The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp

by Laura Lee Hope

  CHAPTER VII

  OFF FOR CAMP

  Will entered with the air of one conferring a favor, and successfullyevaded the efforts of his sister to take away a certain box he wascarrying.

  "Have patience, little sister mine!" he mocked. "Have patience, and youwill get your desires."

  "You mean thing! and I haven't had a chocolate all day. How did you cometo bring them?"

  "Amy asked me to," he said boldly.

  "Oh, Will Ford! I did not!" and Amy blushed a "lobster red," as the ladungallantly informed her.

  "Well, anyhow take them, and dole them out," he added, tossing the boxof confectionery into her lap.

  "Oh, Amy, I always loved you!" confided Grace, "shooting" a look ofwonder at her brother.

  "And while Amy passes the treat, perhaps you will kindly elucidate theriddle of the ice boat for us," suggested Mollie, catching a marshmallowchocolate which Amy deftly threw across the parlor.

  "Nothing very complicated about it," replied Will, himself munching onsome candy that he produced from a hidden source--likely one of hisseemingly innumerable pockets. Betty said she never could understand howa boy could remember all the pockets he had--fourteen she once counted,when she had Allen Washburn enumerate them for her.

  "It's this way," went on Will, with tantalizing slowness, but Grace knewbetter than to try to hurry him. "Allen and Frank and I have bought abig ice boat."

  "You have?" cried Grace. "You never told me a thing about it." Shelooked her keen reproaches.

  "Well, I'm telling you now," said Will. "It is a second-hand one, andused to belong to the Chacalott Club, down the river. They bought a newone for racing purposes, and Allen heard of the chance to get this one.He told me, I told Frank, Frank told--told----"

  "Oh, spare us the horrible details!" protested Grace. "Where do we comein?"

  "In the ice boat, of course. Where else did you expect?" and Willgrinned at her like a Cheshire cat.

  "Provoking!" murmured Grace. "Do go on."

  "Yes, do," urged Mollie. "We've got so much to do yet!"

  "Well, as I said, we have a big, roomy ice boat," went on Will. "Itisn't as comfortable as your _Gem_, Betty, and has no cabin."

  "No cabin!" cried Amy. "I thought all boats had to have cabins."

  "An ice boat is like a pair of stilts, crossed," explained Will."There's no room for a cabin, but there is a sort of cockpit on thisone. It will hold ten when they aren't spilled out on the way."

  "Spilled out?" queried Mollie. "That sounds interesting."

  "It is--when you're not spilled," said Will. "You see in a stiff breezethe ice boat sort of rears up on its hind legs, like an auto goingaround a curve on two wheels, and there the spilling begins.

  "As I said, the cockpit of the _Spider_ will hold about ten comfortably,and if half spill out, why so much the more comfort for those whosucceed in holding themselves in."

  "But what about us?" asked Grace.

  "Oh, we'll hold you in," volunteered Will, cheerfully.

  "No, I mean do you really intend for us to use it to go to camp?"insisted his sister.

  "I sure do. It's a dandy boat--the _Spider_, and----"

  "_Spider!_" exclaimed Betty with a little shiver. "What possessed you totake such a name?"

  "It looks like a water bug--the ice is not far removed from water. Hence_Spider_. Do you get me--or the spider?"

  "Oh, you boys!" sighed Grace. "Girls, shall we consider it--the iceboat?"

  "It will be just the proper caper," said Will. "We can take you all upin one load, and your suit cases, too. Trunks can go by express. Then wecan stay a week or so with you in the cabin, and----"

  "You can stay--you boys--who said so?" demanded Grace a bit defiantly.

  "Dad. I asked him. There are several furnished cabins there, and we canuse one, he said. Oh, don't worry, we won't bother you," and he glaredat his sister. Grace and Will did not get along any better than theaverage brother and sister, it will be noted.

  "I think it would be nice," spoke gentle Amy, hastening to pour oil ontroubled waters. "It wouldn't be quite so lonesome--with the boysthere."

  "Bless you for saying that!" exclaimed Will, with mock heroics. "Youshall be doubly repaid. We'll see that you are never alone, Amy."

  She blushed, but did not seem displeased.

  "And as we boys are going anyhow," went on Will, "you girls can come inthe ice boat, or not, just as you choose. I only thought I'd offer it."

