Winona of the Camp Fire Part 9

"Girls!" she said, "as the dance that the Scouts have asked us to is an affair to which we have been invited as an official body, it seems to me that it would be only courteous for us to wear our ceremonial gowns. So I am going to ask that you all do it."

There was a murmur of approval all over the room. When you have just acquired a beautiful new costume it's human nature to want to wear it early and often. There was only a plaintive wail, which Marie suppressed, from Edith Hillis:

"Oh, my lovely new green messaline!"

Winona crossed over to the place where Adelaide still sat.

"Well?" she said triumphantly.

"Did you tell Mrs. Bryan anything about me?" Adelaide demanded suspiciously.

"No, I didn't," replied Winona rather indignantly. "What do you take me for, when I said I wouldn't?"

"Well, I didn't know," apologized Adelaide. "And-thank you, ever so much, Winona! You-you don't _know!_"

Winona laughed.

"Why, yes, I do. At least, I've often wanted new clothes when I couldn't have them. But mother says if you can't the next best thing is to go on wearing what you have, and be so cheerful n.o.body has time to think what you have on!"

"n.o.body ever told me that," pondered Adelaide, as if it were an entirely new idea to her. "But my mother's dead, you see. And, anyway, it doesn't sound as if it could be true. Did you ever try it?"

"Yes," Winona said, and laughed. "I did-it was funny, too. I was visiting some cousins of mine. I hadn't expected to stay, and I hadn't brought a single party thing, and none of their clothes would fit me.

They had perfectly lovely dresses. And suddenly we were all invited to a party, and I had nothing but a blue linen; and all the rest of them in the fluffiest clothes you ever saw!"

"Well," said Adelaide, "didn't it feel _horrid_."

"Yes, it did for awhile," owned Winona. "But everybody was sitting around as stiff as stiff-you know, some parties are like that at first.

And somebody just had to say something. And pretty soon I thought of a game that just fitted in, and asked them to play it. After that I was so busy thinking up games that I never remembered a thing I had on till we got home that night. And I only did then because my cousin Ethel said, 'Oh, I've torn my dress!' and I said it was queer I hadn't torn mine, too-and then I remembered that it was linen and wouldn't tear. We certainly had a good time at that party!"

Adelaide looked at Winona's s.h.i.+ning eyes and flushed cheeks enviously.

"Yes, you could do that," she said, "and people would be so busy watching you that they wouldn't know whether you had a flour-sack on or a satin. But I can't, because I keep worrying all the time about what people think of me."

"Oh, I should think that _would_ be horrid," Winona sympathized.

"It is," said Adelaide, "only I--"

The rest that Adelaide had been going to say was drowned, because just then came the signal for the closing song, and soon the Council Fire was over.

"What on earth were you talking to Adelaide Hughes so long about?"

demanded Louise curiously as they walked home, for their ways lay together.

"Oh, just things," was Winona's answer. "I think she's awfully shy, and a little afraid of the rest of us, Lou."

"And you think we ought to make a special fuss over her?" said Louise mournfully. "I knew that was coming. Well, I suppose we will-Helen and I always do what you tell us to. I wish I were shy, and people ran around saying, 'we really must make an effort to draw poor little timid Louise out!'"

Winona burst out laughing-the idea of "poor, little, timid Louise" was so irresistibly funny.

"It's going to be a gorgeous dance, though." Louise went on. "Wasn't it splendid of the Scouts to think of doing it? And what about my being right?"

"You certainly were right," Winona admitted. "Are you sure you don't mind going on alone?"

For they had reached the Merriam house.

"Not a bit," said Louise cheerfully. "It's only a block, anyway.

Good-night, honey."

"Oh, it's lovely!" exclaimed Winona next morning when she ran downstairs. She flung herself on Tom bodily and hugged him hard as she spoke.

"What's lovely?" asked Tom, detaching himself, or trying to. "Go easy, Winnie; it was just sheer luck that you didn't break any ribs or my collar-bone or something. Affection's all right in its place, but--"

"But its place isn't on you, you mean?" retorted Winona, unwinding herself cheerfully from her brother. "Why, I mean the dance, of course."

"Oh, that!" said Tom. "That's nothing! It ought to be pretty good fun, though, don't you think so?"

"Oh, I know it will!" cried Winona fervently. "Are the boys going to wear their uniforms?"

"Well," said Tom doubtfully, "we don't know. You see, we've hiked in 'em, and rolled around on the gra.s.s in 'em wrestling, and done about everything to those poor old uniforms that you can do to clothes, and they really aren't fit for civilized society."

"Meaning ours?" said Winona. "Thanks for the compliment! Why don't you have them cleaned? I suppose even khaki cleans!"

"I don't know," said her brother, "I'll ask mother. Maybe we can manage it. But-oh, say, Winnie, there's something I wanted to speak to you about. You know, there are new people moved in next door. They're Southerners, here for the mother's health or something. There's a boy about my age, and a girl somewhere around yours. I don't know much about the girl, but Billy Lee's an awfully decent fellow, and we've got him in the Scouts. Now what do you think about taking his sister into your Camp Fire? She'd just about fit in as far as age goes, and it would be nice and neighborly. We'll have to ask her for the dance anyway, because there aren't enough of you Camp Firers yet to go around. The girl must need something to do, because Billy seems to worry about her rather.

Stands to reason it isn't natural for a fellow to fret about his sister having a good time unless she needs it pretty badly."

"Oh, I don't know," said Winona. "When you come to a strange place things are bound to be stupid till you get to know people. We've lived here always, you know. But I'll go over and see her as soon as I've done the breakfast dishes."

Accordingly, when the breakfast dishes were done and the dining-room tidied, Winona washed her hands over again very carefully, and put cold-cream and talc.u.m powder on them, for she did not like the smell of dish-water, especially when she was going calling. Then she made her way to the house next door.

All the houses on that block stood in deep yards, which went all around them. Winona crossed the path and went up the porch, feeling a little shy. She had not asked anyone to join the Camp Fire before. They were to take in five new girls at the next monthly meeting, just before they went camping, but all of them had let the girls know that they wanted to join. Winona was a moving spirit in Camp Karonya, and she knew that anyone she vouched for would be welcome. But she did hope the next-door girl would fit in with the rest of them.

The door was opened by a colored maid, but before she could say whom she was, a dark, handsome boy of about fifteen, in a Scout uniform, came running down the stairs.

"You're Winnie Merriam, aren't you?" he asked eagerly. "I'm Billy Lee. I asked your brother to send you over to see Nataly."

Winona liked Billy on the spot, he was so friendly and natural and nice, and very good-looking besides.

"If his sister's like him she'll be splendid to have in the Camp Fire,"

she thought, and her spirits went up with such a bound that she was able to smile brightly, and say enthusiastically as she held out her hand to Billy Lee:

"Yes, indeed, I'm Winona Merriam, and I'm so glad Tom did send me. I know your sister and I are going to be friends."

"Well, I do hope so," said Billy as confidentially as if he had known her for years. "I'm having a gorgeous time in the Scouts-went on a hike yesterday, and we never got back till nine o'clock, and three of the fellows got all stung up with a hornet's nest."

This didn't sound much like a fine time to Winona, but she supposed boys knew what they liked. She couldn't help laughing, though.