The Camp Fire Girls at Long Lake | Page 3

I didn't mean Bessie!" cried Dolly, throwing her arms around
Bessie's neck affectionately. "You know I didn't, don't you, dear? And
I'm only joking about half the time anyhow, when I say things like
that."
"Here comes Walter now--we'll see whether he doesn't admit that this is
the best dinner he ever ate in the fields!" said Margery.
It was, too. There was no doubt at all about that. There were cold
chicken, and rolls, and plenty of fresh butter, and new milk, and hard
boiled eggs, that the girls had stuffed, and a luscious blueberry pie that

Bessie herself had been allowed to bake in the big farm kitchen. They
made a great dinner of it, and Walter was loud in his praises.
"That certainly beats what we have out here most days!" he said. "We
have plenty--but it's just bread and cold meat and water, as a rule, and
no dessert. It's better than they get at most farms, though, at that."
When the meal was finished the girls quickly made neat parcels of the
dishes that were to be taken back, and all the litter that remained under
the tree was gathered up into a neat heap and burned.
"My, but you're neat!" exclaimed Walter, as he watched them.
"It's one of our Camp Fire rules," explained Margery. "We're used to
camping out and eating in the open air, you know, and it isn't fair to
leave a place so that the next people who camp out there have to do a
lot of work to clean up after you before they can begin having a good
time themselves. We wouldn't like it if we had to do it after others, so
we try always to leave things just as we'd like to find them ourselves.
And it wouldn't be good for the Camp Fire Girls if people thought we
were careless and untidy."
Then they got back to work again, and the long summer afternoon
passed happily, with all four of the girls doing their share of the work.
The sun was still high when they had finished their work, and Walter
gave the word to stop happily, since he wanted time to put on his best
clothes for the trip to Deer Crossing, where the ice-cream festival was
to be held. Such festivities were rare enough in the country to be made
mightily welcome when they came, especially when the date chosen
was a Saturday, since on Sunday those who worked in the fields every
other day of the week could take things easily and lie abed late.
"Well, I'll see all you girls again to-night," he said. "I'll be along after
supper, Dolly--don't forget. We're goin' to ride over together in the first
wagon."
"All right," said Dolly, smiling at him, and winking shamelessly at
Bessie. "Don't forget to put on that new blue necktie and to wear those

pink socks, Walter."
"I sure won't," he said, not having seen her wink, and, as he turned
away, Dolly looked at Bessie with a gesture of comic despair.
"I think it's very mean to laugh at Walter's clothes, Dolly," said Bessie.
"They're not a bit sillier than some of the things the boys in the city
wear, are they, Margery?"
"I should say not--not half as foolish. I've seen some of your pet boys
wearing the sort of clothes one would expect men at the racetrack to
wear, and nobody else, Dolly. You want to get over thinking you're so
much better than everyone else--if you don't, it's going to make; you
unhappy."
Once they were at the ice-cream festival, where all the girls and young
fellows from miles around seemed to have gathered, Dolly seemed
prepared to have a very good time, however. She entered into the spirit
of the occasion, and, though she, like Bessie and most of the Camp Fire
Girls, would not take part in the kissing games that were popular, she
wasn't a bit stiff or superior.
"I wonder where that nice boy that thrashed Jake Hoover is?" she asked
Bessie, after they had been there for a while.
"Oh, that's whom you're looking for!" exclaimed Bessie, with a laugh.
"Will Burns, you mean? That's so, Dolly--he said he was coming here,
didn't he?"
"He certainly did. I'd like to see him again, Bessie. He wasn't as stupid
as most of country boys."
"He was splendid," said Bessie, warmly. "If it hadn't been for him, I
might not be here now, Dolly. Jake would have got me back into the
other state--he was strong enough to make me go where he wanted.
And if I'd been caught there, they'd have made me stay."
"There he is now!" exclaimed Dolly, as a tall, sunburned boy appeared

in the doorway. "I was beginning to be