CHAPTER THREE
THE OLD CAMPSITE
Early Saturday morning the chauffeur brought the car over to the tent,and Mrs. Vernon told the girls to jump in while she sent Jim for thelunch-baskets. She got in the front seat, as she proposed driving thecar.
When all was ready, the merry party started off with Mr. Vernon wishingthem a good time. They were soon outside of town limits, and skimmingover a good hard country road. Then Mrs. Vernon drove slower and spokeof the place they were bound for.
"Of course you know, girls, that it is not necessary for you to selectthis site if you do not like it. I am merely driving you there becauseit seems to meet with our present needs for a camp-life. We still haveother places we can investigate, as there is a pyramid of catalogues onthe table in the tent."
"But every one of those camping places will cost us so much money toreach, and that won't leave us anything for board," said Joan.
"Father told us last night that he always wanted to get a crowd of theboys to go with him to that camp you all made when you were girls. Buthis chums wanted to go so far away that they never got anywhere to campin the end," said Betty.
"Yes, and he said he wished he could have his boyhood over again. Thenhe'd spend his vacations in camp even if it was near home," added Julie.
Mrs. Vernon smiled. "I remember how jealous a few of the boys were whenthey heard us talk of the fun we had in camp. Betty's mother was sosorry for them that she invited them to visit the camp now and then.Betty takes after her mother for having a great heart."
"Maybe we can invite our folks to visit us, too," said Julie, eagerly.
"So we can--if they will come and bring supplies," said Ruth.
Every one laughed at this suggestion, and Ruth added: "Well, we can'tafford to pay for visitors, can we? I won't be surprised to find that weshall have to break camp and return home in a month's time, just forlack of funds to go on with the experiment."
"We won't do even that if we have to chop cord wood to pay our way,"laughed Mrs. Vernon.
"Are there big trees on the mountain, Verny?" asked Betty.
"We girls thought it a great forest in those days. To us it seemed as ifthe trees were giants--but we had not seen the Redwoods of Californiathen," Mrs. Vernon chuckled as she spoke.
"What do you call it now?" asked Joan.
"This ridge has no individual name that I know of, but the range is anextension of those known by the name of Blue Mountains. The place I havein mind is one of the prettiest spots on this particular spur of hills.You will find forest trees, streams, pools for bathing, softest moss forcarpets, flowers for study, wild woodland paths for hikes--in facteverything to rejoice a nature-lover's heart."
"Dear me, can't you speed up a little?" asked Julie.
"No, don't, Verny--we'll land in jail if you go faster!" exclaimed Ruth.
"Let's call this spur 'Verny's Mountain,' shall we, girls?" suggestedBetty.
"Yes, let's!" abetted Joan.
The automobile rolled smoothly and swiftly along, and after the firstexcitement had abated somewhat, the girls begged their Captain to tellthem how she had found the place and what they did at camp when she wasa girl.
"I think it was that one summer in camp that made me eager to give everygirl an opportunity to enjoy a like experience. But we went there underfar different auspices than you girls are now doing. We had to convinceour parents that we would not be murdered by tramps, or starved, or madeill by sleeping out-of-doors in the woods.
"Then, too, we had to load our outfit on a farm-wagon and climb in ontop of it so that one trip would do all the moving, as horses werescarce for pleasure-trips, but were needed for farm-work in those days.
"I can remember the shock we girls created with the village people, whenit was whispered around that we proposed a camp-life that summer,instead of sitting home to do tatting and bleaching the linen. It wasall right for boys to have a camp for fun--but for girls, never!
"However we six girls were of the new era for women, and we wanted to dothe things our brothers and their schoolmates did. They could go campingand fishing and hiking so why couldn't we? What difference did skirtsand pig-tails make in vacation-time? So we won over our parents' consentto let us try it for a week.
"But we stayed a month, and then a second month until we made the wholesummer of it. And, girls, we brought home more knitted socks and crochettrimming and tatting, with an abundance of good health and experiencethrown in, than all the rest of the girls in the village could showtogether.
"Even the parson, who had visited our mothers to dissuade them fromallowing us this unheard-of freedom of camp-life, had to admit that hehad been prejudiced by members of his congregation."
"Just like a story-book, Verny! Do tell us what you did when you firstgot to camp?" cried Julie.
