CHAPTER VI

OPENING DAY

"Everything is ready. Miss Mackin has sent our application to headquarters so that we may go on record, and now all we have to do is----"

Louise interrupted Corene. "I've got to move all the dishes for my precious dining-room, and who can spare a car to lug them out?"

"We'll pick you up and your tin pans on our way out this afternoon," replied Grace, quite breathless from the excitement. "And I've got to press out my uniform for the celebration."

"Come along, I guess we have everything for this trip," said Corene, gathering up a few more "odds and ends." What wouldn't that camp contain?

"Come along!" repeated Cleo. "I'm so glad we named it that, for I can just fancy we will make that our slogan. 'Come-a-long,'" she mimicked again, "and don't spill the eats, whatever you do."

Out at the fork in the roadway they were met by the rest of the Bobbies, and the camp on this, the opening day, was to receive a full patrol of eight members. Miss Mackin had been made official director, Corene was leader, and the other members were Louise, Grace, Julia, Cleo, Margaret, and Madaline, the last two being visitors, but also regular Scouts in the home troop.

Miss Mackin had already taken up her place in the camp and was now fully responsible, according to the best standards of the general organization; but in spite of that she allowed the girls to make the camp as they thought best, realizing that their plans were affording them a splendid chance to express individuality, and it was their proud boast that Camp Comalong was entirely theirs, from flagpole to the spring ditch, and from tent roof to the pine-needle pillows which Julia insisted should be used.

And they were really moving in!

A little gasp of anticipation sort of choked Cleo as she realized she was going to sleep with that oft-mentioned thin "rag of canvas twixt her and the stars." She wondered what they would do when it rained, and was glad the good, strong board floor was raised high enough to crawl under should a storm get too furious.

Benny called this the cyclone-cellar, and it was stored with enough furniture which could not be utilized "just now" to give it a rather cyclonic appearance.

The blankets on the eight nicely arranged cots had not been folded just as Corene had directed, so this detail was the first thing attended to now.

"You see," she explained, "an awful lot depends upon the beds. They are our chief decoration, you might say," as she proceeded to make each bed very pretty indeed, with a diamond-shaped blanket in gay colors throwing its brilliancy clear up to the brown canvas ceiling.

Bits of waste paper seemed to come from nowhere and settle everywhere, and these kept the Scouts busy, for this was to be a model camp and fit for inspection "always."

"Now we'll all go home and take a bathtub bath," suggested Miss Mackin, "and be back promptly at two-thirty for the flag-raising."

If anyone doubts girls' ability to make life ideal in the open, such a one has surely a limited experience with life's loveliest creatures, for girls are naturally "little animals," and who-ever tried to teach a bunny how to dig its burrow?

At two o'clock Benny rounded up the Boy Scouts, and when these came together they formed quite a company, in which were five fifes, three were tin horns, several drums, a few being homemade and of recent production, besides mouth-organs and other varieties of noise-making instruments. Benny himself, being brother to Grace, was chosen color-bearer, and he started his company off for Tamarack Hills with many compliments following in the wake of the trusty, valiant Boy Scouts.

Friends and relations of the girls had gathered also, and it was a distinguished line of autos that parked down at the foot of the hill when the girls themselves, hiking now and disdaining car-rides, marched along to take formal possession of Camp Comalong.

The inspection came first and everyone took part in it Mothers were enthusiastic and even craved "camps like this" for the whole family. Those fathers who could do so also attended the opening, and manlike talked proudly of their girls being the real thing in the Scout line.

The boys "drummed and fifed" madly, and of course drew a crowd.

"After this one afternoon," said Corene to Cleo's mother, "we are going to be strictly Girl Scouts, and we will only have visitors on regular days."

Miss Mackin was conducting one of the visiting school-teachers all over the grounds, for the fame of this girl-made camp had spread beyond its limits. Then the signal was given, and Grace pulled the rope that raised Old Glory over Tamarack Hills!

That moment was reverently solemn.

