"Just the thing! Hepsy forever!" shouted Joan, throwing her hat in the air for a salute.

"Can you remember all the things we still need this summer, Verny?"

asked Julie, anxiously.

"We'll jot down everything as we remember it, then we can compare lists when we go to order the things," said Mrs. Vernon.

"Won't the girls at school look green with envy when we tell them we are going to have a strange girl camp with us this summer?" laughed Julie, as a thought struck her.

"Who is she?" gasped the other girls in surprise.

"Ho! did I get you on that?" teased Julie.

"This is the first hint we've had of it," complained Joan.

"Why no! Verny suggested the plan herself--didn't you, Verny?"

But Mrs. Vernon shook her head doubtfully, while Julie shouted with delight at their mystification. Then, eager to share her fun, she cried laughingly: "Hepsy, the dear old girl!"

Of course when one is happy and gay it takes but little to cause loud and long merriment, and so it was in this instance. They laughed uproariously at the joke, and decided then and there to tease the other girls at school who were so anxious to join a Patrol, but would not weed the dandelions to earn money for a camp.

As weeding had been the best test of endurance and patience Mrs. Vernon could think of at the time, she had felt rather relieved to find that only four responded to the initiation invitation. In doing things according to the Handbook for Captains, she felt she would find four girls sufficient material to practice upon for the first season.

When the luncheon was unpacked and spread out, Mrs. Vernon smiled continuously at the happy chatter of the four girls, and the thousand-and-one plans they made for the camp that summer. Then all sat down to enjoy the feast, for nothing had ever tasted so good to them before, and then--did Verny say it was time to start for home?

"Oh, no! It can't be late, Verny!" exclaimed Ruth.

"Why, we've only been here half a minute, Verny," added Joan.

The Captain glanced at her wrist watch. "We have been here more than two hours, girls, and it is a two hour drive back, you know."

"Dear, dear! the only comfort I have in leaving now is the hope of being here for all summer in another week!" cried Betty.

"Then you have decided to choose this site?" ventured the Captain.

"I thought you knew it! Of course this is what we want," admitted Ruth, frankly. And Mrs. Vernon mentally gave her a credit-mark for forgetting self enough to speak her opinion honestly.

The drive back was much longer than going, even though the girls planned and plotted how to earn more money with which to buy everything they craved for that camp. It was to be a wonder-camp.

"I can add a dollar and seventy-five cents to the fund now," announced Ruth, calmly.

"A dollar and s-e-v-e-n-t-y--five cents!" gasped the girls.

"Then I'll have another dollar and a half before next Friday--if I keep on washing those nasty dishes every night!"

"R-rruth!" squealed Betty, throwing her arms about her friend's neck.

"Ruth Bentley!" cried Joan.

"I cannot believe my ears!" added Julie, in a whisper.

Mrs. Vernon never said a word, but she did a lot of silent praying--thanking Him for this break in the clouds of human will and selfishness that the girl had always displayed hitherto.

Ruth felt embarra.s.sed at so much fussing, and felt a deep grat.i.tude to the Captain for not adding to her self-consciousness. The moment she could free herself from Betty's loving embrace, she said, recklessly:

"I told mother I'd rather give up camping than do those dishes any more, but now that I've seen the place, I'll scrub the kitchen floor if she wants me to."

A great laugh relieved every one's feelings at this statement from Ruth, and the merry party reached the Vernon home feeling very much at peace with the world in general.

CHAPTER FOUR

BEGINNING THEIR CAMP LIFE

The next few days were so filled with the final work to finish the scholastic year, and closing of school, that every one of the girls was kept busy, and had little time to think of camp.

Once Thursday came, however, the only exciting thing remained to be done was Commencement on Friday; so the four girls met at Dandelion Tent to plan for the camp.

"We ought to have our folks give us a great send-off, like they did with the regiments that mustered from the town families," said Julie.

"If they'll only give us all I asked for, we will be satisfied," laughed Joan.

"What did you do?" instantly said three voices.

"First, I told mother what we would have to have for camp, then I got mother to visit your folks and tell them what we really ought to have to make life comfortable in the wild woods."

"Oh, oh! That's why Eliza told us she would fix us up with some jams and other food-stuff," laughed Julie.

"And mother asked me did we want any furniture or china?" added Ruth.

"What did you say?" asked Julie.

"I told her we'd rather she donated the price of china or furniture this time, and let us invest it as we found need."

The girls laughed and Mrs. Vernon ran out of the side door, saying: "I'm missing all the fun! Do tell me what it is about?"

Then Julie told her what Ruth had replied to her mother's question, and the Captain laughed also. "I see Ruth is developing a wonderfully keen sense of finance."

"You'll say so when you see this sc.r.a.p of paper, Verny," said Ruth, taking a crumpled oblong of tinted paper from her middy blouse and pa.s.sing it over to the Captain.

Mrs. Vernon looked at it in surprise, and gasped: "Why, of all things!"

"The price of china and furniture that mother figured we would smash or damage," explained Ruth.

"Girls, it's a check for twenty-five dollars from Mrs. Bentley. We'll have to vote her a letter of thanks at once."

"Hurrah! Now, all ready for three cheers for Mrs. Bentley!" shouted Julie, jumping upon the camp-stool and waving her hat.