"Well, it was lucky for us girls that my brother Ted drove thefarm-wagon for us. When we reached the steep road that ran up over themountain, we had to leave the horses and wagon and carry our outfit tothe site we had selected.
"Then Ted showed us how to build a fireplace, an oven, and a pot-hanger.He also helped us ditch all about the tent so the rain-water would drainaway, and he constructed a latrine for camp.
"He promised to drive up on Sunday to see how we were faring, and bringa few of his chums with him, if they could get off from the farm-work.So we gladly said good-by to him, and felt, at last, much like SusanAnthony must have felt when she realized her first victory in the fightover bondage for women."
"And didn't you have any guardian or grown-up to help take care of you?"wondered Ruth.
"The school-teacher planned to stay with us for a month, but she couldnot come for the first few days; and we feared we might be kept homeunless we started before our folks repented, so we went alone on the dayagreed upon.
"But, girls, I will confess, every one of us felt frightened that firstnight; for an owl hooted over our heads, and queer noises echoed allaround us, so that we thought of all the dangers the foolish villagershad said would befall us."
The car now went through a thriving village which Mrs. Vernon said wasFreedom, the last settlement they would see this side of the campsite.With the announcement that they were now nearing "Verny's Mountain," thefour girls were silent; but they watched eagerly for the woodcutters'road that Mrs. Vernon said would be the place where they would leave theautomobile and climb to the plateau.
The further they went, the wilder and more mountainous seemed thecountry; finally Mrs. Vernon drove the car up a rutty, rocky road untilthe trail seemed to rise sheer up the rugged side of the mountain.
"Here's where we have to get out and walk, girls."
And glad they were, too, to jump out and stretch themselves after thelong drive. They stood and gazed rapturously around at the wildness andgrandeur of the place, and all four admitted that no one could tell thedifference between Verny's Mountain and the Adirondacks.
"We'll take turns in carrying the hampers, girls," said Mrs. Vernon,lifting the well-laden baskets from the automobile.
They began climbing the side of the mountain by following the oldwoodcutters' path, until they reached a large, grassy plateau. Back ofthis flat a ledge rose quite sheer, in great masses of bed-rock. Mossesand lichen clung to the niches of this rocky wall, which was at leastforty feet high, making it most picturesque.
"What a wonderful view of the valley we get from this plateau!"exclaimed Joan.
"Is this where you camped, Verny?" eagerly asked Julie.
"No, but this is where we danced and shouted and played like any wildmountain habitants," laughed Mrs. Vernon, the joys of that girlhoodsummer lighting her eyes. "And here is where you girls can play scoutgames and dances, or sit to dream of home and far-away friends."
"The scout games we'll enjoy here, but dreams of home--never! We'll haveto go back there soon enough," declared Joan, causing the others tolaugh merrily.
"Well, come on, girls. Our campsite lies just there beyond that clusterof giant pi
nes that rear their heads high above the surrounding foresttrees," said Mrs. Vernon, leading the way across the plateau.
The sound of falling water became plainer as they went, and soon,between the trunks of the trees skirting the plateau, the girls spied abeautiful waterfall. It tumbled from one great boulder to another, untilit splashed into a basin worn deep in the farthest end of the plateau;thence it sought the easiest way to reach the valley, making manysparkling pools and musical waterfalls in its descent.
"How perfectly lovely!" breathed Betty, standing with clasped hands anda gaze that was riveted on the falls.
"You had plenty of water for cooking and bathing, didn't you?" saidpractical Julie.
"Yes, and that was one reason we chose this spot for our camp. You seethis high rocky wall made a fine wind-shield from the north, and wherecould one find a more convenient gymnasium than that flat? The pines andwaterfall over here provided shelter and supply. So we built our hutagainst the wall under those trees."
"Hut? You never told us you built a hut," exclaimed Joan.
"No, because I have no idea of finding it here. I suppose the logs haverotted away years ago," returned Mrs. Vernon.
"We might build another one, Verny, 'cause I see plenty of down-timber,"suggested Betty.
"And it will be great sport to play carpenter," added Joan.
Mrs. Vernon forced a way through the tangle of briars and bushes thathad grown up since that long-ago, and the scouts followed directly afterher.
"Girls, here is the pool where we used to swim--isn't it lovely?"
