Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains

by Stella M. Francis

  Produced by Suzanne Shell, Riikka Talonpoika and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  CAMP-FIRE GIRLS _In the_ ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS

  _or_

  A CHRISTMAS SUCCESS AGAINST ODDS]

  Campfire Girls in the Mountains]

  Campfire Girls in the

  Allegheny Mountains;

  OR,

  A Christmas Success Against Odds

  By

  STELLA M. FRANCIS

  M.A. DONOHUE & CO.

  CHICAGO NEW YORK

  CAMPFIRE GIRLS' SERIES

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS IN THE ALLEGHENY MOUNTAINS; or, A Christmas Success Against Odds.=

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS IN THE COUNTRY; or, The Secret Aunt Hannah Forgot.=

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS' TRIP UP THE RIVER; or, Ethel Hollister's First Lesson.=

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS' OUTING; or, Ethel Hollister's Second Summer in Camp.=

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS' ON A HIKE; or, Lost in the Great North Woods.=

  =CAMPFIRE GIRLS AT TWIN LAKES; or, The Quest of a Summer Vacation.=

  1918

  M.A. DONOHUE & COMPANY

  MADE in U.S.A.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER

  I The Grand Council Fire

  II The Boy Scouts' Invasion

  III The Skull and Cross-Bones

  IV Studying the Mystery

  V Girls Courageous

  VI The Punster Makes a Find

  VII To the Rescue

  VIII The Eavesdropper

  IX Mr. Stanlock Surprised

  X Mr. Stanlock Amused

  XI A Man of Big Heart and Queer Notions

  XII A Mysterious Disappearance

  XIII "Find Her, or I'll Find Her Myself"

  XIV Trapped

  XV A Pile of Scrap Lumber

  XVI Helen and the Strike Leader's Wife

  XVII Helen Declares Herself

  XVIII Helen in the Mountains

  XIX The Subterranean Avenue

  XX Twelve Girls in the Mountains

  XXI Thirteen Girls in the Mountains

  XXII A Sleighride Home

  "Camp Fire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains"

  OR

  "A Christmas Success Against Odds"

  By STELLA M. FRANCIS.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER I.

  THE GRAND COUNCIL FIRE.

  "Wo-he-lo for aye, Wo-he-lo for aye, Wo-he-lo, Wo-he-lo, Wo-he-lo for aye! Wo-he-lo for work, Wo-he-lo for health, Wo-he-lo, Wo-he-lo, Wo-he-lo for love."

  Two hundred and thirty-nine girl voices chanted the Wo-he-lo Cheerwith weird impressiveness. The scene alone would have been impressiveenough, but Camp Fire Girls are not satisfied with that kind of"enough." Once their imagination is stimulated with the almostlimitless possibilities of the craft, they are not easily pleased withanything but a finished product.

  The occasion was the last Grand Council Fire of Hiawatha Institute forCamp Fire Girls located in the Allegheny city of Westmoreland. Theclassroom work had been rushed a day ahead, examinations were madealmost perfunctory, and for them also the clock had been turnedtwenty-four hours forward. The curriculum was finished, and the dayjust closed had been devoted to preparation for a Grand Councilwind-up for the fifteen Fires of the Institute, which would "breakranks" on the following day and scatter in all directions for home andthe Christmas holidays.

  And there was literal truth in this "break ranks" method of dismissingschool at the Institute. Since the United States entered the Europeanwar on the side of the anti-frightfulness allies, Hiawatha had becomesomething of a military school. The girls actually drilled with guns,and they would shoot those guns with all the grim fatality of so manyboys. Not that they expected to go to war and descend into thetrenches and fire hail-storms of steel-coated death-messengers at theenemy. Oh, no. They might, but they were sensible enough not to lettheir imagination carry them so far. But preparedness was in the air,and the girls voted to a--a--girl (I almost said man, for they were asbrave as men in many respects) to take up military drill and tacticstwo hours a week as a part of their curriculum.

  Madame Cleaver, head of the Institute, did not start the militarymovement rashly. She was carefully diplomatic in the conduct of herschool, for she must satisfy the critical tastes and ideas of ahigh-class parentage clientele. But she also kept her fingers on thepulse of affairs and knew pretty well how to strike a popular vein.Hence the membership of her classes was always on the increase.Indeed, at the beginning of this school year, she had to turn awaysomething like forty applicants, for want of room and accommodations.

