They all had a busy day of it, but their enthusiasm never flagged and if they were tired by supper time each and all insisted that all they needed was a little food to make them as ready for fun as ever. The days were much shorter and they needed all the lanterns in camp to light up the place. The lights were hung around the impromptu stage, gleaming from between green boughs and casting a glow upon the red and yellow leaves. Hartley’s was the first appearance, and here Jack discovered what was so mysteriously hurried to the boys’ tent, for Hartley was made up as Noahdiah Peakes, and came in pushing himself along on a ridiculous little wagon with a toy horse, these having been discovered at Davis’s store. The old jokes were made, the old conundrums asked each to the customary accompaniment of “Git ap!” This was Nan’s idea, the one she had jotted down that morning on the margin of her paper, and it made a great hit. Then came the minstrels, Hartley keeping his costume, but adding a coat of black cork to his hands and face. Ashby with his banjo was one of the end men, Ran with bones was the other. They did some funny coon songs interspersing the performance with jokes. Then Mary Lee gave her breakdown which was so applauded that she did another typical dance. Nan gave an imitation of an opera singer with no voice at all, then Jo, who had gone out to get rid of her burnt cork, returned to do an Irish monologue. She was a great mimic and her brogue brought much applause. After the finale, an old camp-meeting hymn, sung in chorus, they all trooped out to the field back of the camp where ’Lish had been instructed to build a fire, and here they had the corn-roast. The boys had prepared a pile of sharpened sticks, and if the corn was frequently smoked and charred it was relished by most of the party.
Jo Returned to do an Irish Monologue.
“Now the fireworks!” cried Jack who was much interested in these. To the lake they took their way to set off pinwheels and roman candles, and to send up rockets which went hissing down into the lake. At the last a great rocket bomb started the echoes and sent frightened birds flying from their nests in the near-by trees.
Then every one, even ’Lish and Hetty, joined in the procession which marched around the camp singing their song. More verses were added as a line would be suggested and the marching was kept up enthusiastically till the older ones declared themselves tired. At the close every one solemnly shook hands all around and it was declared that they had “done broke camp” as Hetty expressed it. She made a little bobbing curtsey to all. “I sholy is disinclined to part with yuh-alls,” she said. “It seem lak ole times to hev dese yer cay’ins on. I ain’t been to no veritas camp-meetin’ fo’ many a long ye’r, an’ yuh-alls is such nice ladies an’ gemmans dat I hopes to see yuh-alls nex’ ye’r,” a wish which was echoed by one and all.
Then some one raised “Three cheers for Camp Happiness!” and then “Three cheers for Miss Marshall and Miss Lloyd!” so the cheering was kept up till a curious little squirrel, wakened by all this hullabaloo, came scampering out of his nest and sat on his haunches looking around inquiringly as if to say, “Why all this fuss, friends?” The squirrels had become very tame, for every one fed them, and no one thought of scaring them off, much less of hurting them.
In a short time every lantern and candle was out, the tents gleamed white in the moonlight. Before another week the place would be silent save for the lonely call of a night-bird or the pad of some four-footed creature prowling the woods.
All this came to Nan’s mind as she turned on her pillow. She thought of Place o’ Pines deserted and boarded up as she had seen it for the last time. “I shall never come back,” she sighed.
