Winona of the Camp Fire Part 29

The girls hurried off their finery, and got hastily into their serge skirts and white blouses.

"I feel like Cinderella!" said Winona as they went down in the elevator again, only to find that, quick as they had been Billy had been quicker, and stood, familiar-looking in his khaki, to take them away. The pottery and linen that was left would all go into one suitcase now, so well had they and the bellboy prospered. Billy gave them, too, the money that had been taken in during the evening. They hurried off, after they had said good-bye to Miss Lawrence, and made her promise to come see them at Camp Karonya and stay a whole day.

At the last moment she pushed a bundle into Winona's hands.

"Here are your dresses, child," she said. "You looked so sweet it would be a shame for you and Louise not to keep them. I'll make it up to Nataly."

Winona threw her arms around Miss Lawrence's neck, and kissed her.

"Thank you, dear fairy G.o.dmother!" she said.

A more astonished pair of boys than Lonny and Tom it would have been hard to find. It did not take long to explain matters. In a few moments they had Winona in the canoe between Tom and Billy, while Lonny rowed Louise in the boat. The girls held the boat and the canoe together. As they went Louise and Winona told the tale of their day's work.

When they were done Louise pulled out the money they had made, and began to count it.

"You have some, too, Win," she said.

"I know," said Winona, "I have what Billy gave me, that the bellboy made. But I don't believe it's a lot."

"Better count it," counselled Tom, and Winona did. When she was through she looked up with an awed expression.

"Nearly ten dollars more!" she announced. "Oh, Louise, there must be some mistake! Why, if we both really have made all that, there's enough for another three weeks' camping!"

"And orders ahead!" said Louise serenely. "It will take Marie and Adelaide more of their time than they'll want to spare from fancy diving and telling the birds from the wild-flowers, to make jelly and runners.

I tell you, folks, I'm going to be an Italian porch-worker from now on.

It pays. Sella da fina crock-getta da bigga price-blowa it in!"

The boys shouted. "Good for you, Louise!" they cried, and a startled bullfrog gave a deep emotional croak at the noise, and jumped into the water.

It was moonlight, so the trip home was pleasanter than any they had had.

They sang till they came close to Camp Karonya, where they quieted down for fear of disturbing the sleeping girls. But they need not have worried. Camp Karonya was improving the moonlight night by sitting around a watch-fire, singing and telling stories. They could hear Helen's voice lifted up in "Old Uncle Ned," with a mandolin accompanying her that probably belonged to Edith. The boys tied the boat and the canoe, and carried the suitcases and stretcher, so pleasingly empty, ash.o.r.e. All five walked over to where the fire gleamed, and were in the midst of the girls before anyone had seen them come.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The girls jumped up and surrounded them.

"Where on earth have you been? What on earth have you been doing? Where in the name of common sense did you get that haughty black person who brought us news of you about six?" everybody wanted to know, while Adelaide and Nataly held brief reunions with their brothers, and six girls at once pressed refreshments on Lonny and Tom and Billy.

"We've sold most of your arts-and-crafts things," announced Winona.

"And every st.i.tch of embroidery," added Louise.

"And we've been to a band concert and met a fairy G.o.dmother!" chanted Winona in her turn.

"And we have heaps and _heaps_ of money!" finished Louise jubilantly.

Then all the girls cried out, "Oh, tell us about it! Tell us about it!"

So Louise sat down at a discreet distance from the camp-fire, and a.s.sisted by Winona's quieter voice, told the story. When she got to the part where they pretended to be Italian girls Nataly interrupted.

"Oh, that was dreadful!" she said. "Surely you didn't do that?"

"Didn't we, though?" grinned Louise cheerfully; "And your very own Aunt Lydia aided and abetted us, and gave us dinner and kind words besides!"

"Aunt Lydia!" exclaimed Nataly.

"She's over at one of the Wampoag hotels, Nataly," explained her brother. "You knew she was going to be there, didn't you?"

"How could I when I haven't heard from her?" asked Nataly.

"Oh, that's so!" said Billy penitently. "I ought to have brought you down her last letter, but it was addressed to me, and I forgot to pa.s.s it on."

The fact was, as Winona learned later, Miss Lawrence had very strong likes and dislikes, and much preferred her nephew to her niece.

Louise turned round to Nataly.

"You made some things to sell, didn't you?" she asked, "And yet you think it was shocking of us to sell them! I don't think that's fair."

"Well, I don't care. I don't think it's nice or lady-like to peddle things from door to door," said Nataly stubbornly.

"Maybe it wasn't," said Louise cheerfully, "but it was certainly heaps of fun!"

"Oh, we _did_ have fun!" said Winona. "And we have orders for more of Marie's stencilled runners, and Adelaide's jelly."

"Did n.o.body love my pots?" asked Helen sadly.

"Oh, yes, indeed," consoled Winona, "only you were so industrious, and made so many, that we have some left. The Blue Birds' baskets went off very well, too."

"How much did you make?" asked Mrs. Bryan. "I'm wild to know."

Louise pulled her bandanna handkerchief out of her deepest pocket, and Winona produced hers from the bottom of her blouse. They handed them over to the Guardian.

"Mine's only what the bellboy took in while we were at dinner and out in the evening," Winona explained. "Louise took care of all the rest."

Mrs. Bryan counted it silently, while the girls waited breathlessly for the result.

"Fifty-three dollars and forty-six cents!" announced Mrs. Bryan at last.

"You blessed angels, with what we'll get for the mending, that means over three weeks more of camp!"

"By the way," suggested Tom here, "can't you give us what's done of the mending, please, Mrs. Bryan? It's time we got back to camp."

She sent Florence and another Blue Bird to get it, and they ran off, swinging their lanterns.

"We'll send down the bill by some of your sisters, with the rest of the work, by day after to-morrow at the furthest," she promised, as the girls stood up to bid the three Scouts good-bye.