“You mean meeting those cousins of Alice?” asked John, jealously.
“Mercy no! I mean the motor-cars we’re to get and the fun of seeing California, and the chance to be together as Girl Scouts—when we’re so nearly grown-up.”
“But we’re not going to act grown-up this summer,” protested Alice. “Except where strangers are concerned. We’re just going to be the same Girl Scouts of dear old Pansy Troop—”
“Who don’t care about meeting wealthy young men or—” began Dick, but he was stopped by a protest from Marjorie.
“Enough of that!” she commanded. “The time is too short to waste. We must plan our visit to Mae’s. Now tell me which of you boys are expecting to go.”
As it was a subject in which the boys and girls alike were interested, for they were all hoping to go, they were willing to discuss it as long as the party lasted. Their conversation, however, was cut short; at ten o’clock Mrs. Hadley served light refreshments and informed the boys that they were expected to leave immediately afterward, to allow the girls to get some rest for their early start in the morning.
It seemed indeed a good omen that the following day was bright and clear, and the scouts, true to their resolution, arose early and made their final preparations. They lingered awhile over breakfast, making a hearty meal of it, so that they would be satisfied at noon with a light luncheon. They kept rehearsing their program for the day, and talking over their schedule as to drivers and stops and mileage. Marjorie reminded Lily to turn her speedometer back to zero, because, as she said, they wanted to be very exact about their trip.
“We must never be willing to turn in at night,” she added, “unless we have covered our one hundred miles.”
“And yet,” put in Lily, “you decided that we wouldn’t travel at night! Now how can you make those two rules consistent?”
Marjorie smiled good-naturedly at the other girl’s logic, admitting that perhaps she had been a trifle inconsistent.