  Hiawatha Institute was founded as a Camp Fire Girls' school, and whenUncle Sam became involved in the European war, the national need fornurses appealed strongly to Camp Fire Girls everywhere. What couldthey do? The very nature of the training of the girls from WoodGatherer to Torch Bearer made the question, so far as they wereconcerned, a self-answering one. They had all the broad commonsenserudiments of nursing. With some advanced science on top of this, theywould be experts.

  But military authorities said that the nurses ought to have somemilitary drill. War nurses must be organized, and there was no bettermethod of effecting this orderly requisite than by military training.

  One well-known captain of infantry informed Madame Cleaver that warnurses could not reach the highest grade of efficiency unless theywere able to march in columns from one camp to another and bedistributed in squads at the points needed.

  With all this information at her tongue's end, the madame put thematter to her uniformed girls in the assembly hall. Rumor of what wascoming had reached them in advance, so that it did not fall as asurprise. The vote was unanimous in favor of the plan. The needednursing expert was already a member of the faculty. The classes wereformed a few days later.

  These were the girls that gathered around a big out-door campfire--itwas really a bonfire--in the snow of mid-winter on the evening of theopening of this story. Most of them were rich men's daughters, butthere were no snobs among them. They were girls of vigor and vim,intelligence and imagination, practical and industrious. They werelively and fond of a good time, but--most of them, at least,--wouldnot slight a duty for pleasure. Behind every enjoyment was a pathwayof tasks well done.

  Madame Cleaver was Chief Guardian of the fifteen Camp Fires of theInstitute. The faculty was not large enough to supply all the adultguardians required, but that fact did not prove by any means aninsurmountable difficulty. More than enough young women inWestmoreland, well qualified to fill positions of this kind,volunteered to donate their services in order to make the Camp Fireorganization of the school complete. Indeed, these volunteer Guardiansadded materially to their influence and rank in the community bybecoming connected with the Institute. There was, in fact, a waitinglist of volunteers constantly among the social leaders of the place.

  The Chief Guardian was mistress of ceremonies at the Grand CouncilFire. Two hundred and thirty-nine girls in uniform, brown coats,campfire hats, and brown duck hiking boots, stood around the fireanswering "Kolah" in unison by groups as the roll of the Fires wascalled. As each Fire was called and the answer returned, the Guardianstepped forward and gave a little recitation of current achievements.This program was varied here and there with music by a girls' chorusand a girls' orchestra. Everything went along with the smoothness,although with some of the deep dips and lofty lifts, of Grand Opera,until the name of the last Camp Fire, Flamingo, was called. M
issHarriet Ladd, the Guardian, stepped forward and said:

  "Madame Chief Guardian, associate guardians, and Camp Fire Girls ofHiawatha Institute, I bring to you a message of things planned byFlamingo Camp Fire Girls, thirteen in number. As you know, there is inan adjoining state a strike of coal miners that has caused muchsuffering among the poor families of the strikers. High Peak lives ina mountain mining district. Her father is a mine owner and has givenhis consent to the extending of an invitation to Flamingo Camp Fire towork among these poor families and give them relief during theChristmas holidays. The arrangements have been completed, and thegirls will start for Hollyhill tomorrow."

  "Hooray, hooray, hooray! Hooray for High Peak! Hooray for MarionStanlock! Hooray for Flamingo Camp Fire."

  The cheers, shrill on the sharp winter air, now in unison, now inconfusion, came not from the assembled Camp Fire Girls, although fromnearly as many voices. Out from the timber thicket to the west of thecampus rushed a small army of khaki-clad figures. There were a fewscreams among the girls, but not many. To be sure, everybody wasthrilled, but nobody fainted. There were a few moments of suspense,followed by bursts of laughter and applause from the girls.

  "It's the Spring Lake Boy Scouts," cried Marion Stanlock, who wasfirst to announce an explanation of the surprise. "Clifford, CliffordLong, are you responsible for this?"

  The Boy Scout patrol leader thus addressed did not reply, though herecognized the challenge with a wave of his hand.

  He was busy bringing his patrol in matching line with the otherpatrols. As if realizing their purpose, the circle around the campfire was broken at a point nearest the newly arrived invaders, and anavenue of approach was formed by the lining up of some of the girls intwo rows extended out towards the Boy Scouts. In double file a hundredand fifty boys marched in and around the campfire; then faced towardthe outer ring of Camp Fire Girls and bowed acknowledgment of thecourteous reception.

  * * * * *