The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat | Page 5

storm and her generous method of dealing with them aroused the
interest and admiration of the reader. The various ludicrous happenings
in which Grace Thompson and Jane McCarthy figured prominently
also added to this absorbing narrative of outdoor life.
"THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS ACROSS COUNTRY" relates the
adventures of the girls and their guardian on their homeward march
from Camp Wau-Wau. Their meeting with a number of boys on a hike,
who styled themselves the Tramp Club, and the subsequent wager
made with them by the Meadow-Brook Girls to race them to the town
of Meadow-Brook, furnished the theme for the narrative. While
following the fortunes of the road the girls met with numerous
adventures. The reader will recall their encounter with the tramps, their
rescue by Sybarina, the Gipsy, and the night spent in the Gipsy camp
where Harriet, disguised as a Gipsy, told the fortune of George Baker
the leader of the Tramp Club, and at the same time under the pretense
of revealing his past rated him soundly for a trick which he and his
band had played upon the girls.
Once back in Meadow-Brook the girls had settled down to a busy

winter in high school. Now that summer had come again, accompanied
by Miss Elting, they had planned to spend their vacation on Lake
Winnipesaukee, aboard a houseboat owned by Miss Elting's brother.
The "Red Rover" in its coat of bright new paint looked really fine that
morning. As the girls neared it the odor of fresh paint was borne to
their nostrils on the breeze that drifted in from the lake. Full of
enthusiasm the girls hurried aboard the boat. There was much to be
done, and all were eager to settle their home and to begin the
fascinating life that was before them, a life that not one of the girls had
ever before enjoyed. The painters came soon after, and began putting
on the second coat of paint. The girls, as soon as they had donned
aprons and gloves, started to put on the second coat in the interior of
the boat. The windows were on hand, ready to be set in place and
everyone went to work with a will.
So rapidly did the girls and Jane's painters work that, by noon, the work,
both inside and out, had been completed, including a coat of paint on
the floor. The painters were paid off by Jane and dismissed. Jane
stepped out on the pier to survey the work.
"Girls, we've forgotten something," she cried. "We must have the name
on the side of the boat. The 'Red Rover' you know? I forgot that when
the men were here. Can any of you print?"
"I think perhaps I might do it," answered Miss Elting. "But we shall
have to wait until the red paint dries. Suppose we sit down and rest for
an hour or so?"
"Rest!" shouted Crazy Jane. "There's no rest for the Meadow-Brook
Girls. It's work and trouble and trouble and work all day and all night.
Girls, we've got to have a new stove, and we must have a lot of other
things, including some curtains and home comforts. Can you help me
load the old stove into the car?"
"Not without breaking it, I'm afraid," answered Miss Elting laughingly.
"Then get the axe. We'll smash the old thing. Hey there, you man," Jane

shouted at a passing farmer. "Want to earn fifty cents? Well, get busy
here, and help us move the stove."
With the aid of the farmer they took down the old wood stove and
loaded it into the automobile. Next they made a hurried toilet and drove
into the village. Most of the afternoon was spent in making purchases.
All the bedding had been shipped by freight, as had the folding cots,
the cooking utensils and their tent. Harriet proposed that they make the
tent into an awning over the upper deck. She thought it would be a
pleasant place to sit in the evenings. Her companions agreed with her.
This necessitated calling in a carpenter. He was sent out to the boat to
do the work while they were finishing their shopping.
Among the purchases was an oil stove--Jane had sold the old one--a
large quantity of canned goods, potatoes and other vegetables, all of
which they planned to stow in the front of the houseboat under oilcloth.
Here also was stowed a huge sea chest that had belonged to Jane's
great-grandfather. It was supposed to be water-tight and in this the
Meadow-Brook Girls decided to place all their extra clothing. A rag
carpet was found that answered very well to cut up into rugs to lay on
the floor. The carpenter made a ladder by which to climb to the upper
deck. Then there was