The Outdoor Girls at Bluff Point | Page 8

but when I said that to Aunt Mary last night she smiled and
looked wise--you know how sweet she is--and said that that was the
way happiness always came to us--by helping others to be happy."
"But we haven't done anything to make anybody happy--particularly
that is," said Mollie wondering.
"I said that too," nodded Grace. "But she only went on smiling, and I
realized she must have meant our work at the Hostess House."
"It's strange how everybody persists in calling it work and giving us so
much credit when it was all such fun," said Betty. "But girls," she
added, laughing breathlessly, "the great fact is that we are going to have
another adventure in the open. The very thought of it makes me want to
roll in the buttercups."
"Goodness, there's one open in the back meadow," suggested Mollie.
"You can roll in it, if you want to."
"Well, I don't--I want a whole patch of them!" cried Betty, while the
rest laughed at Mollie's picture. "My, I feel younger already."
"Well of course you need to," drawled Grace, adding with a fond
glance at the glowing Little Captain: "You look so terribly like a
dried-up ancient, dear."
"But when shall we start?" cried Mollie, coming back to the
all-absorbing topic at hand. "Goodness, I'd like to throw a few clothes
in a suitcase and start right away--quick--this minute--I can't wait!"
"Do you think it's catching?" asked Grace, anxiously.
"From the way I feel I should say it was already caught," twinkled
Betty, adding eagerly: "How long do you suppose we will have to wait,
Grace? Did your Aunt Mary say when we could have the cottage?"
"As soon as we want it," replied Grace, looking surprised. "Didn't I tell

you?"
"No you didn't," mimicked Mollie, adding as she sprang to her feet
impatiently: "I'd like to know what we're waiting for anyway! Why
don't we get started?"
"Now I know she's crazy," cried Betty, seizing her chum and pulling
her down upon the arm of her chair. "Why we haven't decided anything
yet."
"What is there to decide?" cried Mollie, trying to be patient and looking
like a martyr.
"Why we don't even know how we're going to get there yet," explained
Betty soothingly.
"In the automobile, of course," cried Mollie, jumping up again.
"Oh, can we?" cried Grace, forgetting to be languid and bouncing
eagerly in the swing. "Mollie, that would be wonderful."
"Why of course we'll go in the car!" it was Mollie's turn to look
surprised. "What did you think we were going to do--walk?"
"There are railroads, you know," Grace reminded her, relapsing into
irony. "And as to walking--well, we did that too before you got your
car, Mollie."
"Yes, and got sore feet," added Mollie.
"Well, now that we've decided not to go on the railroad or walk," Amy
broke in unexpectedly, "I really don't see what we are waiting for."
"My goodness, there's another lunatic," cried Grace, looking
despairingly at the Little Captain, whose eyes twinkled merrily. "What
do you expect us to do--go just as we are?"
"No, but we can throw some things into a suitcase--"

"How long do you suppose it will take us to get there?" asked the Little
Captain, coming to Grace's rescue.
"Why, even in Mollie's car it will take two days," said Grace, turning to
Betty with the relief of one who at last had a sane person to reckon with.
"Mollie and Amy evidently expect to make it in a couple of hours."
"Oh well, I didn't know it was so far away," murmured Mollie,
somewhat taken aback. "Of course, then, we can't go until to-morrow."
The girls laughed merrily, and Betty hugged her.
"We might," chuckled the latter, "even be forced to wait till day after
to-morrow."
"I won't do it!" cried Mollie, jumping up again. "There's no reason in
the world why we can't start to-morrow."
"But, Mollie dear," insisted Betty mildly, "we haven't even asked our
folks whether we may go or not--"
"As if we didn't know what they will say," broke in Mollie, but Betty
went on without heeding her.
"And we must have a chaperone, you know."
"Oh, I suppose so," sighed Mollie sinking down in her chair resignedly,
"but it's horribly tiresome. I want to go now."
"You sound like Dodo with her candies," remarked Grace, amiably
helping herself to a luscious milk chocolate filled with nuts. "Have one,
Mollie--it may make you feel better."
"It won't, but I will," said Mollie rather enigmatically, reaching out a
hand for the proffered sweet. "Thank you, dear."
"But whom shall we have for a chaperone?" cried Amy impatiently.
"I'm almost as bad as Mollie--I can hardly wait till to-morrow."

"Why," said Grace, nibbling daintily, "I thought maybe you girls
wouldn't