CHAPTER VII.
A COINCIDENCE.
"Almost time for Dr. Wright!" exclaimed Douglas. "I believe I heard theR. F. & P. stop at Elba. I do wonder what he is going to say."
"He is going to say we are a set of fools and lunatics and refuse to letus have any money to start the camp. Since we have been so extravagantand selfish for all these years, he'll think we ought to go to the poorhouse, where we belong," said Helen, frowning. "I can see him nowlooking through his eyebrows at me with the expression of a hairywildman in a show."
Dr. Wright came with good news of the travelers. He had not only seenthem safely on board but had sailed with them, coming back with thepilot. He reported Mr. Carter as singularly calm and rested already andMrs. Carter as making an excellent nurse. Evidently he was ratherastonished that that poor lady could make herself useful, and Helen,detecting his astonishment, was immediately on the defensive; but as Dr.Wright was addressing his remarks principally to Douglas, almostignoring her, she had no chance to let him know what she thought of hisdaring even to think slightingly of poor little Mumsy.
"I have a scheme for you girls, too, if you won't think I ampresumptuous to be making suggestions," he said, now including all fourof the sisters.
Of course, Douglas and Nan assured him that they considered it very kindof him to think of them at all, but Helen tossed her head and saidnothing. Lucy waited to see what Helen would do and did the same thing,but she could not help smiling at the young doctor when he laughedout-right at her ridiculous mimicry of Helen. He flushed, however,showing he was not quite so callous to Helen's scorn and distrust as hewould have liked to appear.
"I think the wisest thing for you to do would be to rent this house,furnished, if you can find a tenant----"
"We've done it!" exclaimed Helen triumphantly.
"That is, we have got a tenant if you think it is best," explainedDouglas. "We were going to do nothing without your approval."
"Oh, come now! I have no jurisdiction over you," laughed the young man.
"Isn't power of attorney jurisdiction?" asked Lucy. "Nan says I can'thave any more stockings until you permit me."
"Well, well! I must be a terrible bugaboo to you! I don't feel at allqualified to judge of your stockings, little girl, or anything elsepertaining to the female attire. It was the merest accident that I wasgiven power of attorney. I am not in the least an appropriate person tobe having it. I only consented to have it wished on me when I saw yourfather was becoming excited and tired over the unexpected hitch when thenotary spoke of Miss Douglas's not being of age. I have transferred whatcash your father has to your sister's account. I must find out from youwhom you want to look after your affairs and consult that person----"
"But, Dr. Wright, we would lots rather have you, if you don't mind!"exclaimed Douglas. "Any of our kinsmen that we might call on wouldinsist upon our coming to live with them or make us go to some stuffyboarding house or something. They would not look at it as I believe youwould at all. We have a scheme, too, but we want to hear yours first."
"My scheme was, as I say, first to rent your house, furnished, and thenall of you, with some suitable older person and some man whom you cantrust, go and camp out on the side of the mountain in Albemarle. What doyou say to it?" The girls burst out laughing, even Helen.
"Dr. Wright, this is absolutely uncanny!" exclaimed Douglas. "That isexactly what we were planning!"
"Only we were going you some better and were to have boarders," drawledNan.
"Boarders, eh, and what do you know about keeping boarders?" laughed thedoctor.
"We know enough not to do the way we have been done by at summerboarding houses where we have been sometimes."
"Well, all I can say is that I think you are a pretty spunky lot. Pleasetell me which one of you thought up this plan. There must surely havebeen a current of mental telepathy flowing from one of you girls to me.It was you, I fancy, Miss Douglas."
"No, I am never so quick to see a way out. It was Helen."
"Yes, Helen thought of it, but I came mighty near doing it," declaredLucy. "I would have done it all the way but I went to sleep."
Helen looked as though she did not at all relish having anything even sointangible as a current of mental telepathy connecting her with one whomshe was still determined to look upon as an enemy. He was gazing at herwith anything but the eyes of an enemy, however, and Nan's remark abouthis eyes looking like blue flowers high up on a cliff that you mustclimb to reach, came back to her. She felt that those flowers were ineasy reach for her now; that all she had to do to make this rugged youngman her friend was to be decently polite. But her pride was still hurtfrom his former disapproval and while his present attitude was muchbetter, she still could not bring herself to smile at him. She was veryquiet while the other girls unfolded their plans for the camp. She didnot take so much pleasure in it now that it was not altogether herscheme. To think that while she was working it up this bumptious youngdoctor was doing the same thing!
"The keeping boarders part of it was mine, though," she comfortedherself by thinking.
Dr. Wright was really astonished by the quickness with which thesespoiled girls had acted and their eagerness to begin to be somethingbesides the butterflies they had seemed. Douglas told him of the plansfor the camp that the assistant in the office was to draw for them, andthen showed him some of the advertisements of their boarding camp thatNan had been working on all day.
"This is sure to draw a crowd of eager week-enders," he declared. "Infact, I believe you will have more boarders than the mountain willhold."
"I thought it best to have kind of catchy ads that would make peoplewonder what we were up to anyhow," said Nan. "Now this one is sure todraw a crowd: 'A week-end boarding camp, where one can have all of thediscomforts of camping without the responsibility.' Here is another:'Mountain air makes you hungry! Come to The Week-End Camp and let usfeed you.'"
"Fine!" laughed the young man. "But please tell me how you plan to feedthe hungry hordes that are sure to swarm to your camp. Do you know howto cook?"
"Helen can make angel's food and I know how to make mayonnaise, butsometimes it goes back on me," said Nan with the whimsical air thatalways drew a smile from Dr. Wright.
"I can make angel's food, too," declared Lucy.
"Well, angel's food and mayonnaise will be enough surely for hungryhordes."
"Of course, we are going to take some servants with us," said Helen,breaking the vow of silence that she was trying to keep in Dr. Wright'spresence. "Old Oscar, our butler, and Susan, the housemaid, have bothvolunteered to go. I can make more things than angel's food, and,besides, I am going to learn how to do all kinds of things before wego."
"That's so, you can make devil's food," teased Nan. "Somehow I didn'tlike to mention it."
"Cook is going to teach me to make all kinds of things. I am going toget dinner to-morrow and have already made up bread for breakfast. I amgoing to buy some of the cutest little bungalow aprons to cook in, pinkand blue. I saw them down town this morning. They are what made me thinkof learning how to cook."
"I'm going to learn how to cook, too, and I must have some aprons justlike Helen's."
"All of us are Camp Fire Girls," said Douglas to the doctor, "and ofcourse we have learned some of the camping stunts, but we have not beenas faithful as we might have been."
"I am an old camper and can put you on to many things if you will letme."
"We should be only too glad," responded Douglas sincerely.
"One of the first things is canvas cots. Don't try to sleep on all kindsof contrived beds. Get folding cots and insure comfortable nights.Another is, don't depend altogether on camp fires for cooking. Kerosenestoves and fireless cookers come in mighty handy for steady mealgetting. It will be another month at least before you go, won't it?"
"Just about, I think, if we can manage it. We have school to finish andI have some college exams that I want to take, although I see noprospect of college yet. Another thing I
want to discuss with you, Dr.Wright, is selling our car. I think that might bring in money enough forus to pay for all the camp fixtures and run us for awhile."
"Certainly; I'll see about that for you immediately."
The young man took his departure with a much higher opinion of theCarter sisters than he had held twenty-four hours before. As for theCarter sisters: they felt so grateful to him for his kindness to theirparents and to them that their opinion of him was perforce good. Helenstill sniffed disdainfully when his name was mentioned, but she couldnot forget the expression of approval in his blue eyes when he foundthat the camping scheme was hers.