The Camp Fire Girls at Long Lake | Page 2

who was an
accomplished little flirt, saw the look and understood it very well. She
tossed her pretty head.
"You needn't look at me that way, Walt Stubbs," she said. "I'm never
going to marry any farmer--so there! I'm going to marry a rich man,
and live in the city, and have my own automobile and all the servants I
want, and never do anything at all unless I like. So you needn't waste
your breath telling me what a good time your wife is going to have."
Walter, already as brown as a berry from the hot sun under which he
worked every day, turned redder than he had been before, if that was
possible. But, wisely, he made no attempt to answer Dolly. He had
already been inveigled into two or three arguments with the sharp
witted girl from the city, and he had no mind for any more of the
cutting sarcasm with which she had withered him up each time just as
he thought he had got the best of her.
Still, in spite of her sharp tongue and her fondness for teasing him,
Walt liked Dolly better than any of the girls from the city who were
staying on the farm, and he was always glad to welcome her when she
appeared where he was working, even though she interrupted his work,
and made it necessary for him to stick to his job after the others were

through in order to make up for lost time. But Dolly had little use for
him, in spite of his obvious devotion, which all the other girls had
noticed. And this time his silence didn't save him from another sharp
thrust.
"Goin' to that ice-cream festival over to the Methodist Church at Deer
Crossin' to-night?" she asked him, trying to imitate his peculiar country
accent.
"I'm aimin' to," he said uncomfortably. "You said you was goin' to let
me take you. Isn't that so?"
"Oh, yes--I suppose so," she said, tossing her head again. "But I never
said I'd let you bring me home, did I? Maybe I'll find some one over
there I like better to come home with."
Walter didn't answer, which proved that, young as he was, and
inexperienced in the ways of city girls like Dolly, he was learning fast.
But just then a bell sounded from the farm, and the girls dropped their
pitchforks quickly.
"Dinner time!" cried Margery Burton, happily. "Come on down, you
two, and we'll go over to that big tree and eat our dinner in the shade.
Walter, if you'll go and fetch us a pail of water from the spring, we'll
have dinner ready when you get back. And I bet you'll be surprised
when you see what we've got, too--something awfully good. We got
Mrs. Farnham to let us put up the best lunch you ever saw!"
"Yes you did!" gibed Walter. He wasn't half as much afraid of Margery
and the other girls who never teased him, as he was of Dolly Ransom,
and he didn't like them as well, either. Perhaps it was just because
Dolly made a point of teasing him that he was so fond of her. But he
picked up the pail, obediently enough, and went off. When he was out
of hearing Bessie shook her finger reproachfully at Dolly.
"I thought you were going to be good and not tease Walter any more!"
she said, half smiling.

"Oh, he's so stupid--it's just fun to tease him, and he's so easy that I just
can't help it," said Dolly.
"I don't think he's stupid--I think he's a very nice boy," said Bessie.
"Don't you, Margery!"
"I certainly do, Bessie--much too nice for a little flirt like Dolly to
torment him the way she does."
"Well, if you two like him so much you can have him, and welcome!"
cried Dolly, tossing her head. "I'm sure I don't want him tagging around
after me all the time the way he does."
"Better be careful, Dolly," advised Margery, who knew her of old.
"They say pride goes before a fall, and if you're not nice to him you
may have to come home from the festival tonight without a beau--and
you know you wouldn't like that."
"I'd just as soon not have a beau at all as have some of these boys
around here," declared Dolly, pugnaciously. "I like the country, but I
don't see why the people have to be so stupid. They're not half as bright
as the ones we know in the city."
"I don't know about that, Dolly. Bessie's from the country, but I think
she's as bright as most of the people in the city. They haven't been able
to fool her very much since she left Hedgeville, you know."
"Oh,