Every Girl and Boy Scout stood at attention, while the other spectators evinced their respect for the country's glorious emblem. Then the salute was given and the strains of "Star-Spangled Banner" stole out, first timidly, then assuringly, over the hills to the soft accompaniment of the lake's gentle swish against the rocky shore.

The hours that followed were too well-filled with excitement and interest to bear commonplace reporting, but the capable director, Miss Mackin, or "Mackey," as she had already been affectionately dubbed by the Scouts, managed to get the grounds fairly well cleared of visitors in time for supper preparations to be begun before sunset, and presently the girls found themselves alone with their beloved scheme, "Camping in the Woods."

"We will have a cold supper to-night," said Mackey, "and we have two quarts of lovely fresh milk--a donation from the Boy Scouts."

"We might have treated them," said Grace. "They did so much for us, and their music was really splendid!"

"Indeed it was," agreed the director, "and some afternoon we will give them all a treat. But to-night we have to try things out, so we will keep to schedule. I think everything went beautifully, and I want to congratulate you all. My friends from Camp Norm were very much impressed, and envied me my comfortable quarters," she added considerately.

"They don't know the squad," laughed Corene, "and we had on our best behavior to-day. Wait, just wait until things get going."

"We'll get the water," volunteered Cleo, taking the nice, shiny new pail from its peg in the tree closet. There was a row of these tree closets, being small wooden boxes nailed low enough to reach easily, and holding all the kitchen pans and pots. No one claimed these, and as Corene announced early in the plans, each should take turns, just like the K. P., or Kitchen Police, in military parlance.

Up the hill to the spring now romped Cleo and Grace. It was joyous to begin, really, to start this first meal in camp. Fleet-footed were the happy Scouts on the initial errand, and if Grace stumbled and Cleo tripped it was small wonder, considering their excited state of mind.

They were within a few feet, or bushes, of the spring when they saw a figure leaning over it.

"Look!" whispered Cleo. "It's Peg!"

"Come on and let's speak to her," suggested Grace sociably.

"She might not like it," demurred Cleo.

"Let's try, anyhow," insisted Grace, quickening her pace.

The girl leaning over the spring must have heard the steps, for she jumped up quickly and snatched her hat from the big stone.

"Hello!" called out Grace cheerily. "Did you come down to our camp exercises?"

The brown felt hat was pulled down very suddenly and firmly on the black hair, and for an instant the face under it flashed defiance. The next, a frank smile brought the answer.

"I did not exactly come to them, but I heard from the hill. It seemed--very nice."

"Oh, it was. I'm sorry you didn't come," pressed Grace. "Let us introduce ourselves." She waved her pail nervously. "This is Cleo and I'm Grace of the Bobolinks. You may call us the Bobbies if you will."

Peg smiled again and scratched her heavy shoes quite like an embarrassed youth might do. She hesitated quite a while before answering:

"And I'm Peg--you may, if you will" (she pleasantly imitated the voice Grace had used), "just call me Peg," she finished rather shyly.

It was such an agreeable surprise to find her approachable. Immediately both Scouts fell to talking of their camp prospects, and very naturally asked Peg to call.

"We know you are the original Scout of these hills," Grace complimented, "and I hope you don't mind our trespassing."

"Oh, no," replied Peg, but the voice was a little guarded. "The hills are big enough for us all," she added, "and I don't think you could have found a prettier spot. You can see clear across the lake from your front door," and she smiled at the classification.

But she did not reply to the invitation. Both girls noticed the omission.

Cleo dipped her pail in the spring pool and brought it out filled. She wanted to rinse the new tin, although Corene had boiled it before bringing it out to camp, but to rinse it would cool it, and now Cleo looked about for a spot to throw the waste water.

"Toss it over this way," suggested Peg, who was moving away. "There's a water-cress bed here. Don't forget to try them when you want a salad," and before the Scouts could thank her she was racing over the next hill and waving good-bye.

"So we met Peg!" said Cleo, her pail of water spilling over her new sneaks.

"And she's a dear," announced Grace emphatically.

Then they carried a newly dipped pail of fresh spring water back to camp, for their first supper under the tamarack trees.