Ethel Hollisters Second Summer as a Campfire Girl | Page 7

could only have offered her a home. I'm glad the Insane Asylum
was endowed and the boys educated before the crash came."
Nora did not visit New York in the winter. She went South with her
father. The girls--Kate and Ethel--corresponded, and in that way Ethel
heard all of the news. The Judge came often and took Patty and Kate on
long motor trips. Mattie was doing nicely. She was employed in a
Woman's Exchange where she received twelve dollars a week and
taught cooking and sewing. Mollie was improving daily. Mr. Hastings
had a fine position with Judge Sands. Honora was away, but the rest of
the girls were as usual. The Camp Fires met weekly and everyone
missed Ethel, but no one missed her as did Aunt Susan. "Why," wrote
Kate, "she says the light has gone out of her life, and Tom roams
around disconsolate. But," she added, "you should see the up-to-date
way in which he dresses. He is the pink of fashion, I tell you."
Ethel laughed, and while reading would stop every now and then to
explain.
Then Ethel answered:
"I have joined Miss Westcott's Camp Fire Girls, and if you believe it,
Mamma goes with me. She doesn't like it, but she's a great help to me
and to the girls, for she teaches them so much. She's consistent and it
will take her some time to overcome her prejudices. Nanny Bigelow
belongs, and Harvey takes us when Mamma can not go. By the way,
Harvey seems quite interested in medicine, and after graduating he is
going to study it. We call him 'Doctor' Bigelow.
"Dorothy Kip's Day Nursery has proved a great success. It is the
dearest little flat, and the babies are sweet. Dorothy's old woman is a
great help, and I want you to know that Dorothy works hard. Why, she
almost runs the place on contributions and her allowance, and the little
ones are just as happy and comfortable as possible. She has books and
toys, and we girls take turns in going in and reading to the elder
children, as well as amusing the younger ones. That is a good charity,
and Grandmother (Kate noticed that Ethel had begun to call Mrs.

Hollister 'Mother' and the old lady 'Grandmother') goes nearly every
pleasant day and takes flowers. She generally spends the afternoon with
them, so in a small way Dorothy Kip is emulating Jane Addams. Who
knows but some day she may be her equal,--Oh!"
The second letter said:
"I must tell you something. The other evening Harvey Bigelow called.
You know I never liked him any more than I liked Mattie nor Nora.
Now I like Mattie and I am beginning to like Harvey. I hope I shall
change towards Nora, but I see no sign now. Well, Harvey began.
"'Miss Ethel,' he said, 'I've determined to become a physician. I
presume you've heard that, and I'm determined to become a good one,
too. You may not know it, but I have always liked boys. I don't say that
I dislike girls,--but I do like boys. (Harvey is developing a sense of
humor.) When I visited my college chum--Joe Atkinson--this last
summer, I was surprised to learn that he was the Scout Master to a
troop of eight boys. He lives in Springfield, Illinois. I had a corking
visit and a fine time with the kids, two of whom are his young brothers.
"'Do you know, I became mightily interested in the movement. I have
studied and watched it and I think it's the finest thing ever started. I
came home quite enthusiastic and I talked of it to the two younger Kip
boys and Alan McAllister,--Grace's brother. If you'll believe it, before I
realized what I'd done, these boys had formed a troop and began to
importune me to be the Scout Master of it. There's the two Kips, Tom
Wilder (Sara Judson's cousin), a brother of Grace McAllister, Tommy
Westcott, and my cousin, Jack Atwater, besides two other boys from
the East Side Y.M.C.A. Miss Westcott, the Guardian of the Camp Fire
Girls, asked that they might be allowed to join, making eight in all.'
"I caught him by the hand and I said:
"'Harvey Bigelow, I take off my hat to you. I never liked you so well in
my life."
"He blushed awfully and seemed embarrassed, but he simply said:

"'Don't you think it about time that I became in earnest over something
in life? The opportunity presented itself and I grasped it--that's all.'
"Well, to make a long story short, several of these boys are desirous of
going West next summer and spending their vacations instead of East,
and he called to ask me about the Muskingum Camp. He is going there,
Kate, and