“Oh, Miss Dodge, I’m afraid I’m not up to the mark in signalling. I’d feel so flat if I did it wrong.”
“Then, Claudia, you go.”
Claudia, being an expert with the flags, was only too willing and started off to get Chico at once in order that she might be back by supper time. Joanne stood watching her as she ran along. “I surely must get busy with those flags,” she said to herself. “I don’t think I have realized how important they could be. There is really no other way to reach the boys.” And the rest of her spare time that evening she devoted to the practising of signalling.
The blackberries were all out of the way by afternoon of the next day, all except one kettle of jam which was to be finished up later. A huge blackberry dumpling was had for dinner, many glasses of jelly stood a-row on the window sills, while the girls had scoured the country for jars in which to can their fruit. Mrs. Scraggs had lent them one big preserving kettle, Mrs. Clover another, so they progressed rapidly. Joanne was very proud of her six jars and her five glasses, but, as it is not easy to make blackberry jelly, she had her doubts about the proper consistency of this.
By five o’clock the whole party of girls was gathered upon the bank of Stony Creek. It was a lovely stream overarched by drooping trees, bordered by ferns and bushes whose reflections made a green margin for the rippling water, and fed by many cool springs which ran in little rills down the hills.
It was not long before three boats pushed into the stream. Hal and Chet were in the foremost. Cheers, salutes and shouts of welcome met them as the girls crowded closer to the water.
“How many are there of you?” questioned Hal.
“Fourteen girls, their captain and their lieutenant,” he was told.
“All right. I reckon we’ve plenty of grub. Come along, step in, and we’ll take you to the island of Delight. Six in the first boat. We’re counting on some of you to row. Who wants to?”
“I! I!” the offers came promptly, and presently the boats had left the shady creek and were out upon the broad waters of the Potomac, here a mile wide. It was something of a pull, but soon the girls saw white tents gleaming amidst the green of the island, and beheld the smoke of fires blue against the background of foliage. A dozen boys met them and the fun began.