One by one the girls’ heads disappeared inside the tents, but not before their owners had addressed some laughing remark at Doris, teasing her for her fears. Nor could the girls go immediately to sleep again; for a long while tent-mates lay there whispering to each other, and from the suppressed giggles that were heard from time to time, they were evidently enjoying the situation immensely.
After they had quieted down, an idea occurred to Mae.
“Doris!” she called. “Hello, Doris!”
“Well, what now?” demanded Doris.
“If you hear anything more, you just scream like that again, and you’ll scare all the bears within fifty miles.”
“I don’t care!” responded Doris; “if there are bears around here, I won’t stay.”
This sally caused another chorus of giggles, and the chiding was resumed again until Marjorie put a sudden stop to it by calling sharply,
“That’s enough, girls! It’s mean to tease Doris so—especially when none of you are a bit braver than she is, but only less nervous. Now go to sleep!”
After this rebuke, all was quiet.
But although there was no more talking, not all of the girls went to sleep right away. Marjorie was right; they were not braver than Doris; and as they lay there thinking about her remark, wondering what they would do if a bear really did appear, they began to realize that they did not at all relish the possibility. In the end, the fatigues of the day and the good health of the girls asserted themselves, and they fell into a sound sleep.