The girls stood still, admiring the clear water and the reflection ofgreen trees in the pool; then the Captain turned and began breaking downslender twigs and bending aside green berry-bushes, as she eagerlyblazed a trail towards the wall.
Here, not fifty feet from the pool, was glimpsed the old frame andtimbers of a log cabin. A mass of vines and moss almost hid the hut fromview, so that one would unconsciously pass it by, thinking it but thetrunk of a cluster of old trees against the wall.
_A mass of vines and moss almost hid the hut from view_]
"Oh, we must have built well to have had it survive all these years,girls!" cried Mrs. Vernon, joyfully, as she stood and looked at thehandiwork of her friends of years long gone.
"Verny, this is the way we girls will build, too. We will erect a hutalongside this, and show it to our children many years from now," saidBetty, fervently.
"I don't see why we can't use this hut, too," said Julie.
"The frame and floor beams are solid enough," added Joan, examining theposts.
"It will need a roof and some new side-logs--that is all," Ruth said,taking a lively interest in the camp-plan.
"Yes, we can easily repair it, and then you girls can build your own hutas an annex to this hotel," said Mrs. Vernon, still smiling withsatisfaction at the discovery of the cabin.
"Dear me! I wish we had brought our camp outfit to-day and could stay tobegin work," complained Joan.
"I'm crazy to start, too," admitted Julie.
"But we have to have those tools, and some others besides. I shall askUncle Verny to sell us some of his extra ones. He has several hammers,screw-drivers, and other implements he can spare," said Mrs. Vernon.
"Now what can we look at?" inquired Ruth, quickly wearying of one thing.This was one of the weak tendencies Mrs. Vernon hoped to cure thatsummer.
"You can bring the hampers over to the pool, if you like, and when weare through planning here, we will join you and have our picnic."
"Why, I don't want to carry them alone! Can't we all go now and do it?"
"I want to snoop about here a little more," said Julie.
"And I want to figure out how many tree-trunks we'll have to drag overhere before we can have a cabin as good as this one," called Joan, asshe measured the length of logs with a hair-ribbon.
"Mercy! Aren't any of you going to eat before you finish that nonsense?"Ruth asked plaintively.
Mrs. Vernon smiled. Then she turned to Joan and said: "If you girls willreally promise to build and finish a hut, I will ask Uncle Verny to loanus the farm-horse to haul the timbers. You girls could never drag them,you know. But Hepsy is accustomed to hauling and heavy work, so we needhave no fear of straining her."
"Just the thing! Hepsy forever!" shouted Joan, throwing her hat in theair 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 listswhen we go to order the things," said Mrs. Vernon.
"Won't the girls at school look green with envy when we tell them we aregoing 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 withdelight at their mystification. Then, eager to share her fun, she criedlaughingly: "Hepsy, the dear old girl!"
Of course when one is happy and gay it takes but little to cause loudand long merriment, and so it was in this instance. They laugheduproariously at the joke, and decided then and there to tease the othergirls at school who were so anxious to join a Patrol, but would not weedthe dandelions to earn money for a camp.
As weeding had been the best test of endurance and patience Mrs. Vernoncould think of at the time, she had felt rather relieved to find thatonly four responded to the initiation invitation. In doing thingsaccording to the Handbook for Captains, she felt she would find fourgirls sufficient material to practice upon for the first season.
When the luncheon was unpacked and spread out, Mrs. Vernon smiledcontinuously at the happy chatter of the four girls, and thethousand-and-one plans they made for the camp that summer. Then all satdown to enjoy the feast, for nothing had ever tasted so good to thembefore, 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 twohours, 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 beinghere 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 forgettingself enough to speak her opinion honestly.
The drive back was much longer than going, even though the girls plannedand plotted how to earn more money with which to buy everything theycraved for that camp. It was to be a wonder-camp.
"I can add a dollar and seventy-five cents to the fund now," announcedRuth, 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 keepon 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 silentpraying--thanking Him for this break in the clouds of human will andselfishness that the girl had always displayed hitherto.
Ruth felt embarrassed at so much fussing, and felt a deep gratitude tothe Captain for not adding to her self-consciousness. The moment shecould 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 shewants me to."
A great laugh relieved every one's f
eelings at this statement from Ruth,and the merry party reached the Vernon home feeling very much at peacewith the world in general.