they did so the blondest blonde caught sight of
Grace and recognized her.
"Oh, the babes!" she cooed, loud enough to be overheard. "The Bobbie
babes from the woodsy camp."
This was too much for the Scouts, and only a sudden jumping up to the
answer of the beckoning gesture from Miss Mackin, who was waiting for
the home hike, saved an actual upheaval. As it was, Grace gagged and
squawked audibly, Cleo hummed a foolish tune as she always did to
invoke sorrow, Louise danced a few steps automatically, and by that
time the buzzers had buzzed along.
But not finally. At the door the Bobbies stood for a few minutes
throwing on scarfs and capes, and while they did so along came the
unpleasant ones again. Miss Mackin's attention had been drawn to them
by Corene, and she stepped out and stood squarely in front of her
little charges like a shield. But that attitude had no deterring
effect on the intruders.
"How's every little thing over in Camp Comalong?" asked one in a voice
that attracted unpleasant attention.
No one answered; Miss Mackin shifted her shoulders and sort of urged
the girls outside. The Norms were just beyond the door, waiting on the
porch.
A taunting, high pitched, audacious laugh followed.
"Take the babies home and put them to bed," mocked one of the pair.
"Too late for little Bobbokins to be out."
"Of all the rude creatures!" gasped Miss Mackin. "One would think we
were acquainted with them."
"They think we are," retorted Corene, quite as indignant as the
director. "But I guess everyone else knows them, so perhaps their
remarks will not seem--so strange to others."
"They ought not to be allowed to insult guests that way," stormed
Louise. Even her "canned laugh" was lost track of now.
"Did you see those two freaks?" asked Bubbles Norm when the party
united on the porch.
"And did you hear them?" added Miss Mackin.
"They are the two blandest creatures," went on Bubbles. "But I believe
their daddy is supposed to be some pumpkins, a magnate of some kind or
other."
"Pity he doesn't put his daughters in the trust, then," retorted Cleo.
"They need something; maybe it's that."