The Camp Fire Girls; Or, The Secret of an Old MillGaris, Howard Roger
Philosophy
The Camp Fire Girls; Or, The Secret of an Old Mill
Garis, Howard Roger
Camp Fire Girls -- Juvenile fiction; Haunted places -- Juvenile fiction; Mystery and detective stories
“Well, that’s what we have to learn,” answered Alice. “I say let’s walk
right in, as though we had come here by accident and wanted to have our
palms read.”
“I never can act that way,” declared Natalie. “I’ll be sure to laugh—or
something.”
“And then there are—the dogs!” faltered Marie. “They may bite us.”
“They’re barking loudly enough, anyhow,” declared Mrs. Bonnell. “Perhaps
if we each carry part of a sandwich they’ll accept that as a peace
offering and let us alone.”
“I have it!” exclaimed Natalie. “We’ll have our dinner here in the
woods, first. Then maybe we’ll think of a different plan. Anyhow, if we
go in and have our fortunes told now, it will be so late that we’ll be
starved before we can eat. Besides it looks as though they were cooking
their dinner.”
She pointed toward the camp, over which a little haze of smoke hung.
“I believe Natalie is right,” declared Mrs. Bonnell. “It will be better
to eat now. We can go back a way in the woods and have our lunch. They
haven’t discovered us. The wind is blowing away from the camp, and the
dogs haven’t detected us.”
“It’s just like some of Jack’s books!” exclaimed Marie. “The enemy
hasn’t winded us yet.”
“Well, there’s no reason why Camp Fire Girls can’t have as many
adventures as boys have,” insisted Alice.
Screened by the bushes they peered down on the Gypsy camp that lay a
little below them in a small, grassy glade. It looked picturesque enough
in the sunlight, and, as Mrs. Bonnell had said, their presence was not
yet discovered. The dogs appeared to be at the far side of the camp,
barking among themselves or perhaps at some wild animal they had treed.
Until the beasts scented them they were not likely to come that way.
“And, anyhow,” observed Mabel, “there must be lots of people who go to
the camp to have their fortunes told. The dogs must be used to them. I
don’t believe they’ll harm us.”
“After all, though, it will be safer to save a part of a sandwich each,
for the dogs,” insisted Mrs. Bonnell. “That will take their attention if
they come out at us by mistake.”
They laughed at her, but decided to do as she had suggested. Then they
cautiously made their way back into a thicker part of the forest, and,
sitting about a little spring, that bubbled from the side of a hill,
they ate part of their lunch, saving some for late afternoon, in case
they lost their way again, which did not seem likely, however.
Then came a little period of rest, and Marie proposed:
“Let’s go down now, and have it over with.”
“You’d think she was going to the dentist,” suggested Alice.
“Oh, my dear! Don’t mention dentist to me!” cried Mrs. Bonnell. “I have
one that needs filling, and I’ve been putting it off as long as
possible. But I really must go—some day.”
Again they approached the camp. This time they did not halt, but went
boldly on, seeing a path that led into the midst of the circle of wagons
and tents.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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