  "It's kind of you," declared Mollie.

  "I think ice boating would be lovely," vouchsafed Betty.

  Seeing her chums thus in favor Grace capitulated.

  "All right," she said. "We'll go, with you boys."

  "And you needn't think you are doing us a favor, either!" asserted Willa bit truculently. "We can get other girls. There is Kittie Rossmore,Alice----"

  "Stop it!" commanded Grace, and Will subsided. He knew better than tokeep on in that strain.

  "The boat is a dandy, though," he went on. "We can pile the cockpit fullof fur robes, and when the wind is right we can scoot up the lake tobeat the band!"

  "Such slang!" cried Grace.

  "Well, I only meant hat band--or rubber band. That isn't slang."

  And so it was decided. Will went on to describe the boat from the rudderand runners, to the sails and tackle, most of it being as Greek to thegirls. But they made up their minds to soon learn how to run a craft onthe ice.

  "And if things go right I'll soon have a better one than the _Spider_,"declared Will, as he prepared to take his leave.

  "You mean you are going to buy another?" asked Grace.

  "No, not buy--make one--and it will be a surprise, too, let me tellyou!"

  "How?" asked Betty, interested.

  "Oh, you'll see when the time comes. It's a secret."

  This naturally roused the curiosity of the girls, but Will, havingaccomplished his purpose in doing that, refused to talk further and leftin a hurry, Frank having called for him.

  As for the girls, there were many details yet to be settled, even thoughthe matter of food and clothing had been decided, in a measure.

  In the days that followed Mr. Ford reported that he had succeeded ingetting Ted Franklin and his wife to go to the lumber camp, to live inone of the cabins and assume charge as care-takers.

  "They'll have a cabin all ready for you girls," the lawyer had said tohis daughter. "It will be near theirs, and if Will and the boys want togo up for week-ends, there is a cabin they can use."

  "But, Daddy, tell Will not to bother us. He's sure to play some kind oftricks."

  "Oh, I guess you girls can look after yourselves. Now, about gettingyourselves and your things up there----"

  "We've arranged about ourselves," said Grace. "We're going in the iceboat up the river. But our trunks----"

  "I'll have them shipped. I have also sent an order to the storekeeperthere to supply the cabin with stock provisions. The others you can buyas you need them. Now I guess that's all."

  "Is Mr. Jallow cutting any more trees?"

  "Yes, and I haven't succeeded in stopping him. There may be trouble--ofa legal kind only," he hastened to assure his daughter, who lookedalarmed. "Don't worry. Only if you should happen to run across thatPaddy Malone up there--that old lumberman--hold on to him, or at leastget him to communicate with me. With his testimony I can beat thisJallow."

  "I hope we can find him," observed Grace.

  There were seemingly a hundred and one things to do before starting offfor camp, but somehow they got done. Betty was very busy, for thoughGrace had initiated the idea of the camp, the Little Captain naturallyassumed the leadership, as she generally did.

  The girls had two or three rides in the ice boat, and liked theexperience very much. It was a novel sensation gliding over the frozensurface before a stiff wind. And really the boys managed the _Spider_very well. In spite of the protest of the girls, they refused to changethe name, even ignoring the compromise of _Cobweb_, which Grace declaredqu
ite poetical.

  The day set for the start brought disappointment, for the wind blew inexactly the opposite direction desired, and, after waiting until lateafternoon for a change, the trip was given up.

  But in the night it grew colder, which was good for the condition of theice, and the wind shifted. It blew straight up the river toward thedistant lumber camp, and early the next morning Will was astir to makesure there would be no delay.

  The start was made from Mollie's boathouse, where the _Spider_ wasmoored. The suitcases were piled in the forward part of the cockpit,which was well provided with rugs. Then with Allen at the helm, and Willand Frank to look after the sail, the girls took their places.

  "All aboard!" cried Will, looking at his sister and her chums. "Holdfast, everybody! Shall I shove off, Allen?"

  "Yes!"

  The boat glided out into the middle of the frozen river. The wind caughtthe sail, it curved out, and the _Spider_ shot ahead, gathering speedevery second.

  "We're off!" cried Betty, waving her hands to those who had come to seethem start.

  "Good-bye! Good-bye!" was chorused over and over again.

  As Amy waved with the others she little dreamed what a change would takeplace in her life before she saw dear Deepdale again.