The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat | Page 4

efforts at sweeping.
"For goodness' sake, sprinkle the floor before you sweep," begged
Margery chokingly. Hazel dipped up a pail of water from the lake and

sprinkled it through her fingers over the floor of the boat. All the others
save Harriet had fled, driven out by the choking dust. The sweeping
was now attended with more comfort. Dustpan after dustpan full of dirt
was gathered up and tossed into the lake. Tommy surveyed her work
with a frowning face.
"It lookth worthe than it did before," she declared. "Thee the greathe
thpotth. What fine houthekeeping."
"Men are lazy housekeepers," laughed Miss Elting. "I shall have to
write to Bert and tell him what we think of his housekeeping."
As soon as the water was heated, Jane produced some full length
gingham aprons, which she tossed to her companions. Arrayed in these,
the girls took up scrub brushes and soap and got to work on the inside
of the cabin. Their skirts were pinned up, their sleeves rolled back to
the shoulders and they looked like veritable scrub women.
"Let's all work on the same side of the boat," called Jane. "I want one
side to get dry so we can begin to paint it." The slap, slap of the
painters' brushes already was heard on the outside. The remaining
boards over the windows had been torn off and carefully laid aside for
other uses.
Two hours later Jane got the painters to open the cans of white paint
and stir up the contents. The men put in plenty of drier so the paint
would dry quickly and began their work. Tommy could not resist trying
to paint too. Seizing a brush she began laying about her, sending the
paint into her hair, over her clothes and spattering her companions until
they threatened to throw her overboard if she did not desist. Tommy's
impish face already was decorated with polka dots of white paint.
"I would suggest that Tommy go out and use some red paint," said
Harriet laughingly. "Some red dots would make you look perfectly
lovely, dear."
"Yes and some blue," added Jane. "She'd be red, white and blue then,
and we could hang her over the stern. That would save getting a flag."

"Girls, what are we going to do with the ceiling!" asked Miss Elting,
regarding it with wrinkled forehead.
"We might paint in white between the beams, covering the beams
themselves with green," suggested Harriet.
"That would be pretty," agreed the guardian, tilting her head to one side
and regarding the ceiling reflectively. "Yes, it would be very artistic.
Have we any green paint?"
"We'll have some," answered Jane promptly. "What shade?"
"Grath green," suggested Tommy.
"Olive," suggested Hazel.
Miss Elting nodded. Olive green paint would look well for the ceiling,
she decided. Already the interior of the houseboat was beginning to
brighten. But they saw that, to do a thoroughly good job, at least two
coats of paint would be necessary. They hoped to get one coat of paint
on before night, putting on the finishing coat on the following morning.
The slap, slap of the brushes outside had ceased and the men were
heard talking. Jane rushed out brandishing her paint brush.
"Get to work, you lazy bones!" she shouted. "Am I paying you for
holding conversations about red paint! On with your work!"
Jane presented such a ferocious appearance that the painters resumed
their work hurriedly. There was no more lagging on their part. Jane
frequently ran out to see what they were doing. The result was that the
"Red Rover" was painted in record time, both outside and in, and a coat
of paint laid on the top of the house. Jane McCarthy had an idea in
regard to this roof. The next morning she put the plan into execution.
That night the girls were so tired that they gave no thought to their
appearance until they had reached their rooms at the hotel and looked
into their mirrors. Their paint-streaked countenances were a sight to

behold and Tommy carried a part of her facial decorations to bed with
her.
They were up early on the following morning, and were first in the
dining room at breakfast.
"I just can't wait until I get to work," declared Jane McCarthy, her eyes
shining.
"I can wait until I've eaten my breakfast," replied Margery, then flushed
as Tommy giggled meaningly.
Readers of the first volume of this series, "THE MEADOW-BROOK
GIRLS UNDER CANVAS" will recall the many exciting adventures
that befell the five girls and their guardian, Miss Elting, while
summering at Camp Wau-Wau, a part of the Camp Girls' organization.
The attempts of two mischief-making camp girls to disgrace Harriet in
the eyes of the camp, Harriet's brave rescue of her enemies during a
severe